North Oconee took a page from the Marist playbook on Monday and used it to win the school’s first state football championship.
The No. 3-ranked Titans drove 78 yards in 12 plays, chewing up nearly six minutes – a very Marist-like drive – to score the winning touchdown in a 14-7 victory and beat the No. 1-ranked War Eagles in the Class 4A championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
North Oconee finished the season 15-0, while Marist was 14-1.
“We were shooting ourselves in the foot all night,” quarterback Harrison Faulkner said. “It was really us leaning on each other and kind of getting it done and getting it in the end zone. We knew what we had to do there, and we knew it was probably our last shot, the way their offense was milking the clock out.”
There were numerous big plays on the drive, but none bigger than a 19-yard completion from Faulkner to Khamari Brooks on third-and-10.
“We talked about a few different plays and I told coach (offensive coordinator Kurt) Doehrman to go what he was comfortable win,” North Oconee coach Tyler Aurandt said. “It could have been Landon Roldan or Khamari. Khamari popped open right there for a big conversion.”
Two plays later Faulkner carried it for a 2-yard touchdown with only 3:48 remaining.
“Just a quarterback sneak,” Faulkner said. “We haven’t run it all year. Just bring the tight ends up and pick up a few yards and if I can get in, I get in.”
Marist didn’t go down easily. The War Eagles reached the North Oconee 30 after a 43-yard pass from Jack Euart to Trace Gaynes. But Marist got no closer and passes into the end zone on third and fourth down were batted away by North Oconee defenders.
Faulkner completed 16 of 22 passes for 203 yards and one touchdown, with two interceptions. He was limited to 11 yards rushing, but J.T. Doster picked up the slack with 13 carries for 67 yards.
Georgia signee Landon Roldan caught six passes for 89 yards and carried five times for 24 yards. Brooks, a junior who has committed to Georgia, had four receptions for 52 yards and one score. Brooks had eight tackles and two sacks.
“Those guys (Faulkner, Roldan and Brooks), you can rely on all of them,” Aurandt said. “They’ve very competitive. They forget things easily. They don’t dwell on things, so they know how to overcome adversity. And when we needed a big play, it was going to be one of those three and that’s kind of what it’s been all year.”
Euart rushed for 55 yards and completed 3 of 6 passes for 78 yards. Brayden Lewis ran nine times for 52 yards. But in the end the War Eagles were done in by some first-down procedure penalties that put them behind the stocks and by an inability to take advantage of two interceptions. Marist failed to get points after Gaynes and freshman Dawson Batemon picked off passes.
The first half ended in a 7-7 tie.
North Oconee finally broke through with a touchdown midway in the second quarter. A pair of passes from Faulkner to Roldan, one for 21 yards the other for 36 yards, pushed the Titans to the Marist 4. On the next play Faulkner threw to Brooks, who walked in from the 4.
But Marist was quick to respond. The War Eagles answered with a 23-yard throw from Euart to Jack Richerson, followed by Euart’s 27-yard keeper. Marist got it to the 5, only to have a penalty and sack knock it back to the 18. Euart got most of the yardage back on a 14-yard run and, following North Oconee’s offsides penalty, opted to go for it on fourth-and-goal at the 2. Fullback Parks Kaiser powered up the middle for the 2-yard score to tie the game.
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