Bowdon explodes in second half to deny Brooks

Published 10:00 am Tuesday, December 17, 2024

ATLANTA – Bowdon won its third consecutive state championship Monday, exploding in the second half to defeat Brooks County, 34-14.

Brooks’ Trojans had a 14-13 halftime lead in the Class A, Div. II final at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Under first-year head coach Josh McFather Brooks had been seeking its third ever football state title.

Bowdon opened scoring on a 47-yard run to the right side by Nate Bhony in the first quarter.

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Brooks countered with a perfect throw by Junior Burrus to Camauri Brinson at 1:04 in the frame, covering 47 yards. Rafael Mojica’s kick tied the score at 7.

George Lamons Jr. turned a short pass into touchdown No. 2 for the Trojans in the second, bulling his way through three defenders. Mojica’s kick gave the Trojans a 14-7 lead.

Brooks nearly extended it by another score midway through the quarter, but Burrus couldn’t quite connect with a receiver in the end zone.

Bowdon hit a big pass on the next drive, but couldn’t hit another on fourth down, giving the ball back to Brooks. The Red Devils soon caught break on a high snap, Connor Daniel covering the ball at the 13.

Taking advantage of a pass interference call, Bowdon punched it in with Joshawia Davis with 24 seconds remaining with 24 seconds to go. However, the extra point failed, allowing the Trojans to sneak into the half up 14-13.

Bowdon reclaimed the lead in the third when Kaiden Prothro used his height to reel in a
43-yard scoring pass at 4:45. The Devils attempted to run for a two-point conversion but were stopped short.

Lamons kept the ensuing drive going, taking a direct snap on fourth down to move the sticks to the 21. Two snaps later, the ball was Bowdon’s again on a fumble recovery.

A long drive saw Bowdon’s Jonah Wilson score on fourth-and-goal at 6:32 in the fourth. A conversion run was good and the Red Devils went ahead 27-14.

Lamons got the Trojans back into Bowdon territory, but they ran out of downs at the 19. Davis broke free for one last Devils touchdown at 1:47.

Chris Cole ran for 140 yards for Brooks on 27 carries. Lamons ran for 39 on four attempts and caught four passes for 81 yards.

Burrus had 179 passing yards and two scores on 10-of-26 attempts.