ATLANTA, Ga.-Thomas County Central entered the night in search of state championship No. 7 after what became a slightly delayed Class 5A state semifinal, which was played just last week.

On a short turnaround, the Yellow Jackets didn’t let any of that faze them against Gainesville on Wednesday night. Thomas County Central received an all-time performance from running back Christian Lawrence as they rolled past Gainesville, 62-21, for the GHSA’s Class 5A state championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Lawrence, a Wake Forest signee, rushed for 380 yards on 39 carries and scored five touchdowns, setting a Georgia state record on the night.

The Yellow Jackets’ victory capped the GHSA’s week of state championships hosted in downtown Atlanta, giving the program its seventh title with the six others won in 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997 and 2023.

Thomas County Central struck first on the scoreboard as Jaylen Johnson connected on a scoring pass to wide receiver Gary Pringle in the first quarter. Johnson wasn’t done scoring in the opening quarter as the signal caller barreled his way in for an 8-yard score to put the Yellow Jackets ahead 14-0.

Gainesville finally get on the scoreboard in the second quarter when Kharim Hughley (Clemson commitment) connected with Cameron James (Furman signee) on a screen pass that the wide receiver took 37 yards to cut the deficit in half.

The Yellow Jackets would regain control going into halftime, adding one more touchdown via a Lawrence run to head into intermission ahead 21-7.

Thomas County Central would open the second half with possession and capped it off with a Lawrence touchdown run to put the Yellow Jackets ahead with a commanding 28-7 lead.

It had looked like Gainesville would respond when Legend Wilmont took the ensuing kickoff back 99 yards to the endzone, but officials convened and said an inadvertent whistle was blown, forcing a re-kick and taking points off the board for the Red Elephants.

How to Follow Georgia High School Football

For Georgia high school football fans looking to keep up with scores around the nation, staying updated on the action is now easier than ever with the Rivals High School Scoreboard. This comprehensive resource provides real-time updates and final scores from across the Peach State, ensuring you never miss a moment of the Friday night frenzy. From nail-biting finishes to dominant performances, the Rivals High School Scoreboard is your one-stop destination for tracking all the high school football excitement across the state of Georgia.

The 2025 City of Palms Classic tips off tomorrow afternoon at Suncoast Credit Union Arena on the campus of Florida Southwestern State College in Fort Myers, with once again another impressive lineup of nationally ranked high school boys basketball teams heading to the 239. City of Palms will welcome 26 teams overall to this year’s classic, featuring a star studded field of players to go along with the array of nationally ranked programs. We give you ways to watch the City of Palms Classic that starts tomorrow along with players to watch for throughout the six days of elite high school boys basketball taking place down in Fort Myers.

How to Watch 2025 City of Palms Classic

Date: Thursday-Tuesday, Dec. 18-23
Time: First game tips off tomorrow, 1:30 p.m. ET
Location: Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers, Fla.
Livestream/TV Channel: NBA Network, NBA’s YouTube, League Ready

2025 City of Palms Classic Players to Watch

Montverde Academy (Fla.)

4-star SF Lincoln Cosby (No. 8, No. 4 FL)

4-star PF Joe Philon (No. 50, No. 7 FL)

4-star PG Oneal Delancy (No. 46, No. 7 FL)

4-star SG Jayden Hodge (No. 76, No. 9 FL) — Northwestern signee

4-star SF Kevin Thomas (No. 86, No. 13 FL) — LSU signee

4-star PF Derek Daniels (No. 68, No. 11 FL)

3-star PG Dhani Miller (No. 193, No. 22 FL) — Kent State signee

3-star PF Malachi Booker (No. 147, No. 21 FL)

3-star PF Sebastien Ndour (No. 81, No. 7 FL)

3-star C Julius Kimani (No. 212, No. 29 FL)

3-star PG Javion Tyndale (No. 199, No. 27 FL)

Bella Vista College Preparatory School (Ariz.)

5-star PF Paul Osaruyi (No. 4, No. 1 AZ)

4-star PG Miles Sadler (No. 33, No. 2 AZ) — West Virginia signee

4-star SF Vaughn Karvala (No. 45, No. 6 AZ) — Indiana commit

3-star C Aliou Dioum (No. 129, No. 10 AZ) — West Virginia signee

3-star SF Lyris Robinson (No. 97, No. 7 AZ)

3-star SF Jalen White (No. 156, No. 22 AZ)

3-star SF Gildas Gimenez (No. 310, No. 15 AZ)

3-star SF Amari Upshaw (No. 209, No. 10 AZ)

Long Island Lutheran (N.Y.)

5-star PG Dylan Mingo (No. 4, No. 1 NY)

5-star SF Moussa Kamissoko (No. 3, No. 1 NY)

4-star SG Kayden Allen (No. 57, No. 5 NY) — Cincinnati signee

3-star PF TJ Crumble (No. 151, No. 8 NY) — North Texas commit

3-star PG Jamaal McKnight (No. 128, No. 4 NY)

3-star PF Abraham Taiwo (No. 71, No. 2 NY)

3-star SF Maxx Tjongondjoza (No. 78, No. 3 NY)

Prolific Prep (Fla.)

5-star SF Bruce Branch III (No. 2, No. 1 CA)

5-star SF Caleb Holt (No. 3, No. 2 CA)

4-star PG Nasir Anderson (No. 6, No. 1 CA)

4-star PF Davion Adkins (No. 36, No. 8 CA) — Kansas signee

4-star PF Alex Smith (No. 108, No. 11 CA) — Ohio State signee

3-star PF MJ Madison (No. 156, No. 22 CA)

3-star PG Rajan Roberts (No. 291, No. 33 CA) — Valpo commit

Bishop McNamara (Md.)

4-star SF Qayden Samuels (No. 23, No. 2 MD)

4-star PF Brandon Woodard (No. 37, No. 2 MD)

3-star SG Prince-Alexander Moody (No. 133, No. 5 MD) — Indiana signee

3-star SG Kirby Duran (No. 158, No. 5 MD)

3-star C Jahmai Drayton (No. 171, No. 6 MD)

3-star PF Jayden Mills (No. 218, No. 10 MD)

Columbus (Fla.)

4-star SF Caleb Gaskins (No. 11, No. 1 FL) — Miami commit

4-star SF Jaxon Richardson (No. 22, No. 3 FL)

4-star SG Felipe Quinones (No. 77, No. 10 FL) — FAU commit

4-star CG Cello Jackson (No. 145, No. 20 FL) — Middle Tennessee commit

3-star SF Jordan Fisher (No. 91, No. 8 FL)

The Villages Charter (Fla.)

4-star SG Herly Brutus (No. 90, No. 15 FL) — LSU Signee

4-star SF Jomar Bernard (No. 56, No. 10 FL)

4-star PG Aaron Britt (No. 71, No. 12 FL)

4-star SF Miles Simpson (No. 33, No. 4 FL)

3-star PF Kymani Weathers (No. 357, No. 39 FL)

The Principia School (MO)

4-star SG Quentin Coleman (No. 95, No. 5 MO) — Wake Forest signee

3-star C Sekou Cisse (No. 154, No. 6 MO)

3-star SG Gassim Toure (No. 163, No. 7 MO)

3-star PF Ben Akoro (No. 356, No. 12 MO)

Gillion Academy (Va.)

4-star C Marcis Ponder (No. 55, No. 3 VA) — Florida State signee

3-star PF Ladarius Givan (No. 163, No. 9 VA) — Mississippi State signee

3-star PG Kelvin Anderson (No. 59, No. 3 VA) — Arkansas State commit

Petersburg (Va.)

5-star PF Latrell Allmond (No. 31, No. 2 VA) — Oklahoma State signee

3-star PF Ladarius Givan (No. 163, No. 9 VA)

3-star PG Kelvin Anderson (No. 59, No. 3 VA)

Wheeler (Ga.)

4-star SG Colben Landrew (No. 25, No. 2 GA) — UConn signee

3-star PG Kevin Savage (No. 43, No. 7 GA)

3-star SF Jaron Saulsberry (No. 162, No. 8 GA) — Ole Miss signee

Bartlett (Tenn.)

4-star SF DJ Okoth (No. 9, No. 1 TN)

4-star SF Dylan Jones (No. 55, No. 1 TN)

Paul VI Catholic (Va.)

5-star SG Jordan Smith Jr. (No. 7, No. 1 VA) — Wake Forest signee

3-star CG Troy Tomlin (No. 219, No. 7 VA)

St. John Bosco (Calif.)

5-star SF Christian Collins (No. 14, No. 5 CA)

4-star SF Tajh Ariza (No. 18, No. 6 CA) — Oregon signee

Calvary Christian Academy (Fla.)

4-star SF Collin Paul (No. 106, No. 19 FL)

Notre Dame (CT)

4-star SG Abdou Toure (No. 34, No. 1 CT)

Garfield Heights (OH)

4-star PG Marcus Johnson (No. 53, No. 3 OH)

Owasso (OK)

3-star PG Boden Williams (No. 262, No. 2 OK)

Sarasota (Fla.)

3-star SG Johnny Lackaff (No. 262, No. 2 FL)

Where to Watch the City of Palms Classic on livestream:

You can watch the City of Palms Classic tournament starting tomorrow on NBA Network, NBA’s YouTube and League Ready.

How to Follow National High School Boys Basketball

For high school boys basketball fans looking to keep up with scores around the nation, staying updated on the action is now easier than ever with the Rivals High School Scoreboard. This comprehensive resource provides real-time updates and final scores from across the state, ensuring you never miss a moment of the high school hops action throughout the season. From nail-biting finishes to dominant performances, the Rivals High School Scoreboard is your one-stop destination for tracking all the hardwood excitement across the country.

The Georgia High School Association (GHSA) Class 6A state championship between Buford and Carrollton had everything you could ever want between two national football titans.

If you’re someone who yearns for a good ole defensive stalemate, Buford-Carrollton had it. If you’re someone who loves offensive fireworks, Buford-Carrollton had it. If you’re someone who likes to be at the edge of your seat in the final minutes still wondering which team might win the game, Buford-Carrollton had it.

Two undefeated nationally ranked teams going at it and it walking off the field up to the press box, I thought it’s a shame someone had to lose that game because it was that good.

Some people around the country had this game dubbed as a de facto national championship game, which for a tilt to unfold the way it did at the end of the season in a state final is very rare. For all the fanfare surrounding the game on a national level, all Buford head coach Bryant Appling cared about afterwards was the feeling of winning the GHSA Class 6A title.

“I’m so proud to win a state championship right now and that’s all I’m worried about right now,” Appling said after the game. “If that happens, it happens. I can’t control that. I can’t control pundits and all y’all guys who votes. I’m not worried about that right now. It would be something special. Not saying it’s not. Not going to downplay anything like that, but I’m just so happy we can walk off this field champions tonight.”

The Wolves waited three years after notching a 3-peat (2019-21) to raise a GHSA state championship once again, so one can blame Appling for feeling the way he did right after the game. For those that believe this was the ultimate decider when it comes to the all-mythical national title, it would be hard to argue with one that it didn’t check off all the boxes.

Both teams being evenly matched was evident after one quarter of play as the two squads looked like boxing heavyweights trying to figure one another out in the early rounds.

The second quarter featured both teams taking some bigger jabs, with Carrollton landing the first blow via a Nick Archer 1-yard touchdown run to give the Trojans a 7-0 lead heading into halftime. It was coming out of intermission where all the scoring would take place between the two squads to the tune of 42 points as the two teams went back and forth blow for blow.

Proving to be the ultimate difference maker between the two teams was Georgia signee Tyriq Green, who finished as the game’s Most Valuable Player after finishing with 185 yards on just 11 carries and scoring two touchdowns. Green’s second score with 2:37 remaining on a 82-yard scoring run would prove to be the knockout blow as Buford’s defense would hold strong in the final minutes to clinch the all elusive 15-0 season paired with state title and in some people’s opinion, a national one.

After the game, Green was asked about his thoughts on the team winning a state championship and for those dubbing it a national title, the future Georgia Bulldog who will begin his college future in Athens this weekend, he acknowledge the meaning to the city of Buford.

“It means everything,” Green said when asked what it means to bring a championship back to Buford. “We’ve been in a drought for four or five years. It really means a lot. I just can’t wait to get back (to Buford) to ring that bell. We’re number one in the world.”

For the national high school football perspective of things, the debate and arguments will rage on when it comes to who thinks who is the best in the land. With rankings abundant across the country, some folks will say Buford, others will say St. Frances Academy and there will be cases made for Santa Margarita Catholic, IMG Academy and even Duncanville to be in the conversation.

It’s too bad Buford and St. Frances Academy couldn’t square off again, but the way the 2023 matchup ended, it’s probably best to not revisit that.

Circling back to the Tuesday night showdown that lasted well past midnight Eastern Time, Georgia high school football got to be back on the national stage featuring their best two teams.

No matter your thoughts on who the ‘real’ national high school football champion is, there’s one debate that doesn’t need to be had and that’s if Buford-Carrollton lived up to all the hype. That answer should always end with a resounding yes.

How to Follow National High School Football

For high school football fans looking to keep up with scores around the nation, staying updated on the action is now easier than ever with the Rivals High School Scoreboard. This comprehensive resource provides real-time updates and final scores from across the state, ensuring you never miss a moment of the Friday night frenzy. From nail-biting finishes to dominant performances, the Rivals High School Scoreboard is your one-stop destination for tracking all the gridiron excitement across the country.