STATESBORO, Ga. — It's the moment every high school football player dreams of.
Making a deep run in the playoffs, winning the championship game and hoisting a trophy with your coaches, teammates and friends. It's why they put in the hard work all offseason to get better. It's why the players tough it out through injuries just to stay on the field to give their team a better chance.
FPD and Brentwood, both from Central Georgia, had an opportunity to achieve the dream: bring home a championship trophy from Statesboro, Georgia to the hometown fans that have been cheering them on all year.
Ultimately, only Brentwood came away with a win, as FPD fell in a close game.
Check out how each game went for both teams.
Brentwood vs Southwest Georgia Academy
This game looked close for a moment, but Brentwood eventually took over and dominated.
The War Eagles ultimately beat Southwest 28-6 in a dominant performance on both sides of the ball, but especially on defense.
The War Eagles took an early 6-0 lead thanks to a 48-yard touchdown pass to Jackson Bragg with four minutes left in the first quarter. However, a few minutes later, Southwest running back Colt Williams punched in a rushing touchdown to tie the game up 6-6.
Less than six minutes later, Tristan Robinson had a rushing touchdown of his own, and thanks to a Baylor Cobb two-point conversion, the War Eagles had a 14-6 lead.
From here, it was all Brentwood. The War Eagles scored another 14 points unanswered thanks to touchdowns from Robinson and Zach Denton. However, the defense was just as key.
For nearly three quarters after Southwest Georgia scored its first and only touchdown, Brentwood kept the Warriors quiet all game. Southwest couldn't convert fourth-down attempts and players like Brittin Haines picked up key tackles for loss to keep the Warriors down and out.
Brentwood's win was dominant and the team's first state championship since Bert Brown's last one in 2021. It is second-year head coach Adam Lord's first championship, which he pulled off after a 5-6 season and a loss in the quarter-finals during his first year with the team.
This is also Brentwood's fourth football state championship, joining wins in 2021, 2003 and 2002.
FPD vs Bulloch Academy
This game ultimately didn't go FPD's way.
In a defensive-heavy matchup, the Vikings couldn't muster the offense to take down Bulloch, falling 14-10.
The game was so defensive heavy, no team scored until the third quarter. Despite struggling to score, later on, FPD scored first. The Vikings worked the ball down the field and punched the ball in at the goal line.
The problem was just three minutes later, Bulloch's Shamar Jenkins grabbed a rushing touchdown of his own.
At the start of the fourth quarter, FPD picked up a 26-yard field, but with six minutes left in the game, Jenkins once again found the endzone for Bulloch.
While FPD kept the Gators from scoring the rest of the game, Bulloch prevented the Vikings from scoring too. Ultimately, FPD was sent home with a disappointing loss despite aspirations of back-to-back championships.
While the loss stings, the Vikings will likely have star quarterback Major Simmons back in the fold next season and will have another great shot at a potential title.
For now, head coach Brett Collier, Simmons and the rest of the Vikings roster will head home trophyless, but likely with a new fire to win it all next season.