Hebron Captures First GHSA Football Championship

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ATLANTA – The Hebron Christian Academy football team made history on Wednesday, knocking off two-time defending State Champion Prince Avenue 56-28 to capture the GHSA Private State Championship inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

In its 18th season as a program, Hebron takes home its first GHSA State Championship, finishing the year with a 12-2 record. The Lions avenge a 34-31 defeat at the hands of Prince Avenue in the region championship game, denying the Wolverines a third consecutive state title. PACS finishes the season with a 10-4 record.

Head coach Jonathan Gess continues his remarkable career, sitting tied for third in GHSA history with seven state championships, only behind Wright Bazemore (14) and Larry Campbell (11). Gess holds the GHSA record with five consecutive state titles from 2015-2019 and is now 7-1 in championship games.

The Lions set the tone for the game on the ground, rushing for 330 yards, led by a dominant performance from Devon Caldwell who tallied 180 rushing yards on 18 carries and three touchdowns. Quarterback Thomas Stallworth added 84 rushing yards and four scores to go with his 172 passing yards.

Caldwell started the scoring in the first quarter with a 40-yard rushing touchdown, but Prince Avenue quickly answered with an 80-yard score to knot the score at 7-7. 

The Lions took over from there, scoring four touchdowns in less than eight minutes to race out to a commanding 35-7 lead with 5:39 left until the intermission. HCA continued to pour it on in the second half and Stallworth punched in his fourth score of the game in the final minute to send the Lions to their first State Championship in program history. 

Carrington Coombs and JJ Hollingshed each tallied a sack in the win, and Gerritt Kemp recorded an interception to lead the defense. Albert Wilham had a team-high six tackles, including two tackles for loss, while Stroud Morris had a game-high 2.5 tackles for loss in the victory.

With an overall record of 187-49 (.792) in 18 seasons as a head coach, Gess has turned HCA into a State Champion in just three seasons, taking over a program that was 7-14 in the two seasons prior to his arrival. Since Gess has stepped on campus, the Lions are 27-10 overall and have outscored opponents 562-191 during the 2024 season.

Football became the seventh program at Hebron Christian Academy to secure a GHSA State Championship, giving the department of athletics its 12th State Championship in the history of the school.