Savannah Christian football's season ends in state championship loss to Cedar Grove

ATLANTA — Savannah Christian football coach Baker Woodward said he knew his squad had to play its best game of the season to take down perennial power Cedar Grove in the Class 3A state championship game Wednesday.

The Raiders had moments where they shined and showed they were one of the top teams in the state of Georgia, but Cedar Grove's depth and athleticism was too much to stop as the Saints rolled to a 49-28 victory at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

It was the fifth state title since 2016 for Cedar Grove (10-5) and the first since 2021.

After showing class walking through the handshake line after the hard-fought game, Woodward and his captains were called up to a podium to accept the state runner-up trophy.

Woodward, in his sixth season at the helm of the SCPS program, showed his leadership as he spoke to his captains before walking up the steps.

"I know nobody wants to go up and accept a second-place trophy, but let's be men about it and go get it," Woodward told his crew.

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His players went and got it, like they did all year long in an incredible season. SCPS finished the season with a 12-3 record and returned to the state finals for the first time since 2011, when SCPS beat Landmark Christian to win its lone GHSA state crown.

"When you leave here today, I don't want you to be sad about losing this game," Woodward told his team near the 50-yard line of the Mercedes-Benz field after the game. "You need to walk out with your head held high. We had a great season, but we just didn't play our best game today. I'm proud of each and every one of these seniors. I love you guys."

Savannah Christian got off to a great start as the Raiders took the opening kickoff and went on a 7-play, 59-yard drive, highlighted by a 20-yard scamper by Kenry Wall and a 26-yard run by senior David Bucey.

Zo Smalls finished things off with the first of his three touchdowns of the day, scoring from two yards out as SCPS went up 7-0.

But Cedar Grove responded with the kind of explosive play that defined the Saints season as Malachi Miller took a short shovel pass on a play that was more of a run. The senior was off to the races for a 64-yard score to tie the game.

Cedar Grove scored three more first-half touchdowns as Elliott Colson, the junior quarterback committed to UCF, connected with Andrew Leslie and Devin Carter on scoring strikes of 31 and 18 yards, while Bo Walker, the junior running back committed to UGA, bulled in for a 10-yard scoring run.

UGA had coach Kirby Smart on hand along with co-defensive coordinator Will Muschamp and offensive coordinator Mike Bobo. They saw Walker show his strength and speed, rushing for 129 yards and a pair of scores on 18 carries. Anthony Booker also had an impressive game for the Saints, rushing for 93 yards and a score on nine carries.

Colson was a game changer as the junior was 11 of 16 passing for 259 yards and four scores, while adding 37 yards rushing on 11 carries.

Savannah Christian's run game, which entered the title game averaging 250 yards per contest, was strong as the Raiders gained 215 yards. Smalls had 23 carries for 86 yards and three scores, and Wall was a threat in open spaces with 12 carries for 74 yards. Junior Jaden Miles came on with seven carries for 40 yards in the second half, including a 24-yard touchdown run.

But the Raider passing game struggled to get off the ground. Sophomore quarterback Blaise Thomas, under heavy pressure when he dropped back, was 8 of 15 passing for 79 yards with a pair of interceptions, including one in the end zone when Dmarcus Clements picked off a pass intended for Bucey.

"We put some good quarters together and were running the ball well, and those calls for pass plays were on me," Woodward said. "After the game I had our 14 seniors stand up. Those guys have been in our program since the sixth and seventh grade and they bought into our motto of courage, power, love and self control. We're going to miss them, but they left a great legacy at Savannah Christian."

Bucey never really left the field in his final game, and the South Carolina commit led SCPS with nine tackles and four catches for 39 yards.

"Cedar Grove was fast and physical, they are the best opponent we've had all year and we knew we needed to play a perfect game," Bucey said. "We didn't, but we put everything we had into the game. I'm really going to miss Savannah Christian, and I hope I had an impact with the team and the younger players. Now I'm ready to go to South Carolina and I'll be ready to work. I'll do anything they ask of me, from special teams, to long snapping, and playing defense or offense. I'm looking forward to it."

The Raiders have a plethora of talent coming back next year, led by rising senior Elijah Griffin, the 5-star defensive lineman who is one of the top recruits in the nation.

"This is just going to add more fuel to the fire," Griffin said. "We want to come back here next year and do it again, and we'll be expecting a different outcome."

Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at Dknight@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah Christian football's season ends in state championship loss