Carver football team wins second straight Georgia state championship
Carver has won its second straight Georgia High School Association football state championship — and its third in program history.
The Tigers dominated Hapeville Charter and cruised to a 24-7 victory Tuesday night in the GHSA Class 2A state final game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Carver improved to 15-0, capping its first undefeated season in 18 years. The Tigers are on a 27-game winning streak. Their last loss was 15-6 at Harris County on Aug. 30, 2024.
Hapeville fell to 10-5.
Dell McGee, now Georgia State University’s head football coach, guided the Tigers to the title in 2007. Pierre Coffey, now the K-12 principal in Stewart County, guided the Tigers to the crown in 2024.
And now it’s former Carver and UGA star linebacker Jarvis Jones, who played four seasons in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers (2013-16), guiding the Tigers — in his first stint as a high school head football coach.
Jones played on the 2007 Carver team that claimed the program’s first state title. Tuesday night, he completed the task of showing this group of Tigers how to be champs as well.
“It’s amazing,” Jones said during Georgia Public Broadcasting’s postgame interview on the field.
Jones gestured toward the players joining him on the platform for the trophy presentation and said, “Look at all these guys. They bought into everything that we was trying to do. It’s been a long season. We got to know each other. Man, I love these guys.”
“… This was our goal when we set out this summer. And. man, such a blessing to be able to be here today to hold this (trophy) up in front of all our beautiful fans that traveled all the way from Columbus, Georgia.”
Carver had only one game decided by less than three touchdowns this season, with an average margin of victory at 42 points and eight shutouts. This was an unusually tough test for the Tigers.
First quarter
During the game’s first possession, Hapeville converted a fourth-and-1 at midfield, but Carver senior safety Antavius Watts broke up a long pass on the next play.
Carver’s first possession included freshman Zach Watts’ 10-yard touchdown run nullified by a penalty. Sophomore kicker Kendrick Pearce-Spencer made a 33-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.
Second quarter
On Carver’s second possession, the Tigers also faced a fourth-and-1 at midfield and punted.
Carver senior wide receiver Kei’Maurii “KJ” Miles bobbled but corralled a 38-yard touchdown pass from Heard, and Pearce-Spencer’s extra point made it 10-0 with 6:07 left in the half.
Senior defensive back DeMarcus O’Neal recovered a fumble forced by senior safety Antavius Watts in the Carver red zone, but a personal foul (illegal contact with a helmet) on the play returned the ball to Hapeville at the Carver 15.
A few plays later, Hapeville scored on a 6-yard touchdown pass with 18 seconds left in the half. The extra point cut Carver’s lead to 10-7.
Carver sophomore TJ Woodson took the ensuing kickoff to the Hapeville 30, but a holding penalty and a personal foul brought the ball back to the Carver 31.
Third quarter
With about six minutes left in the third quarter, an errant snap on Carver’s punt from its 30 resulted in Hapeville’s possession — after several fumbles between the teams on the play — at the Carver 8.
On fourth-and-goal from the 1, the Tigers stuffed Hapeville’s “tush push” and senior defensive back JaMarcus Davis recovered the fumble forced by senior safety Makevious Yancie.
With 28 seconds left in the quarter, Hapeville returned a punt for a touchdown, apparently costing Carver the lead, but a holding penalty canceled the score.
Fourth quarter
Watts broke a long run from Carver territory to the Hapeville 12. Senior running back Jakobe Caslin’s 2-yard touchdown run and Pearce-Spencer’s extra point gave the Tigers some breathing room, 17-7, with 6:49 left in the game.
Davis clinched the victory with a 34-yard interception return for a touchdown on Hapeville’s next possession. Pearce-Spencer’s extra point made it 24-7.
Another interception, this one by Yancie after sophomore defensive back Steven Wright’s tip, stymied Hapeville’s scoring chance in Carver territory with less than five minutes left in the game.
Player of the game
In his interview with GPB after being announced as the player of the game Davis said, “I just want to thank God. Man, all glory to God. He put me in this moment, and I cherish it.”
Davis produced four tackles along with his pick-six and fumble recovery. He praised his teammates for their perseverance.
“When (Hapeville) scored, everybody kept their head high,” Davis said. “We just kept going. We never started giving up.”
And he praised his new head coach.
“He’s a great role model,” Davis said about Jones. “When he first came in, I was slowly giving up. He built my confidence back up, and here I am now.”
Asked to describe the season in one word, Davis said, “Greatness.”
This story was originally published December 16, 2025 at 8:56 PM.
