ATLANTA - Quarterback Knox Kadum rushed for 125 yards and scored two touchdowns to lead No. 4 Rome to a 16-7 win over top-ranked Buford in the GHSA Class AAAAA football title game Friday at the Georgia Dome.
It's the first state championship for Rome (13-2), which was created via the 1992 merger of rivals East Rome and West Rome. East Rome's Gladiators won two state titles from 1958 to 1991, and West Rome's Chieftains won five during that span, according to the Georgia High School Football Historians Association website (ghsfha.org).
Kadum, a sophomore, ran for a 28-yard touchdown to put Rome ahead in the third quarter, then iced the game with a touchdown on an 18-yard naked bootleg on fourth-and-inches with 1:12 remaining.
Rome's defense limited Buford (13-2) - an 11-time state champion making its 10th straight appearance in a title game - to 112 yards. Buford scored on its first possession when T.D. Roof's 1-yard run followed Anthony Grant's 94-yard return of the opening kickoff.
Rome cut the lead to 7-3 at halftime on a 24-yard field goal by Emanual Gonzalez.
Buford's only other loss this season was to Roswell, which will face Grayson for the AAAAAAA title tonight. All eight GHSA classifications are playing their title games at the Georgia Dome this weekend.
Also today, McIntosh County Academy (10-2) plays Macon County (11-2) in A public, Benedictine (14-0) plays Fitzgerald (13-1) in AA and Cartersville (14-0) plays Thomson (14-0) in AAAA.
Valdosta 17, Tucker 7
The Wildcats used a pair of touchdown passes by Josh Belton and a 44-yard field goal by Davis Baldwin to take a 17-0 lead into the locker room at halftime, then held on to win their 25th state title.
It was the first championship since 1998 and first appearance in a title game since 2003 for No. 2 Valdosta (14-1).
No. 3 Tucker (13-1), a two-time state champ, was intercepted once and turned the ball over on downs twice in the second half.
Eagle's Landing Christian 34, Fellowship Christian 27, 2OT
Josh Mays scored on a 1-yard run in the second overtime period to lead top-ranked Eagle's Landing Christian to its second straight Class A private school championship.
No. 4 Fellowship Christian (13-1) of Roswell, making its first appearance in a title game, failed to score on its possession in the period, and the game ended when quarterback Jack Hardin's fourth-down pass was incomplete.
It was the fourth state title overall for ELC (14-0) and extended the McDonough program's winning streak to 23 games.
Cedar Grove 30, Greater Atlanta Christian 19
Grant Walker rushed for 133 yards on 21 carries, including a touchdown, and Tre Shaw added a pair of scores to lead sixth-ranked Cedar Grove to its first state title in the AAA championship game.
Shaw had a 32-yard touchdown catch for the game's first score and returned an interception 34 yards for a touchdown late in the first half to help the Saints (13-2) from Ellenwood head to the locker room with a 23-3 lead.
Top-ranked Greater Atlanta Christian (13-2) cut the lead to 23-19 on Sean Henderson's 32-yard field goal with 6:03 to play, but Cedar Grove sealed its victory on Dennis Bell's 17-yard touchdown catch with 2:16 left.