Cedartown’s Harlem Diamond (from left) celebrates with teammate Michael Gibbons as Sam Smith indicates Bulldog possession after Diamond recovered a Benedictine fumble in the third quarter of Friday’s Class 4A state championship game in Atlanta.
Cedartown quarterback Reece Tanner is lifted up in celebration by teammate Dustin Green after scoring a touchdown in the fourth quarter of Friday’s state championship game.
Cedartown’s Harlem Diamond (from left) celebrates with teammate Michael Gibbons as Sam Smith indicates Bulldog possession after Diamond recovered a Benedictine fumble in the third quarter of Friday’s Class 4A state championship game in Atlanta.
ATLANTA — Thousands of Cedartown faithful weathered the elements last Friday and watched their Bulldogs fight for three-and-a-half hours in the rain, pouring down at times.
But despite coming back from down 14-0, the Cedartown High School football team came up just short of a victory in the GHSA Class 4A state championship game. And the heart of a team, and a town, was put out on display.
Cedartown, ranked No. 1 for most of the season, lost 14-13 to Benedictine at Center Parc Stadium in Atlanta after the Bulldogs’ last-second push to score from the 1-yard line came up short as time expired.
“They just played their guts out. They left it all out on the field. That’s all we can ask them to do,” Cedartown head coach Jamie Abrams said after the game.
Cedartown fans cheer in the rain during the GHSA Class 4A state football championship at Center Parc Stadium in Atlanta on Friday.
Jeremy Stewart
It was a heartbreaking end to a stellar season for Cedartown.
The team set the record for most wins in a season, having gone undefeated in the regular season and advancing to the state finals for the first time since 2001 while going 14-0. It also set the school record for most points scored in a season with 572, easily surpassing the previous record set by the 2021 Bulldogs who lost to Carver-Columbus in the Class 4A semifinals.
The team won its third Region 7-4A title in a row this season, tying for the most consecutive region championships in program history.
Cedartown quarterback Reece Tanner is lifted up in celebration by teammate Dustin Green after scoring a touchdown in the fourth quarter of Friday’s state championship game.
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