Tough ’til the end
Rome never backs down in the Class 5A state championship game.
All week long, the talk around the Buford-Rome matchup in the Class 5A state championship was about the two teams’ histories. While Buford had made the Georgia Dome an annual visit, this was the first time in school history Rome would make the trip.
But on Friday, Rome didn’t show any fear as it played inside on the Dome’s turf against a state powerhouse and won, 167. It played like it had all season long. And like the 11 games before, Rome emerged as the better team.
“We knew this game was going to be decided on the offensive and defensive line, and that’s what we worked on in practice every day,” offensive tackle Zach Kadum said. “It comes down to us, and as long as we executed we were going to win.”
Concentration and a lack of fear is what propelled Rome to its first-ever state championship. With both teams relying heavily on the run, Rome simply outlasted its opponent and grinded out a victory.
The physicality was most visible with Rome’s front seven, a unit that helped hold Buford to only 112 total yards. The program with 11 state championships had succeeded with large runs all year, but finished with 62 rushing yards against the Wolves.
The only time Buford did score was on a 1-yard touchdown from T.D. Roof on the second play of the game, which followed a 95-yard kickoff return by Anthony Grant. While some fans may have started to worry, the defense locked down.
“After that opening touchdown, we said that they aren’t scoring again,” Rome linebacker Jaylen Griffin said. “That’s exactly what we said, and that’s what happened.”
Few players were pushed into a corner more than quarterback Knox Kadum.
The sophomore began the game 0-for-5 with an interception, and he and the rest of the offense lost starting tailback Jamious Griffin to an injury in the second quarter.
But Kadum would finish with 215 total yards, including 125 yards on the ground and two rushing touchdowns, and was able to avoid a sack the entire game.
The boldest play of the game came in the second quarter, when Kadum handed the ball to Jamious, who lateraled it to receiver Xavier Roberts, who lateraled it back across the field to Kadum.
The quarterback scrambled for 7 yards to set up a fourth-andone, which Jamious Griffin would convert. More importantly, it showed Rome still had plenty of ways to attack Buford.
“Some people call them trick plays, but we call them all the time,” Rome coach John Reid said. “Last week, coach Boden got mad because Stockbridge took our usual trick play, so we designed a new way to get it done. We tried it because we put work into the play.”
As the game moved into the second half, it looked more like Rome was the team at ease with playing on such a large venue. Rome kept its composure through it all, leading to the nine-point win.
No matter if it was the start of the season, the start of the playoffs or state championship week, Reid told his players to approach practice the same way. Every week, it produced similar results, no matter where the game was played.
“Since July 4, the coaching staff has not had one day off,” Reid said. “The kids play hard and believe because they see us with the passion. We never take the field without running out there and screaming. Today we just ran out there screaming like we did in practice.”