Deuce Lawrence saved the best for last, as the Thomas County Central star running back produced the biggest playoff performance of the week in the final game of the GHSA playoffs.

The Wake Forest signee had the most carries (39), rushing yardage (380) and touchdowns (five) of the eight championship games to help the Yellow Jackets roll to a 62-21 victory over Gainesville and claim the Class 5A championship on Wednesday.

The effort allowed Thomas County Central to finish 15-0 and win its seventh state championship and the second under coach Justin Rogers. The Yellow Jackets won the title in 2023. 

Lawrence scored on runs of 8, 71, 45, 20 and 6 yards. He finished the season with 2,216 yards and 29 touchdowns.

Quarterback Jaylen Johnson completed 14 of 22 passes for 165 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, and rushed for 75 yards and two touchdowns. Thomas County rushed for 457 yards and threw for another 210 yards.

The TCC defense was led by Omari Stephenson with eight tackles and one forced fumble and Kobe Carnage with seven tackles, two interceptions, one breakup and one fumble recovery. DeAndre Andrews also had an interception. 

Gainesville (12-3) was led by quarterback Kharim Hughley, who completed 6 of 22 passes for 113 yards and one touchdown, but had three interceptions. Hughley ran for 128 yards and two touchdowns. The defense was led by Xavier Griffin with 13 tackles.