It’s Gray’s time: War Eagles win school’s first football state championship
After less than a decade of playing football, Gray Collegiate Academy has risen to the top of the Class 2A ranks.
The War Eagles capped that ascent Friday night with a 49-14 win over Silver Bluff in the state championship game at Benedict College’s Charlie W. Johnson.
Gray Collegiate, located in West Columbia, started playing football in 2014 and wasn’t eligible for the playoffs until 2016. Since then, the War Eagles have taken steps each year, winning four region championships and finally getting past powerhouse Abbeville this season in the third round of the playoffs.
Gray also had wins this season over Class 3A finalist Camden and Class 5A team Ridge View, and took Class 5A finalist Gaffney to the wire.
“I didn’t think it would take eight years to get there, but that was our vision for this program,” said Gray coach Adam Holmes, a former South Carolina football player. “... For our guys to do it in eight years, it speaks volumes of the work ethic of our guys and the support we get from our administration. It is an amazing group of guys and I’m excited for them.”
One of the key cogs for Gray during the past four years is senior running back KZ Adams, the Mr. Football finalist who became the first player in state history to rush for more than 3,000 yards in a single season. The Georgia State commit didn’t disappoint on the state’s biggest stage.
Adams carried it 33 times for 309 yards and three touchdowns Friday to cap his amazing career. He went over the 300-yard mark on his final high school carry, a 12-yard run late the in fourth quarter.
Adams left the game to big applause and Gray supporters chanting “KZ! KZ!” as he hugged Holmes and defensive coordinator Howie Bayer.
“It felt good people cheering for me,” Adams said. “A lot of emotions came on it and I was trying to hold it in. It felt great thinking about my whole career and what we were able to accomplish this year and in my career.”
Adams said when he arrived as a freshman that he told the Gray coaches he wanted to be legendary — he accomplished that. He finished the season with 3,344 rushing yards and 42 total TDs, 40 of them on the ground.
For his career, Adams had 8,117 rushing yards and 117 total TDs.
“I worked every day and I told coach Bayer I wanted to get my jersey retired,” Adams said. “He said I’ve got to get a championship first, and I got a championship.
Adams got plenty of support against Silver Bluff as the War Eagles broke open a close game in the second quarter. It was 7-7 midway through the quarter before Gray scored three touchdowns in a four-minute, five second span to lead 28-7.
Quarterback Tre Robinson had a 60-yard touchdown run and also had a 33-yard TD pass to Savion Smith. Jakious Hilton blocked a punt and Tory Kelly also returned a punt for a touchdown in the first half.
Robinson added another rushing TD in the second half. The Gray senior quarterback rushed for 138 yards, threw for 34 and had a pair of catches for 16 yards. As a team Gray rushed for 446 yards.
Silver Bluff sophomore running back Trae’Von Dunbar and quarterback Maleik Williams each rushed for 121 yards. Williams had a 94-yard touchdown run to tie it at 7-7 in the second quarter.
The Bulldogs were making their eighth state championship appearance.
Gray Collegiate vs Silver Bluff, how they scored
2nd quarter
GRAY - KZ Adams 3 yd run (Ryan Kussro kick)
SILVER - Maleik Williams 94 yd run (Hunter Casper kick)
GRAY - Tre Robinson 60 yd run (Ryan Kussro kick)
GRAY - Tory Kelly 1 yd blocked punt return (Ryan Kussro kick)
GRAY - Savion Smith 33 yd pass from Tre Robinson (Ryan Kussro kick)
3rd quarter
GRAY - Tre Robinson 17 yd run (Ryan Kussro kick)
GRAY - KZ Adams 49 yd run (Ryan Kussro kick)
SILVER - Maleik Williams 15 yd run (Hunter Casper kick)
4th quarter
GRAY - KZ Adams 1 yd run (Ryan Kussro kick)
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — SB: Dunbar 17-121, Williams 12-121. GC: Adams 33-309, Robinson 12-138.
PASSING — SB: Williams 4-8-0 46. GC: Staton 2-4-1 16, Robinson 2-3-0 34.
RECEIVING — SB: Dunbar 2-33, Scurry 1-7, Brown 1-6. GC: Robinson 2-16, Smith 1-33, Johnson 1-1.
This story was originally published December 3, 2021 at 9:49 PM.
