In a battle between GPB’s Defensive Player of the Year and the Offensive Player of the Year, the defense prevailed.

The Grayson defense, led by linebacker Tyler Atkinson, frustrated and stymied Carrollton quarterback Julian “JuJu” Lewis and helped the Rams roll to a 38-24 victory in the Class 6A championship game on Wednesday,

Grayson (14-1) won its final 14 games after losing the season opener to Collins Hill and claimed the fourth state title in school history. Second-year coach Santavious Bryant became the fourth coach to win a title at the school, joining Mickey Conn, Jeff Herron and Adam Carter.

Carrollton (14-1) failed in its effort to win its first state championship since 1998.

The Grayson defense came up with 12 disruptive plays, including five sacks, eight tackles for loss, four pass breakups, wo forced fumbles and a pair of interceptions from Vaughn Mitchom. The Rams limited Carrollton to only 43 rushing yards and took away Lewis’ ability to throw long.

Lewis, who signed with Colorado, completed 30 of 42 passes for 333 yards and two touchdowns. Peyton Zachary had 12 receptions for 76 yards. Zion Cooley caught five passes, two for touchdowns.

The Grayson defense was led by Atkinson (eight tackles, two sacks, three tackles for loss, one breakup) and Anthony Davis (10 tackles, one sack). Andre Fuller and Larence Brown also had a sack.

The Grayson offense was led by Travis Burgess, who completed 16 of 28 passes for 183 yards and one touchdown and rushed 10 times for 58 yards. The Rams rushed for 273 yards, with Elijah Miller carrying 20 times for 109 yards and three touchdown, Joel Bradford rushing eight times for 62 yards, and Ashton Turner carrying 11 times for 39 yards and one touchdown.