Alpharetta Phoenix settled who are the best team in Georgia by beating previously unbeaten Lassiter Trojans 27-19 in the Georgia State Championship Final on Friday night. 

This avenged Phoenix’s close regular-season loss to Trojans and was a repeat of their win in last season’s Georgia final. This success gives Phoenix four three state championships in a row and should be a good boost as they head to the NIT in Charlotte in May.

Phoenix, playing without suspended star Malik Williams, opened strongly with scrumhalf Austin Willis chasing down a blocked Lassiter clearance to score in the corner. Lassiter, however, leveled the score shortly thereafter with smart handling from their powerful backs. Phoenix standoff Lechandt Opperman, named Man of the Match, was in sparkling kicking form and slotted two penalties after Phoenix pressure to leave the halftime score at 11-5. 

Opperman was on target twice more in the second half as Phoenix moved ahead 17-5 and looked safe. However, a yellow card for Phoenix prop Ben Fagg plus the retirement through injury of the other Phoenix prop, Cristian Calvallo, helped change the course of the game, especially as the Trojans began to exert more control in the scrums and at the breakdown. Lassiter junior Shea O’Hanlon stormed over the Phoenix line for two tremendous tries, both of which he converted, to suddenly leave Lassiter with a two-point lead with only ten minutes to play. 

But the shorthanded Phoenix team drove down the field and forced a penalty, which Opperman again slotted, to make it 20-19. Phoenix then put the game away with a flying breakaway try from scrumhalf Austin Willis, which Opperman converted from the touchline to leave the final score: Alpharetta Phoenix 27, Lassiter Trojans 19.