Four Teams Could Stand In The Way Of A Tigers Repeat
The Carver Columbus Tigers are the overwhelming favorite to repeat as state champions in the 2025 Class 2A Playoffs.
Although they are seeded as the #3 team in Class 2A, behind #1 Carver Atlanta and #2 Rockmart, I consider the defending state champions as the best team not only in their classification, but one of the most talented all around teams in the state, with a roster that boasts approximately 16 Division1 bound athletes.
The defending Class 2A state champion Tigers just finished undefeated with a perfect 10-0 2025 regular season record, with six of those 10 wins by shutout, and for the season, Carver outscored their opponents by an average of 48 to 5 per game.
Last year, the Tigers finished 14-1 on the way to the state championship.
How dominant has Carver Columbus been over the past two seasons?
Since their stunning 15-6 loss to Harris County in week 3 last season, the Tigers have won 23 straight games, with 11 shutouts.
In their five playoff games last season, they outscored their opponents 245 to 41, an average of 49 to 8.
Make no mistake: The 2025 2A State Championship will go through Carver Columbus.
Admittedly, the playoffs will provide a bit of a tougher path for Carver than their regular season opposition, including a potential second round opponent that could be a difficult matchup for the Tigers of Jarvis Jones.
The 3 seeded Tigers will be heavily favored against their first round opponent Redan, who is seeded 30th out of the 32 playoff teams.
Then Comes The First Possible Roadblock For Carver
If Carver wins their opening round playoff game, they could meet Crisp County in the second round. The Cougars are the #14 seeded team in class 2A, and despite their 4-6 overall record, they finished 3-1 to end the season, including impressive wins over Pierce County and Cook.
Of the six losses Crisp had this year, five were decided by one score or less. The lone was Fitzgerald, who beat the Cougars 30-7.
Crisp will host Stephens County in their first round matchup. The Indians are 5-5 overall and seeded #19, but finished 3-2 in region 8-AA along with Prince Avenue Christian, although the Wolverines won the tiebreaker for the #2 seed, leaving the Indians with the #3 seed.
Crisp head coach Justin Newman is the former Defensive Coordinator for Carver, and made the move to Crisp this offseason following the Tigers state championship last year.
If anyone knows Carver’s offense, it’s Newman.
Stopping Carver’s offense might be a bit more challenging.
The Three Remaining Challengers To Carver’s Throne
If Carver Columbus is able to make it out of their side of the bracket and back to the 2A State Title game, there could be a few worthy challengers waiting to end their chance at a second straight title.
Carver vs Carver?
As stated earlier, Carver Atlanta is the top seed in the Class 2A Postseason Ranking Formula, and they most certainly could be considered as perhaps the top challenger to face and defeat the Tigers in the state championship.After all, if the two teams sharing the same name do indeed meet in the playoffs, the finals is where it will happen.
Carver Atlanta is also undefeated, although their path to 10-0 included a couple of tight games.
But, they didn’t luck their way into the top seed, and they’ll be tough if indeed they do see the Tigers in the state championship.
However, if Carver Atlanta does somehow make it to the state finals, they would need to get past another of the three teams I have chosen as a team that could challenge Carver Columbus for the 2A State Title.
Sumter County
The Panthers are the one team that actually came close to defeating Carver this season.
In fact, other than Harris County, Sumter is the only other team that has even come close to beating Carver Columbus in the past two seasons.
Carver led the game 2-0 through three quarters, before Sumter took a 7-2 lead in the 4th quarter.
Carver would score late in the game to win by a point, 8-7.
Can Sumter repeat that same formula if the two teams meet again?
If they do meet, it would be in the state championship game, with Sumter on the opposite side of the bracket, same as Carver Atlanta.
Sumter is the #9 seeded team in this year’s 2A playoffs.
Morgan County
The Bulldogs are 10-0, and are on quite a run over the past three seasons, including this year.
They finished 11-2 last season, and were 10-2 in 2023.
Led by All State running back Christian Monfort, Morgan County is the #4 seed in Class 2A, and similar to Carver Columbus, they’ve routed each of their opponents this season, and are looking to make that leap in this postseason after coming up short in last year’s quarterfinals.
Rockmart
The Yellow Jackets are 9-1 heading into the playoffs, with their only loss a 39-14 defeat at the hands of Cartersville.
They certainly can make a run at Carver Columbus, but would meet them in the semifinals if both teams advance that far.
Sumter is the #2 seeded team in the Class 2A playoff brackets
Burke County
The Bears faced Carver Columbus in last year’s state championship game after their 13-1 run through the semi finals.
But, the Bears were no match for Carver Columbus in the state championship game, with the Tigers winning comfortably 52-14.
