LAKE MARY, Fla. — For the Lake Mary Rams, Saturday night’s state championship win wasn’t just history—it was pure Hollywood.
Trailing Vero Beach 21–27 with seconds left on the clock and rain pouring down, the Rams lined up for one final play in the Class 7A state final. Quarterback Noah Grubbs launched a pass toward the end zone. It fell short… right into the hands of senior receiver Barrett Schultz.
But Schultz got tackled near the 5-yard line.
That’s when junior Tavarius “TJ” Burnett sprinted over, shouting for the ball.
“He was just screaming, ‘Give me the ball! Give me the ball!’” Schultz recalled. “So I handed it to him, and he got in.”
Burnett crossed the goal line for the tying touchdown—capping off a stunning second-half comeback after the Rams had trailed 21–3 at halftime.
Still, the game wasn’t over. With slick field conditions, the extra point attempt was no sure thing. But holder Tanner, snapper Chase, and kicker Lucas delivered just as they’d practised all season.
“Thankfully, we got a good snap by Chase, good hold by Tanner, and a great kick by Lucas,” said Grubbs, a Notre Dame signee.
The final score? 28–27. And just like that, Lake Mary had its first football state championship in school history, dating back to 1982.
“It didn’t feel real, almost,” Schultz said. “It was a miracle. It really was.”
The win means more than a trophy. Many doubted the Rams early in the year, but the team and the community stuck together.
“This community really shows out,” Grubbs said. “We really just want to play for them.”
A celebration is underway tonight at Don T. Reynolds Stadium at Lake Mary High School, with fans gathering to honour the team that turned belief into a championship and a last-second, heads-up play into state lore.
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