Amidst a sea of troubling headlines this weekend, sometimes it’s essential to pause and indulge in moments that uplift our spirits. Two extraordinary high school football plays, each taking place during state championship games, had fans on their feet and announcers shouting with exhilaration.

Let’s dive into the thrilling showdown at the Florida High School Athletic Association’s (FHSAA) 7A championship, where Lake Mary faced off against Vero Beach. With only six points separating the teams and a mere seven seconds on the clock, Lake Mary’s quarterback, Noah Grubbs, launched a pass toward the end zone. A heart-stopping moment followed as the ball was deflected.

Was it game over? Not quite. A Lake Mary player managed to secure the ball and dash toward the end zone, only to be swarmed by Vero Beach defenders, seemingly sealing their fate. Surely, the game was over this time, right? Wrong again. Tavarius Brundidge Jr. of Lake Mary seized the moment by snatching the ball from his teammate’s grasp and…

The rest, as they say, is history:

With a successful extra point, Lake Mary clinched their first-ever championship title, edging out Vero Beach with a 28-27 victory. This unforgettable play will undoubtedly become legendary in Seminole County, Florida.

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After that spectacular play, the extra point was good, and Lake Mary won their first championship ever, 28-27. Doubtless, that one will go down in lore in Seminole County, FL.

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But I promised you not one but two incredible endings to state championships. The second occurred in the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, where Archbishop Shaw High School had basically won the game for the LHSAA Division II Select championship and were just waiting for the clock to tick down to zero so they could start pouring the Gatorade over the head coach.

But one player started celebrating too early.

After a kneel down, a Shaw lineman ripped off his helmet, threw it in the air, and started running to the sidelines, thinking it was game over. It wasn’t, and the yellow flag was thrown.

A penalty stops the clock.

OK, not the end of the world — all they had to do was punt, and then run out the clock. But then this happened:

This ending to a high school state championship game was WILD 🤯

Shaw was one kneel-down away from winning the state championship, but an early celebration led to a late St. Charles comeback win

(via @lhsaanetworktv) pic.twitter.com/pC8oFyS4UA

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 13, 2025

Hoo boy.

Amazingly, the St. Charles Catholic kicker who drilled a 44-yard field goal as time expired (pretty darn impressive for a high-schooler) had only minutes before thought he would be the goat in a painful loss:

Given that earlier in the game, St. Charles missed an extra point that would have tied the score, the ending was that much worse for Shaw.

But better for St. Charles.

“I felt like I had lost us the game, and then next thing I know I’m out there kicking the game-winning field goal,” Milioto said of his second chance, per NOLA.com.

The win gave St. Charles their fourth state title.

Incredible plays, young men. There’s something special about high school football, and to both winners and losers alike, I say: well played, gents.