Clemson commit Brice leads Grayson to state championship

In his final game before he dons a Clemson uniform in the future, Clemson commitment Chase Brice led his team to a state championship.

Brice quarterbacked Grayson High School to a 23-20 win over Roswell in the Georgia Class 7A state title game on Saturday night at the Georgia Dome. The senior quarterback went 18-of-27 passing for 238 yards and three touchdowns.

Brice came up clutch in the fourth quarter of an instant-classic contest that saw a wild finish.

Under duress from Roswell’s defensive line for most of the contest, Brice remained unfazed and threw two critical touchdown passes in the last 10 minutes of the game. Grayson would need every point, as Roswell completed a touchdown pass on the final play of regulation to force overtime.

In overtime, Grayson kicked a field goal and Roswell missed one, respectively, ending the game and giving Grayson the state title.

Down 13-12 with 3:43 remaining in the game, Brice orchestrated a 61-yard touchdown drive, completing all five of his passing attempts and capping the possession with a 35-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jaquavius Lane before an ensuing two-point conversion pass to Lane gave Grayson a 20-13 lead with 1:04 to play.

However, Roswell quarterback and Virginia Tech commit Malik Willis directed a game-tying touchdown drive in the waning minutes and hooked up with Corey Reed for a 20-yard touchdown pass on the last play of regulation. The extra point knotted the game at 20-20 and sent it to overtime.

Grayson’s offense was unable to get anything going in the second half before Brice stepped up when his team needed him the most. Down by seven points in the fourth quarter and backed up at the 3-yard line, Brice guided Grayson on a momentum-changing 98-yard touchdown drive that he concluded with a 62-yard touchdown pass to Lane. Brice converted two third-and-longs through the air to set up the score with 6:36 left, which would have tied the game at 13 if not for a blocked extra point.

In the first half, Brice put Grayson on the scoreboard at the 6:09 mark of the second quarter with a 34-yard touchdown pass to Deangelo Gibbs that also would have tied the score at 7 if not for a missed extra point.

The lone blemish for Brice in the game was an interception early in the second half that didn’t cost Grayson points.

Grayson entered the game ranked No. 10 by USA Today, while Roswell was No. 8. Grayson finished the season with a 14-1 record, with the only loss occurring in the season opener against powerhouse IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)

Brice finished his senior season with 2,828 passing yards and 33 touchdowns against just two interceptions while completing 65 percent of his passes. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound four-star recruit committed to Clemson in December 2015.