Carrollton Made History in Its 55-7 Rout of Rome — And CJ Cypher Put on a Show

The Trojans recorded the largest margin of victory in the 13-game series as sophomore quarterback CJ Cypher threw for 269 yards and four touchdowns.

Carrollton's sophomore quarterback CJ Cyphers threw four touchdown passes in the Trojans 55-7 opening night win over Rome. | Cecil Copeland

ROME, Georgia — Carrollton’s recent dominance over Rome continued Friday night as the Trojans rolled to their fifth straight victory over the Wolves, 55-7, in Week 1 of the 2026 Georgia high school football season.

A Historic Night in the Carrollton-Rome Rivalry

The 48-point margin was the largest in the 13-game history of the series, which dates to 1992.

Carrollton’s first points came on a 14-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback CJ Cyphers to Zachary Watts, three plays after the Trojans recovered an onside kick to open the game.

“We’ve been working on that all week,” said Carroll head coach Joey King, who is now 5-1 against Rome and 133-11 as a head coach. “And we came out swinging. We wanted our guys to come out and try to steal a possession, and we were fortunate enough to do that.”

Both Cypher and Watts had big nights for the Carrollton offense. Watts finished with 122 yards and four touchdowns, while Cypher completed 77.8% of his passes for 269 yards and four touchdowns.

Carrollton quarterback CJ Cypher threw the first of his four touchdown passes early in the first quarter and had 269 pass yards in the Trojans' 55-7 win over Rome. | Jay Pace/High School on SI

Defense Delivers

Rome responded with a nice drive before stalling out at the Carrollton 26 after the Trojans’ defense made a big stop on fourth-and-2.

Four plays later, CHS pushed the lead to 14-0 on a 40-yard touchdown pass from Cypher to cap a four-play, 74-yard drive. Carrollton would score on each of its next two possessions to push its lead to 28-0 less than a minute into the second quarter.

Rome finally got on the scoreboard with a fourth-and-goal touchdown just before halftime, cutting Carrollton's lead to 28-7.

King was pleased with the Trojans’ defensive effort.

“Take away that one right before halftime, I thought our defense played well tonight.”

Carrollton responded by scoring the final 27 points of the night.

Darrell McFadden added 87 yards and a score for a Trojans offense that racked up 453 yards of total offense.

“Hot, humid night here in Georgia for some high school football,” noted King as he stood outside the visiting locker room while his team boarded their chartered buses to head home. “I’m proud of the way our kids responded.”

Carrollton moves to 9-4 all-time vs Rome. The Trojans have won seven of the last 8 meetings dating back to 2018

The dominant opener also gives Carrollton immediate momentum entering the heart of its schedule. With Cypher directing an offense that erupted for 55 points against a longtime rival, the Trojans have quickly served notice that they intend to remain among Georgia’s elite in 2026.