George's tally in the 70th minute Saturday gave the Red Devils a 1-0 win over Cardinal Gibbons in the NCHSAA 2-A championship game at the WRAL Soccer Center.

"It's amazing," said George, who was named the game's Most Valuable Player. "I never would have thought it. It's just an amazing feeling."

Newton-Conover (22-6) was making its first appearance in the championship game, while Gibbons, the 2006 champion, was playing in its third consecutive final.

"I told the guys, [Gibbons has] all the pressure on them," Red Devils coach Angelo Palozzi said. "They've been here three times in a row. They won it last year. Just go out and have fun."

The Red Devils defense was flawless and composed throughout. The unit limited Gibbons to only two shots on goal -- neither of which caused much concern for goalkeeper Derrick Filip -- and earned its third straight shutout and 16th of the season.

"They stayed well organized, especially in the back," Gibbons coach Tim Healy said. "They just waited to take their chance. And when they got their chance, they made the best of it."

The Crusaders (24-3-2) stifled the Newton-Conover attack most of the night, but their one mistake proved to be their undoing.

After a Gibbons defender misplayed a ball at the edge of his own penalty area and slipped on the artificial turf, George pounced on it and attacked the goal.

"I was like, 'Wow, I'm going to get a breakaway here,' " George said. "I just took my time. Coach always told me [to shoot at the] back post, on the ground. It's a goal no matter what. I just punched it around and it went in.

"It'll probably be the biggest goal of my career."

At halftime, with the game scoreless, Palozzi told his forwards to remain patient. All they needed was one chance. George's shot was the Red Devils' only attempt on goal all night.

"I told the guys, 'If we get our chance, it's got to count,' " Palozzi said.

As high as the Red Devils were from George's strike, the Crusaders felt the same way, albeit momentarily, a minute earlier.

Gibbons' Michael Zimmerman played a ball through the box to Kendall Jones, who snuck the ball in at the near post from 10 yards out. But Jones was offside, and the goal game out of the net.

"That's the way the game is," Healy said. "It's the beautiful cruelty of this game."

Newton-Conover 1, Cardinal Gibbons 0