The Alpharetta Raiders scored a pair of late touchdowns to pull away for a 21-7 win over the host Chattahoochee Cougars on Friday at The Arena.
For the Raiders (1-1) in was their ninth win over the Cougars in as many seasons. The two were long-time region rivals before this year, when the Raiders reclassified to 7A while the Cougars remained 6A.
The win marked the first for the Raiders in the Jason Kervin era. Kervin replaced Jacob Nichols, who left the program after six seasons. Kervin comes to Alpharetta having served as an assistant on Alabama powerhouse Hoover, which won six state titles in his 12 seasons there.
With the score tied 7-7 with with 7:12 remaining, Raiders sophomore quarterback Ben Guthrie ran for a 10-yard score to give them their first lead of the game. After a Chattahoochee three-and-out, Guthrie threw a 55-yard touchdown pass to Jaden Slocum on the first play of their possession to bring the score to its final margin with 6:25 remaining. On the play, Slocum caught it near the sideline at the Cougars 25, then cut across the middle untouched for the score.
It was Guthrie’s second touchdown pass of the game — he also threw a 3-yard pass to Tylan Johnson to tie the game with 4:13 remaining in the half. Guthrie finished 9 of 14 passing for 142 yards and rushed 11 times for 63 yards, accounting for all three of the Raiders' touchdowns.
The Cougars had a chance to go for the lead early in the third quarter, when they had the ball on the Alpharetta 7 facing fourth-and-6. But instead of attempting a field goal, they tried to convert on fourth down, which resulted in an incomplete pass. They also had a 73-yard touchdown run by quarterback Jaylen Smith with 5:11 remaining called back due to a block in the back.
The Raiders will host 7A’s Collins Hill next week in a non-region contest.
The Cougars, who last week won their season opener for the first time since 2010 — when they went 15-0 in 4A to win the program’s only state title — begin Region 7-6A play next week when they host River Ridge.
They were led by Smith, who rushed for 100 yards on 11 carries and scored on a 2-yard touchdown in the second quarter. He was also 9 for 24 passing for 138 yards and an interception.
Chattahooche’s attendance limit is 30-percent capacity, with 1,009 in attendance on Friday — 747 on the home side, 262 on the visitor’s side, according to Cougars athletic director Jason Hicks. Concessions stands were open.
Alpharetta — 0 7 0 14 — 21
Chattahoochee — 0 7 0 0 — 7
C — Jaylen Smith 2 run (Colton Rudnick kick)
A — Tylan Johnson 3 pass from Ben Guthrie (Matthew Ashe kick)
A — Guthrie 10 run (Ashe kick)
A — Jaden Slocum 55 pass from Guthrie (Ashe kick)
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