LAWRENCEVILLE — On a night when Collins Hill had a tough time getting anything going on offense, head coach Lenny Gregory knew it was just a matter of time before his team found the end zone. All they had to do was play sound defense and special teams — and exhibit a little patience.
It all came together in the third quarter Friday against Region 8-7A foe Mountain View when the Eagles scored the only two touchdowns of the game on back-to-back possessions to fuel a 14-0 win at home and snap a four-game losing streak.
The Eagles (3-4, 1-1), the Class 7A defending state champions, and Bears (4-3, 1-1) played into a scoreless first-half deadlock, and both teams failed to muster more than 100 yards of offense before heading into the break.
Collins Hill looked poised to take an early lead when they came up with a sack and a fumble recovery at the Mountain View 20-yard line, but a chop block penalty and two sacks sent the Eagles all the way back to midfield.
But the Collins Hill defense never relented, holding the Bears to just eight first downs for the game. Mountain View had just two drives that entered Eagle territory, with one ending in a turnover on downs and another on an interception. The defense also guaranteed good starting field position for the offense throughout the game.
“The defense has kept us in every game this season,” Gregory said. “They played lights out, and we found a way to generate some offense in the second half.
“We had good field position all night. We talk about winning the field position battle. I think we did that tonight. And winning the turnover battle. Anytime you do that, you’ve got a good chance at winning the game. We preach it, we practice it, and we execute it. I’m really proud of the kids.”
The Eagles finally capitalized on their first possession after halftime. Facing a third-and-22 after an intentional grounding penalty, quarterback Mikey Sheehan hit CJ Hector on a wheel route, and Hector broke loose for a 42-yard gain, putting the Eagles at the Mountain View 16-yard-line.
Chase Nash took it in for a 5-yard score on the end around three plays later to finally break the scoreless tie.
After a poor kick return gave the Bears the ball at their 4-yard line, they punted from their own end zone and set the Eagles up at the Mountain View 37. The Eagles converted another third-down pass as Sheehan found Nash after he slipped out the backfield uncovered and took the ball to the 1-yard line, where Jacarri Thomas punched in for the second score from there.
With the way the Eagles played defense, the game was well in hand in the fourth quarter as Collins Hill sought to run out the clock.
Gregory said it was a big boost of confidence for his team, and he reminded his players after the game they were still in the playoff picture.
“Our kids have been through a lot of diversity,” Gregory said. “Everybody has doubted us, counted us out. I’m just so proud of these kids for stepping up and believing in themselves.
“It’s very difficult when you’ve got a young team for them to understand, when you’re playing nationally ranked teams, and you’ve got that kind of schedule, and you’re playing those teams tough, it’s hard for them to understand just how good of a football team they are. Sometimes you lose kids when you lose four in a row like that, but our kids never doubted the plan.”
MV|0|0|0|0|--|0
CH|0|0|14|0|--|14
THIRD QUARTER
CH — Chase Nash 5 run (Isaac Bonaci kick)
CH — Jacarri Thomas 1 run (Bonanci kick)
Records — MV 4-3, 1-1 Region 7-7A; CH 3-4, 1-1
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