The Athens Academy Spartans were effective in controlling the clock with long drives filled with third- and fourth-down conversions on Friday at Fellowship Christian. However, the Paladins defense kept them out of the end zone and did enough on offense to win 28-6 in a game that may have decided the Region 8-2A championship.
The Paladins are above .500 for the first time this season and move to 4-3, 2-0 in Region 8. Union County (6-1, 2-0) is the only other remaining team with an undefeated league record. The Paladins play at Union County in the regular season finale on Nov. 3.
The Spartans fall to 5-2, 1-1.
The Paladins took a 7-3 lead into halftime, with CJ Givers’ 1-yard run and Zac Chapeau’s 37-yard field goal accounting for the scoring. Chapeau’s field goal capped a 9-minute, 27-second drive for the Spartans that spanned 17 plays.
The first half ended with the buzzer sounding as the Spartans spiked the ball to stop the clock, ending a drive they started with 4:56 left. The Spartans were arguing that the clock didn’t stop the previous play, when the Spartans got a first down with less than 10 seconds, making it first-and-goal at the Paladins 1. The clock continued to run for several seconds after the first down, despite pleas from the Spartans sideline.
There was a disagreement between game officials and the Spartans over how the final seconds were handled.
“(The game officials) said anytime it’s inside 3 seconds they don’t have to stop the clock, but there was 3.7 seconds left,” Spartans coach Josh Alexander said. “Plus (a Fellowship Christian defender) laid (on the Spartans runner) at 11 seconds. You’re supposed to stop the clock, because you’re not allowed to lay on a person.”
The Paladins took the second half’s opening possession 65 yards in just seven plays, scoring on Kyle Elphick’s 26-yard touchdown reception from Caleb McMickle to make it 14-3.
The Spartans’ next possession began on their own 9 and ended on the Paladins 8 on a turnover-on-downs, when they were stuffed for a 1-yard loss on fourth-and-3. The Spartans would also force a turnover-on-downs on Fellowship’s nexts possession, but went three-and-out and punted.
The Paladins then used four plays to go 44 yards, scoring on Jonathan Granby’s 3-yard run to ice the game, giving them a 21-3 lead with 8:30 left.
Now the Paladins are one step closer to a fourth consecutive region title. They won 6-1A the previous three seasons.
“They kept connecting on these third-and-longs and even fourth downs,” Paladins coach Tim McFarlin said. “Their conversion on third and fourth down (8-for-13) was amazing. So, our guys showed a lot of resiliency tonight and I think this is a game they’ll really grow up from. This was a playoff atmosphere because of the region ramifications, so I think for both teams this will pay some dividends.”
The Spartans had their chances throughout the game but couldn’t score a touchdown. In addition to the stalled drive at the end of the half, they had three drops on deep balls, including two in the end zone.
“We missed some deep balls that we should have caught,” Alexander said. “That debacle right before half lost points. But our kids played hard and fought, and I’m proud of that. They’ve got a good football team, so we’re just going to keep moving forward.”
Givers led the Paladins with two touchdowns, adding 54 yards on 13 carries and Nick Persiano had 85 yards on 14 carries. Josh Milhollin had four catches for 81 yards, and McMickle was 7-for-9 passing for 142 yards and a touchdown.
The Spartans were led by quarterback Sam Bush, who ran for a game-high 123 yards on 23 carries. Like the Paladins, they also come from Class 1A, where they reached the playoffs in each of the last seven seasons.
Athens Academy 0 3 0 3 — 6
Fellowship Christian 7 0 7 14 — 28
F — CJ Givers 1 run (Nathan Chapman kick)
A — Zac Chapeau 37 FG
F — Kyle Elphick 26 pass from Caleb McMickle (Chapman kick)
F — Jonathan Granby 3 run (Chapman kick)
A — Chapeau 32 FG
F — Givers 6 run (Chapman kick)
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