Hebron Christian’s game at Fellowship Christian figured to be competitive, with both schools ranked inside the top five of the 3A-A rankings. However, the Lions scored 24 unanswered points in the second quarter to take a 31-0 lead into halftime, which eventually became a 38-18 win.
The Lions (2-0), who compete in 8-2A, jump a spot in the 3A-A private rankings to No. 2, while the Paladins (1-1) of A Division I maintain their No. 4 ranking.
The Lions entered the second quarter with a 7-0 lead and then broke the game open. Two defensive stops led to a touchdown and field goal. On the ensuing kickoff, squibbed by senior kicker Cam Eblen, the Paladins failed to field it, and the Lions recovered, leading to another touchdown and a 24-0 lead. The final score of the quarter came with 1:30 left on a 45-yard pass from senior Thomas Stallworth to junior Jarvis Mathurin, all but putting the game out of reach.
“It was one of those games were you come out and play really well, and then some things go your way,” Lions third-year coach Jonathan Gess said. “The story of the game was the defense. (Fellowship Christian) has a quarterback (Jonathan Granby) with some offers, they’ve got that offensive lineman that Georgia Tech paid all that money (5-star Josh Petty), and a receiver committed to North Carolina (Evan Haynes). Our defense came out and shut them down. They had basically zero yards in the first half, and then the offense converted and really fed off the defense.”
The Lions have next-level players on the defensive side of the ball, including junior defensive back and North Carolina State commit Gerrit Kemp, and junior defensive lineman Sichan John, committed to Virginia. To maximize their impact on the game, Gess moved those players to different spots.
“We put Kemp on Haynes, and John on Petty,” Gess said. “A lot of the time, we won’t do that. But John was able to drive him back and neutralize him, basically shut him down.”
Kemp limited Haynes to five receiving yards and had four tackles. As a team, the Lions held Fellowship Christian to 20 yards of offense in the first half.
Lions junior running back Devon Caldwell had 157 yards and three touchdowns on 24 carries. Mathurin had 75 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries and 115 return yards. Stallworth was 14 of 21 passing for 125 yards and a touchdown.
“The offensive line did a great job,” Gess said. “We had over 200 yards rushing.”
Up next, the Lions host Jacksonville’s University Christian (0-1), ranked No. 15 in the Maxpreps Florida Division 1A rankings.
Cook holds on to beat Bainbridge
The Cook Hornets beat Bainbridge 13-10 in what some may consider an upset despite the Hornets’ status.
The Hornets came in ranked No. 5 and coming off a semifinals appearance and playing an unfamiliar opponent on the road. The Bearcats entered the season No. 5 in the 3A rankings and were 16-point favorites at home, according to Maxwell projections.
The Hornets put the first points on the board with a 56-yard touchdown run by junior quarterback MJ Tippins to make it 6-0, a score that held through halftime. Bainbridge took the second half’s opening drive and scored on a 35-yard pass to take a 7-6 lead, the first score of a 10-0 Bearcats run.
Trailing 13-10, the Hornets started their game-winning drive with 4:30 left in the fourth. Tippins broke a 35-yard run, and a few plays later threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to senior Michael Calloway with 38 seconds left.
The game ended with a strip-sack by Hornets defense end Jeremiah Covington. He finished with five tackles and two sacks. Carter Morrison, who lines up at linebacker and defensive end, led the team with six tackles. Linebacker Jabari Dawson had four tackles, including a tackle for loss. All three are sophomores.
Galloway contributed on both sides with four tackles and an interception at cornerback, and 101 yards and a touchdown at receiver. Tippins had 101 yards rushing and a touchdown on 16 carries, adding 167 passing yards and another touchdown.
Hornets third-year coach Byron Slack said the main challenge heading in was who to prepare for at quarterback for Bainbridge. The Bears’ starter, senior Camryn Scott, missed the opener due to an injury suffered early in the offseason. Scott, a dual-threat, made his season debut against the Hornets.
“We weren’t positive who would play, we just knew they had a big-time quarterback,” Slack said. “We prepared for the dual-threat, because with him in the game that would shift us to a different game plan. It was a slugfest early on, and when Tippins broke that (touchdown) run, that got us through halftime. From there, we just continued to fight.”
The Hornets’ success from last season is carrying over despite returning just four starters.
“We’re still doing the same thing, we’re just super young,” Slack said. “We have about 60 kids and only six are seniors, so we don’t want paralysis by analysis. We’re keeping it simple, and adding a little more each week, so they can learn. They still go hunting. They’ll go after people, so I’m just trying to let them do that.”
Up next for the Hornets is Brooks County (0-1), No. 3 in A Division II at home. It’s part of a non-region schedule that include’s No. 8 Callaway, 3A’s Cairo and A Division II’s No. 2 Irwin County. The Hornets’ region, 3-2A, includes top-ranked defending champs Pierce County, No. 7 Appling County, Crisp County and Tattnall County.
“We definitely wanted to take advantage of our out-of-region schedule to get battle-tested to compete in our region,” Slack said.
Sources: Georgia High School Football Historians Association, MaxPreps, GHSF Daily
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