The Region 3-6A championship was on the line when Cobb County neighbors Harrison and Hillgrove met at Cobleigh Stadium in Kennesaw, and Harrison quarterback Xavier Hill made sure that the Hoyas were the ones hoisting the trophy.
Hill passed for 221 yards and a touchdown and ran for 157 yards and two scores, accounting for all but 30 of the Hoyas’ total yards in a 24-14 victory over Harrison.
The region championship was Harrison’s first since its 2019 state championship and the first for Hoyas coach Luqman Salam, a longtime Hillgrove assistant who spent the past three seasons as head coach at Osborne, where he took the Cardinals to the state playoffs for the first time in school history.
“Any time you get to win something and leave something behind you, it’s always a wonderful thing,” Salam said. “This group of seniors, I’m so grateful for them, just accepting me, accepting all the change and the newness and still coming out here and playing Hoya football. There’s a rich tradition here at Harrison, and these kids have just added to that.”
Harrison will finish the regular season at Paulding County next week and face the fourth-place team from Region 4-6A, likely Archer or Rockdale County, in the first round of the playoffs on the weekend of Nov. 15.
Hillgrove (8-1, 5-1), a 2-8 team last season, was seeking its first region title since 2018 but instead will settle for the region’s second seed in the playoffs. The Hawks will play the third-place team from Region 4-6A, probably South Gwinnett or Newton.
Harrison (8-1, 6-0) struck quickly, scoring on its first two possessions on each side of a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Hillgrove’s Daniel Okonkwo, to take the lead for good at 14-7 with 3:57 remaining in the first quarter. Hill finished off the drives with touchdown runs of 1 and 3 yards.
Hill also had a big hand in Harrison’s final touchdown, an 81-yard pass to Austin Perry on the fifth play of the fourth quarter for a 24-7 lead that essentially put the game away.
“He’s exactly what people think he is,” Salam said of Hill. “He’s the real deal. Great kid, I’ve said that before. That’s the best thing about him, is that he’s such a great leader of our football team, and that showed tonight.”
Hillgrove’s offense didn’t see the ball until 3:57 remained in the first quarter, at which point the Hawks trailed 14-7 and had been outgained 183-0. Once they got the ball, they had difficulty keeping it for long.
The Hawks had some success on their first drive, moving from their 20 to the Harrison 15 in 15 plays, but an incomplete pass and a sack pushed them back to the 26 and they missed a 43-yard field goal.
Hillgrove had only two possessions in the first half and didn’t register an offensive touchdown until C.J. Ford scored on a 1-yard run with 4:13 remaining in the game.
Unlike last week, when the Hawks had 296 rushing yards in a 30-23 victory over McEachern, Hillgrove was unable to get the running game going against a Harrison defense that was intent on stopping it. The Hawks had just 85 rushing yards and 230 total yards, 79 of which came on the late touchdown drive.
“They’re tough to handle,” Salam said. “They’re big up front, they’re a physical football team and very well coached. They don’t hurt themselves. So we just tried to hold on, tried to move around and give them some different looks, and we had some success tonight.”
Hillgrove - 7-0-0-7 - 14
Harrison - 14-3-0-7 - 24
First quarter
Har - Xavier Hill 3 run (Simon Zeidan kick), 10:16
Hil - Daniel Okonkwo 99 kickoff return (Carter Genchi kick), 10:03
Har - Hill 1 run (Zeidan kick), 3:57
Second quarter
Har - Zeidan 41 field goal, 0:00
Fourth quarter
Har - Austin Perry 81 pass from Hill (Zeidan kick), 10:39
Hil - C.J. Ford 1 run (Genchi kick), 4:13
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