Hillgrove scored two second-half touchdowns to build an 11-point lead with less than six minutes to play and then had to hold on down the stretch to defeat Marietta 24-21 Friday night in Powder Springs.
The victory was not secure until the Hawks stopped Marietta on fourth-and-8 near midfield with less than two minutes remaining.
Hillgrove improved to 3-0 for the first time since 2019 in the final season of longtime coach Phil Ironside, who started the program when the school opened in 2006. The victory also was the first in four tries against Marietta for Hillgrove coach Justin DeShon, whose first three teams at the school were 7-24 while dealing with young rosters and the loss of several players who transferred from the school.
“We’re a team, and you can feel it,” DeShon said of the difference this year. “It’s year four, and we’ve had a lot of conversations that these were the guys that we went with that sophomore year, and they’ve stuck with it. We’re physical, we believe and we’re gritty.”
Marietta fell to 0-4 for the first time since 2011, not including games that were forfeited in the 2017 season, but this was their closest game yet. The Blue Devils lost their first three games - against Gainesville, West Forsyth and McEachern - by an average of 21.7 points.
Trailing 13-10 at halftime, Hillgrove grabbed the lead quickly in the third quarter. An interception by Chris Carbin on the second play from scrimmage gave Hillgrove the ball at Marietta 25-yard line, and the Hawks scored three plays later on Caleb Walters’ 12-yard run for a 17-13 lead.
Hillgrove had the ball inside the Marietta 30 two other times in the quarter but failed to get more points as one drive ended with a punt and another with a blocked field-goal attempt from 48 yards.
Hillgrove finally got into the end zone again on its first possession of the fourth quarter, methodically driving 69 yards in 11 plays and scoring on a 1-yard run by Walters, his third touchdown of the night, for a 24-13 lead.
Those missed third-quarter opportunities by the Hawks almost turned out to be costly.
Marietta’s Carson Snipes, inserted at quarterback after the two third-quarter interceptions by starter Jayden Whiteside, helped answer Hillgrove’s final touchdown by leading a 16-play, 80-yard drive capped off by his 10-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Kruah on fourth-and-goal with 2:35 to play. Snipes passed to Elijah Green for the two-point conversion to make it 24-21.
Marietta recovered the ensuing onside kick but failed to make a first down, and Hillgrove took over and ran out the clock.
“It got tight, and we’ve got to learn from it,” DeShon said. “A lot of it’s me, as the play caller. I’ve got to loosen up a little bit and trust the offense a little bit more. The defense kinda bailed us out. But that’s who we are. We’re a ball possession team, and our defense plays well. We’ve got a quarterback who can run, and we’ve got some backs who can pound it.”
Hillgrove had an advantage of almost 11 minutes in time of possession, but Marietta led in total yards 302-284.
Walters carried the bulk of the load for the Hawks, rushing for 128 yards and three touchdowns on 28 carries. Donovan Mack attempted just 15 passes but was efficient, completing 12 for 111 yards. Mack also rushed for 41 yards and 13 carries.
Snipes and Whiteside both were 7-of-17 passing, Whiteside for 107 yards and Snipes for 94. Whiteside also led the Blue Devils in rushing. He had a 73-yard touchdown run in the second quarter and finished with a net of 58 yards after sacks were subtracted. Green had 146 yards on seven receptions.
Marietta - 7-6-0-8 - 21
Hillgrove - 3-7-7-7 - 24
First quarter
H - Carter Genchi 36 field goal, 7:05
M - Landon Mannery 1 run (Cole Baumgartner kick), 0:34
Second quarter
H - Caleb Walters 1 run (Genchi kick), 8:15
M - Jayden Whiteside 73 run (kick blocked), 4:07
Third quarter
H - Walters 12 run (Genchi kick), 10:25
Fourth quarter
H - Walters 1 run (Genchi kick), 5:45
M - Anthony Kruah 10 pass from Carson Snipes (Green pass from Snipes), 2:35
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