It took six overtimes, but the North Cobb Christian Eagles beat No. 10 Ringgold 41-39 Friday in a key Region 7-2A game.
The win moved the Eagles, ranked No. 8 in 3A-A Private, to 5-0, 3-0 in Region 7, and keeps them on track for a second straight region championship. Last year they won 6-2A for the first region title in a program that dates to 2007.
Further, it was the Eagles’ first overtime win in program history, according to GHSFHA.org.
Though the Eagles won’t play in the 2A tournament due to the new playoff format, the win was still important for the points standings that determine the 3A-A Private tournament’s seeding.
“A quality opponent like Ringgold (3-2, 1-2), who’s going to get plenty of wins this year, to top them in OT is huge for the points system,” said Eagles coach Matt Jones of Ringgold, whose only other loss was to No. 8 Rockmart, also in 7-2A. “But it’s also huge because the kids are believing in themselves that, when things get close, we’re going to win. We dealt with some adversity and didn’t do our best, so to be able to win in that situation, but still have plenty to work on, is good for us.”
Perhaps Friday’s game shouldn’t have made to overtime. An Eagles sack with three minutes left would have forced Ringgold into a fourth-and-13 situation, but the referees issued a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for excessive celebrating after the play. That extended Ringgold’s drive, ultimately leading to it kicking a game-tying, 20-yard field goal with 30 seconds left.
“(Ringgold) almost won it,” Jones said.
Neither team scored in the first overtime, and both scored in the second. In the third, the Eagles missed a field goal, but blocked Ringgold’s field goal attempt. In the sixth overtime, the Eagles’ scored a touchdown, plus the 2-point conversion, then held on Ringgold’s 2-point conversion attempt.
Eagles sophomore quarterback Teddy Jarrard was 26 of 41 passing for 279 yards and four touchdowns and no interceptions. Sophomore DJ Huggins had four catches for 73 yards and two touchdowns, followed by sophomore Archie (5-73-1) and and freshman Madoxx Davis (7-54-1). Junior Coooper Bazarsky had 84 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries.
Senior linebacker Spears Martin led the defense with 14 tackles, three for a loss, and a quarterback hurry.
A look ahead to Oct. 11, shows the play No. 8 Rockmart, which has won its region seven years in a row. First, however, the Eagles have back-to-bye weeks. Their next game is Oct. 4 against Murray County (1-4, 0-3). Jones said a late change to the schedule caused the extended break.
As exhausting as Friday’s game was, the weeks off are welcomed by the Eagles. Jones said the team will spend the first week self-scouting, and the next studying Murray County.
“We’ve got a few kids who are hurt so getting them right in the next two weeks will be big for the second half of the season,” Jones said. “The fear is going that long between live competition.”
Carver-Columbus blanks Northside-Columbus
The Carver Tigers beat crosstown rivals Northside 26-0 for their first shutout of the season.
Junior safety Antavius Watts all but sealed the game with his third-quarter interception, and senior linebacker Anthony Wilson had a team-high 12 tackles, four for a loss. Junior linebacker Tristain Givens had two sacks.
In all, the defense allowed just 79 yards, 12 passing and 67 rushing, and had two interceptions and a forced fumble.
“Our big thing was we knew they had a big quarterback and an explosive running back,” Tigers coach Pierre Coffey said. “We wanted to bottle them up, allow no deep passes and tackle well. We put major emphasis on securing tackles, because we didn’t want the quarterback and others getting yards after contact.
“Antavius made some big plays and Anthony was a force in the interior. Tristain was getting pressure on the quarterback all night.”
The Tigers took over early, scoring on their first drive, then stopping Northside deep in its own territory on consecutive possessions, scoring on each of those as well.
They did most of their damage on the ground, finishing with 320 rushing yards. Junior running back Kobe Caslin had 14 carries for 146 yards and two touchdowns, followed by junior Kelston Tarver (20-144-1).
The Tigers were coming off a bye, which was preceded by their first loss of the season, 15-6 to 4A’s Harris County.
“It’s good to get back in the win column and over that loss,” Coffey said. “That was a wakeup call, and we had a good week during the bye, and a good week of preparation. They responded well and that’s all I can ask for. We’re just trying to get better every day.”
Next for the Tigers (3-1, 1-0 1-2A) is another crosstown rival, but this game will count toward the region standings, when they take on Columbus (1-3, 1-0) on Thursday. The Tigers won last year’s game 40-0.
“They’re going to come out and play us hard,” Coffey said. “It’s a short week, so that adds to it. Hopefully, we’ll carry the momentum from Friday to Thursday and play a complete game. We’re pumped up for it.”
Sources: Georgia High School Football Historians Association, MaxPreps, GHSF Daily
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