Hillgrove, playing without starting quarterback Donovan Mack and getting limited production from starting running back Caleb Walters because of injuries, got a breakout performance from Jaiden Moore in the Hawks’ biggest game of the year so far.
The speedy sophomore rushed for 249 yards on 13 carries and had touchdowns runs of 51, 67 and 96 yards Friday night to lead the Hawks to a 30-23 victory over archrival McEachern at Walter Cantrell Stadium in Powder Springs.
Moore had rushed for 123 yards on 25 carries through the first seven games.
“Jaiden’s kind of been our No. 2 or No. 3 back all season,” Hillgrove coach Justin DeShon said. “He’s a young sophomore with tons of potential. Caleb came up with an ankle injury against Campbell last week, and we had a lot of confidence in Jaiden. We knew he had some spurt, and some things worked out tonight, and he got to showcase his talents.”
Hillgrove, a 2-8 team last year, improved to 8-0 overall and 5-0 in Region 3-6A and clinched the school’s first home playoff game since 2018. The Hawks will have an even bigger game next week, when they travel to Harrison (7-1, 5-0) for a matchup that will decide the region championship.
McEachern (4-4, 3-2), the defending region champion, is in third place and almost certain to finish there, putting the Indians on the road for the first round of the playoffs.
What had been a back-and-forth game swung in Hillgrove’s favor in a nine-minute span that began midway through the third quarter.
Hillgrove opened the second half with an 11-play drive that took more than seven minutes off the clock and resulted in a 20-yard field goal by Carter Genchi for a 17-16 lead. The key play was a 34-yard pass from sophomore quarterback Jabari Green to Moore on a third-and-5 play that moved the ball to the McEachern 29. It was one of only two completions for the Hawks, who attempted just four passes.
McEachern returned the ensuing kickoff 95 yards for an apparent touchdown, but a penalty on the play put the Indians back on their own 10. Three plays and two penalties left McEachern facing a fourth down at its 17, and the Indians bobbled the snap in the end zone, where Hillgrove’s Cooper Pedro recovered the ball for a touchdown.
Now trailing 23-16, McEachern’s next drive got to the Hillgrove 4, where Jayreon Campbell was stopped for no gain on fourth-and-2. Two plays later, Moore busted through the line and went 96 yards for a 30-16 lead with 7:58 remaining in the game.
“I was just running,” Moore said. “I saw the hole, I hit it, and I started running.”
McEachern cut the lead to 30-23 on a 1-yard touchdown run by Campbell with 3:31 remaining and got the ball back with just under two minutes left, but the Indians’ final drive ended with a sack at the Hillgrove 42.
McEachern dominated the first half, outgaining the Hawks 273-158, running 44 plays to Hillgrove’s 15 and enjoying an advantage in time of possession of more than four minutes, but the Indians trailed for most of the second quarter and led only 16-14 at halftime, thanks to a 10-yard touchdown pass from Calvin Pittman Jr. to Zavion Harris with 19 seconds left in the half. Moore kept Hillgrove in it with his touchdown runs of 51 and 67 yards, two plays that accounted for 75% of the Hawks’ first-half yards.
Pittman finished the game with 255 yards passing and 72 yards rushing. Nalin Scott had eight catches for 138 yards, and Campbell rushed for 74 yards.
McEachern was hurt by its inability to get into the end zone when it got close to it. The Indians scored two touchdowns but were inside the Hillgrove 20 four other times, settling for three first-half field goals and turning the ball over on downs at the 4-yard line in the fourth quarter.
Hillgrove came into the game allowing 8.7 points per game, best in Class 6A, and had given up just 12 total points in its first four region games.
“McEachern did a great job offensively tonight,” DeShon said. “The quarterback gave us some things we haven’t seen. But defensively we would bend but didn’t break. We saw that on film about McEachern, that they can drive the ball on anybody because they’re so talented but they struggle inside the 20, and we were able to hold up and get out of here with a W.”
Hillgrove - 7-7-9-7 - 30
McEachern - 6-10-0-7- 23
First quarter
M - Jonathan Rodriguez 29 field goal, 7:53
M - Rodriguez 35 field goal, 4:08
H - Jaiden Moore 51 run (Carter Genchi kick), 1:45
Second quarter
M - Rodriguez 36 field goal, 4:58
H - Moore 67 run (Genchi kick), 2:15
M - Zavion Harris 10 pass from Calvin Pittman Jr. (Rodriguez kick), 0:19
Third quarter
H - Genchi 20 field goal, 4:36
H - Cooper Pedro recovered fumble in end zone (kick blocked), 1:58
Fourth quarter
H - Moore 96 run (Genchi kick), 7:58
M - Jayreon Campbell 1 run (Rodriguez kick), 3:31
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