High School Football: Raiders Defeat Knights With Late Rally

By Mike Blum

Alpharetta’s expected run to a Region 7-AAAAAA title almost hit a roadblock before it started, as the
Raiders needed a huge fourth quarter comeback to get past Centennial 34-31 Friday night in the region
opener for both teams.

The visiting Raiders trailed 31-17 before scoring 17 points in the final 6:19, capped by Dylan Schorr’s
game winning field goal as time expired. The winning score was set up by the second interception of the
night by standout Raiders’ defensive back Jaycee Horn, whose first interception late in the second
period also led to a Schorr field goal.

“Any time a ball is thrown in his area and he’s in good position, he’s got a shot at it,” Alpharetta coach
Jacob Nichols said of Horn, one of the state’s most highly recruited defensive backs.

After yielding 235 yards and 24 points in the first half to the Knights, the Alpharetta defense limited
Centennial to just seven points in the second half. The lone Centennial score in the final two periods
came on a 27-yard keeper by quarterback Max Brosmer on a zone read option that caught the Raiders
completely by surprise, with the Centennial quarterback making it to the goal line before he was touched.

That gave Centennial a 31-17 lead with 8:24 to play, but the Raiders came right back behind the passing
of Matthew Downing, who completed four passes on the ensuing drive, hitting Marcus Hill on a 23-yard
catch and run for the score on third-and- 10 with 6:19 to play (SIGN UP: Get Patch's Daily Newsletter and Real Time News Alerts. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app).

After a Centennial drive keyed by two Alpharetta penalties, the Raiders got the ball back at their 26 with
2:43 on the clock. On fourth-and-1, the Raiders turned the tables on the Knights, with Downing keeping
the ball for the first time in the game on the zone read option and sprinting untouched for 65 yards and
the tying touchdown with 1:19 remaining.

Other than a 58-yard scoring run by Kevin Watkins in the opening period, the Raiders had enjoyed no
success with their running game, but Nichols never abandoned it.

“You’ve got to at least attempt to run,” he said, pointing out that a successful ground game “is
something that’s tough to do in our scheme.”

Nichols credited Downing with making “a great play” on the tying TD, Watkins, who was subbing for injured starter Nolan Edmonds, gained 10 yards to the Centennial 4 on the first play after Horn’s 26-yard interception return, with Schorr connecting on a 20-yarder for the winning points two plays later. Schorr is 9 of 9 on field goals this season, including 5 for 5 in a win against Gainesville last week.

The Raiders finished with 176 yards rushing, with the two long runs accounting for 123 of that total.
Going against a Centennial defense that played tight man-to- man coverage in the secondary and
mounted a strong pass rush, Downing was 14 of 35 through the air for 235 yards and two TDs. Downing hit Robbie Ruppel in stride down the field for a 55-yard scoring pass in the first half, with the Centennial defense keeping the Raiders in check in the first two periods other than the two big scoring plays.

Two fumbles by the Raiders led to a pair of Centennial scores in the opening period for a 10-0 lead. The
Knights scored first on a 29-yard field goal by Nicky Solomon and made it 10-0 on a 19-yard pass from
Brosmer to Cal Dickie on the first play after the second Alpharetta fumble. Watkins’ 58-yard blast up the middle pulled the Raiders within 10-7, but Centennial freshman Julian Nixon went 17 yards for a score out of the wildcat formation on the first play after the Knights blocked a punt.

The Knights made it 24-7 with a penalty-ridden drive that began at their 42 and required four
completions for 80 yards to overcome 30 yards in penalties against Centennial. Both teams had disputes
with the officiating crew, who called 22 penalties for 235 yards, evenly divided between the Raiders and
Knights.

Brosmer completed three passes for 71 yards including a 26-yarder to Nixon to start the drive, with
Nixon tossing a 9-yard touchdown pass to David Gaffney on fourth down out of the wildcat, completely fooling the Alpharetta defense.

The Raiders quickly responded, with Downing and Ruppel teaming up for their 55-yard scoring
connection. Alpharetta closed within 24-17 at the half on Schorr’s 36-yard field goal after a 20-yard
interception return by Horn. The Raiders finished the game with 411 yards total offense to 383 for the Knights. Spencer Gaddis was Downing’s favorite target with five catches for 81 yards.

The Alpharetta defense did an excellent job against the Centennial running game with the exception of
the touchdowns by Brosmer and Nixon. They limited Knights’ running back Emeka Nwanze to 57 yards
on 17 carries, and contained Centennial’s top two receivers. Dickie and Blane Mason had a combined six
receptions for 49 yards, with Nixon and Jacob Albright the main targets for Brosmer with seven catches
each for a total of 171 yards.

Brosmer was 23 of 33 for 247 yards, but the two interceptions brought his season total to seven in three
games. It was the second loss this season for the Knights (0-3) in the final 10 seconds. They lost their opener 42-39 to Wheeler on a late 31-yard touchdown. Centennial plays at Johns Creek on Friday, with the
Gladiators winning their region opener 21-13 at Pope. That game could have a big impact on which team
has the inside position for finishing second in the region behind Alpharetta, the likely champion.

The Raiders (2-1) are at home Friday against Northview (0-2), which was off the first week of the region
schedule.

“It’s a big win, winning your first one,” said Nichols, who hopes to have Edmonds back in the lineup soon
to bolster the team’s ground game.

Image via Shutterstock