High School Football: Roswell Teams Play In State Quarterfinals Friday

By Mike Blum

ROSWELL, GA -- Roswell’s three remaining high school football teams in the state playoffs all won their second round games last week and will take the field Friday night in the quarterfinals.

Here’s a preview of the Nov. 25 games:

North Cobb at Roswell

After rolling to easy wins in the first two rounds, the undefeated Hornets are expected to be tested by North Cobb (10-2), which came into the playoffs ranked eighth in the state.

The Warriors have also coasted to two playoff wins, defeating Tift and Lambert by identical 35-7 scores. North Cobb opened the season with wins over Cherokee (44-26) and Etowah (24-20), teams that gave the Hornets problems later in the season.

North Cobb placed second in Region 3-AAAAAAA behind McEachern, one of two teams to defeat the Warriors this season. The other was Harrison, a playoff team in AAAAAA.

The Hornets (12-0) are coming off a 29-12 win over Peachtree Ridge, with Roswell winning much more easily than the final score. The Hornets had three passes intercepted deep in Lions’ territory, missed two field goals and two extra points and led 29-0 before Peachtree Ridge (6-6) scored twice in the final three minutes against Roswell reserves.

Roswell quarterback Malik Willis rebounded from his first half interceptions, completing eight of 12 passes for 166 yards in the second half, ending up with 294 yards on 15 completions with two touchdowns. Standout running back Sheldon Evans aggravated an ankle injury that kept him out of Roswell’s first playoff game, and carried only seven times against Peachtree Ridge.

With Evans out, the Hornets went to the air successfully in the second half, but the Hornets will need a healthy Evans, as they face three potentially rugged games if they are to advance in the playoffs.

The Hornets lost to Colquitt County in the state championship game last year, and again went unbeaten in the regular season this year, coming into the playoffs as the state’s second round team behind Grayson, which plays at Colquitt in the quarterfinals.

If Roswell gets past North Cobb, the Hornets are likely to face Lowndes in the semifinals. Lowndes has scored 149 points in its two playoff wins, while the outstanding Roswell defense has yielded less than eight points a game, much of that scoring coming after the Hornets’ starters have left the field.

Blessed Trinity at Mary Persons

The Titans travel to Forsyth to face the Bulldogs, with both teams coming into the game with 10-2 records. Blessed Trinity ended the season ranked sixth in AAAA, with Mary Persons No. 7. The Bulldogs got a tougher than expected game last week against Heritage of Catoosa, leading 21-14 after three quarters before winning 38-21.

Mary Persons’ two losses came early in the season against Houston County, at the time one of the top-ranked teams in 6A, and near the midway point against Peach County, a title contender in 3A. Mary Persons is primarily a running team, with two backs who have combined for more than 2,000 yards. The Bulldogs don’t throw much, but do it effectively, with their quarterback not a running threat.

Their defense is the strength of their team, and the Titans will need a better offensive performance than last week against Carver of Columbus.

Blessed Trinity defeated Carver 24-21, turning the ball over three times and committing a rash of offensive penalties. Tailback Steele Chambers carried 21 times for 108 yards and backup Jake Rudolph added 50 yards on 10 attempts and scored on an 8-yard run.

Jake Smith tossed touchdown passes to J.D. Bertrand and Ryan Davis, but the Titans finished with less than 100 yards passing and under 260 total yards. BT led 24-7 late in the third quarter before Carver (7-5) scored on a kickoff return and later drove for a touchdown before the Titans held defensively in the closing minutes.

Friday’s winner will play either No. 1 Cartersville or No. 3 Woodward Academy in the semifinals, with the other three top-5 teams in the opposite half of the bracket.

The Bulldogs have lost in the second round four of the last five years, last reaching the quarterfinals in 2012. The Titans lost in overtime in the AAA championship last year after reaching the semifinals in 2014, the quarterfinals in 2013 and the second round in each of the first two seasons under head coach Tim McFarlin.

Mt. Paran Christian at Fellowship Christian

This will be a rematch of an early-season game won 14-7 by Fellowship, the Titans’ signature victory this season and Mt. Paran’s only loss.

The Paladins (11-0) are the No. 3-seeded team in the Class A private school bracket, with the Eagles (10-1) No. 6. The first meeting was a defensive struggle, with the Paladins getting a big game from receiver Ryan Reid, who had all five of Fellowship’s receptions for 165 yards, including a 58-yard touchdown.

Mt. Paran allowed only 41 points in its first eight games, with Mt. Pisgah and quarterback Jacob Cendoya putting 26 points on the scoreboard and gaining 400 yards in game nine. Cendoya accounted for 358 yards and three TDs the previous week in a 35-21 loss to the Paladins, with Pinecrest the only other FCS opponent to score more than 15 points.

Mt. Pisgah lost 55-13 last week to No. 2 Prince Avenue Christian, the likely semifinal opponent for the Mt. Paran-Fellowship winner. The Eagles trailed 10-0 at the half last week against Athens Academy (9-3), but rallied to win 17-10, with the Mt. Paran defense holding several times in its territory after long Athens drives. George Walton (8-4) scored first against the Paladins last Friday on a halfback pass, but the Paladins came back to lead 14-7 at the half and won 38-7.

Quarterback Jack Hardin had a hand in all five Fellowship touchdowns, passing for three and running for two. He was 7 of 14 for 164 yards, with Reid catching six passes for 145 yards, including TDs of 65 and 47 yards.

Trevor Lewis had a 19-yard scoring reception. Hardin scored on runs of 18 and 6 yards, and contributed 62 rushing yards. Andrew Minkert, who rushed for 97 yards in the win over Mt. Paran, led the Paladins with 100 yards against George Walton.

This is the fourth straight year the Eagles have reached the quarterfinals, with Mt. Paran going 14-0 and winning the state title in 2014. The Paladins are making their first playoff appearance since 2007, when they went 11-2 and lost in the quarterfinals.

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