Roswell Defeats Grayson in "Last-Second Comeback"

By Mike Blum

The Roswell Hornets pulled off a near-miraculous, last second comeback to defeat Grayson 30-26 Friday night in the semifinals of the state Class AAAAAA football playoffs.

The Hornets will play Colquitt County in the state championship game at 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12, with both teams undefeated through 14 games. Grayson and Mill Creek, the other semifinal loser, also were undefeated coming into last Friday’s game.

Grayson, ranked second in the state just ahead of the No. 3 Hornets, took a 26-23 lead on a 19-yard field goal with 35 seconds to play. Roswell had no timeouts left, but quickly moved into scoring position on a 30-yard pass from Quintarius Neely to Kendrick Jackson.

On the next play, Neely threw into a mass of receivers/defenders in the end zone, and teammate A.J. Smith made the catch going to the ground, giving the Hornets the winning points with 10 seconds on the clock.

The Hornets overcame four lost fumbles, three by Neely, who passed for 280 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for a score.

Grayson was the first team to put up big offensive numbers this season against the Hornets, rushing for more than 200 yards and finishing with 470 total. But the Hornets’ defense prevented the Rams from fully capitalizing on Roswell’s turnovers, with Grayson scoring just once after the four takeaways.

Roswell took a 7-3 lead late in the opening quarter on a 1-yard run by Neely, who set up the score with a 50-yard completion to Comma. Turner Barckhoff’s 38-yard field goal in the final minute of the second period tied it 10-10 at the half.

The Hornets took a 16-10 lead in the third quarter on a 14-yard run by Sheldon Evans, who managed 89 yards in 21 carries against a tough Grayson defense. Cameryn Brent, who rushed for 217 yards, put Grayson back on top with a 59-yard scoring run late in the period, and scored again midway through the fourth quarter to make the score 23-16.

Roswell tied the game with 4:20 to play on a short scoring run by backup tailback George Arowoselu, with another long pass from Neely to Comma leading to the touchdown. Comma had six catches for 178 yards.

The Hornets’ Xavier McKinney intercepted a pass to stop a Grayson threat, but the Rams got the ball back and drove for a go-ahead field goal in the game’s final minute.

Roswell is playing in the state championship game for the first time since the Hornets tied Peachtree Ridge 14-14 in the 2006 title game. The Hornets lost to south Georgia power Lowndes, the eventual state champion, in the quarterfinals the next year, and did not make it past the second round again until this year.

After going 3-17 in 2011 and 2012, the Hornets made a rare coaching change, promoting assistant coach John Ford to the head job. After going 4-6 in Ford’s first year, the Hornets went 8-4 in 2014, reaching the second round of the playoffs.

The Hornets came into this season as favorites in a strong Region 5-AAAAAA, and dominated every opponent during the regular season, beginning with a 35-8 win over Lowndes in their season opener.

Roswell crushed local rivals Centennial 52-0, Milton 49-3 and Walton 48-14, and concluded an unbeaten regular season with a 24-7 victory over Etowah.

The Hornets rolled past Parkview 63-25 and Camden County 34-15 in the first two rounds before pulling out a tough 17-10 victory in the quarterfinals over Collins Hill with a dramatic 96-yard fourth quarter drive.

Neely and Evans have been the offensive stars for the Hornets, with Neely passing for 2750 yards and 37 touchdowns and Evans rushing for 1690 yards and 27 TDs. Comma has over 1,000 yards receiving and 12 touchdown catches, with Cameron Whiteman leading an offensive line that has opened holes for Evans and protected Neely.

The Hornets have a host of defensive standouts, led by linebacker Tre Lamar, a Clemson signee, and junior defensive back McKinney, who has committed to Alabama. Lineman Koby Cumberlander has been the team’s most effective pass rusher, with lineman Max Boyd and linebacker Tyrone Hopper also key players in the defensive success.

In addition to McKinney, the Hornets’ talent-laden secondary includes cornerback LeAnthony Williams and hard-hitting safety Marcelino Ball, two of the team’s sizeable number of college prospects. The Hornets will be facing the state’s No. 1 team in the title game, with Colquitt one game away from back-to-back 15-0 seasons and state championships. The Packers have reached the state semifinals each of the last seven years, scoring their first title last year.

Colquitt has averaged 53 points a game in its four playoff wins, rolling up 52 points in the semifinals against Mill Creek’s highly-regarded defense. The Packers allowed 31 points each of the last two weeks, and the championship game looks to be a possible high-scoring shootout.

The teams have two common opponents, defeating Lowndes and Camden County by similar scores.

---

Image via Shutterstock