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Hillgrove, Harrison look to build momentum for region play

john bednarowski, marietta daily journal, ga.
·4 min read

Sep. 24—Game: Gainesville (3-1) at Hillgrove (1-3), 7:30 p.m.

Last year: Hillgrove 28, Gainesville 27

All-time series: Hillgrove leads 1-0

Prediction: Gainesville 28, Hillgrove 17

Last week, Hillgrove got its first win of the season, and the first win under coach Justin DeShon, in a 34-8 victory over Westside-Macon.

"For the kids, they are just kind of getting the monkey off their back," DeShon said. "It's been dating back to last year since we had our last (win), so it was good for morale.

"I wish it would have happened earlier, but we just have to continue to work."

In the win, Hillgrove's offense finished with a season-high 321 yards. Quarterback Chase McCravy and running back Sean Cooper led the running game after combining for a total of 158 yards and two scores.

The Hawks' defense, led by Zion Rutledge and Andrew Gohlke, allowed only 65 total yards. The duo has a combined 93 tackles on the season, and Rutledge has two sacks.

"The kids flew around," DeShon said. "The kids are excited, and it was good to see."

Now, Hillgrove turns its attention to hosting non-region opponent Gainesville. This will be the second match-up between the two programs.

Last year, the Hawks narrowly defeated the Red Elephants in a game that ended with a last-minute Gainesville touchdown on a fumble return, but a failed 2-point conversion. This year, the Red Elephants come into the game 3-1, and are coming off of a 34-7 win over Forsyth Central. Their offense averages 32.5 points per game, while their defense allows an average of 17.

"Even though they are not real close to us, the boys are excited," DeShon said. "They know what to expect."

DeShon said this week the team is looking to improve in all phases of the game, but mostly special teams, before they take on Gainesville.

"Just because we got a W does not mean that we are great at anything," he said. "We just have to continue to get better at everything, and our special teams we are just going to have to clean up."

By Anna Snyder

MDJ Sports Writer

Game: Harrison (2-2) at Marist (2-1), 7:30 p.m.

Last meeting: First meeting

All-time series: First meeting

Prediction: Harrison 30, Marist 21

Coming off a loss to Class AAAAAAA state champion Grayson, Harrison comes back this week to face another one as it goes on the road to take on last year's Class AAAA title-holder Marist in a non-region game at Hughes-Spalding Stadium.

The Hoyas (2-2) came close to a come-from-behind win over Grayson last Friday, storming back from a 24-6 halftime deficit before finally falling short with a 31-23 loss.

"We're looking to, each week, try to improve," Harrison coach Josh Cassidy said. "I think we were able to do that. Obviously, we were still disappointed that we weren't able to finish. But it definitely showed that our kids continue to compete and that's what we're trying to get them to do and we're pleased with that. But I wish it would have been a little different."

Jake Walling threw for 229 yards, while Nathan Vail had a 74-yard interception return for a touchdown and AJ Daniels kicked three field goals of 46, 48 and 36 yards to lead the way.

It will be Harrison's last non-region game before a bye week next week, opening its 3AAAAAAA schedule at North Cobb on Oct. 8.

For Cassidy, Harrison's back-to-back games against Grayson and Marist — as well as the rest of its non-region schedule that included perennial state playoff teams Allatoona and Langston Hughes — provided a good preparation for its challenging region schedule.

"We've definitely had our challenges and we're sitting at .500," Cassidy said. "For us, we want to overachieve and maximize our potential."

First, the Hoyas must deal with a challenge from another state champion as it takes on a Marist team that won the AAAA title with a perfect 13-0 record in 2020.

It will be Harrison's first meeting with Marist (2-1), which is one of the most storied programs in the state with three state championships (1989, 2003, 2020) as well as 28 region titles in its history.

The War Eagles are coached by Alan Chadwick, who is in his 37th season has recorded 401 wins — the second most of any coach in Georgia high school football history.

By Greg Oshust

MDJ Sports Correspondent