Peachtree Ridge shuts down Collins Hill

With its punishing defense leading the way for the third consecutive week, Peachtree Ridge scored two touchdowns in 36 seconds and defeated previously undefeated Collins Hill, 21-0.

The Lions, who have allowed nine points during the stretch, including two shutouts, won their fifth in a row to improve to 5-2, 5-0 in Region 7-AAAAA.

“We’re in a good position, but we’ve got some tough games left,” Peachtree Ridge coach Bill Ballard said. “I’m excited to be 5-0, but we’ve still got work to do. We’re definitely not satisfied with where we are right now.”

The offense showed room for improvement through the first half, but the defense carried the Lions and scored the game’s first points with four seconds left in the second period. Brian Williams intercepted a pass from Collins Hill quarterback Michael Box and returned it for a 68-yard touchdown. The play was “definitely a momentum swing,” Collins Hill coach Billy Wells said.

Box was rushed into making the throw, as he was most of the night.

“I read the play [because] we had been studying that formation all week,” Williams said.

The 7-0 lead proved to be more than enough as the hard-hitting defense, led by Kevin Minter, Tanner Botts, Chris Carroll and Connor Norman, bottled up the Eagles’ strong running game, holding them to 23 yards on 25 carries. The Lions stopped 11 plays for negative yardage and forced two turnovers, both leading to touchdowns.

Peachtree Ridge’s offense got into gear in the third quarter. The Lions drove 63 yards on 10 plays, with Ronnie Smith scoring on a 10-yard run on a fourth-and-2.

The Lions’ final score came seconds later after they recovered a fumble on the Eagles’ 22-yard line. On the next play, Lions’ quarterback Nick Lombardo completed a touchdown pass to 6-foot-4 receiver Mitchell Williford.

Wells, in his first year as head coach, suffered his first loss as the Eagles fell to 6-1, 4-1.