Grayson stuns defending champion Lowndes

A few things ended in the Class AAAAA quarterfinals at Britt-Moody Field in Loganville on Friday.

At the top of the list is Lowndes’ attempt to win consecutive AAAAA state titles and its 17-game playoff winning streak — both are now history. But one thing that will live on for at least one more week is Grayson’s unwavering confidence in Ean Pemberton.

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Curtis Compton/ccompton@ajc.com

Quarterback Tyler Horne (7) and his Grayson teammates celebrate the upset victory. ‘We just shocked the world, baby,’ Grayson coach Mickey Conn told his team.

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The 5-foot-3, 135-pound back rushed for 188 yards and two touchdowns to lead No. 4 Grayson to a 17-7 upset victory against No. 1 Lowndes, pushing the Rams into the state semifinals for the first time in school history.

“We just shocked the world, baby,” Grayson coach Mickey Conn told his team afterward. “You’re true winners in every sense of the word.”

Leading 10-7 on Austin Clark’s 36-yard field goal early in the third quarter, Grayson (13-0) embarked on a 16-play fourth-quarter drive that lasted more than eight minutes, capped by Pemberton’s second touchdown run of the night with a minute left that effectively ended Lowndes’ (12-1) attempt at consecutive state titles. The Vikings have won three of the last four Class AAAAA championships.

“Pemberton just did his thing,” Conn said. “He was awesome. It was no secret what we were trying to do; we just went right at them.”

While the offense dominated time of possession (31:49 of 48 minutes), the Rams gave up one big play — Florida commitment Greg Reid’s 81-yard touchdown run that put the Vikings ahead 7-0 midway through the second quarter — but otherwise shut down an offense that came in averaging nearly 37 points per game.

“I think we need to brag on our defense,” Conn said. “The defense was great.”

Both teams missed golden opportunities early. Grayson kept the ball almost exclusively on the ground on the game’s opening drive, rushing 13 times and eating up

7:03 of the clock, but Patrick Santry’s 42-yard field goal attempt was wide left. Deep in Grayson territory on the ensuing possession, Lowndes quarterback Tyler Hunter fumbled the snap, keeping the game scoreless late in the first quarter.

After Reid’s long run, Grayson responded immediately by letting Pemberton handle the workload. Pemberton completed a 19-yard halfback pass to Herrell Gunn on a crucial third down and, with 2 minutes remaining in the first half, ran 38 yards for the tying touchdown.