By Robert Haddocks
Dacula did what it does – run for nearly 300 yards – and its defense came up big in the clutch and the Falcons held on for a 17-14 win over Peachtree Ridge in the first round of the Class AAAAAA playoffs.
Peachtree Ridge marched down the field and had a first down at the Dacula 19-yard line. But the Falcons' defensive line pressured quarterback Chance Thrasher in the pocket and Cory Ames intercepted a pass with less than two minutes remaining to seal the victory. The Falcons overcame two turnovers and a halftime deficit to advance to the second round where they will face No. 1 Colquitt County.
“I thought our kids were extremely resilient,” said Dacula head coach Tommy Jones. “From a defensive perspective, we hung in there and kept playing. Offensively, we moved the ball pretty well, but we hurt ourselves with some crucial mistakes at times. But the kids found a way to make plays when we needed to.”
The Falcons (10-1) stuck with their winning formula: a potent rushing attack that racked up 293 yards. The Falcons (who came in averaging 266 yards rushing) were led by C.J. Mayes (83 yards), Jakob Brashear and burly fullback Bijan Sirleaf, who played with a broken wrist, which he re-injured during the game. Brashear rushed for 65 yards, including runs of 20 and 17 yards. The senior also was a force on defense, coming up with a key fourth-quarter sack.
“Extremely tough kid, a really gutsy performance,” Jones said of Sirleaf. “The kid wanted to contribute and help his team win a playoff game and it’s one of things as a coach I’ll always remember.”
The No. 2 seed from Region 8, Dacula trailed 14-10 at halftime but scored on its opening possession to take the lead. Quarterback Giovanni Lugo ran for an 18-yard touchdown to cap the 10-play drive.
Dacula’s defense did the rest, limiting Peachtree Ridge, the No. 3 seed from Region 7, to just one first down until the game’s final drive. “It was a typical Gwinnett versus Gwinnett grudge match,” said Jones, whose Falcons ousted the Lions out of the playoffs last year. “We feel blessed and fortunate to come out on the winning end of this thing.”
Peachtree Ridge (7-4) received the opening kickoff and drove 89 yards on just three plays to take a 7-0 lead. After a 56-yard pass to Connor Heyward, Thrasher hit Tyler Campbell in the corner of the end zone for a 9-yard score. Thrasher also had a 13-yard touchdown run.
DACULA – 7 – 7 – 3 – 0 – 17
PEACHTREE RIDGE – 7– 7 – 0 – 0 - 14
PR – Tyler Campbell 9 pass from Chance Thrasher (Zaniel Phillips kick)
D – Giovanni Lugo 34 FG
D – Jakob Brashear 1 run (Lugo kick)
PR – Thrasher 13 run (Phillips kick)
D – Lugo 18 run (Lugo kick)
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