Facing one of the most prolific running games in the state, Grayson's highly touted defense proved up to the task. The Rams smothered Mill Creek throughout the game, giving up next to nothing on the ground or through the air and paving the way to a 24-6 win.
The Rams will travel to face Tucker next week.
Grayson, the second-ranked team in Class AAAAAA but the No. 3 seed from Region 8 due to a three-way tiebreaker, held the Hawks to just 70 yards of total offense in the first three quarters.
Grayson entered the game with the top defense in the classification, yielding just eight points and 56 rushing yards per game. Mill Creek came in averaging 308 yards on the ground and scoring nearly 47 points per game during its five-game winning streak.
Something had to give, and from the start it was clear the Rams defense had the edge.
The Hawks defense did its part to keep Mill Creek in the game early. The Hawks limited the Rams' balanced attack to no touchdowns and and just 86 yards of total offense in the first half.
It was Grayson's special teams that staked the Rams to a 10-0 halftime lead. After driving 48 yards on nine plays to open the game, Grayson's Austin Hoyt booted a 42-yard field goal with 7:58 remaining in the first quarter.
That was as much offense as either team was able to sustain in the opening two quarters, but Grayson's Jordan Hayes gave the Rams a 10-0 lead midway through the second. Fielding a punt on the run, Hayes sprinted up the left sideline, cut back across the field, found a convoy of blockers and cruised into the end zone for 72-yard touchdown return.
The Rams offense got involved in the third quarter, scoring on a 14-yard pass from Chase Brice to Cedric Asseh with 8:51 left in the third quarter and on a 1-yard Brice run before the stanza closed.
Brice led Grayson, completing 11 of 20 for 102 yards and running six times for 40 yards.
Mill Creek's only score came on a 6-yard run by Brian Efianayi with 2:28 left in the game.
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