Whatever defensive adjustments Hillgrove made after giving up 24 points per game during a 2-2 start are paying off in the region portion of the schedule.
The Hawks dominated a Region 4-AAAAAA opponent for the second consecutive week, holding 10th-ranked North Cobb to 59 yards of total offense through the first three quarters and coasting to a 28-7 victory Friday at Hillgrove.
Matt Wilson threw two touchdown passes and Eric Montgomery ran for two scores for Hillgrove, which finished with a 545-190 advantage in total offense.
Last week, Hillgrove (4-2, 2-0) gave up just 129 total yards in a 34-0 victory over Marietta.
Neither quarterback was particularly sharp, but Wilson made the most of his completions. He was 12-for-25 passing but finished with 252 yards. His 65-yard touchdown pass to Bingo Long with 6:39 to play in the second quarter gave the Hawks the lead for good at 7-0. He followed that up on the next possession with a 14-yard pass to Marcus Bowens that made it 14-0 at halftime.
Wilson also had a strong running game to back him up. Hillgrove finished with 293 rushing, including 87 on 17 carries by Wilson. Sonny Harris was the leading rusher for Hillgrove with 156 yards on 21 carries, and Montgomery ran for 41 yards.
North Cobb quarterback Tyler Queen had a tougher time. Queen, who has committed to Auburn completed just 12 of 28 passes for 85 yards and threw an interception. He also was held to minus-8 yards rushing and lost a fumble on eight carries. Bryce Perrymond led North Cobb (4-2, 1-1) with 73 yards rushing on eight fourth-quarter carries.
North Cobb prevented Hillgrove from recording its second consecutive shutout when it scored on a 5-yard pass from Queen to Devin Granville with 5:12 to play after the Hawks had taken a 28-0 lead.
The score could have been even more lopsided. Hillgrove got inside the North Cobb 20-yard line four other times but failed to come away with points. The Hawks turned the ball over on downs three times, including twice at the 2-yard line, and missed a 35-yard field-goal attempt. Hillgrove also had two touchdown runs negated by penalties.
The loss dealt a serious blow to North Cobb’s hopes of repeating as region champion. And the Warriors must recover quickly because they will host ninth-ranked McEachern on Friday.
North Cobb – 0-0-0-7 – 7
Hillgrove – 0-14-7-7 – 28
H – Bingo Long 65 pass from Matt Wilson (Eirick Abney kick)
H – Marcus Bowens 14 pass from Wilson (Abney kick)
H – Eric Montgomery 2 run (Abney kick)
H – Montgomery 3 run (Abney kick)
N – Devin Granville 5 pass from Tyler Queen (Will Horton kick)
