The St. Pius X Golden Lions jumped to a big lead with a dominant first two quarters which, as it turned out, would come in handy when the offense sputtered in the second half. Also helping was Zachary Ranson with two late interceptions — including a pick-six — as the Lions defeated the North Oconee Titans 31-21 in Region 8-AAAA play on Friday at Maloof Field.
The win puts the No. 3-ranked Lions (7-1, 2-0) in the driver’s seat for a second straight region title and seventh since 2009.
The Lions jumped to a 24-0 lead at halftime thanks to an unstoppable running game, but the Titans (6-2, 1-1) made adjustments at halftime and allowed only one St. Pius first down the rest of the game. Meanwhile, the Titans offense tacked on two touchdowns to pull within 24-14 with 6:20 remaining and were threatening to score again, moving inside the St. Pius 10 with just over three minutes remaining.
That’s when Ranson and the Lions defense took over.
On third-and-5 from the St. Pius 9, the Lions pressured Titans quarterback Kaleb Sherrer into making an ill-advised throw into traffic, with Ranson — who is committed to Wake Forest — making what would be his first interception to kill the drive.
After a St. Pius three-and-out, the Titans again took over and moved the ball to the St. Pius 30. That’s when Ranson put the game away with another interception, returning this one 80 yards for a touchdown to make it 31-14 with 1:45 remaining.
“I don’t think Zach was going to be denied” said coach Paul Standard, in his 18th season with the Lions. “I think his frustration with what was happening in the second half is what allowed him to take over and that’s why he’s going to play for Wake Forest.”
Before the fourth quarter theatrics, the Lions established themselves on their first drive of the game, which began inside their own 1-yard line after a well-placed Titans punt by David Chapeau. The Lions would go on a 17-play, 99-yard drive capped by DJ Mitchell’s 1-yard touchdown run on third-and-goal, with the highlight of the drive coming three plays in when they made the bold decision to go for it on fourth-and-1 from their own 9.
“Wasn’t very smart was it?,” Standard said. “Half the stadium probably thought I’d lost my mind too, but I’ve got confidence in our offensive line and in our short running game we ought to be able to get a yard.”
They would convert the first down on Mitchell’s 1-yard run and go on to chew nine minutes of clock.
North Oconee’s next possession ended in a blocked punt by Michael Benefield that the Lions recovered at the Titans 16. On the next play, Jason Jones scored on a 16-yard run to give St. Pius a 14-0 lead with 11:12 remaining in the half.
Nolan Aldrich kicked a 42-yard field goal and Gavin McElroy caught a 19-yard touchdown pass from Connor Egan on the Lions’ next two possessions, which gave them a 24-0 lead they’d take into halftime.
But that would be the last offensive points the Lions would score, as five of their six second-half possessions ended in punts, with their other ending with Egan kneeling the ball to end the game.
The Titans got back into the game with a 1-yard touchdown run from Ryan Coates and 29-yard touchdown run from Sherrer, which came on fourth-and-10.
The Titans, under second-year coach Tyler Aurandt, have already matched their win total over the past three seasons combined and are in line for their first winning season since 2014.
The Lions were led by Egan’s 68 yards on 13 carries. He attempted just two passes — the touchdown pass and an incompletion.
For the Titans, Sherrer was 17-of-33 passing for 185 yards and two interceptions. Coates led all rushers with 99 yards on 18 carries. Kyle Sherrer had four catches for 97 yards.
North Oconee 0 0 7 14 - 21
St. Pius X 7 17 0 7 - 31
S - DJ Mitchell 1 run (Nolan Aldrich kick)
S - Jason Jones 16 run (Aldrich kick)
S - Aldrich 42 FG
S - Gavin McElroy 19 pass from Connor Egan (Aldrich kick)
N - Ryan Coates 1 run (Thomas Dowis kick)
N - Kaleb Sherrer 29 run (Dowis kick)
S - Zachary Ranson 80 INT return (Aldrich kick)
N - Sherrer 2 run (Dowis kick)
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