The Roswell Hornets passed their first true test of the season.
Thanks to a dominating defense and a clutch fourth-quarter drive, the undefeated Hornets are headed to the Class AAAAAAA semifinals.
Roswell’s defense forced four turnovers, and quarterback Quintarius Neely shook off an uneven performance to score the winning touchdown in the Hornets’ hard-fought 17-10 win over gritty Collins Hill on Friday.
Tied 10-10 late in the third quarter, Collins Hill had the momentum. Roswell took over on its own 4-yard line. Neely calmly led a 15-play, 96-yard drive and tight-roped the left sideline on a 17-yard touchdown run that turned out to be the difference.
Roswell advances to face Grayson. The host team will be decided by a coin flip.
“Our kids were resilient and tough and all those things that you hope they are when it’s called upon,” Roswell coach John Ford said. “And they showed that they were.”
Hornets star running back Sheldon Evans rushed for 187 yards, 129 of it coming in the second half. The junior carried it eight times on the winning drive, fueling Roswell’s best offensive possession of the night. But this battle was won on defense.
The Hornets forced four turnovers, including a sealing interception by senior safety Marcelino Ball on Collins Hill’s final possession.
“Even when we’re feeling a little down and out, we’re always confident,” Ball said.
Collins Hill gave Roswell’s confidence a stern test. The Eagles, who overcame a 0-3 start to earn the three seed out of Region 7-AAAAAA, came to play from the opening possession. Defensive lineman Tomon Fox intercepted a batted Neely pass on the first play from scrimmage, and Brett Shepherd also had an interception for the Eagles.
Quarterback Monty Horn got knocked out of the game late in the first quarter, but returned to lead a tying scoring drive in the third quarter. Horn found receiver Justin McCauley on a 19-yard touchdown pass that tied the game 10-10 with less than a minute to play in the third quarter.
"We overcame adversity this season," Collins Hill coach Kevin Reach said. "The seniors got together and said, 'Coach, it ain't going to happen again.' They just kind of bonded together and said, 'we're going to make a run at this thing. Great senior ground. No quit, a lot of heart."
Both teams squandered scoring opportunities in the first half. Collins Hill's first three drives started inside Roswell territory, but the Eagles came away with only three points. Roswell took a 7-3 lead on a 13-yard touchdown pass from Neely to Kendrick Jackson. The pass was intended for Jayden Comma, but deflected off his hands, and Jackson dove to make the grab.
After recovering a fumble deep in Collins Hill territory, the Hornets had 1st and goal inside the 5-yard line, but Neely was picked off by Shepherd.
COLLINS HILL -- 3 0 7 -- 10
ROSWELL -- 0 7 3 7 -- 17
CH -- Samuel Glenn 25 field goal
2nd
R -- Kendrick Jackson 13 pass from Quintarious Neely (Turner Barckhoff kick)
3rd
R -- Barckhoff 37 field goal 10-3 8:04
CH -- Justin McCauley 19 pass from Monty Horn (Glenn kick)
4th
R -- Neely 17 run (Barckhoff kick)
About the Author
