In a tightly-contested game with region championship implications, four quarters wasn’t enough to reach a decision between the evenly-matched Walton Raiders and Roswell Hornets. But to begin the first overtime, Ryan Hill ran for a 1-yard touchdown and the Raiders failed to respond, giving the Hornets a 14-7 home win on Friday at Ray Manus Stadium.
With the win, the Hornets improved to 5-2, 2-1 in Region 4-AAAAAAA, while dropping the Raiders — the last team with an undefeated region record — to 4-4, 2-1. Cherokee and Etowah also entered Friday with 2-1 region records.
“We’re going to celebrate today and tomorrow but then we’ve got to get back at it on Sunday,” said senior tight end John Copenhaver, a North Carolina commit who on Friday was used as a secret weapon in the run game. “We kept pushing and stuck together all the way through into overtime.”
In overtime — where in GHSA play, each team gets possession on the opposition’s 15-yard line — the Hornets used three run plays to get into the end zone, with their second being Copenhaver’s 13-yard run, which put the Hornets on the Walton 1. Hill punched it in the next play.
On the Raiders’ possession, they first went to junior running back Kenny Djaha, who led all rushers with 158 yards on 26 carries, including 102 in the first half. However, he was stuffed for no gain. Raiders sophomore quarterback Zak Rozsman was then sacked for a four-yard loss, making it third-and-14 from the 19. The next play was a designed pass but the pocket broke down and Rozsman was forced to scramble, gaining five yards. That set up the game’s final play, an incomplete screen pass.
In regulation, the Hornets struck first with Copenhaver rushing 9 yards for a touchdown on their first possession of the game, making it 7-0 with 4:29 left in the first quarter.
Copenhaver rushed a career-high 11 times and totaled 46 yards. He also caught a 10-yard pass. He said he first learned earlier in the week during practice from Hornets coach Matt Kemper that he’d be used more in the run game against the Raiders.
“I felt very confident going through practice throughout the week,” he said. “We were very persistent and just kept going at it. I’m just very blessed that I got the ball more.”
The Raiders responded with 3:11 left in the half on Rozsman’s 3-yard run, when he tucked it and ran for the corner end zone after faking the handoff. That score would hold through regulation.
The Hornets were led by Hill’s 50 rushing yards on 12 carries. They will travel to last-place Woodstock next week before hosting Etowah in their finale.
The Raiders, who were led by Djaha, will host Cherokee, then Woodstock.
Walton 0 7 0 0 0 — 7
Roswell 7 0 0 0 7 — 14
R — John Copenhaver 9 run (Brian Najar kick)
W — Zak Rozsman 3 run (Conor Cummins kick)
R — Ryan Hill 1 run (Najar kick)
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