Stephenson sacked Mays quarterback B.J. Phillips three times in the final minute to preserve a 10-9 win and take home the Region 6-AAAAA title Friday night.
Jaguars punter Justin Smith fumbled a snap inside his own 25 with 1:05 to play, giving Mays the ball at the 19. After Phillips was sacked on first down, his second down pass fell incomplete. He was sacked on third down by defensive tackle Ivan Staples, and players rushed the field after Amari Andrews’ fourth-down sack sealed the win in a driving rain at Lakewood Stadium in Atlanta.
Andrews, Staples, Aaron Sterling and Michael Pitts led a defensive charge that combined for 10 sacks of Mays quarterbacks and secured the school’s first region title since 2009.
“Those guys have been doing it all year long,” Stephenson coach Ron Gartrell said. “The advantage we had in this game, if we had an advantage, was our defensive front and being able to put pressure on them.”
No. 5 Stephenson (9-1) has not lost to a Georgia team this year, falling only to American Heritage (Fla.) in August. No. 2 Mays (9-1) cruised through its regular-season schedule, allowing up more than seven points in a game just once since a 36-26 win over Class AAAAAA Langston Hughes in the season opener.
The Raiders were denied their first undefeated regular season since 2003.
“We didn’t block them all night,” Mays coach Corey Jarvis said. “They killed us.”
Mays fell behind 3-0 after forcing a 29-yard field goal from Stephenson’s Darien Tisdale with 8:24 to play in the first half. Stephenson drove inside the Raiders’ 10 for the second time in the first half but could not capitalize on its first attempt.
Stephenson went ahead 10-0 with 56 seconds to play before halftime on a 4-yard run from Trestan Kinsler (13 rushes, 62 yards), closing a 16-play, 80-yard drive. Kinsler ran for 24 of the final 44 yards on the drive, including an 8-yard run to convert a second third-down. A 17-yard run from Dezric Cook gave the Jaguars first-and-goal at the 10, and Kinsler scored on second down.
Mays pulled within 10-3 on its first drive after halftime when Trenton Jamison kicked a 22-yard field goal with 9:35 to play in the third quarter. Phillips found Randrecous Davis for an 18-yard touchdown pass to pull Mays within one with 7:16 left in the third quarter, but the extra point attempt was blocked.
Phillips took over in the second offensive series and finished 12-of-22 passing for 143 yards. Jaylen Marson-Knight finished with 53 yards rushing on 18 carries.
Stephenson 10, Mays 9
S 0 10 0 0 10
M 0 0 9 0 9
S - Darien Tisdale 29 FG
S - Trestan Kinsler 4 run (Tisdale kick)
M - Trenton Jamison 22 FG
M - Randrecous Davis 18 pass from B.J. Phillips (kick blocked)
About the Author
