McEachern-Hillgrove game ‘feels like we are turning back the clock a bit’
The Battle of Powder Springs hasn’t carried this much weight since 2011, when Kenyon Drake’s 176-yard night lifted Hillgrove past top-ranked McEachern. Fourteen years later, No. 5 McEachern (7-0, 4-0 Region 3-6A) visits No. 10 Hillgrove (7-0, 4-0), with bragging rights — and a region title — on the line.
“It almost feels like a celebration of Powder Springs,” Hillgrove coach Justin DeShon said. “Both teams are phenomenal, and it feels like we are turning back the clock a bit.”
McEachern has won a region title every other year since 2019, the last coming in coach Kareem Reid’s first season (2023).
“Our first goal is always to win our region,” Reid said, “and get into the playoffs and see what happens from there.”
By that pattern, McEachern should be in line to claim the region in 2025. But football isn’t played on paper.
“We’re gonna get their best shot,” the Hillgrove coach said. “They’re gonna get our best shot.”
Hillgrove hasn’t won a region championship since 2018, three years before DeShon took over. Last year’s team came close but lost 24-14 to Harrison, which Hillgrove plays next week.
Here’s what to expect in this week’s battle of ranked 6A teams.
McEachern: The Good, The Bad, The Unknown
Good: McEachern has started 7-0 for the first time since 2019, when the Indians went 12-1, losing in the quarterfinals of the playoffs. They avenged last year’s losses to North Cobb and Harrison by an average margin of victory of 24 points, teams that had beaten them by 12 and 16 points last year, respectively.
“We just wanted to make sure that we were better than last year,” Reid said, “and I think to this point we’ve done that.”
McEachern’s offense averages 40 points per game, its highest mark since 2009. The defense allows 10.3 points per game, its lowest since 2015. In its 65-year history, this McEachern team looks to be among the best of all time.
“I’m excited for Coach Reid to get his program back to historically where it always is,” Deshon said, “and I’m jacked up that ours is there too.”
Bad: McEachern passes just 31% of the time and averages roughly one interception per game. Given that most passes are around the line of scrimmage, there will be immense pressure on senior quarterback Calvin Pittman if McEachern finds itself playing from behind. Pittman averages only eight completions per game and has a 53% completion percentage.
“We’re gonna have to take our shots and catch the ball when our quarterback finds our receivers,” Reid said.
Freshman Jacorey Shockley leads the team in receptions (19), yards (359) and touchdowns (5).
Unknown: All eyes are on the potential returns of 3-star wide receiver Nalin Scott (Nebraska commit) and 3-star running back Jayreon Campbell (Indiana commit). Both players have been out all season and have doctor visits this week that could clear them. The return of those players would be huge for the Indians and adds even more intrigue to Friday night.
“We are 100% healthy,” DeShon said. “No surprises on our roster. We might expect a few from them.”
Hillgrove: The Good, The Bad, The Unknown
Good: Hillgrove has proven that last season’s 11-2 team, which finished in the quarterfinals, was no fluke after two eight-loss seasons in DeShon’s first two years with the Hawks.
“Honestly, we just rode that wave of momentum,” DeShon said. “Identifying our strengths and sticking to the personality of our football team.”
It’s been total domination of their opponents to this point. Their average margin of victory is just under 45 points per game (44.6). That’s even better than the undefeated Hughes team in 2022, which had a margin of victory of 41 points per game. Hillgrove’s defense has been historic, holding teams to a mere 1.9 points per game.
“We have a tremendous defensive staff that prepares our kids every week,” DeShon said. “We’re rotating seven guys up front, which is giving us a huge advantage in staying fresh, and giving them the freedom to do what they do best is a huge key.”
The Hawks have seven players with eight or more tackles for loss on the season and three players with at least four sacks.
“They have two really good linebackers (in Corbin Forbes and Jameson McCollough) that are really physical,” Reid said. “They fly around, they’re instinctive. They also have a really sound system. They don’t make mistakes; they don’t beat themselves.”
Bad: McEachern may be the most talented team on the field. While Hillgrove has seven active NFL players, the most of any public school nationwide, McEachern enters this game with more players on national recruiting sites.
“From the front to the back, we have Power 4 kids on every level of the defense,” Reid said.
While Hillgrove’s winning has increased exposure for its athletes and increased interest in its players, so has McEachern, which now has over 20 players listed on sites like On3 and 247sports compared to just over a handful for Hillgrove.
“They are extremely talented and we’re gonna have to be very good upfront,” DeShon said. “This is gonna be a war.”
Unknown: How good is Hillgrove, really? The combined record of the Hawks’ opponents is 17-35 compared to 26-25 for McEachern. They’ve shut out five of their seven opponents. They’ve only played one team that currently has a winning record, Campbell, which they beat 54-0 last week. Campbell also lost to McEachern by a much smaller margin, 34-7.
Pretenders or contenders?
“I don’t give a damn who you’re playing, that’s really impressive,” McEachern’s coach said of the opponent.
Keys to victory
Both coaches agree that the work in the trenches by both teams will determine how this one plays out. While both teams are good at racking up rushing yards, it’s penalties and special teams that work in the margins and help to create separation. Watch for unforced errors — gap fits or penalties — as things get tense in the rivalry.
The tilt in this game could be the home-field advantage. While coach Reid says his team loves to play on the road, they will spend as much time as possible at 2400 MacLand Road before making the short trip to Hillgrove.
“I won’t have to say a word in terms of motivation this week,” Reid said. “They know what’s at stake. Everything you could want a great high school football game to be, we got it.”
DeShon echoed that sentiment. “I have an idea of what’s coming Friday night,” he said. “What this place is gonna look like, and then you add a GPB (Georgia Public Broadcasting live show). Man, our kids and our staff are so jacked up. We’re ready to go.”
