For the Collins Hill Eagles, it was just another game, against another team named the Raiders, and another blowout. Except this time it was against host Alpharetta, it was a shutout in the second round of the playoffs and now they’re in the quarterfinals for the third time in school history, winning 48-0 on Friday at Raiders Field.
The Eagles (11-1), a No. 2 seed out of Class AAAAAA Region 7, will play McEachern for a trip to the semifinals.
The Eagles’ defense was seemingly flawless, covering for the few mistakes the offense made as they dominated Alpharetta (9-3) from start to finish.
“We’re very motivated right now,” said Trevahn Sensabaugh, whose interception late in the second half all but put the Raiders away early. “We just want to shut out all the teams throughout the playoffs and do the best we can.”
The Eagles’ defense forced Alpharetta to punt its first five possessions and built a 14-0 lead in the meantime. The Eagles threw two interceptions to keep the Raiders in the mix, but the defense held.
Then, with five minutes left in the first half, Collins Hill put the game out of reach. Sensabaugh grabbed Collins Hill’s first interception of the game and returned it 42 yards to the Raiders’ 19, leading to Tyler Henderson’s 24-yard touchdown reception from Tyler Herman to give the Eagles a 21-0 lead.
Codi Russell then picked off the Raiders on Alpharetta’s next possession, and the Eagles again capitalized with another Herman-to-Henderson touchdown, this one for 19 yards, for a 28-0 halftime lead.
It was smooth sailing from there, as the Eagles forced a running clock in the fourth quarter for the second game in a row. Last week in the first round, they defeated the Walton Raiders 41-7.
Herman finished 16-of-21 for 254 yards and four touchdown passes. Henderson caught three passes for 62 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 145 yards and two scores on 18 carries.
The Eagles are now on a six-game win streak, outscoring opponents 304-83 during the run.
“We’re all starting to peak at the right time,” Eagles coach Kevin Reach said. “We’ve got everyone doing what they need to do and it’s all coming together. … We’re going to enjoy this win and then get back to work on Sunday. It doesn’t really matter who we play, we’re just going to keep doing what we’re doing.”
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