Collins Hill quarterback Tyler Herman passed for 439 yards and four touchdowns, including a 65-yarder to Grant McDonald for the go-ahead score, rallying the Eagles past No. 5 Peachtree Ridge 35-28 on Friday in a back-and-forth thriller between Gwinnett County unbeaten teams.
Collins Hill tied the score 28-28 on a 27-yard touchdown pass from Herman to Quentin Jones on a fourth-and-9 and a 2-point conversion on a pass from Herman to Dwayne Smith with seven minutes to play.
Herman completed 21 of 39 passes and set the school record for passing yards.
Jordan Ellis scored three touchdowns, and Myron Burton had a big game receiving for the Lions (5-1, 3-1 7-AAAAAA), catching 10 passes for 174 yards.
Peachtree Ridge dominated early. The Lions racked up 259 yards of offense and seemed poised to pull away, leading 14-6 and driving in the second quarter. But Collins Hill’s defense came up with a key stop, and the offense delivered a big play to keep things tight.
Peachtree Ridge defensive back Zey Lacet sustained a serious leg injury in the second quarter and had to be carted off the field. One play later, Herman hit Smith in stride for a 68-yard touchdown that cut Peachtree Ridge’s lead to 14-12 at the half.
Collins Hill (5-0, 3-0 7-AAAAAA) lost its regular kicker, Alen Maslo, to an injury sustained in a soccer game earlier in the week. The Eagles inserted another soccer player, Paul Ille, into the lineup. Ille had never attempted a kick in a varsity game but made two field goals and an extra point.
On the game’s final drive, Collins Hill’s fans rushed the field before time had expired, giving Peachtree Ridge one last shot from the Lions’ 42-yard line, but Chance Thrasher’s Hail Mary pass was incomplete.
There had been questions regarding the legitimacy of Collins Hill’s undefeated record; the five teams the Eagles had beaten were a combined 5-14 heading into Friday’s action.
But now Collins Hill heads to defending champion Norcross with plenty of credibility.
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