Jaquez Parks was picked off repeatedly over the first three quarters and pass after pass for the Griffin senior quarterback found grass rather than hands.
When it came to crunch time, though, Parks was money.
Trailing by nine points with just over seven minutes left, Parks engineered two touchdown drives to push the No. 2 Bears to a 32-26 win at No. 1 Sandy Creek and a date in the Class AAAA semifinals.
Sandy Creek held a 26-17 lead before Parks hit Christian Owens with a 6-yard pass with 6:03 left to cut the lead to two.
Griffin (13-0) held Sandy Creek without a first down on the next series, and Parks completed 4 of 5 passes in seven-play, 64-yard drive to the winning score, a 1-yard run by Telly Sloan.
Nic Williams’ interception with 1:03 left sealed the win for Griffin.
Parks finished with 241 passing yards and a touchdown while adding 69 yards and a touchdown run.
Sandy Creek (11-1-1), bidding for its fourth state title in five years, got 147 yards and a pair of touchdowns from star tailback Eric Swinney, and defensive back Gabriel Arnold picked off three Griffin passes.
In a game that featured eight turnovers, Sandy Creek drove from its 33 to inside the Griffin 10 on the game’s opening possession before Delvin Weems fumbled and Griffin recovered.
On its second offensive play, Griffin got receiver Jordan Colbert behind the Sandy Creek secondary, and Parks delivered the ball to him for what might have been a long touchdown pass, but Colbert dropped it, and Griffin ultimately stalled and had to punt.
Sandy Creek created the next break, when defensive end Broderick Allen batted the ball in the air, caught it and returned it 27 yards to the 28.
Colbert redeemed himself late in the first period, stepping in front of a Cole Garvin pass for the interception, which he returned 78 yards for the game’s first touchdown.
Sandy Creek pulled even on the first play of the second quarter, when Swinney scored from 12 yards out to cap a nine-play, 65-yard drive.
Sandy Creek appeared to be in control after a pair of Lorenzo Broadwater field goals.
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