Archer may have five sophomores in the starting lineup, but the Tigers play older than their years. Now they’re in first place in Region 4-7A.
Archer outlasted South Gwinnett 22-19 on Friday, thanks to a gutty performance from receiver-turned-quarterback William Wallace and a pair of interceptions from Kendall Lee.
Archer won its fourth straight game and improved to 4-3 overall and 3-0 in the region, which assures the Tigers of a spot in the playoffs. South Gwinnett lost its fourth straight and fell to 4-4 overall and 0-3 in the league.
“I told our boys to get ready because this is going to be a four-quarter ball game,” said Archer coach Dante Williams. “We were fortunate to make enough good plays to come out with a win.”
Wallace, subbing for injured starter Jordan Do for the second week, was up to the challenge. The senior ran 13 times for 105 yards and one touchdown and completed 12 of 17 passes for 149 yards. His favorite target was Jonathan Stafford Jr., who caught seven passes for 64 yards.
“William is exactly what Archer represents,” Williams said. “He’s grown up here. He bleeds red and silver. He’ll do anything. If we needed someone to go in at left tackle, he would jump in and figure it out.”
South Gwinnett was paced by running back Jayshawn Appling, who ran 15 times for 95 yards and one touchdown. Quarterback Jared Echols completed 13 of 19 passes for 140 yards and one touchdown, but had a pair of interceptions.
Archer scored the only points of the first half and led 6-0 at halftime.
The Tigers got their points midway into the second period. Wallace connected on a pair of passes an 18-yarder to Colby Alexander and a 42-yarder to Emmanuel McRae to get inside the red zone. Wallace powered in from the 1 with 3:23 left, but missed the extra point.
Archer took a 12-0 lead after driving 37 yards, a drive made short by South’s inability to convert on fourth-and-1. The Tigers scored on a 17-yard option pass to McRae and missed the extra point.
That’s when South Gwinnett used its speed to stay in the game. South’s Xavier Butler returned the kickoff for an 85-yard touchdown, cutting the lead to 12-6.
Archer got a huge break before the end of the third quarter. The Tigers faked a field goal on fourth down and came up short, but officials flagged them for a snap infraction. This time freshman Andrew Rogers nailed the 36-yard field goal for a 15-6 lead.
South answered with its best sustained drive and scored on a 10-yard run by Appling, failed on the two-point run, and cut Archer’s lead to 15-12 with 9:35 left.
After forcing Archer to punt, South was set up at the 50 with almost seven minutes to play. But on the second play, Lee came up with his second interception and the Tigers were able to drive 57 yards for the score. McRae punched it in from the 3 with 55.8 seconds left to make it 22-12.
“Kendall’s plays, his interceptions, were huge,” Williams said. “They both stopped momentum and gave us great field position.”
South didn’t quit and got a 32-yard pass from Echols to Anthony Carter with 0.3 seconds left. South recovered the onside kick but, with one play left in its quiver, saw the game end on a completed pass.
“I couldn’t be more proud of those guys,” Williams said. “It’s just who we are. We’ve got to fight and grind and play together as one. There can be no individuals.”
The Tigers finish the season with home games against Grayson and Newton, the two teams below them in the standings at 2-1. If Archer wins out, it will win its first region title since 2021.
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