River Ridge moved into a tie for first place in Region 7-6A with a 20-17 overtime victory against Creekview in a matchup of two of the three teams that entered Friday’s games unbeaten in region play.
The Knights are tied with Johns Creek, which won three of the past four Region 7 titles. The Gladiators were off this week.
River Ridge trailed 14-6 in the fourth quarter but got a 14-yard touchdown run by Amehre Morrison and a two-point conversion to pull even with three minutes remaining. The Knights held Creekview to a field goal on its overtime possession, then got a 5-yard touchdown run by Morrison to win it.
Morrison came into the game as the leading rusher in Class 6A and the No. 3 rusher overall with 1,099 yards. He finished with 62 yards rushing and 42 yards receiving, according to the Cherokee Tribune.
River Ridge is 6-0 overall for the first time in the program’s 12-year history. The Knights are assured of finishing with a winning record for just the second time, and they’re closing in on their first playoff berth since 2012 and second overall. River Ridge had been 0-20 all-time against fellow Cherokee County teams but is 3-0 this season, with victories over Etowah, Woodstock and Creekview.
River Ridge plays at Johns Creek on Nov. 13.
“I just wish I could find some words to articulate my feelings for this team. There are just no words,” River Ridge coach Mike Collins told Patrick J. O’Shea for the Tribune. “I’m just glad to be a part of it. Their toughness, their love for one another, their ability to keep fighting until the very end - it’s unbelievable to me.”
Here are some of the other games of note from Class 6A this weekend:
- Richmond Hill and Brunswick recorded lopsided victories Friday in final tune-ups for their showdown next week that could decide the Region 2 title. Richmond Hill beat Effingham County 45-14 and Brunswick beat Statesboro 38-18 to remain unbeaten in region play. Glynn Academy, which has one region loss (to Brunswick), plays Richmond Hill the following week and remains in the mix.
-Pope strengthened its hold on fourth place in Region 6 with a 28-21 victory over Wheeler, which was just a half-game behind the Greyhounds coming into the game. Pope missed the playoffs last year but is trying to get there for the third time in four seasons. The Greyhounds can all but lock down a playoff spot with a victory next week against Kennesaw Mountain, the new fifth-place team.
- Carrollton, Douglas County, Alexander and Rome are beginning to separate from the rest of the pack in Region 5. Carrollton is the only one unbeaten in region play, while the other three have one loss each. All are off next week. The other teams in the region all have at least three region losses except Paulding County, which is 1-2 in league play and was beaten by Carrollton 56-0 Friday night.
- The biggest game on the Region 4 schedule this week didn’t happen, as Tucker postponed its Thursday matchup with Lovejoy over COVID-19 concerns. The game could be rescheduled for next weekend because both were originally scheduled to be off. Westlake took advantage of the postponement, moving into first place by a half-game over Tucker and Lovejoy by beating Morrow 71-6.
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