Harrison’s offense was shut down for the better part of three quarters Friday night at Hillgrove, but the Hoyas got the must-have plays they needed down the stretch in what felt like a must-win game.
Quarterback Braylan Ford threw touchdown passes of 15 yards to Xavier Hill and 5 yards to Brady Kluse in the final 12:03 of the game to lead the Hoyas to a 14-10 victory in a Region 3-7A game in Powder Springs.
Although a loss wouldn’t have eliminated Harrison (7-2, 1-2) from the playoffs, the Hoyas would’ve needed a victory against Marietta in their regular-season finale next week and some help elsewhere in the region to avoid missing the playoffs for the first time since 2015. Now, Harrison seems almost certain to reach the postseason.
That was quite a predicament for a team that started the season 6-0.
The Hoyas had fallen behind early in both of their previous region games and rallied but came up short in a 24-21 loss to McEachern and a 24-22 loss to North Paulding.
“It’s been three weeks in a row that’s happened,” Harrison coach Josh Cassidy said of the early struggles. “So when you’re in those situations enough, it provides you an opportunity to not be shocked by the moment but to focus on what’s at hand. You never want to lose, but sometimes a loss will turn into a success if you allow it, and I think that’s what this was. This was an opportunity for us to learn from what had happened in those last two games.”
Hillgrove (2-6, 0-2) fell into last place in the five-team region and is in danger of missing the playoffs for the third time in four seasons after a 10-year streak of playoff appearances.
Harrison had just 41 yards of total offense and trailed 10-0 when it got the ball at its 38 after a Hillgrove punt late in the third quarter. The Hoyas used seven plays to drive to the Hillgrove 19 and lined up for a field-goal attempt from there on fourth-and-4. However, Hillgrove jumped offsides, giving Harrison a first down at the 14. Two plays later, Ford connected with Hill to cut the lead to 10-7 with three seconds remaining in the third quarter.
Hillgrove reached the Harrison 42 on its next possession but was forced to punt, giving Harrison the ball at its 20 with 6:58 remaining. The Hoyas went on an 11-play drive that took 5:09 off the clock and scored on Ford’s 5-yard pass to Kluse for their only lead of the night, 14-10 with 1:49 remaining.
Ford was 8-for-8 passing for 76 yards on the drive and finished the night 21-of-25 for 190 yards. Kluse, a three-star recruit committed to Memphis, had eight receptions for 73 yards. Ford and Kluse helped offset a running game that was held to minus-5 yards, including sacks, on 18 carries.
“He wants the ball, but he’s so respectful,” Cassidy said of Kluse. “To me, he’s a Power Five player. Memphis is getting a steal with that kid. He’s on a different level than the rest of us.”
Hillgrove turned the ball over on downs near midfield on its final possession.
Hillgrove controlled the first half, running 36 plays to Harrison’s 13, outgaining the Hoyas 116-28 and holding a 13-minute advantage in time of possession. The game was scoreless, however, until a 39-yard field goal by Hillgrove’s Carter Genchi with 5:35 remaining in the half.
On the fourth play of the Hoyas’ next possession, Hillgrove’s Jaden Ehima recovered a fumble at the Harrison 43, setting up a 10-play touchdown drive. Toryn Wilkins’ 4-yard pass to Jonathan Owusu made it 10-0 with 19 seconds to play in the half.
Hillgrove finished with a 218-185 advantage in total offense.
Harrison - 0-0-7-7 - 14
Hillgrove - 0-10-0-0 - 10
Second quarter
Hill. - Carter Genchi 39 field goal, 5:35
Hill. - Jonathan Owusu 4 pass from Toryn Wilkins (Genchi kick), 0:19
Third quarter
Harr. - Xavier Hill 14 pass from Braylan Ford (Rudolph Gleason kick), 0:03
Fourth quarter
Harr. - Brady Kluse 5 pass from Ford (Gleason kick), 1:49
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