The Locust Grove football team enjoyed a new experience on Friday – victory.
The Wildcats ended a seemingly interminable 26-game losing streak by beating King 24-18 at DeKalb County’s Hallford Stadium. It was their first victory since Oct. 15, 2020 against Eagle’s Landing.
The reaction was just what you’d expect.
“It was magical. Just magical,” coach Garry Fisher said. “I’m so proud to see these guys get a win. This senior class had not won a varsity game, They continued to show up, put in their work and get to Friday and lose. They continued to work over the summer and kept after it. I’m so proud to see these kids get a win.”
Fisher, who is starting his second season at the school, said he noticed something different in the countenance of the players before the game on Friday.
“When they came in Friday our guys were locked in and focused,” Fisher said. “They had a mentality that I hadn’t seen before.”
The Wildcats needed everything they had to fend off a King, who had lost nine of its last 10 games. Locust Grove managed to survive a frenetic final minute that began when it scored the go-ahead touchdown with a minute left. The Wildcats, trailing 18-16, were trying to set up a field goal but things changed when quarterback Matthew McAllister made a great read and ran the ball to the 4. Lamonte Leonard ran it in on the next play.
But the game wasn’t over. King, aided by a roughing-the-passer call, had the ball in Locust Grove territory. The Wildcats finally chased the opposing quarterback around and blew up the final play with eight seconds left.
It wasn’t the first big defensive play of the game. Defensive back Antonio Johnson had a big interception that Fisher said changed the momentum. Later, after failing to convert on fourth down, the Locust Grove defense forced a fumble on the next play to hand the ball back to the offense.
Locust Grove was led by the versatile Josh Francois. He had 100 receiving yards and one touchdown and rushed for 70 yards. He also blocked a pair of extra points.
Here are some of the other big moments from last week:
McIntosh improves to 3-0: The Chiefs beat Woodland 37-21 and have won their first three games for the first time since 2017, when they started 5-0. Quarterback Elliott Sturbaum completed 20 of 32 passes for 290 yards and four touchdowns. Landon Dolhancyk, a 6-foot-5 senior, caught six passes for 123 yards and one touchdown. Brandon Ridley ran for 77 yards and one touchdown. McIntosh is back at home on Friday to play Central Carroll.
Villa Rica stops Northgate: The Wildcats got first-year coach Austin Barron his first victory by beating previously unbeaten Northgate 24-23 in a game between two evenly-matched teams. Villa Rica quarterback Zhay’lyn Bell, a tall left-hander, showed much growth between the first and second games and Jaiden Terry, also a top cornerback, ran for 100 yards and scored two touchdowns.
Arabia Mountain finally beats Stephenson: The Rams improved to 2-1 by beating neighborhood rival Stephenson 27-22. It was Arabia’s first win in the series that began in 2012.
The key to the win was two big defensive plays in the fourth quarter. Daniel Edukwe tipped a pass, intercepted it and ran for a 73-yard touchdown and Malcolm Snipes had a big fourth-down tackle to stop a Stephenson drive late in the game, which allowed the Rams to run out the clock.
Arabia’s Julian Shanks completed 10 of 15 passes for three touchdowns and Kenneth Hollinger caught three passes for 82 yards. Edukwe finished with five solo tackles, seven assists, a sack, two tackles for loss, caused a fumble and the interception. He also caught two passes for 36 yards and one touchdown. Kendall Brown (six tackles, two for loss) and Cedric Sellers (six tackles, one tackle for loss, 1.5 sacks) also had big games.
Lithonia ends 13-game skid: The Bulldogs beat Landmark Christian 48-20 and won for the first time since Nov. 5, 2021. Freshman quarterback Caleb Hill completed 14 of 23 passes for 325 yards and five touchdowns. He also ran for a touchdown. The defense was led by senior linebacker Jason Bond, who had 23 total tackles, including four for a loss, and forced two fumbles. The Bulldogs have only two seniors on offense and start two freshmen and five sophomores.
Winder-Barrow improves to 3-0. First-year coach Robert Paxia has found the magic with the Bulldoggs, who beat Salem 56-6 to remain unbeaten. It’s the second straight year that Winder-Barrow has won its first three games. Evan Lynn threw for 157 yards and three touchdowns and the running back tandem of M.J. Downey (10 carries, 85 yards) and Zavier McCoy (nine carries, 101 yards) were productive.
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