HOSCHTON — It was far from easy -- but whoever said winning titles was supposed to be simple?
Mill Creek fought back from a Mountain View onslaught that took place either side of halftime to clinch a 35-23 win over the Bears on Friday in Hoschton that not only kept the Hawks undefeated but also netted the Region 6-AAAAAAA crown.
Mill Creek looked to be cruising to its second straight outright region crown (the Hawks shared the 2014 Region 7-AAAAAA title with North Gwinnett -- though the Bulldogs won the tiebreaker to earn the No. 1 playoff seed) after storming to a 28-3 first half lead.
But the Bears refused to go quietly and caught fire just before halftime, as they scored twice inside the final minutes of the second quarter to pull within 28-17. Mountain View kept up its momentum in the third quarter, notching another touchdown. It proved the high-water mark for the Bears, however. The Hawks broke up the enusing 2-point conversion attempt, and kept the visitors scoreless the rest of the way.
Just to be sure Anthony Presto added a 41-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to give the Hawks (9-0, 5-0 Region 6-AAAAAAA) some cushion.
Presto finished with a game-high 128 yards rushing on 18 carries, while Joe Thomas added 55 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. The Hawks rolled up 212 yards on the ground. Yet they never really found their passing rhythm on Friday, as Cameron Turley finished with just 82 yards passing and a touchdown, completing 11 of 19 attempts -- Edmond Graham led all Hawks receivers with 3 catches for 32 yards. Jack Plummer hauled in the touchdown pass.
Mountain View passed for 257 yards but rushed for just 57.
Mill Creek will now take a bye before ramping up for the playoffs with Duluth on the final night of the regular season.
