ELBERTON — Josh Shoemaker had a hard time suppressing his excitement Friday night, with good reason.
The first-year Banks County coach watched his group pull off a remarkable finish to the 2016 season with a shocking 43-29 win over Elbert County in the historic Granite Bowl.
The win claimed the No. 2 seed in Region 8-AA for the Leopards (6-4, 5-1) and also clinched their first winning season since 2011.
“Just a huge, huge win for our program,” Shoemaker said during the team’s bus ride back to Homer. “We told the kids that to be where we want to be as a program to had to beat someone we weren’t supposed to beat. I’m sure no one thought we could win this game. The kids just played a great game.”
The Leopards closed out the season with four straight wins, their longest winning streak since the 2011 campaign.
Elbert County jumped out to a 14-0 lead after the first quarter but the Leopards exploded for 23 points in the second quarter to take a 23-21 lead at halftime. Banks County then used a 14-point third quarter to take a 37-21 lead into the fourth quarter. The Blue Devils never recovered
Quarterback Griffin Goodwin sparked the offense throwing for 302 yards and three touchdowns. Bryce Bennett did just about everything but sell tickets for the Leopards. The senior caught four passes for 135 yards and two touchdowns, rushed for 21 yards and one score, and added a touchdown pass of 63 yards on a reverse pass in the fourth quarter to put the game away.
The defense also helped seal the win with a pair of C.J. Thomas interceptions in the fourth quarter. Thomas finished with three interceptions on the night and now has eight on the season, which leads Region 8-AA. Zach Lehotsky also had an interceptions fo Banks County.
Elbert County (7-3, 4-2) piled up 436 yards on the ground but the four turnovers snuffed out four potential scoring drives. The Blue Devils managed just 150 yards in the second half after churning up nearly 400 yards in the first half.
