HOSCHTON — Mill Creek has been at or near the top of the Class AAAAAAA rankings for the entire season, beginning with a season-opening 34-27 win over defending state champion Colquitt County in the Georgia Dome as part of the Corky Kell Classic.
The Hawks now are into the quarterfinals of the state playoffs for the fourth time in their history and for the second straight campaign. They will take on McEachern Friday night in Powder Springs with a shot at their second consecutive semifinals appearance.
AccessWDUN sports and Friday Game Night reporter Jeff Hart caught up with Mill Creek coach Shannon Jarvis this week to discuss his team's place among the state’s elite, their draw in the playoffs, some of their surprises, and who he compared to former University of Georgia standout David Greene.
QUESTION: All year the talk of Class AAAAAAA has been just how good is Grayson and if anyone has a legitimate chance to knock them off this year. At the same time, your Hawks have been flying almost unnoticed despite being ranked No. 1 or No. 2 most of the season. Do you think y’all deserve a little more attention or recognition?
ANSWER: To be honest with you, I like where we are. Most people have been talking about Grayson, and they deserve it with that team they have -- so for us there have been no real distractions. We’ve been able to just go out and play. We’re not worried about recognition or anything. That will come if we can keep winning in the playoffs. Last year I thought maybe there was a little too much attention after we beat Archer (23-0 in the quarterfinals) and I don’t think we came into the Colquitt County game (a 52-31 loss in the semifinals) with the focus we needed. We try to tell our kids to ignore the noise, especially the positive stuff about how good they are. I don’t know if we’re flying totally under the radar, but it’s been pretty darn low right now and that's just fine with me.
Q: Your draw in the playoffs, at least the rest of the way, will be a brutal fight every week you stay alive. McEachern was in the top 5 in the final regular season poll, and, if you manage to get past the Indians, you will face the winner of the No. 2 Grayson vs. No. 6 Colquitt County matchup in the semifinals. On the other side is No. 3 Roswell, Westlake, and a streaking (No. 8) Lowndes team that has scored 135 points in the first two rounds. Did you do a double-take when you looked at the bracket when the playoffs started?
A: I know you won’t believe me but I don’t look at the bracket and try to figure out who is where and what the possible matchups could be. I don’t look ahead at all. All I know is that if you get to the quarterfinals it doesn’t matter who it is, it’s going to be a really good team that can beat you. I used to do that and we would be sitting at home at this point so I don’t do that anymore. It really doesn’t matter at this point. You’re playing a good team so you better be ready to bring your best game, or you’ll be going home.
Q: So you may not look at the bracket but before the season began did you think there was a consensus team or a gaggle of teams that were favorites to win it all in Class AAAAAAA?
A: At the beginning of the year I think it was safe to say that there were about six or seven teams that had the talent and ability to win the title. Grayson for sure, McEachern, Roswell, I thought we could, Norcross, until last week, and you can never count out Colquitt County. Right now Lowndes may be playing better than everyone. What they did last week to Norcross (a 43-14 win) was impressive. I think all eight of the teams left can win it. Grayson is awfully good and will be tough if we can get past McEachern and they beat Colquitt. But Colquitt knows how to win and we already beat them once this year so if we see them again I’m sure they’ll be motivated. There won’t be an easy game for anyone the rest of the way.
Q: You have the No. 3 offense and the No. 3 defense in Class AAAAAAA. Grayson is the only other team left in the playoffs that has both units in the top 5. The Rams are No. 2 in both those categories. How much has your defense improved during the season, and who have been some big surprises?
A: The defense really came out playing better at the beginning of the season than we expected with all the quality players that graduated from last year and having a bunch of new starters. We’ve been very pleased with the consistency with which they have played all season. We thought the offense may have to carry us for a while as the defense learned on the job, but they surprised us right from the start. On the line Ryan Cox (Sr. NG) and Jack Griffith (Jr. DE) are both undersized but have really stepped up and played well. A couple of linebackers in Victor Heyward (Sr.) and Jake Stewart (Jr.) have done outstanding jobs, and Jamar Hall (Sr. FS) has been a big leader for us.
Q: On offense senior quarterback Cameron Turley (126-of-239, 2,152 yards, 26 TD, 7 INT) has really taken to the leadership role of an offense that is both versatile and explosive. Has he exceeded your expectations of him this year?
A: Actually, not at all. We had high expectations for him for this year. We felt he was ready to have a big season. He really makes good decisions out there, makes good throws, and understands what we want to do in the offense. Not surprised at all with the year he has had. He reminds me a lot of David Greene (South Gwinnett, 1999) when I was the coach there. Cameron is calm under pressure like David was and just a fierce competitor. We’ve had some good quarterbacks here, but he’s the one that reminds me the most of David Greene.
Q: We featured senior kicker Brenton King last week and you talked about what a weapon he is, not just on field goals but in affecting both the offensive and defensive gam plans. You did not mention, however, how the special teams got a makeover two years ago. Who has been behind the making of your special teams unit into one of the best in the state?
A: Jed Hodges is our special teams coordinator, and he has done a phenomenal job since we brought him on board. His prep work on every aspect is unparallelled. We decided that we wanted to win games with our special teams instead of just trying to not lose the game with our special teams. Jed's work with Brenton has been outstanding. He is a big reason for our success the last couple of years.
Q: You mentioned before the season opener against Colquitt County that the only thing Mill Creek had not accomplished to this point is beating the Packers and winning a state title. You took care of that first part in the season-opener. How important is it to get the other half of that package?
A: It’s true that we now only have one goal left for us to conquer as a program of the things we set out to do to put us among the best in the state. But we don’t start talking about that at this stage of things. Of course it’s the goal of every team that’s playing right now. We would love to be able to walk off the field of our last game as winner’s and get a trophy. But I don’t know if it’s important for the program as a defining point. We feel we’ve built the program to where it can compete at the highest level with the best teams and be able to be in the conversation. There’s a lot that goes into winning a title. Hopefully we can do all the little things necessary over the next few weeks. But the only game that matters right now is McEachern.
