HOSCHTON — History beckons -- and Mill Creek believes it is ready.
The Hawks, in their 12th season as a program, are one win removed from a 10-0 regular season and their first-ever region championship -- presenting an opportunity that coach Shannon Jarvis says could elevate his program amongst the big-name contenders around the state.
“In these last three weeks we’ve been very vocal with our kids about taking our program to that last step into our region’s upper echelon,” said Jarvis, who has guided Mill Creek since its inception. “If you’re in our region’s upper echelon then you’re in the state discussion at that point.”
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It is a tantalizing thought for a squad that has flirted with breakout seasons in the past, including a march to the Class AAAAAA quarterfinals in 2012. And if the fifth-ranked Hawks (9-0, 6-0 Region 7-AAAAAA) can find a way past ninth-ranked Peachtree Ridge (7-2, 6-0) on Friday in Hoschton, the lid will almost certainly be lifted.
“You can definitely feel it in school,” Mill Creek senior linebacker Sidney Otiwu said. “Everybody’s all hype about the Peachtree Ridge game. Everyone’s always coming up me asking if we’re going to win, of course. And you’ve just got to look at them and say ‘it might happen.’ I think it will definitely.”
Otiwu and the play of his defensive teammates give the Hawks plenty of reason for optimism. After all Mill Creek enters the contest with the stingiest defense in Class AAAAAA, allowing just 4.8 points per game, including five shutouts.
“One thing we harp on our kids is don’t worry about the shutouts,” Jarvis said. “We just want our kids playing good defense every snap. You don’t want it to where whenever a team scores you have a big letdown. So you don’t want to promote those, but we’ve had five shutouts this year; our kids have played very well. Honestly, going into (the season) we felt we had a chance to be very good on defense, but what you’re seeing is their unity. These kids really like each other, and they play hard for each other. It’s probably as good a defense I’ve seen that plays as a unit. There’s not a bunch of standouts out there. It’s really the whole unit that plays so well together.”
Indeed, Mill Creek has swarmed most offenses, forcing 21 turnovers and racking up 36 sacks (four per game), as players like linebackers Aaron Anderson (team-high 71 tackles, 2 interceptions), Micah Bull (70 tackles) and Otiwu (58 tackles, 2 interceptions, 2 fumbles recovered) fly around behind a stout front line that includes defensive end Tyler Vernon (10 sacks) and Peyton Moore (8 sacks). Meanwhile, the Hawks offense relies on a balanced attack led by quarterback Cameron Turley (1,460 yards passing, 10 TDs) and Joe Thomas (591 yards rushing, 13 TDs), anchored by a strong offensive line.
“We always knew in the back of our head that we had a lot of talent on this football team; it was just coming out there and performing every game that’s got us to this point,” Otiwu said.
Tonight, however, Mill Creek will face a defense that’s been just as stout of late. Yes, the Lions gave up 61 points in their two season-opening contests -- against powers Archer (currently No. 4 in AAAAAA) and Christ Presbyterian of Nashville, Tenn. -- but Peachtree has been miserly since, yielding just 4.5 points per game to buoy a seven-game win streak, a streak that started with a 9-6 win over current No. 6 McEachern.
The Lions also have plenty of star power, including as many as 10 Football Bowl Subdivision recruits. In fact the entire Lions secondary is headed to the next level, including junior Deangelo Gibbs -- rated by some recruiting services as the top defensive back in his class -- and seniors Nigel Warrior (currently uncommitted), Chad Clay (Georgia commit) and Baylen Buchanan (Louisville commit). The unit has helped Peachtree Ridge pick off 16 passes this season, and the Lions have forced 20 total turnovers. The Lions' offense, meanwhie, has ability but has struggled with conistency, averaging 257 yards per game.
In other words, it’s the type of showdown where one big play -- or one mistake could make the difference.
“We both have elite defenses both in terms of athleticism and speed and scheme, physicality,” Jarvis said. “Offensively we’ve both had to find our way at times this year. The key to this game is going to be very simple, and this sounds so much like a coach’s cliche, but you’ve got to play great defense and special teams. And this is one of those games where the turnover margin will come into play. The team that doesn’t make mistakes and does the little things right for the length of the game is going to be the one that wins this game.”
That should not phase a Mill Creek offense has turned the ball over just six times this season. The Lions, meanwhile, aren’t much more error-prone, having given the ball away nine times this campaign. And if it comes down to kicking? The Hawks’ Brenton King has drilled 9 of 11 field goal attempts, including a school-record 50-yarder. Peachtree Ridge’s Zaniel Phillips has attempted just five field goals, making three, including a season-long of 30.
“They’ve got tremendous athleticism on their team; they’re well-coached, and it’s going to be a great match-up,” Jarvis said. “This is a game that you’d look at as a fan and just be excited about.”
Mill Creek’s players too are pumped at the opportunity.
“Definitely, because we feel we’re the best match-up for each other,” said Mill Creek senior receiver Chase Turner. “We’re the best two teams in the region. It’s a good game to close on.”
Produce a win on Friday, however, and the end will be about another beginning, as Mill Creek prepares to begin the playoffs as a No. 1 seed.
“We look at it like we’re 0-0. We’re trying to win a championship this Friday, and this is just like the previous two Fridays that we really started to harp on that with our boys in practice and preparation, and they’ve really responded so far,” Jarvis said. “So I’m looking forward to Friday night to see if we can finish up 1-0 and win a region championship, and then we can look at the whole season.”
