HOSCHTON — It wasn't quite ‘The Exorcist,’ but all it took was one quick look at Archer's game film to make Mill Creek coach Shannon Jarvis shut his eyes and turn away.
“It was scary. Real scary,” he said this week as his Hawks prepare to take on the fellow Gwinnett County foe in the quarterfinals of the Class AAAAAA playoffs.
“They’re big, fast, and just put so much pressure on the other team on both sides of the ball. I didn’t need to see much film to see what they can do. It would get you demoralized to watch it all.”
The two teams will battle at Mill Creek Community Stadium Friday night. A win for the Hawks would give them their first-ever trip to the state semifinals. The Tigers, meanwhile, are looking for another run to the title game after falling to Colquitt County in the 2014 final.
The good news for Hawks fans? Jarvis also noted that watching Archer reminded him a lot of his own squad. The Hawks (12-0) lead AAAAAA in defense, allowing just 7.3 points a game while the Tigers (11-1) are fifth, allowing 11.1 ppg. Mill Creek has scored 466 points (38.8 ppg) and Archer 458 (38.1 ppg) on offense.
“Two very similar teams,” Jarvis said. “Hopefully we look as impressive on film as they do. This one will come down to all the little things: turnovers, key penalties, missed tackles -- all of that will come into play.”
Does that mean Jarvis is expecting a defensive slugfest? If so, they have a big weapon in kicker Brenton King, who booted a pair of field goals against Peachtree Ridge, including the game-winner in overtime, to help the Hawks capture their first-ever Region 7-AAAAAA title. King is 15-of-18 on field goals with a long of 50-yards.
“Brenton is a tremendous weapon for us and we have a lot of confidence in him. If it came down to a kick for us to win it I like our chances,” Jarvis said. “But, to be honest with you, I think the key to this game will be the offenses. Both defenses are so tough I don’t see a lot of points scored.”
“We will have to maintain some drives to keep their offense off the field, time-consuming drives -- get their defense tired. But they’re probably thinking the same thing.”
The Hawks offense is no slouch with the likes of quarterback Cameron Turley and running backs Daniel Leconte and Joe Thomas. Leconte recently returned from an injury and is getting back to full speed at just the right time.
The Hawks have thrown for 2,088 yards and rushed for 1,840 yards with 35 rushing touchdowns on the season.
“Balance is the key for us,” Jarvis said. “We have to be able to complete some passes so that they don’t just stack the box on us. No one has been able to run against them with a whole lot of success without keeping them honest in the passing game.”
The Tigers defense is star-studded with at least three five-star recruits. Senior linebacker Donta Evans is an Ole Miss commit; senior linebacker Michael Kouassi is committed to Ohio State; and cornerback Jamyest Williams is one of the top rated juniors in the nation at his position.
“Those guys really fly around when you watch them. Again, it’s a lot like watching our guys,” Jarvis said.
The Archer offense is led by another pair of five-star recruits in senior offensive tackle E.J. Price and the No. 1 wide receiver recruit in the nation in Kyle Davis, an Auburn-commit, who leads the team with 773 yards and six touchdowns despite drawing double- and even triple-teams most games. Senior quarterback Will Bearden has thrown for 2,430 yards and 23 touchdowns with just three interceptions.
Despite a 26-24 loss to arch-rival Grayson early in the season, the Tigers may not have faced a defense as balanced as the Hawks', however, one that has not yielded more than 17 points in any game this season.
Mill Creek's defense is led by senior linebackers Micah Bull (93 tackles), Aaron Anderson (89 tackles) and Sidney Otiwu (79 tackles) to go along with senior linemen Peyton Moore, Anthony Imbordino, John Hunt, and Tyler Vernon for a formidable front-seven. They have 52 sacks and have picked off 17 passes so far.
"Our defense has played well all season," Jarvis said. "Archer is similar in their approach to Peachtree Ridge. We gave up a few plays but were able to slow them down at some key times and get a couple of big turnovers.
“But (Archer) doesn’t make a lot of mistakes,” Jarvis said. “I’m not saying we have to play perfect but we can’t give them short fields. (Archer) is so athletic that any mistake is going to cost us I’m sure.”
With so much riding on the offense, is everything on the table, including some trickeration?
“We’ve got the whole playbook ready for this one,” Jarvis said. “And we’re willing to use it, trick plays and all. You can’t leave anything in your pocket this time of year.”
And with so much time devoted to trying to find the chinks on the Tigers’ armour, has there been any time to contemplate the magnitude of what a win would mean to the program, which was in this same position in 2012 only to fall to North Cobb, 42-35?
“I haven’t had time to think about it, nor will I,” Jarvis said. “Our whole focus has been on how to beat Archer. That’s tough enough without all the other distractions. If we manage to get by this one, then I’ll think about it.
“Maybe.”
