HOSCHTON — Mill Creek coach Shannon Jarvis said he knew it all along.
“From the first day of practice I had belief that these kids could do some big things,” Jarvis said Friday night after watching his top-rated defense dismantle one of the premier offenses in the state in a 23-0 shellacking of Archer in the Class AAAAAA quarterfinals at Mill Creek Community Stadium.
“They never cease to amaze me with the heart they have and how they play as a team. This was just a tremendous team victory.”
The Hawks (13-0) forced three first half turnovers and completed the first shutout of the Tigers (11-2) since 2012. Two of the turnovers were interceptions of Will Bearden, who had thrown just three picks in the first 12 games. Archer came into the game averaging 38.4 points a game behind the No. 1 receiving prospect in the country, Kyle Davis.
Davis finished with eight catches for 47 yards but had just five catches for 29 yards after the opening four minutes of the game as senior cornerback Kishawn Miller went toe-to-toe with the recent Auburn-commit.
But it was a fumble on the opening offensive series by Archer that was the turning point. The Tigers used a mix of runs by Jameyst Williams and three passes to Davis to slice through the Hawks defense and get to the Mill Creek 20. But Williams was stripped on a run inside the Hawks’ 10 and Mill Creek’s Jonathan Gipson recovered at the Hawks’ 12.
Mill Creek took that momentum to march 88-yards in 15 plays, capped by a 13-yard pass from Cameron Turley to Daniel Leconte for a 7-0 lead, and never looked back. Turley was 5-for-5 on third down in the drive for 63 yards.
“We were reeling a little bit but we expected (Archer) to come out ready to go,” Jarvis said. “The fumble was huge and I think that kind of got everyone relaxed and then the offense did a great job of executing. Getting the lead was really big.”
The victory moved the Hawks into their first-ever semifinal. They had lost both of their previous quarterfinal appearances in 2010 and 2012. However, No. 1 and defending AAAAAA state champion Colquitt County sits between them and their first trip to a state finals.
The two teams will meet Friday in Hoschton for a spot in the Georgia Dome in two weeks.
Jarvis said during the week preparing for Archer that he doesn’t think about the historical aspects of what his 2015 team is accomplishing. But he managed to take a moment to reflect on what Friday’s win did symbolize.
“I really don’t think about all that stuff until after the season is over. But this was a big for us and our fans,” Jarvis said. “We’re excited to get to keep playing. We’ll start looking at film (Sunday) and start getting ready for the next one.”
After Archer’s opening drive, it was the Mill Creek defensive show the rest of the half. The Hawks forced a quick three-and-out of Archer on the Tigers second possession, and after a short punt, Brenton King booted a 42-yard field goal for a 10-0 lead with 32 seconds left in the first quarter.
Archer registered four first downs on its initial drive. The Tigers managed just six over their next five possessions and never got past their own 41.
Peyton Moore’s 27-yard pick-6 was a thing of beauty and helped seal the game just before halftime for the Hawks. He made a leaping grab and then serpentined his way to the Archer 5 and dragged a tackler the final five yards before diving into the corner of the end zone for a 17-0 Mill Creek lead with 1:47 left in the half.
“Just a tremendous play,” Jarvis said.
After three catches for 18 yards on the opening drive, Davis had just one catch for minus-6 yards and one run for 11 yards the rest of the half as the Hawks took him out of the offensive flow.
“Really Kishawn and Jonathan (Gipson) are very underrated defensive backs. I keep telling the college coaches that,” Jarvis said. “They did a great job against (Peachtree Ridge’s) Deangelo Gibbs a couple of weeks ago and were outstanding (Friday) against Davis.”
As good as the Mill Creek defense was in the first half, it was even better in the second. The Hawks held Archer to just 15 yards rushing after halftime, forced three straight three-and-outs, and did not allow a first down until the fourth quarter.
The Hawks started fast in the second half as Braxton Richburg returned the opening kickoff 69 yards to the Archer 26 but could get just a 41-yard field from King for a 20-0 lead 58 seconds into the third quarter.
King booted a 21-yard field goal 10 seconds into the fourth quarter after a 9-play drive stalled at the Archer 4.
Turley finished the game 11-of-22 passing for 93 yards and one touchdown and Leconte had 40 yards on 17 carries and the one 13-yard catch for a touchdown for Mill Creek. The Hawks finished with 166 total yards.
Archer finished with 263 total yards, but most of that came on two late drives in the fourth quarter with the game already well in hand for the Hawks. Bearden was 18-of-35 passing for 160 yards but had no touchdown passes and two interceptions. Williams finished with 107 yards rushing on 22 carries but was carried off the field on the final drive.
SCORING SUMMARY
Archer.............0.....0....0....0 -- 0
Mill Creek......10.....7....3....3 -- 23
First Quarter
MC -- Leconte 13 pass from Turley (King kick) 7-0, 3:13
MC -- King 42 FG 10-0, 0:32
Second Quarter
MC -- Moore 27 INT return (King kick) 17-0, 1:47
Third Quarter
MC -- King 41 FG 20-0, 11:02
Fourth Quarter
MC -- King 21 FG 23-0, 11:50
