HOSCHTON — It would have been easy for Mill Creek football to enter this week with wide-eyed wonder.
After all the Hawks are in the midst of their best-ever season, making their first-ever state semifinal appearance and set to take on the defending Class AAAAAA champion.
Instead Mill Creek players and coaches sounded more like grizzled postseason veterans. And if there is any wonderment -- well, it's being kept hidden pretty danged well.
"Our coaches do a really good job of making sure we’re focused in on watching film. We also hold each other accountable, and we make sure we watch film every week," Mill Creek senior linebacker Sidney Otiwu said. "We know what’s coming up ahead; and we know we can handle anything any team throws at us."
That includes perhaps the premier offense in the entire state. (NOTE: To watch a video preview of the game simply click "play" in the video above. Also, you can watch a video preview of Buford's semifinal vs. Woodward Academy as well as a preview of Commerce's semifinal vs. Clinch County.)
The Packers (13-0) average 47.5 points and 433 yards per game -- 242 of that through the air. Senior quarterback Chase Parrish sits at the helm of a wide-open spread attack and has thrown for 2,759 yards, while completing 69 percent of his attempts, including 33 TDs -- compared with just 4 inteceptions. Senior Kiel Pollard (Arkansas commit) leads a deep receiver corps with 64 receptions for 955 yards and 16 TDs -- he also has 11 rushing scores as he also features at "wildcat" quarterback. Four other players have at least 20 receptions. Colquitt also utilizes a deep backfield, with five running backs rushing for 200-plus yards.
In short, it's everything you would expect from an offense that leads a program making its seventh straight semifinal appearance in the state's largest classification.
But the irresistible force is set to meet the immovable object, as Mill Creek brings its Class AAAAAA-best defense to bear.
The Hawks (13-0) have plenty of reason for confidence heading into the contest -- as evidenced by last week’s 23-0 quarterfinal defeat of 2014 state runner-up Archer.
Mill Creek enters the showdown allowing just 6.8 points and 143 yards per game. In fact the Hawks have held each opponent faced under that team’s season scoring average.
Led by standouts like Tyler Vernon (17 sacks) and Otiwu (14 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions), Mill Creek excels at keeping teams under pressure, as evidenced by their 63 sacks (almost 5 per game) and 85 tackles for loss (6.5 per game). Turnovers have also proven key for a team that has notched 31 takeaways, including 20 interceptions for a plus-14 margin on the season.
Salivating for this match-up yet?
Not that the opposite side of the ball is any slouch. The Hawks enter the contest averaging 37 points and 315 yards per game on offense, while the Packers have recorded 27 takeaways (15 interceptions) to help Colquitt sport its own plus-14 turnover margin. Linebacker Ja’Quain Bailey (Tennessee commit) has also helped the Packers to record 29 sacks.
“When you look at film the first thing you’re going to do is look for the weakness of your opponent. And really any of the teams you see now, there’s not going to be any weaknesses,” Mill Creek coach Shannon Jarvis said. “Hopefully they’re seeing the same thing with us that we’re really solid in all three phases of the game as they are too. When you get to this time of year it’s all about your execution and not just going out there and exploiting their weakness but focusing in on what we do best. So we’ve got to protect the football. We’ve got to continue to play great defense, and our special teams have got to continue to make big plays and create short fields for our offense. That’s what we’re excited about.”
NOTES: The top four offensive teams in AAAAAA all reached the semifinals, led by Colquitt County. Mill Creek, Grayson, and Roswell also are in the top four in defense. Colquitt is 20th in points allowed in AAAAAA. ... Mill Creek has never beaten Colquitt in two previous meetings, including a 31-14 loss to the Packers in the 2014 Corky Kell Classic. The Hawks are 0-3 all-time vs. the other three semifinalists.
