ATLANTA — Despite being just 13 years old, the Mill Creek football program may have finally earned its spot at the big kids table Saturday night.
The Hawks erased the nightmarish memories of last year's Class AAAAAA semifinals loss to Colquitt County with a heartstopping 34-27 win over the two-time defending state champion Packers in the 25th annual Corky Kell Classic at the Georgia Dome.
The win also erased Colquitt's 30-game win streak, which began with a 31-14 win over the Hawks in the 2014 Corky Kell Classic.
"It started with us and it ended with us," said senior wide receiver Edmond Graham, who was instrumental in the Hawks first building a big 20-0 first half lead and then also hanging on in the final minute. "Maybe we can start our own streak with this one."
It was the kind of signature win the Hawks have been looking for to show that they are ready to be included among the elites in the state’s largest classification.
“I hope it is,” Mill Creek coach Shannon Jarvis said. “That's the plan, anyway. We’ve been building for that and I can’t say enough about how proud I am of the kids and the resiliency they showed. This game was about the kids making plays when they needed too. Just a tremendous effort.”
Graham had a huge day for Mill Creek piling up 164 all-purpose yards (59 rushing, 78 receiving, 27 return) and igniting the first half blitz with a blocked field goal in the first quarter.
Graham’s block set the tone early and came after the Colquitt defense stopped Mill Creek on a quick 4-play drive to open the game. The Packers opened with a 34-yard halfback pass and quickly moved to the Hawks 6.
But the new-look Mill Creek defense, which is replacing nine starters from 2015, dug in and forced two negative yardage plays and an incomplete pass to force a field goal attempt. Graham was able to get around the left side and blocked sophomore Ryan Fitzgerald’s 34-yard effort. Senior Matthew Winston returned it to the Hawks 36.
The Hawks rode that momentum as Graham then took a Cameron Turley pitch around left end for 45 yards down to the Packers 16 two plays later. Three plays after that Turley found senior Mitchell McEnaney down the middle on a play-action for a 12-yard TD pass to give the Hawks a 7-0 lead with 4:36 left in the first quarter.
They never led by less than seven the rest of the way.
“I saw some guys move and I felt I could get to it and I just laid out,” Graham said of the block. “That was a big momentum swing for us.”
McEnaney played a big role as well catching a 40-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter, his second of the game, to end a 13-point run by the Packers and push their lead back to 27-13.
The senior tight end was targeted just twice but made them count.
“When I hear my number called I just try to take of advantage of the opportunities and try and help the team,” McEnaney said. “(On that 40-yarder) I looked down and my shoe was untied but I didn’t want to mess up the play. Fortunately it worked out.”
Two possessions after McEnaney’s first touchdown pass, the Hawks went back to work as Turley found Jack Plummer for a 46-yard gain to Packers 28. Then, the Packers looked to get their first momentum changer with an interception of Turley on the following play but they were called for pass interference at the 6.
After the Hawks were flagged for holding to push them back to the 16, Colquitt was called for another pass interference in end zone and Joe Thomas capped the drive with a 1-yard plunge two plays later for a 14-0 lead with 7:04 left.
It was all Mill Creek the rest of the half. The Mill Creek defense forced three consecutive three-and-outs while the offense scored on its final two possessions in the final 52 seconds.
Turley and Graham connected again for a 51-yd gain that was pushed back to the Packers 37 after a penalty. Turley passes to Ace Williams and Preston Norwood gave the Hawks a 1st-and-goal at the 4. But the Packers defense stiffened stuffing two runs and forced an incomplete pass and the drive ended with a 20-yard Brenton King field goal with just 52 seconds left in the half.
The Hawks capped the half with a 17-yard punt return from Plummer that moved them to the Colquitt 48 after a penalty with just 14 seconds left in the half. Turley found Plummer for 22 yards to the Colquitt 26 with 7 seconds left and King drilled a 43-yard field goal as time expired on the half for a 20-0 halftime lead.
The Packers got their quick-play offense untracked in the third quarter. Five Saunders completions to four different receivers moved them to the Mill Creek 12. But a low throw into the end zone on 3rd-and-8 forced a 29-yard field goal from Fitzgerald to cap the drive and trim the Mill Creek lead to 20-3 with 5:39 left in the third quarter.
Colquitt then got its first break on the next Mill Creek drive. After the Hawks had moved to their own 39, the Packers forced a Turley fumble on a blitz by Shaun Shameberger and Willie Debruce recovered at the Mill Creek 24.
But the Hawks defense did not buckle forcing a short Tan’Naveyon Ryles run and then two straight incompletions and another 29-yard Fitzgerald field goal with 2:11 left to make it a 20-6 lead.
After forcing a third straight Mill Creek three-and-out, the Packers went back on the attack. They moved to the Mill Creek 39 and faced a 4th-and-4, and after a brief discussion with Colquitt County coach Rush Propst, Saunders found Ponder for 5-yards and then the two connected seconds later on a 34-yard bomb to trim the Mill Creek lead to 20-13 with 9:30 left in the game.
Through the first 14:30 of the second half, the Packers outgained Mill Creek 125-9 while staging the comeback.
It was like two heavyweights trading haymakers in the 15th round the rest of the way.
The Hawks staged their best drive of the game at that point as an answer that ended in McEnaney’s second touchdown catch. The Packers came right back with a 54-yard touchdown pass from Saunders to Xavier Powell with 6:37 left. It looked like Colquitt was ready to complete the comeback when the defense forced a quick three-and-out of the Hawks.
But Mill Creek’s Victor Heyward changed the momentum back to the Hawks intercepting a Saunders pass and returning it to the Packers 19. Four plays later Turley found Adrian Jackson on an 8-yard pass in the middle of the end zone to push the lead back to 34-20 with 4:13 left.
But the big-play Packers offense struck quickly getting a 67-yard catch and run from Saunders to Ja’Marcus Peterson with just 2:42 left to pull them within 34-27.
Graham then helped put the finishing touches on the victory with a 41-yard catch from quarterback Cameron Turley on a gutsy 3rd-and-6 call with 54 seconds left.
The Hawks were able to run out the clock as a result.
“I was surprised they called the play to go deep there but I liked it. I wanted them to throw to me. I was not going to drop it,” Graham said.
“I looked at Cameron in the huddle and asked him if wanted to go up top and he said yes so we went with it,” Jarvis said. “They executed it perfectly. They were out of timeouts so even if they intercepted it it would have been like a punt.”
Turley finished the game 16-of-27 passing for 304 yards and three touchdowns. Plummer had five catches for 99 yards for the Hawks. Mill Creek managed just 90 yards on 40 carries on the ground.
Saunders was 26-of-43 passing for 315 yards and three touchdowns for the Packers. But his two interceptions were costly. The Packers ground game was held to just 36 yards on 16 attempts by the Mill Creek defense.
Mill Creek will try to extend its new winning streak playing host to Stephenson next Friday.
SCORING SUMMARY
Colquitt Co......0.....0....6....21 -- 27
Mill Creek.......7....13....0....14 -- 34
First Quarter
M -- McEnaney 12 pass from Turley (King kick) 7-0, 4:36
Second Quarter
M -- Thomas 1 run (King kick) 14-0, 7:04
M -- King 20 FG 17-0, 0:52
M -- King 43 FG 20-0, 0:00
Third Quarter
C -- Fitzgerald 29 FG 20-3, 5:39
C -- Fitzgerald 29 FG 20-6, 2:11
Fourth Quarter
C -- Ponder 34 pass from Saunders (Fitzgerald kick) 20-13, 9:30
M -- McEnaney 40 pass from Turley (King kick) 27-13, 7:53
C -- Powell 54 pass from Saunders (Fitzgerald kick) 27-20, 6:37
M -- Jackson 8 pass from Turley (King kick) 34-20, 4:13
C -- Ja. Peterson 67 pass from Saunders (Fitzgerald kick) 34-27, 2:42
