GAINESVILLE, Ga. — Chestatee came into its 2025 season-opener against Franklin County looking to continue momentum built off last season’s unexpected playoff run.
Instead, key mistakes, untimely penalties, and some key injuries eventually doomed the War Eagles in a disappointing 14-7 loss in overtime to the Lions Friday night at the Lynn Cottrell Complex .
“We're not happy. I'm not happy, they're not happy,” Chestatee coach Stuart Cunningham said afterwards. “I thought the defense played really well, but you know, the defense's job is to hold them to enough so you can win. We didn't do that.”
In all fairness, the defense put in a yeoman's effort throughout, even after losing starting outside linebacker Isaiah Sanders to a broken arm. They held Franklin County scoreless until late in the third quarter and held the Lions on a 4th-and-2 at the Chestatee 28 with 4:35 left.
It was the offense, and particularly the running game, which did not live up to what many thought would be one of the best in the area. But the game started as many expected it would.
Ben Plemons, the area’s leading returning rusher from 2024, capped a long 10-play opening drive with a 21-yard TD run on a third-and-16 to grab a quick 7-0 lead for the War Eagles. Unfortunately, the offense could not duplicate it until the final minute.
In between, it was a defensive slugfest.
The Chestatee defense forced a Lions fumble on their first possession, but the drive stalled inside the Franklin County 40. The War Eagles forced a Lions punt on their second drive, and then the offense appeared ready to go to work again. But a potential scoring drive ended with a penalty wiping out a first down, and they had to punt.
Neither team could get any traction in the second quarter as the War Eagles took a 7-0 advantage into the break.
After trading punts to open the second half, the Lions' offense finally saw some results on their second drive despite starting inside the 10. Quarterback Keyes Harbin completed a pair of passes to move them out to the 4,8 and then Gavin Wells rumbled down to the War Eagles 32 on a 20-yard pitch down the right side.
Harbin later finished off the 10-play drive with a 5-yard TD run to tie the game at 7 late in the third quarter. But that would be the last true scoring threat until Chestatee’s last drive of regulation.
Despite starting at their own 8 with just 17 seconds left, the War Eagles got a final shot for the win. Colton Steele managed to get outside and race down the right sideline for 54 yards to the Lions' 38 with 6.9 seconds left. Then Steele connected with Joe Blaker on a 14-yard pass to the Franklin 24 with 2.8 seconds left.
But Yohann Reyna’s 41-yard field goal attempt as time expired sailed wide right.
In the one and only overtime period, Harbin found Cole Woods for a 25-yard TD pass to give Franklin County a 14-7 lead.
Plemons looked to have bailed out the War Eagles, racing 13 yards on a third-and-14, but he was stripped at the end of the run, and the Lions recovered at the 5 to seal and steal the win.
“We had some guys play really well, but just not a lot of stats like people are used to seeing,” Cunningham said. “We gotta go back to work. We’re going to fix it.”
Chestatee, who averaged over 300 yards rushing/game last season, was held to under 150 yards of total offense on the night. Plemons and several others battled cramps all night, and quarterback Gage Reese was limited in the second half after coming up limping after a rough tackle by the Lions on a facemask call.
Chestatee (0-1) is off next week before traveling to West Hall in two weeks.
