HOSCHTON — All week Mill Creek coach Shannon Jarvis worried about the big-play capability of the Colquitt County offense.
After witnessing the Packers explosiveness first-hand Friday night, the near-capacity crowd at Mill Creek Community Stadium now knows why.
The Packers, behind a career night from senior quarterback Chase Parrish, shredded the state’s best defense for nearly 600 yards in taking a stunning 52-31 victory in the Class AAAAAA semifinals.
The Mill Creek defense came into the game allowing less than 200 total yards a game and had yielded just 88 total points through its first 13 games. Colquitt County finished with 431 yards passing from Parrish, who tossed six touchdown passes -- five for 46-yards or longer -- and 573 total yards for the game.
“We knew they had tremendous playmakers and they made plays,” Jarvis said. “They are tough to defend. We knew coming in the game would be decided on if they got some of those explosive plays. They did.”
Colquitt County coach Rush Propst said the game plan was more predicated on time than on any particular matchup.
“(Mill Creek) has a great defense. But we felt if we could make the game last longer than three hours then we had the advantage because we felt like our skilled guys were better than theirs the longer it went,” Propst said. “We were able to make the game longer and I think in the fourth quarter we able to do what we wanted.”
The game was very much in doubt early in the fourth quarter after the Hawks had trimmed a 28-17 lead to 35-31 on a 2-yard quarterback sneak for a touchdown by Cameron Turley with 10:43 left. His run capped a short five-play drive after Colquitt County punter Baby Lou Martinez fumbled the snap and was forced to fall on the ball at the Packers 33.
The Mill Creek defense was just beginning to flex its muscles apparently stopping the Packers again on their next possession and forcing another punt. But Martinez made what would be the turning point play of the game on the ensuing punt drawing what looked like a phantom roughing-the-kicker call to keep the drive alive.
On the very next play Parrish tossed a simple screen pass to Arkansas-commit Kiel Pollard, who was able to shake off one defender and get a series of blocks to spring him for a 73-yard touchdown pass and a 42-31 lead.
Mill Creek never recovered.
“It was a judgement call (on the roughing call),” Jarvis said. “I know what I saw and I know what my judgement would have been and it wasn’t what they called.
“But, you have to get ready for the next play and we let their guy get loose on the next play. You can’t let that happen. It’s hard to say if (the roughing call) was the difference but it certainly seemed to change the momentum in a big way.”
After a quick three-and-out by the Mill Creek offense, the Packers sealed the game with a 55-yard yard touchdown pass from Parrish to Ty Lee less than two minutes later to push it to a 49-31 lead.
It was tough way to end what had been the most successful season ever for the Hawks (13-1) who completed their first-ever perfect regular season, snared their first-ever Region 7-AAAAAA title, and advanced to their first-ever semifinals.
“It was a great season and we could not have asked or gotten any more from the kids,” Jarvis said. “I hope what the legacy of this team will be is how unselfish they were, especially the seniors, who bought into everything we were trying to teach them. The have set the bar high for future Mill Creek teams.”
The first half more than lived up the billing between the state’s best offense and the state’s best defense but the lead changed hands four times. In fact, the Mill Creek offense looked liked it was ready to steal the show early.
The Hawks took the opening drive 65 yards in 12 plays with a nice balance of runs and passes. Turley was 3-for-4 for 37 yards, including a huge 19-yard pass to Omari Sanders on 3rd-and-13 at the Packers 20. Joe Thomas capped off the drive with a 4-yard run to give them a 7-0 lead with 6:36 left in the quarter.
But the Packers vaunted offense quickly showed why it has been feared all season. Parrish found Isaiah Thomas 10-yards behind the Mill Creek defense for a stunning 79-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 7 just 1:02 later. It was the longest play given up by the Hawks defense all season.
Colquitt County was not done in the opening quarter. The Packers forced a quick Mill Creek punt on its next possession and then the offense went 76 yards in 9 plays. Mill Creek appeared to have stopped the Packers when Nate Powell fumbled inside the Hawks 20 but he was ruled down. Replays showed it should have been a fumble and the Hawks ball.
Two plays later the Packers capped the drive with a 12-yard pass from Parrish to Kiel Pollard. However, Martinez missed just his second-ever extra point in his career for a 13-7 lead.
Both defenses flexed their muscles briefly with the Colquitt County defense forcing another Mill Creek punt and then the Hawks got their first stop of the Packers when Chase Turner picked off Parrish at the Mill Creek 7.
Turley and the Hawks offense took advantage driving 93-yards in 11-plays, capped by a 2-yard touchdown pass from Turley to David Milon to grab a 14-13 lead with 7:02 left in the half. It was Milon’s first touchdown catch of the season and Turley was 5-for-5 for 64 yards on the drive. The key play was a 22-yard strike from Turley to Miles Riley to the Packers 5.
The Packers answered right back again. Ty Lee returned the ensuing kickoff 59 yards to the Mill Creek 36 and Thomas capped the quick drive with a 9-yard touchdown run. Thomas then threw a pass to Parrish for a 2-point conversion for a 21-14 lead with 5:06 left.
The Packers tried an onside kick that Mill CReek recovered at the 50 but the Hawks went backwards on the drive and punted back to the Packers with 3:22 left.
Colquitt County was driving for another score before Kishawn Miller turned in the key play of the half picking off Parrish and returning it to the Mill Creek 37 with 57 seconds left in the half.
Turley connected with Sanders on a 43-yard pass to the Packers 20, which set up a 37-yard field goal by Brenton King with 19 seconds left to cut the lead to 21-17 by halftime.
The third quarter began with both defenses regrouping after a blitzkreig first half. The offenses combined for four straight three-and-outs in the first five minutes.
But, Colquitt County struck first pushing its lead to 28-17 on a 46-yard strike from Parrish to Ty Lee. The two defenses again traded three-and-outs and then Turner answered right back for the Hawks with a 69-yard punt return for a touchdown to cut the lead to 28-24 with 3:10 left in the third quarter.
But again the Packers struck fast getting a 78-yard touchdown pass from Parrish to Ty Powell, who was open 10-yards behind the defense, on the next play from scrimmage, to push it back to an 11-point lead, 35-24 with 2:52 left in the third.
That set up the wild fourth quarter.
A key for the Packers was holding down the Mill Creek pass rush. The Hawks came into the game with 63 sacks on the season. They did not register a single sack against the Packers and only managed to force three hurries all night.
It ended up being a rough night for both Gwinnett County teams in the AAAAAA semifinals as Roswell knocked off Grayson with a Hail Mary pass with 10 seconds left for a 30-26 win over the Rams.
Colquitt County (14-0) will take on Roswell next Saturday for the Class AAAAAA title.
SCORING SUMMARY
Colquitt.........13......8....14....17 -- 52
Mill Creek......7.....10.....7.......7 -- 31
First Quarter
MC -- Thomas 4 run (King kick) 7-0, 6:36
CC -- Thomas 79 pass from Parrish (Martinez kick) 7-7, 5:34
CC -- Pollard 12 pass from Parrish (kick failed) 13-7, 1:22
Second Quarter
MC -- Milon 2 pass from Turley (King kick) 14-13, 7:02
CC -- Thomas 9 run (Parrish pass) 21-14, 5:06
MC -- King 37 FG 21-17, 0:19
Third Quarter
CC -- Lee 46 pass from Parrish (Martinez kick) 28-17, 5:54
MC -- Turner 69 punt return (King kick) 28-24, 3:10
CC -- Ty Powell 78 pass from Parrish (Martinez kick) 35-24, 5:34
Fourth Quarter
MC -- Turley 2 run (King kick) 35-31, 10:43
CC -- Pollard 73 pass from Parrish (Martinez kick) 42-31, 9:29
CC -- Lee 55 pass from Parrish (Martinez kick) 49-31, 7:10
CC -- Martinez 22 FG, 0:20
http://accesswdun.com/article/2015/12/354357/big-plays-doom-hawks-in-loss-to-defending-champ-colquitt-county