Offensive struggles, controversial call doom Peach County in defensive title game (box added)
Moving the ball against anybody has rarely been a problem for Peach County.
And then came Friday’s state championship game against Calhoun.
Suddenly, the Trojans just couldn’t move. And they turned it over.
Still, they were alive, and then in position to win.
An apparently caught pass near the goal line was ruled incomplete on fourth down with 3:33 left, and the Trojans couldn’t rally again in losing 10-6 to the Yellow Jackets.
Peach County got a 37-yard field goal from Mitchell Fineran with 5:52 left in the game to pull within six on a day when both offenses struggled.
Calhoun went three and out, and Peach County took over on its 46 with 4:53 left. Two plays gained 31 yards, but then the offense bogged down – thanks to a big rush on quarterback Antonio Gilbert on third down – and faced a fourth and 8 at the 21 with 3:40 left.
Gilbert was hit has threw down the left side to sophomore Noah Whittington, who appeared to make the catch. He stretched out for the goal line and lost the ball as it crossed. An official right on the goal line immediately ruled it incomplete.
Peach County’s sidelines and fans booed, and the volume grew after seeing the replay, which showed that Whittington did appear to maintain possession and that he lost the ball after it crossed the line
But there is no replay review in Georgia high school football, and the play will be debated for awhile.
Calhoun again went three and out, and the Trojans took over on their 41 with 1:52 left.
Gilbert was chased and sacked for a 14-yard loss, and his next pass gained 16 for third and 8. The next pass was caught and dropped, short of a first down, and then he found Trevon Woolfolk in the flat, but Woolfolk could only get five yards, falling short of a first down.
Peach County outgained Calhoun by 12 yards on one more play, and the Yellow Jackets survived 10 penalties to three for the Trojans.
Gilbert was sacked five times and Calhoun’s Gavin Gray four times. Gilbert lost 28 yards overall.
The teams combined for 16 punts, and Peach County had one more first down than Calhoun, 9-8, far below the average for both.
Calhoun’s Brannon Spector returned an interception 45 yards for a touchdown with 23 seconds left in the first half and the Trojans were in a hole heading into halftime.
Peach County hadn’t scored fewer than 28 points since last year’s 13-7 loss to Greater Atlanta Christian in the semifinals. But Calhoun took advantage of a Trojans’ offense that seemed to do just what the Yellow Jackets expected.
Granted, neither offense was much on point. Calhoun had 67 yards total offense at halftime, four more than Peach County, which had on more first down.
It wasn’t much different after three quarters. The teams were tied in first downs, but Calhoun had a 119-89 lead in yards on four more plays.
The Yellow Jackets added a field goal after recovering an onside kick to open the third quarter. Elmer Gutierrez nailed a 34-yarder with 9:30 left in the third quarter.
And Peach County kept trying to get going on offense.
By the start of the fourth quarter, the teams had combined for 13 punts.
Mitchell Fineran’s perfect 50-yard field goal got Peach County on the board with 8:36 left in the fourth.