Broken-hearted again at the Benz: Peach County falls in final four seconds (with box)

By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com

          Forgive Peach County if the Trojans are not enamored with playing for a state football title in the big, fancy building.

          For two years now, Mercedes-Benz Stadium has been the home of broken hearts for Peach County.

          Despite its best efforts to botch things down the stretch with pre-snap penalties, Cedar Grove got a 22-yard touchdown pass on third and goal from from Kendall Boney to Jadon Haselwood with four seconds left and added the game-winning PAT to beat Peach County 14-13 Tuesday for the GHSA Class AAA championship.

          The score came in the same end zone as last year’s controversial call with a little more than three minutes left in Peach County’s 10-6 loss to Calhoun.

          There were no such issues this time as Cedar Grove spent the entire game looking for offense and found it in the final minute.

          Peach County went up 13-7 on Rene Galan’s 30-yard field goal with 3:03 left, the Trojans blowing a prime field-position opportunity, a first-and-goal at the 7. They were penalized for a substitution infraction, and then lost four yards in three plays.

          Haselwood, one of the top prospects in the nation, took advantage of poor coverage and returned the kickoff 58 yards to the Trojans’ 37.

          The Saints got two on fourth and 1, and then Robert Jones went right for 19 yards to the 7.

          False start.

          Incomplete pass.

          Rush for no gain.

          False start.

          Timeout, Cedar Grove, 10 seconds left, third and goal from the 17.

          False start. Third and goal from the 22.

          Haselwood had one catch up to then, and ran a simple but crisp out-and-up, getting just enough separation before extending his 6-foot-3 frame to reach up and pluck down Boney’s sixth completion in 18 attempts.

          Yet again, a tremendous defensive effort by Peach County (12-3) was overshadowed by a loss. Cedar Grove (14-1) had 195 yards total offense, 27 percent coming on the game-winning drive.

          Peach County outgained Cedar Grove 241-195 on eight more snaps. The Trojan defense recorded 38 yards in loss on the Saints offense, 22 coming on three sacks.

          The Saints survived 12 penalties for 84 yards, including three for nine yards on an early fourth-quarter possession that started at their 9 and preceded the Peach County field goal drive and then three more for 15 yards on the game-winning possession.

          Peach County drew six flags for 49 yards.

          Jaydon Gibson was 12 of 20 for 130 yards, and Tijah Woolfolk led the Trojan ground game with 43 yards on 10 carries.

          Boney had 22 yards on nine tries as the Saints ran for 71 yards.

          It was Cedar Grove’s lowest point total since losing 14-6 to Calhoun in a 2017 semifinal, and only the fourth time in three seasons the Saints have scored fewer than 21 points.