Richmond Hill entered Friday’s non-region game with Ware County with a special teams that had blocked five kicks and punts already this season.
One of the groups preserved a victory for the Wildcats. They added another one against the Gators and it was worth a win September 11 in Memorial Stadium.
In one of football’s most unlikely plays — especially for a high school game — Elias Grant returned a blocked field goal attempt 95 yards for a touchdown with no time on the clock to gave the Wildcats (4-0) a shocking 13-7 victory.
“No, that’s a first,” said a disconsolate Ware County head coach Jason Strickland, who’s been coaching nearly three decades. “They blocked three kicks against Effingham County (23-22 opening win) and one or two last week. We saw it on film, but it wasn’t something we thought we’d have an issue with.”
The Gators (1-2) lined up for a potential gamewinning 37-yard field goal attempt by junior Jeffrey Gonzalez in the middle of the field with 2.3 seconds left. The Gators had gained possession just 1:13 earlier by stuffing running back C.J. Menzie for a two-yard loss on a fourthand- one play from the Wildcats’ 36.
Jimmy Taylor ran four yards on first down and Isaiah White followed with a six-yard pass to Ma’Siyer “MooMoo” McKoy to set up a thirdand one from the 25. After a timeout, White ran for three yards before McKoy was stopped for no gain on first down run.
After a timeout with 25.4 seconds, White threw long out of the back of the end zone. On third down, McKoy gained six yards to get the ball into position for Gonzalez, and the Gators ran the clock down before using their final timeout.
After Richmond Hill used its last timeout to “ice” Gonzalez, the Gators again lined up for the attempt. Linebacker Jaylon Deal got good penetration to get a hand on the kick sending it fluttering over the line of scrimmage about head high.
“It was right up the middle. They have two really big guys in there,” Strickland said.
Grant was the Wildcats safety on the play, stationed inside the Richmond Hill 10. The senior, who also scored Richmond Hill’s other touchdown on a pass reception, plucked the ball out of the air and headed to the outside toward the visitor’s sideline.
His teammates quickly reacted and formed a wall along side and in front of him. A couple of Gators gave chase and hemmed in Grant around midfield. It appeared one would get the stop to send the game to overtime.
The fleet returner, however, cut back toward the middle of the field and left his blockers. He had just enough stamina to outrun the final Gator in pursuit before diving into the end zone.
“The personnel you have out there (for place kicks) are not the personnel to be chasing a guy as athletic as that kid,” Strickland said. “I thought we might have a couple of shots at him even at that. It says something about the character of our kids that they tried to chase him down.”
The game was marked by struggling offenses, and opportune defenses.
Ware County had 281 yards total offense, but had two turnovers, lost 52 yards on seven penalties and suffered nine negative plays. Those losses often had the Gators playing behind the chains.
Richmond Hill, which competes in 7A, two classes higher than Ware County, managed 186 yards total offense and suffered an interception. More than a third of the yardage total came on one run by Menzie, a bullish senior who had a game-high 109 yards on 19 carries.
“I thought we played hard enough to win,” Strickland said.
The opening period was scoreless thanks in part to a sparkling play by McKoy to kill the only Wildcats’ scoring threat of the first half.
The visitors got the opening kickoff, and Menzie returned it 61 yards to the Gators’ 31. The Wildcats got one first down before McKoy made a diving, one-handed interception of a Gunner Mobley pass intended for Grant in the end zone.
“That guy is incredible,” Strickland said of the two-way junior. “What he’s doing on both sides of the ball right now is keeping us alive.”
The Gators wasted a 50-yard punt return by Davion Jones that gave them a first down at the Wildcats’ 42 late on the period. White was called for intentional grounding to avoid heavy pressure for a loss of 19 yards and the Gators couldn’t overcome it.
“Negative plays have been something that’s kind of got us these first three games,” Strickland said. “A lot of that is youth and inexperience on offense, but we can’t use that as an excuse. We have to keep coaching it and coach it better.”
Ware County began its only scoring drive of the night after forcing a punt in the final seconds of the first quarter. The Gators took over at their three, and after an offside penalty on the visitors, covered the remaining distance in 10 plays to take a 7-0 lead with 7:02 left in the half.
White tossed a four-yard pass to McKoy and Gonzalez kicked the PAT. White keyed the drive with a 35-yard scramble and three pass completions, including the touchdown.
“Isaiah did a really good job with his legs,” Strickland said of the senior, who led the Gators with six carries for 68 yards.
Ware County had another chance before the half ended, but came up empty. After another punt, the Gators moved from their 39 to a third down at the Wildcats’ 28 only to see White misfire on a pass. Jimmy Taylor get swarmed for no gain on a fourth-and-three run to end the possession.
The Gators got one first down after taking the second half kickoff, but could do no more. The Wildcats took over at their seven, and on the second play, Menzie burst through the middle for 67 yards, finally being run down by McKoy at the Ware County 25.
The visitors could get only five more yards bringing on Shane Tucker, who was wide left on a field goal try from 37 yards away with 5:04 left in the quarter.
Richmond Hill finally cashed in for a touchdown when a low snap to White in the pistol formation from the Gators’ 30 led to a scrum in the Ware County backfield for the ball which Deal finally recovered for the Wildcats at the Ware County 23.
Two plays later, Mobley found Grant behind single coverage just before he stepped out of the back left corner of the end zone for a 22-yard touchdown pass. Tucker’s kick tied it at 7-7 with 3:10 left in the third period.
After an exchange of punts, the Gators had a chance to break the tie, taking over on their 28. Ware County got first downs on the first two plays before White connected with Ja’Londi O’Hara on a 44-yard pass for a first down at the Wildcats’ one.
However, the Gators lost nine yards on a pair of runs before White saw his pass intended for LeTerrian Hayes knocked away in the end zone. Gonzales came on for a 27yard field goal attempt, but was wide with 8:53 left.
“Execution in the red zone is an issue,” Strickland said. “We left some plays out there that would’ve got us some more points.”
Ware County stopped the Wildcats on downs at its 32 on the possession after the missed field goal, but the Gators gave it back when White was intercepted by Grant at the Richmond Hill 27.
That gave the Wildcats a possession that led to four Menzie runs. The last came on a fourth-and-one play from the Richmond Hill 36 resulting in a two-yard loss on a tackle by Jamarion Keyhea to set up the unlikely finish.
“This was a tough one,” Strickland said. “We have to find a way to move forward. Whatever that way is right now, we’re not sure, but we have to find a way to get this worked out and continue to get better.”
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