BEARVILLE — Crisp County, a battle tested team with a deceiving record, scored three second-half touchdowns to score a 28-16 victory here over second-ranked Pierce County spoiling Senior Night.
The Cougars (3-6 overall, 2-1 region) punched in touchdowns on three of their four possessions over the final two periods rallying from an early 10-0 deficit in the second period and 10-7 margin at intermission.
The loss ended Pierce County’s (7-1, 1-1) 16-game home winning streak dating back to a 17-14 loss September 29, 2023 to Appling County.
It was just the third victory by Crisp County in 10 matchups with teams ranked second. The Cougars last win against a No. 2 team in the 2021 Class AAA playoffs against Oconee County.
Meanwhile, the Bears fell to 10-2 when ranked second in the polls.
The setback also knocked PCHS from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Top 10 poll ending a streak of 96 consecutive weeks. It was the sixth-longest active streak trailing Buford, Cartersville, Prince Avenue Christian, Lee County and Marist.
“Crisp (County) has some good football players out there,” said Bears’ head coach Ryan Herring. “There were some tough matchups for us. We were just a little bit off on a few things. My hat’s off to them (Cougars). I knew it was going to be a tough game.
“They could have been 7-1 coming in here, that’s how good they are. They’ve lost some really close games by self-inflicting wounds against a very tough schedule.”
Pierce County’s longest scoring drive of the night covered 57 yards spanning the first and second quarters in opening up a 10-0 advantage.
“We worked on how we (coaches) felt they would attack us all week,” said Herring. “The head coach (Justin Newman) was the defensive coordinator at Carver-Columbus so I went back and studied that film. We had some running lanes and other times they (Cougars) just shut those lanes down.”
The Crisp County defense, with 11 men inside the box in linebacker stances, limited the Bears to just 210 yards of total offense on 55 plays. PCHS’s Jae’Veon Williams continued his splendid season rushing for 133 yards (sixth straight 100yard game) on 25 carries and scoring two touchdowns.
The Bears had a season-high 10 plays stopped behind the line of scrimmage.
The Cougars’ offense, which managed 72 yards on the ground on 20 tries, recorded seven pass completions of 21 yards or longer including touchdown passes of 47 yards and 76 yards and totaled 257 yards on 11-of-21 completions by quarterback Hagan Slimp. The 47-yard completion came on a fourth-and-seven swing pass to running back Derrell Brown (two catches, 48 yards) giving the visitors a 14-10 lead with 9:18 left on the third quarter clock.
The second was a home run ball to speedy receiver Deshaun Fedd (eight catches, 203 yards) lifting the Cougars to a 21-16 lead with 1:15 to play in the third period.
“We (coaches) knew No. 12 (Fedd) will be the best receiver we see all year ... we’re not gonna face a better receiver than him,” Herring said. “We knew we couldn’t give up the vertical down the field and he got behind us. He’s a special talent. I think he was top 10 pre-season in the state.”
Pierce County capitalized on a Leland Williams blocked punt and recovery at the Cougars’ 35 to set up the first points of the night.
The Bears converted a fourth-and-three with Jae’Veon Williams finding a seam off left guard for a 12yard gain to the Crisp County 16. Three plays netted two yards with Garrett Stevenson drilling a 31-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead with 5:04 left in the opening stanza.
Kendric Benson’s interception of a Slimp pass in front of the Pierce County bench set up the Bears’ ensuing score. Benson out jumped the intended Crisp County receiver for the theft.
PCHS followed with an eight-play, 57-yard drive ending with Jae’Veon Williams scoring the first of his two touchdowns with a three-yard run on fourth-and-goal 10:33 before intermission.
He broke off back-to-back runs of 21 and 23 yards advancing the ball to the Crisp County eight. Stevenson tacked on the PAT for a 10-0 lead.
The Cougars responded with an eight-play, 82-yard scoring drive aided by catches of 31 yards (third-andseven) and 27 yards by Fedd. Brown scored the first of his three touchdowns plunging in from a yard away with 7:50 left in the half. Guillermo Cervantes added the first of his four conversions cutting the margin to 10-7.
PCHS crossed midfield on its next possession only to stall and punt the ball away. The Bears’ last possession of the half (58.2 seconds left) started at midfield and ended when Drake Dowling (21 carries, 36 yards) was sacked on the final play.
Crisp County opened the second half with a five-play, 71-yard march to take a 14-10 lead. The big play was Slimp’s swing pass to Brown on fourth-and-seven for the 47-yard score.
“That was the back-breaker,” said Herring. “If we get a stop there we have all the momentum with the ball at midfield. That was one of two catches I would like to have back.”
After the next two series ended with three-and-outs, PCHS ended up with the better field position thanks to a Chance Williams partially blocked punt for a net gain of three yards.
With the ball resting at the Crisp County 35, the Bears needed five plays to cover the distance. Jae’Veon Williams carried on four of the five snaps gaining 34 yards including the final five yards for the touchdown with 3:10 showing on the third quarter clock. A bad snap spoiled the PAT leaving Pierce County clinging to a 1614 advantage.
The lead lasted nearly two minutes. Fedd sped through the PCHS secondary with Slimp hitting him in stride for the 76-yard score on the fourth snap of the possession. The Cervantes’ PAT gave Crisp County the lead for good at 21-16 just 1:15 before the third period expired.
There was a little controversy on the Bears’ next possession when a Crisp County defender was “injured.” The delay came when a teammate gave instructions to fall and grab his leg indicating a cramp.
After the Cougars forced a punt, they went 71 yards in eight plays to open up a 28-16 lead. Slimp scrambled for 16 on a third-and-10 and hit Fedd for 25 yards two plays later moving the ball to the PCHS 21. Brown raced around right end on the ensuing snap for the score with 5:30 remaining.
The Bears ran out of downs on its final drive which covered 60 yards in 15 time-consuming plays (5:08). A 10-yard penalty against the Cougars on a fourth-andfour helped keep the possession alive.
Dowling (4-of-10, 44 yards) converted a third-and-12 with a 17-yard completion to Nigel Brown (two catches, 27 yards) and a second-and-10 pass to Brown two plays later. Jae’Veon Williams picked up a first down on a third-and-nine with a nine-yard run.
The drive, which started at the Pierce County 29, ended at the Crisp County 11 on a fourth down incompletion with 22.4 seconds to play.
Pierce County defensive back Kendric Benton gets his gloved hands around the football to snatch an interception above a Crisp County receiver as teammate Nigel Brown (3) closes in. Photo By RICK HEAD
