Even with an outstanding defensive effort, the Hawks fell to 2-1 (1-0 region) with Friday night’s 0-19 loss to the two-time defending 7-AAAAA champion Blue Devils.
Though the Hawks were unable to get anything going offensively, Mill Creek head coach Shannon Jarvis said there were plenty of positives in the game.
“I’m not down on our football team at all,” he said. “Sometimes when you play a game and you play a quality opponent, you realize they’re better than you and you don’t get frustrated with your kids. We’re going to come back next week and be ready to go. We’ll look at we can do better and go from there.”
The Hawks’ next game will be this Friday against region opponent Duluth.
Jarvis said he and his team will not let the loss to Norcross discourage them as they continue their region schedule.
“Obviously our goals are still there,” he said. “We’re trying to make the playoffs. We’re looking to put up another win and get moving.”
Mill Creek will host Duluth (0-3) for homecoming. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in Hoschton.
Bedeviled
For a while, it looked as if neither team would be able to put points on the board.
With the Mill Creek and Norcross defensive lines holding steady, both teams were forced to go several series without so much as a first down.
After being forced to punt twice, Norcross finally broke the impasse by picking up three first downs in a 32-yard drive. Even though the Blue Devils managed to move the ball, the Hawks’ defense kept them scoreless and forced them to punt.
Mill Creek got its only first down of the quarter on a 10-yard carry by Ramael Wilson. After another carry by Wilson, the Hawks faced second and six at the end of the first.
Mill Creek quarterback Ed Russ ran for a first down on the opening play of the second quarter, but the drive ended three downs later when the Hawks punted on fourth and 2.
Norcross went to work at their own 37. On second and 10, Norcross’ Arius Wright broke loose and ran 59 yards to the Mill Creek four before being stopped by Mill Creek’s Chris Avery. On the next play, University of Maryland commitment D. J. Adams went over the top of the Hawks’ defensive line to score.
After the extra point, Norcross led 7-0 with eight minutes left in the half.
Mill Creek’s next drive made it to midfield before a fumble gave Norcross the ball at the Mill Creek 48 yard line. The Blue Devils drove for 20 yards before being forced to settle for a field goal.
The half ended with Norcross leading by ten.
In the first series of the third quarter, the Mill Creek defense forced Norcross to go three and out.
Mill Creek got the ball back on their own 44.On second and nine, Ed Russ completed a 22-yard pass to Zach Landis to give Mill Creek a first down. Sophomore Tyler Cierski followed with a 16-yard run, giving Mill Creek another first down at the Norcross 17.
The Hawks’ first incursion into the red zone ended five plays later. After penalties backed the Hawks up to the Norcross 28, Mill Creek attempted to convert on fourth and 21. The Hawks failed and Norcross took over on downs.
Penalties would continue to plague Mill Creek during Norcross’ next series. After being penalized 20 yards and giving Norcross two first downs, the Hawks forced the Blue Devils to settle for a field goal. Norcross led 13-0 with 2:10 left in the third quarter.
After a quick three and out by Mill Creek, Norcross began its last scoring drive of the game. The 60-yard drive ended with a five yard touchdown run by D.J. Adams. The extra point went wide, making the final score Norcross 19, Mill Creek 0.
By the numbers
The Blue Devils racked up 220 yards of total offense compared to only 139 for Mill Creek. The Norcross defense also dominated, sacking Mill Creek quarterback Ed Russ a total of eight times.
Russ finished the night 11 of 16 for 93 yards and picked up ten yards rushing.
Tyler Cierski led the Hawks in rushing with 24 yards. Ramael Wilson ran for 12 yards.
Defensively, the Hawks were led by Ryan Robinson with ten solo tackles, five assists, four tackles for loss and two quarterback hurries. Scott Ooley had four solo tackles, five assists and two tackles for loss. Other defensive leaders were Ricky Fawbush with four solo tackles and seven assists and James Powell with eight solo tackles and two quarterback hurries.
On special teams, Trent Tignor had eight punts averaging 34 yards each.
“It is what it is”
Jarvis said the final score shows what happens when you play a very good team.
“On defense, they gave us pressure all night. Their front played great on defense. We had a hard time blocking them. Tonight, they were a better football team,” he said.
Jarvis said his defense played well too, but admitted that the offense struggled.
“They couldn’t get anything together,” Jarvis said. “We got that one drive going and then we got the false start and got backed up. We had a hard time protecting the quarterback and coverage-wise, what they were giving us were the deeper routes and we couldn’t see it because we were getting sacked because we couldn’t hold them a little longer.”
In the end though, Jarvis said what matters now is the rest of the season.
“It is what it is,” he said. “We’re going to work to get better.”
