Hillcrest Runs Past McAdory to Cap Off Perfect Season
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The Hillcrest Patriots beat the McAdory Yellow Jackets 35-14 on Friday night to finish its season a perfect 10-0.
"We'll see what's going on and our offensive line good gracious, them and J. Johnson took over this game and just lined up and ran the football right at them. And defensively, just phenomenal tonight, gave up two kind of late but you know, could not be prouder of the overall team effort tonight," said Hillcrest head coach Jamie Mitchell.
The Patriots got on the board first with a four-yard touchdown run by running back Jamarian Johnson, his first of the evening.
Hillcrest quarterback Ethan Crawford exited the game in the first quarter with a lower leg injury. The injury occurred after a 15-yard run by the senior to put the Patriots deep in the red zone on its first touchdown drive. He immediately left the field, putting no pressure on his ankle.
Backup quarterback Bryson Kimbrough came in for the rest of the game.
The dominant Patriots defense forced a three-and-out to get the ball back and went 64 yards down the field. The possession was capped off by a three-yard run by Johnson, his second of the evening.
Both defenses held up down the stretch of the first half. Hillcrest forced a hat trick of three-and-outs and McAdory forced a hat trick of punts to end the first half.
The Patriots received the ball to start the second half and went 90 yards down the field, scoring on an eight-yard run by Johnson, his third of the night.
Hillcrest forced another three-and-out to get the ball back and Kimbrough led the Patriots to its fourth touchdown of the night, scoring on a one-yard run.
"We know we're in good hands moving forward. He's got a lot of talent and a kid we believe in a bunch," said Mitchell on Kimbrough.
The Patriots tacked on one more touchdown to seal the victory, a 14-run by Johnson, his fourth of the evening.
The Yellow Jackets recorded two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. The first was a seven-yard run by running back Rod Thomas and the second was a 32-yard pass from quarterback Jacob Clopton to wide receiver JaCorey Whitted.
"You don't wake up and become undefeated. They got a really good football team out there and you know, I'm not really sure where we are. We have to find a way to execute and play better against teams of a high caliber and tonight, there just wasn't enough consistency," said McAdory head coach Aryvia Holmes.
Johnson suffered an ankle injury late in the fourth quarter. He was down on the field for a couple of moments before being helped off the field by the medical staff. He was evaluated on the sideline and exited on crutches.
Next week, Hillcrest has a BYE week and McAdory hosts Calera. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. CT.