Archer players & coaches celebrate as the clock runs out on their 24-21 victory over McEachern in Powder Springs on Friday November 20th, 2015. Archer won 24-21. (Photo by Phil Skinner)
Archer and McEachern needed more than three and a half quarters to get the offenses going Friday in their second-round Class AAAAAA playoff game, but the points came fast and furious once they did.
Archer’s Will Bearden scored on a 1-yard quarterback keeper with 35 seconds remaining, the last of three lead changes in the final 4:08, to give the Tigers a 24-21 victory over host McEachern in a game between the teams that were ranked No. 1 (Archer) and No. 2 (McEachern) in the preseason.
Archer (11-1), the No. 2 seed from Region 8, will travel to face Region 7 champion Mill Creek in the quarterfinals next Friday. Region 4 champ McEachern finished the year 10-2.
“Absolutely unbelievable guts and character,” Archer coach Andy Dyer said of his team’s performance. “My hat’s off to McEachern. Their guys are awesome. Their staff is awesome, and they just do a wonderful job. This time of year, people keep going and people get their hearts broken. Everybody here knows that they’ve got an unbelievable football team.”
Archer trailed 14-10 when it recovered a McEachern fumble at the Indians’ 14-yard line with about five minutes to play. Two plays later, Bearden threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Aramis Bryant to give the Tigers their first lead of the second half and set the stage for the wild final four minutes.
McEachern answered quickly. On the fourth play of its next drive, Bailey Hockman threw a 36-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Simmons put the Indians back in front 21-17 with 3:08 to play.
Archer took over after the ensuing kickoff at its 26 and drove the final 74 yards in 12 plays. Bearden was 4-for-7 passing on the drive for 45 yards, including a 10-yarder to Bryant on a fourth-and-10 play at the McEachern 39, and carried three times for 20 yards.
McEachern had one last try to pull out the victory, taking over at its 42 after the kickoff. The Indians reached the Archer 43, but a wild final play that involved several laterals was stopped at about the 20-yard line.
For the game, Bearden was 29-for-42 passing for 222 yards, at one point completing 11 consecutive passes. McEachern’s Hockman was 10-for-20 for 224 yards.
Both teams were sloppy, particularly early. Archer had a couple of penalties that stopped first-half drives, and a 17-yard punt gave the Indians good field position. McEachern’s mistakes proved more costly. The Indians missed three field goals, lost two fumbles and had a 2-yard punt.
The teams had just 157 total yards combined in the first half, during which the only scoring came on a 30-yard field goal by Archer’s Matthew Fritts with 1:58 to play in the half. Archer had 109 of those yards, but the Tigers managed just 12 yards rushing on 12 carries. Jamyest Williams, the Tigers’ 1,000-yard rusher, had 10 yards on nine carries in the first half but finished with 81 yards on 25 carries.
McEachern had great field position in the first quarter but was unable to take advantage. The Indians’ first three drives all started in Archer territory, but they resulted in two missed field goals and a punt. McEachern’s Sam Jackson, who entered the game with 1,462 rushing yards, had 38 yards on 10 carries in the first half, but the Indians had just 48 total yards. Jackson finished with 71 yards on 21 carries.
“We just stayed at it,” Dyer said. “They had a lot to do with stopping the run. They’re great up front. It was just a battle royal.”
McEachern took its first lead when Jackson returned the second-half kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown. Simmons made it 14-3 later in the third quarter with a 1-yard run, a touchdown that was set up by his 79-yard reception two plays earlier.
Archer – 0-3-7-14 – 24
McEachern – 0-0-14-7 – 21
A – Matthew Fritts 30 field goal
M – Sam Jackson 95 kickoff return (Cesar Dominguez kick)
M – Tyler Simmons 1 run (Dominguez kick)
A – Jamyest Williams 2 run (Fritts kick)
A – Aramis Bryant 15 pass from Will Bearden (Fritts kick)
M – Tyler Simmons 36 pass from Bailey Hockman (Dominguez kick)
A – Bearden 1 run (Fritts kick)
