Sequoyah’s pre-game banner said “Not Going Home Until The Dome.” Unfortunately for the Chiefs, Marist didn’t read it.
In the second round of the Class 4A state playoffs, Marist held off a pesky Sequoyah team, 28-12. The War Eagles led by just two points midway through the third quarter, but the Chiefs’ offense was unable to score in the final 17 minutes of play.
Marist’s offense was not its typically dominant self through much of the game but the defense and special teams more than picked up the slack. Randy Carroll and Keller Carlock each recovered fumbles, while Jimbo Haneklau came away with an interception. It was Sam McNearny who made the play of the game, however, blocking a punt in the second quarter and running it back for a touchdown.
But the War Eagles certainly had their stars on offense as well. Matt Connors had two touchdown runs—his second coming after a crucial 45-yard pass from Kyle Farmer to Kevin Allman—and Patrick Sullivan put the final nail in the coffin with a 28-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
The Chiefs made things interesting through three quarters, as their different offensive schemes confused both Marist and the fans. For a team that normally bases its offense around the run, the Chiefs instead relied on the arm of sophomore quarterback Ben Rogers, which led to a Sequoyah fan yelling, “[Marist] ain’t seen it ‘cause we ain’t seen it.” Dominique Swope scored on a 9-yard run in the first quarter and Rogers threw a touchdown in the third quarter to cut the lead to two. Rogers and his targets—namely Ryan Oubre, Johnny Day and Dalton Trevino—made some big plays, and while the loss stings, Sequoyah fans have to be happy that Rogers, Day and Trevino will all be back next season.
UP NEXT
The question now is, does Marist have what it takes to win its first state title since 2003? Sequoyah gave the War Eagles a scare, trailing by just two at the start of the fourth quarter, but keep in mind Marist has not lost a playoff game at home since 1994. Why is this significant? After Mt. Zion-Jonesboro’s shocking 19-0 upset over Ware County, top-seeded Marist will now host the fourth-seeded Bulldogs next Friday at 7:30 p.m. On the lower side of the bracket, second-seeded Rome faces another two-seed in Statesboro, which means that if Marist can beat Mt. Zion, it will host the semifinal matchup as well.
Certainly anything can happen, but if history is any indication, the War Eagles have a great shot at reaching the state championship. Our final regular-season rankings had Westside-Macon at No. 1 and Marist at No. 2; with both teams guaranteed home-field advantage for the next two rounds, will fans be treated to this colossal matchup at the Georgia Dome on Dec. 12?
Arapoglou can be reached at tarapoglou@scoreatl.com.
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