Pleasant Grove
LAST WEEK: The Hawks (6-0, 1-0) defeated Gilmer (4-2, 0-1), 41-38.
THIS WEEK: Pleasant Grove hosts Atlanta (3-3, 0-1). It is homecoming for the Hawks. OFFENSIVE STANDOUTS:
Chauncey Martin rushed for 223 yards on 17 totes and a 55-yard touchdown. TJ Cole ran for 128 yards on 21 carries and scored three TDs. Carson Cox, who finished with three catches for 80 yards, scored the game winning touchdown on a pass from Ben Harmon with 36 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Harmon also scored on a 1-yard run.
DEFENSIVE STANDOUTS: Junior cornerback Tyler Kelley intercepted a pass in the end zone with Gilmer threatening to score in the fourth quarter and made five tackles. Jacob Barbour had seven tackles and made two sacks. Caleb Hemphill made eight tackles and had a sack, Xavier Benson made seven stops, and Chauncey Martin and Caleb Porchia each had six tackles. Landon Jackson had six stops and a sack. Austin Toler made five tackles and made a sack. COACH JOSH GIBSON’S COMMENTS: “The win over Gilmer is extremely special, and I am extremely proud. Gilmer has been a premier football program in the state over the last 18 years. This has been a 3 1/2 year process of grinding, grinding,
grinding. When you reap what you sow, and you get these rewards, it’s definitely special.
“The win gives us a lot of credibility and garners respect. We had a big time opportunity, and the respect will come from coaches and teams that we play against. Many of the teams we play in our district have been ranked in the top 10 in the last three or four years—Atlanta, Gladewater, Pittsburg, Gilmer—so our district has a lot of respect for each other.”