Hawks look to make history
For the third time in school history, Pleasant Grove is in the state quarterfinals.
The undefeated Hawks (13-0) take on Melissa (12-1) today at 7 p.m. at Paris High School’s Wild cat Stadium in a Class 4A, Division II state quarterfinal matchup.
Pleasant Grove and the Cardinals are playing for a Region II-4A, Division II championship. With a win, it will be the farthest any Hawks’ team has gone in the football playoffs in school history. The Hawks will be the home team.
“I think it’s awesome to reach milestones and to have the opportunity to set new school records,” Pleasant Grove head coach Josh Gibson said. “It’s good for the kids, the school, and the community, and we are happy to go for that goal.”
The Hawks began their playoff journey with a 21-7 win over Tatum. Pleasant Grove then took down Aubrey, 56-28, and defeated rival Celina, 33-14, at Gerald Prim Stadium in Sulphur Springs, Texas.
Melissa romped past Lincoln in the first round, 58-14, defeated Rusk, 56-34, and beat traditional football giant Gilmer, 35-23.
“The Cardinals are extremely talented and are very well coached,” Gibson said. “They have some of the best athletes that we’ve gone up against this year. They are productive and
are state ranked in the top four in two different polls.”
Pleasant Grove comes into today’s clash with a scoring average of 42.6 points per game, and its Golden Curtain defense has given up just 16.3 points. The Hawks are the District 7-4A champions.
Melissa is averaging 45.5 points per contest and gives up 23.7 points per game. The Cardinals are the District 5-4A champions and are on a 12-game winning streak. Melissa lost its first game of the season to Liberty Christian, 21-14.
PG senior running back Chauncey Martin rushed for 115 yards on just 10 carries and three touchdowns in the Hawks’ win over Celina.
Senior Pleasant Grove fullback TJ Cole leads the team in rushing with 1,385 yards of rushing on 186 carries and 18 rushing touchdowns.
This playoff game will pit two sophomore quarterbacks against each other— the Hawks’ Ben Harmon and Melissa’s Brendan Lewis.
Harmon has thrown for 1,621 yards on 70 of 109 passing and 23 touchdowns. He has thrown just six interceptions.
Lewis has amassed 1,738 yards of passing and has completed 108 out of 163 attempts. Lewis has tossed 20 touchdowns and has been picked off just twice.
Senior Carson Cox is Pleasant Grove’s leading receiver. Cox has snagged 24 passes for 663 yards and 11 scores.
Leading the Cardinals’ receiving corps is junior Kennedy Lewis, who has caught 29 passes for 618 yards and 4 TDs.
“The guys are excited to play and are really confident,” Gibson said. “We have 22 seniors and they believe in themselves and in the process.”
Pleasant Grove’s defense gives up an average of 252.8 yards per game—146.5 on the ground and 106.3 through the air.
The Hawks average 413.5 yards of offense per game—291.5 rushing and 122.0 passing.
Senior inside linebacker Caleb Porchia leads the PG defense with 162 tackles, while Melissa senior middle linebacker Thomas Gallardo leads the Cardinals with 121 stops.
Freshman standout outside linebacker Landon Jackson leads Pleasant Grove with nine sacks and is fourth on the team with 81 tackles. Senior leader and outside linebacker Xavier Benson is second on the team with 91 stops and has recovered a pair of fumbles.
Junior safety Caleb Hemphill has made 88 tackles and six sacks on the year for the Hawks. Senior defensive tackle Austin Toler has totaled 71 stops, including a team-leading 16 tackles for loss. Toler has recovered two fumbles, both of which went for touchdowns.
Just as important as big stats has been the Hawks’ senior-laden offensive line. Anchoring the line are junior Brock Bingham, senior Hunter Druhan, senior Zach Wrinkle, senior Nick Gavriel and senior Drake Fowler.
The winner of the game will face either Bushland (11-2) or Graham (13-0) in the Class 4A state semifinals next week.
RADIO: KTRG 94.1 FM, 7:15 p.m. TONIGHT’S LINEUPS (Numbers in parentheses) PLEASANT GROVE OFFENSE: WB-Bruce Garrett (2), TE-Xavier Benson (3), TE-Austin Toler (90), WR-Carson Cox (4) , QB-Ben Harmon (10), FB-TJ Cole (15), TB-Chauncey Martin (21), LG-Brock Bingham (55), RG-Hunter Druhan (59), C-Zach Wrinkle (74), OT-Nick Gavriel (77), OT-Drake Fowler (79), PK-Dillon Williams (9). PLEASANT GROVE DEFENSE: CB-Cameron Wells (1), OLB-Xavier Benson (3), ILB-Caleb Porchia (5), FS-Ryan Pickelman (7), SS-Caleb Hemphill (8), CB-Tyler Kelley (13), FS-Chauncey Martin (21), OLB-Jacob Barbour (42), DE-Landon Jackson (40), NG-Drake Fowler (79), DT-Austin Toler (90), P-Ben Harmon (10).