LOGANVILLE — Grayson continued its dominance at home in the playoffs as it destroyed Valdosta, 54-21, in the second round of the Class AAAAAA playoffs.
The Rams got 328 combined rushing yards from Cameryn Brent and Ernest Tiller III as the Wildcats couldn’t get a stop on defense.
“Our offensive line did great up front all night,” said Grayson head coach Mickey Conn. “That’s where it all starts.”
Grayson (12-0) got things going on its first drive, going 65 yards in eight plays. A 12-yard completion from quarterback Chase Brice to Austin Nash moved the chains on third down before the Rams gave it to Brent on the next five plays. Rushes of 10, 15 and 13 yards set up Brent, who then scored from the 8-yard line to give the Rams a 7-0 lead.
After forcing Valdosta (8-4) to punt on its first drive, Grayson against moved down the field. A screen pass to Evan Sturgill went for 51 yards down to the Valdosta 25-yard line. However, The Rams’ offense stalled inside the red zone and had to settle for a Will Van Pamelen 30-yard field goal to make it 10-0.
On the Wildcats’ first play of their next drive, quarterback Seth Shuman dropped back to pass only to see Grayson freshman Owen Pappoe step in front of the pass and return it 15 yards for the score.
“That was a huge interception and score that Owen had there,” Conn said. “That made the game 17-0 and really pushed us.”
Valdosta was again forced to punt on its next drive with Sturgill returning it 21 yards to the Valdosta 34-yard line. On the first play of the drive, Brice found Austin Nash, who broke two tackles and made a cut to the end zone for a 34-yard score, making it 24-0.
“Our screen game was working good,” Conn said. “Chase read the defense well, and our receivers broke tackles and made big plays.”
The Wildcats were again forced to punt on their next drive, and the Rams again found a way to put points on the board.
A 28-yard completion to Ryan Carriere put the ball in Valdosta territory with Brent following that up with a 23-yard run. Three plays later, Brice found Sturgill open for a 9-yard score, making it 31-0.
Valdosta finally put points on the board on its next drive, taking advantage of a hands-to-the-face penalty to move the ball into Grayson territory. A 22-yard completion from Seth Shuman to Anotonia Keuma put the Wildcats in the red zone with Jamarcus Tyson scoring on a 10-yard pass from Shuman to make it 31-7.
The Rams added a field goal at the end of the half, marching 61 yards in 2:18 with Van Pamelen converting a 22-yard field goal at the buzzer to make it 34-7.
Grayson came out strong in the second half as well using Tiller and Brent exclusively on its first drive on the half. Three rushes for 42 yards by Tiller set up Brent for the final two rushes, the last of which went for 25 yards and a touchdown to make it 40-7.
Tiller added the final two touchdowns on the evening for the Rams, using one play on two-straight drives to score touchdowns. The first game on a 60-yard scamper with 5:40 to go in the third quarter. The second came after Valdosta turned the ball over on downs and Tiller went 65 yards, making it 54-7 with 4:04 to go in the third quarter.
“We scored on every drive but one through three quarters,” Conn said. “That’s something I can be happy with.”
Shuman added touchdown passes of 17 and 40 yards in the fourth quarter, but it was too late.
Tiller finished the night with five rushes for 167 yards, while Brent went for 161 yards on 18 carries. Sturgill led Rams receivers with four catches for 70 yards.
Valdosta was led by Shuman, who completed 29 of 57 passes for 396 yards and three touchdowns, while Jamarcus Tyson had six catches for 140 yards and Jontae Baker had seven catches for 119 yards.
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