BEARVILLE — Pierce County’s special teams play set the tone early here Friday night in the opening round of the Class AA state playoffs.
The 10th-seed Bears (10-1), ranked No. 5 in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution season-ending Top 10 regular season poll and second overall in the six human polls, blasted overmatched 23rd-seed Jackson (4-7) 56-0 of Region 2 to advance with a ninth consecutive first round victory.
The 56-point margin was the largest ever for Pierce County in 491 games. The point total was the second-highest in the playoffs behind the 59 scored in a 2020 first round win over Burke County. The Bears’ 49 first-half points tied the mark for the playoffs set in the second round of the 2022 playoffs against Berrien (52-0 win).
PCHS will travel to face seventh-seed Region 6 champion Columbia (56), who ousted 26th-seed Butler 46-12. The Eagles are flying high riding a five-game winning streak after an 0-6 start playing a brutal non-region schedule.
“That set the tone immediately,” said Bears’ head coach Ryan Herring of the opening kick smothered at the Red Devils’ six with zero return yards. “We (coaches, players) talk about this every week, Whether it’s kickoff coverage or kick return, you can literally gain momentum on the first play of a game and we did that.
“It was great coverage on that play. We had great kickoff coverage on all of them we didn’t have great kicks on all of them.”
Four plays in the Bears were on their way when linebacker Campbell Strickland recovered a fumble in the end zone for a quick 7-0 lead after Garrett Stevenson drilled the first of his eight PATs with 10:29 left in the opening period.
“We knew they (Red Devils) were pretty much a one-dimensional team,” Herring said. “We were able to attack from the start.”
Jackson finished with minus-4 yards rushing on 25 tries. The total was the third-lowest in post-season action behind Laney (minus-21 - 2022) and Windsor Forest (minus-12 - 2021) and the fourth time PCHS has held a playoff opponent to minus rushing yards.
The Red Devils 10 yards of total offense is the second fewest yards all-time in program history trailing only the minus-4 of Long County in 2020.
Jackson’s nine first-half possessions ended with six punts (five three-andouts), two turnovers and the end of the half. The Red Devils’ deepest penetration was its own 38.
They did reach the Pierce County 43 in the third quarter only to be slammed for a two-yard loss on a fourth-and-one against the Bears’ backups.
While the Red Devils had an average of 79 yards of real estate to move on its nine first-half possessions, PCHS had an average of just 45 yards. The Bears scored on six of their seven possessions in the opening 24 minutes.
“The offensive line was able to do a good job getting a body on a body,” said Herring. “We were able to run the ball with Caden (McGatha, seven carries, 48 yards, three scores) and Marquez (Leggett, eight carries, 65 yards, touchdown). Caden (7-of-13, 185 yards, three touchdowns) had time to throw. I thought those guys up front did a great job.”
PCHS’s first offensive possession started with 7:34 left in the opening stanza. The Bears moved 56 yards (82 total yards) in seven plays with McGatha covering the final nine yards for a 14-0 advantage with 4:06 to play in period one.
Pierce County, after its only empty possession of the half, scored one more time before the quarter ended covering 36 yards in two plays. McGatha hit Joe Drew (four catches, 112 yards) for 19 yards and followed with 17-yard scoring strike to Dixon Morris with :07.1 on the clock for a 21-0 lead.
Dixon Morris (18) wraps up Jackson’s Dondre Mulligan, who skied for the catch, for a twoyard gain. Photo By RICK HEAD
The scoring was quick for the Bears in the second stanza. McGatha hit a wide open Jah Evans for a 38-yard score on PCHS’s first snap of the period with 9:52 before intermission, upping the margin to 28-0.
Following a fifth consecutive Jackson punt, the Bears needed two plays to 46 yards for a 35-0 lead with 7:47 left in the half. Drew was pulled down at the Red Devils’ one for a 45-yard completion with McGatha going untouched for the final yard one play later.
A Chance Williams fumble recovery set PCHS up at the Jackson 23. McGatha scored four plays later on a four-yard run for a 42-0 working margin 4:25 before intermission.
The Bears’ final possession covered 52 yards in six plays with Leggett racing the final 20 yards for the score and a 49-0 advantage. A rugby scrum broke out at the Jackson five with Leggett’s teammates pushing him the final five yards for the touchdown with 1:02 left in the half.
The only scoring in the second half came on Pierce County’s second possession when Jack McClellan darted 13 yards around left end with 2:40 left in the third period.
The touchdown followed a near 15-minute stoppage in play when Jackson running back Danarrie Brown lay motionless on the field after a hard tackle. He was taken from the field on a stretcher and transported via ambulance to Waycross.
