Robinson, who rushed for 239 yards on 28 carries, opened the second half with an 80-yard touchdown run and followed that up with a 16-yard scoring run to help Harrison (6-4, 4-3) pull away for the win. As the No. 4 seed, the Hoyas will travel to face Region 2AAAAA M.L. King.
The win capped off a comeback for Harrison, which won four of its last five games after starting the season at 1-4.
“It’s a real testament to these kids and these coaches,” Harrison coach David Hines said. “The kids and the coaches have both believed all year long. They stuck together when we were struggling and they kept pushing and kept fighting and they did what they had to do. I’ll tell you what, I can’t be more proud of a group of kids and coaches right here.”
Hines praised the effort of his defense, which held North Cobb scoreless through the first three quarters before the Warriors finally got on the scoreboard in the fourth quarter. The coach also credited his offensive line, which helped the Hoyas gain 301 yards on the ground.
“We came out in the second half and played hard-nosed football,” Hines said. “Our kids came at the football, established the line of scrimmage and took it to them right there. I’m more proud of these kids for doing that.
“Our defense played outstanding — don’t bend and don’t break — and did a good job of making them earn everything. I can’t say enough about the offensive line. Those kids came off and played hard.”
With the loss, North Cobb (5-5, 3-4) was eliminated from state playoff contention.
Travis Hawkins completed 14 of 29 passes for 112 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions and rushed for 103 yards on 16 carries to lead the Warriors.
The first half nearly ended in a scoreless tie, but Harrison managed to get on the scoreboard just before the end of the first half when Darren Parkinson kicked a 17-yard field goal with three seconds left to put the Hoyas up 3-0 at halftime.
It took only one play for Harrison to take control of the game as Robinson busted up the middle on the first play of the second half and stormed down the field 80 yards for the touchdown. Parkinson added the extra point to increase the Hoyas lead to 10-0.
Harrison got a big opportunity on the ensuing offensive series when Hawkins threw an interception to Darian Myricks with 11:14 remaining in the third quarter. The Hoyas quickly took advantage with Robinson’s 16-yard scoring run with 8:44 left and Parkinson’s extra-point kick further pushed the Hoyas’ advantage to 17-0.
“Brandon played an outstanding football game,” Hines said. “He’s really come on in the second half of the season. He’s been a fantastic leader for us, just doing a great job.”
North Cobb drove all the way down to the Harrison 26 on its next offensive series, but Tonne Osaigbovo intercepted a Hawkins pass with 5:24 left in the third quarter to end the Warriors’ drive.
North Cobb was able to get on the scoreboard on the first offensive series in the fourth quarter when Hawkins threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Demetrius Hill with 11:14 remaining in the game to cut Harrison’s advantage to 17-6, but the Warriors were not able to get any closer than that.
“Hats off to North Cobb,” Hines said. “They played outstanding, kept fighting. They could have packed it in when they fell behind 17-0, but they didn’t give up.”
Follow us on Twitter!
Go Hoyas!
What a bunch of obnoxious blowhards there are at Harrison that consider themselves 'fans.' If you had half a clue you'd know the staff was implementing a new offense and it takes time and hard work to make it happen. You wanted Coach Hines' head on a platter and have no clue what you're talking about.