The victory moved North Cobb (7-2, 5-2) into a three-way tie for second in the region race with Hillgrove and Marietta (6-3,
5-2) with one game remaining. The Warriors close out the regular season next week at Campbell.
“This region is unbelievable,” North Cobb coach Shane Queen said. “Every week there is a shakeup. Marietta played their tails off and fought us every play. We were on pins and needles down to the last play because of their high-powered offense. I’m proud of our kids for persevering, getting the early lead and hanging on late.”
North Cobb scored 17 points off turnovers, including a 25-yard fumble return for Eghosa Agbonghae on the game’s third play and Hakeem Sawyer’s 10-yard interception return that gave the Warriors a 21-7 lead with 1:30 left in the first quarter. Emmanuel Slaughter sacked Blue Devils quarterback Anthony Jennings to cause the fumble.
Marietta got in on the turnover act as well when Chavez Hemphill recovered Andrew Thomas’ blocked punt and returned the ball 5 yards for a touchdown on North Cobb’s first possession.
“Those turnovers were huge,” Shane Queen said. “Our defense got off to a fast start, but in the first five minutes it looked like neither team wanted to win it.”
That changed for North Cobb, which ran a no-huddle offense in the first half and, defensively, blitzed Jennings on multiple occasions, putting pressure on the LSU commitment.
“We like our kids to play fast because when they play fast we tend to make more plays,” Shane Queen said. “We get in a groove and it puts the defense on their heels.”
Tyler Queen completed a 10-yard scoring strike to Xavier Borishade with 2:14 in the first quarter. That started a wave of offense for the Warriors who outscored the Blue Devils 31-7 through late in the third quarter. Queen also ran in from 5 yards out and connected with Cameron Albright for a 31-yard touchdown. AJ Bourdin’s 22-yard field goal put North Cobb up 38-14 with 4:31 left in the third.
“Tyler isn’t the fastest thing in the world, but he’s a smart football player, and he reads things well,” Shane Queen said of his son. “He runs our option-type offense that makes the defense defend 11 guys. He manages our offense well.”
Jennings, who was 24-of-40 passing for 323 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, completed two fourth-quarter scoring strikes to Jordan Mathis and Hemphill, while KirVonte Benson ran in for a 6-yard touchdown in the third.
Albright had five catches for 99 yards and Borishade caught seven passes for 70 yards for North Cobb.
Harris had six receptions for 137 yards to lead Marietta, while Benson had 13 carries for 90 yards.
“We certainly ran into a buzz saw and North Cobb beat us in every way, shape and form,” Marietta coach Scott Burton said. “When you contribute to your own beating with turnovers, that’s a tough pill to swallow. We
couldn’t move the ball very well on them, and they were able to move the ball well on us.”
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Your guess was wrong! My son is a starter and one of the best at his position. The mantle is filled with trophies and accolades, both of academics and athletics and plenty of interest letters from colleges across the nation. My comments were not intended to take anything away from N. Cobb's win. Having played and coached the game, I accept that fact that we lost and why and trust me, it wasn't just because N.Cobb was so much better than Marietta. We have a lot of talented players that can produce but only if they are incorporated into the game! Yes it its true that Marietta has improved over the last few years and that's a step forward. To continue moving forward, we have to make adjustments each and every game. Sometimes you can't see the forest for the trees. Step back and trust your assistant coaches, you might discover something refreshing! Have a great day Murph31.
Great job Warriors and good luck in the playoffs.
It is evident that Coach Burton is not a good in game coach. KirVonte Benson is probably the best pure talent running back in the league. He averages 17.9 yards per carry and averages only 13 carries a game. Simply put Mr. Jennings as well as coach Burton lost this game and Burton loss the McEachern game. Both games neither team had an answer for Benson's running. Mr. Benson needs to move on from Marietta and go to a program that will allow him to flourish. Coach Burton will undoubtedly use him heavy next season becuase his team will be lack luster by then but he should show more respect to the best player on his team instead of the so called stand out quaterback that cracks under pressure. The rumor mill has it that Mr. Benson father has trained him thus far. Coach Burton needs to beg him to assist with training him in coaching a game. I give Mr. Jennings one season at LSU as a quarterback then he will be a special team’s player, defending punt returns. Too much hype for mediocre quarterback. Point blank!