No.5-ranked Gatewood traveled to Augusta on Nov. 18, for its opening playoff game against No. 4 on Augusta Prep Day (APD).
The Gators returned to Eatonton with a 38-27 victory and a semifinals date with top-ranked Central Fellowship Christian Academy (CFCA), Friday night in Macon.
Gatewood fell 31-21 to the visiting Lancers late in September but outscored CFCA in the second half.
“Confidence is big and even though we didn’t win the first time we played (CFCA), being able to come back and finish in the second half, I think gave us confidence and gives us some confidence going into this week’s game,” Gatewood head coach Jeff Ratliff said.
In Augusta, the visitors struck first, with sophomore quarterback Ames Johnson and junior tight end Lawson Wooten connecting on a 54-yard passing play that placed the Gators on the APD six-yard line. On the next play, just the fourth of the game, senior Justin Jameson ran it in for a Gatewood touchdown, with junior kicker Jayden Daniel contributing the extra point.
Augusta Prep answered quickly, though, scoring on its next possession and again after a Gatewood fumble led to a second touchdown and a 14-7 lead at the close of the first quarter.
Once the second quarter began, Gatewood was quickly forced into a punt situation that led to another downfield drive by Augusta Prep until they opted to attempt a one-yard conversion on a fourth-down play. It turned out to be very successful as the Lancers’ runner broke free for a long run down the sideline until 5-foot-8, 131-pound freshman safety Ben Brannen made what Ratliff later called “a season-saving play” by stripping the ball free for recovery by sophomore DB Jackson Hewatt.
In the ensuing sequence for Gatewood, Johnson again connected on a pass to Wooten, who this time carried it all the way in for a 39-yard score, though the extra point was missed after a bobbled placement from the snap.
That brought the Gators to within one point of APD, but the Lancers soon opened the gap again with a 21-13 lead, with Ratliff later admitting to getting a bit frustrated at his defense not being able to stop the run.
That frustration was effectively erased, however, when junior running back Evan Bennett made a 40-plus yard return on the following kickoff, followed by a 42-yard run to the end zone by senior Justin Jameson. With the score now 21-19, Ratliff made the bold call to attempt a two-point conversion with a short sweep pass to Jameson, who successfully reached the goal line again to tie things up.
“And then our defense gets a huge, huge stop and we get the ball back. I mean we got a three-and-out, we get the ball back and we score right before halftime,” Ratliff recalled, explaining the touchdown came off a quick, six-yard screen to Dylan Sinclair that sent the Gators into halftime with a 28-21 lead.
Both defenses stood tall in the third quarter, allowing no scores at either end, but Gatewood reached the APD two-yard line early in the final quarter on fourth down. Ratliff called a timeout and started prepping his offense for an attempted touchdown, but said his assistant coaches talked him out of it and settled for a successful field goal by Daniel to secure a safer 31-21 two-score lead.
Augusta Prep did score another touchdown, but missed the extra point, leaving them still beyond a field goal’s reach of tying the game.
Regardless, Johnson put even those hopes to rest by converting a quarterback option play that had him break three tackles before completing a 42-yard scamper down the sideline for a fifth Gators touchdown, followed once more by the extra point from Daniel to reach the final score.
The win has placed Ratliff’s sight firmly set on redemption and advancement past Central Fellowship Christian Academy, the only obstacle to playing for a state championship on Dec. 2, at Mercer University in Macon.
“I thought there were three things that we need to do,” Ratliff said. “Number one, we need to play as a team; number two, obviously we need to execute; and number three, we need to go out and have a good time, have fun. “And I can honestly tell you that I felt like we played as a team (against Augusta Prep); obviously, I felt like we executed on both sides of the ball, especially in the second half defensively; and then I just didn’t really think there was a time that our guys got uptight. I thought that they were having fun out there, and that’s good. When you can do that, you can play with confidence and you can put yourself in a position to win.”