Chattahoochee Upsets 8th Ranked Roswell

The Chattahoochee Cougars took a major step toward establishing themselves as a state power Friday night with a thrilling 13-10 win over Roswell at Ray Manus Stadium.

The Hornets went into the game ranked among the top ten high school football powers in the state. They left stunned by the Cougars' ability to control the ball with the game on the line.

With Chattahoochee holding a slim three-point lead and 8:15 to go in the game, the Cougars went on a dramatic 15-play drive that took almost six minutes off the clock. The drive ended
when the normally automatic Kyle Kade missed a 35-yard field goal with 2:27 to go in the fourth quarter.

The Hornets took over on their 20-yard line with no time outs and needing to cover about sixty yards to have a shot at a tying field goal.

They almost did just that.

Senior quarterback Dustin Taliaferro showed why he's one of the darlings of the college recruiters who were watching from the sidelines.

On the first play after the missed field goal, Taliaferro connected on a 19-yard dart to wide receiver Tailor Jones. Two plays later he found Jones again for a 16- yard gain. With 1:32 on the clock, Taliaferro hit Garrett Embry at the Chattahoochee 32 yard line.

The hero's cloak changed colors on the next play, going from Roswell Green and White to Chattahoochee Blue and Gold.

With a first down at the Cougars 32-yard line and 1:23 to go in the fourth quarter, Taliaferro went to the well once too often. He had been working the sidelines successfully throughout the drive, but when Chattahoochee changed defensive strategy and brought safety Mark Lang up tight on the next play, Taliaferro didn't see him and tried to hit Garrett Embry on the sideline. He found Lang instead.

The senior defensive back dove in front of Embry and snatched the ball a foot off the ground to end any Roswell hopes for a comeback.

In the early going, the game was like two heavyweight fighters sparring in the early rounds, looking for an advantage. Roswell took a 3-0 lead on a Jim Broadway 48-yard field goal near the end of the first quarter.

The Cougars answered quickly. Facing fourth and inches from their own 44-yard line, the Hooch disdained the punt and went for it.

Needing about six inches for a first down, junior quarterback Brendan Cross made a wise decision. He handed the ball to his horse, running back Gary Grace. The senior powered his way up the middle, picked up the few inches needed for a first down and kept going, not stopping until he crossed the goal line 56 yards away.

With Roswell still reeling from the touchdown, the Cougars went for the jugular.

Chattahoochee executed a perfect on-side kick and the Cougars' Jake Kelly recovered the ball on the Hornets 48 yard line. That led to a 28-yard field goal by Kyle Hade to give the Hooch a 10-3 lead. Hade added a 32-yarder late in the half to close out the Cougars' scoring.

Roswell closed the gap to 13-10 with a three-yard touchdown pass from Taliaferro to Reid Suhr in the third quarter.

After the game, Cougar Head Coach Terry Crowder didn't exactly sound like a man who just watched his team upset the state's defending high school football co-champions.

"I'm proud of them, but we have to put two good games back to back. We control our own destiny now. What a huge win." Crowder says he wants his team to learn from past experiences.

"We saw what happens when we don't play as good as we're supposed to, so we have to come back next week and play like we did tonight. Remember, it's a short ride to the bottom."

The win gives the Cougars a 5-1 overall record, 1-0 in the region. Roswell drops to 4-2 overall and 0-1 in the region.

This Friday, Chattahoochee hosts neighborhood rivals the Northview Titans, 21-14 losers to Milton Friday night.