Runback of kickoff/punt, 3-TD rally aids East Laurens return to win column in Metter

East Laurens had suffered its last two losses by a combined nine points, after gaining an early lead but failing to close out two back-and-forth games against Southeast Bulloch and Washington County. 

Facing a familiar situation down 14 with a quarter to go Friday night in Metter, the Falcons refused to let a third-straight end the same way, scoring three unanswered touchdowns in the last 10 minutes – plus overtime – to pull off a galvanizing first win. 

Two involving Major Floyd evened up the score to necessitate some free football, and a third on the run of Jeremiah Rozier, accompanied by a defensive stop, put East on top 28-21 for a happy ride back down I-16. 

It was another tight one with equal potential to reverse the Falcons’ fortunes and morale as it did to add to their discouragement after an 0-3 start. 

East Laurens head coach Jesse Hicks observed some newfound resilience from his team as it buckled down to rally back. 

“We’ve been there. We’ve been through two close football games,” he said. “It was our kids’ attitude. It’s one thing to listen to your coaches say it, but our guys’ thought process and mindset was, and I could hear the kids saying it, we’re not going to lose this game.” 

Hicks has a saying that special teams makes special plays. 

The mantra held true as the Falcons picked up two of their four scores in the kicking phase. 

Myles Burke ran back the opening kickoff 79 yards for an early touchdown, and Floyd a punt midway through the fourth for the last of regulation to help even things up late. 

While the East Laurens offense and defense have had their moments through four games, special teams might be the niche where the Falcons have delivered most consistently on putting their top athletes in position to make plays with the football. 

Its range of return men, including Burke, Floyd and Aveone Wicker (this game’s leading receiver, with three catches for 32 yards) among others, is averaging a not-too-shabby 38 yards per kickoff return, and 41 per punt. Both, now, have a TD in the stat tally as well. 

“You have to pick your poison when you’re dealing with our kicking game,” Hicks said. 

He highlighted the great plays by both returners, but also the sometimes unnoticed blocking that was instrumental in their runback opportunities. 

On the kick, it was Jaden Griffin who came all the way across the field to clear out some potential tacklers. 

Floyd, on his punt return, initially froze three Tigers in his immediate vicinity as he played the ball off several bounces, but without much room on an angle for the sideline, he needed some help from both Jaxten Thomas and Cayden Stanley, who took care of potential tacklers as he made the rest miss. 

“Those guys are dangerous, but others around them are doing their jobs,” Hicks said. “I think our special teams is doing a heck of a job.” 

Contributions of the unsungs up front were just as important in only the Falcons’ second triple-digit rushing effort of the season. 

Big carries for JaBryan Bigham, Gary Stockton and Jeremiah Rozier originated with some great blocks. 

The ultimate OT winner, out of a wildcat-style package the Falcons call “Beast,” relied on the work of Bigham, Butler, JaTuan Wright and Tawan Horne that gave Rozier the room he needed to churn out two remaining yards after Metter’s first contact. 

He faked to Floyd off some jet motion, and ran determinedly for a crowded lane over the right side. But the dedicated blocking held up to get him in. 

Metter’s attempt to answer and extend the game came to a fourth down from 10 yards out, and the Tigers had Obadiah Jones open in the back of the end zone on a fourth-down pass that would surely tie the game. 

But the senior couldn’t survive the landing in the orange-painted end zone after extending for the catch, and the ball bounced incomplete and into the hands of East Laurens defenders who sprinted directly back to their sideline to begin the celebration. 

For Hicks, it was hard to overstate the importance of the win for the Falcons’ confidence, as some confirmation they can get over the hump and win the close one, and a reward for not letting themselves get down along with the chips early in the game, whose ups and downs have kind of mirrored the course of the season. 

“It speaks to the character of our kids not having a defeatist attitude,” Hicks said. “It’s huge to go into somebody else’s place in overtime and get a win to keep us going.” 

A turn in the right direction… 

Despite some considerable offensive production, the Eastside attack continued to be plagued by stalled drives in the first three quarters. Metter answered the early touchdown to even the score before halftime, and then twice in the third to take a 21-7 lead to the fourth quarter. 

But the Falcons changed the night’s trajectory with a confident march to cut the Tigers’ lead in half on their first chance of the final period, with a string of double-digit plays including a Skyler Snead scramble, a Stockton carry and a Floyd catch-and-run that led into the red zone. 

There, Bigham nearly took the ball in as he shouldered his way through a tackle around the 1 to set up a first and goal, and Floyd took a wing sweep and outran the Metter pursuit to the left side of the end zone for the TD. 

His punt return, after the defense forced the Tigers to kick the ball away from deep in their own half of the field, ensured the offense wouldn’t have to worry about the remaining seven points. 

But with more than five minutes still to play, there was still work left to do. 

The Falcons had to dig deep to keep Metter from going back in front, with a Kayleb Butler sack helping key a field goal miss from the edge of their own red zone with a minute and a half to go. 

They’d also run out of time in search of a last-second shot for some game-winning points via touchdown or kick as a final possession used a 27-yard Snead dump-off to Bryson Hazley and a subsequent Floyd run into the boundary to reach the Tigers’ 18. 

Key plays on special teams weren’t limited to those that scored touchdowns. 

Logan Gibson hit three punts for an average of close to 30, John Thang was a perfect 4-for-4 on points-after and the East Laurens punt return unit also stopped a Metter fake punt to take over the ball in plus territory early in the game. 

Rozier also led a strong effort on the defensive side of the ball with 11 tackles. Thomas followed with seven. 

The boost of confidence couldn’t have come at a more critical time for the Falcons, who are now headed into region play with some weight off their shoulders, and a first win under their belt. 

“It’s almost like it’s a new season,” Hicks said.  

They open their 2-AA schedule Friday with a hungry Swainsboro team that has maintained its place in the top 10 despite three losses in its first four games, all against ranked teams. 

The caliber of league competition coming up is well-known. But with a clean slate, East is taking things a week at a time, starting with this one. 

“If you look at it right now, it’s a 1-0 situation,” Hicks said. “It’s going to be big for both teams.”