Jalen Lacy accounted for four touchdowns — two through the air and two on the ground — Brady Pitts and Kendrick Smith combined for 151 rushing yards, and Northside thumped Hardaway 41-14 Thursday at Kinnett Stadium.
With the win, the Patriots improved to 5-3 and kept their playoff hopes alive in region 4-AAAA after coming off a brutal three-game losing streak, a stretch in which they were outscored 103-7.
“This is probably our most complete game of the year,” Northside head coach Paul Cates said. “The big key was hitting big plays when they were presented to us. We caught them in man coverage a few times … and we hit those routes. That’s something we had been struggling with — finishing off those big plays.”
It took just 31 seconds for the Patriots to get into the end zone on their opening drive. Lacy hit Blake Pace on a deep post pattern for 35 yards. Two plays later, Pitts broke free off a zone-read play for a 44-yard touchdown run.
Hardaway tied the game at 7-7 in the second quarter as Hawks quarterback Joseph Gibson found a seam off a quarterback keeper for 30 yards and then punched it in from 1 yard away.
The Patriots immediately responded on their next drive. Lacy hit on a big pass play again, this time to senior Sammy Baucham for 42 yards. With a first-and-goal at the Hardaway 8-yard line, Justin Lawrence slipped behind the defense and caught an easy touch pass from Lacy with 22 seconds remaining in the half.
After intermission, Hardaway had an opportunity to respond on the opening kickoff, but Gibson was intercepted by Donte Donahue at the Hardaway 6-yard line after his pass was deflected at the line of scrimmage by James Young.
“It was a huge momentum turner,” Hardaway head coach Jeff Battles said. “We get a chance and go down the field, but they get the ball and score before we do. That always changes the game.”
The Patriots snapped a three-game losing streak to Hardaway with the win.
Northside’s chances of making the playoffs are small at best, maybe nonexistent. The Patriots, just 2-3 in region play, would need to win out and get a lot of help to force a tie for a fourth seed. However, whichever team they could end up tied with would own a tiebreaker against the Patriots (Bainbridge, Thomas County Central and Warner Robins).
And their toughest opponent is yet to come; the Patriots will travel Thursday to No. 2 Northside (Warner Robins).
“It’s going to be tough,” Cates said. “We’re realistic about who they are and who we are. We’re going to hammer away at them and see what we can do.”
Northside will conclude the season Nov. 5 with Houston County while Hardaway will play Houston Friday and wrap up Nov. 3 with Northside (Warner Robins).
