Ravenwood quarterback Andrew Rappe (16) dives into the end zone to score a touchdown against Centennial during the first half on Friday, Nov. 21, 2014 in the Class 6A quarterfinals.
BRENTWOOD – It was an error-filled game for unbeaten Ravenwood, but the top-seeded Raptors escaped with a narrow win over visiting Centennial in the Class 5A quarterfinals Friday.
The Raptors (13-0) managed a late fourth-down stop inside the 5 to secure a 17-10 victory and a spot in the semifinals next week, where they will travel to Memphis to face fellow unbeaten Whitehaven.
Centennial quarterback Owen Roth orchestrated a 12-play, 68-yard drive in the closing seconds, completing five passes for 59 yards, but the senior’s attempt on fourth-and-3 from the 4 fell incomplete.
“We knew we only had 48 minutes left on this field,” Ravenwood quarterback Cole Brown said. “We knew we had to get this win so we just stuck together and fought it out.”
“We’ve got to cut out the penalties, obviously, but it’s hard for me to be too negative right now,” Ravenwood coach Will Hester said. “There are four 6A teams still playing and we’re one of them. I don’t care that we have to go to Memphis. That’ll be the best bus ride of my career.”
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Ravenwood, which managed just 165 yards, struggled offensively throughout. Senior Seth Rowland led the way with 105 yards rushing on 18 carries, but the 5-6, 178-pound back was responsible for a pair of costly fumbles, both of which were recovered by Centennial (10-3).
Brown finished just 5-of-12 through the air for 24 yards, and standout wide receiver Van Jefferson, a Georgia commitment, was held without a catch.
“They did some things to take away our guys on the perimeter and we didn’t do a good enough job running the ball,” Hester said. “We put it on the ground a couple of times. They enticed us to run the ball and we were unable to do it for a lot of the game.”
Aside from its first and last drives, Centennial, which had just 83 yards rushing on 35 carries, couldn’t get much going, either.
“When you give them a short field the way we did two times in a row at the end of the first half you won’t beat a team like this,” Centennial coach Brian Rector said. “That’s the reality that we have to live with.”
Andrew Rappe spotted the Raptors a 7-3 advantage with his 2-yard touchdown run with 1:31 left in the second quarter, and, following a fumble on Centennial’s next possession, Ravenwood took over inside its own red zone. Three plays later, Brown found senior Nick Barton in the end zone from 7 yards out, increasing his team’s lead to 14-3.
Centennial’s lone second-half score came as a result of Rowland’s second fumble. The Cougars fell on it at the Ravenwood 36, and senior running back Deon Sanders capped the team’s nine-play scoring drive with a 5-yard touchdown run with 6:57 left in the third quarter.
