MILTON, GA – After Cambridge took its first lead of the game with 1:32 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Bear defense forced Pope into a fourth-and-9. On the next play, the Pope receiver somehow came down with the ball in double coverage for a 46-yard gain, and Pope scored the game winning touchdown three plays later to win 29-26, Friday, October 19th.
The loss hurt to head coach Craig Bennett, especially after the way the Bears (3-6, 3-4 Region 7-6A) fought back the entire game. "It was tough, you want it so bad for the players and especially for the seniors," said Bennett. "Our players emotions ranged from upset to mad, really a wide range of feelings for our guys."
The Cambridge offense played its most efficient football of the season. The Bears converted 8-of-11 third downs and 1-of-2 on fourth down. "We were in manageable third down situations, partly because of our run game," said Bennett. "Phillip Michael Collins had another great night with some tough, physical yards, and he did a great job in pass protection which a lot of young backs don't do." Collins finished with 130 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 34 carries.
Pope (4-5, 4-3 Region 7-6A) got out to a quick 10-0 lead, including a 55-yard touchdown pass on a trick play. Cambridge responded with a 5-yard run from Collins to close the gap to 10-7.
After another Greyhounds score, Zach Harris hit Chandler Jones on a deep in-route over the middle for a 56-yard touchdown with 1:12 remaining in the half. Harris finished the game with 180 yards and a touchdown on only 12 passes.
Bennett emphasized the resiliency on a roster full of young players. "We put our kids through a lot in the summer to prepare for these situations," said Bennett. "We kept fighting through mistakes made by myself and the players."
Pope led 16-14 at the half.
Yet again, Pope quickly pushed the lead to 22-14. Ridge Polk answered the score with a 5-yard run. Collins provided the first lead for the Bears with a 1-yard run to make the score 26-22 with 1:32 remaining.
The last second touchdown by Pope hurts the playoff chances for Cambridge, but the Bears can still find a way in with help. If Northview loses to Pope and Centennial and Alpharetta loses to Johns Creek, the Bears can claim the fourth seed with a win against Alpharetta (5-3, 4-2 Region 7-6A) in the regular season finale.
"They are very good on defense, especially up front," said Bennett. "They have had a change at quarterback, and he runs the ball very well."
The energy level is high at practice as Alpharetta is the biggest rivalry game of the season. "No question, our kids have always played Alpharetta very hard," said Bennett. "It has really been two very close games the last two years."
Bennett refers to back-to-back losses by a combined 11 points to the Raiders.
Alpharetta sits at fourth in the region, and Cambridge has the chance to play spoiler for the final game of the season.
The game will kick off at Alpharetta on Friday, November 2nd at 7:30 p.m.
Go Bears!
article by Jack Sadighian
