Gryphons’ furious comeback falls short as No. 2 ACE falls to No. 18 Fannin County in Round 2

For just a few minutes, the Gryphons looked like themselves.

Down 3-0 to Fannin County with just 10 minutes left in the second round of the state playoffs Friday evening in Macon, ACE had its back against the wall — until Jack Carter and Sohan Patel scored two goals in one minute, flipping the game on its head and waking up the home crowd.

The Gryphons had several chances to punch in the equalizing goal, too, taking three corner kicks in the remaining eight minutes and keeping the ball in the final third.

But for the other 70 minutes of the GHSA Class-A Division I playoff clash, No. 2 ACE struggled against a fleet-footed, well-coached Rebels squad as No. 18 Fannin County extinguished the Gryphons’ comeback attempt to win 3-2 and advance to the Elite Eight.

ACE finished the season 12-7 with the Round 2 loss, which came against a Rebels team that played with sure footwork in the offensive zone and put passes on the money with stunning regularity.

“Preparing for this match, we knew they were really good with combination play — give-and-go, third man runners off the ball with a lot of speed and a lot of physicality,” ACE head coach Robby Jones said of Fannin County’s style of play. “It translates very well to turf. Speed is just amplified and the give-and-go is just hard to mark… so they were able to get by us, get some breaks early and take advantage of that.”

Fannin County scored early in the first half and had a 1-0 lead at the break before tacking on two more goals early in the second half to take a commanding lead. ACE had trouble clearing the ball from its defensive third, as the long kicks the Gryphons used to clear balls from in front of the goal were corralled by the Rebels and taken right back up the field.

The final 10 minutes of the game offered the exact opposite. 

ACE had a flurry of scoring chances, bearing a much closer resemblance to the regular season squad that went undefeated in Region 2 to win the region championship. Carter netted the first goal with a header on a great assist from Alex Jordan, while Patel finished the second goal less than a minute later on a great through-ball from Carter.

“We challenged the team at halftime: in forty minutes, when you come off the field, make sure you give everything you have and never give up,” Jones said. “Very proud of their effort… I think that translates very well for young people when they move on with their lives outside the lines.”

Five seniors will move on after this season from the Gryphons, including Carter, Jordan, Cameron Bullington, Ren Harden and Raines Murphy. 

Jones spoke at length about the lessons each senior taught him and the rest of the team: how to make sacrifices for your team (or your family), how to adjust, how to keep battling.

“It’s all about learning those lessons and applying them in the game and when you go out in the world. I’m really proud of this group and we’ll miss all of them. They’ve done a great job,” he said.

Fannin County had pedigree coming into the second-round showdown. 

The Rebels had taken some tough losses during the regular season, but they also defeated the No. 1 seed in the bracket, Model, and No. 4-seeded Armuchee to prove they could contend against top-ranked teams. They defeated No. 15 Barrow 4-2 in the opening round.

From the opening kick, their skillset was apparent, as Fannin County used a great corner from Miller Denton to net a header from Matthew Ponton just five minutes into the game. 

The rest of the first half was physical — both teams often asked for fouls, and a few players from both sides exited with bloodied knees and necks — but the 1-0 lead for the Rebels eventually held until halftime.

Less than two minutes into the second half, Fannin County’s Breven Hennesey diced his way through ACE’s defense, weaving his way past a trio of Gryphons to score the Rebels’ second goal.

Then, at about the 50-minute mark, Finn Thoresen scored what looked like a back-breaker for Fannin County. ACE keeper DJ Fannin made a solid save — one of several on the night, despite the three goals by the Rebels — but Thoresen got a foot on the carom and put it in the net.

Things went relatively quiet from there, until the frantic finale in the last 10 minutes. But the Gryphons failed to convert, ending their season.

Fannin County will move on and face No. 23 Dalton Academy in the Elite Eight on May 6. Though the boys were eliminated, the ACE girls will play East Laurens for a Final Four spot Monday night at ACE.