FPD delivers 42-7 throttling of Strong Rock in playoffs

The start was not an encouraging one for FPD.

The Vikings went three-and-out on their first drive.

Things got better. A lot.

FPD scored on its next two possessions to get started to a solid 42-7 win Friday night over Strong Rock in a GIAA Class 4A second-round game at George S. Johnson Memorial Stadium in Macon.

“I didn’t honest to goodness expect it to be like this,” FPD head coach Brett Collier said. “We had two really good weeks of preparation, so I’m really proud of that. Our kids are just so focused.

“And we have great kids. I say stuff like that all the time, but we really do, so when we ask them to focus and lock in, I mean, they love football.”

The Vikings improved to 8-3 and will visit Brookstone in Columbus next week in a semifinal. The Cougars rolled over city rival St. Anne-Pacelli 35-7 on the other side of the bracket.

Stratford hosts George Walton in the other semifinal. The winners will meet at Mercer’s Five Star Stadium on Nov. 22 for the state championship.

Given the playoff stakes, running clock in the fourth quarter wasn’t necessarily on Collier’s bingo card.

“They’re a good option team,” said Collier, who hadn’t faced an option team since Bulloch last year. “They didn’t get anything on it. I thought we played really physical on the D line.”

Standing looking somewhat forlorn on the sideline was quarterback/defensive back Major Simmons, still recovering from an injury against Stratford on Oct. 3. He was joined by several teammates who are done for the year.

But the Vikings didn’t play like a team nowhere near 100% with personnel starting the season hardly playing, if at all.

They tied their season high in points, matching 42-7 wins over Mount de Sales and Marion County. And the Vikings held the Patriots to their lowest point total since a 28-7 loss 13 months ago to Westfield.

It was Strong Rock’s worst loss since losing 49-14 to eventual state champ Bulloch a year ago.

McHugh felt good after suffering an AC joint separation in his shoulder against John Milledge.

“I’m pretty good, I’m about 100%, I’d say,” the gritty senior multi-sport standout said. “Just had ice and rest and ice.”

And he was back to normal.

McHugh had two touchdown runs less than three minutes into the game, adding another one in the first quarter, finishing with 93 yards on 20 carries in a little more than three quarters of action.

“The difference in this week and a couple weeks ago is we were able to run the ball really well tonight, and that just does so much for us,” Collier said. “Brady actually was  healthy tonight, and he wasn’t two weeks ago.

“Early in the game, we were running the ball, and that’s just a great feeling. You know you can take over the game on the ground.”

McHugh added a 14-yard touchdown catch late in the second quarter. Freshman quarterback Cash Walker continues to be a revelation in taking over for Simmons.

Walker completed a sizzling 17 of 19 passing for 161 yards and two touchdowns, again keeping the Vikings out of bad plays and avoiding turnovers and ill-advised passes.

He completed passes to six receivers, led by seven catches from McHugh and five from Breck Griffin, who turned in some nifty grabs along the way.

Brett Roper caught Walker’s second touchdown pass, a tough 1-yarder that put FPD over the 30-point mark with 2:23 left in the third to initiate the running clock in the fourth.

Strong Rock quarterback Blake Hahn was crunched while making a handoff and fumbled on the Patriots’ fifth play, giving FPD the ball on Strong Rock’s 45.

Walker hit Tinsley Lewis for 28 on the first play and Griffin for 10 on third and 9, McHugh ending the drive with a 2-yard touchdown.

A 10-play, 85-yard drive followed on FPD’s next possession, the Vikings facing only one third down along the way. McHugh went left and took advantage of horrible tackle attempts for a 28-yard touchdown run.

Marlon Kramer — who added nice footwork on a 16-yard catch — picked off Hahn on Strong Rock’s first play, but the Vikings missed a field goal. It didn’t hurt much, thanks to a 58-yard drive on FPD’s next possession that McHugh finished with  a 3-yard score off the right side for a 21-0 lead with 1:04 left in the first.

Walker was perfect on five passes for 35 yards with a third-down conversion pass.

“It was awesome,” McHugh said. “Cash stepped up, our little quarterback. He’s stepped up in a big spot. That’s hard to do.”

Strong Rock faked a punt on fourth and 10 from its 46 to open the second half and got only 2 yards, Walker leading the Vikings the distance in six plays and three minutes. McHugh was wide open on the left side for the 14-yard TD pass.

The Patriots coughed it up again three plays later, setting up the Walker-to-Roper score.

Strong Rock broke the shutout against mostly clean uniforms with 5:17 left.

Jake Johnson ran hard for the Patriots, racking up 124 yards on 22 carries and a score.

FPD held Strong Rock’s option to 154 yards on 32 rushes, and only 3-of-10 passing for 60 yards, with two interceptions.

The Vikings’ offense went for 320 yards on 54 snaps, 5.9 yards a play behind linemen Oliver Bateman, Jake Lane, Thomas Everitt, Ashton Kimsey, Jacob Rodgers, and tight end Lewis.

All in all, it’s a contender for FPD’s best game of the year, especially considering the stage.

“The energy and just the effort we have is just crazy,” McHugh said. “We played awesome, and I think we played one of our best games tonight, with the personnel we have.”