FPD holds on to lead in muddy, messy playoff opener to beat Strong Rock 28-13

Major Simmons is one of Brett Collier’s favorite players for a variety of reasons, one being that he knows how to listen.

Certainly, when one woman at FPD’s playoff game this week gave Simmons a piece of advice after the final buzzer sounded, nobody had to tell him twice.

“I need you to lay on the couch all day tomorrow,” the lady told the FPD quarterback and defender.

“Yes,” Simmons replied, sporting a smile of exhaustion. “I think I might watch some football.”

Simmons was key for FPD on both sides as the Vikings survived a less-than-sharp night, following a week off with a 28-13 win over Strong Rock in a GIAA Class 4A quarterfinal game at George M. Johnson Memorial Stadium in Macon.

The win earned the Vikings a spot in the semifinals next week against undefeated Bethlehem Christian.

On a November night that felt more like late August, a haze settled over the field and added to a slippery turf. Most folks were ready for hydration or a shower afterward with humidity late into the evening pushing 100 percent.

Simmons would be among the first in such a line.

“They were a physical team,” he said. “They played hard together. This one was tough.”

More than a few times, Simmons had to take a deep breath before pushing himself up off a soggy and slippery turf and trudge to the huddle or sideline.

“He’s a warrior,” FPD head coach Brett Collier said. “He’s on offense, he’s on defense, he’s on every special team. He never comes off the field.”

He ran 22 times for 156 yards, but that was a tough total boosted by 67 and 33-yard runs. Simmons otherwise went, in grinding fashion, for 56 yards on 22 carries. It felt more like that kind of night.

Strong Rock’s physical defense combined with the slickness of the night to slow down FPD’s passing game, holding Simmons to just 4-of-10 for 49 yards, an interception and no touchdowns.

“We really love to throw the ball,” he said. “Once they realized the ball was wet and we really couldn’t throw it, they could just start blitzing. That really hurt us because we had no answer.”

FPD’s night started well and not so well. The Vikings defense forced a fourth and 19 punt on Strong Rock’s first possession, then got 20 yards on a second-down pass from Simmons to Benjamin McElreath.

The Vikings promptly lost 24 yards when the snap sailed over Simmons’ head on first and 10, and they punted on fourth and 32.

The gloom didn’t last long, as Jacob Rodgers recovered a fumble on the Patriots’ first play. Three snaps later, Simmons went in from the 8-yardline, and Dominic Economopolous’ kick made it 7-0 at the 5:25 mark of the first quarter.

Simmons followed a great playfake by keeping it left and going 67 yards on second down to set up Bennett Lake’s 11-yard round around the left side a play later for a 14-0 lead a second short of three minutes after the first score.

But there was no pulling away on a night in which neither team had much explosion. Several Strong Rock players went down with cramps all night, slowing the game down for both teams.

Twice in the first half alone, Strong Rock was set to go for it on fourth down only to get flagged for false starts, forcing a punt. After a roughing the kicker penalty kept a drive alive, the Patriots promptly did nothing with it thanks to a 10-yard loss on a sack by Peyton Howard.

Meanwhile, the Vikings’ offense stopped doing much, throwing a pick on an underthrown pass inside the Strong Rock 10. The Patriots then kept the FPD defense working with a 16-play drive that fizzled when Brady McHugh stopped Jake Johnson on fourth down.

The half ended with Strong Rock blocking an FPD punt.

“We had some critical errors in the first half,” Collier said. “We had that bad snap basically kill the drive. We had the turnover. We couldn’t throw it.

“Strong Rock’s got a really good team, and their coaches do a really good job. Those kids play tough. They’re physical.”

Thanks to McHugh’s big return of the second-half kickoff, the Vikings didn’t have to do much to score, covering 36 yards in seven plays, sparked by a 22-yard pass from Simmons to McHugh to set up Simmons’ 6-yard powerful keeper for a 21-0 lead at the 9:02 mark.

Strong Rock, which ate up time all night with long periods to huddle and get plays in — even down the stretch when time became critical — finally responded with a nine-play drive. A 44-yard pass from Andrew Reid to Landon Stancil capped the drive, as Stancil outbattled a defender for the pass and managed to avoid getting pushed out down the left sideline.

On a night with more humidity than momentum, Strong Rock had a little of the latter. It scored on its next possession after an FPD three-and-out, Johnson punching it in from the 7 with 6:52 left in the game.

Hands were on hips on the FPD defense.

“Maaaan, my pads got a little tight,” Simmons said with a laugh. “My chest … .“

But FPD returned to some normality on offense, converting its second third down all night. It was a third and 22, with Simmons lumbering to the left and heaving himself over the pylon for the clinching 33-yard score with 2:12 left for a 15-point lead.

Did he just heave his tired body, or was it an actual dive?

“I had to make it,” he said. “I didn’t have a choice. I didn’t want to get knocked out of bounds. ‘I got to get this touchdown.’”

The Vikings outgained the Patriots 262-200 on 19 fewer plays.

“There’s no such thing as a bad win,” Collier said. “They’re all good wins, but there are such things as ugly wins.”

The 10-1 Vikings are at home again next week, hosting undefeated Bethlehem Christian, who spoiled an all-Macon rematch by holding off Tattnall 21-14 on the other side of the bracket.