By: Crissy Froyd
Villa Rica (3-0) stayed on the right side of the win column after the Wildcat breezed past the visiting South Paulding Spartans, 30-13, in Sam McIntyre Stadium.
Head coach Michael Hilbert’s team came out of the gate with strong complementary football, forcing the Spartans to punt early, and then getting to the end zone with a one-yard quarterback keeper from junior signal-caller Blaine Brown on the team’s first possession, off the power of Tamaj Beasley’s efforts through the air and Emmanuel “EMan” Ajayi’s legs in the ground game.
Despite several penalties – warranted or not – the Wildcats maintained momentum that never swayed in the Spartans’ favor for the entirety of the contest. While Villa Rica did get in its own way multiple times, the Wildcats consistently redeemed themselves.
Such was the case in South Paulding’s second possession, when the Spartans helped themselves with a huge kickoff return. But what helped them even more was the personal foul called on Villa Rica, which tacked on an additional 15 yards.
The Wildcats nearly paid the price, but then the defense stepped up. First, defensive back Brysen Davis saved what would have been a touchdown pass from quarterback Colton Zito, then senior ATH Myles George nearly intercepted Zito near midfield.
Then, a 25-yard run by Zito brought South Paulding back to its original line of scrimmage after a penalty, and the drive ultimately ended in a turnover on downs shortly after. Villa Rica wasted little time capitalizing on its next possession, with Ajayi finding his way to the end zone on a 5-yard run, allowing Villa Rica to advance its lead to 14-0 with 50 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
But it would not be long before South Paulding found some life, and a flicker of hope that flashed and went in no time. Early on in the second quarter, Spartans defender Brayden Park picked off Brown deep in Villa Rica territory, returning it for a touchdown and cutting the Wildcats’ lead to 14-6. Park’s play was selected as one of the top 10 plays of the week.
While dealing with some low-snap issues, Villa Rica tacked on more points with a tightroped 75-yard touchdown run from Josiah Walker that you’d have to see to believe as the first half wound down.
The Wildcats headed into the locker room with a comfortable 21-6 edge.
But in the second half, Villa Rica fell into a slump after an explosive start. Things looked good after Beasley exploded for a huge first-down run to roughly midfield just 20 seconds into the third quarter, setting up a Drew Jones touchdown reception on a play-action pass from Brown.
Then disaster struck when South Paulding’s Micah Wagner intercepted Brown and returned it to the 46-yard line, setting up a drive that was capped off by a touchdown. This was the only moment the Spartans looked like they had any palpable chance to turn this into a competitive football game, shortening Villa Rica’s lead to 28-13 in just a minute’s time.
But that didn’t last. With just over six minutes left to play in the final quarter, Villa Rica was gifted a safety after a snap sailed over the punter’s head, right through the back of the end zone. If the game wasn’t already on ice at that point, that certainly sealed South Paulding’s fate.
Villa Rica remains undefeated heading into its fourth game of the season, set to face Seckinger on the road. Meanwhile, South Paulding will continue to hunt for their first victory of the season with a home matchup against Alexander next on the schedule.
Both games are set to kick off at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 11.
