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Wildcats play complete game, sits third in region
Richmond Hill
Wildcats run onto field for homecoming game against Bradwell - photo by Gerald Thomas III

RICHMOND HILL, GA -- Ty Goldrick threw for 248 yards, Ravon Grant went over 100 yards receiving for the third straight game and freshman Caleb Easterling had a big night on both sides of the ball to lead Richmond Hill to a dominating 28-6 win over Effingham County Friday night. 

The Region 2-6A win was the Wildcats’ third straight over Effingham and set up a showdown game with region leader Brunswick (7-0, 3-0) Friday night at Brunswick. 

“The guys did a great job of dialing in and focusing,” Coach Matt LeZotte said. “That was the most important thing about this game.” 

Goldrick led the Wildcats (2-4, 2-1) to a quick 7-0 lead as he directed a 65-yard, six play drive off the game’s opening kickoff capped by Ryan Dekle’s 30-yard touchdown run. 

Richmond Hill turned the ball over on its next two possessions on a fumble and an interception but made it 14-0 in the second quarter on a 2-yard run by Easterling who added a 27-yard touchdown in the third quarter. 

The biggest and most exciting play of the game came with less than a minute to play in the first half, one which took all the steam out of the Rebels. 

Rather than be content to run out the clock when it had a first down at its own 20-yard line with 50 seconds left in the half the Wildcats went for it all and got it. 

On a first down play Grant caught Goldrick’s perfectly thrown spiral at the 50 when he went up to outwrestle a Rebel defender for the ball, spun when he hit the ground and sprinted to the endzone. 

That made it 21-0 at the half and for all practical purposes the game was over. 

While the offense was sputtering at times the Wildcats defense applied heavy pressure at the outset and never let up in limiting the Rebels to only 147 yards, 36 on the ground. 

Effingham had only 34 yards and one first down in the first half. 

The lone bright spot of the game for the Rebels came in the third quarter when quarterback Matthew Ford and Marquez Allen teamed up for a 47-yard touchdown run. 

Grant caught five passes for 107 yards and Easterling continued to play well. 

Easterling had 44 yards rushing on seven attempts to go with five tackles, an interception and one pass defended. 

“We’re still shuffling pieces of the puzzle around to find our best personnel combinations,” LeZotte said. “We keep getting better though and we learn a lot every single play.” 

Zion Gillard led the Richmond Hill rushing attack with 58 yards, 42 of them coming on a run down the right sideline in the first quarter. 

Dekle added 48 yards.

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