Savannah Christian football coach Baker Woodward had some concerns after the top-seeded Raiders’ first-round bye in the GHSA Class A-3A Private state playoffs.
First, of course, was the opponent on Friday night, crosstown rival Savannah Country Day, which had fallen to the SCPS in region play but was charged up after upsetting host Mount Vernon last Friday in the Hornets’ postseason opener.
Savannah Christian hadn’t played since clinching the Region 3-A Division I title with a 14-7 win over Toombs County on Nov. 1.
“It hurt us bad,” Woodward said Friday night of the layoff. “We hadn’t played in three weeks.”
After a sluggish first half on offense, the unbeaten Raiders raised their performance in eliminating the Hornets 31-3 at Pooler Stadium.
“We’re rolling now,” said Woodward, whose Raiders (10-0) will host North Cobb Christian, which downed Whitefield Academy 40-6, in the quarterfinals next Friday at Pooler Stadium.
Jaden Miles, a senior middle linebacker and running back, came up big for the Raiders with two rushing touchdowns and two interceptions. His contributions on offense helped ease another concern with star running back Zo Smalls limited by a leg injury sustained in the game against Toombs County.
“We discussed getting (Smalls) in for some plays, but we were trying to hold him out if we could get through this round,” said Woodward, who put Smalls in for a couple of series in the third quarter, and the senior finished with five carries for 26 yards.
Smalls had rushed for two touchdowns and nearly 100 yards in Savannah Christian’s 38-7 victory over host Country Day on Oct. 4. Though the final score on Friday night wasn’t far off, the game played much closer as the familiar foes played a particularly physical elimination game.
“When it’s a rivals game, records don’t matter,” Miles said afterward.
“Since the last time we played them, they got way better. They’ve played some tough teams and they developed as a team as a whole.”
Woodward concurred, noting that the Hornets (5-7) lost some close games.
“Country Day’s a really good football team and Coach (Roc) Batten’s a really good coach,” Woodward said. “They had one of the better defenses we faced this year.”
He said Country Day had a good defensive plan and forced SCPS to adjust, which they did for better production in the second half. As far as the first half, he thought his team showed some rust.
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The Raiders did score on the game’s first drive, which began at their 42 following a strong kickoff return by Kenry Wall, who later caught a 39-yard touchdown on a play-action pass from Blaise Thomas in the third quarter. The Hornets’ defense bent but didn’t break on the opening possession as Christian Johns’ 22-yard field goal gave SCPS a 3-0 lead.
The only other score of the first half followed a Johns punt, which pinned Country Day at its 7-yard line. A run for minus-2 yards and two incomplete passes led to a punt, giving the Raiders the ball at the Hornets’ 40. Miles and Wall covered the ground from there, with Miles scoring from 5 yards out on the last play of the first quarter for 10-0.
Country Day punted on its first five possessions and threw an interception to safety Athen Hudspeth to end the half. Hudspeth also would account for the game’s final score when he returned a fumble -- forced by teammate Reid Penrose -- 95 yards for a touchdown with 9:55 left in the fourth quarter.
Hornets quarterback Isaiah Batten was 3-of-11 passing for 3 yards in the first half and ended up throwing three picks – two in the second half to Miles. Country Day ran four times in the first half for minus 14 yards and finished the game minus 22.
Their first offensive play was an indicator of the difficulty to come as rusher Jeremiah Brown was swallowed up for a 6-yard loss by senior defensive lineman Elijah Griffin, a five-star recruit among who has verbally committed to the University of Georgia.
“He’s a big guy to block,” Miles said of the 6-foot-5, 285-pound Griffin. “It’s hard to block him. He’s going to make plays.”
Griffin is the top defensive lineman, the top player in Georgia, and the No. 2 player in the country for the Class of 2025, according to the 247Sports composite rankings. He makes a lot of plays, and he’s not the only one for the Raiders.
“Our defensive line is so good,” Woodward said. “Elijah Griffin, Isaiah Redmond, LaDamion Guyton, Logan Brooking on that defensive front, they just dominated those guys.”
Miles said that being up only 10-0 after “we knew we didn’t play a good half” put the onus on the Raiders in the second half when they outscored the Hornets 21-3.
“We’ve got the best defense in the state,” Miles said. “If they don’t score, we win the game.”
Savannah Christian has now outscored opponents 366-76 this season, and Country Day twice has been on the wrong side of that.
“That’s one of the most talented teams, not only in Savannah but in Georgia,” Hornets first-year coach Roc Batten said. “They’ve got, obviously, up front on both sides of the ball – that’s one of the best offensive lines and the best defensive line probably around.
“I don’t think many people can compete with what they have and they’ve got really good football players,” he continued. “I think they can go win it based on what I know, but you’ve got to play every night and do it.”
Savannah Christian is targeting a state title after last season reaching the championship game in Class 3A and falling short against Cedar Grove.
Savannah Country Day ended its season having achieved one goal of winning a playoff game and is building toward more success in 2025. Batten commended his team for competing hard – “the fight and the grit that we showed,” he said -- including on Friday night.
“It’s going to take a lot to knock us down,” Batten said. “To me, they’ve set a foundation in terms of the types of character that we want in our program with our staff leading it, it’s something to build off. I feel for these 10 seniors because we challenged this team.”
He praised seniors such as Barton Mixon, a former quarterback whose physical style serves him very well in running and catching the ball as a strong safety. His long return of an interception set up the Hornets’ only score – Cash Ramirez’s 28-yard goal in the third quarter. Mixon, who was playing with a cast on his left hand, also had a pick a couple of games ago, his coach noted.
“Barton is a warrior. He’s the ultimate competitor. He is a team player,” Batten said. “He wants to win and he’s going to compete and compete and keep fighting. I love that young man and what he’s done for this team and this program and how he carries himself on and off the field. He’s a true definition of a student-athlete and a leader and a guy you want on your team to lead. Everybody follows him here.”
Another senior who stood out was Brooks Kleinpeter, a 6-3 230-pound defensive end and bruiser at tight end who delivered hits while taking them.
“He loves the contact,” Batten said. “He had a big play where he ran over a guy in the middle of the field – a couple of times – and carried guys. That’s what you want on your football team, guys who are tough and hard-nosed. He’s an example of that in every way.”
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SAVANAH CHRISTIAN 31, SAVANNAH COUNTRY DAY 3 |
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| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
| SAVANNAH COUNTRY DAY | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| SAVANNAH CHRISTIAN PREP | 10 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 31 |
| First Quarter | |||||
| SCPS-Christian Johns 22 FG | |||||
| SCPS—Jaden Miles 5 run (Johns kick) | |||||
| Third Quarter | |||||
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SCPS—Kenry Wall 39 pass from Blaise Thomas (Johns kick) |
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| SCDS—Cash Ramirez 28 FG | |||||
| Fourth Quarter | |||||
| SCPS—Miles 13 run (Johns kick) | |||||
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SCPS—Athen Hudspeth 95 fumble return (Johns kick) |
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Records—SCDS 5-7, SCPS 10-0. |
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FINAL SCORES
GHSA 2nd Round Playoffs
Friday Nov. 22, 2024
Class 4A
Benedictine 34, Ola 14
Class 3A
Stephenson 41, Jenkins 7
Private A-3A
Calvary 48, Mt. Paran 7
Savannah Christian 31, Savannah Country Day 3
Photo Credit: PREP SPORTS REPORT
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- Dr. Don Aaron: Bryan County Middle/High School
- Dr. David Sedory: Benedictine Military, Bradwell Institute, Liberty County
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- Dr. Thomas Alexander: Savannah Country Day, St. Vincent's
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