GREENSBORO, Ga. — Friday night was a case of win or go home for the Social Circle Redskins.
The Redskins stepped up in resounding fashion, defeating the Greene County Tigers 42-19 to punch their ticket to the 2021 Class A-Public playoffs.
Following a closely contested first half, Social Circle put together some quick scoring drives to pull away from the Tigers in the third quarter.
All of the scoring in the third quarter gave the Redskins plenty of cushion down the stretch.
Leading 14-13 at halftime, the Redskins came out firing.
Less than three minutes in the second half, Logan Cross connected with KJ Reid for a 27-yard touchdown pass.
The long score extended Social Circle’s lead 21-13.
Then, the defense forced a fumble that they recovered on the ensuing Greene County drive.
It didn’t take long for the Redskins to take advantage of the turnover, either.
After another long Cross completion downfield, Kam Durden capped off the scoring drive with a 5-yard scamper. Social Circle’s lead grew 28-13.
Following the Tigers’ only score in the second half, Social Circle had quite the response.
Cross found DaShon Hyman wide open in the end zone for a 37-yard touchdown pass. That gave the Redskins a 35-19 advantage.
The game was put out of reach in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter.
Amarion Russell rushed for a 17-yard touchdown for the final score of the contest. It was his third score of the night with the first two coming in the second quarter.
Russell’s hat trick made Social Circle’s lead insurmountable; at that point it never looked back.
In the closing minutes of the game, the Redskins ran the ball, maintained possession and killed the clock.
Now, the Redskins will set their eyes on the first round of the Class A-Public state playoffs. They finish the regular season at 6-4 overall with a 3-2 record in Region 8A-Public - a record that places them fourth in the region standings. This is the first time since 2008-2009 that Social Circle has qualified for the playoffs in back-to-back seasons.