A season of sensational firsts continued this week for the King’s Ridge football program. In week one, the third-year program earned their first win at their new stadium, dubbed: "The Tiger’s Den." A week later, they earned their first victory over a GHSA opponent. Now, in week four, King’s Ridge has improved to 4-0 with another milestone: their maiden 5N-A Region win, a 28-19 victory over North Fulton rival Fellowship Christian. While the win was nice for the Tigers, it wasn't exactly pretty, or easy, as each team entered the night short-handed. King’s Ridge was missing junior WR/DB John Jarrard, who plays on both sides of the ball, and freshman OL Will Clark -- both hurt last week. Fellowship, riddled with injuries all season, only suited up 18 players. The game was marred by penalties, as the zebras threw 22 yellow flags -- 12 against the Tigers and 10 aimed at the Paladins.

Playing in front of a raucous and energized standing room only home crowd of about 2,000, the Tigers drew first blood in their opening possession, scoring on a 22-yard Josh McCoy to Devon Schmitt hookup to cap a highly efficient four play, 68-yard drive. After a failed fourth and three attempt by Fellowship, the Tiger’s took over on downs at mid-field. To the delight of their partisan crowd, King’s Ridge wasted no time in breaking the plane of the end zone on their next play as the dynamic duo of McCoy-Schmitt struck again – this time on a 49-yard bomb to go up 14-0 at the 6:00 mark of the fi rstquarter. Fellowship, stunned and confused on defense by McCoy and Company’s different offensive West Coast style sets, needed a sustained drive and a score to get back in the game. They got what the doctor ordered when Paladins quarterback Blaise Furse scampered 11 yards on a miss-direction play to cut their deficit to 14-7. It was the first points allowed by the vaulted Tigers defense in 13 previous quarters of play this season.

King’s Ridge caught a break midway in the second quarter when the Paladins couldn’t capitalize on offense after busting up a Tigers fake punt attempt on a fourth and fi ve on the King’s Ridge forty-yard-line. The Tigers telegraphed the play, dooming it from the snap. Fellowship quickly got inside the red-zone but stalled, failing to convert a fourth a goal at the Tiger’s nine-yard line when FCS tailback Hunter Bryant was stuffed for no gain on a pitchout by DE Miles Marshall. The Tigers escaped with a 14-7 lead going into intermission.

King’s Ridge Head Coach Jeff Pickren said after the game the call was ill advised. "I got caught in the emotion of the moment and took a shot, but looking back, it was a bad call," the three-year coach admitted. Fellowship appeared to seize the momentum in the third quarter when senior running back Nathan O’Rielly scored from eight yards out on a fourth and goal. But a motion penalty on the PAT attempt forced the Paladins back five yards and the extra-point was then blocked by Julian Champ, allowing the Tigers to cling to a 14-13 lead. Unfortunately for Fellowship, that was as close as they’d come, as King’s Ridge answered at the 2:47 mark, this time on a 19-yard McCoy to Champ connection– McCoy’s third TD pass on the night-- that featured Champ dragging two Paladin defenders on his back into the end-zone. The Tigers were hit with a 15- yard penalty on a personal foul call after the play, forcing kicker Roman Melnikoff into a 35-yard PAT. Melnikoff answered the bell by nailing the attempt, giving the Tigers 21-13 lead going into the final quarter. The big kick by the junior DB proved key. King’s Ridge looked like they put Fellowship away when freshman fullback Connor Henderson took it in from the one on an isolation play, pumping their lead to 28-13, after a Paladin lost fumble just inside their two-yard line following a bungled special teams play on the ensuing kick-off.

But Fellowship was not done just yet.

They cut the lead to 28-19 on a perfectly executed fake punt attempt by Taylor Cookston, who sprinted 27-yards down the left sideline for six. But a muffed two-point conversion proved crucial as it forced the Paladins into a two-score-game. With time running out, King’s Ridge loaded up with nine in the box, stifling Fellowship’s triplethreat running game, and daring the Paladin offense to air it out. It was not in the cards, as FCS’s Furse did not a have a completion in five passing attempts.

For FCS it was missed opportunities on both sides of ball. Trying to get back in the gamein the fourth quarter, they failed to stop the Tigers on an third and 19 and a third and 31, both times allowing Schmitt to gain enough separation to reel in big plays for first downs, putting the nail in the Paladin's coffin for the night. "We worked hard with conditioning coach Blackstone in the off-season", Schmitt said, "and it has paid off in my ability to make sharper cuts."

Tiger offensive coordinator Albert Turner liked what he saw – with a caveat. "I loved our big play third-and long conversions,” the King’s Ridge bible class teacher said. "But we shouldn’t be in those situations in the first place.”

He also says he’s pleased with his "O" line. "They [Fellowship defense] blitzed all night and we did a nice job in picking them up most times." He says his lineman "are finally buying-in to our blocking schemes."

Paladin Head Coach and Athletic Director Hunter Chadwick said he was proud of his team’s effort and liked their comeback, despite dropping to 1-2, 0-1 in the region. "We were down 14-0 early and it looked like we’d get blown out of the place but we fought back to get within one," shared Chadwick. "But blown opportunities and mental lapsescost us tonight. We had the momentum after the fake punt but we didn’t capitalize. We have to hit harder, improve our perimeter blocking and make big plays to win more football games." He says his mission next week for his kids is to "play giant-slayer" when they take on powerhouse Wesleyan at home. "My kids are playing their tails off," he concluded. "We’ve got 18 players suiting up, nine play both sides of the ball and we start two freshman. We’re building something very special."

Pickren, now sitting at 4-0 (1-0 in region play) says he was impressed with how his players responded to adversity. "We went from 14-0 to 14-13, and this was the first time our kid’s game [poise] was tested. But they responded by making big plays and fi ghting through it." Pickren says his Tigers are gaining confidence and toughness, but the key is their drive to improve. I can tell you even at 4-0 my kids are not satisfied with their play. They want to do more, to get better, to improve each week."

Are the Tigers for real?

Next week's game will be the tell-tale, when they take on Buckhead’s undefeated Pace Academy (3-0) in the "Tiger’s Den."

When asked if they could defeat Pace, a much larger school with a winning tradition and an established program, Pickren responded in his trademark candid, succinct and salient style: "Yes."