Roswell Falls To Mill Creek In Second Round Of State Playoffs

Editor's note: Written by Mike Blum.

ROSWELL, GA — For the second year in a row, the Roswell Hornets exited the Class 7A playoffs with a resounding defeat on their home field after a region championship performance in the regular season.

Friday night’s 41-17 loss to ninth-ranked Mill Creek wasn’t quite as lopsided as last year’s 42-7 drubbing by Tift County, but that was little consolation for a Roswell team that went 17-3 in the regular season in 2018 and 2019, but was decidedly outclassed in two playoff losses.

Last year’s playoff setback came in the first round, with the 2019 Hornets advancing to the second round with a 31-0 shutout over Wheeler, a team the Hornets defeated 28-0 in the regular season.

Mill Creek (10-2) controlled both lines of scrimmage, and got a huge night from lightly recruited senior running back Chancellor Lee-Parker, who accounted for 250 of the Hawks’ 320 yards on offense.

The Hornets struggled to tackle the hard-running , 180-pound Lee-Parker, who gained 207 yards on 15 carries and scored on a 42-yard run, while also taking a screen pass 41 yards for a score.

Mill Creek scored touchdowns on its first three series to take a 21-10 lead before putting the game away with a scoring drive prolonged by a roughing-the-punter penalty. That TD made it 34-10 with 10 minutes to play, and the Hawks added another touchdown following a failed fake punt attempt by the Hornets.

The Hornets scored their only offensive touchdown with 1:30 remaining when senior quarterback Ethan Roberts completed four consecutive passes for 72 yards, the last a 29-yarder to fellow senior John Copenhaver.

Roswell’s offense had problems with an outstanding Mill Creek defense, which shut down the Hornets’ running game and constantly pressured Roberts, sacking him three times and forcing hurried throws on several other occasions.

Roberts finished 12 of 22 for 190 yards, but the only Roswell offensive points while the game was still competitive came on a 30-yard Caden Long field goal in the second quarter after Roberts connected on a deep pass for 47 yards to Marquis Willis to the Hawks’ 24. A roughing-the-passer penalty on the play moved the ball to the 12.

Parker, who fought off numerous attempted tackles by the Hornets on a 42-yard scoring run late in the opening period, took a screen pass 41 yards to make it 21-10.

The Hornets finally held on defense, stopping Mill Creek with the aid of two penalties against the Hawks, one of which nullified a touchdown. A field goal increased the Mill Creek lead to 24-10 at the half, and the Hawks opened the third quarter with a field goal drive to expand their lead to 27-10.

A Mill Creek fumble gave the Hornets a last chance to challenge the Hawks’ lead, but Roberts was sacked on third down and a fake punt on fourth-and-11 from the Mill Creek 32 did not fool the Hawks. Roswell finally forced a Mill Creek punt, but the Hornets were flagged for roughing the punter, with the Hawks capitalizing to go ahead 34-10 early in the final period.

The Hawks converted a Roswell fumble – the Hornets’ only turnover – into a short field touchdown to make it 41-10 before the Hornets’ scored with 1:30 to play.

Roswell’s first touchdown came on a 25-yard fumble return by senior linebacker Doneiko Slaughter, who scooped up a bad snap by the Mill Creel center and sped into the end zone.

The Hornets were held to 74 yards total offense in the first half, most of that total coming on the 47-yard pass from Roberts to Willis that led to the Roswell field goal. After their first series, the Hornets were held to minus-3 yards rushing by an aggressive Mill Creek defense, which took away all aspects of the Hornets’ ground game.

Roswell was a senior-dominated team on both sides of the football, with receivers Willis and Michael Fitzgerald among the leading returnees on offense and safety Dillon Holifield the most productive underclassman on defense.

The Hornets were second in the state in scoring defense in 7A prior to the Mill Creek, allowing more than 16 points just once the entire season, that coming in a 21-14 loss to region rival Cherokee. Roswell was 9-3 on the season, Matt Kemper’s third as head coach, also losing to rival Milton in a non-region game the Hornets could have won.

Among the key graduating seniors on defense for the Hornets are Slaughter, John Michael DiRoberto, Will Troutman, Caden Bondurant and Khaleed Mobley. Receiver Jacob Jarrett and linemen Trey Zimmerman and Matthews Copeland are other key senior losses on offense.

The Hornets have won their region four of the last five seasons, reaching the state championship game in 7A in both 2015 and 2016. Roswell may find it difficult to make it 5 of 6 in 2020, as Milton and Alpharetta will join the region next year, replacing Walton and Lassiter.