Grayson Rams win biggest game in Program's history

Note: This article was featured in yesterday's Score Atlanta and references the team's big win over Brookwood on October 10. To view the article, www.scoreatl.com or pick up a copy of Score Atlanta at any of the 1300 locations in the metro area...or keep reading!
GRAYSON ON THE WAY TO SCHOOL’S FIRST REGIONAL CROWN

As the clock was ticking towards triple zeros, the Grayson student body knew what was about to happen. The head football coach Mickey Conn knew what was about to happen. The players, though tired from a hard fought game knew what was about to happen. The Brookwood Broncos’ stranglehold on Region 8-AAAAA was coming to an end and the Rams were about to give Brookwood its first region loss since 2004, a streak of 29 straight region games. So please forgive the student body for getting a little premature in its celebration of arguably the school’s biggest regular season win ever. The Grayson Rams, after knocking off Brookwood 10-7 and Parkview 24-22 have the inside track to the Region 8 title. Coach Conn though is quick to point out that nothing has been won yet though. “We’re now getting everybody’s best game.” That may be true, but Conn’s team is meeting all of the challenges and is led by two strong-willed offensive standouts.
Quarterback Tyler Horne had Conn excited entering the season, and the senior has done nothing to temper the enthusiasm thus far. “Tyler’s very capable and we have a quarterback that can win a game.” Horne, noted mostly for his quick feet, was forced to pass in a game earlier this year against South Gwinnett and he shredded the Comets through the air en route to a 49-14 win. “We’re not going to change the way we prepare [for anyone]. We have a balanced offense with Horne and Pemberton and we think we can win playing our style of football.”
Horne has gotten help from the Little Giant Ean Pemberton. The diminutive running back stands only 5’4, but he plays much bigger with a huge heart, according to Conn. “He’s got tons of talent and he’s going to make somebody a heck of a college player someday.” In just the three weeks, Pemberton has averaged 183 yards per game and two touchdowns against Parkview helped knock off the Panthers. Pemberton toted the ball 39 times that game, but that doesn’t seem to faze him according to Conn. “We completely controlled the line of scrimmage in the second half. We can do a bunch of things offensively, but we’d rather run the football [with Pemberton].”
As good as Grayson looked entering the Brookwood game though, the Broncos were still the three time defending regional champs and Coach Mark Crews had his team clicking. The Broncos appeared to have gotten past the team’s early losses and Brice Smith was leading a pumped up offense. The defensive line though allowed just seven points to the potent Bronco rushing attack, though Conn wasn’t surprised. “They [the defensive line] have been the biggest surprise of the year. They play with a lot of heart.” A turnover on special teams allowed Horne to show his quick feet with a touchdown. A field goal from Austin Clark iced the game for the Rams. Pemberton became the first 100 rusher Brookwood had allowed all season with 140 yards on 27 carries. Of the effort Conn noted, “This kid’s unbelievable.”
This team may be well on the way to a region title, and while the regular season title is nice, the home field advantage it brings delights Conn the most. “We would like to be the 1 seed and not have to travel. We got into trouble at Camden last season.” Last season the Rams’ hopes of a state title ended in South Georgia with a 22-7 loss, but Conn is hopeful that won’t be the case this season. “We will just keep fighting and scratching every game to reach the playoffs.” The team last week scratched out a win against Berkmar thanks to a Pemberton TD, a Horne scoring toss and a blocked punt for a score.
With the team’s recent success, the playoffs are all but assured and now the team can focus on advancing back to the Georgia Dome where this season started with a 31-21 thrashing of McEachern in the Kell Powerade Classic. “Everybody’s happy right now,” says Conn. The key will be for the Rams to keep rolling with Meadowcreek and Central Gwinnett remaining on the schedule. Win those and the Rams will be able to celebrate an undefeated region title and they’ll have that number one seed the team wanted entering the season. “It’s been a great building process and we’ve got great kids. We’ve built this the right way and these kids play with such heart.”