The Cougars of Newnan High School saw a 29-game regular season winning streak and a 20-game regular season home winning streak come to an end Friday night as No.3 Peachtree Ridge knocked off No.4 Newnan 27-17 in front of a packed Drake Stadium.
The first quarter was all Newnan as Chris Robinson ran in a 21-yard score on the Cougars’ first drive and after a blocked field goal attempt from the Ridge Lions, the Cougars ran right back down the field to punch it in again, this time with Lendell Arnold the QB finding paydirt early in the second quarter.
Then the tide shifted and Peachtree Ridge found some momentum with senior tailback Dewayne Brooks and junior fullback Raham Dixon splitting the load. Brooks capped off a scoring drive with a 6-yard scoring scamper to cut the lead to 14-7. Justin Watts would add a 40-yard field goal and the Lions would deny the Cougars a three-pointer of their own as time expired in the first half.
Justin Watts, who nailed the field goal for Ridge would come up big in the third quarter, snatching an Arnold pass and taking it 56 yards for a pick-six, giving Ridge it’s first lead of the night. After a Newnan punt pinned the Lions in on the three, the game was nailed shut as the Lions broke the Cougars’ spirit by driving 97 yards for yet another touchdown.
Aided by Newnan penalties, including one on fourth down, the Lions eventually found the endzone with Diandre Atwater’s one yard plunge. The two teams exchanged field goals and Peachtree Ridge escaped with a 10-point victory over No.4 Newnan.
The Lions open up Region 7-AAAAA play next week with Meadowcreek while Newnan travels to face Woodstock next Friday. Ridge likely won’t move up in the polls and Newnan shouldn’t drop out of the top ten as this team only started to sputter once senior tailback Chris Robinson left the game with an injury and did not return. The loss of the top tailback was too much for the Cougars, who suffered its first home regular season loss since 2006 to Whitewater.
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