McEachern completes undefeated region schedule

KENNESAW — McEachern capped an undefeated region campaign Friday with a dominant 57-0 victory over Kennesaw Mountain, recording its first shutout of the season as the Indians prepared for the state playoffs.

The Indians wasted little time taking control, scoring on its opening possession when quarterback Coby Pittman connected with Zyon Robinson on a 7-yard touchdown pass.

Pittman added a 29-yard touchdown run later in the first quarter, giving the Indians a 14-0 lead.

McEachern extended its advantage when kicker Wes Sheehan connected on a field goal, which was followed by a 66-yard touchdown pass from Pittman to Robinson. Pittman added a 3-yard touchdown run before halftime, sending the Indians into the break with a 29-0 lead.

The Indians continued their offensive success in the third quarter. Pittman connected with Jarvaris Reed Jr. on a 32-yard touchdown pass, and James Smith added a 1-yard scoring run to extend the lead to 43-0.

Jarvis Nance scored on a 4-yard run in the fourth quarter before backup quarterback Brentoni James threw a 56-yard touchdown pass to complete the scoring.

While McEachern's offense found success throughout the night, its defense delivered an equally impressive performance, holding Kennesaw Mountain scoreless for all four quarters.

McEachern's defense also forced three turnovers, with Casey Barner and Alijah Owens each recording an interception. The Indians added a fumble recovery to help secure their first shutout of the season.

"I'm really proud of the guys," McEachern coach Kareem Reid said. "Obviously, anytime you can get a shutout, that's awesome."

Reid said preserving the shutout was a priority.

"We put our starters back in the game at certain points when we felt they were getting a little momentum," Reid said.

Despite finishing undefeated in region play, Reid isn't placing much emphasis on momentum heading into the postseason.

Instead, he wants to maintain the preparation that has helped them find success throughout the season.

"There really is no momentum, honestly," Reid said. "It's all about resetting our process every Monday. Our momentum starts with having a great Monday, then Tuesday, then Wednesday and Thursday, and then Friday night, we put it all together."

With the regular season complete, McEachern will turn its attention to the opening round of the state playoffs.

Reid said the disappointment of last year's postseason remains fresh in the minds of his players and coaches.

"We all still remember that pain of not finishing the way we wanted to or the way everybody kind of expected us to," Reid said. "We'll use that as motivation, but it doesn't matter at the end of the day. This is a new team, and we're going to have a new challenge in front of us come next Friday."