JOHNS CREEK - There was just enough of a hint of fall in the air Friday night to make it feel like football season had truly arrived. Under the lights at Chattahoochee High School, the St. Pius X Golden Lions and the Chattahoochee Cougars put on an exciting, back-and-forth battle featuring big plays, timely defensive stops and some outstanding coaching decisions. Playing on the road, the Golden Lions never backed down.


From the opening quarter, it was clear that neither team was going to give an inch. On St. Pius X's opening drive, junior quarterback No. 6 Cohen George scrambled out of the pocket and found junior wide receiver No. 15 Ryder O'Malley on a 67-yard touchdown pass. What happened after the catch was even more impressive. O'Malley turned on the speed, then zigged and zagged his way through the Cougar defense, making defenders miss as he raced into the end zone for the game's first score.


Chattahoochee answered on its next possession with a touchdown and elected to go for two. The Golden Lions' defense stood tall, however, as junior defensive linemen No. 51 Santi Duque and No. 55 Daniel Stribling, senior No. 7 Carter Schwalb, junior No. 8 James Boggs, sophomore linebacker No. 35 Ben Dornbush, junior linebacker No. 22 Liam Sciacchetano and senior linebacker No. 19 Max Poirier rallied to stop the Cougars from converting. The second quarter turned into a fast and furious exchange of big plays.

Chattahoochee struck first with a long touchdown pass, but George and the Golden Lions responded almost immediately. The junior quarterback broke loose for a spectacular 76-yard touchdown run, once again putting St. Pius X in front. The Cougars answered again, but the Golden Lions had another response.


This time, the big play came from junior tight end No. 87 Day Gist. Gist caught a pass just 10 yards beyond the line of scrimmage and turned the short reception into a 65-yard catch-and-run. Fighting through a Chattahoochee defender and refusing to go down, Gist battled his way down the field before finally being tripped up at the 1-yard line.


From there, the Golden Lions' offensive line went to work. Senior No. 73 Will Shearer, along with junior No. 72 Tyler Eichenberg and sophomore No. 78 Adam Dana, opened the way for the touchdown, tying the game. Then, just before halftime, senior cornerback No. 12 Nathan Hildreth made one of the biggest plays of the night. Hildreth jumped a screen pass, intercepted the ball and raced 55 yards into the end zone, giving St. Pius X a 28-21 advantage heading into halftime.


Both teams made major adjustments during the break, and the third quarter proved that the coaches were earning their paychecks. In the third, senior kicker No. 99 Owen Anderson confidently connected on a 35-yard field goal, extending the Golden Lions' lead.

Chattahoochee answered with another touchdown, cutting the St. Pius X advantage to 31-28 heading into the fourth quarter. That is when the Golden Lions' defense truly stepped up. Stribling, Boggs, Duque and Schwalb became increasingly disruptive, with each recording sacks for losses. Senior defensive back No. 24 Aidan Brown was flying around the field all night, finishing as the Golden Lions' leading tackler with eight tackles. The St. Pius X coaching staff also made important adjustments throughout the second half, and those changes became especially evident as the Golden Lions found ways to slow down the Cougars' offense when it mattered most.


The final Golden Lions touchdown came midway through the fourth quarter when senior quarterback No. 16 Luke Wilson broke loose for a 34-yard touchdown run, giving St. Pius X some much-needed breathing room. But some of the biggest moments of the fourth quarter came from the sideline.


With approximately seven minutes remaining and facing fourth-and-four from the Chattahoochee 42-yard line, Head Coach Adam Pullen and his staff called for a "hard count." The Cougars jumped offsides, giving St. Pius X a fresh set of downs and allowing the Golden Lions to keep the clock moving. Later in the fourth quarter, the Golden Lions faced another fourth-and-four situation. Once again, the coaching staff called for the hard count. The Golden Lions' disciplined offensive line remained perfectly still while another Chattahoochee defensive lineman jumped across the line of scrimmage. Another first down. Those two plays perfectly illustrated the instinctive and strategic coaching that helped St. Pius X deliver the win when the game was on the line. Rather than simply relying on big plays, the Golden Lions recognized the situation, trusted their preparation and took advantage of opportunities when they presented themselves.


With the clock winding down, George took the victory formation, officially securing St. Pius X's third victory of the season. On a perfect fall football night, on the road and in front of the Chattahoochee crowd, the Golden Lions showed resilience, toughness and composure when it mattered most.

Now, the Golden Lions return home for their next challenge. St. Pius X will host Centennial High School at 7:30 p.m. Friday, October 9, at George B. Maloof Stadium. 

  With under 3 minutes left in the first half, and the score tied 21-21, senior defensive back picked off a pass around midfield and ran it all the way back for the score, as the Golden Lion would take a 28-21 lead. It would be a lead they would never relinquish, although it wasn't until the game's last score, a 34-yard run from quarterback Luke Wilson, that would put the game away. The victory a first region win for coach Adam Pullen, and his Golden Lions, who next host another region foe Centennial.