VALDOSTA—Lowndes survived unfavorable weather conditions and a late first half scare to win its first-round playoff game.

The Vikings (11-0) defeated Hillgrove (7-4) 38-8 in declining temperature and rain at Martin Stadium. 

With Lowndes leading 16-0 and less than 30 seconds remaining in the half, Andreas Keaton intercepted a Jacurri Brown pass and retuned it 75 yards for a touchdown. After a successful two-point conversion from the Hawks, the deficit was cut in half and they only trailed 16-8. 

They were primed to make a comeback in the second half, but were stonewalled by the Lowndes defense. 

The Vikings outscored them 22-0 in the second half en route to their second-round matchup with Norcross. 

“It’s always the same—defense isn’t conditional,” defensive coordinator Byron Slack said on the message to players at halftime. “Whether it’s 99 yards or one yard. Whether it’s 100 plays or one play. Our job is to stop people.” 

The Concrete Curtain followed the same game plan that won its 10 prior games and stayed in the Hawk’s backfield all night. Hillgrove finished with 162 yards of total offense, mostly on the back of quarterback Matthew McCravy. 

The Hawks couldn’t run through or around the Viking defense and found themselves with one net rushing yard after the game. McCravy finished the night 19-of-38 passing with 161 yards, a touchdown and one interception. 

The lone interception was by Tiberius Drocea, who stepped in front of a pass in the first half to swing momentum to the Vikings. 

Drocea’s night ended with 5.5 tackles and a 49-yard touchdown run to open scoring in the second half. 

“I’ve been loving this team since I was a little kid,” said Drocea, who also handles punts and punt returns for the Vikings. “Being able to do it all just makes you feel good … It’s like we drink an energy drink after every play. All of the boys love the game and when we’re able to make plays it hypes everybody up.” 

The second half of the game wasn’t all smooth for top-ranked Lowndes. They were dealt blows to players that kept them out of the contest in the fourth quarter. Neither Brown or Gary Osby played in the final period, and Osby had his leg wrapped with ice. 

Brown finished the game 7-of-14 passing with 93 yards through the air and added 90 yards on 12 attempts from the ground. 

Osby finished with only 16 yards on three rushing attempts and 2.5 tackles and a sack defensively. 

The injuries are not a concern for the Vikings according to head coach Randy McPherson.

“I think everybody is little banged up this time of the year,” McPherson said after the game. “The more you talk about it, the bigger it gets. Everybody’s sore, let’s play.” 

Hilgrove ends a year that saw them win seven games before dropping their last three. They were ranked as high as No. 6 in 7A and will graduate the consensus top-ranked player in the state Myles Murphy. 

Lowndes moves on to face Norcross (6-5) next weekend at Martin Stadium after the Blue Devils defeated South Forsyth 21-0.