Trevor Lawrence and Cartersville, Jack West and Saraland Winners In ESPN High School Kickoff
On Saturday, the Georgia edition of the ESPN Geico High School Kickoff featured five of the country's top high school quarterbacks including Cartersville's Trevor Lawrence, Bartram Trail's Joey Gatewood and Riley Smith, Emory Jones of Heard County and Jack West of Saraland.
In Game one, Jones would help lift Heard County over Saraland 14-10 when he connected with Jayyrus Williams in the corner of the end zone on a touchdown pass on the first play of the fourth quarter. Later in the fourth, the Spartans would have a first and goal and would keep it on the ground but would fumble the ball on the play however a Saraland lineman would fall on the loose ball in the end zone and the Spartans would go up 17-14 and that would eventually be the final score.
In game two, the Cartersville Hurricanes would go head to head with the Bartram Trail Bears. Trevor Lawrence, the country's top quarterback in the ESPN 100 recruits, and the Canes would pour things on early as Lawrence would throw four touchdowns in the first half and Cartersville would take a 38-17 lead into the locker room at halftime.
In the second half, the Bears offense would final start to get things going when Gatewood would keep the ball on a fourth and goal and find his way into the end zone as Bartram Trail would make it a 38-24 game. On the next possession for the Bears it would be Riley this time leading Bartram Trail to the end zone as he connected with Griffin Hein and the Bears trailed 38-31.
As action continued in the fourth quarter, the Bears would trail 45-38 but would tie the game thanks to Gatewood's touchdown pass to Gunnar Hitzeman with 7:10 to go in the game. The Canes would regain the lead after a rushing touchdown by Rico Frye with 3:40 to go in the game and Cartersville up 52-45.
The Bears would get a chance to tie things up with :03 remaining and Smith in shotgun formation but the Canes smothering defense would cause trouble for Smith and he would be taken down as time ran off the clock and Cartersville would get the 52-45 win. Watch highlights from both games below now!
