Buccaneers Survive Bears As Defending Champs, Allatoona Defeats Cambridge 14-13

On Monday, the second round of the Georgia High School Association Class 6A-7A Boys Playoffs began featuring two equally matched teams. Defending State Champs, the Allatoona Buccaneers, coming off a 20-1 round one victory over North Cobb, hosted the Cambridge Bears, who defeated Brookwood 15-0 in the first round of play. The Buccaneers would take control early, jumping out to a 4-0 lead, including two goals by #2 Jr. Cameron Carter, with 4:14 to go in the opening quarter.

The Bears would finally get on the board and make it a 4-1 game after #28 Jake Meyerholt would come from behind the goal and shoot for the score with 2:30 remaining in the opening period. As the second quarter got underway, the Bears would cut into the Buccaneers lead once more as #27 Sr. Will Britain would score and Cambridge now trailed 4-2 with 10:37 to play in the first half.

The Bears would go on to outscore the Buccaneers 6-3 in the second period to make it a 7-7 game at the half in this physical match up. In the second half, Cambridge would take their first lead of the game, going u 8-7 after #34 Jr. Austin Darnell would score with 8:38 to go in the period but Allatoona would score four unanswered goals, two by #4 Sr. Parker Cockrell, to regain the lead and go up 11-8 with 2:27 remaining in the third quarter and go on to take an 11-9 lead into the final period of play.

In the fourth, the Bears would tie things up once again when #5 Fr. Zach Shiffman would shake a couple of Buccaneer defenders to roll in a strike making it a 12-12 game with 5:44 to go. As play continued, back to back goals by #22 Sr. Carson Sorrells would give Allatoona a 14-12 lead with 4:06 remaining in the game.

With 1:10 left on the clock, Cambridge would cut the lead making it a 14-13 game after #3 Sr. Zac Lehman would receive the long pass and find the goal unattended for the score. Cambridge would receive possession once again with under a minute to play and would get two more shots to tie the game but #17 Sr. Max Fleming’s final shot would come up short bounce towards the sideline and Allatoona would go on to win by a final score of 14-13 to advance to the Elite 8 where they will face Walton, who defeated Northview 5-1 on Monday night.