With a playoff game on the line, the Monroe Area Purple Hurricanes rose to the challenge on Friday. They had just enough and edged Sandy Creek out 24-21. The win was familiar territory for Monroe Area who now have three in a row.
Monroe Area got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Darrion Manuel out in front who rushed for 108 yards and a touchdown on only 14 carries. Manuel hasn't dropped below 100 rushing yards for three straight games. The team also got some help courtesy of Dylan Hamby, who threw for 159 yards and two touchdowns while completing 81.8% of his passes.
Despite the defeat, Sandy Creek had strong showings from Amari Latimer, who rushed for 165 yards while picking up 7.5 yards per carry, and Dalen Penson, who rushed for 120 yards on only 15 carries. Penson was no stranger to the big play, turning on the jets for a run that went for 66 yards.
Monroe Area has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five contests, which provided a nice bump to their 8-4 record this season. As for Sandy Creek, their loss ended a six-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 7-4.
Monroe Area will take on Gilmer at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Gilmer will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps Georgia Rankings (they are ranked 223rd, while Monroe Area is ranked 108th). Sandy Creek does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
