Stockton, a chiseled 6-foot-1, 220-pound standout, rushed for 173 yards and three touchdowns while passing for 173 yards and two more scores. That included a 32-yard strike to
Adriel Clark with 2:19 remaining, breaking a 31-31 tie. The second interception of the game by sophomore linebacker
Corey Keller sealed the victory.
Clark, a 6-foot-4, 200-pound wideout, caught all four of Stockton's completions on the game's final drive as the Wildcats (2-0), a Georgia 2A power, survived a massive comeback from 1A power Prince Avenue (1-1), which trailed 31-7 early in the third quarter.
Stockton, ranked the top dual-threat quarterback in the Class of 2022 by 247Sports, carried 23 times with touchdown runs of 45, 2 and 45 yards. He also completed 16 of 25 passes.
Vandagriff, ranked the No. 2 dual threat quarterback in the Class of 2021, was 16 of 29 for 169 yards and three touchdowns, two to
Logan Johnson.
The game and quarterback battle was all one sided early in the third quarter when Stockton faked an inside handoff and sprinted 45 yards for his third rushing touchdown, giving Rabun County a 31-7 lead with 10:24 left in the third quarter.
Vandagriff, who had been intercepted on his previous two possessions, kept his head up fired his second touchdown pass of the game, a 12-yard strike to Johnson, making it 31-14.
The game appeared to turn on the game's next play, when Stockton's quick screen to the left was intercepted by
Luke Lanier. It took just one more play for Vandagriff and Johnson to connect again for a touchdown, this one a 25-yarder and just like that, Prince Avenue Christian was within 31-21 with 7:24 left in the third.
On the last play of the third quarter, the Wolverines closed to 31-28 on a 1-yard TD plunge by
Landon Owens. Another Vandagriff to Johnson connection — this one 31 yards — set up the score.
It was the first touchdown not accounted by either Stockton or Vandagriff.
Stockton responded immediately, driving his team 60 yards before scoring on a 15-yard run. But the score was nullified by an illegal block and a short field goal attempt missed giving the ball back to Vandagriff, who drove his team down to the Rabun 25 where the drive stalled.
But
Bryson Franklin drilled a 42-yard field goal with 4:32 left in the game.
No matter. Stockton responded, rushing five times for 30 yards on the last possession, and completing four passes for the other 48, the last 32 to Clark, who missed much of the second half with an undisclosed injury.
After his TD catch, Prince Avenue had a chance to tie the game, but sophomore Keller made his second interception of the game — the third thrown by Vandagriff — to seal it.
Prince Avenue Christian came into the game No. 30 in the state according to the MaxPreps
computer rankings and Rabun County was No. 33.
