Pinecrest, Stratford's playoff foe, looking for another big win

For Pinecrest, the time for an encore has arrived.

Already enjoying the best season in program history, the Paladins knocked off last year's GHSA Class A private school champion, top-ranked Mount Paran Christian, 28-21 on Nov. 6 to win the Region 6-A title.

Now comes a bigger goal --a deep playoff push. That journey continues Friday for the second-ranked Paladins (10-1) when they host 10th-seeded Stratford (8-3) in the quarterfinal round, with the winner advancing to face third-seeded Aquinas or No. 11 seed Christian Heritage.

Pinecrest's lone loss came earlier in the year to Mount Paran, 35-29.

So while beating Mount Paran might not have been a direct goal for Pinecrest, the matchup did just so happen to be en route to a bigger prize for the Paladins, who are beyond the first round of the playoffs for the first time since moving from GISA to GHSA in 2010.

"It was definitely biggest victory in the school's history, but that wasn't even one of our goals going into the season. Our goal was to get into the playoffs and go from there," Pinecrest head coach Todd Winter said. "You can't win the state championship without getting into the playoffs, but the region title has certainly not hurt us."

Winter trumpets the inner strength of the Paladins as a key for them on such a strong run. That was evidenced in last Friday's first-round win against an upset-minded Athens Christian team when Pinecrest won 20-7 despite a down night on the offensive side of the ball. The Paladins recorded a pair of scores set up by defense and special teams. Quarterback Seth McCarthy ran back a punt for a touchdown, and Mitchell Ojeda's interception return to the 5 set up a short scoring drive for Pinecrest.

"We've been doing that, honestly, since we've gotten here," Winter said. "We are not the most talented football team, we not the biggest or fastest, but we have a lot of heart. The kids have just focused into what it takes. Last Friday, we did not play well at all on offense, but we found a way to block a punt, get some turnovers on defense. Our kids, they have a lot of heart, they don't surrender."

Pinecrest will count on that tenacity on Friday against Stratford and its offensive playmakers, including Quintez Cephus. The Paladins' flex-bone offense will be key to eating time off the clock and preventing the likes of Cephus, O'Showen Williams and Sim Patrick from coming up with big-plays.

"I had a kid that went to Wisconsin who was a first-round draft pick, and I know the quality of kids they have at Wisconsin, so that's all I need to know there," Winter said.

This story was originally published November 24, 2015 at 4:42 PM.