CHICKAMAUGA, Ga. — Ringgold had to win its last three games to have a shot at making the GHSA Class AAA football playoffs.
Gordon Lee just needed to not lose a close game.
Both goals were accomplished Friday as the Tigers used a big night from Kishaun Taylor and a solid defensive performance to beat host Gordon Lee 21-7.
Ringgold (6-4, 4-3) is the No. 3 seed from Region 6, with Gordon Lee (6-4, 4-3) the No. 4 seed. The Trojans benefited from the region's three-team tiebreaker, which is point differential between tied teams. Coahulla Creek also finished 4-3 in region play after falling to Adairsville, 28-21, and was eliminated with Ringgold having the best differential and the Colts having a head-to-head loss to Gordon Lee.
(READ MORE: Final scores and photos from Friday night's Chattanooga-area prep football games)
"Kishaun always has a different gear, and he showed it again tonight," Ringgold first-year head coach Austin Crisp said. "He's a very dynamic guy who we can put anywhere on the field. Defensively, we played really well. We wanted to minimize big plays, and I think they only had one over 15 yards."
It was Gordon Lee, though, that drew first blood, getting Landon Norton's 56-yard fumble recovery return on Ringgold's first possession. It didn't take Ringgold long to tie it after Taylor, who had 146 yards on just six carries, broke off a 70-yard touchdown run.
Later in the opening quarter, Ringgold used a pair of Garrett Edgar completions to get inside the Gordon Lee 30, and three plays later, Haddon Fries scored on a 3-yard run on fourth-and-inches.
The Trojans, who managed just 133 total yards, turned the ball over on a fumble at their own 26 midway through the second quarter, with Fries (85 yards on 25 carries) scoring three plays later on a 4-yard run for a 21-7 lead.
Gordon Lee had four drives reach Ringgold territory over the next two-plus quarters but never capitalized. Down double digits and needing to lose by at least six points, the Trojans' game plan grew very conservative late as news of Adairsville's lead over Coahulla Creek came in.
"We knew starting with the Ridgeland game that we had to win out, so I told the guys that the playoffs started right there," Crisp said. "We had eight starters miss at least two games at one point, but the team held it together. This shows you what these kids are made of."
Gordon Lee will travel to Wesleyan next week for the first round of the playoffs, with Gordon Lee visiting Lumpkin County.
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com.