RINGGOLD, Ga. — Like a crafty gunfighter, Ringgold football coach Robert Akins saved his bullets for when he needed them the most.
Senior Peyton Williams, expected to be one of the area's top running backs this season, has experienced limited action in the backfield in recent weeks due to a shoulder injury. Though still not 100%, Williams made his return to the Tigers' RB1 spot Friday night against Coahulla Creek and ran for 188 yards and three touchdowns in a 34-13 win.
All three of the scores and 157 of the yards came in the second half as the Tigers took a 14-7 halftime lead and ran away with the key GHSA Region 6-AAA win. Ringgold moves to 4-3 and 3-1 in league play, with the Colts falling to 5-2 and 3-2.
"We talked about it during the week, and I told him we could let him rest the next couple of weeks if we needed to, but that if we had a chance to win we needed him in the backfield tonight," Akins said of Williams.
(READ MORE: Final scores and photos from Friday night's Chattanooga-area high school football games)
"Our offensive line was creating some space, but our freshmen backs weren't seeing them as well as Peyton does. We felt at halftime that with those holes Peyton would break a few big ones, and he did. He's just a warrior who loves the game and to compete."
Equally as impressive was the Ringgold defense against one of the top offenses in the region. The Tigers repeatedly harassed Coahulla Creek quarterback Kace Kinnamon while also holding the Colts to just 27 rushing yards on 30 attempts. Kinnamon passed for 227 yards, but he needed 22 completions to get there.
"Coach (Houston) White does a super job with our defense, and our coaches had a great game plan tonight," Akins said. "(Coahulla Creek coach) Danny Wilson came over after the game and said that was the best anybody had ever schemed against them.
"We had to find a way to contain Kinnamon, and we did for the most part."
It was Kinnamon, however, who struck first. After a bad snap on a punt set up the Colts at the Ringgold 32, the senior hit Manny Dominguez for a 33-yard touchdown on an out-and-go pattern.
The game turned late in the first half when shifty sophomore Kishaun Taylor made an acrobatic catch at the Coahulla Creek 30 and used a pair of highlight-reel moves to shake defenders en route to a 65-yard touchdown for Ringgold.
The Colts fumbled on their next play, and five plays later, quarterback Ross Norman hooked up with favorite target Ty Gilbert for a 28-yard touchdown and a 14-7 Ringgold lead just before halftime.
The lead in hand and his defense dominating, Akins turned to his senior running back to close the win.
After Taylor returned a punt 50 yards to the Coahulla Creek 20, Williams scored on the next play. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Trent Baldwin sacked Kinnamon and forced a fumble that Riley Broome recovered at the Colts' 14. Williams again needed only one play to score, going 14 yards for a 27-7 lead.
He later capped his return to the backfield with a 79-yard run, turning on the jets to outrace several defenders and reach the end zone.
"This team is really night and day from where we started," Akins said. "When they decided to play, they can get it done. Our young kids — and we have a lot of them — have steadily gotten better, and that's all you can ask."
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @youngsports22.