DACULA, Ga. - Hebron Football (9-1) took its first step towards another state championship berth last Friday, Nov. 21, when the Lions eliminated Trinity Christian (5-7) 53-20 in the second round of the Georgia Class 3A-A Private State Tournament.

In the match up against the two Prides of lions, it was the visitors who made the first move, scoring on their very first play on offense, a 79-yard touchdown reception, just 22 seconds into the game. 

However, the Lions scored three touchdowns in the first half, taking a 22-6 lead in the second quarter. From that point, the Lions did not lose the lead, despite going into halftime with just a 29-20 lead. 

Hebron dominated the second half, scoring 24 unanswered points across the third and fourth quarters, rolling to another 30-plus point win, the Lions' fifth this season. 

Friday's playoff win over Trinity wasn't just another date on the schedule, it was also the first such contest where Hebron head coach Kenny Dallas would face his former team since departing from the program after last season. 

Dallas spent eight seasons with Trinity, where he played in two state title games, both against Prince Avenue Christian, winning one. 

"(I'm) incredibly proud of how those kids battled, how they played," Dallas said of his former team. "Hats off to them, to those coaches, those kids, they do things right and play hard. Effort makes up for a lot in life, when you give great effort. But, (I'm) really proud of our kids. The definition of mental toughness is the ability to win the next snap, and when things start the way they started, it's crazy, but all you can control is the next snap, and so that's what we did" 

Early on, it was certainly a battle that Hebron had prepared for, but the offensive onslaught became too much for the opposition. Overall, Hebron gained 428 yards of total offense, 181 yards through the air and 247 on the ground. 

The ground game was paced by senior running back Devon Caldwell, who had another strong night, rushing for 181 yards on 28 carries, with two touchdowns. The Mercer commit also had a 54-yard punt returned for a touchdown, which gave the Lions that 9-point cushion heading into the halftime break.

Senior wide receiver Jarvis Mathurin also got in on the action, catching five passes for 105 yards with one 77-yard touchdown catch from junior quarterback Jordan Greene, who tossed four passes for 117 yards and two touchdowns. 

Senior gunslinger Gray Costello added six completions for 57 yards and a touchdown, while adding 34 yards-rushing. 

Freshman wide receiver Austen Kitchings (two catches, 41 yards) and Senior Max Steve (four catches, 35 yards, two touchdowns) also contributed well to Hebron's offensive attack. 

"You start in May, and it doesn't make sense for the kids to be the same from May to August, and then August to November, you know what I mean? So that's what you want, that word 'development', that's what you want to see," Dallas said. "You want all of these kids to be bigger, faster, stronger and know their jobs better, Austen Kitchings is a perfect example, he made a couple big plays for us tonight." 

On defense, Steve and fellow senior Tanner Bowen came up big, collecting interceptions for Hebron in the defensive effort, which grew stronger as the game went on. 

Steve also had eight tackles in the win. Stroud Morris (five tackles, one for a loss), Beau Bennett (five tackles), Albert Wilham (five tackles), Zech Dallas (five tackles) and Fred Moses (four tackles) were other contributors on defense. 

"A lot of times, the adjustments (at halftime) are just reminding kids how we're gonna play, it's not as fancy as we think it is, just reminding guys where we're supposed to be and what we're supposed to be doing," Dallas said. "They just had to weather that storm and come out and give up zero in the second half, so I'm super proud of the defense." 

With the win, the Lions will now rematch a very familiar foe in Prince Avenue this Friday, Nov. 28. Hebron previously defeated the Wolverines 43-6 in Bogart, but will now face them in the confines of Burlingame Field. 

In Prince's first playoff game, the Wolverines dominated Wesleyan 41-6. 

"It's two teams that know each other extremely well, " Dallas said. "It's weird, you just played them one game ago and you're about to turn back around and play them, but it's the same for both of us. It's no different for either one of us." 

Kickoff between the two region rivals is slated for 7:30 p.m. at Burlingame Field, with the winner advancing to the semi-final round of the state playoffs.