CUMMING, GA. - The Hebron Christian Academy football team picked up a huge Week 1 win over 6A contender North Atlanta, defeating the Warriors 29-22 in the 34th-annual Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Classic at West Forsyth High School on Thursday, Aug. 14. 

The Lions held a 23-7 lead going into the fourth quarter, but North surged back to find itself down 29-22, and were knocking on the door for a game-tying score. 

The Lions desperately needed a stop late in the game, and that's what they got. 

With one minute left, Warrior running back Bryce Little fumbled on the Lions' one-yard line. 

Junior defensive end Marley Woods  then recovered possession for Hebron, ending the Warriors rally and propelling the Lions to victory. 

"It was a big play in a big moment," Hebron head coach Kenny Dallas said. "That's why you've just got to keep winning the next snap. We talk about [how] the whole idea of mental toughness is the ability to put away any thoughts of what happened or what's going to happen and just win the next snap. Good things happen when you play hard and make a team have to drive the field. [I'm] super proud of those guys for making a stop, defense made some big stops today." 

The Lion defense had five key stops - three interceptions and two fumble recoveries, the final stop being the game-winner. 

Sophomore defensive back Jai'lil Goley had two of the Lions picks, one being a high-extension grab along the warriors sideline in the second quarter, and the other being a congested snag on a deep ball from Warrior quarterback Weston Goodman in the third. 

Goley also had six tackles in the defensive effort. 

"Two big plays in big moments ... hopefully see a lot more from [Goley]," Dallas said. "I was real proud of him." 

Senior linebacker (LB) Jack Mostiler came up with the third pick for Hebron. 

Mostiler intercepted North back-up Ryan Edwards halfway through the third, barreling through Warrior territory down to the 12-yard line. 

North Atlanta also had another fumble early the first quarter, this one resulting from a dropped snap in punt formation, which the Lions recovered. 

Also on defense, Junior LB Albert Wilham led Hebron with nine tackles, senior LB Tanner Bowen had seven, while junior LB Beau Bennett and sophomore defensive lineman Fred Moses joined Goley with six, respectively. 

Moses also recorded a sack in the win. 

Senior offensive lineman Fletcher Turk stepped in for a play on defense, and recorded a sack as well. 

Turk, a three-star recruit, recently received two more collegiate offers, one from Northwestern and the other from Auburn. 

On offense, no one had a bigger afternoon than senior wide receiver Jarvis Mathurin. 

Mathurin, a Georgia Southern commit, totaled 321 all-purpose yards, catching eight passes for 92 yards, rushing for 34 on five carries, and highlighting his effort with an 88-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. 

Mathurin's electrifying house-call came early in the fourth quarter to give Hebron a 29-15 lead, less than a minute after North shrank its deficit to 23-15. 

After the win, he was named as the game's Most Valuable Player. 

"We needed it," Dallas said of Mathurin's touchdown. "The best players need to give the best effort, and big players make big plays. Sometimes you've got guys that gain a lot of yardage off of garbage time, and then there's other guys that make plays when it's needed. That's kind of what you can tell out of [Mathurin]. You're a special player when you can make plays like that in those types of moments. We need to make big plays on special teams, so he gave us exactly what we needed." 

Senior running back Devon Caldwell joined Mathurin as the other returner on special teams, he added 45 return yards, but he made his mark on offense. 

Caldwell, a Mercer commit, rushed for 114 yards and three touchdowns across 26 carries. 

He initially scored on a three-yard carry with 2:39 remaining in the first, his second was an 11-yard scamper halfway through the second. 

Caldwell's final touchdown was the best of the three, a 13-yard push to the right pylon. 

The shifty back initially found space to the right, but was met by a wall of North defenders. 

However, Caldwell was joined by a pride of Lions forging him ahead, and shoving the Warrior defense into the end zone, leaving the fans in awe and the public announcer with just one thing to say - "wow." 

"[They're] just special, man," Dallas said of Caldwell and Mathurin. "I use the word "dynamic over and over because I don't have any other adjectives to use. "Respect ... just in the way that they handle their business. They're impact guys for us." 

Dallas could have went on about the duo's ability with the ball, but he chose to highlight their effort without the ball. 

He stressed that Caldwell and Mathurin are great players, whether they have the ball or not. 

For the Warriors, they settled for just one score through the first three frames, but crawled their way back in the fourth, after gaining 245 yards and 16 first downs on 26 plays. 

Little rebounded from the fumble earlier, and scored on an 11-yard rush with 11:22 left in the game, Goodman later slung a 20-yard touchdown pass with 5:25 remaining.

An unsuccessful Lion sequence returned possession over to North with about 2:30 to go. 

Starting at their own 29-yard line, the Warriors methodically drove down the field for a great opportunity to score, but the Lions held on for the eventual turnover and game-winning stop. 

The Lions were outnumbered by the big 6A program, they were missing key starters like senior free safety Max Steve and senior quarterback Gray Costello, and the sun at 4:30 p.m. made them respect those who play on Saturdays and Sundays, but it was all futile in the end. 

"There's a reason why 2A schools don't play 6A schools, and you see why, we have 50-something boys on our sideline," Dallas said. "It was tough this week ... for those guys to go out there, down a few starters, our kids came here to compete, and that just speaks volumes of the program." 

The Lions will return to action next Friday, Aug. 22, when they host Fellowship Christian at Burlingame Field. 

The two programs played twice last season, Hebron winning both meetings. 

However, the Paladins will be looking to avenge those two losses next Friday at 7:30 p.m.