5 Takeaways from Prince Avenue Christian’s win over West Forsyth

The two sets of Wolverines put on a competitive entertaining contest to help open the Georgia high school football season

Prince Avenue Christian and West Forsyth kicked off the 2024 Georgia high school football season on Thursday night and both teams learned a lot about themselves following the exciting, 35-38, victory by PCA. / Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK

Prince Avenue Christian and West Forsyth played an entertaining season-opening contest Thursday night, as part of the Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Classic, which is an 11-game extravaganza to help kickoff the start of the 2024 Georgia high school football season.

PCA, behind an outstanding ground game, outlasted host West Forsyth, 35-28, in a game that should have been both programs optimism for the season ahead.

Here are five things we learned from this contest:

1. Prince Avenue Christian makes the transition from air to ground

Aaron Philo (11) has graduated and moved on to Georgia Tech after setting the Georgia high school state record with 13,922 career passing yards. If the Wolverines are to win a third straight GHSA state championship they will do it as a running football team in 2024. / Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK

In winning two straight GHSA Class A-Division 1 state championships, Prince Avenue Christian relied largely on the passing arm of record-setting quarterback Aaron Philo who set the Georgia state record for career passing yards with 13,922, breaking a mark previously held by the Jacksonville Jaguars Trevor Lawrence.

Philo, now a freshman at Georgia Tech, may not have recognized the 2024 edition of the Wolverines’ offense which dominated on the ground in a 35-28 victory over West Forsyth, Thursday night in the Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Classic.

New quarterback Ben Musser, was efficient in first start under center for PCA, as he complete 11-of-17 passes for 94 yards and two touchdowns, but he did most of his damage with his legs, rushing for a game-high 192-yards, including a 63-yard touchdown sprint late in the third quarter for what proved to be the winning score.

Prince Avenue Christian also has another huge rushing asset in its backfield in running back Andrew Beard who exploited the West Forsyth defense for 187 yards and a touchdown. He also had another long TD run negated by a penalty. Musser and Beard combined for 379 yards rushing in the victory.

2. Hudson Hill is a special weapon for Prince Avenue Christian

After a monster freshman season, Hudson Hill returned a kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown and caught a TD pass in Prince Avenue Christian's season opening victory over West Forsyth. / Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK

Explosive special teams plays can change the entire course of a football game and PCA’s Hudson Hill is certainly a weapon the Wolverines can deploy for such occasions.

Shortly after West Forsyth’s Hunter Green gave his team a boost with a 52-yard touchdown reception, narrowing PCA’s lead to 12-9 in the second quarter, Hill fielded the ensuing kickoff at his own three-yard line and burst through a seam up the left sideline and sprinted to a 97-yard touchdown return.

He turned the game back in Prince Avenue’s direction again in the third quarter, breaking a 20-20 tie with a six-yard TD reception. Also an outstanding baseball player, Hill had 1,230 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns as a freshman last fall. He will be a huge target for Musser as he grows as a passer in his first season as QB1.

3. West Forsyth’s Hunter Green is a stud

Powerful West Foryth full back/tight end Hunter Green provides a weapon for the Wolverines in both the running and passing game. / Hunter Green Hudl

At first glance, the West Forsyth’s Hunter Green appears to be an unassuming full back. The 6-foot-2, 240-pound senior, however, is anything but unassuming.

Yes, he can be a powerful fullback as he blast holes in a talented Prince Avenue Christian defensive front to make room for his team’s running game, but he showed incredible versatility as pass catcher. Whether serving as a safety valve for quarterback Max Walraven or splitting out why and making plays downfield, he opened a lot of eyes Thursday night.

Green had two scoring receptions in the game. The first was 52-yard catch run in which he got wide open in the center of the field and outran the PCA defense to the end zone. In third quarter he grabbed a short pass, on a two-point conversion attempt, and was immediately greeted by a tackler who dragged him towards the sideline. Green, however, had enough strength to stretch the ball over the goal line for the two points. He had six catches in the contest.

Similar to PCA’s Hudson Hill, Green is also a standout on the baseball diamond, serving as a pitcher and first baseman.

4. Christian Garrett is still a force

Prince Avenue Christian's Christian Garrett (55) celebrates with fans following a 2023 PCA victory. / Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK

Well, maybe we already knew this, but it’s worth restating.

The University of Georgia commit and four-star defensive lineman did not have a sack in last night’s season opening win for Prince Avenue Christian, but he walled off the interior line against the West Forsyth running game and made several tackles for loss.

His presence forced West Forsyth to get rid of the ball quickly in the passing game and direct its offense away from Garrett.

At 6-foot 3 and 285 pounds, Garrett is ranked No. 15 in the nation among defensive lineman and No. 15 overall. His performance last night was made even more impressive when you realize he is still recovering from surgery, in January, to repair tears in his bicep and labrum.

5. West Forsyth does not quit

West Foryth quarterback Max Walraven provided steady leadership throughout his team's season opening loss to Prince Avenue Christian, helping the resilient Wolverines repeatedly bounce back from adversity during the contest. / West Forsyth football.

There were several points in Thursday’s night’s contest where Prince Avenue Christian appeared on the threshold of putting away West Forsyth and rolling to a bigger victory, but WF refused to give in and was in the contest until the final minute.

After Prince Avenue Christian scored a touchdown on the game’s opening drive, West Forsyth countered with a nice drive of its own into the PCA red zone. WF had to settle for a field goal, but it did neutralize PCA’s opening blow.

Down 12-3 in the second quarter, West Forsyth responded immediately with a 52-yard scoring strike from Max Walraven to Hunter Green to pull back within three.

West Forsyth tied the game, at 20-20, in the third quarter on a TD run by Foster Orris, followed by Green’s heroic two-point conversion catch, and, down 35-20 entering the fourth quarter, WF got another Orris short TD run to pull back within one score. A Drew Frankhauser interception gave West Forsyth one final chance to get even but the drive stalled near midfield and, with three timeouts left, WF decided to punt with 1:47 remaining in hopes that its defense could make a play. Unfortunately for WF, PCA was able to run out the clock from there.