ASHEVILLE — Max Guest hardly had time to catch his breath from a highlight-reel 86-yard touchdown catch spectacular even by his standards before it was time for the Reynolds offense to take the field again.
Rabun Gap had returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown, the Eagles' second game-changing special teams play in the first four minutes of the game.
It wouldn't be the last time Guest bailed out an offense struggling to move the ball, nor were the Rockets done making backbreaking special teams miscues.
Despite Reynolds' strengths showing through in its final and toughest nonconference test of the season, a slew of mistakes led to a 37-28 loss to Rabun Gap.
"We just played bad. I mean, we really did, the first half in particular," Rockets coach Shane Laws said.
"But that's why you play this game, against a team like that. ... Because you're going to be in this game again."
Against a team as strong as Rabun Gap (3-1), the Rockets (3-1) can be confident the positives they did show will translate to the 4A playoffs.
Guest is chief among them.
Eagles coach Derek White said stopping the sophomore running back and forcing Reynolds to pass was the game plan on defense.
It worked on the ground (28 rushing yards on 14 carries), but Guest's three receptions were all long touchdown catches, totaling 228 of Reynolds' 347 total yards of offense.
"[Guest] is as good as advertised," White said.
The Rocket defense, too, lived up to its billing, even with Duke commit DaShawn Stone missing the game due to a suspension carried over from last week's game.
Rabun Gap had just 169 yards of offense (3.0 per play) and finished the night with 3 rushing yards. Defensive lineman Russell Barnett had two of Reynolds' five sacks.
"[Barnett] is a man. I told them, people need to offer No. 99," White said. "We knew we had to dominate on defense and special teams to have a chance."
The Eagles won the game on special teams — or at least, that's where Reynolds lost it.
Rabun Gap blocked a punt and returned a kickoff for a touchdown in the first quarter. A bad punt snap and a muffed punt gifted the Eagles more points after halftime.
Guest and the defense did what they could to make up for those mistakes — the three long touchdowns from the running back, and consecutive goal-to-go stops from the defense — while Reynolds tried to play its way back into the game.
But the burden was too much to overcome, and the Rockets will enter the conference season with a sour taste in their mouth.
"We're prepared now," linebacker Asher Cunningham said. "That's a third-round playoff team. So, we're mentally ready for whatever we've got ahead of us."
Rabun Gap had returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown, the Eagles' second game-changing special teams play in the first four minutes of the game.
It wouldn't be the last time Guest bailed out an offense struggling to move the ball, nor were the Rockets done making backbreaking special teams miscues.
Despite Reynolds' strengths showing through in its final and toughest nonconference test of the season, a slew of mistakes led to a 37-28 loss to Rabun Gap.
"We just played bad. I mean, we really did, the first half in particular," Rockets coach Shane Laws said.
"But that's why you play this game, against a team like that. ... Because you're going to be in this game again."
Against a team as strong as Rabun Gap (3-1), the Rockets (3-1) can be confident the positives they did show will translate to the 4A playoffs.
Guest is chief among them.
Eagles coach Derek White said stopping the sophomore running back and forcing Reynolds to pass was the game plan on defense.
It worked on the ground (28 rushing yards on 14 carries), but Guest's three receptions were all long touchdown catches, totaling 228 of Reynolds' 347 total yards of offense.
"[Guest] is as good as advertised," White said.
The Rocket defense, too, lived up to its billing, even with Duke commit DaShawn Stone missing the game due to a suspension carried over from last week's game.
Rabun Gap had just 169 yards of offense (3.0 per play) and finished the night with 3 rushing yards. Defensive lineman Russell Barnett had two of Reynolds' five sacks.
"[Barnett] is a man. I told them, people need to offer No. 99," White said. "We knew we had to dominate on defense and special teams to have a chance."
The Eagles won the game on special teams — or at least, that's where Reynolds lost it.
Rabun Gap blocked a punt and returned a kickoff for a touchdown in the first quarter. A bad punt snap and a muffed punt gifted the Eagles more points after halftime.
Guest and the defense did what they could to make up for those mistakes — the three long touchdowns from the running back, and consecutive goal-to-go stops from the defense — while Reynolds tried to play its way back into the game.
But the burden was too much to overcome, and the Rockets will enter the conference season with a sour taste in their mouth.
"We're prepared now," linebacker Asher Cunningham said. "That's a third-round playoff team. So, we're mentally ready for whatever we've got ahead of us."