Redan Raiders wipe out early deficit, dominate rivals Stone Mountain Pirates in 34-12 upset

DEKALB COUNTY, GA–The Redan Raiders rallied from a 12-0 second quarter deficit to upend their rivals, the Stone Mountain Pirates, 34-12 at Adams Stadium on Thursday night.

Following a 31-yard touchdown pass by Stone Mountain’s Isaiah Samuel to Warren Melvin to fall behind 12-0 with 7:27 to play in the first half, the Raiders began the rally on their next drive.

Redan quarterback Treylen Robets connected on a screen to Khyree Jones for a 25-yard gain to get the drive rolling on the very first play from scrimmage. Another pass between the two teammates went for 16 yards and set up a first and goal at the Stone Mountain nine-yard line.

Kysean Charles finished the drive on the next play, going the final nine yards into the end zone. Roberts hit Elijah Bellamy for the two-point conversion to close the gap to 8-12 with 5:18 left in the first half.

Roberts tossed a pass down the left sideline to Justin Clarke who completed the 55-yard play with a touchdown to give the Raiders the lead at 14-12 with 2:02 remaining in the half.

Deshon Morris and Christian Head combined on a sack for a nine-yard loss to fuel a big defensive stop by the Raiders. Then on the ensuing punt Reochaus Mills broke through to block the Stone Mountain punt. Mills scooped the ball up at the 15 and took it the rest of the way into the end zone with 3.2 seconds remaining in the half. Roberts ran in the two-point conversion to make it 22-12 at the half as the Raiders scored three times in just over five minutes.

Redan continued the momentum to start the second half needing just four plays to score on the opening drive a Kysean Charles (17 carries, 107 yards, 2 TDs) flew around the right end on the way to a 43-yard touchdown run to put the Raiders up 28-12 with 9:48 left in the period.

Three possessions later, the Raiders started a 78-yard, 11-play drive for the final score of the game. Facing a fourth and goal at the Stone Mountain five, Mills slipped out of the backfield and caught a pass from Roberts for the touchdown with 8.4 seconds left in the quarter to make the final of 34-12.

Stone Mountain built its 12-0 lead on the back of a 32-yard pick-six by Warren Melvin. Melvin stepped in front of a receiver to pick off the pass and then raced down the right sideline into the end zone with 2:50 remaining in the first quarter for a 6-0 lead.

Redan’s defense buckled down after Stone Mountain’s second touchdown to not allow another score and holding the Pirates (0-2) to just 88 yards of total offense (25 rushing, 63 passing). Mills played a key role in the defense with at least three tackles for a loss, a blocked punt for a touchdown, two pass breakups and tacked on a receiving touchdown.

The victory was the fifth consecutive in the series for the Raiders who lead the series 25-15 overall. Stone Mountain last won in 2021 to complete a three-year run over the Raiders.

In other DeKalb football action on Thursday night, the Towers Titans (1-1) suffered their first defeat on the young season as they fell 41-7 to BEST Academy at Godfrey Stadium.

DCSD FOOTBALL SCHEDULE – WEEK 2 

Thursday, Aug. 27 

ADAMS STADIUM 

Redan (1-1) 34, Stone Mountain (0-2) 12 

GODFREY STADIUM 

BEST-Atl (1-1) 41, Towers (1-1)  7

Story and photos by Mark Brock, Athletics Specialist for DeKalb County Public Schools District.