So here we are, half way through fall break, and the sounds from Friday night at the Nest on the campus of South Forsyth High still ring throughout Forsyth County and across the state of Georgia. BAM! THUMP! BANG! SMASH! Like a Batman episode, the words spalsh across reality, pounding home the message. The War Eagles are FOR REAL!
Class 7A #4 South Forsyth 37, #10 Lassiter 20.
And the game really wasn’t as close as the score…in the second half. South let the Trojans hang around in the first half with a questionable failed two point conversion call and a couple of ill time penalties. What had been a 9-3 War Eagle lead with under three minutes left in the half turned into a 10-9 Lassiter lead going into the locker room after Lassiter athlete and Notre Dame commit Derrick Allen took a screen pass from QB Brad Riopelle and sprinted untouched through the South defense for a 55 yard touchdown. Some long faces entered the South locker room. But one of them was not long, nor in the locker room. South Running Back Jared Honey stayed on the field, where he was elected Homecoming King in a vote by his schoolmates, an honor that will leave a lasting impression on him. Not to mention a lasting impression on the second half. After posing for pictures with his Homecoming Queen, actual girlfriend Hannah Hausler, and sharing a little kiss that had the underclass boys and girls giggling in the stands, Honey returned to the field with a message. “Watch this, Hannah.”
SOUTH FORSYTH RUNNING BACK AND HOMECOMING KING JARED HONEY
BOOM! SMASH! CRASH! CRUNCH! After a Lassiter fieldm goal on the opening possession, Honey took a handoff from QB Cal Morris and blasted up the middle for 45 yards and the go-ahead touchdown. By mid-fourth quarter the score was South Forsyth 30 Lassiter 13. The Lassiter defensive linemen were lining up play after play and getting absolutely run over by Honey, his offensive linemen and his fullback. They were standing at their own 25 yard line, and pushing, slapping and jawing at each other. Step Up! Stop these guys! But you could see it in their posture. They had had enough. Three bruising plays later, Honey’s running mate, Jordan Brunson, the lightning to Honey’s thunder, took a handoff at the five and, with the entire defense surging to the middle of the line, trotted untouched off right end for the final nail.
Honey’s line is one that should go into the annals of not just South Forsyth High lore, but all of Forsyth County athletic legendary performances. 3 touchdowns. 31 carries. 191 yards, nearly every one of them straight up the middle and after contact. Against the #10 team in all of Georgia. No, as Coach Jeff Arnette mentioned in his post-game comments, and had discussed with Forsyth Sports 365 earlier in the week, this win didn’t decide a region title, or get the War Eagles into the playoffs, or advance them to the next round. But that’s not something he told his team before the game. Before the game this was the biggest regular season game in the history of the county; a Top Ten matchup where a win would show the state that Forsyth County football had indeed arrived. That the hardworking kids in this county would from now on be a force to be reckoned with. Next week, Arnette’s comments can be shouted above the din: We didn’t do NOTHING yet!, as Region 5 play begins October 6th.
But for now, savor this one South Forsyth High football family and fans. Indeed, Forsyth County in general should be proud. #4 South Forsyth 37, #10 Lassiter 20. On the home court, in the south end of the county. The names of the slain giants over the last twenty months are beginning to add up. Norcross. Tucker. Roswell. South Gwinnett. Lassiter. South comes in this week ranked fifth in the Georgia Sportswriters Association poll. Tift County broke the tie by 7 votes. But so what. South Forsyth is ranked fifth in the state. Ahead of Colquitt County. Ahead of Mill Creek. Ahead of McEachern. Ahead of North Cobb. So savor it War Eagles. Biggest win in the history of Forsyth County? Arguable. Biggest win of this season? Maybe. Roswell was ranked #2 when they played in the opener. But that wasn’t at the corner of Peactree Parkway and Ronald Reagan. And that wasn’t the set-up, the springboard into Region 5 play. Pretty big win. Enjoy it until Sunday. Then it’s time to focus on Lambert. You know they’ve got a big circle around this one on their calendar. Could be the biggest game in the county this year…