THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY: THE FORSYTH SPORTS 365 SPORTS FREAKS LOOK BACK AT WEEK THREE IN REGION 5 CLASS AAAAAAA FORSYTH COUNTY FOOTBALL.
THE GOOD: South Forsyth continued its domination of overmatched opponents following its season opening upset over 2nd ranked Roswell with a 45-14 win over former district rival Centennial. The War Eagles produced 227 Yards rushing, accounting for 2 touchdowns on the ground. QB Drew Morris, subbing for big brother Cal, was three for three with two scores through the air. The team added an 84 yard interception return for a score. Coach Jeff Arnette’s ballers are now 3-0 on the season, with another big test coming Friday night as South travels to South Gwinnett. The Comets are 1-2 in a region that includes State Champ Grayson and perennial power Archer, so it’s no free skate.
North Forsyth improved to 2-1 with another comeback victory, this one against a tough Loganville team in Raider Valley, 24-17. In spite of some soggy weather, Raider QB Ben Bayles was 16-23 for 234 yards and three TDs, two to Senior receiver Tristan Howard. Bayles impressive play through three games has him on the early short list for Region 5 player of the year. North has this week off to nurse some bruises. Coach Robert Craft’s Raider squad will see if it can extend its winning streak to three when they travel to Pickens High in Jasper September 15.
West Forsyth had a bye this week. That’s good for their opponents, who were spared the aggressive head banging the Wolverines have distributed upon them. Impressive wins over Woodstock and Pace Academy have the west siders believing in the philosophy of first year Head Coach Shawn Cahill and Senior quarterback and first year starter Zach Burns. The Wolverines travel to Hillgrove for their third contest. The Hawks have stumbled out of the gate at 0-2 this year. Along with McEachern High, opening at 0-3, these two playoff regulars are the big surprises, NOT in a good way, this season. A Wolverine win here puts the team in position to run the table to the fall break.
THE BAD: Lambert’s defenders were all over the field Friday night. Chris Taylor lead the way with 17 tackles. Will Kohlins added 10, Marcus Chatelain 9, Nate Smith 8 and Jake Rising 6. That’s 50 total tackles. Now, you might think that’s a good thing, except when you consider that with that many tackles, the opponent’s offense must have been on the field a lot. And you’d be right, as Collins Hill took advantage of a struggling Lambert offense to record a 24-6 victory at Collins Hill. That makes Lambert 0 for Gwinnett County on the young season. The Longhorns troubles on offense start at Quarterback, where Bobby Gabriel is unable to connect with his receivers. Friday night vs the Eagles, Gabriel’s line looked like this: 2/12 for 12 yards, 0 tds and 2 ints, one a pick six. In Lambert’s two games, Gabriel is 8/28 for 145 yards, a single touchdown and 4 ints. That’s going to keep the opponent’s offense on the field a lot. This week Lambert travels to Cherokee High in Canton. The 0-3 Warriors have been outscored this season 106-6. If there was ever a cure for an anemic offense, this could be the iron supplement for Lambert.
THE UGLY: Last Friday night, in Woodstock in the rain at River Ridge High, Forsyth Central Senior Quarterback Brad Thiltgen connected with Senior receiver Christian Neubert five times for 70 yards. That’s something to build on for the 0-2 Bulldogs, but it doesn’t change the ugly stat line. 8-24 for 77 yards, 0 tds and 3 ints. His QB rating was 13.6. That’s ugly. Coach Frank Hepler’s team has yet to score at all this season, shut out in their two games. But their defense has played well enough to win, surrendering just 16 points in their two games. They lost on three field goals to Dawson County in the opener, then held River Ridge, who’d lit it up with 84 points in their two games, to just 7. Friday night the Bulldogs travel to surprising Meadowcreek. The regular Norcross doormat has started this year 2-0, with wins over Alcovy and Duluth by a combined score of 80-52. If the ‘Dogs defense can perform like it has, the Mustangs unsteady D might just be enough to get FCHS on the scoreboard at least.
North Forsyth has a bye this week. The other four FoCo teams will be on the road Friday night, so again our airwaves will be silent as we don’t travel,outside the county. But keep an eye on this site for a recap of the games and a set up for our return to the airwaves on September 15, with a location to be determined. Thanks, as always, for checking in with the Sports Freaks at Forsyth Sports 365!!