GAINESVILLE — The final score of 21-0 may not say it, but North Hall found it can, and should be, a contender on the state scene in Class 3A in 2018 despite Friday night’s loss to Greater Atlanta Christian at The Brickyard.
“I think we fought hard and we certainly had some chances,” North Hall coach David Bishop said. “We called a timeout at the end of the game just to tell (the kids) that we were proud of their effort. I think they showed they can compete for sure.”
It was the first of what is expected to be three monster showdowns for the Region 7-3A title. GAC (4-2, 2-0 Region 7-3A) will take on Dawson County (5-0, 2-0) next week in Norcross with the winner of that one grabbing the early lead in the standings and holding the all-important tiebreaker. North Hall (5-1, 1-1) and Dawson County, which clobbered East Hall 64-0 on Friday, will close out the regular season in early November.
The Trojans came into Friday’s contest as the No. 2 scoring team in Class 3A (42.6 points per game) with its vaunted wing-T offense, grounding out over 300 yards a game. The Spartans countered with a defense that featured Michigan-commit Chris Hinton and a defensive line that outweighed the Trojans’ offensive line by nearly 50-pounds a man on average.
The Spartans stood firm as the Trojans never got much consistent traction despite piling up 171 yards for the game, which was nearly 150 below their season average. North Hall managed several big runs, including a 38-yard run by quarterback David Seavey early in the second half. But the Trojans also struggled in short-yardage as Hinton and Co. resembled the Great Wall of China.
Three big turnovers -- two fumbles and an interception -- and several badly-timed penalties helped snuff out potential scoring drives, including two inside Spartans territory.
“We knew it would be a tough battle up front for us but that is a top five team (in Class 3A) and our kids fought to the end,” Bishop said. “You can’t make mistakes against teams like that and expect to win.”
The North Hall defense held its own against a Spartans offense that had size at receiver against a smaller Trojans secondary. North Hall stopped GAC on downs on their opening possession and had the Spartans pinned down at their own 6 on their next possession after a 56-yard punt by Seavey.
But senior quarterback Josh Rose got hot connecting on three big pass plays, including a 15-yard touchdown strike to Jake Floyd with 3:26 left in the first quarter for a 7-0 lead. Rose also added a 26-yard run one play before the scoring play.
North Hall thwarted the next GAC drive blocking a 38-yard field goal attempt early in the second quarter but senior receiver Ty James snagged a 25-yard touchdown catch from Rose with 3:26 left in the half to cap an 85-yard drive. The Trojans had a chance to deny the Spartans but Seavey could not hold on to a potential interception two plays before Rose connected with James for a 14-0 lead.
It stayed that way until Montae Bailey scored on a 2-yard run with just 2:46 left in the game.
“This was a physical game and North Hall is an outstanding team,” GAC coach Tim Hardy said. “That’s a hard offense to simulate in practice. We did a good job of staying with what we worked on. We’re just glad to come out of here with a win.”
Rose finished 14 of 26 passing for 185 yards and the two TD passes. He added 68 yards rushing on 9 carries. James proved a tough matchup for the smaller North Hall secondary snagging 8 catches for 125 yards and the one TD.
Seavey paced North Hall with 61 yards rushing. Daniel Jackson added 45 yards on the ground.
SCORING SUMMARY
GAC...................7....7....0....7 -- 21
NORTH HALL....0....0....0....0 -- 0
First Quarter
GAC - Floyd 15 pass from Rose (Neagele kick) 7-0, 3:26
Second Quarter
GAC - James 25 pass from Rose (Neagele kick) 14-0, 3:26
Fourth Quarter
GAC - Bailey 2 run (Neagele kick) 21-0, 2:46
