FLOWERY BRANCH — Flowery Branch faced a 7-3 halftime deficit on Friday night.
Instead of panicking, however, the Falcons simply rode the defense and run game formula that has served them so well of late -- with a little explosiveness from Jalin Strown thrown in.
Strown hauled in a 75-yard touchdown pass just 1:17 into the second half to give the Falcons the lead for good in an eventual 23-7 defeat of Winder-Barrow.
Strown finished with 3 receptions for 111 yards -- but it was the ground attack, and the way the Branch strangled the Bulldoggs' own rush game, that made the ultimate difference.
The Falcons (3-0) rolled up 193 yards on the ground and finished with 374 total yards, including 108 yards on 28 carries for Jaizen Ellingham and 86 yards and 2 touchdowns on 16 carries for Zarian Brawner. Meanwhile, the Bulldoggs finished with 148 total yards, including a paltry 24 rush yards in the face of a stout Branch defense that never allowed the Bulldoggs any second half traction.
The visitors actually took the lead at the interval thanks in large part to the work of quarterback Jhaydon Sullivan, who completed 10 of 16 passes for 85 yards to help set up a 2-yard run from Aaron Bagley with 7:33 left in the second quarter. The score eclipsed a first quarter field goal from the Branch's Jamal Larach (30 yards), as the Falcons managed just 119 total yards compared to Winder's 99.
That all changed in the second half, however, as the Doggs' managed just 49 yards the rest of the way. Meanwhile, after converting on just 2 of 8 third downs in the first half, the Falcons grew more efficient, converting on 4 of 7 the rest of the way.
Elijah Gainey (9 of 25, 181 yards, TD) hooked up with Strown for the lead just after the restart, and Brawner did the rest of the damage for the Falcons offense, scoring on runs of 17 and 8 yards.
Flowery Branch will take a bye next week before taking on Gainesville on Sept. 21.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2018/9/710791/bvideob-branch-absorbs-early-doggs-punch-fires-back-for-23-7-win