Defense leads Falcons to win over Madison County

DANIELSVILLE -- Turns out Flowery Branch football was more than ready for Class AAAA.

The Falcons defense held Madison County to just 97 total yards of offense in taking a 21-0 win in the Falcons' opener on the road and first-ever game in Class AAAA.

While the Falcons defense was shutting down the Raiders, Jeremy Haley sparked the Flowery Branch offense with 135 yards rushing and one touchdown.

The Falcons (1-0) led just 7-0 at halftime on Haley's run but Will Monday booted a pair of field goals (21 and 18 yards) and Byron Keith caught a 17-yard TD pass from Austin Brown late to put the finishing touches on the Falcons' first-ever win at the Class AAAA level.

Flowery Branch will play host to Winder-Barrow next week. The Bulldoggs took Rockdale County, a Class AAAA semifinalist in 2009 down to the wire in a 6-3 loss in their opener Friday night.