GAINESVILLE — North Hall coach David Bishop told anyone who would listen during a four-game losing streak to start the season not to believe everything they see.
Can we hear him now?
The Trojans put together perhaps their most explosive offensive game of the season and shocked Union County 55-34 Friday night at The Brickyard in what was essentially an elimination game for both teams in Region 7-AAA.
The loss for the Panthers (4-4, 0-4 Region 7-AAA) eliminated them from a fifth-straight playoff berth while the win clinched a playoff spot for North Hall (3-5, 3-1). A loss for the Trojans, who have won 3 of their last 4, would have given them two region losses with games still to go against East Hall and No. 2 Greater Atlanta Christian.
Bishop said it has all been about simple belief since the first month of the season.
“We had a tough start. We had injuries and a tough schedule but I just told them, and everyone else, that all we needed to do was just keep working hard and believing,” he said. “These kids are starting to believe. We got some big plays on offense and a huge special teams play and the defense really did a good job of slowing down (Union County quarterback Cole) Wright just enough.”
The Trojans, who struggled early in the season to run the ball in their patented wing-T offense, churned out a season-high 441 yards on the ground with a devastating 8.3 yards per carry average and 10 runs of 10-or more yards and five runs of 26 or more yards. And they did almost of that without starting running back Jack Brown, who was forced to leave the game after just one carry in the first quarter.
Junior Drew Faulkner picked up the slack rushing 23 times for 167 yards and three touchdowns. Senior Cutter Sanford finished with 105 yards and a score and Daniel Jackson had 88 yards and two touchdowns.
“When Jack went down I knew I had to step up,” Faulkner said. “But the (offensive) line played great and we just knew what we needed to do get a win. To me that was the best game we’ve played all season. We knew what was at stake.”
Jackson also added a momentum-changing 93-yard kickoff return and quarterback David Seavy continued his development building on last week’s breakout performance. Seavy was an efficient 6-of-7 for 103 yards and one touchdown and added some back-breaking runs in the second half to helped wear down a Union County defense that has allowed 212 points (53 points a game) during the the Panthers four-game losing streak.
Wright did his usual damage on opposing defenses for Union County with 387 yards passing and 57 yards rushing. But a crucial fumble and a pair of interceptions in the end zone proved costly for the Panthers.
Now, Bishop said they can begin the process of fine-tuning things and building for the playoffs.
“We still have a lot to work on, no doubt,” he said. “But now we know we’re in and we can play a little freer the rest of the way and get ready for the playoffs.”
The first half was all about offensive efficiency. Each team punted just once but North Hall got the two big breaks of the half within a 1:09 span.
Union County had fought back to tie the game at 20 midway through the second quarter on a pair of touchdown passes from Wright, including a 60-yard catch and run to Sawyer Drake, But Jackson took the ensuing kickoff 93-yards for a touchdown and then Brady Dehass recovered a Wright fumble on the Panthers next possession.
Faulkner later capped an 8-play drive with a 1-yard scoring run one play after a nifty 15-yard screen pass from Seavy to Jackson for a 34-20 lead with 36 seconds left in the half.
Union County quickly moved into North Hall territory but Wright’s pass into the end zone was picked off by Noah Holman to preserve the halftime lead.
Drake and Austin Pattee were the catalysts for Union County. Drake had four catches for 148 yards and five kickoff returns for 156 yards. Pattee finished with 12 catches for 147 yards.
North Hall never trailed and started strong taking the opening drive 80 yards in 11 plays, with Faulkner getting the first of his two 1-yard touchdown runs.
The Panthers answered with a 48-yard drive, set up by a 51-yard kickoff return from Drake. Wright was 3-for-3 for 29 yards passing, and capped the drive with a 9-yard scoring run to tie the game at 7.
Seavy then went to the air going 3-for-3 for 60 yards, including a 9-yard pass to Holman for a 14-7 lead. After the North Hall defense forced Union’s only punt, Jackson found a seam and then sprinted 42 yards for a touchdown and a 20-7 North Hall lead on its next possession.
But Wright got hot engineering a pair of Panthers scoring drives around North Hall’s only punt going 5-of-8 for 107 yards and two touchdowns in a 1:47 span to tie the game.
The Panthers opened the third quarter poised to chip away at the North Hall lead. Wright drove them down to the North Hall 1 and faced a 3rd-and-goal at the 1. But North Hall’s Dehass sacked Wright for a 7-yard loss and then the Trojans stopped Kanon Hemphill inside the 1 on a pass from Wright to turn the ball over on downs.
The Trojans then broke the spirit of the Panthers marching 99 yards on 13 plays in 6:47, capped by a 26-yard run from Sanford for a 41-20 lead. Union County never got closer than 13 the rest of the way.
SCORING SUMMARY
Union Co.........7....13....0....14 -- 34
North Hall......14....20....7....14 -- 55
First Quarter
N -- Faulkner 1 run (Sanchez kick) 7-0, 6:16
U -- Wright 9 run (Smith kick) 7-7, 2:48
N -- Holman 9 pass from Seavy (Sanchez kick) 14-7, 0:09
Second Quarter
N -- Jackson 42 run (kick failed) 20-7, 9:08
U -- Pattee 9 pass from Wright (Smith kick) 20-14, 7:17
U -- Drake 60 pass from Wright (kick failed) 20-20, 5:30
N -- Jackson 93 kickoff return (Sanchez kick) 27-20, 5:18
N -- Faulkner 1 run (Sanchez kick) 34-20, 0:36
Third Quarter
N -- Sanford 26 run (Sanchez kick) 41-20, 1:05
Fourth Quarter
U -- Buzzard 1 run (Smith kick) 41-27, 10:50
N -- Faulkner 29 run (Sanchez kick) 48-27, 8:20
N -- Seavy 1 run (Sanchez kick) 55-27, 4:11
U -- Wright 8 run (Smith kick) 55-34, 2:39
