FLOWERY BRANCH — Flowery Branch’s Jalin Strown proved just how dangerous he can be Friday night.
The senior wide receiver torched a good Clarke Central secondary for 167 yards and three touchdowns on just six receptions to lead the Falcons to an impressive 28-14 win at Falcons Field.
The two teams are no strangers having played each of the past nine seasons and splitting the first eight contests. But the Gladiators had no answer for Strown, who had TD catches of 82-yards, 27-yards, and the eventual game-winner on a 6-yard catch in the fourth quarter.
And while Strown and Elijah Gainey were working over the Clarke Central secondary -- Gainey was 9 of 20 for 202 yards with 3 TD passes and just 1 interception -- the Falcons defense was putting the clamps on the Gladiators 1-2 backfield punch of Jonathan Sewell and O’Brien Barnett.
Sewell and Barnett, who came in averaging nearly 300 yards a game collectively, were held to just 100 total yards and just one touchdown on 22 carries for the game.
The Branch took the first lead on Strown’s 82-yard bomb in the first quarter but Clarke Central moments later when Sewell took a Isaac Ward pass 76-yards for a score to tie the game at 7-7. The Falcons took a 14-7 lead into halftime when Gainey and Strown connected on the 27-yard scoring strike with 3:43 left in the half.
The Gladiators, out of Region 8-5A, came out hot to start the third quarter and tied the game at 14-14 when Sewell capped a quick 2:33 drive with a 2-yard plunge just one play after a 40-yard pass from Ward to Jairus Mack to inside the Falcons 10.
Gainey and Strown would connect for the third time on a throwback screen for a 6-yard touchdown to give the Falcons a 21-14 lead.
The Falcons defense then helped seal the win when Aiden Lorenz forced a Ward fumble on a sack and Jack Dodson recovered. Zarian Brawner put the finishing touches on the victory scoring on a 2-yard with 4:19 left.
Jaizen Ellingham had a huge game for Flowery Branch with 129 yards rushing on 31 carries for the contest.
The Falcons will start a two-game run against Region 8-6A teams playing host to Winder-Barrow next week. It also will continue a stretch of seven games against 2017 playoffs teams over the next eight weeks.
