GAINESVILLE -- Big run plays, pounding between the tackles and good tackling has been the North Hall Trojans' main formula during their four-game winning streak.
Friday at the Brickyard, they were beaten at their own game.
Franklin County rode the broad shoulders of Shaun Pulliam and a massive second half offensive explosion on its way to a 54-37 win in a game that could go a long way in the playoff hunt for both teams.
Pulliam finished the game with 338 rushing yards on 19 carries (17.7 yards per carry), leading the way for a Lions offense that totaled 576 total yards in the game -- North Hall finished with a more-than-respectable 411 total yards.
Despite the setback, the Trojans (4-4, 3-1 Region 8A-AAA) can still win their subregion with a victory next week against Stephens County and a Franklin County loss.
Meanwhile, the Lions (4-4, 3-1) can only hope for a three-way tie between the top teams in 8A-AAA, but need a win against Lumpkin County to make it possible.
If they continue to play like Friday, they'll like their chances.
After falling behind 14-7 early in the second quarter, Franklin County finished the first half with two touchdowns to take a lead it would not relinquish.
The Lions then started the second half in a similar fashion, driving 71 yards on its first possession of the third quarter for a touchdown and a 26-14 lead.
Pulliam ran 56 yards for the touchdown on a 3rd-and-17 play that permanently moved momentum the Lions' way.
The fourth quarter turned out to be a wild offensive effort for both teams, as North Hall and Franklin combined for seven touchdowns and 51 points over the final 12 minutes of the game.
But 28 of those points came from the Lions, including Andrew Heaton's 14-yard touchdown run early in the quarter, giving Franklin a commanding 33-14 lead.
Pulliam would add an 18-yard scoring run in the quarter, his third and final of the game.
Franklin scored two more touchdowns in the game -- a 63-yard fumble returned for a touchdown by Enoz Simpson and a four-yard touchdown run by Quez Shannon.
Those scores were followed by a pair of Imani Cross touchdowns, who had a big game in his own right.
Running mainly out of the wildcat formation in the fourth quarter, Cross had touchdown runs of 30 and 27 yards, as he finished the game with 230 yards on 24 carries and four touchdowns.
But early in the game, Franklin's defense was able to slow down Cross and the Trojans high-powered rushing attack just enough to take control.
North Hall scored a pair of touchdowns in the first half, including Caleb Faulkner's 16-yard scoring run, giving his team a 14-7 advantage. . .but the Trojans' other three possessions ended with a punt and a pair of turnovers on downs.
The Lions fired the first offensive shot in the game, scoring on their second possession, after the two teams failed to get a first down over the first three possessions of the game.
Braxton Shiflet scored on a reverse, rushing in from 28 yards out for the Lions.
And after the Trojans took a 14-7 lead early in the second quarter, it was Franklin quarterback Kevin Harris that got his team back into a 14-14 tie.
Harris finished off a 69-yard drive for the Lions with a 49-yard touchdown run, and Franklin would take the lead for good on its next possession.
After the Trojans turned the ball over on downs late in the second quarter, Pulliam busted loose for his first touchdown on the very next play from scrimmage -- a 44-yard scamper giving the Lions a 20-14 lead.
It was one of several big rushing plays during Pulliam's career night.
Sunday
June 1st, 2025
3:33PM
