GAINESVILLE — Big plays were the name of the game for North Hall Friday night.
The Trojans got two scoring runs of over 45 yards and a huge 91-yard kickoff return for a touchdown from JT Fair as the they rallied for an impressive 27-17 win over Class 7A Cherokee at The Brickyard.
It was the first-ever game for the North Hall (3-0) against a team in Georgia's largest classification.
North Hall scored first on a 46-yard touchdown run from Daniel Jackson late in the first quarter but would trail 10-6 heading into the intermission when Cherokee scored twice in the final 7 minutes of the half. Fair's thrilling return reclaimed the lead for the Trojans (13-10) just moments into the second half.
It stayed that way until the Warriors (1-2) took a 17-13 lead after a 5-yard scoring run from Garrett Miles with just over 9 minutes left in the game. But North Hall answered just 48 seconds later when quarterback David Seavey capped a qick drive with a 2-yard touchdown run and Seavey sealed it on a 48-yard sprint to the end zone with just 1:32 left.
The North Hall defense had a bend-but-don't-break attitude as Cherokee quarterback Landon Ergle threw for 178 yards and a touchdown and added 34 yards on the ground. The warriors outgained North Hall 337 to 230 and the vaunted North Hall ground game was held to a season-low 216 yards.
But the big plays proved to be the difference as the Warriors only managed two plays longer than 17 yards on the night.
North Hall will take a well-earned bye week next before traveling to arch-rival White County in two weeks.
