GAINESVILLE — After recovering a North Hall fumble in the end zone to take a 7-0, that was it for Cherokee Bluff.
The Trojans (3-2, 1-0 Region 7-3A) scored 42 straight points to beat the Bears, 42-14, Friday night at The Brickyard.
"They punted the ball and got us inside the five. We fumble the football and they score a touchdown," North Hall coach David Bishop said. "So that was kind the start of the first quarter for us. Cherokee Bluff has gotten much better, but are still very young. If we're going to be able to do the things we want to do later in the season, and with a big game coming next week, we just can't afford it and we've done this every week."
The win broke the Trojans' two-game losing streak and put them in a tie for the top spot in Region 7-3A.
Jacob Dickey led the Trojans' ground game with 103 yards on nine carries and a touchdown. JT Fair finished the night with 84 yards and three touchdowns.
"He's getting better every week," Bishop said. "JT does what JT does. He's not very big, but he's got enough wiggle to make people miss and he's big for us catching and running the ball. We've got to make sure he touches the ball."
North Hall outgunned Bluff 390-139 yards.
Taking advantage of Cherokee Bluff turnovers, the Trojans scored 28 unanswered points in the second quarter. JT Fair highlighted the second quarter with a 31-yard scoring run and a one-yard score. Kevin Rochester and Dickey both scored in the quarter.
The Trojans tacked on two more scores in the third quarter off a 3-yard run from Fair and a Smith 3-yard run.
Jayquan Smith led the Bears (1-4, 0-1 Region 7-3A) with 90 yards on 10 carries.
North Hall will face Class 3A No. 3-ranked GAC on Friday. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m.
"They're very big and talent," Bishop said about GAC. "They've got a lot of D-1 kids playing both sides of the football. It's going to be a tough game, that's for sure. We know what we have to do, we just have to go out there and take care of it."
The Bears play host to Fannin County Friday. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m.
