DECATUR, Ga. — It took until the final minute of the contest, but Flowery Branch was able to start their season off unbeaten as they took a 39-38 win over Decatur Friday night on the road.
The lead changed four times in the final 12:30 of the contest as Decatur scored with 2:20 to play to take a five-point lead at 38-33. With just under a minute to play, Myles Ivey found his way into the endzone from three yards out to give the Falcons the one-point advantage.
The Falcons finished with 473 yards rushing on the night, inching a 218-yard night for Ivey and 195 yards for Malik Dryden.
Dryden got things started with a 4-yard rushing touchdown on the final play of the first quarter to put Flowery Branch out in front. Just one minute later, quarterback Brody Jordan fired an 18-yard pass to Ivey for six more points. After the two-point conversion from Brayden Jackson, the Falcons had a 15-0 lead.
Decatur answered with a passing touchdown of 25 yards just 90 seconds later, but the Falcons responded on their next drive with another touchdown pass, this time from Jordan to Ethan Fetterman, that pushed the lead out to 23-7.
Decatur scored the next two touchdowns on a 99-yard kickoff return and a score on the first drive of the second half that trimmed the lead to 23-21 before Flowery Branch could answer again on Ivey’s second touchdown of the night.
The Bulldogs took their first lead of the contest in the final seconds of the third period after scoring a touchdown and a 44-yard field goal in the final two minutes of the period to take a 31-30 lead.
Marco Velasquez hit a 24-yard field goal for Flowery Branch before Decatur scored to take the lead prior to the final drive for the Falcons.
Flowery Branch will play host to St. Pius X next Friday night.
