OAKWOOD, Ga. — East Hall got their season off in a winning way, taking down West Hall in a low-scoring affair Friday night, 19-14.
The Viking offense put up 281 yards of total offense, but the defense, a deficiency in recent years, held West Hall to just 285, forcing four turnovers along the way to secure the win.
In fact, what would end up as the winning touchdown was scored in the third quarter as Viking corner Caden Crocker took an interception to the house that would put East Hall up, 19-7.
The Spartans were the first to score as Nick Strum punched in the opening score of the game with 4:16 to play, putting West Hall out in front, 7-0. The Vikings answered as Peyton Llewallyn fired a 38-yard pass to Temmris Morrison to trim the lead to 7-6 after a failed conversion.
East Hall took the lead late in the second period as Jamarcus Harrison found Alex Stoudenmire from nine yards out through the air to take a 12-7 lead into the locker room at halftime.
After the pick-six stretched the lead, West Hall responded late in the fourth quarter with a 10-yard touchdown grab from Strum to Jaylen Fagan, but the Vikings were able to run the clock out on the Spartans to secure the win.
Strum finished 10-for-23 with a touchdown and three interceptions for West Hall. East Hall’s Morrison was the leading receiver on the night, catching five passes for 79 yards and a touchdown.
While East Hall will have two weeks to prepare for their home opener against Johnson, West Hall will have the Battle for Oakwood next week at Johnson.