GAINESVILLE, Ga. — North Hall used a solid rushing attack and stingy defense in the second half to hold off Chestatee in a 28-14 win in the 23rd Battle of Highway 60 Friday night at the Lynn Cottrell Complex.
The Trojans (2-2, 1-0 Region 6-3A) held Chestatee to just 56 yards in the second half, picked off the War Eagles (1-3, 0-1 Region 6-3A) twice, and racked up 209 total yards, most on the ground. They also outscored the War Eagles 15-7 to seal the opening Region 6-3A win.
“We liked how our run game was working,” Pender said. “We liked how we ran the football, so we just stuck with that. We hit some passes when needed, but we were just trying to take advantage of what they gave us.”
Parker Carlton had his second-straight 100-plus yard rushing game, churning out 127 yards on 15 carries and two touchdowns. He also had a big fourth down conversion run late in the third quarter that kept the Trojans go-ahead drive alive and pushed the Trojans ahead, 28-14, in the fourth quarter on a 21-yard TD run.
“It’s two in a row that he’s done that with similar numbers, probably on similar attempts,” Pender said about Carlton’s performance. “I refer to him as a warrior, but he does everything we ask him to do. He gives you everything he has every time he's on the field. And you got to love coaching a kid like that."
Luke Jenkins was also big on the Trojans go-ahead drive when he got loose on a 69-yard run to the War Eagles’ 11-yard line. He finished the night with 105 yards on six carries.
“The big run by Jenkins helped out, but yeah, we did respond,” he said. “We went down there and were able to punch it in, you know, and then get the two-point conversion to get us back up 21-14.”
But after forcing the Trojans to punt on their first possession of the second half. A bad punt snap and a personal foul penalty gave the War Eagles the ball on the Trojans’ 10-yard line. Three plays later, Caysen Goss ran in from three yards out to tie the game at 13 with 8:56 left in the third quarter. Isaiah Glez’s extra point gave Chestatee their first lead, 14-13.
After that, things started to unravel for War Eagles. They had a Colton Steele kickoff return for a touchdown called back and tossed two interceptions, including one in North Hall territory — a Charlie Dyer interception — that sealed their fate.
“Charlie's interception was fantastic,” Pender said. “And Walker Davis had a good one a little bit later. But Chestatee does a good job with the wing T — they’re very good at it. They do a good job of trying to hold the football, but we were able to take advantage in the second half and slow it down a little bit.”
In the first half, it was a back-and-forth battle. North Hall took the first lead of the game after Chestatee’s 9:30-minute drive stalled out. Trojan QB Smith McGarvey found Cole Cable on a 13-yard TD pass to cap the 73-yard drive with 11:13 in the second quarter.
Chestatee answered on their next drive when Ben Plemons shook off two defenders and scampered 41 yards for a touchdown with 9:31 to go to tie the game at 7.
They traded turnovers on the next two drives, a Charlie Bradshaw interception, and a Dalton Hulsey fumble recovery. The Trojans cashed in the Chestatee fumble when Carlton capped the 46-yard drive with a five-yard TD run. The missed extra point left North Hall ahead, 13-7.
Over the final five minutes of the first half, Chestatee missed a 53-yard field goal try that barely got off the ground, and North Hall missed a 32-yard field goal that never had a chance.
GAME NOTES: North Hall finished the game with 380 total yards of offense … McGarvey was 10-of-14 passing with 90 yards and a touchdown. Ty Kemp led the Trojans receiving with seven catches for 94 yards. North Hall had one fumble, one interception, and nine penalties for 70 yards … Ben Plemons finished with 107 yards on 22 carries and a touchdown. The War Eagles had nine different running backs record carries, fining with 173 total yards on the ground — 187 for the game. Chestatee had six penalties for 45 yards, fumbled the ball twice, and lost one.
