Two of the more talented, yet underrated, quarterbacks in Gwinnett County faced off on Friday and in the end it was Ryan Hall’s North Gwinnett team that hung on to beat Dillon Mohammed’s Norcross team.
Class 7A No. 3 North Gwinnett managed to survive a fierce second half comeback to beat Norcross 27-21 in Suwanee and clinch the Region 7 championship.
Norcross came back from a 27-0 deficit and had the ball at the North 38 when Chauncey Davis knocked away a fourth-and-9 pass to preserve the win in the final minute.
“We just kept believing in ourselves and our defense and we stepped up at the end,” senior defensive lineman Cole Funderburk said. “Our offense was doing good in the first half and then the second half we had some roadblocks. Same thing with the defense, but we came together at the end.”
North Gwinnett (9-0, 6-0) won the region championship in 2022. It tied for first last year in Godfree’s first season but dropped to the third seed for the playoffs because of the tiebreaker. Norcross (7-2, 5-1) needs to beat Brookwood next week to secure the No. 2 seed.
“It really does mean a whole lot to be 9-0 with this group of guys coming into the off-season and knowing them and knowing their work ethic and that they put in all the practice,” North Gwinnett coach Eric Godfree said. “To see it executed on Friday nights is one of the biggest joys.”
Hall threw three first half touchdowns to stake the Bulldogs to a 20-0 lead. The senior completed 8 of 16 passes for 152 yards and helped guarantee North Gwinnett a No. 1 seed when the state playoffs start in three weeks. Hall also rushed 11 times for 140 yards.
Mohammed completed 15 of 30 passes for 213 yards and three touchdowns, with one interception. Mohammed also ran 13 times for 57 yards.
The first touchdown came with 10:50 in the first half. Hall paused on a tricky snap count and found Erik Ronning for a 30-yard touchdown and a 6-0 lead.
Norcross failed on a fake punt on the next possession, giving North the ball at the 40. On the 10th play of the drive, Hall threw a 5-yard screen to Jake Godfree for the touchdown. Constantine Dallis made the kick for a 13-0 lead with 3:13 left.
After forcing Norcross to go three-and-out, the Bulldogs took over at their own 34. Two plays after Hall hit the middle for a 37-yard run, North scored when Hall rolled out and threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Christian Campbell.
“It’s fun when you see a lot of preparation from the week executed on Friday night,” Godfree said. “That’s what our kids were doing. They were executing really well.”
North scored on the first series of the second half to go ahead 27-0. Hall’s 58-yard keeper set up a 23-yard touchdown run for Tommy Lafayette.
That’s when the Norcross defense kicked into gear, Jashaun Clark made a 35-yard circus catch in the end zone, then after forcing North to go three-and-out, Jamari Harrold caught a 3-yard touchdown pass.
Norcross missed its turn on the next possession when Davis intercepted a pass – the only turnover for either team. But North’s offensive troubles continued, and the Bulldogs had to punt. This time Norcross didn’t waste the opportunity and scored when Mohmmed found Harrold for a 6-yard touchdown.
“(Norcross) made some great throws – and we were in great position,” Godfree said. “We’re in great coverage. They had some great throws and catches.””
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