OAKWOOD — The prophecy for a victory was not fulfilled for the Johnson Knights on Friday night, as two late field goals were both missed, and the celebration began for the North Forsyth Raiders as they clinched a very inspiring victory.
Behind a stout running night from sophomore Tyler Slaton, the Class AAAAA Raiders (1-1) were able to pull off a 17-14 victory Friday night over the Johnson Knights(0-2) at Billy Ellis Memorial Stadium.
Slaton, who had 142 yards on 21 carries was able to carry his team on his back, taking punishing hits for 2 or 3 yards, but was also able to break runs for 42 and 47 yards. Although Slaton did not score on any play, he was instrumental in setting up touchdowns for his teammates.
Jory Walsh was the first of his teammates to score a touchdown on the night, as he broke a scoreless tie with a 6-yard run into the endzone with 7:54 left in the second quarter.
A little over five minutes later, quarterback Eli Chester would take off on a 15-yard touchdown run with 2:08 left in the second quarter. The Raiders were in firm control, or so they thought.
On the ensuing kickoff, Mick Shannon, a senior for the Knights, gave his team a boost as he returned the kickoff 79 yards for a touchdown, to cut the deficit to seven points.
Knights quarterback Anthony Prophet got off to a sluggish start on Friday, going 2-for-5 in the first half, but he would get it together in the second half, completing a 14-yard pass to Mick Shannon that put the ball on the 1-yard line.
Prophet would punch it in on the next play for the touchdown that trimmed the deficit to three points with 1:38 left in the third.
Prophet would then show his speed and quickness going all the way to the endzone on a 4th-and-four draw play. But the 52-yard run was called back due to a block in the back penalty that took place down field.
Still, Prophet gave his team a chance at a field goal late in the game taking the Knights 24 yards in just 29 seconds. After spking the ball with eight seconds left in the game, junior kicker Chris Henry had a chance at redemption for a missed field goal just five minutes prior, at the exact same spot and scenario. The 30-yarder missed to the left.
After the game, a good spirited Prophet — who finished with 94 yards through the air and 86 yards on the ground and had one touchdown — said the fourth quarter is in important.
“You cannot take steps back when you are in the situation and you have to stick to the original game plan,” he said. “Never yield to the defense.”
An excited coach Jared Zito of the North Forsyth Raiders(1-1) said it was a great game.
“There were two teams hungry for their first win,” he said. “We were lucky and good, because we were not perfect. But I was just proud of the fight by our boys.”
Behind a stout running night from sophomore Tyler Slaton, the Class AAAAA Raiders (1-1) were able to pull off a 17-14 victory Friday night over the Johnson Knights(0-2) at Billy Ellis Memorial Stadium.
Slaton, who had 142 yards on 21 carries was able to carry his team on his back, taking punishing hits for 2 or 3 yards, but was also able to break runs for 42 and 47 yards. Although Slaton did not score on any play, he was instrumental in setting up touchdowns for his teammates.
Jory Walsh was the first of his teammates to score a touchdown on the night, as he broke a scoreless tie with a 6-yard run into the endzone with 7:54 left in the second quarter.
A little over five minutes later, quarterback Eli Chester would take off on a 15-yard touchdown run with 2:08 left in the second quarter. The Raiders were in firm control, or so they thought.
On the ensuing kickoff, Mick Shannon, a senior for the Knights, gave his team a boost as he returned the kickoff 79 yards for a touchdown, to cut the deficit to seven points.
Knights quarterback Anthony Prophet got off to a sluggish start on Friday, going 2-for-5 in the first half, but he would get it together in the second half, completing a 14-yard pass to Mick Shannon that put the ball on the 1-yard line.
Prophet would punch it in on the next play for the touchdown that trimmed the deficit to three points with 1:38 left in the third.
Prophet would then show his speed and quickness going all the way to the endzone on a 4th-and-four draw play. But the 52-yard run was called back due to a block in the back penalty that took place down field.
Still, Prophet gave his team a chance at a field goal late in the game taking the Knights 24 yards in just 29 seconds. After spking the ball with eight seconds left in the game, junior kicker Chris Henry had a chance at redemption for a missed field goal just five minutes prior, at the exact same spot and scenario. The 30-yarder missed to the left.
After the game, a good spirited Prophet — who finished with 94 yards through the air and 86 yards on the ground and had one touchdown — said the fourth quarter is in important.
“You cannot take steps back when you are in the situation and you have to stick to the original game plan,” he said. “Never yield to the defense.”
An excited coach Jared Zito of the North Forsyth Raiders(1-1) said it was a great game.
“There were two teams hungry for their first win,” he said. “We were lucky and good, because we were not perfect. But I was just proud of the fight by our boys.”