Lumpkin County found itself in a defensive battle with North Hall in the first three quarters before a wild finish resulted in a 21-16 win for the Trojans (6-2; 5-0 in 6-AAA). Lumpkin (5-3; 3-2) had a chance to set a 3-way tie atop the region with a win, but North Hall has nearly sealed the 6-AAA region crown with two games left.
The Indians got on the board first courtesy of a Josue Nieto 29-yd field goal with just 1:01 remaining in the first, capping a lengthy drive that stalled inside the 10-yd line. It took til late in the half for the Trojans to respond after marching down the field with several big passing plays.
With 1:28 left, Smith McGarvey fired a pass to the end zone, where Luke Jenkins collected it for a 5-yd go-ahead TD. The 2-point try after was good to give North Hall an 8-3 lead heading into the half.
In the final minute-plus of the third, McGarvey hit Ty Kemp with a 10-yd TD to push the lead up to 15-3. The Indians finally got going, with big runs from Nolan Matthews and Cal Faulkner getting them inside the red zone. Faulkner found AJ Scott on a 10-yd TD on the first play of the fourth to pull within 15-10.
However, the Trojans retaliated with a 43-yd TD run by McGarvey. The extra point was blocked by Connor Bagley, keeping it at 21-10. Again the Indians bounced back, this time a Matthews 2-yd TD capped the drive. The 2-point try failed to make it a 21-16 game with 5:40 to play.
The Trojans ran out the remainder of the clock, getting down inside the 10 yard line as time expired.
FOOTBALL FRIDAY SCOREBOARD
