It was an emotional second week of the 2010 high school football season Friday, with all six teams from Forsyth County in action.

The schedule was highlighted by a county rivalry game, as South Forsyth visited Forsyth Central in the first meeting between the two since 2007.

While South prevailed in Cumming, Lambert and West also went on the road to notch wins in their respective season openers. For the Longhorns, it was their first varsity win.

Only one other local team was at home, with North Forsyth playing host to Woodstock in a gritty, defensive battle.


* South Forsyth 41, Forsyth Central 20

South Forsyth looked to have its hands full early in the season opener in Cumming, as Forsyth Central came out of the gate and stunned the visiting War Eagles with a quick scoring drive to open the game.

South made sure that was the highlight of Central's night, though, dominating the first three quarters with six unanswered touchdowns en route to an impressive 41-20 victory at the Dawg Pound.

The South attack was paced by Brett Charron, who tallied 108 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

War Eagles head coach Jeff Arnette praised his staff and players for working to correct mistakes last week on the offensive line.

"I think the offense made a lot of big holes," Arnette said. "But I tell you what, I saw some incredible runs tonight, I really did."

In all, Central turned the ball over three times in the first half, with South scoring 13 points off the miscues.

The highlight of the Bulldogs opening drive was a 60-yard pass from Spencer Transue to Jeremy Kovach.

Three plays later, Transue took the ball into the end zone from five yards out for the score.

"You always got to look for positives and there were a lot of positives," said Central head coach Chris Bennett. "Our kids didn't quit.

"We made a few plays in the second half and got some points too little, too late."

Both teams play a full 10-game Region 7-AAAA slate this year.

The War Eagles (1-0) have their home opener Friday against Woodland of Bartow County.

Central (0-1) is off, with two weeks to prepare for a Sep. 10 trip to Chattahoochee.


* West Forsyth 13, Harrison 0

KENNESAW – West Forsyth’s first foray into Class AAAAA football was a success as the Wolverines beat Harrison 13-0 in a decidedly defensive contest.

The Wolverines’ defense sacked the Hoyas quarterback three times and forced two turnovers, including an interception by Trevor Guthrie with two minutes left that sealed the victory for West.

“Our guys just really fought all night long,” said West Forsyth head coach Frank Hepler. “It was a truly great testament to their work ethic and heart.

"Playing ten straight weeks at the AAAAA level we are going to need to keep that intensity and keep working to get better.”

The offense for West was basically Blake Roberts, who rushed for 142 yards on 17 carries and one touchdown.

Next up for West (1-0) is its home opener Friday against Cherokee.


* Lambert 14, Northwest Whitfield 0

TUNNEL HILL — In its varsity debut, Lambert pulled off a 14-0 upset over Northwest Whitfield at Bruin Stadium.

“We shocked ourselves,” said Longhorns head coach Sid Maxwell. “We have a good young bunch. Since this was our first varsity competition, I didn’t know what to expect. They played every play."

Northwest's offense never threatened to score. Its deepest drive was to Lambert’s 29-yard line late in the game. The Bruins amassed only 69 yards for the game, with 13 plays for negative yardage.

The Longhorns jumped out to a rare 4-0 lead behind two first half safeties. David Broadus then capped the ensuing eight-play drive with a 1-yard touchdown plunge.

Lambert finished with 104 yards of total offense.

The Longhorns (1-0) return home Friday to face Chattahoochee.


* Woodstock 7, North Forsyth 0

The most emotional of weeks for the North Forsyth Raiders culminated with a tough 7-0 defeat to Woodstock at Raider Valley Stadium.

But even in the moments after the Raiders fell short in the home opener, their thoughts remained locked on senior offensive lineman Josh Haddock.

Haddock, North's starting right tackle, collapsed at practice Wednesday. That night, the 17-year-old underwent emergency surgery to relieve bleeding around his brain at an Atlanta hospital.

As he remained in critical condition Friday night, his teammates played on, fighting through their emotions and battling to the end.

The Raiders just couldn't gain ground against a solid Woodstock defense, finishing with just 68 yards of total offense.

But other than a second-quarter touchdown, the Raiders' defense was just as good, holding the Wolverines' offense to 125 yards.

“For our team and our community, I could not ask for anything more from them from Wednesday through the fourth quarter,” said North Forsyth head coach Jared Zito. "The outpouring of support, the teamwork, I'm lucky to be their football coach.”

North (1-1), which is off Friday, will return to action Sept. 10 when it visits Hillgrove.


* George Walton 41, Pinecrest 7

-- For complete coverage of all of Friday's local high school football action, see the next edition of the Forsyth County News.