By Derrick Richemond
For the Forsyth County News
Forsyth Central suffered its first loss of the season Friday, falling 28-24 to Loganville.
The Bulldogs opened the game with an electric 79-yard touchdown run by Malachi McElroy within seconds of the game's start.
It didn't stop there for Central. The Bulldogs added another rushing touchdown, this time from QB Drew Mullvain from the 1-yard line to give extend the lead to 14-0 six minutes into the ballgame.
Central’s defense wasn’t giving Loganville any room to operate until early in the second quarter. The Red Devils found an answer that Central’s defense couldn’t keep up with: the counter pitch run.
It was all ground-and-pound for the Red Devils, which led to RB Avery Hamilton running it in from the 2-yard line to give them their first score of the game before the half ended.
When the second half rolled around, the Red Devils’ offense took a risk on fourth-and-2 that paid off, as running back Avery Hamilton burst up the middle for a 40-yard touchdown run to even the score. Hamilton had a great night running the football, finishing the game with 119 yards rushing.
Penalties became the story of the second half for both teams, as 23 total flags were thrown. Central's discipline disrupted their momentum on their opening drive, and the Bulldogs were forced to punt on fourth-and-40.
It wasn’t until late in the third quarter Central broke the tie, and it was jaw-dropping.
Mullivan rolled right, took a gamble by throwing a deep ball to WR Cam Yeager, who had two defensive backs on him. They were in a position to easily intercept it, but instead tipped the ball right into Yeager's hands.
Yaeger sprinted for his life, leaving the defensive backs in the dust to get in the end zone.
That score fueled the Red Devils. On their own 22-yard line, QB Cooper Kennedy shredded a tackle, juked a defender, then saw nothing but the end zone in front of him for a long 78-yard touchdown run to cap off the third quarter.
Even though Kennedy played quarterback, he ended the night running more than throwing, totaling 12 carries for 102 yards.
After Central kicked a 25-yard field goal to increase the lead by four, Loganville drew up its best plays to score for the second straight time to get the lead for the first time all game.
Kennedy threw a beautiful fade pass for WR PJ Rogers, who rose up to make the grab with under four minutes left in the fourth.
Central's final chance to retake the lead stalled and penalties that put them in a difficult situation. On fourth-and-17, the Bulldogs took a shot on a Hail Mary, which unfortunately resulted in a sack.
Central [1-1] will look to get back on track next week on the road at Cambridge, with kickoff slated for 7:30 p.m. Sept. 10.