Centennial Tops North Forsyth 19-13 in Homecoming Win

It was a crisp October Homecoming night and with precision the Knights of (4-4, 3-1 in Region 6-AAAAA) stuffed the visiting North Forsyth Raiders (1-7) for a 19-13 victory.

In a game dominated by Centennial's defense and the stellar duo of quarterback Jimmy Meyer and wide receiver Wade Francis, the Knights made sure that the Homecoming celebration would continue through the weekend. 

After a short punt by North Forsyth's Cole Allison, Meyer threw a screen pass to Homecoming king Zietrick Smith at the 38-yard line. Smith looked like he was in trouble, but with a few quick moves and missed tackles, Smith darted for the end zone and put the Knights up 7-0 late in the first quarter. 

The Knights defense continued to stuff any attempt by the Raiders to get their offense into a rythym and even a muffed punt for Christian Robinson didn't amount to a scoring drive. However, the Raiders wouldn't stay scoreless for long. 

Backed up and facing a fourth down, Meyer, also the punter, had his punt blocked by North Forsyth. The ball rolled through the end zone and out of bounds, leading to a safety.

The ensuing drive by the Raiders would be their best of the evening and running back Luke Stanton put North Forsyth in prime position to score. However, the Knights defense prevailed again, holding the Raiders to a field goal and retaining the lead at 7-5. 

The next posession for the Knights would prove troubling and they were again facing a fourth-and-long. Another Meyer punt was blocked, this time ending up mere inches from the end zone.

North Forsyth scored on the next play as quarterback Harris Roberts charged in for the touchdown. Looking to extend the lead to six, the offense stayed on the field for the two-point conversion. A short pass by Roberts secured the conversion and put North Forsyth up 13-7 with 4:24 left in the first half. 

The two blocked punts were troubling, but it was homecoming and Meyer was not going to let his team down. The Knights were going to win the game. 

Under pressure, with half of North Forsyth's defense bearing down on him, Meyer threw the ball to his favorite target, Francis, for a 34-yard pass that put the Knights in prime position to score before the half. With just over two minutes left in the first half, Meyer threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Francis. After a botched extra-point attempt, the the game was tied at 13-13.

The Raiders managed to put together a decent drive with time winding down in the first half, but junior defensive back Corey Grimes snapped the drive with an interception in the end zone with 49 seconds left.

Looking to put the Knights ahead before the half, Meyer threw a pass to Francis, who escaped from trouble and managed to make it to the North Forsyth 30-yard line. With time expiring, senior kicker Connor Davis hit a 48-yard field goal to put the Knights up 16-13 at the half. 

Following the homecoming ceremonies, the Knights were ready to extend their lead.

Meyer orchestrated a brilliant drive that included big passes to both Francis and Robinson. Electing to go for it on fourth down, the pressure was on but Meyer stayed cool and threw an 11-yard pass to Francis securing another first down. However, North Forsyth's defense tightened up and stopped the Knights' drive at the 15-yard line. In what looked to be the play of the game, the Knights faked a field goal that appeared to lead to a touchdown pass to Robinson. Unfortunately it was called back on an illegal receiver penalty negating the gorgeous fake.

The Knights played it safe and kicked the 32-yard field goal to put them ahead 19-13 with 6:30 left in the third quarter. 

The remainder of the game was a defensive battle and the Knights' defense held each time North Forsyth had the ball. With time winding down in the fourth, North Forysth was looking for one last drive that would lead to a win. Knights fans were looking as nervous as they were cold as the Raiders entered Centennial territory. On the next play, Roberts threw a pass to the left side of the field and into the arms of senior defensive back Brandon Morin. His interception secured the victory.

Centennial's offense returned to the field, ready to claim victory. With good clock management,  Meyer and the Knights held onto the ball until the clock ran down to zero and exited the field victorious. 

Centennial (4-4) heads to play Region 6-AAAAA-leading Alpharetta (7-1) next Friday at 7:30 p.m. North Forsyth (1-7) heads to Milton (2-6), also Friday at 7:30 p.m.