Norcross and Duluth’s 61st meeting was much closer than most of the recent ones, but a series of key special teams play allowed the Blue Devils to escape Cecil Morris Field with a 35-21 win, their 18th consecutive in the series.
After winning 15 of those previous 17 games by at least 20 points, Norcross (3-1, 1-0 Region 7-AAAAAA) actually trailed deep into the third quarter, but the third phase made all the difference.
Kicker Elijah Frey nailed two field goals, including a clutch 47-yarder early in the second half to salvage three points for the Blue Devils off a Duluth (2-2, 0-1) turnover. Frey made a touchdown-saving tackle while in at punter later in the third quarter as the last defender on Duluth’s Peyton Fonville, tripping him up at the Norcross 32-yard-line and allowing his defense to make a crucial stop moments later.
“It’s so huge,” Norcross head coach Corey Richardson said. “The whole philosophy of our team is it’s all three phases of the game that impact it. We’ve got one of the best kickers/punters that you could ask for and if our guys just continue to buy in, we’re going to see those explosive kinds of plays in the special teams game.”
Finally and most crucially of all, the Blue Devils found a punt return of their own.
Trailing 21-20 late in the third quarter, Jayson Jones fielded a punt at his own 26. More accurately, he muffed it and regained it just in time. Jones swerved around two oncoming defenders, reversed field, broke through a couple more tackles across the middle and ended up with a 74-yard punt return to give the Blue Devils the lead for good.
“I dropped it and was like, ‘I’ve got to score,’” Jones said. “I knew I had to just go home with it and put my team on my back. When I went outside to the right I knew I had it, because I knew I was the fastest guy on the field and no one could mess with me.”
The special teams plays foiled a spirited Duluth performance, starting with a 75-yard touchdown drive on its opening possession capped off by an Elijah Woodly four-yard score. Norcross (3-1, 1-0) responded with a methodical drive of its own, 12 plays all on the ground eventually resulting in a Sylvester Jarwlee game-tying touchdown run off a broken play when Jarwlee alertly scooped up a muffed snap and battered his way into the end zone.
A dogged Duluth defense did its best against a mounting play count, defending 40 Norcross snaps against only 21 for its own offense in the first half. Junior defensive back Kyle Enterline made the biggest play, snagging a tipped third-and-11 pass for an interception and taking it 77 yards back the other way for a pick-six to briefly give the home team the lead.
“We’ve talked about for a couple years being built for our region and being built for these games,” Duluth head coach Cam Jones said. “I feel like our defense probably played well enough, they had some huge stops forcing field goals on some short fields. But special teams hurt us a little bit tonight.”
But a costly pair of fumbles on either side of the break changed momentum, as Duluth fumbled on its final non-kneel-down snap of the first half and the opening play of the second half, leading to 10 Norcross points. Running back Kendall Edwards plunged in with just 20 seconds left in the first half on the front end, but the Duluth defense rose up again to force a field goal attempt off the latter.
Demarcus Rogers scampered for a 30-yard touchdown up the middle to give the Wildcats the lead, but the two fatal punt return plays — the Frey tackle and Jones return — finally gave the visitors game control. Rogers rushed for 72 yards on 12 carries to highlight the Duluth offense, and the connection from Shamar Banner to Landon Edmonson was efficient in the passing game with six receptions for 47 yards.
“They made a play or two more than us tonight,” Jones said. “But I couldn’t be more proud of our guys and the way they competed for four quarters.”
Norcross running back Josh Burks took on most of the fourth quarter load against an exhausted Duluth defense, finally landing the dagger with a 29-yard touchdown run off right tackle on a second-and-13 play with 2:12 remaining. It was the second consecutive week with a touchdown rush over 20 yards for Burks, who ended the night with 71 yards on 17 carries to go with 67 on 18 carries from Edwards.
“So impressive,” Richardson said about his team’s running game. “There’s nothing better than seeing your offensive linemen continue to block the way that they did and how hard our backs hit the hole, and the way we protected the ball late in the game was just huge.”
Round 1 of the seven-game region sprint for each team went to the Blue Devils, but both will have an oppo... Click here to read full article
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