By james art
MARC PRUITT Staff Reporter
AN INSTANT CLASSIC. What a game.
FINAL SCORE: EAST FORSYTH 48, WEST FORSYTH 42. The Eagles are your Central Piedmont 4-A Champions.
Bryce Baker finds JP Gilchrist in the left corner of the end zone for a 3-yard touchdown pass with 9.4 seconds left. The additional point is blocked. East leads 48-42.
Cannen Rottweiler tackled for a loss of 1 yard on a first down run by PJ Dean. East is second and goal from 3 with 14.9 seconds left.
40.2 seconds left. East Forsyth has first and goal at the 2. Jaylin Murry has been taking wildcat snaps the past few plays.
And just like that, West responds. Darrell Paige had a great return on the ensuing kickoff and set up a 46-yard touchdown pass from Riley Horton to Jaylin Moore. We’re tied at 42 with 4:57 left.
Horton’s next move is blocked and he is stripped. East Forsyth’s Solomon Brown scoops up the ball and runs 45 yards for a touchdown. Eagles lead 42-35 with 5:09 left.
Riley Horton just made an electric 25-yard run on third-and-18 to extend West Forsyth’s drive. The Titans have first-and-10 at their 38 with 5:31 left.
We’re tied with 7:16 left. Jaylin Murray takes a direct kick from three yards out for a score. East Forsyth 35, West Forsyth 35. This one lives up to the hype.
The Titans are forced to break through. East takes over at its own 18 with 10-0 remaining
We’ve reached the end of the third quarter. West Forsyth leads East Forsyth 35-28. The Titans have a second-and-five at the 49-yard line to start the fourth.
West is forced to punt after the interception and cannot move the ball. Forced to punt, Max Williamson’s punt was blocked and recovered at the 16-yard line. On the next play, Cannen Rottweiler bursts through a hole on the left side for a 16-yard touchdown. Cresimore’s kick is good and the Titans lead 35-28. 3:11 left in the third quarter.
Nicholas Goodrum picked off Bryce Baker in the end zone to end the Eagles’ scoring threat. West took over at its own 20 with 530 left in the third quarter. It’s Baker’s second interception of the game. He entered the game with just two this season.
West Forsyth came up empty on its first possession and forced a punt for just the second time tonight, but chewed nearly five minutes off the clock. East Forsyth would take over at the 21-yard line on its first possession of the second half. 6:54 left in the third quarter.
The second half started with a touchdown. West Forsyth takes over on first-and-10 from the 20.
We made it to halftime in Kernersville. West Forsyth would take a 35-21 lead into the locker room. The Titans would get the kickoff to open the second half.
Riley Horton and West Forsyth are on top. West Forsyth’s defense held East Forsyth on fourth down, and the Titans got a 34-yard touchdown pass from Horton to Hunter Cruise to take a 35-21 lead with 18.6 seconds left in the first half.
This one is starting to feel like the team that holds the ball last will win. Riley Horton made an 83-yard touchdown run on East Forsyth’s first drive of the game and the Titans led 28-21 with 3:03 left in the second quarter.
Well that’s fun. West Forsyth responds. Riley Horton connects with Jaylin Moore for a 40-yard touchdown catch. Horton’s two-point conversion tied the game at 21 with 5:50 left in the first half.
East Forsyth with another answer. Bryce Baker found jP Gilchirst for a 2-yard touchdown catch and a 21-13 lead with 7:52 left in the second quarter. The Eagles drove 80 yards in eight plays for the score.
The Titans answer. Riley Horton ran it in from 3 yards out and Costa Dupuis’ extra point made it 14-13 East Forsyth with 11:05 left in the second quarter. The drive was extended after a defensive holding penalty on third down, giving Horton another crack at the end zone.
Fans are already getting their money’s worth tonight. East Forsyth led 14-6 at the end of the first quarter. West Forsyth had a second-and-goal at the 4-yard line to start the second quarter.
The Eagles strike again. Corey Blair with his second touchdown of the first quarter, this time from 10 yards. Brayden Cresimore’s extra point gave the Eagles a 14-6 lead with 2:19 left in the first quarter.
West Forsyth’s Keith Taylor picked off Bryce Baker and returned it 35 yards for a touchdown to cut the Titans’ deficit to 7-6. Kosta Dupuy’s extra point was blocked. 7:38 left in the first quarter.
East Forsyth wasted little time finding the end zone on its first possession. The Eagles drive 80 yards in four plays. Bryce Baker went 46 yards on third-and-9, then Corey Blair followed that with a 33-yard touchdown run. Braden Cresimore’s extra point made it 7-0 with 10:18 left in the first quarter.
West Forsyth won the coin toss and elected to defer to the second half. East Forsyth will get the kickoff.
Stay tuned for live updates from Fred E. Lewis Stadium in Kernersville as East Forsyth (9-0, 6-0) takes on West Forsyth (7-2, 5-1) in a Central Piedmont 4-A matchup Friday night .
East Forsyth wins the conference outright with a win.
A West Forsyth win and a Mount Tabor (7-2, 5-1) win playing Parkland (3-6, 1-5) would make it a three-way tie for the conference title and a coin toss and RPI would determine which team will get the No. 1 seed for the state playoffs.
The Eagles have won eight of their last 10 meetings.