Can't stop the Rock: Rockmart rolls up 66 points to down North Murray for region title
Nov. 5—CHATSWORTH — North Murray High School came into Friday night's battle for the Region 7-2A crown with Rockmart wanting and needing to stop the visitors' streak of five consecutive championships.
North Murray couldn't stop the Rockmart offense and couldn't stop the streak.
Rockmart rolled up 66 points — 38 before half — and held North Murray down just enough to grab a 66-34 win and secure the Region 7-2A championship.
North Murray (6-4, 4-2 Region 7-2A), which would have claimed the region title with a win, instead falls into a three-way tie for second in the region. With the tiebreaker, the Mountaineers fall all the way to fourth in the region for the playoffs and will play at Roswell's Fellowship Christian next week in the first round of the playoffs. Rockmart (8-2, 6-0 Region 7-2A) will host Athens Academy in the first round.
The Mountaineer defense couldn't slow Rockmart long enough even to force a point. The only drives for Rockmart that didn't end in a touchdown were a last-second field goal in the first half by Jose Alegria and a fumble in the third quarter.
Jojo Haynes rushed for three touchdowns, Cam Ferguson scored two and Nahzir Turner and Tyshawn Johnson each added a score as Rockmart piled up 447 rushing yards.
The defense and special teams also got in on the scoring, with Braylon Jones returning a fumble 52 yards for a touchdown and Dennis Sims housing a punt return.
The fumble return put Rockmart up 14-0 after an early Turner touchdown before North Murray got on the board.
After quarterback Seth Griffin scampered for a 30-yard gain, Judson Petty rushed in from 19 to make the score 14-7.
North Murray recovered an onside kick, but, after Griffin was sacked on fourth down, Haynes scooted to the edge and sprinted 45 yards for his first touchdown less than a minute later.
The 21-7 score after the first quarter was built on when Sims skirted the sideline for his punt return touchdown in the early second to make the score 28-7.
Griffin found Skyler Williams, who spun out of a tackle and scored, but Haynes found the end zone again late in the half.
Griffin again found an open receiver for a touchdown pass, hitting Jadyn Rice after scrambling right and throwing back left. That score came with 23.6 seconds before half, but a rare JD Davis pass set up the Alegria field goal just before half.
The closest North Murray would get again was 38-28, when Griffin hit Williams on a deep pass before Petty saw a huge hole and ran for a score.
Ferguson scored his first touchdown, a 16-yarder, before ripping off a 90-yard touchdown on Rockmart's very next offensive snap, pushing the lead back to 52-28.
Petty scored his third touchdown, a 2-yard rush, but Haynes' third touchdown answered before Johnson's late score iced the game in the fourth.
