Grady gets by Washington

By GLENNIS CURRY

For the AJC

Grady survived a last-ditch effort from Washington and beat its intown rival 12-7 at Lakewood Stadium on Friday night.

Enlarge photo

Collin C. Chappelle, Special Washington LB Desmond Barnes moves in for the tackle against Grady at Lakewood Stadium.

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After a Grady punt, Washington took possession at the Grady 47 with 50 seconds left to play. Quarterback Qudral Forte completed a 19-yard pass, moving the Bulldogs to the Grady 28, before two incomplete passes and a sack ended the game.

Grady also forced two turnovers on downs in the game’s final nine minutes, keeping the Washington offense out of the end zone after its first possession and preserving a win in the Region 5-AAA Division B opener for both teams.

“Four times in Grady territory and nothing,” Washington coach Stanley Pritchett said. “The last three weeks we’ve punched it in [inside] the red zone, and we didn’t do it this week. We have to do a better job than we did [Friday]. We were moving the ball OK, but Grady’s defense deserves all the credit for playing a great game, especially in the second half.”

Grady (4-0, 1-0) used a cadre of running backs to keep Washington at bay, and quarterback Treveon Albert led the Grey Knights to the decisive touchdown early in the second quarter. The Grey Knights drove the ball inside the Washington 1 but retreated five yards behind an illegal-procedure penalty. On the next play Albert rolled right and found Brandon Proctor, who lined up in the backfield.

Washington (2-2, 0-1) led 7-6 late in the first quarter when Justin Taylor scored on a 4-yard run. Tyrell Lee returned a kickoff 61 yards to the Grady 29, and a Grey Knights personal foul positioned the Bulldogs inside the 15.

Forte, a three-year starter for Washington, struggled to finish the game 4-of-18 passing for 65 yards. Albert totaled 48 yards on the night, including 32 yards rushing, and Grady running back Marcus Caffey rushed for 56 yards on 17 carries.

A game traditionally played at Grady Stadium moved to Lakewood Stadium due to renovations, giving Washington more of a home-field advantage than anyone playing, or coaching, could remember. Grady avenged a 20-0 defeat in last year’s game.