Archer 24 Dacula 10

By Robert Haddocks

Archer rallied from an early deficit and scored 24 unanswered points to stun previously undefeated Dacula, 24-10. The Tigers chipped away on offense and their defense forced four second-half turnovers to trip up No. 2 Dacula.

“They jumped out to a 10-0 lead on us, but our kids never batted an eye,” said Archer head coach Andy Dyer.

With the win, Archer (6-3, 6-1) forces a three-way tie (with Dacula and Grayson) in Region 8-AAAAAA. Archer plays Brookwood next Friday while Dacula (8-1, 6-1) hosts Parkview. Grayson is off. If Archer and Dacula win, the region title will be decided by a coin toss.

Archer’s play on Friday mirrored its season: a slow start and a fast, unrelenting finish. After losing their first two games of the season, the Tigers have won six straight. On Friday, quarterback Gabe Tiller was intercepted on the second play of the game and the Tigers put themselves in an early hole. But Archer scored two touchdowns in the second period to take a 17-10 into halftime. With 20 seconds left, Tiller found Aramis Bryant crouching in the end zone for a 14-yard score. “The score before the half was big,” Dyer said.

After a scoreless third quarter, Archer expanded its lead to 24-10 on a 6-yard touchdown run by Jameyst Williams. Dacula then drove down to the Archer 16-yard line, but Rayshon Judge chased down quarterback Giovanni Lugo and stripped him, forcing the third fumble and fourth turnover of the half, ending Dacula's hopes. Isaiah Pryor also had an interception and fumble recovery for the Tigers.

Dyer said his defense settled down, started reading their keys and gang-tackled in the second half. “The defense just said, ‘that’s it,” Dyer said. “They played lights out.”

Dacula scored on its first two possessions of the game. After a 32-yard field goal by Lugo, Kelan Fraise broke free in the seam and caught a 30-yard touchdown pass from Lugo. From that point on, it was all Archer. Singleton, Randy Nails and Williams led a solid ground attack that finished with 156 carries on 37 carries.

Jacque Evangelister and C.J. Mayes came up with interceptions for the Falcons.

Dacula – 10 – 0 – 0 – 0 - 10

Archer – 3 - 14 – 0 – 7 – 24

D - Giovanni Lugo 32 FG