Two years removed from a 1-9 season, Dacula is now one win away from its first region championship since 2005. Forcing five turnovers in the second half, the third-ranked Falcons rallied past No. 2 Grayson for a stirring 27-17 win Friday night.
Seizing on the miscues, Dacula (8-0, 6-0 Region 8-AAAAAA) held the Rams (8-1, 6-1) to 91 yards of offense in the final two quarters to overcome a 14-7 halftime deficit.
After recovering a fumble with just over four minutes remaining, the Falcons took possession at the Grayson 22, trailing 17-13. Three plays later they took a 20-17 lead, their first lead since the first quarter, on a 20-yard touchdown pass from Giovanni Lugo to Johnathan Grant.
On the ensuing Grayson possession, Dacula linebacker Lawson Cook sealed the game when he picked off a screen pass and sprinted 38 yards for the touchdown to provide the final margin with 1:29 left in the game.
Cook was factor in numerous key plays in the second half, setting up the Falcons' second touchdown with a fumble recovery in the third quarter and tipping away a third-down pass prior to his interception.
In the first half, Dacula took the lead on its opening possession when a 54-yard run by Lugo set up a 3-yard touchdown run for Jakob Brashear.
Grayson answered immediately on a 10-play, 80-yard drive that featured a 46-yard completion from Chase Brice to Evan Sturgill and a fourth-down conversion before Cameryn Brent scored on a 6-yard run.
The Rams took a 14-7 lead before the first quarter ended, capitalizing on highly favorable field position after pressure on the Dacula punter forced a short and wobbly kick. Taking over at the Falcons' 29, Grayson needed six plays and another fourth-down conversion before reaching paydirt on a 10-yard pass from Brice to Hunter Schuessler.
Lugo finished with 53 rushing yards and a touchdown on eight carries and completed 5 of 8 passes for 35 yards and a score for Dacula.
Brent led Grayson with 130 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries.
Grayson is home for its regular season finale next week against Brookwood, while Dacula is at Archer.
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