Today’s interviewee is North Forsyth coach Robert Craft, whose team defeated Brookwood 44-41 after trailing 34-9 at halftime and 41-17 in the third quarter. North Forsyth takes on second-ranked McEachern on Friday in the second round of the Class AAAAAAA playoffs.
Robert Craft, North Forsyth head coach
1. What happened last week between 34-9 to 44-41? "First and foremost, our kids never stopped believing they could win and never stopped competing. Our assistant coaches did a great job making adjustments throughout the game. Defensively, we started fitting the run better and tackled much better in the second half. We recovered a fumble in the fourth quarter, and before the go-ahead score, we recovered an onside kick to steal a possession. Offensively, we had five second-half possessions and scored TDs on all five. It wasn't just an entire team win, but an entire program win - it took everyone."
2. Your wide receiver had 13 receptions for 237 yards and four touchdowns. What is his story? "Nicky Dalmolin has been a four-year starter at North Forsyth. My first year at North was his freshman year, and he started game one in 2016, and this Friday will be his 42nd start. He missed one game this year due to injury. His performance Friday night and his entire career at North, he will go down as the best wide receiver to ever play here. Nicky is a team captain and a great leader on our team. He has been committed to Duke since March of his sophomore year. Due to his early commitment, in my opinion, he is the most underrated recruit in the state. He has not visited another school or camped anywhere since he committed. He has had offers and opportunities from everyone in the country. I have loved his approach. He is always most concerned with how our team does each and every Friday night. He never gets caught up in the recruiting hype or his own personal stats. He is double- and triple-teamed most games, but all that matters to him is if North Forsyth wins."
3. What is the story of your team this season? Is it the suspenseful games? Even before Brookwood, you had three one-point games. How have those ups and downs shaped the season? "It has been a crazy year with the close games we've had. We have actually had four one-point games. We are 2-2 in those games. We discuss as a staff often how none of us have ever had a year with four one-point games. Between the strength of our schedule and continual rebuild of our program, we have a played a lot of close games over the last few years. In 2018, we were 1-4 in games decided by four points or less, so finishing games and finding those few plays that may be the difference in close games was a big emphasis for us all offseason. Practically speaking, the play of our defense this year, combined with our team's ability to be on the positive side of the turnover margin, has allowed us to have more success in all these close games. There is no doubt amongst our staff that our players are prepared for four quarters of football each Friday night."
4. Next is McEachern. What do you think of them, and what needs to happen for you to be competitive against the No. 2-ranked team in your class? "McEachern, like Brookwood, is one of the pillars of heavyweight programs in the state of Georgia. They have some tremendous players, but it jumps off film right away how well-coached they are and how hard their team plays each week. It is going to be a great challenge for us to play them at their place but also an outstanding opportunity for our program to go against the elite programs in the state of Georgia. We'll need to do exactly what we've done all year: Play great defense and limit turnovers. Our plan all year has been to get games close into the fourth quarter and then win the fourth."
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