With a performance like they gave on Friday, the North Gwinnett Bulldogs reinforced the notion that they’re a prime contender for another state championship run.
Coach Bill Stewart’s team dominated Shiloh in the first round of the Class AAAAAAA playoffs, roaring to a 51-0 halftime lead and finishing with a 51-14 win at Tom Robinson Field in Suwanee.
North Gwinnett (10-1) has won 10 straight since losing its opener to Colquitt County in the Corky Kell Kickoff Classic. It is the sixth time the Bulldogs have scored 45-plus points and the fourth time they’ve been over 50.
“Feel good about what we did,” Stewart said. “We came out and got physical. Both sides did a great job of executing and that’s what you’ve got to do in the playoffs. You’ve got to come out and play smart and physical.”
Despite playing on a soggy field, the Bulldogs had no trouble unleashing their fury on Shiloh (7-4), which was making its first playoff appearance since 2003.
North Gwinnett will host Walton in the second round. The Bulldogs beat the Raiders 35-0 on Sep. 20.
“Right now, we’re feeling good because we’re getting everybody back,” Stewart said. “We had a few little dings and we’re feeling good we have everybody back healthy.”
North Gwinnett scored on its second play, when quarterback J.R.Martin appeared to be scrambling when he tossed a pass to Bobby Ezzard, who finished the 72-yard touchdown.
The Bulldogs also got first-half touchdowns on a 4-yard run by Martin, a 3-yard run by Devin Crosby, a 31-yard run by Crosby, an 80-yard run by Martin, a 49-yard run by Crosby, a 15-yard pass from Martin to Josh Downs and a last-second 40-yard field goal by Cody Lee.
North Gwinnett played its reserves in the second half.
Martin completed 10 of 19 passes for 214 yards, two touchdowns and one interception and rushed five times for 81 yards and two touchdowns. Crosby rushed 15 times for 116 yards and three touchdowns. Josh Downs caught five passes for 59 yards and one touchdown.
The Bulldogs went on to score on nine of their 10 possessions in the first half, the exception being when Shiloh’s Dakota Thomas intercepted Martin, who had thrown into double coverage. But the Generals were unable to gain any momentum from the takeaway and wound up punting.
That was typical of the difficulty Shiloh had moving the ball. The North Gwinnett defense, led by Jared Ivey, forced Shiloh to go three-and-out on its first five possessions. The Generals finally picked up a first down when Arthur Rodgers put together back-to-back runs of 9 and 6 yards midway in the second period. But that minor surge ended when Shiloh’s fake punt came up well short of the needed yardage.
“The defense played great,” Ivey said. “Satisfying. We’re playing at a very high level, all playing together.”
Shiloh scored with 2:00 left in the third quarter when Rodgers churned head for an 8-yard touchdown run and again with 58 seconds left when Antonio Meeks picked up a fumble and returned it 50 yards for a score.
“There’s a lot we have to learn,” Shiloh coach Tino Ierulli said. “The weight room in the off-season is everything. Honestly, we’re still trying to put our brand on this program. The future is looking really bright. We’ll get there. I’m extremely glad to be part of this program and see where the future leads.”
