No. 5 North Gwinnett ‘hit the bully early,’ dominates No. 3 Grayson 37-22

North Gwinnett coach Eric Godfree believed his team could win, but even he was surprised by how much it dominated.

Godfree’s No. 5-ranked Bulldogs made a statement to the nation with a 37-22 victory over No. 3 Grayson in the Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Classic at Mercedes-Benz Stadium Wednesday night. Grayson scored all of its points in the last 13 minutes of the game.

“We believed in our kids and believed in our preparation, but I did not expect that kind of win, though,” Godfree said.

North Gwinnett scored three touchdowns in its first four drives and built a 22-0 lead by halftime. North Gwinnett’s 37 points were the most scored against Grayson since the 2023 state semifinals.

“Grayson has kind of been a bully through the years, and sometimes, you hit the bully early, and when you keep hitting them, good things happen,” Godfree said. “Our kids continued to play physical, tough, assignment, disciplined football.”

Bulldogs quarterback Elam Rahman was an efficient 8-of-9 passing for 147 yards and three touchdowns. The senior found receiver Christian Jackson on touchdown passes of seven and 40 yards to build the early lead.

“The first one was really just a scramble drill play,” Rahman said. “(Jackson) found space, and I found him. I was able to deliver the ball.

“The second one was a tendency we found on film. We were able to build on that tendency with a play that we put in earlier in the week, and we executed really well.”

Godfree’s son, senior linebacker Jake Godfree, served as a defensive quarterback. The North Carolina State commitment led the Bulldogs with five total tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, a sack and an interception returned for a touchdown.

Jake Godfree’s interception was timely, too. Grayson had started to move the ball on its first drive of the second half when he tipped a pass to himself and returned it 56 yards for the score.

“At that moment, you could see our kids jacked,” Eric Godfree said. “We can’t be stopped, and the momentum (had) a big shift. It would be a tough time for them to come back from that one.”

North Gwinnett extended its win streak against Grayson to four games. The teams last played in 2017, a season that ended in a North Gwinnett state championship.

“I think it just goes to show that if we play as a team and we play together, nobody can beat us in the state,” Jake Godfree said. “If we continue to play like this, we’re going to make a deep run, and we’re coming for it all.”

Grayson outgained North Gwinnett 316-256, though 110 of those yards came in the final quarter. The Rams did lose the turnover battle, 3-1.

Grayson quarterback Deuce Smith completed 17 of 27 pass attempts for 288 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Senior receiver Saif Bin-Wahad was a bright spot for the Rams’ offense with eight receptions for 139 yards and a touchdown.

It was Grayson’s first game under new head coach Greg Carswell, who was the team’s defensive coordinator for the past three seasons. Carswell was on the same Mercedes-Benz Stadium sideline for former Grayson coach Santavious Bryant’s first game with the team, a 49-27 loss to Walton.

The Rams ended up making the state semifinals that season and won a state championship the next year. Carswell hopes the ugly loss could produce a similar turnaround this season.

“I would hate to say losing a game makes you do something better, but I will say our preparation will be a lot better, and we’ll be a lot cleaner,” Carswell said. “We didn’t have a lot of guys with experience out there today, so those question marks will be filled moving forward, and we’ve just got to continue to trust our process.”

The North Gwinnett-Grayson game capped the first day of the Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Classic, which continues with two more games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Thursday. Cambridge and Brookwood will face off at 5 p.m. before Roswell and Walton take the field for the nightcap.