The Norcross football team proved on Friday that there is still a place for an old-school gameplan that emphasizes a ground game and control of the clock. The Class 7A No. 6 Blue Devils never punted all night en route to a methodical 35-17 win over Peachtree Ridge.
The experienced Norcross offensive line kept opening holes for junior running back Kevin Maven, who ran 37 times for 274 yards and two touchdowns. Versatile senior A.J. Watkins, who played quarterback and receiver, ran 16 times for 52 yards for two touchdowns, completed 5-for-7 passes for 83 yards and caught two passes for 19 yards.
The Blue Devils were so efficient on offense that they never punted the ball. Norcross had four possessions in the first half and scored three touchdowns. The only misfire came on the first possession when Peachtree Ridge blocked a 36-yard field goal. Norcross had only three second-half possessions, scored touchdowns on the first two and finished the game by taking a knee at the Peachtree Ridge 8.
“We knew what we had to do, which was run the ball and execute and throw the ball when we had to,” Norcross coach Keith Maloof said. “The running game was good all night. Those guys are huge in our scheme of things and they’ve worked hard. We just put the team on their shoulders when we need to win and Kevin is one of those little guys that gets behind those big bodies, and they have a hard time finding him.”
Peachtree Ridge was led by quarterback Darnell Kelly, who completed 22 of 36 passes for 256 yards and one touchdown. Myles Abernathy caught nine passes for 166 yards, including a 42-yard touchdown. But the Lions were only able to rush for 55 yards and the defense was never able to force the Blue Devils off the field.
Norcross took a 7-0 lead on a 1-yard run by Watkins to complete an 11-play drive. Peachtree Ridge had to settle for a 37-yard field goal from Alex Hanson after reaching the 16. The Lions were going to go for it on fourth-and-1 when a lineman jumped, incurring a penalty.
The Blue Devils went ahead 14-3 on a drive that saw Maven rip off runs of 14, 17 and 18 yards. Watkins scored from the 1.
Peachtree Ridge made it 14-10 on a 3-yard run by Sedric Addison, which came after back-to-back completions from Kelly to Abernathy of 16 and 30 yards.
But Norcross responded with a touchdown, this one a 22-yard run by Maven and a 21-10 lead at halftime.
Norcross scored to open the second half on Maven’s 7-yard run, but Peachtree Ridge answered with a long drive that was capped by Abernathy’s 1-yard touchdown catch. The Blue Devils put it away with another long drive that was completed when Jackson Bussey powered in from the 5.
Norcross (8-1, 5-0) can win the Region 7 championship – which would be its first since 2020 -- next week with a win at North Gwinnett. Peachtree Ridge (8-1, 4-1) finishes the season against Duluth.
“The focus now is to go out there and win this thing,” Maloof said. “We’ve got to get healed up – we got a few ankles banged up here and there and we’ve got to get those guys back. But the focus will be to go out and win this thing and not worry about a tiebreaker. North is a great program and we’ve had some battles over the years, so we’ve got our work cut out for us.”
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