No. 5-ranked North Gwinnett used its running game to take control in the second half and went on to 35-7 win over No.9 McEachern in the Corky Kelly Kickoff Classic.
The Bulldogs led 13-7 at halftime and turned to its ground attack in the second half to run the clock and put the game away.
North Gwinnett’s Marcus McFarlane pounded the ball over and over and broke a pair of tackles on his way to a 23-yard touchdown. Barrett Carter threw a jump pass to tight end Blake Young for a two-point conversion with 10 seconds left in the third quarter.
Carter, a four-star recruit who committed to Clemson, finished with ten tackles, two for loss, and ran for a touchdown. He finished the night by intercepting a pass and taking it 55 yards for a pick-six.
The Bulldogs put it away when Ashton Wood scored on a 5-yard keeper with 7:08 remaining. Wood scrambled to his right and opted to run it himself, extending the ball over the plane as he ran out of bounds.
North Gwinnett’s first touchdown was set up by Sean Anderson’s long punt return, which set up a 7-yard scoring run from Carter.
The Bulldogs got another score when Jayson Gilliom intercepted a pass at the 5 and returned it 95 yards for a touchdown.
McEachern’s touchdown came on an 11-yard run from Mekhi Crawley. The drive was set up by Sutton Smith’s 64-yard kickoff return.
North Gwinnett has won five straight games against McEachern.
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