No. 3 North Gwinnett looks primed for a playoff run, no matter who the Bulldogs’ quarterback is.
C.J. Leggett scored three touchdowns in the first quarter, and Carter Cross returned a fumble 58 yards for a score to fuel North Gwinnett’s 44-22 rout of No. 10 Peachtree Ridge.
Junior quarterback John Urzua made his second consecutive start in place of injured starter Hayden Sphire for the Bulldogs. Sphire, one of the state’s top passers, injured his ankle two weeks ago in a loss to Collins Hill. Sphire warmed up with the team but did not give it a go. It didn’t matter.
Urzua completed his first five attempts and directed a balanced attack, featuring Leggett and receivers Nate Brown and Caleb Scott. Urzua finished 17 of 24 for 234 yards with a 38-yard touchdown pass to Brown in the third quarter. Scott had nine catches for 121 yards.
Leggett scored on runs of 8, 3 and 2 yards to put the Bulldogs up 20-0 at the end of the first quarter.
The Bulldogs (9-1, 7-1 7-AAAAAA) were all over Peachtree Ridge quarterback Chance Thrasher, who lost two fumbles in the first half. Overall, the Lions committed three turnovers.
Trailing 23-0 early in the second quarter, Thrasher led the Lions (7-3, 5-3 7-AAAAAA) into North Gwinnett territory but was sacked and fumbled. Cross scooped up the fumble and sprinted to the end zone to make the score 30-0.
Thrasher finished 16 of 28 passing for 155 yards.
Peachtree Ridge got a 1-yard touchdown run from Jordan Ellis right before halftime to close the gap somewhat. Myron Burton’s juggling 50-yard reception set up Ellis’ touchdown; Ellis added a 23-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter.
“I’m just proud of guys with another region championship for our program, whether it’s shared or not,” coach Bob Sphire said. “We’re 9-1, and it’s all about the playoffs now.”
The win sealed a share of the Region 7 region title for the Bulldogs, their fourth region championship under Sphire. They finished the regular season tied for first place with Collins Hill and Norcross. A coin flip was to be held Friday night to determine the top three seeds out of the region. Peachtree Ridge will be the fourth seed out of Region 7-AAAAAA.
North Gwinnett has won five consecutive over Peachtree Ridge.
