After failing to score on consecutive possessions in the second quarter and watching an early 14-3 lead turn into a 17-14 deficit, North Paulding’s rapid-fire offense picked up the tempo even more.
The Wolfpack were virtually unstoppable the rest of the night, scoring on their next seven possessions to cruise to a 62-46 victory over Allatoona in a key Region 5-AAAAA game Friday. The only time North Paulding didn’t score the rest of the night was its final possession, when the Wolfpack took a knee at the Allatoona 37 as the game ended.
The victory leaves the Wolfpack in the driver’s seat to win the first region championship in school history. North Paulding is tied for first place with South Paulding, but beat the Spartans earlier this season and can clinch the title with a victory against Villa Rica next weekend.
North Paulding finished with 660 yards of offense. Quarterback Chase Noonan led the way, completing 16 of 24 passes for 464 yards and six touchdowns. The scoring passes covered 35, 80, 31, 93, 22 and 69 yards, and he ran for a 3-yard touchdown with 1:44 to play in the second quarter that gave the Wolfpack a 28-17 halftime lead.
Kayden Bishop, the team’s leading receiver, had 150 yards receiving and scored on passes of 80 and 31 yards. D.J. Owens also caught two touchdown passes and finished with 147 yards receiving. Corn Collins rushed for 152 yards on 19 carries and scored on runs of 1 and 11 yards.
Allatoona held its own on offense, particularly in the running game. Josh Bettistea rushed for 181 yards on 36 carries and had two short touchdown runs in the second half, and Russell Halimon had 176 yards and a 30-yard touchdown on 14 carries. D.J. Ezell caught two touchdown passes for the Buccaneers.
The game was delayed for about 20 minutes in the third quarter when North Paulding’s Meshach Mays sustained a neck injury. He was taken off the field on a stretcher and left the stadium in an ambulance, but he raised both arms in the air as he left the field.
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