North Gwinnett Rallies To Beat Norcross

It was the night the lights went out in Norcross.

With just 1:08 left to play and the game tied 22-all Friday, the stadium lights on the home side of the field suddenly went out, leaving half the field in the dark.

It would be 15 minutes before they were able to get the lights back on.

And when they did, it took of Suwanee less than a minute to get in the end zone for a touchdown that capped off a 29-22 win over the previously unbeaten Blue Devils. The win gives North a share of the Region 7-AAAAA lead with Suwanee rival Peachtree Ridge. Both teams are 3-0 in region play.

Also, North Gwinnett may move up in the state AAAAA rankings. Top-ranked McEachern, which handed North its only loss, was beaten Friday by Hillgrove, 12-10, according to news reports.

For the Blue Devils, it must have felt like they were playing in the dark most of the second half.

After dominating the Bulldogs 16-0 in the first half and then scoring again with 8:53 in the third quarter to make it 22-0, it seemed Norcross would handle the fellow Region 7-AAAAA heavyweight the same way it dismantled  previous opponents.

But four Norcross turnovers turned the momentum swing in North's favor.

The Bulldogs got into the end zone for the first time for a touchdown with just 1:30 left in the third quarter and scored again after a Norcross fumble to close the gap to 22-14 with 8:03 left to play.

The Bulldogs scored again on a run by Joseph Jones with 2:09 left in the game. A successful two-point conversion made the score 22-22

The Bulldogs scored after the lights came back on to take the victory and win for the fifth straight time. Peachtree Ridge, which rallied to beat Collins Hill on Friday, is 5-1 overall, 3-0 in the region.

Next week Norcross heads to Peachtree Ridge, and North Gwinnett plays Mountain View.