North Forsyth rode a stingy defense and fourth-quarter touchdown runs by Rakis Bailey and Krishawn Coleman to rally for a 21-13 win against Asheboro last night in a Mid-Piedmont 3-A game at Crafford-Nifong Stadium.
Bailey scored the final points for North (4-4, 2-0) with 4:10 left on a 1-yard run. The Vikings' defense then held firm on Asheboro's final drive, which stalled at the North 17-yard line after two crucial penalties. Quarterback Caleb Mason of Asheboro dropped back to pass on second and 8 from the 17 and soon was in the clutches of S.Q. Bush. Mason attempted to get a throw off, but was called for intentional grounding, which pushed the ball back to the 30-yard line.
Josh Waddell was tackled near the sideline for no gain on the next play, and the Asheboro sideline was flagged for a 15-yard unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty after trying to get a penalty called on North for a hit out of bounds. After Asheboro's fourth down pass fell incomplete, North took over on downs and was able to run out the clock.
Coach Pete Gilchrist of North gave credit for the win to defensive coordinator Rodney Alexander.
"I've been trying to get Coach Alexander some love for all the great work he's done with those guys," Gilchrist said. "That whole staff deserves a lot of credit for this. Those guys have done a great job, and the defense has been responding all year. They came up big for us again tonight."
North took a 14-13 lead early in the fourth quarter on a 1-yard run by Coleman on a fourth-and-goal play. He rumbled in on his second effort after bouncing off the Asheboro defensive line.
North trailed 13-6 at halftime after a 35-yard run by Dmitri Faglier (78 yards) and a 28-yard touchdown pass from Mason to Chris Williams.
Bailey (74 yards) scored on a 1-yard run for the Vikings on their first series, an 80-yard drive that covered 16 plays and took 6:56 for a 7-0 lead. But North struggled on offense after that with four turnovers in the first half, two of which led to touchdowns.
"Usually we've put ourselves in a lot of trouble in games because of turnovers, but we kind of dodged that tonight," Gilchrist said. "That's just a credit again to our defense. We want them to carry us, and when we get our running game going with our passing game, we can be a tough team to beat."
North forced three second-half turnovers, finished with six sacks and never allowed Asheboro to get comfortable on offense in the second half with its swarming pressure, led by Bush.
Bush helped set up the final score after a sack and subsequent fumble recovery that gave North the ball at the Asheboro 19-yard line with 4:10 left.
"Even with us being down, I knew we were in control of the game," Gilchrist said. "We battled them in the field-position game, and they never seemed to get going in the second half. I knew we would eventually put another score on the board."
Asheboro 7 6 0 0 -- 13
North Forsyth 7 0 0 14 -- 21
NF -- Bailey 4 run (Matt Tuttle kick)
A -- Faglier 35 run (Kevin Murphy kick)
A -- Williams 28 pass from Mason (kick failed)
NF -- Livingston 1 run (Tuttle kick)
NF -- Bailey 1 run (Tuttle kick)
Records: Asheboro 2-6 (0-2), North Forsyth 4-4 (2-0)
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