North Gwinnett played at Berkmar for its second Region 7-AAAAAAA game of the season Friday night, Sept. 23. The Bulldogs’ defense was brutal as they left the Patriots scoreless, winning the game 42-0.
Five out of the six touchdowns by North Gwinnett came before halftime as the Bulldogs got off to a strong start. Three of the touchdowns would come from junior Julian Walters.
The first touchdown of the night came in the Bulldogs’ opening possession. They managed to get down to the 1-yard line thanks to a series of plays, including a 30-yard pass from sophomore quarterback Samford Halcomb to senior Will Collins. Walters would take the ball the final yard into the end zone.
North Gwinnett opted for the two-point conversion, which senior Corey Tornese made good, putting the Bulldogs up 8-0 early in the first quarter.
On North Gwinnett’s very next possession, the Bulldogs started on Berkmar’s 19-yard line and Halcomb would go 19 yards on a quarterback-keep for the score with 7:34 left in the first quarter. Sophomore Constantine Dallis got the PAT putting North Gwinnett up 15-0 over Berkmar.
Walters got a second chance to score a touchdown in the waning moments of the first quarter when he was able to run the ball eight yards. Dallis once again converted the PAT, making the score 22-0 going into the second quarter.
In the second quarter, with 2:55 remaining, Walters got his third and final touchdown of the night on a one-yard run into the end zone. Dallis once again got the PAT.
Berkmar was forced to punt on its next possession and the punt was blocked. Tornese recovered the ball in the end zone giving North Gwinnett another touchdown with 2:06 left in the first half. The PAT was good making the score 36-0 going into halftime.
The Bulldogs got their final touchdown of the night late in the third quarter when senior Harbin Tinney ran the ball eight yards into the end zone. The PAT failed making the score 42-0.
Neither side added any points for the remainder of the game.
North Gwinnett will play another region opponent, Meadowcreek, at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 30 at home.
FEATURED PHOTO: North Gwinnett’s Julian Walters on his way to score one of three touchdowns in an away game against Berkmar on Friday, Sept. 23, 2022. Photo by William Curtis.
