East Forsyth keeps its championship dreams alive after a narrow 35-30 win against the Mooresville Blue Devils.
The Eagles’ first drive ended in an interception Mooresville ran back for a touchdown.
On their next possession, Baker completed a pass to J.P. Gilchrist for a touchdown and tied the game 7-7.
East Forsyth’s Nathan Stewart recovered a fumble in the second quarter, but the Blue Devils defense kept the Eagles contained, constantly pressuring the backfield and making multiple tackles-for-loss. East Forsyth lost a fumble and Mooresville converted the turnover into a score.
Baker connected with Gilchrist again for a touchdown and sent the Eagles into the locker room down 17-14 at half.
Mooresville’s fans traveled well. The Blue Devils’ return to the field for the second half was greeted with enthusiastic hollering, in contrast to the smattering of applause from the home team’s fan section.
The third quarter moved slowly until East Forsyth recovered a fumble and the offensive drive culminated in a rushing touchdown by Cannen Rottweiler. The Eagles led for the first time in the game until Mooresville scored late in the third quarter and went up 24-21.
One word can describe the fourth quarter: chaos. Corey Blaire scored a quick rushing touchdown for East Forsyth putting them back in the lead, 28-24. Questionable penalties riddled both sides, prompting loud jeers toward the referees from coaches, players, and fans every time a flag hit the field.
The Eagles got a big defensive stop, then fumbled the ball. But Mooresville’s penalties set them back far enough to force a punt and the Eagles took advantage. Blaire, somehow shaking loose multiple tacklers, exploded for a 48-yard rushing touchdown to put them up 35-24 with 4:31 to go in the fourth quarter. The air changed at The Nest — fans settled a little more into the certainty they had felt the whole undefeated season.
Mooresville scored one final time with under a minute to go, but failed to convert the two-point attempt. East Forsyth recovered the onside kick and lined up in victory formation as time expired.
Despite the win, Coach Willert echoed his dissatisfied comments from two weeks ago after the Eagles’ close win over Butler: “If you play like this next week, you will lose.”
Next week, East Forsyth will travel 90 minutes to take on No. 2 Weddington High School in Matthews in the fourth round of the playoffs. Sports Illustrated has consistently placed the undefeated Weddington Warriors as North Carolina’s best football team in its power rankings this season. The tough matchup is scheduled for Friday at 7:00 p.m.
Check out the updated 4A playoff bracket here.
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