Indians Hang on to Beat North Hall

Stephens County hangs on to open Region 8-AAAA football play with a win.

Friday night, the Indians jumped out early, but had to hold off North Hall in the second half to pull out a 14-13 win on the road in Hall County.

With about one minute left, North Hall’s Chris Dennis missed a 60-yard field goal short that would have given the Trojans the lead.

However, the kick landed in the field of play, making it a live ball that Stephens County recovered in the end zone.

North Hall argued it should be a safety, but the officials ruled it a touchback, giving the Indians the win.

Stephens County Head Coach Frank Barden said that while the bottom line is the Indians get the win, work remains.

“We did not do squat on offense and that is on me,” said Barden.  “Defensively, they played great, played hard, made plays.”

Stephens County scored on its first possession as Hassan Brown ran it from eight yards out to give the Indians a 7-0 lead.

From there, the Indians struggled offensively, totaling only 47 yards of offense after that first drive

But the Indian defense picked up the slack, scoring a touchdown when Kole Rogers recovered a North Hall fumble and returning it for the Indians’ second touchdown and a 14-0 lead.

North Hall’s Colby Miller made it 14-7 on a 30-yard touchdown run in the second quarter and the Trojans cut it to a point when Sam Jackson caught an 80-yard touchdown pass from Drew Atha.

However, the Trojans could not convert the extra point, keeping the Indians ahead by the deciding point.

North Hall also missed three field goals on the night and fumbled a second time in Indian territory, which Stephens County’s Brandon Wheeler recovered.

The Indians are now 3-1 overall and 1-0 in the region, while North Hall drops to 1-3 overall and 0-1 in the region.

Stephens County returns home Friday night to host Monroe Area in another region game.

Player Awards
Stephens Co. Farm Bureau Player of the  Game: Kole Rogers
Hart EMC Lineman of the Game: Malik Perry
X-Factor Sub of the Game: Dylan Huff
First Baptist Church Spirit Award: Tracy Lowery