Roswell vs. South Forsyth 8/18/2017

By Nolan Michael

The Hornets fell short Friday night as they lost a nail biter in double overtime against South Forsyth in the Corky Kell Classic game at the new Georgia State Stadium. The defeat was a tough one for Roswell as it came from an unranked team.

The game got off to a very slow start as both defenses held their own. The two teams exchanged the ball eight times throughout the first half, including a clutch fumble recovery on the goal line by sophomore linebacker Caden Bondurant (30) to prevent South Forsyth from scoring a touchdown with 9:32 left in the second quarter. Ironically, a few possessions later, Roswell turned the ball over on downs at South Forsyth’s nine-yard line with just 1:49 left in the first half. Defense was the name of the game throughout the first half as both teams combined for just 10 first downs, 100 rushing yards, and 55 passing yards.

After a scoreless first half, Roswell fans finally had something to cheer about. The Hornets drove down the field capped off a six play, 89-yard drive to break the scoreless stint with a 35-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Cordell Littlejohn (11) to senior receiver Walt Warren (12) to put the hornets on top 7-0 with 5:04 left in the third quarter. South Forsyth continued to struggle throughout the third but finally broke through to tie the game as running back Jared Honey (30) rushed for 17 yards for a touchdown with 10:13 remaining in the fourth quarter. Neither team could score in the final minutes resulting in an overtime period being played.

Roswell wasted little time scoring on the first play of OT as Cordell Littlejohn rushed for 15 yards to put the hornets on top 14-7. Once again, South Forsyth answered back with a 10-yard rushing touchdown of their own, courtesy of Cal Morris to even the score at 14 and force double overtime.

The War Eagles received the ball first during the second overtime and were forced to settle for a 23-yard field goal by Quinn O’Grady (2) to put South Forsyth up 17-14. Roswell needed to score at least a field goal to force a third overtime but Cordell Littlejohn was sacked for a loss of 10 yards followed by an incomplete pass and a 5-yard penalty bringing up a crucial 3rd & 25 play. The Hornets could only gain 2 yards from the play putting Roswell’s back against the wall on 4th & 23. Unfortunately, the Hornets couldn’t convert resulting in their first loss of the season. The Hornets play their next game on Friday, September 1st at Central Gwinnett at 7:30.