Coming off a tough loss at Lambert, North Forsyth would look to get back in the win column against the Denmark Danes on Homecoming night but the Danes had other plans.
North began the game strong on defense as Sophomore defensive lineman Adriel Rojas tipped an interception to himself and gave the Raiders optimal field position, but North would have to punt the ball back to the Danes after they failed to gain a first down. When Denmark got the ball back on offense for the second drive of the game they had their eyes set on the endzone as Matthew Baer would connect with Carter Rawlings for a 67-yard touchdown and they would jump out to an early 7-point lead.
North’s offensive struggles would continue into the second quarter as Denmark looked to add on to their lead. The Danes marched down the field into the red zone and were looking to add another seven points to the board but North stood their ground and held them to a field goal to make it 10-0 Denmark early in the quarter.
Denmark would get the ball back but another stop by the Raider’s defense would set the offense up in plus territory late in the quarter. With the big stop on defense it seemed to give the offense a spark as the Raiders would reach the end zone off of a 4-yard rushing touchdown by senior running back Colton Constable.
North would get the ball back one more time before half but they would fail to point any point on the board as the Danes took a 10-7 lead into the half.
At the half, North would hold their Homecoming Queen and King crowning ceremony after the students voted for their classmates. Julia Hayes would win as the Queen and Colin Kelley would win as the King for Homecoming. The runner up for Queen was Kylie Ashford and the runner up for King was Brady Holbrook.
North would receive the opening kickoff to start the second half as they looked to tie or take the lead after a strong finish to half but after starting quarterback Eli Seany’s helmet popped off and he had to sit out for a play the Raiders would fumble the ball on a mishandled snap and give the ball back to the Danes in the red zone. But just like their last trip to the red zone the Raiders defense would step up and force a stop after a clutch sack by Senior CJ Lenyszyn. This stop would hold the Danes to a field goal as they would take a 13-7 lead.
When the fourth quarter rolled around the Raiders were looking to make one final push at a comeback and they even blocked a field goal attempt by the Danes but Denmark would get the ball back and punch in a crucial touchdown to extend their lead to 12. The Raiders would drive down the field and score a late touchdown by junior running back Darron Parry. But even with this score the Raiders would run out of time and fall to the Danes by a score of 19-14
After the game Senior defensive back JT Davis said that the team could improve by having a “more aggressive fast tempo moving forward and to play every game like it’s a championship game.”
The Raiders will look to bounce back next week as they host North Atlanta in a regional showdown.
