Schools

Blue Devils Win First Game of the Season

With a final score of 35-7 over Dacula High, Norcross starts the season on a high note.

Despite losing 36 players to graduation, Keith Maloof’s young Norcross High team looked strong on its first night out of the gate, winning 35-7 over the Dacula Falcons in a season-opener at Norcross.

The win marked the football program’s 300th win.

Starting quarterback Joseph Wilber, a junior, passed for almost 200 yards, while senior wide receiver J.T. Tolbert ran for 83 yards.

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The Blue Devils got into the end zone five times for touchdowns that came from fullback Tanner Maloof, who scored twice. Wide receiver Anthony Autry and running backs Jordan Dooley and Curtis Whisby each put one touchdown on the board.

Dacula’s Marcus Cox scored the lone touchdown for the Falcons in a handoff from quarterback Rocky Capobianco.

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Norcross had two other chances to score, but field-goal kicker Chris Bingham missed an opportunity in the first half and again in the second. But the senior made all of the five extra points.

By the half, it was 14-0 Norcross.

Call it the first-game jitters, but both teams racked up a number of penalties, including two for unsportsmanlike conduct called against Norcross which helped set up Dacula’s touchdown.

The game ended with a penalty called on the Falcons for roughing the passer, which set up first and goal for Norcross.

Whisby squirted through the defense for the final score of the night.

Up until this year, the rivalry on the football field between Dacula and Norcross was more than just two teams going head to head, it was also an annual contest between two brothers. Keith Maloof’s brother, Kevin, was Dacula’s coach for 20 years before retiring last year. Jared Zito took over as the Falcons' head coach this year.


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