Blue Devils Win 2nd State Championship

The Norcross Blue Devils defeated the North Gwinnett Bulldogs 31-14 at the Georgia Dome Saturday night to become the 6A State Champions.

It's back-to-back victories for the Blue Devils who beat Lovejoy last year for the school's first ever championship game.

Norcross trailed most of the first half but then scored 24 unanswered points to become only the second team to win two consecutive championships in the top classification since Camden County in 2008-2009. The Blue Devils were also the first Gwinnett County team to claim back-to-back 6A championships since Parkview's 2000-2002 winning season.

For most of the first half the game belonged to the Bulldogs, who scored 14 points before Norcross finally got in the end zone for a touchdown but then missed a 2-point conversion attempt with 5:26 left in the first half.

Then quarterback A.J. Bush connected with wide receiver Clinton Lynch for a touchdown with 4:19 minutes before half. This time the 2-point conversion was good and the Blue Devils and the Bulldogs were tied at 14-14 going into the half.

"We started out slow," Coach Keith Maloof said at the half. "We need to keep plugging and regroup."

The second half belong to the Blue Devils who were able to convert two Bulldog turnovers for 10 points. A field goal with 5:56 left in the third quarter gave Norcross the lead for the first time. 

With just 25 seconds left in the third quarter A.J. Bush ran in for a touchdown. And the extra point gave the Blue Devils a 23-14 lead.

Then Myles Awtry scored on a 69-yard pass, his second TD of the night. Blake Bingham's kick for the extra point was good giving the Blue Devils a 31-14 lead with 9:39 left in the fourth quarter.

North Gwinnett had several opportunities to score but two turnovers late in the game turned out to be costly for the Bulldogs who were making their first run at a State Championship title.

Holding up the trophy during the presentation Maloof said, "It feels awesome. I'm so proud of this team. It was matter of putting things together, and having the community behind us."

Norcross lost to North Gwinnett in the regular season 36-17. Then the Blue Devils went on to claim 12 consecutive wins.


Photos are courtesy of Bob Chadwick. He's a NHS parent who you often see on the sidelines shooting Blue Devils sporting events. You can see more of his photos at norcrosspics.com

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