KENNESAW — West Forsyth’s first outing as a Class AAAAA football squad was a resounding success. The Wolverines traveled to Harrison Friday and defeated the Hoyas 13-0 in a decidedly defensive contest.

Hoyas’ quarterback Sean Skradis was sacked three times and West (1-0) forced two turnovers, including an interception by Trevor Guthrie with two minutes left to seal the victory.

“Whether it is at the 5A level or not, we still feel like we are young and learning,” West head coach Frank Hepler said.

“Tonight was another learning experience and we just have to keep learning and working. Tonight they saw what 5A is like, and they reached down and fought to get a nice victory.”

The Wolverines’ defense was led by linebacker Wes Rood, who sacked Skradis twice and forced a fumble.

The West defense held Harrison (0-1) to a mere 174 total yards in the game.

Only once did Harrison reach the red zone, and that drive was stopped on a failed fourth down attempt early in the
fourth quarter.

The offense for West centered on junior running back Blake Roberts, who rushed for 142 yards and a touchdown on 17
carries.

Roberts’ run on the fifth play of the third quarter was his biggest of the game. He busted through the middle for a 48-yard touchdown that put the Wolverines up 13-0 — the extra point was no good — with 9:35 to play in the third.

“The offensive line stepped up and did their job, opening up the hole for me,” Roberts said. “I did my job and we got the score. It was just what a team does.”

Hepler tried to keep the momentum from the opening second half drive with a trick play on the ensuing kickoff.

The Wolverines’ Conner Vandenbos recovered an onside kick at the Harrison 38, but that drive failed to go anywhere as quarterback A.J. Erdely was picked off on third and long. Harrison took over at its own 7, but West’s defense came up with another big stop to force a punt.  

“Our guys just really fought all night long,” Hepler said. “It was a truly great testament to their work ethic and heart.
Playing 10 straight weeks at the 5A level, we are going to need to keep that intensity and keep working to get better.”

The first half was a defensive struggle as well.

Neither side scored until midway through the second quarter, when Colton Cloud intercepted a Hoya pass and ran 43 yards to the end zone.

Unfortunately for West, the touchdown was called back for a block in the back, and the Wolverines took over at the Harrison 33-yard line instead.

But West’s fans did not have to wait long for redemption.

After a quick first down, West converted a third-and-nine, when Erdely hit a bubble screen — his first completion of the game — to Dan McDowell, who ran to paydirt from 21 yards out to make the score 7-0 West at the 4:57 mark in the quarter.