GFC Players selected to play in Rotary Bowl Senior All-Star Game
Eight GFC players were selected and played for the North All-Star team in this year’s Rotary Bowl Senior All-Star Game. Tim Howard (QB), Ben Keeling (LB), Brett Snyder (K/P), Michael Jefferson (RB), Kris Setser (NG/DT) of the North Georgia Falcons were selected as well as Zavior Thompson (LB), Ben Allison (RB) and David Harley (CB/Punt Return) from the Georgia Force. The game was played at West Forsyth High School where the South team beat the North 40-7.
2010 Glory For Christ All-Star Team
Adam Bieber – North Georgia #68
Alec Beaty – North Georgia #63
Andrew Jarnigan – Georgia Force #80
Andrew Weaver – Christian Heritage #76
Ben Allison – Georgia Force #25
Ben Herring – East Atlanta #26
Ben Keeling – North Georgia #33
Brett Snyder – North Georgia #13
Caleb Smoak – HSD Panthers #59
Charlie Wilson – Christian Heritage #25
Chris Burch – East Atlanta #52
Daniel Pierce – Christian Heritage #5
David Harley – Georgia Force #46
David Norton – Georgia Force #78
Donta Agan – Holy Ground #5
Dylan Williams – Holy Ground #56
Ethan Patterson – Georgia Force #47/75
Gerald Fraylon – HSD Panthers #5
Grady Nall – Unity Christian #9
Hunter Brumfield – North Georgia #62
Jake Trout – HSD Panthers #51
Jamal Hoskins – Unity Christian #2
Jesse Norton – Holy Ground #63
Josh Pack – North Georgia #60
Kris Setser – North Georgia #66
Leon Jones – East Atlanta #3
Levi Atkinson – HSD Panthers #1
Logan Harr – Christian Heritage #30
Luke Castle – HSD Panthers #2
Mason Sikes – Christian Heritage #41
Matt Hardin – Georgia Force #10
Matthew Lugg – East Atlanta #58
Michael Jefferson – North Georgia #36
Nick Jang – Christian Heritage #36
Reece Bryant -Unity Christian #5
Reginald Spear – East Atlanta #1
Riley Davis – North Georgia #2
Ryan Hulsey – Holy Ground #12
Ryan Rivers – North Georgia #1
Tevin Austin – Georgia Force #21
Tim Howard – North Georgia #6
Tyler Baker – Unity Christian #66
Will Blount – East Atlanta #55
Xavier Von Ewegen – Christian Heritage #63
Zach Anderle Christian Heritage #75
Zane George – HSD Panthers #64
Zane McDaniel – North Georgia #23
Zavior Thompson – Georgia Force #24
Congratulations to these players!!
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Rome News-Tribune Names All-Area Players
Unity Christian had two players named to the Rome newspaper “All-Area Team”. Jamal Hoskins was named to the 2nd Team Offense while Reece Bryant was named to the 2nd Team Defense. Both players were also named to the GFC All-Star Team. Congratulations!
Unbeaten Falcons wins 2010 Championship 20-7
The North Georgia Falcons (10-0) beat the Georgia Force to win their second straight GFC Championship.
The Force kicked off to start the game and were successful in recovering an onside kick, however, on the third play, Michael Jefferson intercepted a Force QB Matt Hardin pass to give the Falcons the ball on the 47 yard line. Six plays later, QB Tim Howard connected with Riley Davis for a 4 yard touchdown pass and the Falcons led 6-0 with 8:32 left in the first quarter. Kicker Brett Snyder was good on the extra point kick to give the Falcons a 7-0 lead they would not relinquish.
In the middle of the second quarter, Riley Davis returned a Force punt 44 yards to give the Falcons good field position. Two plays later, Howard and Davis hooked up on a 26 yard pass to set up a Howard to Davis 9 yard touchdown pass with 6:59 left in the second quarter. Snyder was again good on the extra point kick to give the Falcons a 14-0 lead. This would be the score at halftime.
In the 3rd quarter, the Force and the Falcons traded possessions, but with 39 seconds to go and the Force driving into Falcon territory, RB Tevin Austin ran 28 yards for a touchdown. Kicker Matthew Atkerson was good on the extra point kick to get the Force back into the game, trailing only 14 to 7.
In the 4th quarter, Brett Snyder intercepted a Force pass and returned it to the 21 yard line. The Falcons tried to take advantage of the field position, but came up just short on a 55 yard field goal attempt by Snyder. The Force had one more opportunity to try and tie the game, but turned the ball over on downs at the 8 yard line. Falcon running back Ben Keeling scored from the 5 yard line with 57 seconds left in the game to give the Falcons the margin of victory, 20 to 7, and the GFC Championship.
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It’s been a great year of football and the GFC Championship game is set and ready to go between the North Georgia Falcons and the Georgia Force.
These two teams have a long history as they battled for the first GFL Championship back in 2004 (the first year of the league called GFL which is now the GFC). The Falcons defeated the Force to win that year, but the Force turned around and won the 2005 and 2006 Championships going undefeated both years. They continued their unbeated streak until the 2007 Championship where they lost 21-19 to NCC. At the time, their win streak was the longest in the state of Georgia.
The 2008 Championship was won by Christian Heritage who went undefeated that year and in 2009 the Lions made it all the way to the championship game before losing to the North Georgia Falcons.
This year’s championship game between the Falcons and the Force is highlighted by a large number of seniors from both teams that are playing their last game. Many of these seniors were part of the first middle school teams that both the Falcons and the Force started back in 2006. QB’s from both teams, Tim Howard of the Falcons and Matt Hardin of the Force, played QB on those middle school teams and have gone on to lead their team this year to excellent seasons. Running backs, Ben Allison of the Force and Michael Jefferson of the Falcons, were also on that team as were linebackers, Zavier Thompson of the Force and Ben Keeling of the Falcons. There are others that were on those middle school teams that will be playing their last high school football game and there are several other seniors on both teams that will be ending their season.
In many ways, this is a fitting way for these two arch rivals to finish. Best wishes to all the players and their coaches!
In looking back, let me finish by saying that I would like for everyone to remember why we are playing football. We want to give thanks to the Lord for making it possible for us to enjoy this game. It wasn’t that long ago that there was no league and no way for boys, who homeschool or who attend small Christian schools, to play football.
My hope is that we will not forget what brought us here and that the emotions of the games don’t ruin the good thing that is and has been GFC Football!
Hank St.Denis
GFC Director
GFC Championship Game
North Georgia vs Georgia Force
Game will be played Saturday, November 13th at
Jasper MS Football Field (formerly Pickens Co High Stadium).
GFC Semifinal Results
Falcons shut out Panthers 28-0 in GFC Semifinals
The unbeaten Falcons moved to 9-0 on the season beating the HSD Panthers 28-0 in the GFC Semifinals. With 53 seconds left in the 1st quarter, Michael Jefferson scored on an 8 yards run to make the score 6-0 Falcons. This was the score until 7:54 left in the 3rd quarters when Falcon kicker Brett Snyder made a 31 yard field goal to give the Falcons a 9 to 0 lead. With 11 minutes to go in the 4th quarter, the Falcons scored again as Brett Snyder threw a 48 yard touchdown pass to Riley Davis. This gave the Falcons a 15-0 lead. Michael Jefferson got the next touchdown when he ran 23 yards. Brett Snyder was good on the extra point kick. Falcons 22-0. The final touchdown came with 3:39 left in the game. Ben Keeling scored on a 1 yard run. Final score 28-0.
Georgia Force 24 Christian Heritage 21
The Georgia Force defeated the Christian Heritage Lions in a hard fought game as both teams played for the chance to go to the GFC Championship. The Lions scored first on the opening drive on a 5 yard run by Daniel Pierce. The extra point kick was good giving the Lions a 7-0 lead. The Force responded with a 52 yard punt return by David Harley, but missed the extra point, making it 7-6 at the end of the first quarter.
With 11:52 left in the second quarter, Daniel Pierce threw a 10 yard pass to Mason Sikes, increasing the Lions lead to 14-6. The Force responded again on the very next play with a 79 yard touchdown run by Tevin Austin. The two point conversion pass from Atkerson to Harley was successful and the score was tied at 14.
Christian Heritage took the ball and drove down the field again, scoring on a 18 yard pass from Pierce to Sikes and putting the Lions ahead 21-14 at halftime. This would be the final points the Lions would score in the game.
In the third quarter, the Force drove down the field but were stopped short of the end zone and settled for a 27 yard field goal by Matthew Atkerson. This made the score 21-17 Lions in the lead. With 9:17 left in the fourth quarter, the Force scored on a 3 yard run by Tevin Austin, putting them on top 24-21. The Force advances to the GFC Championship while the loss ended the season for the Lions.
“We knew it would be a dogfight,” said Mike Vaden, head coach of Christian Heritage whose team won the league title two years ago and was second in 2010. “All our games with the Force are close and you can’t make mistakes against a good team and win.”
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Game Results for Friday, Oct 22nd
Freedom Academy 50 East Atlanta 21
NCC Crusaders 49 HSD Panthers 40
North Georgia 58 Holy Ground 14
Christian Heritage 50 Unity Christian 19
Game Results for Friday, Oct 15th
East Atlanta 12 SC Titans 10
Georgia Force 22 Holy Ground 0
North Georgia 24 Christian Heritage 20
It was another thrilling football game where the second half saw the lead change four times and at the end of the game, the Lions had 3 chances from the 13 yard line, but couldn’t get into the end zone before the clock ran out.
The Falcons missed on a field goal early in the first quarter. Late in the first quarter, Falcon defensive tackle Josh Pack recovered the first of three fumbles at the 39 yard line. Nine plays later at the 8 minute mark of the 2nd quarter, Brett Snyder kick a 23 yard field goal to give the Falcons a 3-0 lead. On their next possession, the Falcons went 80 yards in 4 plays scoring on a Michael Jefferson 45 yard run. Snyder’s extra point kick made it 10-0 Falcons with 3:40 to go in the half. Christian Heritage took the kickoff and drove 39 yards scoring on a 1 yard run by Daniel Pierce. Jang’s kick was good to make the score 10-7. The Falcons move the ball to the 32 but time ran out and it was halftime.
The Falcons took the second half kickoff and drove to the 24, but a field goal attempt was no good and the Lions took over. Eight plays later Pierce connected with Mason Sikes for a 5 yard touchdown pass. The kick was no good, but the Lions now had the lead at 13-10 with 3:57 to go in the 3rd quarter.
The Falcons responded by driving 73 yards in 14 plays using up almost 8 minutes of the game and scoring on a Michael Jefferson 5 yard run. The extra point by Snyder was good. Falcons had the lead again at 17-13 with 8 minutes to go in the game. The Lions took the kickoff and marched 59 yards in 4 plays scoring on a Pierce to Wilson pass of 25 yards. The extra point kick was good and the Lions had the lead back at 20-17 with 5:47 left in the game.
The Falcons took the kickoff and drove 78 yards in 11 plays with Jefferson again scoring from 6 yards out. This drive had a big gain of 27 yards on a Tim Howard to Brett Snyder pass that put the Falcons in scoring position. The extra point kick was good and the lead was now 24-20 in favor of the Falcons with 1:17 to go.
Christian Heritage had one last drive in them and were successful in moving the ball down the field to the 8 yard line by throwing the ball and completing 3 passes of 10, 13 and 17 yards, however, they couldn’t complete the last 3 passes from the 13 yard line and the game ended when the last pass was knocked down by the Falcon’s Riley Davis.
The Falcons had 365 total offensive yards while Christian Heritage had 262. Both teams came in averaging over 30 points a game on offense.
Unity Christian 33 HSD Panthers 13
The Unity Christian Lions pulled off the biggest upset of the GFC season beating the HSD Panthers for their first victory of the season.
Game Results for Friday, Oct 8th
Christian Heritage 48 HSD Panthers 14
Holy Ground 35 Creekside Christian 12
North Georgia 47 East Atlanta 7
Georgia Force 42 Unity Christian 6
Game Results for Friday, Oct 1st
HSD Panthers 45 East Atlanta 6
Holy Ground 20 Unity Christian 9
Game Results for Friday, September 24th
Christian Heritage 47 Holy Ground 6
Georgia Force 37 East Atlanta Mustangs 0
HSD Panthers 30 Unity Christian 7
Game Results for Friday, September 17th
Holy Ground Stallions 21 East Atlanta Mustangs 14
Georgia Force 13 Christian Heritage Lions 12
by Larry Fleming (Dalton Citizen)
Every year the Georgia Force and Christian Heritage Lions game is decided in the last minute or in overtime. This year is no different as Daniel Pierce, forced to kick after placekicker Nick Jang suffered an injury earlier in the game, barely missed a 33-yard field goal with 6.5 seconds left, and the visiting Georgia Force escaped with a thrilling 13-12 victory Friday night in a game of unbeaten teams.
Force coach Steve Riley said the kick looked a bit wide, although it had plenty of distance, from his vantage point on the sidelines. “I was sure praying it was left,” Riley said. After the miss, all the Force had to do was take a knee and walk away with their fifth straight win to start the season.
It was a heartbreaking loss for the Lions (3-1, 1-1) on homecoming before a large crowd at Christian Heritage Stadium. “Games like this develop character,” Vaden said. Both teams showed true grit in the fourth quarter, answering each other’s touchdowns.
The Lions, who trailed 7-6 at halftime on Pierce’s 4-yard run at the 7:25 mark of the second quarter, forced a Force punt and methodically drove 78 yards in 10 plays for the go-ahead touchdown. On second-and-seven from the 33, Pierce connected with Mason Sikes, his favorite receiver, who battled for extra yardage to the 5 before he fumbled. However, the Lions’ Charlie Wilson pounced on the ball at the 3 to keep the threat alive. On first down, Pierce gained a yard to the 2 and then freshman Austin Lowe plowed into the end zone for the go-ahead score with 3:31 left in the game. The run for a two-point conversion failed and the Lions were up 12-7.
The Force gained possession at their own 38 with 3:19 remaining after the kickoff. Nine consecutive running plays moved the Force to the Lions’ 4. With the Lions’ defense bunched up tight at the line of scrimmage, Force quarterback Matthew Hardin drifted to his right and lobbed a touchdown pass to David Harley, who made the catch while skidding on his knees in the end zone with 55.6 seconds on the clock.
On the game-clinching drive, the Force’s Tevin Austin carried seven times for 41 yards, including gainers of 20 and 16 yards. He finished with 126 yards on 18 carries, helping the Force pile up 228 rushing yards on the Lions’ proud defense.
“After that touchdown, I was thinking our defense had to tighten up,” Riley said. “They had been hurting us all night with their out-route passes.” But the Lions, who took over after the kickoff on their own 36, zipped to the Force’s 16 in six plays. Pierce hit Sikes three times for completions covering a combined 48 yards. On third-and-10, Vaden elected to kick the field goal. “That was my decision,” he said. “If we had a bad snap or fumbled it, we could cover it and try again. We were blessed just to have a chance to win that game.”
Pierce completed 15 of 25 passes for 265 yards and rushed for 36 more. Logan Harr led the Lions with 83 rushing yards on seven carries. Wilson had four catches for 77 yards as the Lions rushed for 159. Sikes caught 10 passes for 176 yards in the game after having 12 in the previous three.
Clay Mote gave the Force an early 6-0 lead on a 33-yard touchdown run on the final play of the first quarter, and Matthew Atkerson kicked the extra point.
North Georgia Falcons 17 Horizon Christian 0
Like most rivalry games, anyone can win despite the records of each team. The North Georgia Falcons defeated the Warriors from Horizon Christian in a hard fought neighborly rivalry. The Falcons took the opening kickoff and rolled down the field. The drive ended with a 33 yard field goal by kicker Brett Snyder. Falcons 3 Warriors 0. The Falcons had several other drives in the first half, but 2 interceptions and a fumble kept the Falcons from scoring. The Warriors played tough on defense all night. With 5 minute left in the 3rd quarter, after the Falcons recovered a fumble on the 15 yard line, Ben Keeling scored from the 1 yard line. Snyder was good on the extra point kick. Falcons 10-0. Then with 10:01 left in the game, Michael Jefferson ran 37 yards for a touchdown and Snyder was again good on the extra point kick to make the score 17-0. The Falcon defense kept the Warriors from threatening giving up on 79 yards all night. The Falcons were led by Ben Keeling, Adam Bieber, Joey Lopez, Hunter Brumfield and Josh Pack. The Warriors were led by Tim Walker.
Game Results for Friday, September 10th
Georgia Force 37 HSD Panthers 0
Crown 42 Holy Ground 12
Christian Heritage 62 East Atlanta 7
Daniel Pierce had two touchdown runs, added a scoring pass of 58 yards to Mason Sikes and returned an interception 52 yards for his other score in a four-touchdown effort for Christian Heritage. The Lions (3-0) led 42-7 at halftime. Pierce took the first play from scrimmage 45 yards to the end zone. Then on the Mustangs’ (1-2) first possession, Pierce picked off a pass that gave Christian Heritage a 14-7 lead a little more than three minutes into the first quarter.
Christian Heritage turned the ball over just once, late in a fourth quarter with a running clock, while intercepting two East Atlanta passes and recovering four fumbles by the Mustangs. Chris Smith had touchdown runs of 6 and 23 yards in the second half, while Austin Lowe had a 14-yard touchdown run just before halftime. Marshall Williams’ 8-yard run made it 21-0 in the first quarter. Pierce finished with 91 yards on seven carries — the Lions tallied 199 yards on the ground — and was 6 of 6 passing for 174 yards. Sikes had three catches for 92 yards and Charlie Wilson had the other three receptions for 82 yards.
North Georgia 40 Unity Christian 14
Unity Christian threw a scare into the Falcons by going 80 yards on the first offensive play of the game for a touchdown on a Jackson Bishop screen pass to Jamal Hoskins. The 6-0 lead lasted about 2 minutes as the Falcons took the kickoff and went 57 yards on 6 plays to score. Michael Jefferson score the touchdown on a 4 yard run. The extra point was good and the Falcons led 7-6 with 9:17 left in the first quarter. With 11:53 to go in the second quarter, Jefferson scored again on a 4 yard run and the Falcons led 13-6. Falcon QB Tim Howard scored on a 7 yard run with 6:58 left in the half. Falcons led 19-6. North Georgia took the second half kickoff and went 55 yards in 5 plays to score. Howard ran 1 yard for the score, making it 25-6 in favor of North Georgia. Howard then intercepted a Unity pass at the 19 yard line. On the first play from scrimmage, Howard ran 81 yards for a touchdown. Brett Snyder added the extra point to make it: Falcons 32-6 over Unity. On the Falcon’s next possession, Howard connected with Riley Davis on a 57 yard touchdown pass. Falcon’s Jefferson scored on the 2-point attempt to end the Falcon’s scoring 40-6. Unity’s Jamal Hoskins added a touchdown with 6 minutes to go and Unity was successful on the 2 point attempt making the score 40-14.
The Falcons rolled up close to 500 yards on offense. QB Tim Howard led the way with 185 yards rushing and 164 yards passing. The Falcon’s defense was led by Ben Keeling, Ryan Rivers, Adam Bieber and Josh Pack. Joey Lopez had four tackles on kickoff.
North Georgia 30 HSD Panthers 0
The Falcon’s field goal kicker, Brett Snyder, hit the trifecta, kicking field goals of 44, 42 and 18 yards to give the Falcons a 9-0 lead after the first quarter. Kicks were made with 9:35, 5:44 and 2.36 minutes left in the first quarter. Falcon QB Tim Howard connected with Zane McDaniel on a 29 yard touchdown pass with 1:22 in the half. After Snyder made the extra point kick, the Falcons led 16-0. In the 3rd quarter with 7:53 to play, Howard scored on a 2 yard touchdown run, set up by a Riley Davis punt return of 68 yards and Snyder was again good on the extra point kick (Falcons 23-0). The final score came on a Michael Jefferson 2 yard touchdown run after Tim Howard had run 45 yards to put the Falcons close to the end zone. Snyder was perfect on the extra point kick to make the score 30 to 0. The Falcon’s defense kept the Panthers from scoring. The defense was led by linebackers Ben Keeling and Michael Jefferson, along with Kris Setser and Ryan Rivers. Joey Lopez recovered two fumbles that put the Falcons in good field position.
Game Results for Friday, August 27th
Georgia Force 28 Dominion Christian 12
HSD Panthers 38 Holy Ground 14
The game started as an intense battle with the Stallions striking first and gaining a 8-0 lead. After two strong defensive stands, the Panther offense got on track and tied the game 8-8. Shortly after that the Panthers capitalized on another drive to take the lead 14-8, a lead that they would never relinquish. The Panthers went up 22-8 in the second quarter. The “never say die” attitude of the Stallions showed up again when the Stallions broke a long run to keep things close with a halftime score of 22-14.
The Panthers got the ball to start the second half and went on a long drive that culminated in a 2 yd touchdown run, making the score 30-14.
The Panthers controlled the clock and the line of scrimmage in the second half and came away with a 38-14 victory.
North Georgia 52 East Atlanta 13
The North Georgia Falcons scored early and often, building up a 31 to 0 lead by halftime, then scored twice more to open the third quarter.
Falcon’s Brett Snyder’s 20 yard touchdown run started the scoring, then he was good on the extra point kick. Snyder then added a 27 yard field goal to make the score 10-0. QB Tim Howard, on the next possession, connected with Riley Davis on a 26 yard touchdown pass. Snyder made the extra point kick and the Falcons led 17-0. Tim Howard ran 18 yards for a touchdown with Snyder good on the extra point, making the score, Falcons 24 Mustangs 0. Just before halftime, Howard found Snyder in the end zone on a 8 yard TD pass. After the successful extra point kick by Snyder, the Falcons led 31-0.
In the third quarter, Falcon running back Michael Jefferson added a 70 yard touchdown run , then Riley Davis intercepted a pass and ran it in for a 39 yard touchdown. Both extra points were good by Snyder and the Falcons led 45-0. Mustang running back Leon Jones busted loose for an 85 yard touchdown run to get the Mustangs on the scoreboard. The extra point kick was good, making the score 45-7. Riley Davis returned a Mustang’s punt 45 yards for a score and Snyder’s extra point kick made the score 52-7. The Mustang’s Reginald Spears ran 89 yards for a touchdown making the final score: Falcons 52 Mustangs 13
Saturday, August 21st Game Results
Holy Ground 16 Horizon Christian 6 (non-GFC)
The Holy Ground Academy Stallions opened their season with a victory over Horizon Christian but the game wasn’t decided until late in the 4th quarter. Horizon led 6-3 at the half then the Stallions were able to put together two scores (one touchdown and a field goal) to get the W.