North Murray High School traveled to Roswell Friday night looking to avenge a playoff defeat to Fellowship Christian a season ago that ended the Mountaineers’ 2022 campaign.
Instead, the Mountaineers saw their season end on the same field for the second consecutive year.
In the second round of the Class 2A playoffs, North Murray couldn’t slow down Fellowship Christian as the Paladins piled up 63 points in a 63-14 win that eliminated the Mountaineers.
Fellowship (10-2) led 35-0 at halftime and had 56 points on the scoreboard before the Mountaineers (8-4) got on the board in the fourth quarter.
Skyler Williams found senior Kaden Myers for a 24-yard passing touchdown to make the score 56-7. With the Paladins threatening to score another touchdown, North Murray forced a fumble at the Mountaineer five. Ju’Alan George, another Mountaineer senior playing in his final game, scooped the fumble and took it back for a touchdown return.
Fellowship Christian jumped on North Murray early with big plays in the run game.
Quarterback Jonathan Granby finished the first drive of the game with a 35-yard rushing touchdown.
After a fake punt by North Murray left the Paladins with a short field, CJ Givers made the Mountaineers pay with a 22-yard rushing score.
The first quarter ended with the score at 14-0, but Fellowship added another pair of touchdowns in less than two minutes once the second quarter started.
Givers shook loose for a 65-yard touchdown run, then, after a North Murray fumble at their own 11, Granby hit Josh Milhollin with an 11-yard touchdown to make the score 28-0.
Fellowship’s Al Thompson picked off Williams and ran 60-yards for the pick-six to make the score 35-0. North Murray drove the ball inside the Fellowship 10 late in the half but were stopped on fourth and goal.
The Paladins added three touchdowns in the third quarter — two more Granby tosses and a Noah Falcon rush — to go up 56-0. The last score was set up after North Murray drove to the Paladin five but again came up empty with an interception.
Williams, who left the game early in the third quarter with an injury, came back in to lead a Mountaineer scoring drive, hitting Myers for the TD.
After the George scoop-and-score kept Fellowship from getting to 63, a late touchdown passes got the Paladins to that score.
North Murray ends the season in the second round of the playoffs, the third appearance in the second round in school history for the Neers. North Murray had stalled in the first round for three consecutive seasons since a run to the state quarterfinals in 2019.
The loss ends the careers of eight North Murray seniors, including do-it-all playmaker Judson Petty, who led Class 2A in receiving this season while also starring as a runner, returner and defensive back. When Williams exited, Petty played at quarterback for the Mountaineers.