On Oct. 20, 2022, fans, students, parents, and faculty gathered in school colors at South Forsyth High school’s football stadium to watch an intense game against Forsyth Central. The Varsity Football Team from South Forsyth had tremendous support from the marching band, cheerleaders and dance team as they faced the Forsyth Central Bulldogs.
Mikey Meersman, a junior on Varsity, always loves seeing the student section and everyone supporting the team.
Meersman said, “The fans are always excited to see us and play a part. It’s always nice to look back and know they are all there to support the team and cheer.”
South Football was also highly optimistic about how the Varsity team would perform on Homecoming Night: “The team felt very confident that if we did what we are capable of, we would win the game going into it,” Meersman said.
To begin the game, Forsyth Central won the coin toss and chose to defer. South Forsyth received and began the game with possession of the football. The War Eagles started slow with a failed effort on their first drive, resulting in a punt. This quarter only got more eventful as South Forsyth stepped on the gas and did not wait for Forsyth Central to keep up.
After getting a stop on a crucial fourth down play, South began their first scoring drive of the game in Central territory. A strong effort by senior quarterback Ty Watkins brought the ball to Forsyth Central’s one-yard line. To finish business, junior running back Maverick Schippmann ran the ball in for the first touchdown of the game with just under six minutes remaining in the first quarter.
With little time remaining in the quarter, South dominated the remaining minutes, scoring two more touchdowns before the horn sounded. The War Eagles entered the second quarter with a very comfortable lead of 21 – 0.
Not stopping there, South began the second quarter with the play of the game, as senior wide receiver Josh Nelson made a spectacular catch and stayed on his feet to run in for the score. This exciting moment brought the game’s score to 28 – 0 in favor of South Forsyth.
Close to the end of the first half, after a series of slow drives, South had the ball. Driving down the field, senior quarterback Watkins closed the half with a thriller passing touchdown to fellow senior James Margiotta. After missing the point after the touchdown, South Forsyth led Forsyth Central 34 – 0 at the end of the half.
At this point in the game, due to high school rules, the referees enforced a “mercy rule,” making the game clock run without stopping for the rest of the game. The game finished quickly after halftime with no scores for the remainder of the game, as the coaches for both sides played their Junior Varsity players for the half. As the crowd roared for the final time, the game came to a finish with a final score of South Forsyth – 34, Forsyth Central – 0.
South was absolutely ecstatic to win its Homecoming Game, making it a sweet celebration. Meersman stated, “We felt very great after the game, being happy we delivered a [win on] HoCo night.”