Now in Region play, North Cobb makes a statement

MARIETTA, GEORGIA – It’s safe to say North Cobb is happy to be done with non-region play.

Looking to win multiple games in a row for the first time this season, North Cobb traveled to Walton Friday night to open Region 5-AAAAAAA and made a statement. Behind standout play on defense, the Warriors suffocated Walton’s high-profile offense and cruised to a 33-6 victory.

“It was a total team effort,” North Cobb head coach Shane Queen said. “The defensive staff did a great job, special teams, the offense. Everyone just gave everything, and this is a huge win for us.”

The Warriors (4-2, 1-0) jumped out to an early 7-0 lead and then forced a big stop on defense that led to a missed field goal from the Raiders (4-2, 0-1).

Their next try on offense led to a turnover on downs deep inside Warrior territory and to cap off the first half, the Warrior defense stood tall again and forced another short field goal attempt. The kick missed again and the Warriors took a 19-0 lead into halftime.

Walton entered play Friday night averaging 41 points per game. Quarterback Jeremey Hecklinksi was fresh off a 6-touchdown performance in last week’s shootout victory against North Paulding, but was held in check for most of the night against the Warriors.

“Unbelievable,” Queen said of the defense. “It wasn’t any one particular thing. I think we just did a great job making plays when we needed to. These guys work hard, and the defensive coaches did a great job getting them prepared for a really good offense.”

James Roe was responsible for the first Warriors touchdown. North Cobb quarterback Nick Grimstead found Roe for an easy 5-yard score to give the Warriors a 7-0 lead with 6:35 left in the first quarter.

Early in the second quarter, Grimstead found the end zone with his legs and then tossed his second touchdown pass of the night, this time a 32-yard score to David Eziomume with just over a minute remaining in the half to extend their lead to 19-0.

The Warriors put the game out of reach in the third quarter.

Grimstead’s third touchdown pass of the night, an 88-yard bomb to TJ Smith all but put the game out of reach for the Raiders. The score gave the Warriors a 26-0 lead with 3:36 remaining in the third quarter.

But if that score wasn’t the backbreaker, it was running back David Mbadinga who put the game on ice two minutes later with a 37-yard touchdown run.

The home crowd was left stunned after Mbadinga’s run gave the travelers a 33-0 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Grimstead finished his night with 186 yards on just 6 of 8 passing to pair with his three touchdowns. He also added 50 yards on the ground and a touchdown to finish his night with four scores.

Queen praised the play of Grimstead, who is playing in place of an injured Malachi Singleton.

“He’s a big-time quarterback,” Queen said. “He’s learned a lot under Malachi. They watch film every morning, every day after practice. He’s been very coachable. He’s improved every week, and he’s giving us a chance to win every Friday night.”

The win now puts North Cobb in the driver’s seat to win the region championship. North Cobb and Walton entered region play as the two favorites, but both will still have to face off against Kennesaw Mountain, who is 6-0 on the season after defeating Osborne Friday night.

Walton plays Kennesaw Mountain next week while North Cobb will look to make it three wins in a row when they host Wheeler next Friday.