Central Gwinnett Tops Discovery in Battle of Lawrenceville

LAWRENCEVILLE — Central Gwinnett's football team rolled past Discovery with a commanding 41-0 victory in the Battle of Lawrenceville. 

Through a heavy dose of Andre Cooper, Jaren Joseph and Christian Peal plays and a lockdown night on defense, Central Gwinnett routed Discovery in a no-doubt ball game in Region 8-AAAAAA.

Friday’s matchup between the Black Knights and the Titans was far scrappier than the final score implied as the two teams searched for their first region win of the season. If being in the same region was not enough for both teams to fight hard for victory, their close proximity, a 3-mile separation, only added fuel to the fire that led to Tally Johnson Field a chippy night on the field.

“It’s a rivalry game. Both of these groups of kids know each other, they are about five minutes away from each other, and they have been playing and talking trash growing up," Central head coach Larry Harold said. "We knew that we had a chance to get after it and show who really owns Lawrenceville.” 

Despite recovering an onside kick to start the game, Discovery failed to convert on its excellent field position, which was the only time the Titans were in Central Gwinnett territory in the first half.

After blocking Discovery’s 42-yard field goal attempt, Noah Sheffield drove the Black Knights down the field, completing seven straight passes, five of which were to Cooper, including a 5-yard diving leap that broke the plane of the end zone for a touchdown. After a fake PAT, Central Gwinnett took an 8-0 lead which was never in doubt for the following three quarters. 

Following the score, both teams played hot potato with the ball by exchanging a run of turnovers. First was a Discovery interception, then Central Gwinnett threw it to the other team on third and goal, and finally, the Titans gave the Black Knights another interception as a gift to end the quarter.

In the second quarter, Central Gwinnett took complete control by riding a humongous wave of momentum. After failing to score from the 10-yard line, positioning earned by a Joseph punt return, Joseph once again put the Black Knights in a position to score, with the ball at the 29 after a penalty deduction. Sheffield thanked Joseph for his service by roping him a 19-yard pass for a score to extend the lead to 15-0.

Thanks to a substantial defensive effort, Discovery was forced to punt after a three and out, which led to the Black Knights' special teams unit working their way into the backfield on fourth down to block a punt, launching the ball out the back of the end zone, resulting in a safety. 

Capping its second-quarter scoring surge, Central Gwinnett gave Cooper the ball where he turned seven yards into six points, giving the Black Knights a 24-0 lead going into halftime. 

A field goal and a Tariq Henry receiving touchdown in the third quarter helped Central pull away. Finally, a microcosm of Discovery’s misfortunes was displayed when Cooper on fourth down was hit in the backfield, yet found a way to tiptoe on the sideline bypassing all defenders to solidify the victory with a touchdown. The carry capped off a great performance from Cooper, who he had three touchdowns and 72 total yards.

“The last couple of weeks have gotten away from us,” Harold said. “But we got back to the basics, cut the playbook back down and worked on blocking and tackling, and I thought the defense did a great job.”

Central now faces Dacula next week in the regular-season finale with a shot at the postseason.

“We have to win,” Harold said. “We have a chance to go to the playoffs. Dacula did us a favor by beating Mountain View, so now we have to return the favor.”