WS Chronicle

After a tough loss to Walkertown the week prior, North Forsyth was looking to get another victory in the win column against Atkins. With a slow start, the Vikings used a second half surge to propel them to the 36-0 victory.
Even with the victory, Vikings head coach Monté Anthony was not pleased with the amount of penalties and turnovers his team had Thursday evening.

“I think we played pretty good, but I am not happy with the win,” said Anthony. “I am not happy with the lack of discipline and the mistakes at the end of the game, we have to clean that up.”

The game looked to be a defensive battle in the first quarter. Both defensive units were clicking, making it difficult for either team to gain any momentum on offense. North Forsyth finally got on the board when Kevin Springs connected with Anthony Brannon for a nine-yard touchdown in the middle of the second quarter.

The good fortune continued for the Vikings, as they forced a fumble on the ensuing kickoff and recovered the ball in Camel territory. A few plays later, Springs hit Jahmal Muhfooth down the middle of the field for another touchdown pass to make the score 14-0 after the failed point-after try.

For Atkins, penalties and turnovers negated any hope of them putting any points on the board. Those self-inflicted miscues seemed to come at the absolute worst time that consistently put them behind the chains. Even with all the mistakes, the Camels only trailed 14-0 at the half.

Anthony was disappointed with the way his team performed in the first half. Better execution would have yielded more points on the scoreboard.

“I just told them to come out and do what we do,” he said about his speech during halftime. “We have to come out prepared and we came out flat. I guess the guys thought the game would be a little bit easier, but those boys came out ready. That’s a good team right there.”

The lead quickly ballooned to 30-0 following an interception returned for a touchdown by Shyhiem Washington and a punt return for a score by Muhfooth. The Vikings were able to score a touchdown in all three phases of the game.

“It’s all about preparation,” said Anthony about scoring on offense, defense and special teams. “I like that we were able to do that, but we have a lot of work to do and clean up the mistakes.”

The Camels were putting together a quality drive, but the scoring window was quickly closed when Chance Lyons intercepted a pass. Moments later, Anthony Brannon scored on a 43-yard touchdown run.

Anthony raved about the potential Brannon possesses and feels he can be a hidden gem for the Vikings in a year or two.

“Very bright, very smart, very humble kid,” Anthony said. “He is a hard worker that shows up for practice every day and he doesn’t have any problems in school. He is everything you look for in a football player.”

The Vikings improved to 3-4 on the season and still have a shot at winning the unofficial conference championship. He thinks his team must stay focused on the task at hand to achieve their end of season goals.

“We have to finish out strong, the conference championship is the key,” Anthony continued.  “If we want to win it, we have to finish strong.”