Dunwoody 24, South Paulding 7

Head coach Mike Nash has been at Dunwoody since 2015 and has seen highs and lows of the program.

It took Nash seven losing seasons before accomplishing a 5-5 finish in 2022. Last season, the Wildcats finished 8-3 and made the playoffs for the first time since 2009.

The trend continues.

And with credit to his stifling defense and an outright leader at the quarterback position, Dunwoody moved past South Paulding 24-7 in the opening game of the second day of the Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Classic at West Forsyth High School.

“I just give credit to the defense,” said Dunwoody quarterback Matt Pearch. “Every time we needed a stop, they gave it to us. They supported us the whole game. I don’t think we had our best performance and they stepped up every time we needed it.”

It also didn’t hurt that the Wildcats ran the ball really, really well.

“We have four guys who can tote the rock,” Nash told Score Atlanta’s Najeh Wilkins in the postgame interview. “And I think that helped because it kept us fresh. We were able to roll some fresh guys in there. But also, our offensive line, they struggled in the beginning, but they got it figured out. But I am going to have to give it to the doggone defense.”

Dunwoody’s defensive stand kept South Paulding out of the end zone in the second half, allowing the offense to expand the margin and put the game away.

“They were lights out,” Nash said. “They did a great job. We had a bunch of kids out and hurt last week and they came back and gutted it out. But I have to call out one guy: Trevor Thompson.”

Thompson, a junior outside linebacker, had 14 tackles, 11 solo, two sacks, one interception and 4.5 tackles for loss to lead the Wildcats.

“He was all over the dang field tonight,” Nash said.

Dunwoody opened scoring on a 32-yard pass from Pearch to Danny Boden late in the first quarter and expanded the lead on a 20-yard run from Malachi Cranshaw with 8:55 left before half.

“We have been playing together since we were five or six,” Pearch said of his connection with Boden. “We’ve had that chemistry for so long, so it just comes natural.”

South Paulding scored on a 9-yard pass from Kade Wiggington to Isaiah Ford with 3:33 left in the first half to cut into the lead but from there it was all Dunwoody. The Wildcats scored on a 10-yard run from Bradley Stephens with 1:17 left in the third quarter and on a 43-yard field goal from Jude Torjak with two minutes left in the game to secure the victory.

Pearch was 11-of-27 passing for 117 yards and a touchdown. Boden had four catches for 51 yards and a touchdown. Cranshaw had 11 carries for 58 yards and a touchdown. Preston Cooper helped anchor the defense with nine tackles, six solo and one pass breakup.

Wiggington was 12-of-30 passing for 155 yards and a touchdown for South Paulding. Ford had five catches for 50 yards and a touchdown.

“It’s just a start,” Pearch told Wilkins. “We are here to change the culture. I feel like before this year, our goal is to make the playoffs now and change the culture around the program and make the second, third or fourth round of the playoffs.”

Get all the news about the Atlanta Braves delivered each morning. Sign up for Braves Report.