Cohen Grissom and Kam Street celebrate after a Grissom touchdown. (Post Photo by Kacy Kincaid)
Senior Noah Helmick goes up for the interception in the first quarter. (Post Photo by Kacy Kincaid)
By KACY KINCAID
Sports Writer
CHAPEL HILL — The energy was palpable at “The Rock” on Friday evening as the community gathered to commemorate 100 years of Forrest Football, capping the night with a thrilling 40-34 victory over the Watertown Purple Tigers.
Watertown (0-1) came out strong on their opening drive, capitalizing on several penalties against Forrest (1-0) to score their first touchdown just four minutes into the game.
Over the next two minutes, possession changed hands three times, with Forrest gaining traction and landing on their own 27-yard line after a crucial Noah Helmick interception.
Junior Cohen Grissom went on a 61-yard sprint to put the Rockets on the board. After a successful PAT from Isai Garcia, the game was tied at seven apiece.
Minutes later with 2:56 left in the first, it was Grissom again darting into the end zone from five yards out.
Forrest made a bold move by going for a 2-point conversion, which succeeded thanks to a pass from senior Aiden Cantrell to Garcia, giving the Rockets a 15-7 lead.
Watertown responded with a determined 10-play drive in the second quarter, culminating in a 1-yard touchdown plunge by Landon Harper.
However, their 2-point conversion attempt fell short, leaving Forrest in the lead at 15-13.
With 3:56 left in the half, Grissom picked up another six for Forrest, giving the Rockets a 21-13 lead that would hold through the half.
Both squads came out shaky to start the second half, but a timely midfield interception by Shawn David helped the Rockets find their footing.
The Rockets continued to move the chains and this time it was freshman Quincy Mitchell breaking free on a 27-yard touchdown run, further padding the Rockets’ lead.
Garcia’s extra point made it 28-13 with 2:33 left in the third.
The fourth quarter deemed itself an offensive battle, with Watertown striking first on an 8-yard run by Garrett Davis.
Forrest’s next drive stalled, turning the ball over on downs.
Penalties continued to haunt the Rockets and Watertown capitalized with a 25-yard touchdown pass from Blake Waldorf to Jesse Bratcher, narrowing the gap to 28-26, Forrest white-knuckling the lead.
But the Rockets answered swiftly.
Three plays later, Mitchell exploded on a 70-yard trek for the Rockets, extending the lead 34-26.
It didn’t take long for Forrest to find the end zone again, thanks to an Andrew Winsett interception on Watertown’s 44-yard line.
Grissom and Mitchell teamed up again, Grissom picking up 19 yards, setting up Mitchell to punch it in on a 20-yard touchdown run to put Forrest up 40-26 with just 2:08 left to play.
Watertown made one last push, with Waldorf connecting on a 71-yard touchdown pass to Bratcher, but it was too little too late as Forrest held on for a hard-fought 40-34 victory.
“We played better offensively than what I was expecting,” said Forrest head coach Justin Palmer.
“I think we played really good on defense at times. Most of the time it was stuff that we just messed up on or made a bad penalty, blew a coverage or something like that. So, I hope we can clean that up a little bit. Same thing on offense. I don’t think they ever really stopped us. We stopped ourselves in penalties, fumbles … Next week we’d like to clean up the penalties, turnovers, and blown coverages.”
Mitchell led the team with 198 yards rushing on the evening, while Grissom and Mitchell had three touchdowns apiece.
When asked about Mitchell and the freshman’s season-opening performance, Palmer made it clear he’s more than just a good athlete. “He’s good, and he’s a great kid. As good of a player as he is, he’s an unbelievable kid. He just works hard.”
The Rockets will be on the road Friday to take on in-county rival Cornersville Bulldogs.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
Forrest 15 6 7 12 — 40
Watertown 7 6 0 21 — 34
First Quarter
W – Xa’Kurion Burns 1 run (Brady Osborne kick), 8:45.
F – Cohen Grissom 61 run (Isai Garcia kick), 6:19.
F – Grissom 5 run (Aiden Cantrell pass to Garcia), 2:56.
Second Quarter
W – Landon Harper 1 run (pass failed), 4:41.
F – Grissom 29 run (kick failed), 3:56.
Third Quarter
F – Quincy Mitchell 27 run (Garcia kick), 2:33.
Fourth Quarter
W – Garrett Davis 8 run (kick failed), 11:53.
W – Jesse Bratcher 25 pass from Blake Waldorf (Osborne kick), 5:59.
F – Mitchell 70 run (kick failed), 4:44.
F – Mitchell 20 run (kick failed), 2:08.
W – Bratcher 71 pass from Waldorf (Ethan Owen pass from Waldorf), 1:46.
