SFHS Red Devils roll past Ballard Memorial, 46-14

The South Fulton High School Red Devils used a balanced scoring attack and a strong second half to pull away from Ballard Memorial, earning a 46-14 victory Fri., Sept. 25, at home as they celebrated Homecoming.

South Fulton improved to 4-1 on the season with the win, while Ballard Memorial fell to 2-3.

The Red Devils jumped in front early and never surrendered the lead, scoring in every quarter. South Fulton led 8-0 after one quarter, 22-6 at halftime and 38-6 after three quarters before adding another touchdown in the fourth.

Logan Copeland got the scoring started with a 24-yard touchdown pass from Grant Joyner with 2:57 remaining in the opening quarter. Brady Parnell added the 2-point conversion to give the Red Devils an 8-0 lead.

South Fulton continued its offensive push in the second quarter.

Joyner connected with Mason Parrish on a 9-yard touchdown pass with 5:01 remaining in the half. Ian Lawrence added the 2-point conversion, extending the lead to 16-0.

Ballard Memorial answered with a 3-yard touchdown pass from Jackson Sutton to Cayden Opel, cutting the deficit to 16-6.

The Red Devils responded before halftime when Joyner found Copeland for a 23-yard touchdown with 58 seconds remaining in the second quarter. The 2-point conversion attempt was unsuccessful, leaving South Fulton with a 22-6 halftime advantage.

South Fulton put the game away with a dominant third quarter.

Lawrence scored on a 5-yard run with 6:30 remaining in the quarter and then added the 2-point conversion. Less than five minutes later, Parnell scored on a 1-yard run, with Lawrence again converting the 2-point try to push the Red Devils’ lead to 38-6.

South Fulton added another touchdown early in the fourth quarter when Joyner connected with Parnell on a 6-yard scoring pass with seven minutes remaining. Parnell added the 2-point conversion, giving the Red Devils a 46-6 advantage.

Ballard Memorial scored twice in the fourth quarter, including a 3-yard touchdown run by Sutton and a late defensive score when Aiden Wright tackled a Ballard runner in the end zone for a safety. The Bombers’ final points made the score 46-14.

South Fulton scored 38 unanswered points after Ballard’s first touchdown, turning a 16-6 game into a 46-6 rout before the Bombers added their late points.

Joyner completed 12 of his 16 passes for 100 yards and four touchdowns.

On the receiving end of those 12 completions were Logan Copeland with 58 yards and two touchdowns on three receptions, Brady Parnell with 28 yards and one touchdown on three receptions, Mason Parrish with 15 yards on two receptions and one touchdown, Colten Herring with zero yards on one reception, and Ian Lawrence -1 yards on one reception.

On the ground, the Red Devils rushed for 215 total yards, led by Lawrence with 132 yards and one touchdown on 24 carries.. Also carrying the ball were Parnell with 51 yards and one touchdown on eight carries, Trevor Stunson with 36 yards on five carries, Parrish with nine yards on two carries, Bentley Allen two yards on one carry, Caleb Stout one yard on one carry, and Aiden Wright -16 yards on one carry.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Red Devils had 40 total team tackles, led by Parrish with six tackles, followed by Jamison Barclay and Anthony Ross with four tackles each.

The Red Devils will start the month of October with three consecutive road games, with the Gleason Bulldogs up first Fri., Oct. 2. Kick-off is set for 7 p.m.