The 10th-ranked North Gwinnett Bulldogs used three touchdown receptions by sophomore wide receiver C.J. Uzomah to defeat Lassiter 43-21 on a frigid Friday night at Tom Robinson Stadium.
The Bulldogs will advance to the state quarterfinals for the third straight year.
“This has been the most inconsistent, consistent football team I have ever had,” stated head coach Bob Sphire. “We’ve been really inconsistent this year. I thought last week we really started playing with some focus. We really started playing with some grit and some mental toughness.”
Senior quarterback Mikey Tamburo again starred for North Gwinnett, throwing for 276 yards and four touchdowns. The Boise State commitment completed 16 of 22 passes on the night with no interceptions.
Another big-time college prospect playing in the game had a solid performance as well. Lassiter tight end and Auburn commitment Philip Lutzenkirchen caught nine passes for 112 yards and a touchdown.
Scouting the two talented squads were coaches from the University of Georgia and University of Alabama.
First-year head coach Chip Lindsey’s Trojans end the season with a 9-3 record, a dramatic turnaround from last year’s 3-7 record. For Lassiter, the future is bright for a young squad that battled all night.
“With our quarterback coming back and a couple receivers coming back, that’s something we can build on,” said Lindsey. “That’s what makes me proud about these guys at Lassiter is they never quit and they kept fighting all night no matter what the score was.”
When deep-threat Cordero Dixon was injured mid-season, Uzomah, who is also the team’s backup quarterback, emerged as a playmaker at wideout.
“(Dixon) was really our deep-threat guy. We were trying to fill that void and C.J. has really come on,” explained Sphire.
Uzomah looks to be a formidable weapon for the Bulldogs’ passing game, as he caught six balls for 110 yards. It was also the first time he had scored three touchdowns in a game.
“Personally, it feels great,” exclaimed the sophomore sensation. “But also because of the team and this victory, it feels even better.”
North Gwinnett will now travel to face undefeated and No. 4-ranked Newnan next Friday night. The two teams are familiar with each other, having played in last year’s quarterfinals with North Gwinnett winning a 38-35 nail-biter.
“We were fortunate to beat them last year in the third round in a great football game,” explained a respectful Sphire. “And they’ve got all those guys back. They were a young football team last year. I hope we can go over and play well and give them a game.”
Black can be reached at sblack@scoreatl.com.
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