Cass had played the Bulldogs on even terms the first half and missed a 25-yard field goal attempt that would have given them an early lead.
Coach Rick Casko said the Colonels played a good first half of ball but turning the ball over to the Bulldogs to begin the second half was the start of several breaks that went badly for the visiting team.
“Forsyth Central was able to score and that kind of got their confidence up,” he said. “They played their best football probably of the season in the second half, protected the football. We didn’t do a good job blocking and they brought some people and were able to make a couple of big plays. The score was not indicative of the game.”
Central (2-4 overall, 2-4 in Region 7-AAAA) had its chances in the first half, but the Colonels (0-7, 0-7) found ways to stop them three times, including prying loose a fumble inside the 5-yard line and forcing them to try a 48-yard field goal, which they missed.
Cass was not as fortunate in the second half as the Colonels lost the handle on their kickoff near their 30-yard-line and Forsyth Central suddenly had a short field and a golden opportunity to take the lead.
The Bulldogs scored less than three minutes later on a misdirection play.
“What we were doing in the first half was working, we just weren’t converting it into points,” Bulldog coach Chris Bennett said. “I think our conditioning played a little bit of a role in that [success] during the second half.”
The Colonels (0-7, 0-7) were forced into a three-and-out on the next series, and the Bulldogs regained possession at their own 49.
Bulldog quarterback Spencer Transue took the first snap 12 yards down the left side of the field on a keeper run, and a late hit out of bounds moved the ball to the Cass 24.
Three plays later, running back Alex Taylor took a toss to the right side in for a 5-yard touchdown.
Cass was penalized twice during its ensuing possession and punted without picking up a first down.
Central took over at its own 45 and marched 55 yards on seven plays.
Taylor once again tallied the score, this time from 12 yards out with under two minutes to play in the third quarter. Central faked the extra point attempt and Transue ran the ball into the end zone to boost the lead to 22-0.
Led by Taylor, the Bulldogs finished with 241 yards on the ground.
Cass drove the ball deep into Central territory twice in the fourth quarter, but each time a Bulldog defensive backs made a key play to stop the drive.
Duncan Burch broke up a fourth down pass by Cass quarterback Brandon Etheridge (12-of-26, 180 passing yards, 2 INT) at the 7-yard line on one series, and Curry intercepted a pass in the end zone with under three minutes remaining to preserve the shutout.
Cass finished with 19 rushing yards on 13 attempts.
Kelin Wells was the leading receiver for the Colonels, snaring four passes for 83 yards, while Loren Drayton made 63 yards on three catches.
Casko said Forsyth Central did a good job of disrupting the Colonels’ offensive plans in the second half.
“We have to have things go our way and we didn’t,” he said. “They were bringing people and got after us and put a lot of pressure on Brandon.”
He said the Colonels had a number of drives going but breaks, such as a late hit or a sack, helped pry the opportunities from their fingers.
“We had two mistakes that probably cost us touchdowns where they got to us just before we got rid of the ball,” he said. “We have to make those plays because they were really coming after Brandon.”
He said a couple of starters also missed the game but the Colonels are still improving as the season progresses.
“We are a much better team,” he said. “Our kids are still trying hard.”
The Colonels entertain Creekview on Friday at homecoming.
Jared Putnam of the Forsyth County News contributed to this report.
SCORING BY QUARTERS
1 2 3 4 F
Cass 0 0 0 0 0
ForsythC 0 0 22 6 28
SCORING SUMMARY
3rd Quarter
Forsyth: 17-yd run (PAT good)
Forsyth: 9-yd run (PAT good)
Forsyth: 12-yd run (two-point conversion good)
4th Quarter
Forsyth: 3-yd run (kicked missed)
TEAM STATS
Cass Forsyth C
First downs 9 22
Rushes-yds 13/19 45/252
Passing yds 180 104
Comp-Att-Int 12/26/2 6/10/0
Total yds 199 356
Penalties 6/42 5/30
Fumbles-lost 1/1 1/1
Punts-yds 3/30.3 3/32.3
INDIVIDUAL STATS
Rushing — Cass: Loren Drayton 1/17, Brandon Etheridge 7/9, Kelin Wells 5/-7
Passing — Cass: Etheridge 12-26-180-2
Receiving — Cass: Wells 4-83, Drayton 3-63, Andrew Hunt 3-29, Etheridge 1-4, Jordon Cothron 1-1