West Forsyth football trailed by 10 points one quarter in to Friday’s Region 6-AAAAAA opener against Alpharetta, and it could’ve been worse. After a fumble on the opening snap, Alpharetta drove to the West 7 before Alec Coburn sacked Austin King on 3rd-and-4 to force a field goal. Lem Cobbs extended the Raiders’ lead to 10 with a 1-yard touchdown run. On West’s next possession, quarterback Hampton McConnell ran for two yards on first down before missing on his next two passes; a 4th-and-8 quarterback draw gained just two yards. Alpharetta drove 53 yards on 12 plays, including a 4th-and-1 conversion and a 15-yard catch by James Marbaugh on 3rd-and-7, but King fumbled in to the end zone after escaping pressure on 1st-and-Goal from the West 10. West’s Austin Roper recovered in the end zone for a touchback. LOCK DOWN ROWE: Alpharetta defensive back Dejon Rowe led a Raider secondary that gave West fits all night. Rowe, a 6-foot, 170-pound junior, intercepted McConnell in the first quarter, which he returned to the Wolverine 12, and had his hands on another near-interception later in the game. Alpharetta allowed West to complete just 7-of-20 passing attempts for 101 yards and two interceptions.“To me, Dejon Rowe is one of the best cornerbacks in the state,” Alpharetta head coach Jacob Nichols said after the game. FIELD POSITION, FIELD POSITION: Don’t let Alpharetta’s yardage totals fool you. The Raiders finished with 238 total yards but faced short fields throughout the contest because of Wolverine turnovers. Consider the length of Alpharetta’s scoring drives: negative-2, 48, 27, 16, 42, and 28 yards. In the second quarter, Alpharetta started drives at the West 32 and 13 yard lines—both following Wolverine fumbles—and failed to score both times. Ryan Kopec missed a 32-yard field goal and Roper intercepted King at the West 10. Nichols was unhappy with the Raiders’ missteps in the red zone. OFFENSE TO DEFENSE: Sophomore quarterback Hank Flood led West on a drive late in the first half that included a 32-yard completion to Jacob Allen to the Alpharetta 10. On 2nd-and-Goal from the 12, Alpharetta’s William Downing intercepted Flood with 90 yards of turf in front of him. Downing lumbered to the West 35 before Wolverine slot back Grant Anderskow caught him from behind and punched the ball out with a swinging right arm, preventing a potential 14-point swing. FINAL STATS Rushing – Alpharetta: Cobbs 9-34; Smith 10-31; Adams 7-18; King 2-10; Suter 2-6; Butcher 1-1; Mayers 2-1. West: Torgerson 10-14; Lingo 2-9; Reid 3-8; McConnell 3-8; Nalley 1-6; Grinstead 2-4; Anderskow 4-(-7). Passing – Alpharetta: King 12-18-1, 137. West: McConnell 0-7-1, 0; Grinstead 4-7-0, 53; Flood 3-6-1, 48. Receiving – Alpharetta: Suter 1-32; Marbaugh 2-29; Carlton 2-23; Adams 3-22; Crawford 2-18; Kopec 1-10; Smith 1-8; Cave 1-4. West: Broxson 2-54; Allen 2-45; Uhelski 1-4; Reid 2-(-2).