Football Recap: East Paulding Comes Up Short at Home Against North Paulding

East Paulding unfortunately couldn't capitalize on their home-field advantage in their season opener. They took a hard 45-30 fall against the North Paulding Wolfpack on Friday. The Raiders were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Wolfpack apparently hadn't forgotten their loss the last time these teams played back in August of 2024.

Despite the defeat, East Paulding saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Bode Spence threw for 245 yards and a pair of TDs while picking up 11.1 yards per attempt, and also rushed for 89 yards on only five carries. Kirk Anthony Thomas was in the mix too, providing the Raiders with two touchdowns.

North Paulding had a senior duo take command as James Skelly gained 179 total yards and three touchdowns and Brycen Morris-Martinez rushed for 166 yards and two scores on only 15 carries. Another player making a difference was Tyler Niehr, who threw for 147 yards and a pair of TDs.

North Paulding has started the season off flawlessly and has a 2-0 record to show for it.

Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. East Paulding is packing up and heading out for their first away game of the season: they will square off against Paulding County at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. As for North Paulding, they will head out to take on Harrison at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.