Coe, Canes flip the script on West Forsyth
September 13, 2026
Scott Barkley / CanesAthletics.com
Storms before Cartersville’s game Friday night against West Forsyth brought a 10-minute delay and prevented an annual recognition of the city’s parks and rec youth football players. It was appropriate for an alum of that program, Tyon Coe, to stand out in the Canes’ 49-13 win.
Eight minutes into the game, Cartersville was down 10-0 and had run one offensive play. The Canes’ next three drives, though, finished with a Coe run into the end zone as the senior running back/cornerback tallied three scores and 111 yards off seven carries for the evening.
“I give all the credit to the O-line,” he said. “Once I saw the hole open up [on the first touchdown], I just shot through it.”
Early on, West Forsyth moved the ball at a pace the Canes defense hadn’t allowed all season.
Taking the opening possession on their own 24, a 12-yard run by tailback Logan Hawkins and a long pass play aided by a Cartersville late hit on the quarterback set up West Forsyth at the Canes’ 28. The visitors pushed down to the five, but the defense held to force a 22-yard field goal.
On the Canes’ first play of their opening possession, Harris Turner found Cole Crawford for a completion, but the tight end fumbled on the 36. Eight plays later, Joshua Morgan carried the ball in from one yard out for the 6A Wolverines.
“I give credit to West Forsyth,” said Canes head coach Conor Foster. “They’re a proud program and a playoff team that reached the quarterfinals last year. They’ve won a lot of games over the years and were really well-prepared. Maybe we didn’t handle the delay as well as we could or should have. But our kids responded well when we got down. We talked all week about being relentless, and our guys made some adjustments.”
The Canes faced third-and-five from their own 25 on their second drive, but Turner’s scramble got just enough to move the chains. Coe ran the ball for another 13 yards before Crawford’s 10-yard catch moved it just beyond midfield. On the next snap, Coe took off up the middle and crossed up the safety for the touchdown.
Coe would add scoring runs of 22 and 12 yards to push the Canes ahead, 21-10.
Madoxx Davis followed with a 65-yard score from Turner that began as a short pass to the left before the junior receiver shifted direction and crossed the width of the field. It ended in a footrace – which Davis is always the betting favorite to win – and a dive to the pylon.
The Cartersville defense, meanwhile, forced the West Forsyth offense into punts. A high snap on one of those attempts set the Canes up at the one-yard line, with Brayden Doss carrying in for a 35-10 lead. The Wolverines responded by getting to the Cartersville 46 as the clock wound down, but Kaiden Kent’s interception on the final play of the half ended the threat.
“We knew we needed to do better on communication,” said Coe of the defensive adjustments. “We started to pick up on their tendencies and were able to get to them.”
CHS kept the pressure in the third quarter. Four of six plays on the Canes’ opening possession featured a carry by CJ McClendon, with a 36-yarder to the three before the sophomore bounced left for the touchdown on the following play. Cartersville’s next drive needed only one snap, as Doss ran around the right side, hesitated twice, freezing Wolverines long enough for a 60-yard touchdown.
West Forsyth added a fourth-quarter field goal for the final difference. Another Canes turnover came as Dixon Lindsey’s hit jarred the ball loose for Easton Bonayan’s recovery.
The Canes offense rolled up 468 yards, 300 of it on the ground. Jaden Nevarez connected on all seven extra-point attempts.
Turner had an efficient night, completing five-of-seven passes for 164 yards and a touchdown while rushing twice for 20 yards. Doss’ big run made him the Canes’ second-leading rusher, with 94 total yards on four carries to go with one pass completion on two attempts. McClendon finished with 57 yards on five carries.
The Canes (4-0) are off next week. They play again on Sept. 25 for homecoming against Villa Rica.
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