Black Knights Rally To Kick Off Football, Fall Sports Season

The Black Knights football team takes to the field for the first time Friday in a scrimmage against West Forsyth.

On Thursday evening, Central Gwinnett High School hosted a pep rally to get the football team and all fall athletes ready to compete.

The festivities were moved indoors due to downpours and lightning that rolled through Lawrenceville. But the weather could not dampen the spirit of the students and their community supporters.

"We are one big Black Knight family," said Lawrenceville Mayor Judy Jordan Johnson at the rally. Johnson is not only a Central Gwinnett alum, she taught at the school for 30 years and coached basketball and softball there as well. "I hope to say as the mayor of Lawrenceville to the other schools that we have the best community school spirit."

“It’s such a great honor to have everyone come out and support your Black Knights team,” said senior wide receiver Adam Riley. “It means so much to us just to see everybody out here. We see it in the hallways. We see it in class. And we even see it at the movies or something outside of school.”

"We've shown a lot of folks what we can do, even though people might think otherwise,” said head football coach Todd Wofford to the crowd. 

This is Wofford's fourth season as head coach at Central Gwinnett. 

"This is our first senior class. They have been here four years with me," said the coach. "They are out to prove a point. We are only one of two teams in Gwinnett County right now on a three game winning streak. Us and Norcross."

The Norcross Blue Devils are the defending large-school state champions and are currently ranked number one in Class 6A in the first state high school football rankings released by Georgia High School Football Daily (ghsfdaily.com). 

The Black Knights finished the 2012 season 6-4, winning their final three games, including a triple overtime nail biter against Parkview.

Friday’s scrimmage against West Forsyth is at home. Game time is 7:30pm. 

The Black Knight’s first regular season game is Friday, August 30 at home against Collins Hill. Kickoff is at 7:30pm.