Nobody ejected from Dodge Co.-Bleckley Co., Royals now in playoff logjam
Von Lassiter thought his team was ready for that next step.
Bleckley County battled with Dublin, a nearby rival that had long owned the upper hand in these series, and lost by 16 points. Then the Royals rebounded and topped Washington County, a program with the reputation Bleckley County is working for.
“We kind of got over that hump of losing to people we’re supposed to lose to,” the first-year Royals head coach said.
Then came Dodge County. Undefeated Dodge County. Longtime rival Dodge County. Owner of a 30-11 record in the series Dodge County.
“I really felt like our guys felt good about beating Dodge,” Lassiter said.
The Royals scored on two early possessions, and could have had a larger halftime lead than 21-3 in the second quarter and 21-10 at halftime.
“We’re a good matchup for them,” Lassiter said. “We stop the run really well, at times, we throw the ball really well. The first half, we pretty much ran up and down the field.”
But Dodge County, as the Indians are wont to do, started coming back, scoring after a blocked punt and interception to take the lead and then hold on for 30-27 win in a classic game before an capacity crowd in Cochran.
Everybody left buzzing about more than the game. Tempers got a little high as Dodge County tried to kneel and finish the game in the final seconds, some pushing and shoving taking place near the Dodge County sideline.
Contrary to a variety of reports, nobody was ejected.
“It was the next to last play of the game,” Lassiter said. “It really wasn’t as bad as it looked, it’s just where it was at, on their bench side. I thought their coaching staff and the officials and our coaching staff, I thought we handled it really, really well.”
And that’s huge for both teams.
Dodge County’s next game is in the first round of the playoffs, at home against the fourth-place team from Region 4, most likely either Glenn Hills or Butler. So anybody ejected would sit out that game, although the impact might not be all that much, considering what kind of seasons the Indians are having.
Bleckley County would have been much more impacted, since the Royals can finish in second, third, fourth or fifth place, depending on what happens Friday. There could be three teams playing next Monday in a little round-robin playoff to determine who keeps going.
If the Royals win, they’re in. Then math comes in to play depending on what happens with Washington County and Dublin, with whom Bleckley County split.
“If we win and WACO wins, we’re second,” Lassiter explained. “If we win and WACO loses (Dublin wins), we’re third. If we lose and WACO wins, we’re out. If we lose and WACO loses, we’re in a three-way tie for third, fourth, and fifth.”
That would be Bleckley County, Washington County and Southwest. And region by-laws require a playoff to eliminate that last team.
But first things first, and for the Royals, that’s Southwest, that team on the outside with a chance to get inside.
The Patriots are 4-4 overall and 2-3 in the region, losing to Dodge County (38-14), Dublin (22-14) and Washington County (34-14). They topped East Laurens 36-7 last week, and should be healthy, especially after quarterback Jordan Slocum was knocked out of the game against Washington County and has played in only six games, according to stats posted to Maxpreps.
Southwest’s game against Spalding in mid-September was cancelled because of Hurricane Irma, so the Patriots would need two wins to clinch a winning season, and give them back to back winning seasons for the first time since 1984-85.
A loss would drop them to 4-5, but give them a two-year record of 10-10, and they haven’t been at .500 or better over two seasons since going 8-3 in 2008 and 4-6 in 2009.