Friday night's Central Georgia high school football roundup
Dear coaches and teams: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE UPDATE YOUR MAXPREPS ROSTERS, so kids can accurately be credited for doing good things. Ditto schedules, results, and stats.
Teams: Please email game information – stats (offense and defense), names, big plays, etc. – to centralgasports@gmail.com by 10:30 a.m. Saturday for addition in Central Georgia’s only roundup.
No. 9 Hughes (R4/2, 10-1) 27, Northside (R1/3, 4-7) 0
The Panthers turned a first-quarter battle into a breathe-easier game with 20 points in the second quarter. But that’s all they could get against Northside, which suffered its third shutout of the season. Hughes outgained Northside 427-68 on 17 more plays, the Eagles suffering three interceptions and a lost fumble.
No. 3 Westlake (R4/1, 9-1) 42, Houston County (R1/4, 5-6) 10
Westlake took control with a pair of two-touchdown quarters en route to a 28-0 halftime lead. The Bears broke the shutout with a field goal midway through the third quarter.
Coverage
Scouting reports for GHSA and GISA games
The Sports Report’s predictions
This week’s state polls and Maxwell predictions
Monday Morning QB: Polls, Loughdmouthings
Last week
Friday night’s roundup
The Sports Report’s predictions
This week’s state polls and Maxwell predictions
Monday Morning Quarterback
Peach County battles COVID issues
Playoff scenarios
Last week’s roundup
No. 10 Jones County (R4/1, 8-3) 27, Wayne County (R1/4, 3-8) 25
What started out as a typical Jones County game – the Greyhounds led 21-0 – turned into postseason football, Wayne County forging ahead 22-21, turning a fourth-down conversion into a long touchdown. The visitors led 25-24 late until Evan West drilled a 25-yard field goal with a few minutes left, and then Jones County survived when Wayne County fumbled inside the 10 in the final minute.
Jones County hosts Griffin, a 49-0 winner over Jonesboro, next week.
No. 2 Warner Robins (R1/1, 9-1) 49, Union Grove (R4/4, 6-5) 7
The Demons needed nine minutes to get their first score, a short run by Malcom Brown. The next score, from Ahmad Walker, came four minutes later. Four minutes after that, Christon Brown hit Kaleb Howard for a score, and it was 21-0 with more than seven minutes left in the first half. Union Grove broke the shutout four minutes into the fourth quarter.
Warner Robins hosts Woodward, a 35-14 winner over Whitewater, next week.
Westover (R1/4, 1-4) at Perry (R4/1, 6-4), Saturday, 6 p.m.
Thomas County Central (R1/3, 4-5) at No. 9 Baldwin (R4/2, 4-1), Saturday, 3 p.m.
West Laurens (R4/3, 5-4) at Cairo (R1/2, 4-4), Saturday, 3:30 p.m.
Westside (R4/4, 5-4) at No. 6 Bainbridge (R1/1, 7-3), Saturday, 6 p.m.
No. 3 Peach County (R2/1, 8-1) 47, Johnson-Savannah (R3/4, 3-7) 0
Slightly undermanned from COVID concerns, the Trojans led 27-0 at halftime, and recorded their second shutout of the season and sixth win by at least 30 points and fourth by at least 40 points. The Trojans have won six straight first-round games.
Peach County hosts Thomson, a 62-21 winner over Tattnall County.
Central (R2/3, 6-3) 14, Liberty County (R3/2, 2-4) 6
The Chargers won their first state playoff game since 1989, doing so on the road. The defense – led by Walt Hawthorne, Quontaevious Glasco, Caleb Heard, Jalen Darden, and Kealan Hardeman - came up big after Central went up 8-0 on Maurice Elder’s 5-yard run in the first quarter. The Chargers added a 28-yard run from Jalik Thomas in the third quarter, Liberty County then scoring in the fourth quarter. Central ran 13 fewer plays and was outgained 162-153, Thomas leading all rushers with 64 yards. The Chargers had three turnovers, one less than the hosts.
Central travels to Pierce County, a 59-14 winner over Burke County.
Upson-Lee (R2/4, 6-5) 31, Southeast Bulloch (R3/1, 6-4) 13
The Knights never trailed, leading 16-6 at halftime, and then 24-13 before a 47-yard Jake Davis scoring run sealed it. Upson-Lee’s first playoff win since 2005 broke a five-game postseason losing streak, and the 31 points was the most in a playoff game since a 35-31 loss to Forest Park in 1994. The Knights, oddly, had one less first down and were outgained 321-309 in total offense, had six more penalties, and tried only four passes, with one being intercepted. But Milique Smith scored twice en route to 178 rushing yards in his fifth 100-yard game of the season. Davis added to his 4,000-plus passing yards for his career, and Smith is up to 1,841 rushing yards, good for ninth on the U-L list.
Upson-Lee travels to Appling County, a 42-13 winner over Morgan County.
Swainsboro (R2/4, 4-6) at Dodge County (R3/1, 5-3), Saturday, 6 p.m.
Toombs County (R2/3, 7-3) at Northeast (R3/2, 7-2), Saturday, 2 p.m.
Washington County (R3/3, 6-4) at Jeff Davis (R2/2, 8-1), Saturday, 6 p.m.
Bleckley County (R3/4, 6-3) at Vidalia (R2/1, 7-2), Saturday, 1 p.m.
Early County (R1/3, 6-2) at Putnam County (R4/2, 9-1), Saturday, 4 p.m.
No. 2 Dublin (R4/1, 10-1) 13, Terrell County (R1/4, 4-5) 12
The Irish had a surprisingly tough time with the Greenwaves, who haven’t won a state playoff game since 1950 and lost 30-0 to Warren County in last year’s first round. It was 13-6 through one, the Irish getting 34-yard and 45-yard scoring runs from Jiquarion Mundie. The teams were scoreless until Terrell got an 11-yard run with 1:40 left in the game. The conversion failed. Terrell outgained Dublin 346-337, 162-16 in the air. Mundie ran for 148 yards on 12 carries, Josh Issac adding 83 yards on 10 carries as the Irish survived losing three fumbles.
Dublin hosts Brooks County, a 36-0 winner over Claxton.
No. 6 Macon County (R5/1, 9-1) 41, Social Circle (R8/4, 4-7) 21
The Bulldogs finally pulled away to break a two-game losing streak in first-round games. It was the fifth time this season Macon County broke the 40-point mark and was the sixth win by at least 20 points.
Macon County hosts Warren County, a 60-14 winner over Mt. Zion Carroll.
No. 9 Washington-Wilkes (R8/2, 8-1) 41, Taylor County (R5/3, 6-3) 18
The Vikings trailed 21-12 at halftime, but the Tigers put up two third-quarter touchdowns to take control. W-W ran for 290 yards on 40 carries.
Gordon Lee (R6/2, 10-1) 56, GMC (R7/3 6-5) 0
The hosts rolled out to a 42-0 halftime lead against the Bulldogs, in their first playoff game since 2002.
Bowdon (R6/1, 7-4) 35, Wilkinson County (R7/4, 2-7) 6
The Warriors actually led 6-0 with an early touchdown, but the lead lasted only a few minutes and the Red Devils went on to a 21-6 halftime lead, preceding a scoreless third quarter.
Hancock Central (R7/1, 7-0) 24, BEST (R6/4, 3-6) 22
The Bulldogs led 16-8 at halftime and had to hold on for their first playoff win since 2006.
Hancock Central hosts Lincoln County, a 29-13 winner over Chattahoochee County.
FPD (R1/2, 7-4) 49, Heritage/Newnan (R4/4, 0-11) 7
The Vikings cruised as expected, giving up only 25 rushing yards on 23 tries and 93 yards on 16 pass attempts. Jordan Jones returned a pair of punts for touchdowns, Parker Ingram threw for a touchdown and ran for one, while Jakhori Williams passed for another one, and Matthew Hurt scored twice on the ground.
FPD hosts Calvary Day, a forfeit winner over Landmark Christian.
Pacelli (R4/3, 7-3) 37, Mount de Sales (R1/2, 6-5) 3
The Vikings recorded their second 34-point win of the season, marching out to a 14-3 first-quarter lead and 20-3 at halftime in holding MdS to its third single-digit scoring game of the season. The Cavs, who were outgained by 296 yards, have lost six straight first playoff games, and have cracked double digits in only one.
Stratford (R1/3, 8-2) 42, Brookstone (R4/2, 5-6) 21
The Eagles took a 14-0 first-quarter lead and seemed ready for a two-touchdown halftime lead only for Brookstone to score with three seconds left. The 21-14 lead held until a touchdown barely two minutes into the fourth quarter. Brookstone answered, and Stratford countered to go up 34-21 with six minutes left, adding a score with a little more than a minute left.
Stratford travels to Eagles Landing Christian, a 45-17 winner over Aquinas.
No. 8 Trinity Christian-Sharpsburg (R4/1, 9-2) 51, Tattnall (R1/4, 4-7) 0
TCS racked up its biggest win since 2017, while Tattnall suffered its worst loss since 55-0 to Dublin in the second game of the 2018 season, and second-worst loss in program history, according to the Georgia High School Football Historians Association site.
GISA
Class AAA
Seed in parentheses with record; rankings through MaxPreps and committee
John Milledge (1, 9-0) 37, Creekside Christian (8, 5-4) 0
The defending champs reached running-clock stage in the first quarter with 30 points, adding seven in the third as six different Trojans scored. John Milledge had “only” 244 yards in total offense, but the defense stuffed Creekside to minus-24 yards rushing. Grayson Hopkins passed for touchdowns to Taylor Dixon and Lane Stanley, while John Milledge got rushing touchdowns from Landen Burney, Patrick McDonel, Carson Dyer, and Javian Butts.
John Milledge hosts Westfield next week.
Westfield (4, 7-2-1) 49, Brookwood (5, 9-4) 48, OT
The Hornets had it first in overtime, and scored on Gavin Vining’s 2-yard run, adding Sam Johnson’s kick. Brookwood converted a third-and-7 into a 23-yard touchdown pass. But defenders stacked up the run off the right side to squelch the conversion and preserve the win. Both teams ran 64 plays, Westfield holding a 497-357 advantage in total offense. The Hornets went for 435 rushing yards on 58 carries, led by a staggering 303 yards from Vining. Porter Faulk added 70 on 12. Westfield led 21-7 midway through the second quarter on Vining TD runs of 93 and 15, plus a pick-6 by Brody McDaniel. Brookwood turned a 28-14 deficit with 2:11 left into a 28-28 halftime tie, with a kickoff return and fumble recovery for a touchdown. Brookwood forced overtime with a touchdown at the 2:38 mark of the fourth quarter.
Westfield travels to John Milledge next week.
Gatewood (1, 10-1) 45, Robert Toombs (8, 1-9) 0
The Gators won their seventh straight, and recorded their third shutout of the season and third win of 40 points or more.
Gatewood hosts the SW Georgia-Edmund Burke winner.
Brentwood (2, 8-2) 56, Augusta Prep (7, 3-9) 20
The War Eagles gave up some yardage – 322 overall, 254 by air – but didn’t let them turn into points. Brentweood rushed for 422 yards, 138 from Robert Jackson on nine carries and 130 from Thomas Denton on three carries. They teamed for five touchdowns. Will Wright, Cameron Waddell, Connor McAfee and Wells Muller led a defense that picked off three passes, Jackson taking one back for a touchdown.
Brentwood hosts the Terrell-Briarwood winner.