Saturday's Central Georgia high school football playoffs
The full master schedule will be updated Sunday with the next round of games.
Perry (R4/1, 7-4) 30, Westover (R1/4, 1-5) 14
The Panthers led 14-7 at halftime, and took some control early in the third with Daequan Wright’s rushing touchdown. Westover got one score back late in the third, but gave two points back on a safety a few minutes later for a 23-14 Perry lead. The Panthers clinched their second straight first-round win on Makeil Kendrick’s short rushing TD with just less than two minutes left in the game. Perry outgained Westover 180-179 passing and 150-131 rushing, and survived two interceptions.
Perry will host LaGrange, a 30-26 winner over New Hampstead, next.
No. 9 Baldwin (R4/2, 5-1) 36, Thomas County Central (R1/3, 4-6) 30
The Braves dug themselves into a 17-0 first-quarter hole, and pulled themselves out to take an 18-17 lead in an afternoon battling mistakes and penalties. Then Thomas County Central went up 30-18 in the third quarter, the Braves getting one score back late in the quarter. A 54-yard pass from Derrick Lewis to Javon Bullard tied it up at 30 with 8:02 left in the game. Then on fourth and 7 from TCC’s 28, Lewis connected with Kirtavious Hightower for the lead with 2:18 left. And the Braves missed their fifth conversion attempt, a kick. Westover then was incomplete on a fourth down, and Baldwin took over with 1:16 left and ran it out.
Baldwin will travel to Carver-Columbus, a 26-3 winner over Jenkins, next.
Cairo (R1/2, 5-4) 37, West Laurens (R4/3, 5-5) 0
No. 6 Bainbridge (R1/1, 8-3) 42, Westside (R4/4, 5-5) 0
Bainbridge recorded its first postseason shutout since 1982 as Rashad Broadnax passed 1,000 yards for the season. The Bearcats were perfect on six pass attempts for 128 yards and two scores, Westside giving up at least 40 points for the third time this season en route to being shut out for the first time since a 35-0 regular-season loss to Baldwin in 2010. It was the biggest shutout loss since 42-0 to Warner Robins in the middle of 2005. The previous worst playoff loss was 42-7 to Brunswick in 1998.
Dodge County (R3/1, 6-3) 35, Swainsboro (R2/4, 4-7) 0
Keldrick Beck put the Indians on the board early in the first quarter, but it took until a few minutes into the second quarter to get more points, those coming on Daylon Gordon’s TD run of nearly 40 yards. But that was more than enough for the Indians, who then got a fumble return for a touchdown by Lamarie Mitchell for a three-score lead early in the third quarter.
Dodge County will host Thomasville, a 43-13 winner over Westside-Augusta, next.
Northeast (R3/2, 8-2) 27, Toombs County (R2/3, 7-4) 14
Northeast scored 20 in the second quarter and watched Toombs County answer with 14 third-quarter points. But the Raiders clinched it with a fourth-quarter touchdown pass in the final few minutes. The Northeast defense held Toombs County to 30 yards passing on 18 tries and 93 yards on 23 rushes.
The Raiders travel to Fitzgerald, a 58-12 winner over Oglethorpe County, next.
Jeff Davis (R2/2, 9-1) 28, Washington County (R3/3, 6-5) 25
The Yellow Jackets couldn’t pull away from the Golden Hawks, leading 14-7, 14-10, 21-10, 21-17, and 28-17. Morgan Jones’ long run set up Malyk Walker’s 16-yard touchdown run a minute into the fourth quarter, the two-point conversion pulling the Golden Hawks within three. Washington County, though, came up short on fourth and 9 with two minutes left. Walker finished with three rushing TDs and just over 200 yards rushing.
Bleckley County (R3/4, 7-3) 56, Vidalia (R2/1, 7-3) 15
The visiting fourth seed played like a homestanding top seed, Bleckley County scoring three first-quarter touchdowns – on Jaden Mobley’s two TD catches and a Jahvon Butler’s run - to take control. Butler added another run late in the second quarter for a 28-0 halftime lead.
The Royals visit Early County, a 48-7 winner over Putnam County, next.
Early County (R1/3, 7-2) 48, Putnam County (R4/2, 9-2) 7