Friday night's Central Georgia GHSA quarterfinal roundup (and state scores)
By Michael A. Lough
The Sports Report
centralgasports@gmail.com
Any update will be around noon Saturday, based on information contributions from teams.
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.
GHSA
Quarterfinals
No. 2 Warner Robins (R1/1, 11-1) 35, Blessed Trinity (R7/1, 8-1) 28
Clock management down the stretch and then a defensive play pushed the Demons into another semifinal with a huge road win over the state’s top-ranked team, the Demons’ second such win this season (22-19 over then-No. 1/5A Ware County in October). They knocked off No. 1 Rome 45-28 at home in last year’s semifinal, but they have don’t this on the road since 2006, a 14-3 win at Norcross. Blessed Trinity tied the game at 28 with 4:12 left on a 30-yard run and accompanying PAT.
Warner Robins took over with 4:05 left and was sharp and efficient in moving, the drive sparked by a 39-yard run from Malcom Brown. The Demons reached the 14 with three minutes left, and worked the clock magnificently. They scored on Ahmad Walker’s 1-yard run on third and goal with 16 seconds left, Daniel Barber adding the PAT. After a gain of about 30 yards on first down, Blessed Trinity’s season ended a play later on a sack as the clock ran out, the Demons surviving three missed field goals.
Warner Robins - which lost standout lineman Vic Burley early in the second half to a serious helmet contact injury, hosts Jones County, a 28-7 winner over Eastside, in a semifinal. The Demons and Greyhounds have played five times, never in the postseason and never when both teams were ranked.
Coverage
John Milledge cruises to GISA AAA title, again
Gatewood efficient and consistent, wins GISA AA title, again
Friday’s GHSA scouting reports
The Sports Report’s predictions
Title time, GISA AAA: John Milledge has a sharp memory for this opponent
Title time, GISA AA: Brentwood hopes to reverse its fortunes of last month against Gatewood
No. 10 Jones County (R4/1, 10-3) 28, Eastside (R8/2, 10-3) 7
The Greyhounds got three rushing touchdowns from gritty senior running back Andrew Carner, and added a 30-yard touchdown pass from John Alan Richter to Maleek Wooten to reach a second straight semifinal. Jones County missed a few field goals, and steady kicker Evan West was injured in the game. But the defense held Eastside to single digits for the fourth time this season, and a week after the Eagles won 37-7 on the road at New Manchester.
The 21-point margin was the largest Eastside loss since falling 49-7 to Woodward in the middle of last season. Jones County held Eastside out of the end zone until early in the fourth, making it a 14-7 game. But the Greyhounds scored a few minutes later, and sealed it with about four minutes left.
Jones County travels to Warner Robins, a 35-28 winner over Blessed Trinity, in a semifinal.
No. 1 Marist (R6/1, 11-0) 36, No. 8 Perry (R4/1, 8-5) 7
Kickoff was pushed back as some COVID issues were cleared up, and Marist wasted little time getting on the board, albeit on a safety barely a minute into the game on a quick three-and-out. The War Eagls added a 35-yard scoring run and 31-yard field goal for a 12-0 lead with four minutes left in the first. Camerin Marshall recovered a fumble from Marist’s Ian Otten for a touchdown at the 7:33 mark of the second quarter. Another field goal, with 14 seconds left, gave Marist a 15-7 halftime lead.
Perry kept hanging, keeping Marist somewhat in check until a 5-yard touchdown with 4:18 left in the third. But the Panthers gave up a knockout-punch score two minutes later, Marist adding some icing with 9:12 left in the game.
Perry stayed competitive on the scoreboard for two-plus quarters despite being outgained 339-108 on seven fewer plays, giving up the safety and having a punt blocked. The Panthers were stuffed to only seven yards rushing, and had a rough night passing, going 14 of 33 for 101 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions, the first being converted into Marist’s first touchdown, the hosts unable to take advantage of four Maris turnovers.
No. 10 Oconee County (R8/1, 11-0) 31, No. 3 Peach County (R2/1, 9-2) 13
The Trojans trailed 10-0 after one, thanks in part to giving up a score after having a punt blocked. They made it 10-6 at halftime with a pair of field goals. A wildcat keeper from Chris McMillian put Peach County up 13-10 midway through the third quarter, but that apparently re-awakened the home team. A 39-yard touchdown run followed three minutes later to retake the lead. Oconee County converted an interception into a touchdown pass barely a minute after that for an 11-point lead. Another interception stopped a fourth-quarter drive, and the Warriors put it away with a 35-yard touchdown pass with 2:35 left.
Peach County was eliminated in the quarterfinals for the second straight season after two trips to the finals and one to the semifinals.
No. 2 Rabun County (R8/1, 11-1) 27, Bleckley County (R3/4, 8-3) 24, OT
After tying it with five minutes left in regulation, Bleckley County had a first and goal at the 2 in overtime but had to settle for a James Fordham field goal. Rabun County QB Gunnar Stockton got two off the right side, then went left and dove for the pylon, but was ruled out at the 1. He kept it for the win a play later, barely making it in.
The underdog Royals came in swinging and took a 7-0 lead at the 6:40 mark of the first quarter on Jahvon Butler’s 8-yard score up the middle. Rabun County tied it on a pass a little more than three minutes later, taking the lead on Gunnar Stockton’s run with 6:17 left in the half, keeping that margin at halftime. Rabun County’s 21-14 lead was erased on a 96-yard run by Chuckie Stephens, who took the handoff and went up the middle into a pile of bodies, then broke out the left side and ran away from Rabun County with 5:06 left.
GHSA scoreboard
(In order of pairings for the finals)
Class 7A
Lowndes 23, Milton 13
Collins Hill 21, Parkview 14
Norcross 17, Colquitt County 7
Grayson 33, West Forsyth 0
Class 6A
Valdosta 36, Carrollton 15
Buford 44, Hughes 15
Lee County 49, River Ridge 31
Westlake 27, Allatoona 24
Class 5A
Cartersville 34, Ware County 31
Coffee 27, Calhoun 17
Warner Robins 35, Marist 28
Jones County 28, Eastside 7
Class 4A
Marist 36, Perry 7
Bainbridge 21, Cedartown 10
Benedictine 48, Riverdale 13
Jefferson 28, Carver-Columbus 22
Class 3A
Crisp County 16, Cedar Grove 13
Pierce County 51, Carver-Atlanta 18
Greater Atlanta Christian 31, Appling County 13
Oconee County 31, Peach County 13
Class AA
Fitzgerald 48, Fannin County 14
Jefferson County 33, Bremen 10
Callaway 34, Thomasville 21
Rabun County 27, Bleckley County 24, OT
Class A Public
Brooks County 47, Washington-Wilkes 7
Clinch County 27, Lincoln County 7
Metter 28, Warren County 6
Irwin County 25, Commerce 21
Class A Private
Calvary Day 26, George Walton 14
Trinity Christian 41, Fellowship Christian 27
Prince Ave. Christian 38, ELCA 0
Wesleyan 27, Savannah Christian 17
Last week
Central Georgia Scouting Reports
The Sports Reports predictions, and Loughdmouthings
Last week’s Saturday roundup
Earlier
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