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.
GHSA
No. 10 Jones County (R4/1, 9-3) 34, Griffin (R2/2, 7-5) 13
Coverage
Central Georgia Scouting Reports
The Sports Reports predictions, and Loughdmouthings
Last week’s Friday roundup
Last week’s Saturday roundup
Last week
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
Evan West was money on two well-timed field goals to help spark the Greyhounds, who got a big three-touchdown game from running back Andrew Carner. Jones County is in a quarterfinal for the fourth time since 2014. John Alan Richter added a TD pass to Javious Bond.
Jones County hosts Eastside, a 37-7 winner over New Manchester, in a quarterfinal.
No. 2 Warner Robins (R1/1, 10-1) 30, Woodward Academy (R3/2, 7-5) 7
The Demons are in the quarterfinals for the fourth straight year after holding their sixth opponent this season below 10 points while scoring at least 30 for the eighth time. But it started out with a stunning early score by Woodward, inside the first two minutes. Soon, Warner Robins was in rare position: trailing after a quarter. The Demons tied it three minutes into the second quarter, taking the lead on Ahmad Walker’s second touchdown five minutes later. They muddled through the third quarter, getting a field goal, and finally got another touchdown again early in the fourth on Jalen Addie’s keeper for a 24-7 lead.
The Demons visit Blessed Trinity, a 44-0 winner over Decatur, in a quarterfinal.
Perry (R4/1, 8-4) 34, LaGrange (R2/2, 8-4) 4
Give up two safeties in the first half, and it’s unlikely to be your day, or night. Except for Perry, which gifted the Grangers four points while scoring plenty on their own. The Panthers have eight wins for the third time this century and first time since 2007, the last time they reached the quarterfinals. Perry was down 2-0, got a Caden Camp field goal for the lead, and started easing into control on Makeil Kendrick’s 5-yard score that he followed a few minutes later in the second quarter by a shorter burst for a 17-4 halftime lead. Camp was good on a third-quarter field goal, Lane Rucker adding a TD pass to Brantley Gibson and Kendrick a 45-yarder.
Perry hosts Marist, a 34-0 winner over Flowery Branch, in a quarterfinal.
No. 9 Baldwin (R4/2, 5-1) at No. 3 Carver-Columbus (R2/1, 9-0), Saturday, 4 p.m.
No. 3 Peach County (R2/1, 9-1) 59, No. 10 Thomson (R4/2, 9-3) 7
So much for the expected quality battle between ranked teams with no running clock. The Trojans racked up their biggest win over a ranked team and biggest playoff win in program history. They scored at least 50 points for the fourth time this season, the most since doing it five times in 2010. The lead was only 23-7 at halftime, the Trojans exploding for 28 third-quarter points.
Peach County visits Oconee County, a 42-7 winner over Dawson County, in a quarterfinal.
No. 6 Pierce County (R1/1, 10-1) 42, Central (R2/3, 6-4) 0
The Chargers suffered their first shutout since 28-0 to Westside to end the 2017 regular season, the margin a point off of last year’s 49-6 first-round loss to Pierce County, whose last playoff shutout win was 45-0 over Jackson in the 2018 second round.
No. 8 Appling County (R1/2, 9-1) 61, Upson-Lee (R2/4, 6-6) 7
Apparently miffed by a third-quarter touchdown that eliminated the running clock, Appling County scored 26 fourth-quarter points for its third-highest point total of the season, and biggest playoff win in program history, by margin and point scored. The speedy Pirates were shut out in the first quarter and led only 21-0 at the half, boosted by a score in the final minute. They upped the lead to 28-0 less than two minutes into the third, and added another score at the 2:58 mark, the Knights’ Milique Smith going in from 68 yards less than a minute later.
No. 3 Thomasville (R1/2, 8-4) 44, No. 9 Dodge County (R3/1, 6-4) 7
The revenge Dodge County hoped for was taken care of early. Thomasville just got past the Indians 31-26 last year, but eliminated suspense with that many points by halftime. The Bulldogs took advantage of three takeaways en route to their third-highest point total of the season and second win of 35 or more points this season over a ranked team. The Indians were held to their lowest total since last season, and biggest playoff loss since 48-0 to top-ranked Peach County in 1993.
No. 1 Fitzgerald (R1/1, 11-0) 35, Northeast (R3/2, 8-3) 18
The top-ranked Purple Hurricane had a pair of two-touchdown quarters to get going en route to a 35-0 lead. The Raiders broke the shutout midway through the third on a 60-yard pass from Travion Solomon to Kalik Evans, adding a 70-yarder to Zion Odoms and 20-yard Solomon run in the fourth quarter.
Bleckley County (R3/4, 8-3) 41, No. 6 Early County (R1/3, 7-3) 7
The fourth-seeded Royals delivered their second straight beatdown over a ranked team, having thumped No. 10 Vidalia 56-15 last week. The 97 points in the past two weeks is Bleckley County’s biggest such surge since, well, last year, when they scored 98 against East Laurens and Dodge County in region play. The Royals scored 59 points in three games back in 2006, the first time the program reached the quarterfinals, coinciding with the first time the school has beaten ranked teams on consecutive weeks. They scored once in the first quarter and twice in the second, to take control. Jahvon Butler’s short run got the Royals on the board midway through the first, and Willie Harris’ fumble recovery set up Chuckie Stephens score early in the second. Christian Newbern recovered a fumble – caused by Scooter Slappy on QB hit – for another score a few minutes later, and it was 21-0. Early County scored, and that was it. The Royals are the only fourth seed left, and the only team from the region left.
Bleckley County travels to Rabun County, a 35-0 winner over Model, in a quarterfinal.
No. 3 Brooks County (R2/2, 11-1) 41, No. 2 Dublin (R4/1, 10-2) 7
Dublin is used to seeing a goose egg on the scoreboard at the Shamrock Bowl, but rarely has one lasted so long on the home side. The Irish were in danger of being on the wrong side of a running clock, but didn’t score until seven minutes remained in the game, avoiding the first home shutout since 26-0 to Laney late in the 2013 season. It was the worst home playoff loss since Calhoun’s 45-7 quarterfinal win in 2011. Brooks County started clicking in the third quarter with three touchdowns, all runs. The Trojans had four more first downs, outrushed Dublin 251-163, and passed for 159 yards, completing 11 of 15.team clicking on loads of cylinders led 34-0 entering the fourth. JT Wright had 81 yards on 13 carries for the Irish, held to single digits for only the 16th time in the past 10 seasons.
Warren County (R7/2, 9-2) 56, No. 6 Macon County (R5/1, 9-2) 26
The Screaming Devils turned in one of the surprises of the night, holding in check on the road a team averaging more than 35 points a game overall, yet oddly only 26.8 points a game at home. It was the most points given up by Macon County since a 51-0 loss to Bleckley County in 2012, and the worst playoff loss since 42-8 to Lovett in 2014.
Lincoln County (R8/3, 7-4) 28, Hancock Central (R7/1, 7-1) 6
The Red Devils beat the Bulldogs for the 23rd time, having lost only once (38-21 in 2018). The loss ended Hancock Central’s best season in program history, in which the Bulldogs set marks for highest scoring average (37.8 ppg) and margin (24.9) while winning its first region title.
Calvary Day (R3/2, 8-4) 14, FPD (R1/2, 7-5) 7
The Vikings took a 7-0 lead in the first and held it for awhile before the Cavs scored twice, converting an interception into the lead touchdown in the fourth quarter. Then an interception with about two minutes left in the game sealed it for the visitors after FPD took over on its 22 with a little more than three minutes left. Calvary Day won 42-17 at home earlier this year.
No. 2 Eagle’s Landing Christian (R2/1, 9-3) 27, Stratford (R1/3, 8-3) 0
The first meeting between the two programs was close late through three quarters, ELCA leading 13-0. But the hosts scored less than two minutes into the fourth and again just past the midway point. Stratford’s last shutout was 46-0 by Prince Avenue in last year’s first round. ECLA managed 125 yards passing and 139 yards rushing.
GISA
Semifinals
Seed in parentheses with record; rankings through MaxPreps and committee
John Milledge (1, 10-0) 31, Westfield (4, 7-3-1) 0
Westfield didn’t do much better on the scoreboard than a few weeks ago, but the Hornets ended up with a quiet bus ride home. The hosts led 14-0 at halftime, 20 points fewer than at the same point a few weeks ago, on short runs by Patrick McDonel and Grayson Hopkins. Landon Burney’s 23-yarder in the third made it 21-0, and JMA got a 24-yhard field goal from Tommy Collier and 6-yard score from Javian Butts in the fourth quarter. Westfield more than tripled its yardage total from the first game, albeit only up to 93 yards on 32 plays, Gavin Vining managing 57 rushing yards on 12 carries. The Trojans racked up 355 yards on 59 plays, led by Burney’s 117 yards on 16 carries, with Butts and Jeremiah Hill teaming for 109 yards.
John Milledge faces Frederica, a 14-7 winner over Tiftarea, in the state championship next Friday at Mercer.
Gatewood (1, 10-1) 35, SW Georgia (8-4) 7
Gatewood faces Brentwood in the state championship game next Friday at Mercer.
Brentwood (2, 8-2) 31, Briarwood (6-5-1) 26
Thomas Denton was dentin’, with 183 yards on 22 carries to set up teammates for touchdowns, two short ones from QB McKinley Newton. Robert Jackson added 93 yards and a touchdown. Briarwood passed for 187 yards and three scores, rushing for 154. Brentwood led 6-0, then 16-13 at halftime, but Briarwood took the lead late in the third quarter. Jackson and Newton scored about six minutes apart for a 31-20 lead, Briarwood cutting it with a 30-yard TD pass with 36 seconds left.
Brentwood faces Gatewood in the state championship next Friday at Mercer.
GISA A
Class A championship
Thomas Jefferson 41, Piedmont 14