The rivalry rout, missed field goals, GISA hammers undefeated GHSA, a surprising region rout, the one-point win and one-point loss by neighbors, and plenty more
Teams: send info to centralgasports@gmail.com by 10:30 a.m. Saturday for the noon final update
Thursday
Brunswick 41, Northeast 12
Friday
Class 6A
Houston County 23, Statesboro 18
The Bears led 10-6 at halftime and 16-6 after three quarters.
Warner Robins 47, Northside 0
It took Warner Robins until the final 75 seconds of the first quarter to score, and until the midway point of the second quarter to score again. The Demons, who battled roughing penalties all night, added another in the final two minutes for a 21-0 halftime lead. They scored on their first possession of the second half, and again only a few minutes later, and the Demons’ biggest rout in series history was on. The previous biggest rout lasted a year. It’s not, however, the first time Warner Robins has had consecutive shutouts. The Demons blanked the Eagles four straight games, from 1968-71, by 21-0, 27-0, 33-0, and 34-0. It’s the first time Warner Robins cracked 40 points since a 41-6 win in 1990, and is the Demons’ highest point total against Northside.
Warner Robins quarterback Jalen Addie passed for two touchdowns and ran for two more. The Demon defense held Northside to 93 yards while the Warner Robins O racked up 474 yards, on 12 more snaps. Addie threw for 238 yards on nine completions and ran for 103 yards on 14 tries. Daveon Walker caught three passes for 146 yards and a score.
Class 4A
Appling County 45, Westside 7
The Seminoles have given up 40 or more points in four of their last 13 games. They were also held to seven in last year’s 28-7 playoff loss at Appling County. The hosts led 21-7 at halftime and cruised from there
West Laurens 27, Toombs County 7
West Laurens quarterback and former receiver Bradley Wilson returned after being injured in the opener, and threw for his first touchdown, an 84-yarder, in a game that developed early in the week. The Raiders led 20-0 at halftime.
Worth County 30, Rutland 20
The Class AA Rams won their second straight game against a higher-classification team, needing a quarter to get settled and then scoring 24 points in the second quarter. The Hurricanes rallied with two touchdowns to pull within 10 in the third quarter, and then the teams traded fourth-quarter scores.
Class 3A
Howard 37, Central 20
The Huskies led 9-6 and benefitted from a pass interference call that set up a touchdown with 11 seconds left in the half, for a 16-6 lead at the break. Jalik Thomas scored early in the third, but the conversion failed and the Chargers trailed by four. Dajon James went in from 5 yards and an 11-point lead, and he added a run of more than 50 for a 30-12 lead in the final minutes of the third quarter. Central got within 10, but that was it. The Huskies improved to 7-0 against Bibb County teams – public and private – under head coach Paul Carroll.
Newnan 44, Mary Persons 7
The Class 7A Cougars led 23-7 at halftime, and ended up with three touchdown passes, two touchdown runs, a pick-6, and, stunningly, a safety on the first play of the game. Another interception ended a Mary Persons threat in the first half, as did a fumble recovery.
Upson-Lee 35, McIntosh 27
The Knights sweated it out after taking a 21-7 second-quarter lead the fell to 21-14 at the half. The Knights scored in the third quarter, and missed a field goal, after an interception. The Chiefs, boosted by another missed FG by Upson-Lee, pulled within 35-27 with 1:41 left in the game, but the Knights held on.
Class AA
Bleckley County 21, Vidalia 14
The Royals, who trailed 14-7 midway through the second quarter, got the game-winner with just less than four minutes left in the game on a short run.
East Laurens 14, Oglethorpe County 7
The Falcons are 2-1 for the first time in five seasons, getting the game-winning score on Cole Strickland’s 35-yard run and Benjamin Brantley’s PAT in the final four minutes.
Morgan County 28, Jasper County/Monticello 0
The Purple Hurricanes have been shut out in two straight games, which hasn’t happened since 2015.
Putnam County 45, Social Circle 0
The War Eagles have outscored their last two opponents 94-0, and ran wild again, led by Cedrion Brundage, who scored four times. Putnam County also picked up two safeties.
Southwest 39, Randolph Clay 6
It was the Patriots’ biggest margin of victory since beating East Laurens 50-13 in 2018.
Thomas County Central 41, Lamar County 24
TCC stormed out to a 21-0 lead, one score coming on a blocked punt returned for a score. Lamar County trailed 21-7 at the half, and twice was within 13 in the second half, but couldn’t muster any more of a rally.
Washington County 27, Swainsboro 22
These two can’t avoid drama, this time the Golden Hawks getting a kick return for a touchdown in the final minute to win. Swainsboro went from down 7-2 to a 16-15 halftime lead. The Golden Hawks led 21-16 after three, and ended up winning on Malyk Walker’s kickoff return for a touchdown inside the final minute.
Class A
ACE 15, Pataula Charter 6
The Gryphons got the first win in their home facility.
Aquinas 28, FPD 27
The back and forth game naturally came down to the final minutes. FPD led 7-0 and 14-7, settling for that at halftime. Aquinas scored but didn’t convert. The Vikings led 27-25 with five minutes left, but Aquinas kicked a field goal from just less than 25 yards out with 2:22 left in the game to win it.
Cherokee Bluff 52, GMC 0
The Bulldogs had the expected problems against a 3A team on a roll.
Hancock Central 42, Greene County 3
Things got off to such a nice start for Greene County, wit ha field goal late in the first quarter. And then the damn busted. The Bulldogs brought the kickoff back nearly all the way, and then scored less than 20 seconds later. The lead was 20-3 at halftime.
Hawkinsville 25, Telfair County 22
The Red Devils led 12-0 and then 25-6 early in the third before holding on.
Irwin County 44, Wilkinson County 0
The Indians are ranked fifth in Class A-Public.
Macon County 38, Marion County 0
Macon County lived up to its No. 3 ranking with a stunningly easy shutout of the defending state runner-up, breaking a four-game losing streak to the Eagles. It was 28-0 at halftime, with a passing TD and pick-6 taking care of the first-quarter scoring, and a rush and long pass for the second-quarter points.
Mount de Sales 27, Brookstone 26
Brookstone scored with 3:33 left in the game and made the final two-point try to get within one, but failing to get anything after the first three touchdowns did the visitors in. The Cav defense held Brookstone to 276 yards on offense, while MdS managed 334, all but 10 on the ground.
A’khori Jones scored on runs of 32, and 21 yards in the first half, and the Cavs got scores from Fernando Washington and Kobe Butts in the third quarter. A missed conversion try after Butts’ score, with five seconds left in the third, left the door open for the entire fourth quarter. Jones went for 134 yards on 16 tries, Christian Thomas for 108 on 10.
Tattnall 34, Deerfield-Windsor 7
The reunion of the former GISA rivals wasn’t close, the Trojans breaking open a 14-7 halftime lead with a pair of third-quarter touchdowns from Demario Wilmore and Tyler Duggan.
Taylor County 33, Schley County 14
The Vikings went on the road and stunned the Class A-Public No. 4 team, reversing thumping losses in their last two meetings.
GISA/GAPPS
Aucilla, Fla., 43, Fullington 0
Briarwood 46, Trinity Christian 21
Brentwood 52, Edmund Burke 6
Thomas Denton went for 191 yards on only eight carries with two touchdowns to lead the War Eagles, who averaged 14.2 yards a play, 15.2 yards per rush. Seven rushers carried at least twice, and seven War Eagles scored on the ground: Denton twice, and one each for McKinley Newton, Ford Sheppard, Robert Jackson, Ben Tarbutton, and Cameron Waddell. Brentwood’s defense held EB to seven first downs,180 yards total offense.
Gatewood 14, Terrell 0
The Gators’ 12th straight win was their closest game in that winning streak, and their fifth shutout.
John Milledge 52, Savannah Christian 13
No doubt Savannah Christian got a shot of confidence when it realized that standout running back Amaad Foston was still recovering from an offseason injury. It was a good thing Foston didn’t play, because the GISA Trojans still mauled the undefeated GHSA team in all phases. KJ Jackson ran for 121 yards – of JMA’s 409 yards, yet couldn’t get into the end zone.
Patrick McDonel did, on runs of 57 and 52 yards. QB Grayson Hopkins ran for one and passed for two, to Taylor Dixon and Marcus Prestwood. Carson Dyer and Landon Courson added TD runs, and Tommy Collier hit a 24-yard field goal. Savannah Christian scored on a 100-yard interception return and a 74-yard pass play.
The hosts managed four first downs and two rushing yards, completing only 4 of 21 passes.
Piedmont 28, Memorial Day 13
The Cougars improved to 3-0 with their third straight win by double digits.
Fullington vs. Aucilla