HS FB roundup: Houston County rides INTs to romp over Warner Robins; ACE stuns Dodge County; Jones County loses heartbreaker; romps for Baldwin, Mary Persons, West & East Laurens, and more
🏈 Any update will be around 11 a.m. Saturday, based on new information contributions from teams over night.
Thanks to FPD, ACE Charter, Central Fellowship, John Milledge, and Mount de Sales for submitting postgame information Friday night.
🏈 Teams: Please email game information – stats (offense and defense), names, big plays, etc. – to centralgasports@gmail.com by 2 a.m. Saturday morning for inclusion into Central Georgia’s only comprehensive roundup, or by 10:30 a.m. Saturday for addition to the roundup.
By Michael A. Lough
The Sports Report
centralgasports@gmail.com
CENTRAL GEORGIA’S BEST HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL COVERAGE
This week
🏈 Scouting Reports: This week’s GHSA and GIAA games; DeShazier moves from Mount de Sales to Howard
🏈 Maxwell Predictions
🏈 Who’s going to win this week’s games
🏈 Central Georgia state composite rankings
🏈 Central Georgia rankings
🏈 Monday Morning Quarterback: Saturdays will never be the same without Lee Corso; Loughdmouthings galore
🏈 Macon Touchdown Club players of the week
Last week
🏈 Roundup: Houston County, Warner Robins survive; Tattnall & Hester celebration spoiled; Romps for Mary Persons, Peach County, Dodge County, Bleckley County, Northeast, Stratford, Brentwood
🏈 Scouting Reports: This week’s GHSA and GIAA games
🏈 Maxwell Predictions
🏈 Sitting down with Barney Hester (story and video)
🏈 Who’s going to win this week’s games?
🏈 Central Georgia state composite rankings
🏈 Monday Morning Quarterback: Monday Morning Quarterback: Southwest and Northeast lost their cool, and then people done lost their minds; Surprises, Loughdmouthings
🏈 Macon Touchdown Club players of the week
🏈 Central Georgia high school football preseason guide
Two weeks ago
🏈 GHSA, Bibb County Schools to investigate short but game-ending brawl between Southwest and Northeast (with video)
🏈 HS FB roundup: Fight ends Northeast-Southwest in third quarter; rivalry wins for Dodge County, Peach County, Mary Persons; Jasper County and FPD roll; weather interrupts again
🏈 Central Georgia high school football scouting reports
🏈 HS FB: Maxwell predictions
🏈 Who's going to win this week's Central Georgia high school football games?
🏈 HS polls: Central Georgia teams in GHS Football Daily composite ranks, top area teams in state Maxwell computer rankings
🏈 Monday Morning Quarterback: Teams in transition deserve patience from the peanut gallery; Surprises; Loughdmouthings
🏈 FYI Friday: A potpourri, a gumbo of items you can win bets with, or just be happy to be smarter after reading: Central Georgia's winningest HS football coaches
🏈 Central Georgia high school football preseason guide
GHSA
Class 4A
5A No. 7 Houston County 48, Warner Robins 14 (click here for more details)
Warner Robins threw a whopping 5 interceptions and Houston County made them hurt with the Bears’ second straight 34-point win in the series, sandwiching last year’s 54-44 Warner Robins win. The Bears are 4-0 for the third time in head coach Jeremy Edwards four seasons. Warner Robins is 2-2 for the second time in three years. The Bears led 24-7 at halftime, the first score set up by Jercorien McCoy’s interception in the first two minutes of the game.
Ola 28, Jones County 27
Jones County had a 27-7 lead in the third quarter, but gave up the game-tying touchdown pass with 49 seconds left and then the game-winning PAT. Jones County got past midfield when time ran out. Ola got a rushing touchdown in the final two minutes of the third quarter and then another three minutes into the fourth quarter. Ola’s Caden Worley completed 23 of 30 for 339 yards and 3 scores, no interceptions.
Class AAA
Baldwin 52, Cross Creek 6
Baldwin put up its highest point total and biggest margin of victory since last year’s 57-0 win over Hephzibah, which game two games and nearly a month after Baldwin’s 51-22 win over Cross Creek.
Peach County 30, Crisp County 24
The Trojans held off the Cougars to improve to 4-0 for the first time since 2014.
Mary Persons 49, Fayette County 7
The Bulldogs rolled to a 35-0 halftime lead, 21-0 after on two touchdown passes from Mac Nelson to Mason Stephens and a Deaven Davis pick-6 in the final two minutes of the first quarter. Mary Persons has given up only 17 points in three games.
Upson-Lee 15, Spalding 6
Spalding scored to pull within 7-6, but the PAT was blocked. The Knights picked up two points on a safety, courtesy of intentional grounding in the end zone with less than 7 minutes left. They sealed it with three minutes left on Niko Wells’ tough run, pushing Upson-Lee to 3-0.
West Laurens 46, Howard 7 (click here for details)
Ty Cummings ran for 203 yards and 2 touchdowns on 18 carries and Branden Brooks added 116 yards and a 90-yard TD run to lead West Laurens, which turned an early 7-0 deficit into a 27-7 halftime lead. The game marked the debut at quarterback of Zavion DeShazier, who ended last week at Mount de Sales and started this week at Howard. He threw a 60-yard touchdown on his first pass, but it was downhill for the Huskies after that.
Class AA
Class A/II Bowdon 42, Westside 22
The battle of West Georgia alums went to Bowdon coach Richard Fendley Jr. over Westside’s Spoon Risper. Bowdon won 56-27 last year.
Class A/Division I
ACE Charter 20, Dodge County 15
The Gryphons pulled off perhaps the biggest win in program history, knocking off the No. 10 (Georgia High School Football Daily composite rankings) Indians at Memorial Stadium at John M. Peacock Field, where dodge County had gone 6-1 under second-year head coach Phillip Brown. It’s ACE’s first win over a ranked team in eight tries. The teams traded second-quarter 34-yard field goals, ACE taking the lead on Bryson Vincent’s 1-yard run midway through the third quarter. Henry Carter added to the lead early in the fourth with a 29-yar field goal. Dodge County answered with a 53-yard pass from Kain Mincey to Jeremiah Burns two minutes after that, ACE going up 20-9 on Noah Syme’s 79-yard touchdown catch from Ace Hatcher with 7:32 left. The Indians scratched out a 17-yard TD pass to Terrance Burns with 1:38 left, but ACE recovered the onside kick. Vincent ran for 101 yards on 20 carries and Hatcher completed 3 passes for 125 yards. Mincey passed for 230 yards.
East Laurens 58, Central 0
The Falcons recorded their biggest point total since thumping Baconton Charter 63-14 in 2021, and perhaps largest margin of victory in program history.
Dublin 14, Washington County 7
Kye Young’s interception in the final minute sealed Dublin’s win, about five minutes after Jakarian Jones picked off another pass. Dontavious Cannon went 59 yards with less than two minutes left in the third to put Dublin on top. Dublin led 7-0 at halftime, a lead saved by an interception late deep in Irish territory.
No. 5 Northeast 38, Jefferson County 0
The Raiders (3-1) racked up their second straight shutout, which happened last year with wins by 47-0 and 46-0 over Jefferson County and ACE Charter. The Raiders led 32-0 at halftime, on Jordan Wiggins’ 30-yard pass to Tavarus Tinsley, 25-yarder to Keandre Jackson, and 40-yarder to Reginald Glover, Jacory Sherman’s 12-yard run, and a25-yarder by Tinsley.
Putnam County 16, Haralson County 14
Putnam County handed the Rebels their first loss of the season with the most points Haralson County has allowed.
Lamar County 19, Rutland 14
The Hurricanes gave the ranked Trojans a bigger battle than expected. Lamar County led 6-0 after one on Ross Hamrick’s 56-yard pass to Zhaire McGeachey, Rutland tying it late in the third quarter on Tyson White’s 9-yard touchdown run. The Trojans retook the lead on Jayden Hillman’s 23- yard run less than a minute later, and added insurance on Hamrick’s 59-yard bomb to Kaden Carter. A 5-yad run by Cam Roosevelt with 4:47 left pulled the Hurricanes within 5. Lamar County was able to eat some clock.
Stratford 40, Wilkinson County 34
The Eagles trailed 21-17 at halftime, and again turned in a strong second half.
Class A/Division II
Taylor County 34, GMC Prep 14
Hancock Central 38, Josey 13
Manchester 47, Macon County 46
Macon County took a 46-40 lead in the big-play-filled evening with about 4 minutes left on Ja’marion Stewart’s long touchdown run, but the conversion failed. Manchester scored on a 7-yard touchdown run with less than 30 seconds left, and kicked the game-winning PAT. It was tied back and forth the whole game, at 20 after one quarter and at 34 at halftime, and then at 40 all entering the fourth quarter.
Wheeler County 39, Twiggs County 14
GIAA
Class 4A/3A
Brookstone 31, FPD 22
The Vikings took the lead midway through the first quarter – on Brady McHugh’s 4-yard run – but couldn’t get it back. Brookstone led 21-14 at halftime, adding a score four minutes into the third quarter. FPD got a 5-yard McHugh run inside the final minute of the third quarter, but was blanked in the fourth quarter while Brookstone managed a field goal in the final 90 seconds. FPD was held to 145 yards on 33 carries, led by Major Simmons’ 79 yards. He was 11 for 21 for 123 yards passing.
GHSA A/I Athens Academy 28, John Milledge 14
The hosts took off on a 28-0 lead, John Milledge breaking the shutout in the third quarter. Lewis Cheney passed for 136 yards and Jamel Cooper ran for 70 for the Trojans.
Calvary Christian 35, Tattnall 0
The Trojan suffered their first shutout since falling 20-0 to FPD in October of 2021 when they were still in the GHSA. They started 0-5 in 2012, Barney Hester’s last year as coach in his first stint.
Terrell 41, Mount de Sales 35, 3 OT
The teams matched scoring in the first, second and fourth quarters, the game a tie at 28 at halftime. The Cavs tied it with 3 minutes left, and the teams battled through two scoreless overtimes. Terrell scored on a rush, but the Cavs - who had more than 400 yards in total offense - were pushed back to a fourth and 18, and couldn’t convert.
Class AA/A
Brentwood 43, GHSA A/II Lake Oconee 0
The War Eagles put it away with 23 points in the second quarter, on a Bailey Cobb rushing touchdown, Cobb pass to Zyion Andrews, and Abe Williams rushing score. They have shut out two of their last three GHSA opponents.
Trinity Christian 28, Augusta Prep 7
The Crusaders led 14-0 at halftime en route to their third straight win, and third game holding the opponent to single digits. Trinity Christian is 3-1 for the first time since 2017.
Flint River 34, CFCA, 27, OT
Terrell Coley had two rushing scores and Shepherd Tanner one for the Lancers.
Southland 28, Gatewood 25
4A Lakeview 27, Windsor 8 (click here for more details)
Lakeview marched out to a 20-0 halftime lead, the homestanding Knights breaking the shutout in the final three minutes.
8-man
Westwood 34, Covenant 32
David Emanuel, 3-0, at John Hancock, 0-2