Central Georgia Sports ReportComment

HS football notes: Northeast update; Thursday's games

Central Georgia Sports ReportComment
HS football notes: Northeast update; Thursday's games

By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com

 

          Northeast returned to a version of business as usual after a Sunday morning shooting sent five of its players to the hospital.

          The good news is that none of the five players was seriously wounded, and they were out of the hospital after one night.

          “Everybody is good,” Northeast head coach Jeremy Wiggins said after Wednesday’s practice. “Everybody is stable, they’ve just got to go to rehab. That’s it.”

          Northeast players were among the dozen teen agers after midnight Sunday at Carolyn Crayton Park when a birthday party move from Jones County – ostensibly because of the presence of firearms – and a second group of people showed up and began shooting.

          Two were in critical condition in the early stages, while all others were stable and facing no serious injuries.

          Zaire Collins, Keiland Miley, Harold Simms, Jacory Sherman, and Carlos Daniel were the five Northeast players on hand.

          Northeast has a short week, playing Rutland at the Ed DeFore Sports Complex on Thursday at 5:30 p.m.

          “The (kids) are doing good,” Wiggins said. “I think when you get to the game (Thursday), they’ll be all right.”

          With the cumulative records of the Raiders’ next four opponents being 8-14 and Northeast being a huge favorite in all four, there’s no rush for the players to try to return too early.

          Northeast players were able to visit their teammates before the victims were released. Wiggins said it’ll be a couple weeks before all are ready to return, although one might be back next week.

          Wiggins said he’s tried to keep his distance from too many details in a situation which has kept his phone and email burning up.

          But he was aware that five people have been arrested, including a 15 year old who will be charged as an adult.

          The arrested: Ahmad Lundy, Lantonio Hill, Justin Green, David Pitts, and Jaquez Bailey. The first three are teen agers, while Pitts is 24 and Bailey 20.

          The charges are mostly 12 counts of aggravated assault, as well as a violation of probation, party to a crime. Bailey and Pitts have criminal histories with somewhat minor charged.

          All five are being held without bond, and the investigation is continuing.

 

Thursday night scouting reports

No. 3 Northeast, 4-1/2-0, at Rutland, 2-3/0-2 (Ed DeFore), Thursday, 5:30 p.m.

          The Raiders have won two region games by an 80-18 margin, while the Hurricanes have lost two by 71-21. Northeast QB Jordan Wiggins cruised past 1,000 yards for the season last week, and is at 1,339 yards while completing 71.8 percent of his passes. Four teammates have between 15 and 21 catches, and four have at least 3 TD catches. Northeast has won the last two meetings, in 2022 and 2023, 37-7 and 51-13.

Howard/3-2/2-0, at Spalding, 3-2/0-2, Thursday, 7 p.m.

          It’s a huge game for Howard, which won three region games only twice since its first year, 2008, and never won four. The Huskies last won three straight in 2024 (Richmond Academy, Hephzibah, Cross Creek). Spalding remains in a transition mode under second-year head coach Nick Davis, who took over in April 2024 after coach Carl Kearney was arrested two months earlier for murdering his girlfriend in Maryland. Davis went 38-46-1 from 2011-18 at Spalding, which was 28-18 under Kearney and went 12-1 in his last season. The Jaguars just got done the region’s roughest road, losing 60-14 to Troup and 62-21 to Peach County.

Westside, 2-3/0-2 at No. 2T Troup, 5-0, 2-0, 7:30 p.m.

          The Seminoles begin Region 2-4A’s brutal stretch with consecutive games against two of the top teams in the state in 4A, and do so on a two-game losing streak in which they’ve been outscored 93-23. Troup hasn’t had a losing season since 1-9 in 2015, the first season for current head coach Tanner Glisson, whose team went 11-2 last season. The Tigers, who get 202.8 yards rushing from Javarris Warner, are off a 24-21 win over Mary Persons, getting the game-winning field goal on the final play. The series is tied at 4, Spalding winning 42-34 in 2023. This is the first meeting.