By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com

Editor’s note: Thanks to Dublin, FPD and John Milledge for sending box scores Friday night to The Central Georgia Sports Report.
Useable and fairly complete (names, likely accuracy, and some detail) information was available on MaxPreps’ Scoretracker feature from Jones County-Warner Robins, Bleckley County-East Laurens, Dublin-Vidalia, and Treutlen-Hawkinsville.

Little information (few or no names) was available from Houston County-Northisde, Peach County-Baldwin, Mary Persons-Spalding, Troup-Howard, Lamar County-Rutland,Washington County-Butler, Northeast-Spalding, Jasper County-Aquinas, Johnson County-GMC Prep, Central Fellowship-Windsor.

No information was available from Tift County-Veterans, Perry-Eagle’s Landing, Jackson-Southwest, Putnam County-Josey, Taylor County-Marion County, Wilkinson County-Hancock Central, Chattahoochee County-Crawford County, Stratford-Tattnall, Westfield-Deerfield-Windsor, and Gatewood-Piedmont.

Note: Scoretracker users, please note the time of major plays and all scores, and use names as much as possible. Please check accuracy of yardage listed as well.

CENTRAL GEORGIA’S BEST HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL COVERAGE

Last week
🏈 Dublin goes from being stunned by Dodge County to stunning; Baldwin knocks off Mary Persons; John Milledge survives Stratford; Big nights for Perry, Jones County, Peach County, Jasper County
🏈 Scouting Reports: This week’s GHSA and GIAA games
🏈 Maxwell Predictions
🏈 Who’s going to win this week’s games?
🏈 Central Georgia state composite rankings
🏈 Central Georgia rankings
🏈 Macon Touchdown Club players of the week

Two weeks ago
🏈 Roundup: Mary Persons sweats out Howard in OT; Romps for Dublin, John Milledge, Westfield; East Laurens rallies on the road; Houston County battles; Windsor throws shutout
🏈 Scouting Reports: This week’s GHSA and GIAA games
🏈 Maxwell Predictions
🏈 Who’s going to win this week’s games?
🏈 Central Georgia state composite rankings/CGA Maxwell ratings
🏈 Central Georgia rankings
🏈 Macon Touchdown Club players of the week

Three weeks ago
Roundup: Perry handles Jones County; Rutland rolls; Dublin passes up Swainsboro; Macon County stopped in OT; Windsor comes back to beat Gatewood
🏈 Scouting Reports: This week’s GHSA and GIAA games
🏈 Thursday: Northside wins late; Lassiter now atop the Bleckley County list; shutouts for Northeast, Hawkinsville
🏈 Maxwell Predictions
🏈 Who’s going to win this week’s games?
🏈 Scouting reports, Thursday edition
🏈 Central Georgia state GHSFBD composite/Maxwell rankings, notebook
🏈 Central Georgia rankings, notebook

Houston County 56, Northside 35
Just when Northside got a big play to pull within a score in the second quarter, Houston County dealt a gut punch, returning the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown and 35-21. Northside answered, and Houston County countered again. And again. But the Bears took a little control late in the third quarter and added icing midway through the fourth.

Tift County 31, Veterans 17
The Warhawks needed a win to have a shot at the postseason, but couldn’t get out of an early hole to fall to 4-5 with top-10 Coffee visiting next week.

Class 5A

Jones County 51, Warner Robins 14
The expected close game was on target after a quarter, Jones County leading 14-7. The host Greyhounds got going from there, outscoring the Demons 34-0 in the middle two quarters. Kaden Canty’s short rushing score started the Jones County surge in the second quarter, followed by Isaac Elliott’s fumble return for a touchdown that covered nearly half of the field. Jones County’s passing and running game kept rolling and the defense turned in one of its top efforts of the season. The Demons continued an odd streak, having scored fewer points each week the past five games, from 69 to 55, to 38 to 21 to 14. Jones County hit 50 points for the second straight week and third time this season.

Perry 61, Eagle’s Landing 0
The Panthers racked up their second straight shutout, and highest point total since the epic 80-47 win over New Hampstead midway through the 2024 season. It’s Perry’s second 60-point game under Kevin Smith, and largest margin of victory.

Class 4A

Mary Persons 38, Spalding 14
Another wild Friday night seemed on tap for Mary Persons after Spalding took a 7-0 first-quarter lead on a punt return for a touchdown. The Bulldogs tied it with a score through the air and took the lead for good with a punt return for a touchdown with about 7 minutes left in the half. Another passing touchdown made it a 21-7 Mary Persons lead, and another put the Bulldogs up 28-7 late in the first half.

Peach County 52, Baldwin 24
A 10-0 first quarter didn’t phase Baldwin, which took a brief second-quarter lead only for the Trojans to pull away with three two-touchdown quarters. Caiden Ivory’s rushing score put Peach County on top early, and it added a field goal near the end of the first quarter. Baldwin took a 14-10 lead after a rushing and passing touchdown, but Peach County answered on its next trip with a passing touchdown for a 17-14 lead that grew to 24-14 at halftime. They kept it going with another score a few minutes into the third quarter. Peach County passed the 50-point mark for fifth time this season, and Baldwin tied the most points allowed by the Trojans.

Troup 42, Howard 14
The top-3 Tigers had a battle for awhile, Zavion DeShazier’s long TD pass to Ta’Shawn Poole pulling Howard within 21-14 early in the second quarter. But Troup scored two more scores and then didn’t allow a Poole interception to turn into points, taking a 35-14 lead into the locker room. It was the third-smallest margin of victory for Troup.

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Class 3A

Jackson 45, Southwest 16

Lamar County 31, Rutland 0
The Trojans got going immediately by returning the opening kickoff for a touchdown, but things slowed down until a short rushing touchdown early in the second quarter. Lamar County led 18-0 at halftime.

Northeast 47, Pike County 7
Another routine Friday night for Northeast began with a passing touchdown only a few minutes into the game, the Raiders adding a rushing score in the final three minutes of the first quarter. Another ground-game score early in the second put the Raiders up 20-0, and they kept rolling and double that margin up to a 40-0 halftime lead.

Washington County 48, Butler 0
The Golden Hawks had more points at halftime, 35, than in six games, and only recorded their second-best shutout, behind the 81-0 win over Cross Creek. The win gives the Golden Hawks a 4-6 record season, and they’ll have to get some help next week to squeak into the playoffs.

Class AA

Aquinas 35, Jasper County 14
A rushing touchdown early in the second quarter put Aquinas up for good, and the Irish started taking some control a few minutes into the fourth quarter after Jasper County pulled within 21-14 on a passing touchdown.

Bleckley County 21, East Laurens 14
East Laurens needed a win to have a shot at the playoffs, and played that way, leading 7-0 and 14-7. The highly ranked Royals tied it on Zyion Love’s short TD run midway through the second quarter. Love came up with the game-winning run from inside the 5 with about four minutes left in the third quarter. East Laurens’ defense bowed up the rest of the way, but so did Bleckley County’s, preventing the Falcons from moving and keep East Laurens in bad field position until late when the Falcons reached the Royals’ 40 only to be stuff with a game-clinching sack. .

Dublin 48, Vidalia 6
The program’s 20th regi0n title – 11th under head coach Roger Holmes - was the result of another ho-hum Friday night for the Irish, who led 28-0 at halftime. Vincent Bond’s 62-yard run got the Irish going barely three minutes into the game, followed six minutes later by Jaydon McRae’s 2-arder. Dublin racked up 534 yards rushing on 50 carries, led by Dontavious Cannon’s 168 yards on 9 tries. QB Ryland Yates ran 6 times, and scored twice, and Tyler McKinney added a 78-yard kickoff return. Dublin held Vidalia to 91 yards total offense on 33 snaps, 22 fewer than Dublin.

Putnam County 57, Josey 6

Swainsboro 52, Dodge County 13
The Indians had four losses by a total of 21 points, and Swainsboro rolled past that margin, leading 19-13 at halftime and blowing it open with two third-quarter touchdowns and scoring 39 straight points.

Class A

Crawford County 27, Chattahoochee County 22
The Eagles rebounded well from last week’s 39-3 loss to Macon County, with their second win in three games.

Johnson County 48, GMC Prep 3
The Bulldogs stayed with the top Class A team in the state for a quarter, trailing 14-3 after one. But Johnson County kicked it into gear after that

Macon County 55, Central-Talbotton 0
The Bulldogs set the season mark for scoring while racking up their third shutout.

Taylor County 74, Marion County 19
Taylor County led 30-7 after one, and just kept on rolling for unofficially a program record for scoring, and largest margin of victory since beating Pike County 60-0 to open the 1997 season. The Vikings scored 50 points for the fourth time this season.

Treutlen 41, Hawkinsville 7
The expected game between fairly even teams started dissipating early in the third quarter when Treutlen got rolling with two touchdowns within a few minutes of each other en route to a 34-0 run.

Wilkinson County 12, Hancock Central 8

GIAA

Stratford 54, Tattnall 13
The Eagles turned a 10-0 first-quarter lead into a 31-0 halftime lead. Stratford’s lead was 54-0 before the Trojans scored twice in the fourth quarter. The Eagles have hit 50 points twice this season, and scored their second-highest total in the series, after winning 55-28 in 2022. The 39-point margin is Stratford’s largest in the series since a 45-0 win in 1993. Freshman QB Angelo Bellamy Jr. managed 152 yards passing and TD for Tattnall.

Westfield 21, Deerfield-Windsor 7
The Hornets captured the region title outright.

Windsor 60, CFCA 0
The Knights got into the fast lane pretty much from the start, storming out to a 27-0 lead after one and 41-0 at halftime.

Gatewood 35, Piedmont 7
A pair of two-touchdown quarters put the Gators in charge nby halftime

Riverside Prep 44, Trinity Christian 9