By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com

Class 5A
Rome 38, Houston County 28
The Bears (10-2) made the most of their trip of more than three hours, heading into the fourth quarter tied at 28 after Houston County’s touchdown in the final minute. Rome took the lead with 8:21 left in the game, and came up with a huge interception in the end zone barely a minute later. Rome (10-2) led 21-7 early in the second quarter, Houston County tying it late after a pair of rushing touchdowns. The Wolves passed their way back to the lead with 2:16 left before the Bears tied it on Westen Ard’s 4-yard run with less than a minute left in the third.

CENTRAL GEORGIA’S BEST HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL COVERAGE

This week
🏈 GIAA AAA championship: John Milledge back where it expects to be, going for another trophy
🏈 Maxwell Predictions
🏈 Who’s going to win this week’s gamez?
🏈 Monday Morning Quarterback: There’s a plug or 10 at Flowery Branch that need to be pulled, including in the executive office; Surprises, Loughdmouthings
🏈 Macon Touchdown Club players of the week: Northeast trio
Last week
🏈 Roundup: Lamar County stunned at home; West Laurens, Peach County cruise, Dublin takes region rematch, Hawkinsville holds on; Stratford, John Milledge, Brentwood are GIAA championship game-bound
🏈 Scouting Reports: This week’s GHSA and GIAA games
🏈 Maxwell Predictions
🏈 Who’s going to win this week’s games
🏈 Monday Morning Quarterback: Worry about coaching candidates a waste of tiem for a month; Loughdmouthings
🏈 Macon Touchdown Club players of the week
🏈 GHSA/GIAA football playoff master

Class 4A
Cartersville 64, Warner Robins 0
One minute, Warner Robins is lining up for a field goal to pull within 6-3. About nine game minutes later, the Demons were down 36-0, thanks to a bad punt snap and a safety and an 80-yard return of the ensing free kick plus a 55-yard TD pass. The Purple Hurricanes (12-0) led 50-0 at halftime, and opened the third quarter with a pick-6 en route to handing Warner Robins (7-5) its second loss of the season of more than 60 points.

Class AAA
West Laurens 32, Oconee County 7
The night got off to quite the start, with star running back Ty Cummings becoming a start kick returner and bringing the opening kickoff back 89 yards for a touchdown, getting quality blocks the entire way. Javon Hill picked off a pass at the goal line on Oconee County’s first possession, and Cummings finished the drive off with a crafty 13-yard scoring run. Oconee County passed its way to within 14-7 with 2:34 left in the half. After Cummings caught a pass and pulled a straight-forward Saquan Barkley leap over a defender, the Raiders settled for a field goal and 17-7 halftime lead. The Raider defense racked up a second-half shutout as West Laurens added a short Cummings score in the third quarter and early fourth quarter, improving to 12-0.
Next: vs. Jenkins (38-28 over Peach County)

Jenkins 38, Peach County 28
The visitors led 21-17 entering the fourth quarter, sparked by a 70-yard fumble return by Jmamari Smith. Jenkins took the lead back at 24-21 with a 51-yard TD pass at the 9:10 mark. The Warriors (11-1)upped the lead to 10 on a 49-yard touchdown run three minutes later. Peach County answered with a 9-yard TD run at the 4:46 mark, bringing the Trojans within 31-28. But Jenkins clinched it with a 22-yard run with 99 seconds left, ending Peach County’s season at 10-2.

Class A/Division I
Northeast 26, Swainsboro 14 (Click here for full story)

Next: Northeast at Toombs County (24-19 over Thomasville)

Pepperell 28, Jasper County 17
Pepperell never trailed in the road win, leading 14-3 at halftime and expanding it to 21-3. The Hurricanes worked their way back into the game and pulled within 21-17 late in the third quarter on a pick-6, which followed a fumble recovery for a touchdown. The Dragons sealed it with a touchdown pass at the 10:46 mark of the fourth quarter.

Fitzgerald 28, Dublin 7
A 69-yard “quarterback” keeper got Fitzgerald on the board with 7:12 left in the first half, and Fitzgerald (9-3) rolled from their with its single-wing offense and snaps to different players behind center. The Purple Hurricanes went up by two scores less than two minutes later on a 36-yard fumble return en route to a 14-0 halftime lead. They all but put it away with a 48-yard pass from Matthew Cowan to Victor Copeland – one of two completed passes for Fitzgerald – with 1:42 left in the third quarter. Copeland threw a touchdown pass at the 8:30 mark of the fourth quarter, Dublin (9-3) breaking the shutout with 4:20 left on Dontavious Cannon’s 40-yard run. Dublin had five more first downs, ran 45 times for 233 yards to 31 times for 204 yards for Fitzgerald. Both teams completed only two passes, but the visitors’ went for 69 yards and two touchdowns. Cannon went for 127 yards on 18 carries for Dublin.

Worth County 38, Bleckley County 35
For the final few minutes of the third quarter and almost all of the fourth quarter, it was tied at 35. But the Rams (12-0) walked it off with a game-ending 20-yard field goal by sophomore Brodey Hancock. Bleckley County (9-3) won the first quarter 14-7, the same score by which Worth County won the second quarter. And both teams scored twice in the third quarter. Bleckley County junior Brody Fleming was 12 of 25 for 165 yards and two scores, while Zyion Love ran 24 times for 175 times and two scores. Worth County quarterback Lyndon Worthy completed 13 of 22 for 274 yards and two touchdowns while Treshuan Jones scored twice on the ground.

Class A/Division II
Lincoln County 56, Hawkinsville 0
Lincoln County (12-0) wasted little time in taking control, marching out to a 14-0 lead after four minutes and putting it away with 21 second-quarter points for 35-0 halftime lead. Hawkinsville (9-3) had given up only 35 points one all season, in a 36-18 loss to Wheeler County. The Red Devils hadn’t been shut out since falling 26-0 to Portal in the 2023 opener.