A few weeks ago, Bainbridge got going against Warner Robins quite well, with a long touchdown run by standout RB Dameon Pierce on the first play from scrimmage.

          Final score: Warner Robins 35, Bainbridge 6.

          Friday night, Carrollton got going against Warner Robins quite well, with a 66-yard touchdown run by Jaylan Thomas shortly after kickoff.

          Certainly, Carrollton would live to see a better fate than Bainbridge after such a good start, in the playoffs, with a slew of Division I prospects.

          Certainly not.

          The Demons answered that touchdown, then answered a field goal with a touchdown.

          Warner Robins was done answering, and went on to demolish Carrollton 63-24 in a Class 5A quarterfinal at McConnell-Talbert.

          Carrollton had given up some points this season, 41 to East Paulding, 34 to Villa Rica, 41 to Hiram and 42 to Kell.

          It was the third-most points allowed by the Trojans in program history, behind 86 in 1924 and 64 in 1938.

          The Trojans lost 56-35 to Griffin in the 2013 Class 4A title game. Just three seasons ago, they let nobody score more than 34 points. The 63 points allowed makes up 20 percent of the 321 points given up for the season.

          On the other hand, it ties the sixth-most points scored by Warner Robins, sharing it with a 63-0 win over Carver-Columbus in 1976 and, 63-7 over Shaw in 1982.

          The 39-point margin is Warner Robins’ biggest in the playoffs since beating Ware County 40-0 in the 2004 semifinals, 2004, which happens to be the last time Warner Robins was undefeated and won a state title.

          It was an 11-point game at halftime. A few minutes and one Dylan Fromm pass to Julius Cobbs later, it was an 18-point game. Then, several minutes and an easy Fromm run later, it was 25 points.

          And then, after a failed fake punt, Fromm scored again, and the Demons led 49-17 with more than a third of the third quarter left.

          The lights went out at McConnell-Talbert Stadium about three minutes into the fourth quarter, long after the lights had gone out for the Trojans.

          Warner Robins apparently really wanted to host a semifinal game. A new procedure this year with the GHSA involves a “universal coin flip” done early in the week to determine which half of the bracket, upper or lower, hosts the following round if both teams are the same seed.

          So the Demons will host Carver-Atlanta, which cost Warner Robins a massive financial windfall by beating Jones County 26-21 in another quarterfinal.

 

Carver-Atlanta 26, Jones County 21

          The injury bug, if only a bug, finally caught up with Jones County, which lost veteran center Quay Betha to an ankle injury on Wednesday.

          He joined quarterback Teldrick Ross and running back Drake Bolus was grounded Greyhounds. Bolus did play, and played well, head coach Justin Rogers said, but the a few snap issues with a converted-a-few-days-ago center and a sophomore QB making his second start slowed the Greyhounds a bit.

          What slowed them more was Carver receiver Quindarious Monday, all 6-foot-4 of him. He caught four passes for 65 yards, all seemingly coming at backbreaking times, and two touchdowns, one on fourth and long.

          “The big receiver killed us,” Jones County head coach Justin Rogers said. “He made some really good plays. We did a good job on their running back, kept him in check. The thing was the big receiver.”

          Quarterback Octavious Battle was 16 of 21 for 240 yards while Jo’quavious Marks ran for 106 yards on 24 carries.

          Not being at full strength – or anywhere near it – without Ross and Bolus also hurt the Greyhounds on defense. Ross was a full-time defensive back before taking over the offense this year, and he suffered a season-ending ankle injury in the first-round win over Griffin.

Bolus had plenty of defensive experience, and he went out early last week against Wayne County. Both played defense when necessary throughout the season, and the quarterfinals on the road against tall receivers qualifies at necessary.

          “(Monday) gave us a matchup problem,” Rogers said. “And us not being healthy, we didn’t have Teldrick or Drake, when you could have gotten help with that.”

          Carver all but cinched the game with a long drive the started in the third quarter and ended in the fourth, eating up a chunk of time and wearing down Jones County’s defense en route to a 26-14 lead. Penalties, a few of which Rogers wasn’t sure of, kept the drive alive, those coming on key third downs.

          Jones County quarterback sophomore Hunter Costlow wasn’t quite as sharp as last week in his starting debut in the win over Wayne County, but led the Greyhounds on a fourth-quarter scoring drive that pulled them within a touchdown late. Carver recovered the onside kick to clinch it.

          Despite the connection issues on snaps, Rogers said new center – and normally guard – Rhett Huckeba played well. Still, the Greyhounds had a sophomore center, a sophomore quarterback and a junior tailback as opposed to three college-bound seniors.

          “The kids played hard,” Rogers said. “(Carver) just made a couple more plays than we did. I hate that it ended this way. I think we had a really good team that played well, but injuries finally caught up with us.”

         

Mary Persons 51, Jefferson 32

Quen Wilson hasn’t been completely healthy in awhile.

He’s apparently feeling pretty good now.

          The junior ran 23 times for 213 yards and four touchdowns as Mary Persons pulled away from Jefferson in a Class AAAA quarterfinal.

          QB J.T. Hartage was certainly on point, completing 11 of 14 for 169 yards and two scores with no interceptions. Deadrek Alford caught four for 70 yards and two scores, Antoine Davis five for 36 and Condarius Alford two for 60.

          It was Mary Persons’ second-highest point total of the year, by one, and most in a playoff game since beating Americus-Sumter 54-20 in the first round in 2011. It was the highest quarterfinal total in program history, and tied for the seventh-most points at Mary Persons, according to the Georgia High School Football Historians Association.

          The Bulldogs led 30-20 at halftime, converted an interception into a touchdown midway through the third, watched standout Colby Wood get that score back for Jefferson to pull within 37-26 late in the third.

          Soon, it was over. After a fourth-down defensive stop, the Bulldogs got a 55-yard scoring pass from Hartage to Alford and quickly got it back on an interception, Tre Slaton’s 1-yard score with 4:31 putting it away. The Dragons scored with just less than two minutes left in the game.

          It was the eighth-highest point total allowed in Jefferson program history. Jefferson beat Heard County 61-57 in a 2013 second-round game. Jefferson hadn’t allowed that many points in a loss since Elbert County won 51-7 in 2010, the Dragons’ lone non-playoff season since 1999.

          The Bulldogs have won three playoff games by an average score of 39-15.

          Now, they host Blessed Trinity, who hosted know the way to Dan Pitts Stadium. The Titans made that trip in last year’s quarterfinal, won 28-27 by Mary Persons.

 

Peach County 45, Westminster 15

          The Trojans ran, passed and defended their way to a fourth-quarter running clock.

          Trevon Woolfolk rushed for 234 yards and Antonio Gilbert threw for 184 on 14-of-17 passing.

          For full details: http://highschoolsports.blog.ajc.com/2017/11/24/peach-county-45-westminster-15/

 

Mount Paran 14, Stratford 7

          Stratford got a quality passing night from quarterback Christian Palmer, but Mount Paran got just enough offense in the fourth quarter to win the game.

          The visiting Eagles were outgained 261-192, but the defense kept the host Eagles out of the end zone for more than three quarters.

          Palmer connected with Jaden Harris for a 25-yard touchdown in the first quarter on Stratford’s first series, and the teams went back and fourth for awhile.

          Mount Paran finally got a chance after a shanked punt with 11:13 left in the game. The hosts went 46 yards in four plays to tie it with 10:02 to go.

          A three-and-out and short punt followed, and Mount Paran needed nine plays to go the same distance, eating up nearly four minutes and taking the lead with 3:34 left.

          Stratford tried to rally, but an interception with about a minute left sealed it.

          Palmer was 7 of 14 for 101 yards, but the Mount Paran defense held Stratford to 91 rushing yards on 30 tries while getting 165 yards on 37 carries.

          Stratford finished the season 10-2, its first 10-win season since joining the GHSA in 2014. The Eagles are 33-15 since then.

 

Irwin County 21, Macon County 15

          It was 7-7 at halftime, 15-15 after three quarters.

          Irwin County went ahead about midway through the fourth quarter, and the Indians’ defense made the six-point lead hold up by stopping the Bulldogs on downs with a little more than two minutes left in the game.

          Macon County ends the season at 8-4, and a new Class A public champ will be crowned from Irwin County, ECI, Clinch County and Mount Zion.