Sept. 17, 2017

Struggles in Sandersville over?

At the end of last season, Joel Ingram's career win total sat at 99.

His Washington County team opened 2017 with a 49-18 loss to Class 5A Jones County. Then it lost 42-17 to Class AAAA No. 10 Burke County. And then came a disheartening 34-28 loss at home to Baldwin.

He'll never forget No. 100, for many reasons.

It came at home, always important, and especially when you start 0-3 after going 9-3 a year ago and losing by 31 in the second round of the playoffs.

But goodness, No. 100 was so much more.

The Golden Hawks beat Evans 49-48 in overtime in the House of Pain, and needed to hold off Evans six times in regulation and overtime.

And how'd they win?

They blocked the danged PAT in overtime, on a kicker who was flawless all night, including eight touchbacks.

Quarterback Jake Helton has a big night with 265 yard passing and 73 rushing, and five touchdowns.

The Golden Hawks should maintain the momentum, with East Laurens - winless, and a 49-24 loser at home last year - coming to town on Friday.

Showdown set in Butler

If you're a small-school snob, bring your nose down to a normal level, and consider a trip to Butler on Friday for Macon County and Taylor County.

You shan't regret it.

Macon County is the defending GHSA Class A public state champion, and along the way, the Bulldogs thumped an upstart Vikings group 63-27 in Montezuma, ending Taylor County's perfect start.

Taylor County bowed up and won seven straight games, including the playoff opener, 34-31 over Trion. The Vikings pounded 2014 Class A public champ Hawkinsville 56-21 and regular contender Dooly County 28-14.

Despite being just down the road - Georgia 49 and U.S. 19 - only 30 miles, the teams have played but 19 times, Macon County leading 10-9. The Bulldogs are up 5-4 in the last nine, but the teams have only played five times since 2010, when the current players were old enough to at least know of the football teams in town.

The Vikings are up 3-2 in those recent meetings, but have been outscored 103-82, thanks mostly to last year's thumping.

Surprises from Friday

Perry's recent history against Harris County has been forgettable, as losing last year 35-17, and three straight as the century turned, by 15, 25 and two points.

But the Panthers exorcised some demons with a 49-46 win Friday over a Class 5A school. They lost won a similar showdown 34-33 over Macon County in 2015, but a better win was 41-35 over Baldwin in 2013, one of three wins that season.

That puts Perry at 2-1 for the first time since 2012 when they finished 6-5 under current Veterans assistant Stacey Harden. ...

Upson-Lee appeared to have some momentum after a quality loss last week, 17-7 to Class 5A ranked team Griffin. But the Knights took a step backward with their 40-20 home loss to Callaway, which had three so-so wins. ...

Peach County's Mitchell Fineran is among the state's top placekickers, but he's no doubt kicking himself - sorry, soooo very sorry - for a field goal try Friday in the win over Mary Persons.

The snap was low, bobbled and dropped. But Fineran went through anyway, trying for a field goal that had nooo chance in hell of going anywhere.

It bounced around, never getting above knee level, and players milled about, until Mary Persons' Daniel Lavelle grabbed it and headed the distance, with an escort, for a touchdown.

The surprise? That Fineran, so steady, took the whiff kick with no chance. He Tweeted later about having started the kicking motion, but no doubt he won't take that route again, and will just swing away and miss.

Expect Fineran to be the first area kicker in awhile to drill one of 50-plus before he's done. ...

Statewide: Newton's first loss of the year was painful, 57-0 to Lowndes. ...