By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com
 

FRIDAY

Games of the week (all at 7:30 p.m.)

Dodge County (1-0) at West Laurens (2-0)

          West Laurens has the edge in depth and the ability to pass some with QB A.J. Mathis. Peyton Bush is among the state’s top kickers, which should be huge in a field-position tussle. … The Raiders have two shutouts, the second one (Crisp County) an impressive one. … The Indians have won the last two meetings, 26-20 and 3-0. This score should fit somewhere in the middle, regardless of who wins.

Dublin (2-0) at Swainsboro (1-0)

            The Irish have a pair of dominant wins over Class A programs, but this is a bigger test, also coming on the road. … Swainsboro beat a struggling Jefferson County team 14-12 on the road, and managed only 190 yards on offense. Dublin’s defense has size and speed, even with DE Steven Linton hobbled (hamstring). The Irish have a little depth on defense, and their wing-T offense is sharp. If they get the passing game going, Swainsboro’s in trouble.

Fitzgerald (1-1) at Dooly County (1-0)

            The Purple Hurricane take their crack at slowing down QB Bo Lawson. … Fitzgerald is trying to avoid consecutive losses to Class A teams. Irwin County, No. 4/2, won 16-10 last week at Fitzgerald. Dooly County is No. 7 in the AJC’s public poll.  … The AA Purple Hurricane need a win, with games at 4A Upson-Lee and AA No. 7 Dodge County next. Last year’s 4-6 regular season was the team’s worst since 1999, the year before current head coach Tucker Pruitt’s dad Robby took over.

Jones County (2-0) at Northside (1-1)

            The Greyhounds are a different kind of wide open than Peach County, but Northside still has weapons to deal with at the skill positions. … Northside leads 6-1, winning 36-22 in 2015.  … The Eagles haven’t been 1-2 since 1997, which is also the last time they lost to Peach County. … Jones County QB Hunter Costlow is 24-37-1 for 523 yards in two games, and receivers Maleek Wooten and Jontavis Robertson will be a task for Northside’s pass coverage. … The visitors side will have about as many as the visitor for Northside and Warner Robins.

Peach County (1-0) at Lee County (2-0)

            Lee County is No. 1 in Class 6A in both polls, with region rival Coffee No. 2. Peach County is No. 2/3 after beating Northside, region foes for Lee County and Coffee. … The Trojans got out of the game against a 6A team intact health wise, not to mention confidence wise – QB Jaydon Gibson managed the game superbly in his starting debut under serious conditions - and were fairly disciplined penalty-wise. … Lee County head coach Dean Fabrizio is a former Peach County assistant, and he’s likely spent all week preparing his Trojans – who haven’t lost to a smaller-class team since 2009 - for a set of Trojans who aren’t a normal 3A program.

Veterans (2-0) at Baldwin (0-2)

            Veterans is 2-0 for the first time. Baldwin is 0-2, hasn’t started off 0-3 since 2004, six years before Veterans’ first football game. This is Veterans’ toughest opponent so far, with more speed and size than Upson-Lee and Bleckley County, both in smaller classes, like Baldwin. The Braves have struggled on offense in both games, but their defense will have to keep them in the game. The Warhawks turned five turnovers last week into points, so they’ll have to prove they can sustain more long, keep-the-defense-busy drives.

Westside (2-0) at Perry (2-0)

            This battle of even teams may come down to one thing: Can Perry consistently tackle big ol’ TyShaun Freeman on a regular basis and keep him far below his average of 133.5 yards a game? Quarterbacks Victor Dixon of Westside and Lane Rucker of Perry are off to nice starts. ... This game should have some juice. Will Westside, all of 35 minutes away, come close to filling the visitor’s side and give the Seminoles a boost? Perry hasn’t been, well, 2-1 since 2012, and 3-0 since 1998, years before any of the players involved in this game were born. And with the new facilities to show off, this could be a playoff atmosphere for the home team.

The rest of the schedule

Aquinas (2-0) at Wilkinson County (0-1)

Bowdon (0-2) at Monticello (0-1)

Howard (1-1) vs. Central (0-1), Ed DeFore

Central-Talbotton (0-1) at Crawford County (0-1)

George Walton (1-0) at Stratford (0-1)

Harris County at Upson-Lee (1-1)

Hawkinsville (1-1) at Wilcox County (1-0)

Jeff Davis (2-0) at East Laurens (0-2)

Josey (0-1) at Hancock Central (0-1)

Lamar County (1-1) at ACE (1-1)

Morrow (1-1) at Mary Persons (2-0)

Mount de Sales (2-0) at Pinecrest (0-1)

Mount Vernon Presbyterian (1-1) at FPD (0-1)

Putnam County (1-1) at Greene County (0-1)

Rutland (0-1) at Houston County (2-0)

Southwest (0-1) at Macon County (0-1)

Tattnall (1-1) at Trinity Christian-Sharpsburg (2-0)

Taylor County (0-1) at Turner County (1-1)

Telfair County (1-0) at Bleckley County (1-1)

Treutlen (1-1) at Twiggs County (0-1)

GISA

Brentwood at John Milledge (1-0)

John Hancock at Briarwood (0-1)

Piedmont (1-0) at Thomas Jefferson (1-0)

Southland (1-0) at Westfield (0-1)

Trinity Christian (1-0) at Gatewood (0-1)

GICAA

Central Christian at Fullington

Covenant at Holy Ground Baptist

Hearts at Twiggs