Friday night's Central Georgia football roundup: Northside, Warner Robins, and Peach County advance; John Milledge, Gatewood reach finals
12:20 a.m update. Thanks to Northside and Dublin for sending in game info Friday night, and John Milledge and Peach County Saturday morning. Saturday lunchtime update will include GISA information, and some additional info on other games.
Send any game details and good pictures to centralgasports@gmail.com.
QUARTERFINALS
GHSA
Class 6A
No. 7 Northside (R1, 3, 8-5) 30, No. 5/10 Sequoyah (R6, 2, 10-3) 6
The battle through Black Friday traffic in Atlanta was certainly worth the trip for Northside, which wasn’t much challenged by the Chiefs. The Eagles led 23-0, and 23-6 at halftime en route to a win in the extremely rare game that didn’t include a TD by QB Jadin Daniels.
How rare? First time this season he didn’t throw or run for six. Daniels was 3 of 4 passing for 27 yards and a pick, and was good for 135 yards on 11 carries. Daniel Neal added 112 yards and a TD on nine carries. Eric Smith, returning from injury, scored twice on nine carries.
Sequoyah managed 147 yards on 21 fewer plays than the Eagles, who averaged 8 yards a carry en route to only one more first down. Chiefs QB Collier Pecht was 10 of 28 for 141 yards and a touchdown, with an interception.
Next: Northside travels to Dacula (R8, 1, 11-2), 56-21 winner over Valdosta (R1, 2, 8-4) or Dacula (R8, 1, 10-2). The Eagles are in their fifth semifinal under Kevin Kinsler.
Class 5A
No. 3 Warner Robins (R1, 1, 11-2) 21, Clarke Central (R8, 3, 8-5) 14
Clarke Central brought the defense to town and kept the Demons very much in check throughout the first half, Warner Robins’ initial first down not coming until the second quarter, the Gladiators holding a 7-0 halftime lead, aided by a missed field goal. The Demons got going a bit early in the third on a 54-yard TD pass from Dylan Fromm to Marcayll Jones.
Clarke Central blew a chance to do something right after with a fumble. After some botched play on both sides, Fromm and Jones hooked up for a short score and a 14-7 lead. Warner Robins’ defense bowed up and, after another missed field goal, the Demons went up two scores on Deondre Duhart’s 8-yard run early in the fourth. The Gladiators added a touchdown with less than 90 seconds left, and the Demons ran out the clock to clinch the semifinal visit.
At home. Against Rome. Who won 38-0 at The Mac a year ago.
Next: vs. Rome (R7, 1, 13-0), 28-14 winner over Dutchtown (R4, 1, 12-1)
Class 4A
No. 6/6 Marist (R7, 2, 11-2) 10, No. 3/2 Mary Persons (R2, 1, 12-1) 7
Marist was able to do in one game what few teams have done for even a few consecutive series, and that’s keep the Bulldogs’ record-setting offense in serious check. In more check than anybody’s done since, well, 53 weeks ago when visiting Blessed Trinity won 28-7. But the Bulldogs weren’t averaging 49.2 points a game last year, they averaged about 30.
The Bulldogs scored in the third quarter for the lead, but countered mistakes with an inability to take advantage of any Marist errors. The War Eagles tied it with 8:50 left in the game, held Mary Persons on fourth and 2 at the Marist six, and then kicked the game-winning field goal with 2:16 left. The Bulldogs started on their 20 and crossed midfield, but suffered a sack and then an offensive pass interference call leading to a third and 31 and then turning it over on downs in the final half-minute.
No. 2/2 Cartersville (R5, 1, 13-0) 42, Baldwin (R3, 1, 7-6) 13
The Braves came out swinging, and before long had a 13-0 lead, turning a botched fake punt into a touchdown pass from Derrick Lewis to Noah Hill late in the first. A 93-yard scoring drive made it 13-0 early in the second quarter. Then the Purple Hurricanes awakened, after a Baldwin special teams mistake set up a 3-yard score for a 13-7 game with 3:10 left in the half. The beginning of Baldwin’s end – which the Braves aided with mistakes and penalties - came early in the third on a 62-yard TD pass from Tee Webb to Trendon Horton less than two minutes into the quarter. Cartersville added another score midway through the third and started pulling away. Baldwin had a kickoff return for a TD – after the Purple Hurricanes went up 28-14 – nullified by a penalty. A 10-yard pick-6 opened the fourth quarter.
Class 3A
No. 4/4 Peach County (R4, 1, 11-2) 21, No. 10/10 Westminster (R5, 3, 8-5) 3
The Trojans were in a rare position early, home or away: trailing. A roughing the punter flag set up Westminster’s 27-yard field goal midway through the first quarter. Peach County went on to miss two field goals before breaking through for a 3-yard Terkel Jefferson scoring run to complete 13-play, 74-yard drive with 22 seconds left in the half.
They added Kapien Everett 5-yarder after a 4-play, 50-yard drive almost five minutes into the third, then got a 20-yard run from Tijah Woolfolk’s with 51 seconds remaining in the third. The defense kept rocking, hold Westminster to minus 18 yards in the second half – and only 61 yards total offense - en route to the Trojans’ sixth semifinal trip under Chad Campbell.
Jayden Gibson was 12 of 18 for 147 yards for the Trojans, Jefferson catching four for 63 yards and a score. Woolfolk ran 23 times for 109 yards for the Trojans, , Kam Everett added a 5-yard touchdown
Next: at Calhoun (R6, 1, 13-0), 24-12 winner over Jenkins (R3, 3, 9-4). Calhoun beat Peach County 10-6 in last year’s state championship.
Class AA
No. 7/3 Heard County (R5, 1, 11-2) 18, No. 6/6 Dublin (R3, 1, 11-2) 3
Dublin head coach Roger Holmes said earlier this week that this would be the first time all season that the Irish wouldn’t have the same starting lineup, thanks to an injury to Tyler Strickland and an ejection of Stacey Sharpe. Regardless, the Braves’ defense showed up in a big way for the physical battle, holding the Irish to 130 rushing yards and six fewer first downs. Dublin entered the game averaging 315 yards a game on the ground. Dublin took a 3-0 lead on JaQues Evans’ 33-yard field goal early in the game, the Braves countering with a 1-yard run. After a scoreless second quarter, Heard County QB Alijah Huzzah threw a 52-yard touchdown pass for a 12-3 lead, adding a 24-yarder to seal it with less than five minutes left.
No. 4/4 Callaway (R5, 2, 11-2) 35, No. 10 Washington County (R3, 3, 10-3) 20
The Golden Hawks need a precision game on the road and didn’t get it, settling for a 14-14 first-half tie because of some turnovers. Callaway eventually took advantage, getting a 51-yard scoring run from Qua Hines and following that by recovering the onside kick in a game-changing moment. The Cavaliers scored off of that, on the first play of the fourth quarter for a 28-14 lead. Callaway fumbled, and Dyquan Bloodsaw brought the Golden Hawks back within a score with a 3-yard run. Washington County’s onside kick didn’t go its way, and Callaway added insurance with a physical Hines 40-yarder inside the final two minutes.
GISA
Class AAA
Semifinals
John Milledge (R4, 1, 12-0) 24, Tiftarea (R3, 1, 11-1) 17
It wasn’t a good start for John Milledge: a safety on a punter stepping out of the end zone. After that, not bad. A field goal put John Milledge on top 3-2 at halftime. Tiftarea answered early in the third quarter, and the Trojans answered right back on Amaad Foston’s score. The game stood at 17 all until Jared Prestwood scored the game-winner with less than three minutes left, Patrick McDonel sealing it with an interception soon after. Foston finished with 177 yards rushing and two touchdowns, and Hunter Noles was perfect on three PATs while hitting a 32-yard field goal.
Next: Frederica (R2, 1, 9-3), winner over Heritage, Nov. 30, 8 p.m., at Mercer, championship
Class AA
Gatewood (R1, 1, 10-2) 42, Memorial Day (R2, 8-4) 14
Next: Terrell (R3, 1, 8-4), 17-14 winner over Edmund Burke, Nov. 30, 5 p.m., at Mercer, championship