By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com
 

Game of the week

          The linemen will have fun. The offensive linemen.

          Westside’s defense must deal with an increasing deep group of runners in Howard’s improving wing-T offense. The Huskies must deal with a 250-pound running back who doesn’t always run like a 250-pound running back?

          So, who is Howard’s 250-pound scout team tailback?

          “No, we don’t have one,” Howard head coach Paul Carroll chuckled. “We’ll put Braxton (Wise) or Aaron (Kurtz), one of those guys back there.”

          The play will be fast and physical when Westside takes on Howard at the Ed DeFore Sports Complex in a battle of 2-1 teams.

          Westside’s TyShaun Freeman averages nearly 120 yards a game, and has done a nice job outrunning defenders who are supposed to catch a 250-pounder. And quarterback Victor Dixon has experience running the offense.

          “He gets it about 15 times a game,” Carroll said. “But they can throw the ball, too. The quarterback can move, and can throw on the move.”

          Howard counters with a wing-T, keyed by quarterback Quintan Sewell and running back Jeremiah Kelly and Javarsia Meadows. Kelly and Meadows team for 134 yards a game, and have seven rushing touchdowns between them.

          “They are fast. Oh my gosh, they are fast. Jeremiah, he makes those guys go. They are plaing super fast.”

          The Huskies are getting about 350 yards a game on the ground, and are a little more effective than Carroll expected this year in a year of some coaching transition.

          “I’m really surprised offensively that we’re able to run the wing-T as effective as we’re doing it. Like the other night against Central. They had at least nine or 10 guys in the box, and we still were physical and running the football.”

          There’s still some cleaning up to do for both teams, a little more for Westside. The Seminoles have had two long interceptions – one for a touchdown, one to the 3 – called back for a bad block far from the play.

          “On both of those interceptions, we didn’t score on either one of ‘em,” Risper said. “That’s why I’m going bald right now, and graybearded, because of plays like that.”

          So, the Seminoles could very easily be 1-2. One of those plays came against Perry, a three-point loss.

          So, the Seminoles could be 3-0.

          “We have to cut down on silly, foolish mistakes against good football teams,” said Risper, whose team survived a penalty-heavy game against Southwest in the opener, winning 21-0. “Perry, it caught up with us. We … kinda got away with it the first game.”

          Howard’s two wins have been by 36 and 20 points, over a Class A and AAA schools. That lone loss was very close to a program-inspiring win over a ranked Class 5A team, but the Huskies – plagued by too many pre-snap penalties and a few defensive breakdowns n third and long – lost 34-28.

CJ Grimsley, DeAndre Shelton, and Lorenzo Hargrove key a defense that has some size – the front six in the 3-3-5 averages about 5-10 and 222 points.

          Both teams have a couple player nicked up, but none who won’t play in a game with one program that hasn’t had a losing season in its history – which started with region play in 1998 – under only two head coaches and one that has two winning seasons in its 10-year history, and is on its fourth head coach.

          But Risper said Howard’s history appears to be just that, history.

          “They are a legitimate program,” said Risper, happy to see more success in Bibb County. “They’re continuing what Coach (Barney) Hester started, and they have that Paul Carroll toughness and meanness about ‘em. That program is going in the right direction.”

          He just hopes for some temporary re-direction.

 

Games of the week

Statesboro (2-0) at Veterans (3-0)

          It’s the biggest home game in a long time for the Warhawks, who can record the program’s third-best win total in a season. Veterans has won eight games once, five games, once, and four games twice. Getting off to such starts was the norm for Statesboro up until a few years ago, so the Blue Devils are hungry to keep their momentum going.      

Houston County (2-1) at Peach County (1-1)

          Peach County is in a different situation, coming off a rare – in all phases – Friday night, a 33-0 loss at Lee County, a game voluntarily ended early because of lightning. How do the Trojans respond? During the week, and on game night? Does that give Houston County a jolt of confidence? And what if the Trojans are a little down – and still overconfident – and the Bears get rolling early?

Union Grove (2-0) at Jones County (3-0)

          The Region 4-5A opener pits a team that gets nearly 340 yards a game on the ground against a balanced team that has a mighty efficient passing game with QB Hunter Costlow, a number of running threats led by Semaj Ingram, and a defense that has some size and speed.

 

The matchups

Appling County (1-1) at Dodge County (2-0)

          The host Indians bring a high level of execution on both sides.

Central (0-2) vs. Southwest (1-1), Henderson

          The teams might be better than their records, and what better time to prove that than in a rivalry game?

Central Talbotton (0-2) at Taylor County (0-2)

          The Vikings aren’t used to scoring only 10 points a game.

Dooly County (1-1) at Clinch County (2-0)

          Dooly County had chances last week to knock off AA Fitzgerald, so the Bobcats should be well-prepped for a quality Class A opponent.

East Laurens (0-3) at Wheeler County (1-1)

          The Falcons have scored in three games 72 percent of what they scored all last year.

Glascock County (0-3) at Crawford County (1-1)

          Crawford County is fourth in Region 4-A with 69 points, almost half of 2017’s total points.

GMC (2-0)at ACE (1-2)

          ACE’s second home game is against an opponent returning to region play after a few years away, but one hoping to prove the good start isn’t a fluke.

Greenbrier (0-2) at Washington County (2-0)

          Washington County goes for its third straight win over a bigger-classification school, and had a week off to get ready.

Hancock Central (1-1) at FPD (0-2)

          FPD enters its second week in a new offense, off a decent second half in a loss last week.

Lincoln County (1-1) at Tattnall (1-2)

          The Trojans battled hard in losing 45-27 at Trinity Christian-Sharpsburg, a respectable rebound after a 55-0 loss six days earlier to AA Dublin.

Lovett (1-2) at Mary Persons (3-0)

          The Bulldogs have scored a few more points and given up a few less points each week so far.

North Cobb Christian (2-0) at Monticello (1-1)

          NCC is a Class A team off to its best start in program  history (which started in 2007), but Monticello will be amped at home.

Northeast (0-2) at Manchester (2-0)

          The Raiders are on the road against one of the top Class A teams of the past few years.

Perry (3-0) at Monroe (2-1)

          A road trip outside of Central Georgia against a quality team will be a test for Perry, off a rousing home win over Westside.

Rutland (0-2) at Holy Innocents (1-1)

          Rutland is trying to avoid its second straight 0-3 start, and third since 2014.

Upson-Lee (2-1) at Fitzgerald (2-1)

          The Knights have a long road trip haul for a game against a AA team trying to get back to its 10-win days.

Warner Robins (2-0) at Baldwin (0-3)

          The 5A Demons have scored 90 points in two games, the 4A Braves 54 – with with special teams and defensive help – in three.

Warren County (1-1) at Twiggs County (0-2)

          The Cobras are searching for the first points of 2018.

Washington-Wilkes (0-3) at Stratford (0-2)

          Two teams not used to starts like this look to right their ships as region play nears.

Whitewater (0-2) at Northside (1-2)

          Northside enters a game off consecutive losses for the first time since before its players were born.

Wilkinson County (0-2) at Burke County (0-2)

          Burke County has lost two games to ranked teams in higher classifications by a point each.

 

GISA

Gatewood (1-1) at Brentwood (1-2)

Trinity Christian (1-1) at John Milledge (2-0)

Westwood (1-2) at Piedmont (1-0-1)

 

GICAA

Covenant at Crisp

Twiggs at Nathanael Greene

Sherwood at Hancock