Macon TD Club Middle Georgia Kickoff Classic: A good night for Westside and Washington County
By Michael A. Lough
The Sports Report
centralgasports@gmail.com
The funky weather from Friday night carried over to Saturday, and delayed the Macon Touchdown Club Middle Georgia Kickoff Classic.
The wait was sure worth it for Westside and Washington County.
Westside overcame allowing the opening kickoff return for a touchdown to pull away in the second half for a 34-16 win over Southwest, and Washington County got the hammer out and manhandled Baldwin 42-7 in the nightcap.
The second game mercifully had a running clock, so the day’s action finally came to an end at 1:22 a.m.
The opening game was stopped less than a minute into it, after the Patriots returned the opening kickoff 96 yards. A couple Westside plays later, the weather took over.
A few hours of mild rain, lightning, hard rain, more lightning, and plenty of thunder followed.
It took a little bit for the Seminoles to get into a groove after the break. They returned to the field on the Southwest 42, and got to the 15 before turning it over on downs.
Southwest got to the 10 after a long pass, and had a short touchdown pass nullified by an ineligible receiver, then getting stopped on fourth down a few minutes into the second quarter.
Westside quarterback Victor Dixon buys time in the first half of the 34-16 win over Southwest.
Photo: Michael A. Lough/The Sports Report of Central Georgia, www.centralgasports.com
Westside tied it on Victor Dixon’s 8-yard pass to Marquis Thomas inside three minutes left in the first quarter.
A bad snap led to a turnover, and Southwest took over on its 42 and got inside the 5 in two plays only to promptly lose yardage and then get a first-and-goal after a pass interference call.
The Seminoles thought they had a huge momentum play moments later when a pass at the goal line was deflected into the hands of Jayland Parker, and he went a hair more than 99 yards for the score.
But it became a tease, thanks to a flag on the 32, the Seminoles flagged for an illegal block.
Nevertheless, Westside took the lead for good late in the half after the pick, going 78 yards on a double-digit-play drive.
Vansean Jackson powered in from the 3, catching an off-target shotgun snap, with 38 seconds left in the half, missing the PAT but taking a 14-8 lead at the break.
Robert Davis, with his requisite towel on a shoulder, takes in second-quarter action between Southwest and Westside. He was honored at halftime.
Photo: Michael A. Lough/The Sports Report of Central Georgia, www.centralgasports.com
At halftime, the Touchdown Club honored legendary head coach Robert Davis, who finished his career at Westside –starting the program – after taking Warner Robins to a championship level.
While he sat in a golf cart at midfield and listened to his career highlights, the two head coaches left their locker rooms to visit with their old boss for a minute during the ceremony. Spoon Risper succeeded Davis, and Southwest’s Joe Dupree coached under Davis at Westside.
Then, by the halfway point of the third quarter, Westside doubled its point total, Dixon connecting with Jaylon Barden for a 40-yarder less than two minutes into the second half, and then getting, this time, the pick 6 worked.
Jadarius Mann bullrushed quarterback Travion Searcy and deflected the pass as the ball came off of Searcy’s hand, and it was plucked by tackle Javontae Fox and returned 25 yards for the score, and the Seminoles lead became 28-8 at the 6:51 mark of the third quarter.
The Golden Hawks didn’t need quite as much time to take control in the nightcap.
They were up 21-0 after a quarter, taking the lead early on a high snap out of the end zone on a punt after a three-and-out for Baldwin on the opening drive.
Washington County returned the kickoff to the Baldwin 39, and scored four plays later, quarterback Shamarcus Poole going in from the 3 at the 8:30 mark of the first quarter.
Baldwin went 3 and out, and the Golden Hawks got 38 on the first play, a Poole-to-Tayshaun Dixon catch-and-run. Poole was perfect on a corner route pass to Warren Coneway for a 26-yard touchdown four plays later, and the lead become 15-0 with just less than six minutes left in the first quarter.
The Golden Hawks followed another three-and-out with a scoring drive, keyed by a 38-yard pass from Poole to Dixon. Poole scooped up a low snap and barely crossed the line from a half-yard out to end the 10-play drive.
The kick failed, but the lead was still 21-0 late in the first quarter.
The second quarter was a scoreless stalemate, but Washington County dealt a major body blow on the first play of the second half, Malyk Walker going around the left side for a touched-once 82-yard touchdown, the PAT making it 28-0 at the 11:42 mark of the third quarter.
The Golden Hawks added two more scores in the quarter to double their first-half output.
Washington County was 1:47 away from its first shutout since stomping East Laurens 56-0 in 2017. The last Golden Hawk shutout over a team that made the playoffs the previous year was a season earlier when Washington County topped Southwest 21-0, the Patriots finishing 6-5.
The Golden Hawks had two straight 30-point wins in 2013 and 2016, winning 56-7 and 40-7. Baldwin’s late touchdown pass with 1:47 left kept the last shutout on the Braves’ side, a 28-0 win in 2007.
Westside hosts Harris County next, with Southwest welcoming Macon County to Henderson Stadium. Baldwin hosts Jones County, and Washington County is at Jefferson County.