Teams: Please email game information – stats (offense and defense), names, big plays, etc. – to centralgasports@gmail.com by midnight Friday or by 10:30 a.m. Saturday for inclusion in Central Georgia’s only roundup.

 

Class 6A

Luella (4A/5-1) at Northside (2-4)

          Luella hasn’t played the schedule Northside has – the three region wins are over teams that are 2-13 – but finishing and knowing how to win can make a difference. The Eagles have lost three straight, by 47, 40, and 49.

Class 5A

Locust Grove (3-2/1-1) at Jones County (2-3/2-0)

          The Greyhounds D will get a test from Kaivon George, who’s averaging 113.8 yards rushing a game. But Jones County averages 165.6 yards passing and 170.4 yards rushing a game, so that balance is increasingly trouble for the opposition. Jones County leads the series 4-0, starting in 2016.

Wayne County (2-4) a No. 10 Veterans (4-2)

          The Warhawks offense is struggling in a huge way, scoring only six points in the last two games, including only the second shutout under Milan Turner. It’s the fewest points over two games at Veterans since early in the 2014 season. The defense remains fine, and the Yellow Jackets have cracked 30 points only once this season.

Class 4A

Perry (2-3) at Tift County (7A/1-3)

          Perry steps out of region in a fairly large way, jumping up to 7A competition for the first time. The Blue Devils are off a quality loss, 23-16 to Lee County, and the three losses are by a total of 29 points, to ranked teams in 3A, A/Public, and 6A. The Blue Devils will have to deal with balance (QB Lane Rucker has 785 yards passing, Makeil Kendrick 427 yards rushing, Curtis Head 359 receiving).

Spalding 17, Rutland 12, Thursday

Westside (1-3/0-1) at Howard (2-2/0-1)

          The Huskies have to avoid letting last week’s stunning 31-0 loss at West Laurens become a second loss. It may not be a pretty game: each team has passed 300 yards in total offense only once this year, Howard against Central and Westside against Baldwin.

West Laurens (3-2/2-0) at Baldwin (2-0/2-0)

          The first real region showdown against the hottest team and the freshest team. The Raiders held Howard to 165 yards in total offense. Baldwin hasn’t been tested yet, with wins over Westside (1-3) and Rutland (1-4), but the Braves at home should be confident. Even rebuilding, West Laurens seems to be very much rounding into form.

 

Class 3A

No. 4 Peach County (4-1/3-0) at No. 2 Crisp County (5-0/2-0)

          Crisp County has a three-headed rushing monster with AJ Lofton (343 yards), AJ Brown (287), and Marquise Palmer (212). Brown and Lofton share some time at quarterback. The Cougars racked up 501 yards in last week’s 38-7 win over Mary Persons, who lost 42-7 to Peach County. Mary Persons had 169 yards against Peach County, 119 against Crisp County.

Pike County (0-4/0-3) at Mary Persons (2-4/0-3)

          The schools are separated by only one county, but haven’t played since 1997. Mary Persons shut out Pike County in the three latest meetings (1995-96-97), and hold an 18-1 series lead.

Upson-Lee (4-2/2-1) at Central (4-1/3-0)

          Central is holding teams to 67 yards a game rushing, while racking up 194.8 on the ground, with QB Jalik Thomas and running back Maurice Elder. Ball control for both teams will be huge: Central has 15 turnovers, and Upson-Lee has had possession issues – or some self-destructive issue - in nearly every game. The Knights outgained Americus-Sumter 502-298 last week, and almost became A-S’s first victim. Upson-Lee is adjusting to the loss of RB De’Travious Mathis, out for the year and taking 711 rushing yards and seven touchdowns with him.

 

Class AA

East Laurens (2-2) at Baconton Charter (1-A/Public/1-3)

          A win gives the Falcons three, the most since a 4-6 season in 2015.

Northeast 40, Southwest 12, Thursday

Putnam County 55, Glenn Hills 6, Thursday

Jasper County/Monticello (2-4/1-1) at Dodge County (1-3/0-1)

          The Purple Hurricanes are giving up 15.3 points more a game than they’re scoring. The Indians have given up one more point than they’ve scored. This is, though, a good showcase for running backs Shamarian Greene of JC/M (147-585, 6 TDs) and Daylon Gordon of Dodge County (57-244, stats for three games).

Lamar County (3-3/1-1) at Bleckley County (5-1/2-0)

          Lamar County has been a bit of an enigma, a team that could easily be 4-2. Devin Bateman has 589 yards and 7 TDs passing and 437 yards and 5 TDs rushing, but the Trojans have more weapons. Dominic Sasser has a night last week, completing 13 of 24 for 392 yards and seven touchdowns. Jaden Mobley caught four for 160 yards and two scores.

 

Class A

Dooly County (0-2/0-2) at Hawkinsville (2-4/1-3)

          The teams have played 34 times. That’s the most for Dooly County, which leads 18-16, and third-most for the Red Devils.

No. 5 Dublin (4-1/3-0) at No. 9 Wilcox County (5-1/4-0)

          The Irish average 46.2 points a game on offense and give up 11.8 on defense, and the Patriots 31.7 points on offense and 14.7 on defense. Dublin’s last region game against a ranked opponent was in 2018, and the Irish are 3-2 in their last five games against ranked region opponents. Wilcox County is 1-4 in those games.

GMC (3-3/1-1) at Crawford County (0-6/0-2)

          Crawford County leads the series 4-2, but the teams haven’t played since 1993. GMC hasn’t won two region games since 2014.

Hancock Central (3-0/2-0) at ACE (2-4/1-1)

          Hancock Central QB Jaylon Hatcher is averaging 107 yards a game passing, and Qeontavious Ivey is 14th in Class A Public with 402 yards rushing, plus five TDs.

Mount de Sales (2-3) at Stratford (3-1)

          The Cavs have beaten the Eagles two straight, 21-20 and 28-7. That hadn’t happened since 2009-10. Their last three-game winning streak over Stratford was part of a 6-0 run from 1995-1998.

Schley County (3-2/1-2) at No. 6 Macon County (4-1/3-0)

          Schley County bring in Class A Public’s No. 9 rusher Zamon Ross (492 yards), while Macon County’s Davion Clark is 17th with 380 yards. Macon County QB Jakalen Williams has 594 yards passing. The Bulldogs are in a “watch the letdown” mode after last week’s big 52-33 win over Taylor County, and Schley County is more than capable of taking advantage of that.

Tattnall (3-3/1-0) at FPD (2-3)

          Tattnall’s issue is finishing, having lost two games in the fourth quarter. FPD is two plays from maybe being 4-1, with a 28-27 loss to Aquinas – which beat Tattnall 47-7 – and 21-14 to Savannah Christian.

Taylor County (4-1/3-1) at Central-Talbotton (0-5/0-3)

          The Vikings were stung at home by Macon County last week, and have a team they’ve beaten nine straight times – by a minimum of 20 points in all but one – next, before facing No. 10 Chattahoochee County next week.

 

GISA/GAPPS

Briarwood (2-3) at Westfield (4-0)

          The upstart Hornets haven’t been 5-0 since 2012, a 10-2 season after a 6-0 start. Three of their four wins have been by double figures, while the AA Buccaneers are on a L-W-L-W-L run.

Bulloch (3-1) at Trinity Christian (0-4)

          It’s homecoming for the Crusaders, facing a team whose lone loss is to a quality GHSA Class A Private team, Calvary Day.

Southland (0-5) at Gatewood (4-1)

          The Gators rebounding from a thumping by John Milledge with a tough 21-12 win over Briarwood, and now get a team they haven’t played and one that has been competitive in three of its five losses.

Thomas Jefferson (5-1) at Piedmont (4-1)

          The visitors are outscoring opponents by 15.8 points a game, to 10.8 for the hosts.