Roundup: Thrillers for Mary Persons, Dodge County, FPD, big nights for Jones County, Perry, Putnam County, Dublin, among others
Any update will be around 11 a.m. Saturday, based on new information contributions from teams.
Dear coaches and teams: PLEASE UPDATE YOUR MAXPREPS ROSTERS, so kids can accurately be credited for doing good things. Ditto schedules, results, and stats.
Teams: Please email game information – stats (offense and defense), names, big plays, etc. – to centralgasports@gmail.com by 10:30 a.m. Saturday for addition in Central Georgia’s only roundup.
Northside 38, Houston County 21
The Eagles clinched second place and a home playoff game by leading their county rival from the start, marching out to a 17-0 lead. The Bears got within 17-7, but a 10-point margin twice was the best they could do, the Eagles getting a pick-6 from Keontae Rhymes that was countered by a 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Ryan Taleb, making it still an 18-point game.
Class 5A
Jones County 69, Woodland 26
The Greyhounds hit a high-point total dating all the way back to, well, last year, when they beat Eagle’s Landing 70-20. They topped Woodland 49-0 last year. Jones County’s sixth straight win sets up a region title game next week with visiting Dutchtown.
No. 4 Ware County 28, Veterans 21
The Warhawks gave the region champs major fits before they could officially become region champs. Ware County led the entire time, but couldn’t pull away from the hosts. Matthew Bruce’s score after a fake punt pulled Veterans within 13-7. Ware County converted a turnover into points, but the Warhawks answered on on a long pass from Bruce to Preston Byrd. The Gators wasted no time, scoring right away on a 55-yard TD pass from Thomas Castellanos to Jarvis Hayes late in the third quarter. Byrd followed catching a flea flicker pass of more than 60 yards with a 23-yard screen pass from Bruce for a TD to pull Veterans back within a score. But the Warhawks couldn’t take advantage of any possessions after that, falling to 2-7 and 1-3.
Friday night’s Central Georgia scouting reports
Who’s going to win this week’s games?
Maxwell Ratings predictions
Monday Afternoon QB: Region playoff analysis; Central Georgia polls; Loughdmouthings
Macon TD Club honorees
Last week’s roundup: Peach County’s monster comeback; trophies for Bleckley County, Putnam County, and GMC; Tattnall gamble pays off, big night for Brentwood’s Denton
No. 5 Warner Robins 22, No. 7 Coffee 7
The Trojans took a 7-0 lead, but that was it, the Demons getting a Daniel Barber field goal and long pass from Christon Lane to Daveon Walker in the second quarter put Warner Robins up 10-7 at the half. The Demons finished off a long drive – including a big gain by Malcolm Brown on fourth down – with Fred Perry’s short run. They sealed on on Brown’s late fourth-quarter TD run. The win clinched second for the Demons, who get at least one home game in the playoffs.
Class 4A
No. 8 Perry 35, Howard o
The last time Perry had three shutouts in a season was 2005, over Crisp County, Southwest, and South Effingham. The Panthers – who retired the jersey of grad and Las Vegas Raider defensive back Casey Hayward - recorded their third straight shutout by thumping the Huskies, who hadn’t been shut out this season. The Panthers led 21-0 at the half, and play Baldwin next for a share of the region title.
No. 7 Spalding 48, Westside 13
The Jaguars kept alive chances at sharing the region title, handing the Seminoles their third loss by 35 or more points. Westside visits West Laurens next week for fourth place.
West Laurens 27, Rutland 8
West Laurens kept playoff hopes alive by taking care of business against the one-win Hurricanes. The Raiders will play Westside for the fourth spot in the region.
Class AAA
Crisp County 48, Central 0
The region-leading Cougars recorded their second shutout of the season while handing the Chargers their third.
The 79th meeting won’t be forgotten for a good long time. Jackson took a 14-0 lead and was up 14-10 at halftime. The game remained close, and the Red Devils up 21-17 entering the fourth. It stayed that way in the slugfest until late. Mary Persons had gotten inside the one with more than three minutes left. QB Logan Hickman was sacked, and then threw an incomplete pass, scrambled and was stopped, and then threw incomplete on fourth and goal.
Jackson, which had ball-control issues, took over on its 7 with 1:22 left, and had a fourth down at its 4 with 12 seconds left. Jackson’s punter took the snap deep in the end zone and ran to his left, out of the end zone and was pushed out of bounds at the 15. Mary Persons had the ball at its 10 with five seconds left. Hickman took the shotgun snap and fired a fade route to the left corner of the end zone, and Ty Dumas came down with the game-winner.
The Bulldogs stormed the field, on the Jackson side, the Red Devils suffering their second remarkable heartbreak in a week. Last week at Peach County, Jackson led 28-10 in the fourth quarter and gave up 22 straight points to the Trojans to trail, and then had chances to win but couldn’t convert.
Mary Persons is all but set for third place at 4-2, with 0-7 Sumter County next. Jackson takes fourth with a win over Upson-Lee, but sits with a loss to the Knights, who are a game behind but would win the tiebreaker with a victory.
Peach County 46, Upson-Lee 16
The hosts battled with the defending region champs for awhile, trailing only 19-16 at halftime after Tre Bloodser’s 82-yard run in the final minutes of the second quarter. But the Trojans got more aggressive and scored four minutes into the third quarter, starting them on a 27-0 run en route to killing the upset hopes and putting a dent in the playoff hopes of the 4-5/2-4 Knights while all but clinching second place. Upson-Lee, though, got a break with Jackson’s loss to Mary Persons, setting up a showdown in Jackson for perhaps the final spot.
Class AA
No. 9 Dodge County 26, No. 10 Washington County 19
Washington County suffered yet another fourth-quarter heartbreak. The Golden Hawks trailed 6-3 at halftime, took a 10-6 lead, lost the lead 12-10, retook it 16-12 with five minutes left in the game and added a field goal with about three minutes left.
That lasted for less than a half minute. QB Duke Johnson connected with Cortez Baker on first down for a 91-yard touchdown. The Indians had some PAT issues, but lineman Landynn Powers drilled it, to tie it at 19 with 2:55 left. Dodge County’s line drive onside kick bounced off a Golden Hawk facemask was recovered by the Indians at midfield. Johnson ran for a first down to the 32, as did Lamarie Mirchell. Freshman Johnson went in from a yard out with 69 seconds left, Powers adding the PAT for a 26-19 lead. An intentional grounding and a personal foul flag led to a fourth and 30 at the Washington County 15, and the Golden Hawks came up short.
Dodge County is third and Washington County fourth.
Jeff Davis 43, East Laurens 0
The Falcons dropped to fifth with their second-worst loss of the season and third shutout. They need to beat Toombs County and have Vidalia lost to Swainsboro to have a playoff spot.
No. 5 Northeast 40, Jasper County 7
The Raiders clinched the second seed officially with the romp over winless Jasper County, the third time Northeast has scored 40 points this year and sixth time it’s held a team under 10 points.
No. 6 Putnam County 49, Josey 18
The War Eagles remain undefeated with their fourth win by at least 30 points. A win over 0-9 Butler clinches the region title outright and a perfect regular season.
Bleckley County 42, Southwest 6, Thursday
Class A Public
Dublin 45, Telfair County 7
The Irish got back to Irish ball and rolled, bruising their way into sole possession of third place with co-leader Montgomery County next, and Johnson County and Dooly County right behind. J.T. Wright had 77 yards on two first-half touchdown runs alone as Dublin took a 20-0 lead that was upped to 28-7 with Quay Ashley’s second TD – his two covered 64 yards – in the final minute. John Potter added a field goal for a 31-7 halftime lead. Telfair County’s lone touchdown came late in the second quarter.
Dublin outgained Telfair County 467-206, all on the ground with no pass attempts, only two fewer than the hosts, and on 11 fewer snaps. Wright went off for 231 yards and three scores on 11 carries, Ashley with 124 on seven with two.
GMC 41, ACE 6
GMC led 13-6 after ACE scored late in the second quarter, but the undefeated Bulldogs pulled away in the third quarter to seal the first perfect season in school history and the first home playoff game in school history. The Gryphons are all but set for third place, a game behind Warren County – which plays 3-6/1-4 Wilkinson County – and ahead of likely fourth-place Crawford County.
Jessie Washington ran 27 times for 147 yards and two scores for the Bulldogs, GMC rushing for 219 yards and passing for 66. Corey Brookins led the defense with eight tackles.
Hancock Central 28, Wilkinson County 14
The defending region champs stayed alive for a playoff spot with their second straight win.
Hawkinsville 22, Treutlen 19
Johnson County 21, Dooly County 14
The Trojans’ win put them in a tie for fourth with Dooly County at 4-3 each. Johnson County has 2-7/1-6 Hawkinsville and Dooly County has 3-6/2-5 Telfair County next.
Marion County 17, Taylor County 6
Warren County 44, Twiggs County 0
Class A Private
FPD 14, Stratford 7
The Vikings clinched the top seed and all but clinched the region championship outright – they host winless Strong Rock – with the gritty defensive win.
The teams combined for all of 346 yards total offense, 204-142 in favor of Stratford. The run-heavy Eagles outpassed the more balanced Vikings 123-32 in yards, and FPD outrushed Stratford 110-81, led by Griffin Green’s 85 yards on 21 carries. Lawson Cole was 6 for 13 for 123 yards for the Eagles, and Jahkari Williams was 5 of 11 for only 32 yards for the Vikings.
Williams powered in from 3 yards out to give FPD a second-quarter lead, and Green added to it from 2 yards out inside the first minute of the third quarter. The Vikings had a shutout until Shaun Wilmore scored from the 3 with 1:45 left in the game.
Mount de Sales 14, Deerfield-Windsor 10
The Cavs sealed at least fourth place with the win in a battle. They trailed 7-0 midway through the first quarter and tied it in the first minute of the second quarter on Fernando Washington’s 1-yard run. The Knights retook the lead on a 47-yard field goal two minutes later, only for Washington to go 97 yards at the 5:39 mark of the third quarter for the lead, and a scoreless fourth quarter followed.
Washington had him a night, accounting for 229 of Mount de Sales’ 251 yards total offense, all his damage coming on the ground. Mount de Sales held D-W to 161 yards, and 1 for 8 on third down.
Tattnall 41, Strong Rock 16
The Trojans rolled as expected, cracking the 40-point mark for the fifth time this season.
GISA
John Milledge 61, Creekside Christian 0
The Trojans needed less than two hours to dispatch of the winless visitors with their highest point total since hammering Valwood 62-19 in the 2019 championship, and biggest margin since blasting Windsor 64-0 in 2012. It was 48-0 at halftime. JMA outgained Creekside 233-36, the visitors losing two yards on the ground. QB Briggs Eady ran for one touchdown and passed for four touchdowns, two to Marcus Prestwood, who also had an interception return for a touchdown.
Piedmont 35, Gatewood 34
Gatewood’s six-game winning streak against Piedmont came to an end, as did a 10-game region winning streak. Piedmont avenged last year’s 42-21 loss.
Westfield 47, Bethlehem Christian 35
The host Hornets finally got off the roller coaster with a smile. It was tied at 14 after one, Bethlehem Christian doubled up in the second for a 28-14 halftime lead. Westfield won the third quarter 20-0 on a runs by Porter Faulk and Noah Blackmon (for 70 yards) and a pick-6 by Brody McDaniel. The Knights got within 40-35 with 5:14 left, but Faulk sealed it with a 31-yard run at the 2:51 mark.
The teams combined for 950 yards, BC getting 14 more yards on 29 more snaps. The Knights passed for 355 yards, the Hornets ran for 294. Hunter Kirkley was 9 of 13 for 174 yards and two scores passing, while Faulk had 117 yards and Blackmon 99.
Fullington (1-7/0-1) at John Hancock ((1-7/0-1)