Roundup: ACE pops up for 70, Warner Robins and Macon County lose at home, good coaching debuts at Houston County, Mount de Sales, and thrillers
By Michael A. Lough
The Sports Report
centralgasports@gmail.com
ACE 70, Crawford County 53
The first game for head coach Keith Hatcher at ACE isn’t one he or his new team will forget soon. For one, it’s ACE’s first season-opening win in program history, now starting its fifth varsity season. The point total set a program record by 18 points (52-6, Glascock County, 2019). And the Eagles scored the third-highest total against ACE, Crawford County’s top point output since a 55-0 win over Stewart County in 2015. The 70 was the highest total allowed in Crawford County history. The Gryphons won last year’s meeting 30-14.
Aucilla Christian, Fla, 36, Fullington 35
Bleckley County 33, Dodge County 6
The Royals led 27-0 at halftime en route to their second-biggest win over major rival Dodge County in series history, improving to 15-32 against the Indians. It’s the first time since 2012 Dodge County has been held to single digits by the Royals, and the losing streak of four straight matches a series high for Dodge County, 2010-2013.
CFCA 41, Rock Springs 0
Covenant 56, Nat Greene 0
Crisp County 17, Dooly County 6
Deerfield-Windsor 45, Westfield 28
The hosts broke a 21-all tie with a score with only 13 second left in the half, and continued the momentum with a 17-7 second half. Westfield was within a touchdown after Hunter Kirkley’s 75-yard run at the 9:28 mark of the fourth quarter, but D-W scored five minutes later and then sealed it with 2:02 left. Westfield gained 377 yards to 412 for D-W, on 12 more plays. Kirkley threw for 199 yards and ran for 125, accumulating four touchdowns. The Hornets gave up 235 passing yards and 74 rushing yards to QB Thomas Ray.
Dublin 21, Wilkinson County 0
The 1,000th game to start the 100th year of football at Dublin was closer than almost nobody expected, the Irish leading only 7-0 after three. They scored twice in the first three minutes of the fourth quarter, on Micah O’Neal’s 8-yard run and Trai Baldwin’s 50-yard punt return. Dublin had one less first down, only six, than Wilkinson County, which was outgained 156-57 despite 14 more plays. Dublin managed only 122 rushing yards, and survived 10 penalties for 95 yards. The Warriors converted only two of 14 third downs.
John Milledge 42, Brentwood 7
The GIAA Class AAA Trojans won their 38th straight, pulling away early from the AA defending champ War Eagles. JMA led 20-7 at halftime, Brentwood answering two Trojan scores with a Bryce Williford short score. Almost four minutes later, Baylen Zielinski restarted John Milledge’s scoring with an 11-yard score. Brentwood held off the Trojans until the 1:06 mark of the second quarter and Jalan Butts’ 4-yard TD. JMA put the clamps on with a 15-point third quarter. Butts had three touchdowns on runs of 15, 11, and 7 yards, while QB Briggs Eady raced for 149 yards and one 68-yarder, passing for 151 yards. The JMA defense held Brentwood to 182 yards in total offense while the Trojans racked up 454 yards.
Hancock Central 52, Glenn Hills 7
The Bulldogs cracked 50 points in a game for the sixth straight season for their second season-opening win in the last nine.
Houston County 41, Sumter County 7
The Jeremy Edwards Era got off to a quality start when junior Ryan Taleb finished off a 90-yard drive with a score, and the Bears went on to score on six straight possessions after Class AA Sumter County (1-8 last year) kept the ball the entire first quarter. Taleb finished with three touchdowns. The competition picks up when Houston County – which cracked 40 points for the first time since a 54-0 win over Rutland in early 2019 – hosts Class AAAA No. 6 Perry next week.
Howard 45, Southwest 12
The Huskies hit the 45-point mark for the first time since the 2020 season finale, a 53-30 win over Spalding. They beat the Patriots 35-0 last year. The win broke a five-game losing streak in openers for the Huskies.
Lamar County 48, Wilcox County 28
The Trojans rolled on the road against a team that went 10-4 last year in Class A Public and reached the semifinals. It was Lamar County’s second straight win over a ranked team, following last year’s 28-20 finale in AA against No. 5 Northeast. It was 7-all when Ty Head went 72 yards for a score. Wilcox County answered six minutes later, but missed the PAT. The Trojans gained control with three second-quarter touchdowns, the first coming a minute after the Patriots’ touchdown. Qua Hughley went in from a yard, Head caught a 63-yard pass from Jordan Glover for six, and standout CJ Allen ran it in from 19 yards, Wilcox County scoring seconds later to pull within 34-20 at the half. Allen’s 53-yard scoring run two minutes into the third made it a 21-point game, and he added a 79-yard TD run late in the third.
Lee County 26, Warner Robins 10
After kickoff was delayed more than two hours because of weather, Class 6A Lee County got ahead early and never let the defending 5A champs get into a groove. The Demons opened with a higher-classification opponent for the sixth straight year. They lost to Valdosta I 2020 only to get a win on a forfeit. Lee County was the last team to beat the Demons by double figures, 27-7 midway through the 2020 season. The last “normal” loss was 55-3 to Northside in 2016. It was the rare game in which Warner Robins never led, and trailed 13-0 after one, giving up a last-second halfback jump pass score of 43 yards on the final play of the first quarter. The margin was 13-7 at halftime, thanks to a 50-yard TD pass from Chase Reese to Cam Flowers midway through the second. Lee County got a touchdown and Warner Robins a last-second second-quarter field goal for a 20-10 Trojans halftime lead. They didn’t seal it, though, until the final three minutes of the game.
Mount de Sales 26, Strong Rock 12
The Cavs led 7-6 at halftime, and started pulling ahead three minutes into the third on Fernando Washington’s 28-yard run. Jojo Harden made it a 14-point game with a 1-yard run at the 2:51 mark of the third quarter. Washington put it away inside the final minute of the quarter with a 68-yard scoring run. Strong Rock’s final score game in the last two minutes.
Peach County 50, Baldwin 20
There were 20 points score inside the first 90 seconds, and that’s where the shootout stopped. Peach County extended a 14-6 lead into a running clock, despite a staggering 18 penalties for 170 yards. Baldwin played one of its worst games in awhile, with 13 flags for 110 yards and mistakes galore, including givng up a safety and throwing three interceptions. It’s only the second time in Jesse Hicks’ 13 years at Baldwin the Braves have given up 50 points, Brookwood winning 59-34 last year. The Trojans scored 50 for the first time since putting 62 in a shutout win last year over Pike County. It’s Peach County’s first 50-point game against a higher-classification team since a 54-14 win over Griffin, then in 5A, in 2020’s second game.
Portal 21, Hawkinsville 20
Schley County 28, Tattnall 21
Tattnall went toe to toe with the GHSA Class A-II No. 1, marching out to a 14-0 lead on two short Cameron Person runs only for Schley County to rally back with two scores in the final 3:34 of the second quarter, including on the final play. The visitors took the lead inside the first minute of the third quarter on a 58-yard pass, the Trojans tying it up a quarter later on another Person run. But the Wildcats took the lead for good on a 18-yard run with 2:08 left in the game. Tattnall ran 45 times for 183 yards, but Schley County completed 20 of 25 passes for 272 yards.
Southland 21, Taylor County 20
Brandon Byram’s first game as Taylor County’s head coach was a disappointing surprise with a loss at home to a GIAA Class AAA team that finished 4-7 last year.
Trinity Christian 41, Piedmont 40
Union Grove 17, Upson-Lee 6
The Knights were held to six points in a second straight opener, losing 24-6 last year to 4A LaGrange.
Veterans 23, Richmond Academy 20
The Warhawks trailed 13-0, then took a 23-13 lead, only for Richmond Academy to get back within three and then threaten midway through the fourth quarter. The Warhawks picked picked off a pass in the end zone, and then Veterans was able to run time off the clock and stop Richmond Academy’s final offensive possession with no real stress to clinch new head coach Josh Ingram’s win on his first try.
Walnut Grove 30, Jasper County 0
Washington-Wilkes 28, East Laurens 7
The Falcons fell to the No. 10 team in Class A-II, which finished 9-3 last year.
Westside 39, Central 12
The Seminoles won their 10th opener in 11 games, not including the 2020 meeting with Central, won 12-7 by the Chargers but erased as a forfeit for playing an ineligible player. Excluding that Westside game, Central has lost five straight openers.
Wheeler County 42, GMC 14
A 28-point second quarter put Wheeler County in control en route to GMC’s worst loss since the 56-0 loss to Gordon Lee in the first rond of the 2020 playoffs. Last year, the Bulldogs gave up only 76 points in 11 games. GMC’s run game was stuffed to less than two dozen yards, and it completed only 41.2 percent of its passes en route to 121 yards total offense.
Whitefield Academy 35, Macon County 30
The No. 3 team in Class A-II lost to the No. 8 team in Class A-I, the Bulldogs’ first home regular-season loss to an unranked team in the same class since Dooly County won 26-8 in 2019. Macon County was unranked and finished 6-5. Down 21-17 at halftime, Macon County took a three-point lead two minutes into the third, but the Wolfpack retook it and outscored the Bulldogs 14-13 in the second half.