Mary Persons and Northeast had a close game going until Mother Nature had enough

By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com

          Northeast and Mary Persons gave their all while they could.

          Mother Nature gave more. Much more. And Mother Nature is more powerful than the best of teams.

          The Raiders and Bulldogs twice tried to play some football in the nightcap of the Macon Touchdown Club’s Middle Georgia Kickoff Classic, but a feisty Mother Nature had other ideas.

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          The second stoppage was the final one of the night, with the decision coming near midnight to call it a night and consider other options.

          The teams got less than two dozen plays in before the first batch of lightning hit, stopping the game with Northeast facing a fourth down. The game was stopped at 7:51 p.m. for lightning, and the rain came in hard and at an angle about a half hour later, turning Five Star Stadium into a Weather Channel video.

          The stadium lights went out about a half hour later after a power surge that shut down everything for a second. The rain eventually slowed and stopped, and officials hurried the teams back on the field to warm up and get going a little bit before 10 p.m.

          They managed to get into a groove of some normal football.

          Northeast failed to convert on a deep drive in the first quarter when it was stopped on a red-zone fourth down, but the Raiders soon took the lead, sparked by an 18-yard run from Orintae Curry and a 28-yard pass from Nick Woodford to Cadricus Stanley, workhorse Woodford going in from a yard out and, after a blocked PAT, Northeast the lead with 9:48 left in the second.

          Mary Persons was riled, tying it in four plays, the last 55 coming on Logan Hickman’s strike to TJ Wright. Ryan Bankston was good on the kick for a 7-6 lead with 8:09 left.

          The Raiders survived a fumble in the middle of a 13-play, 78-yard drive o nthe next possession, finished by a 5-yard scoring pass from Curry to Stanley. The run failed.

          And again, the Bulldogs didn’t’ need much time, going 72 yards on four plays, Hickman hitting an open Ty Dumas on a post for a 46-yard score, and another good kick gave Mary Persons a 14-12 lead in the final half-minute of the first half.

          A short halftime and six plays later, another stoppage was called at 10:55 p.m. Officials and coaches met in almost teasing fashion before the field was cleared.

          Another meeting took place around midnight to discuss the options, including perhaps waiting out weather that was inconsistent with what some radar showed and generally obstinant.

          No option was decided on officially, including the teams possible gathering to finish the game on a non-Friday date. GHSA rules don’t allow for coaches to agree on a no-contest, meaning a forfeit is considered an option.

          Neither team has matching open dates. Mary Persons is off between non-region meetings with Haralson County and Columbus, and Northeast is off this week and October 21 between Peach County and Upson-Lee