HS đroundup: Huge nights for Houston County, Northside, Putnam County, ACE, Bleckley County,Jasper County
By Michael A. Lough
The Sports Report
centralgasports@gmail.com
It was quite a night for the head coaches at new programs.
Jeremy Edwards at Houston County had maybe the most memorable night, the Bears coming back and surviving three missed PATs to come up with a game-winner in the final seconds against a quality Perry team.
Ashley Henderson at Jasper County was a close second, the Hurricanes breaking a 16-game losing streak by knocking off Class AAA Pike County.
Keith Hatcher at ACE came up with a surprise, a two-touchdown win at GMC. Westfield alum Chance Jones wasnât good to his alma mater, Stratford thumping the Hornets in Perry. Veterans was strong on the road for Josh Ingramâs second win.
Kip Burdette of West Laurens got a tough W in his opener, and Brandon Byram eliminated some of the taste of last weekâs loss to GIAA Southland with a solid first win, over Crawford County. Mount de Sales and Gray Yates took down a quality Brentwood group.
It was a stunning night in Sandersville, Washington County falling big to Class A Swainsboro in Robert Edwardsâ first game at his alma mater.
And for the second week in a row, two Central Georgia teams combined for at least 110 points.
Last week, ACE Charter beat Crawford County 70-53. This week, Houston County nipped Perry 57-56.
Classification determined by home team when area teams play each other. Rankings are compiled by the Georgia High School Football Daily and are composite rankings from AJC, GPB, ScoreAtlanta, 680 The Fan, Maxwell, and MaxPreps.
GHSA
Class 6A
Houston County 57, No. 4/4A Perry 56
Antwann Hill found Ricky Johnson in coverage in the right side of the end zone with 10 seconds left to get the Bears within 56-55. On the conversion, Hill faked to 22, pitched to workhorse Ryan Taleb coming around the right side, and then Taleb threw to Ricky Jackson on a crossing route for the two points and the lead. The Panthers had the ball on their 18 with six seconds left. QB Armar Gordon Jr., was flushed from the pocket and threw deep as the clock ran out. The ball landed around the 30, and out came a flag, apparently for mutual pass interference calls, which offset, giving Perry one more play from the 18, but Jayden Jackson sacked Gordon to end it. Itâs Houston Countyâs highest point total since a 62-17 win over Rutland in 2018, and most points against a ranked team in any class since a 49-31 win over Class AAA No. 5 Peach County in 2016.
Hill was 34 of 50 for 414 yards and four touchdowns with two interceptions, while Taleb ran for 200 yards and four touchdowns on 29 carries. Johnson had eight catches for 125 yards and three touchdowns, and Recordo Tarver seven for 105.
Veterans 49, Griffin 31
After a sluggish home win over a Class AAA team, the Warhawks went on the road and were much sharper against a Class 4A team, improving to 2-0 under new head coach Josh Ingram. The return of wideout Damare Franklin helped the Warhawks to their highest point total since a 49-21 win over then-AA Bleckley County in 2018.
Class 5A
No. 3/5A Jones County 35, Dacula 14No. 9/A-I
The Greyhounds cracked 30 points for the 20th time under head coach Mike Chastain, and beat a Class 7A team on the road for the second straight year.
Class 3A
No. 9/A-I Lamar County 21, Upson-Lee 20
Upson-Lee rallied to tie the game with 7:10 left, fell behind again three minutes later, and then scored with 4.2 seconds left. But TJ Searcy was stopped on the conversion try for the win, and the ranked Class A Trojans won the first meeting with the Knights. Lamar County led 14-0 in the first on Ty Headâs 1-yard run and Jordan Gloverâs 10-yarder. The Knights scored in the final minute of the third quarter and four minutes into the fourth before CJ Allen went 44 yards for the lead at the 4:07 mark. Allen ran for 108 yards on 15 carries. The Knights, sparked by the second-half surge, finished with a 267-151 advantage in total offense, and three times as many first downs.
Mary Persons 41, Spalding 28
The Bulldogs topped Spalding for the fifth straight time and 10th time in 11 meetings.
No. 13/6A Northside 35, No. 3/3A Peach County 7
Northside left whatever was ailing it last Saturday on the field at Mercer after a 27-21 loss to Jones County, and rolled the Trojans. Northside had a 477-200 advantage in total offense on only two more plays, picked off two passes, averaged 8.6 yards a carry to 3.9 for the Trojans, and survived 15 penalties for 143 yards. Damien Dee went 9 for 14 for 157 yards for Northside, with no scores or picks, and did more damage with 164 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries, outgaining the Trojansâ run game by 39 yards.
The Eagles went up 14-0 on scores from EJ Riley and Dee of 3 and 7 yards before Colter Ginn threw for a 10-yard score midway through the second quarter. Northside scored twice in 50 seconds in the third, on Michael McClendonâs 8-yard run and then Jamari Shinesâ pick-6, taking a 28-7 lead with 3:51 left. Dee added the icing with a 93-yard run 62 seconds into the fourth quarter. The last team to hold the Trojans to single digits at home was Northside in a 14-7 win to open the 2020 season. And it was the biggest margin since Cedar Groveâs 36-3 win in the 2019 quarterfinals, biggest at home since, well, Northsideâs 48-13 in in the second game of the 2001 season.
Class AA
Howard 46, Central 19
The Huskies scored at least 45 points for the second straight game, the first time since 2019 (54-19 over Central and 49-21 over Westside) thatâs happened. Howard has won four straight against public county foes and eight of 10.
No. 9/AA Putnam County 23, Baldwin 14
The War Eagles made the most of the chance to knock off a Class AAAA team thatâs usually in the playoffs, topping the neighbor to the south. Putnam County is 5-5 in its last 10 games against a higher-classification team, and takes a 4-3-1 lead in the series, which has been dormant since 1977âs 0-0 tie.
No. 4/A-1 Swainsboro 42, No. 11/AA Washington County 0
Usually, itâs the House of Pain for the opponent, not for the home team. But the Golden Hawks suffered their first shutout at home since 38-0 to Class 4A Burke County early in the 2016 season. Itâs the worst home loss since 40-0 to Class 4A Baldwin to open the 1987 season. Two years earlier, Washington County fell 69-0 to Thomson in region play, one of seven times that season the Golden Hawks were shut out.
Westside 55, Southwest 18
The Seminoles passed the 50-point mark for the first time since a 57-20 win over Kendrick late in the 2019 season, and recorded their biggest margin of victory since that game. Itâs also Westsideâs biggest win over a Bibb County team since 46-7 over Rutland in 2018.
West Laurens 14, No. 14/AA Dodge County 12
Dodge County fell to 0-2 for the first time since 2010, while West Laurens the debut of head coach Kip Burdette. The Raiders avenged last yearâs 30-22 home loss with the road win.
Class A
ACE 29, No. 12/A-II GMC 15
The upstart Gryphons trailed early, took the lead, and then were tied with the hosts before pulling away in the fourth quarter. GMC gained 345 yards on offense, 202 coming from quarterback Tyler Saunders, but the Bulldogs couldnât convert yards into points. ACE got revenge for last yearâs 41-6 home loss to GMC when both were in GHSA Class A Region 7 Public.
No. 5/A-I Bleckley County 46, No. 5/A-II Wilcox County 14
The Royals turned a potential playoff-type game into a laugher early, leading 22-7 at the half and blowing it open with a 24-0 third quarter. Bleckley County has outscored its first two opponents 79-20, the best such two-game stretch since outscoring Vidalia and Early County 97-22 in the 2020 playoffs.
No. 6/A-AA Clinch County 24, No. 3/A-II Macon County 20
A quiet fourth quarter got busy late, Clinch County leading 17-14 after a strong short run with 1:57 left in the third quarter. The Bulldogs lost nine yards on a botched snap, but Marlon Mitchell then went the distance around the right side for a 52-yard score and a 20-17 lead with 54 seconds left in the game, but the PAT snap was missed. The Panthers, who had lost all seven meetings with Macon County, including 26-0 last year, waited out two Macon County kickoffs out of bounds, with no time come off. Clinch County returned the kickoff to near Macon Countyâs 40, but got 15 more yards when a Bulldog blindsided a Panther from behind. No time ran off during an incompletion, leaving 42 seconds. After two plays and a timeout with 20 seconds left, an incomplete pass took four seconds but Clinch County got the game-winning lob pass from 15 yards out with 10 seconds left. Macon County got a big return to the 40, and lost the ball on a bang-bang call, with the scrum for the recovery killing the clock, leaving Macon County coaches standing stunned in the middle of the field.
The kickoff was delayed by weather, and then interrupted again at halftime. Clinch County lead 10-0 until the Bulldogs scored with five minutes left in the half. Macon County took a 14-10 lead on a 30-yard run with 8:40 left in the third, powering in the conversion. Clinch County retook the lead on a strong short run with 1:57 left in the third.
Harlem 26, Hancock Central 0
No. 6/A-I Irwin County 48, Dooly County 6
Jasper County 18, Pike County 6
The Hurricanes celebrated for the first time since Oct. 9, 2020, breaking a 16-game losing streak with a win over a Class AAA program in head coach Ashley Hendersonâs second game. Jasper County rebounded from a 30-0 loss to Class 4A Walnut Grove with a double-digit road win.
Rutland 35, Hawkinsville 29
Hawkinsville got off to a good start, and led 21-13 at halftime over the AA Hurricanes. But Rutland rallied after the break and outscored the hosts 22-8 for its first 2-0 start since 2013.
Taylor County 28, Crawford County 7
Crawford County went from 53 points last week to seven, and Taylor County went from losing at home to a GIAA team to a three-touchdown win.
Portal vs. Twiggs County
GIAA
Central Fellowship 34, SW Georgia 6
The Lancers improved to 2-0, and have outscored their first two opponents 75-6.
Gatewood 50, Trinity Christian 29
John Milledge 48, Lamar, Miss., 7
The Trojans led 41-0 at halftime in the game at West Georgia. Briggs Eady ran for touchdowns of 47 and 1 yard, while Baylen Zielinski scored from 18, Javian Butts from 1, Jalan Butts on a 61-yard pass from Eady, Bud Veal from 15 and Carsyn Baker from 1. Javian Butts rushed for 128 yards and Eady threw for 97, 69 to Jalan Butts. The Trojans outgained Lamar 416-213.
Memorial Day vs. Fullington
Mount de Sales 23, Brentwood 13
The defending AA champs had only one less first down, but gave up 131 yards through the air and lost two fumbles. Fernando Washington was 7 of 13 for 131 yards with a TD and INT, while rushing for 145 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries. His 767-yarder on third and 17 to Carson Craig less than two minutes into the game gave the Cavs the lead. The War Eagles tied it after Zach Dentonâs 5-yard run midway through the second quarter. Mount de Sales got some control with touchdowns less than two minute apart, Washington going for 3 and 20 yards. Oziel Rodriguez added a 35-yard field goal in the fourth, and Brentwood tried to rally with a 3-yard score from Bryce Williford with 4:54 left in the game. Mount de Sales outgained Brentwood by eight yards on two fewer plays, but went 5 of 13 on third down to 1 of 12 for Brentwood.
Stratford 39, Westfield 17
Keondre Glover got the Eagles going with a 54-yard run less than two minutes into the game. He caught a 24-yard touchdown pass three minutes into the second quarter, and Stratford got the ball right back and James Groves went in from 40 yards out. Another score inside two minutes put Stratford up 29-3 at halftime.
Tattnall 27, Pacelli 23
Cameron Person went in from the 3 with less than 38 seconds left to give Tattnall the win. Pacelli scored 15 straight points after trailing 7-0 following Demario Wilmoreâs 1-yard run with a minute left in the first quarter, and had a 15-13 lead late in the third quarter after Tattnallâs Brayden Smith returned a kickoff 96 yards. Smithâs 65- yard catch on Donovan Duncanâs pass gave the Trojans a 20-15 lead with 6:54 left in the game, only for Pacelli to answer a little more than three minutes later. The Trojans pulled it out despite nine fewer first downs and 238 fewer rushing yards. Donovan was 5 for 5 for 138 yards passing, 108 to Smith on four catches.
Terrell vs. Piedmont