By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com

Rankings are compiled by the Georgia High School Football Daily and are composite rankings from AJC, GPB, ScoreAtlanta, 680 The Fan, Maxwell, and MaxPreps.

Class 6A
No. 2 Lee County 50, No 8 Houston County 21
          The Trojans kept alive their perfect record against the Bears, improving to 9-0 in the series. The Trojans stormed out to a 22-0 first-quarter lead and 36-14 at halftime. Ousmane Kromah scored five times for Lee County in the region opener for both teams.

No. 12 Northside 42, Tift County 0
          The Eagles clicked in all phases, outgaining Tift County 476-95 in total offense, on only nine more snaps. QB DJ Hudson was 12 of 14 for 135 yards, and Michael McClendon led a 318-yard rushing night with 111 yards on 11 carries. Six different Eagles scored, all on the ground: Damien Dee, DJ Hudson, JC Coney, Da’veon Latimore, McClendon, and Jy’Kerion Hill. The Eagles picked up their first shutout since dumping Bradwell Institute 35-0 in the second round of the 2018 playoffs, and biggest shutout since 45-0 over Baldwin earlier that season.

Class 5A
No. 12 Jones County 42, Eagle’s Landing 19
          A 21-point second quarter – on touchdown runs of 10, 13, and 3 yards by Omarion Tucker – put the Greyhounds in control. Tucker ran for 150 yards and five touchdowns to lead the Greyhounds, who got 128 yards passing from quarterback Devin Edmonds, who was 5 of 7. Drew Jones added 105 yards  on the ground for Jones County, which never trailed and gained nearly 300 yards in total offense. The Greyhounds (4-2/2-0) scored 28 straight points after a 7-all tie. Tucker scored in the third and fourth quarters. Edmonds hit Ed Chester for a 62-yard score to get Jones County started early.

THIS WEEK’S COVERAGE

This week’s Scouting Reports
Maxwell Ratings predictions and rankings
Who’s going to win this week’s games?
Macon Touchdown Club players of the week
Monday Morning Quarterback: Surprises, upsets, Loughdmouthings, Central Georgia’s polls

LAST WEEK’S COVERAGE
Roundup: Houston County pops Warner Robins, Perry rolls, Lamar County stunned, heartbreaker for Mount de Sales, thriller for Stratford
This week’s Scouting Reports
Maxwell Ratings predictions and rankings
Who’s going to win this week’s games?
Macon Touchdown Club players of the week
Monday Morning Quarterback: Surprises, upsets, Loughdmouthings, Central Georgia’s polls

No. 10 Warner Robins 38, Ola 0
          The Demons finally had an explosion on offense and complete defensive game, almost doubling their scoring total in one game, falling four short. It was their first shutout, and first opponent held to single digits. Warner Robins recorded its first shutout since 47-0 over Warner Robins in late September of 2020.

Class 4A
Baldwin 45, Howard 0
          The struggling Braves stopped struggling, in a big way to even their Region 2 mark at 1-1. QB Armontae Palmer faked a handoff and weaved through the line and to the left for a score of 55 yards. Howard botched a punt and fumbled, the Braves recovering and making the Huskies pay immediately, Micah Welch going up the middle for a 42-yard score, and a 14-0 lead at the 3:52 mark of the first quarter. Howard (4-2/0-2) suffered its second straight shutout after giving up a chunk of points, Perry topping the Huskies 49-0 last week. It was Baldwin’s biggest win since hammering Westside by the same score a year and a week ago.

No. 3 Perry 39, Westside 7
          The Panthers’ defense held a fourth straight opponent to single digits while scoring at least 35 points for the fifth time this season. A shanked punt gave Perry the ball on the Seminoles’ 20 less than two minutes in, and the Panthers scored on the first play, a pass from Armar Gordon Jr. to Tre Wright. Westside gifted Perry its second score with a failed fake punt inside its 20 five minutes into the game, Carter going in from the 3 for a 14-0 lead at the 7:25 mark of the first quarter. They added a field goal early in the second quarter after partially blocking a punt inside the 10, and then got a 55-yard scoring pass from Gordon to Wright again, shortly  x Iverson went in from the 1 with 4:37 left in the half. The Panthers led 25-7 at the break.

Class 3A
No. 2 Carver-Atlanta 8, No. 6 Peach County 6
          It was the lowest-scoring Peach County game since a 10-6 loss to Calhoun in the 2017 state championship, and first time since a 3-2 loss to Jackson in 2015 that a Trojans’ game failed to reach 15 total points. The Trojans fell to 3-3 after the non-region finale.

No. 1 A-I Prince Avenue Christian 47, No. 10  Mary Persons 14
          The Wolverines wasted little time, taking a 6-0 lead less than two minutes into the game. It took them the rest of the quarter to score again, but they went off for four touchdowns in the second quarter for a 41-7 halftime lead.

Class AA
ACE 42, Kendrick 0
          The Gryphons are the latest team to pounce on Kendrick, handing the Cherokees their third-worst loss of the season (behind 50-0 to GIAA Heritage-Newnan and 48-8 to Shaw) and 11th straight loss. ACE (5-1/1-1) cracked 40 points for the fourth time this season.

No. 9 Putnam County 28, Westside-Augusta 0
          The War Eagles led 21-0 at halftime on two scores from Tamarion Peters and a run of more than 90 yards from Rashod Daniel. Putnam County has racked up three straight shutouts, improving to 5-1 and 3-0.

Worth County 47, Dodge County 38
          The Indians led 25-14 in the third quarter, but Worth County stormed back for a 27-25 lead. It went back and forth until Worth County pulled ahead for good late in the third quarter.

No. 8 Northeast 47, Central 0
          The Raiders didn’t fall behind early, as they did in two straight games before Thursday. They racked up their biggest win in series history, topping last year’s 43-0 win. Northeast’s Nick Woodford went 90 yards for Northeast’s first touchdown, and he added two more to lead Northeast to a 27-0 halftime lead.

Southwest 33, Rutland 14
          The Patriots led 19-14 at halftime, and that held until Chase Dupree hit Carmelo Mays with a fourth-down touchdown pass for a 12-point lead at the 4:18 mark of the fourth quarter. The Patriots put it away right after that with a scoop-and-score from Tyrese Haslem.

Laney 28, Washington County 18
          The Golden Hawks trailed by a score for most of the game, after a scoreless first quarter and tying it in the second quarter for a short time, trailing 12-6 at halftime.

Class A
I
No. 5T Bleckley County 45, GIAA AAA Westfield 14
          A 28-point second quarter launched the Royals. Who outgained Westfield 357-83 in total offense. Jahvon Butler ran for 144 yards on 18 carries with 11 from TJ Mays on eight. Butler scored on runs of 28, 22, and 3 yards, Mays on a 43-yarder. Bleckley County held Hunter Kirkley – who was 13th in the state overall in rushing entering the day - to 31 yards on 14 carries.
East Laurens vs. Bacon County

No. 10T Lamar County 49, 3A Pike County 7
          Lamar County rebounded well from last week’s surprising 39-7 loss to Social Circle, roaring out to a 21-0 first quarter lead on TD runs of 50, 5, and 16 yards from CJ Allen. He went in from 36 yards early in the second quarter before Pike County got on the  board. He answered that with a 10-yard score wn route to a 42-7 halftime lead.
II
No. 4 Johnson County 48, GMC 10
          The Trojans led 7-3 after one, but put it away with a 21-point second quarter.

Hancock Central 44, Glascock County 14
          The Bulldogs broke a four-game losing streak with their second game of 40-points or more. They won their fourth straight over Glascock County.
Telfair County 50, Hawkinsville 34
          Hawkinsville led 22-20 at halftime, but couldn’t answer Telfair County’s 15-point third quarter.

Manchester 53, Macon County 0
          The Bulldogs were shut out for the first time since losing 31-0 to Southwest early in the 2019 season, and it was the first time Macon County gave up 50 points since Fitzgerald’s 70-42 win in 2016. Manchester handed Macon County its worst loss since 52-0 to Monticello in 1963, making it the worst loss in program history.

Wilkinson County 56, Twiggs County 6
          The Warriors improved to 3-2 and 1-0 with their second 50-point game of the season, and second-biggest win in series history, behind 52-0 in 2013. Twiggs County lost its third in a row to fall to 2-4.

GIAA

Class AAA
GHSA A-I Commerce 31, FPD 26
          Carter Hays TD with 5:12 left in the fourth put FPD up 20-17, but Commerce retook the lead three minutes later and went up with a score a minute after that. The Vikings got within five with 38 seconds left on Hays’ 39-yard TD pass from Jakhari Williams, but couldn’t get the onside kick. Commerce outgained FPD 325-313 in total offense. Williams was 16 of 24 for 188 yards and two scores passing while running for 88 yards. FPD’s fifth straight loss was its fourth by single digits.

Stratford 45, Deerfield-Windsor 7
          The visitors took a 7-0 lead, and it was downhill from there for awhile. Keondre Glover scored five minutes later to tie it, and put the Eagles on top for good a few minutes later for a 14-7 lead after one. D-W missed a 36-yard field goal early in the second, and Stratford got another Glover touchdown, from 5 yards, for a 21-7 lead with five minutes left in the half. Stebin Horne ended the half with a 42-yard field goal. Shaun Wilmore, Glover, and Chase Spencer scored in the second half.

Class A/AA
CFCA, 31, Gatewood 21
          The Lancers improved to 6-0 with their fifth win by double figures, the Gators falling to 2-4 with their fourth straight loss.

Brentwood 21, Briarwood 0
Brentwood more than doubled up Briarwood in total offense, 304-145, with a dominant rushing night of 46 carries for 280 yards. Harlan Scott had 199 yards on 17 carries with two touchdowns, getting the War Eagles going with a 52-yard run with 3:33 left in the first quarter and ending the scoring with a 51-yarder with 3:04 left in the game. Quarterback Bryce Williford went in from the 4 in the second quarter.

Trinity Christian 56, Fullington 42
The Crusaders scored a season-high - by a point - to improve to 3-4, while the fell to 3-3 after giving up a season high.