By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com 

🏈 Any update will be around 11 a.m. Saturday, based on new information contributions from teams over night. Thanks to Northside for a box score, and Jasper County and ACE for information.

🏈 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.

🏈 Thanks to John Milledge for a game box Friday night, to Perry for offensive stats, and Mary Persons for some info.

GHSA

Class 6A

Lee County 56, Northside 7
          A score late in the third quarter prevented the Eagles from their worst loss in awhile. As it turned out, the 49-point margin matched that of a 63-14 loss to 7A Colquitt County, and was the third time since the start of the 2020 season Northside (3-5/1-2) gave up 50 points or more. Lee County (7-1/3-0) held Northside to 10 first downs and 199 yards in total offense, 93 on the ground coming from Da’veon Latimore. The Trojans went for 448 yards, running for 303.

Tift County 14, Veterans 6
          The Warhawks’ postseason hopes took a hit amid an offensive slump. Veterans (3-5/0-3) has scored only 36 points in its last four games after racking up 156 in its first four. Tift County (2-6/1-2) had given up at least 35 points in six of seven games before Friday.

Class 5A
Warner Robins 35 Eagle’s Landing 7
          The Demons (5-3/4-0) took care of business to set up the Region 2 championship game at The Mac on Friday against Jones County. Warner Robins gave up the fewest points of the season in perhaps its steadiest performance, and largest margin of victory. Eagle’s Landing (3-6/2-3) was held to its second-lowest point total of the year (83-0 to Grayson).

Class 4A
Baldwin 32, West Laurens 7
          The Braves trailed 7-6, but then forged ahead to avoid the upset and improve their playoff standing, with a showdown against visiting Westside next. Baldwin (5-3/2-2) recorded its biggest margin of victory this season and best defensive effort. West Laurens (2-6/0-4) lost its fourth straight.

Spalding 48, Westside 13
          The records indicated a competitive game was coming, but Spalding (9-0/5-0) handed Westside (6-2/2-2) its second biggest region loss of the season, and another loss to a ranked team. The Seminoles dropped to 8-12 in their last 20 games against non-Bibb County opponents, and 7-13 against non-county opponents in the same classification or larger.

Class 3A
Upson-Lee 21, Peach County 20
          A late defensive stand clinched a historic win for Upson-Lee despite a small crowd on a night with plenty at stake. Upson-Lee led 7-6, then 14-12. The Knights got a TD pass from Niko Wells to Michael Foster with 7:24 left in the game. Peach County took advantage of god field position after the kickoff, and converted a fourth and long to set up Dwayne Coleman’s 5-yard score with 5:52 left, getting the conversion on QB D.J. Hudson’s run. Upson-Lee ran the clock down to 2:07 and was stopped on fourth down inside the 10. The Trojans failed on fourth down at their own 36, and the Knights celebrated the final 98 seconds. The Knights (8-1/3-0) broke a four-game losing streak in the series, and three in the last three years, with an average score of 45-8. Including 54-0 last year. And the win put the Knights in position to win their first region title since head coach Justin Elder was a senior in high school, 1993. Peach County will not have a home playoff game for the first time since 2001.

Class AA
ACE 34, Rutland 14
          The Hurricanes controlled the line of scrimmage in the first quarter, but couldn’t convert yards to points. ACE did, en route to its third straight win. Thanks to Northeast blowing a 28-7 lead and losing at home in OT to Spencer, the Gryphons’ chances for a home playoff game improved, with a visit from Spencer in two weeks. ACE got control with a 21-6 second quarter and added a touchdown in each of the second-half quarters. Aaron Davis went for 112 yard on 13 carries, while Kaleb Scarbary was 9 of 15 for 150 yards and three touchdowns. The Gryphons outgained the Hurricanes 319-163.

Cook 27, Dodge County 7
          The Indians were held to single digits for the fifth time this season, falling to 1-8/0-5 and being doomed to their worst season since 2008 (with another win) or since 1992 (with a loss). Still, the 20-point margin was only the second-biggest of the year for a Dodge County loss.

Spencer 35, Northeast 34, OT
          Northeast went from what was looking like an epic win – which would’ve basically been Bibb County’s first public school region title in more than a decade – to an epic loss, blowing a 25-0 first-half lead in front of a very small home crowd. Spencer (6-2/5-0) broke the shutout late in the second quarter, just after the Raiders (6-2/4-1) went up 25-0. Northeast hurried and squeezed in a field goal for a 28-7 halftime lead. Spencer cut the lead in half midway through the third quarter and got within a score early in the fourth. The Greenwave Owls then tied in the final two minutes. Minus standout running back Nick Woodford – multiple attempts on Friday to reach head coach Jeremy Wiggins to inquire on Woodford’s status were unsuccessful – the Raiders got a 13-yard touchdown from quarterback Reginald Glover, his third on the ground, for the lead in overtime, but failed on their fourth conversion try of the night. Spencer scored on a pass, and made its fifth PAT kick.

Thomson 56, Putnam County 6
          The top-ranked visitors put all suspense about a region championship to rest early. Putnam County (5-3/4-1) will clinch second place and a home playoff game with a win over Laney (4-2-1/3-1), which plays Westside-Augusta (3-4/2-2) on Saturday.

Washington County 41, Butler 20
          The Golden Hawks kept playoff hopes very much alive by taking care of business with their second-biggest win of the season and fourth 40-point game under second-year head coach and alum Robert Edwards.

Class A/Division I
Dublin 62, Jefferson County 13
          The Irish (6-2/1-1) cracked 60 for the second straight week and third time this season to clinch their 12th straight winning season and 20th under Roger Holmes. It missed by a point matching the spread in last year’s 51-0 win. The visitors charged out to a 15-0 lead after one – six coming on De’Mari Foster’s interception and score – and 43-7 at halftime. Xavier Bostic got the Irish going with a 39-yard run midway through the first quarter, De'Mari Foster adding a 45-yard pick-6 about four minutes later. After a Jefferson County score made it a 15-6 game, the Irish went off for four touchdowns in the final 7:55 of the half, three from Bostic covering 64, 16, and 3 yards, and a 31-yarder from Foster for a 43-6 halftime lead. Dublin rolled for 395 rushing yards, led by 144 from Bostic on 11 carries and 99 on four from Kameron Hampton.

Social Circle 23, Jasper County 21
          The loss all but dumped Jasper County (5-3/0-1) to third and a road playoff game, barring an upset of Prince Avenue as well as Oglethorpe County beating Social Circle, a clear possibility.

Class A/Division II
Glascock County 59, GMC 20
          GMC’s postseason hopes took a fatal hit with a loss to the team just ahead of it in the standings. The Bulldogs (2-7/1-3) gave up a season high to the Panthers (4-5/2-2), who scored a season high.
Hancock Central 48, Twiggs County 0
          Combined with Wilkinson County’s 21-12 loss Thursday to Johnson County, the Bulldogs moved into a tie for second with the team they’ll play next, host Wilkinson County. Hancock Central (4-4/2-1) recorded its biggest win since its last meeting with Twiggs County, 64-6 a year ago.

Hawkinsville 30, Treutlen 16
          The Red Devils (6-2/2-1) temporarily solidified third place in Region 4 and kept alive a shot at second and a home playoff game, with a meeting left against co-leader Dooly County (4-4/3-0), which still must face co-leader Telfair County. Hawkinsville led 18-0 at halftime, getting a late second-quarter touchdown and pulled away to a 30-0 lead before Treutlen (1-7/0-3) broke the shutout in the final minutes.
Macon County 48, Chattahoochee County 0
          The Bulldogs had as little trouble as expected en route to their second shutout of the season and fourth straight win over the Panthers.

Taylor County 22, Marion County 20
          A gutty performance all but clinched a playoff spot for the Vikings (6-2/4-1), who still have Macon County (6-2/2-2) and Manchester (6-2/4-1) left, but win any tiebreaker with Marion County (4-4/2-3). D.J. Jenkins’ rushing touchdown with about four minutes left put the Vikings on top, and they held on.

Central Georgia’s best high school football coverage

* Scouting Reports: Friday’s GHSA and GIAA games
* Maxwell Ratings picks, Central Georgia state rankings
* Who’s going to win this week’s Central Georgia football games?
* Monday Morning Quarterback: That was one sloppy Sunday for Atlanta; good big games in CGA this week; no more CFB ‘epicenter’ in the mountains?; Loughdmouthings; ranking Central Georgia's top teams
* Macon Touchdown Club players of the week: Jones County, Tattnall

Last week
* Roundup:Mary Persons holds off Peach County; Perry pulls away from Baldwin; Dublin sharp in rout; shutouts for Upson-Lee, Lamar County, Westfield; 56th straight for John Milledge
* Scouting Reports: Friday’s GHSA and GIAA games
* Maxwell Ratings picks, Central Georgia state rankings
* Who’s going to win this week’s Central Georgia football games?
* Monday Morning Quarterback: Lots of 🏈 in Loughdmouthings, from listing HS records to Falcons to Tech/Miami to Heismans to notable stats, & more, plus ranking the top teams in Central Georgia
* Macon Touchdown Club players of the week

GIAA
Class AAA
Brookstone 38, Westfield 21

          The battle of the former Peach County head coaches went to the GIAA “veteran”, Rance Gillespie, in his second season with the Cougars. The Hornets gave up the second-most points of the season.
John Milledge 27, FPD 22
          This year’s meeting bore little resemblance to last year’s, when a healthy John Milledge (8-0/2-0) routed a healthy FPD. Both teams were more banged up than usual this year, FPD QB Jakhari Williams hobbled severely by a leg injury. Still, the Vikings turned a 20-3 deficit – “We were rocking and rolling,” JMA head coach J.T. Wall said - into quite a ballgame. Williams hit Carter Hays – cleared to play only Friday morning – with a 9-yard score to bring the Vikings (4-3-1/1-1) within 27-15 with 3:42 left. FPD recovered the onside kick, and the Williams-Hays connection clicked again from 45 yards out, and Lucas Buckner’s kick made it a 5-point game with 2:13 to go. FPD – which twice got inside the 5 and managed only 3 points - again recovered the onside kick, except in the eyes of the officials, who ruled a Viking touched the ball before it went the minimum 10 yards. And the longest active winning streak in the nation would grow – barely - to 58 games. Javian Butts scored twice and ran for 174 yards on 23 carries for the Trojans. Kolt McMichael returned at quarterback after missing two games with a knee injury, and was 9 of 16 for 143 yards and two scores, but he lacked his normal mobility. The same went for Williams, who had four carries – including sacks – for minus-4 yards, going a nifty 17 of 32 for 323 yards passing. Gavin Spillers caught five for 170 yards and a score, Hays with five for 62 and two scores.

Stratford 35, Mount de Sales 14
          The Eagles (4-4/1-0) broke a two-game slide while extending the Cavs’ losing streak to 17. Stratford marched out to a 28-0 halftime lead, Cope Smith scoring on a run and pass reception in the good start.

Class AA
Brentwood 42, Piedmont 3

          The War Eagles scored a season high while giving up a season low, breaking a three-game losing streak in the process. The same, but opposite, happened for the Cougars (2-6/0-1) with a season low in scoring and season high in points allowed.

Edmund Burke 20, Gatewood 14
          The battle of two of AA’s top teams lived up to expectations, Edmund Burke evening the series at 9-all with the eighth game decided by single digits.
Central Fellowship 17, Terrell 6
          Knox Walls scored once and had two interceptions, the Lancers (5-2-1) getting a score from Christian Spielman and Kellen Andrews plus a field goal from Cole Phillips. Walls went past 100 yards rushing.