Central Georgia Sports ReportComment

Monday Morning Quarterback: Raiders rock on the road, The Sequel; upsets, surprises; Loughdmouthings (Northeast-ACE, 2-AAA), Central Georgia polls

Central Georgia Sports ReportComment
Monday Morning Quarterback: Raiders rock on the road, The Sequel; upsets, surprises; Loughdmouthings (Northeast-ACE, 2-AAA), Central Georgia polls

By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com

          Northeast did it again, what’s not done much in the county.

          Beat a ranked team for the second straight week. A ranked team of at least the same classification. And did so on the road. Outside of Bibb County.

          As impressive and legitimately boastful as those wins are, Northeast is setting itself up for down-the-line disappointment if it can’t play smarter and get something points-wise after touchdowns (and makes strides in the passing game).

Thanks to ACE, John Milledge, and FPD for game-night boxes, and boxes Saturday/Sunday from Lamar County, Perry, and Upson-Lee, and information from Central Fellowship.

Teams should send game information on game night by 2 a.m., or by 10:30 a.m. Notes by email or text, or a picture of a stat sheet suffice. Please have MaxPreps or Hudl boxes sent to centralgasports@gmail.com as soon as updated.  

          Neither Fitzgerald nor Carver were able to take advantage. But that luck will run out. It always does. Possibly this week against ACE, maybe in a little more than a month against Spencer, perhaps even in a county game (or at least keep an underdog close).

          It could keep the Raiders from a region championship, and it – will keep the Raiders from a deep playoff run.

          Wait till the ball is snapped. Don’t throw any blocks once the ball has passed you. The conversions/PATs? A crapshoot.

          This, of course, is nothing they don’t know. Nevertheless, the accomplishments of this year’s team are already notable and worthy of high fives and chest bumps.

          Now, about the first Bibb County public high school outright – no ties – region championship since 2012 …

Last week’s upsets

          The biggest one in the area was one of the biggest in the state, 20-point underdog ECI stunning Dublin, holding the Irish to seven. That doesn’t happen much with unranked or teams that were 0-2 or went 4-7 last year.

          As per Maxwell, Warner Robins was a one-point favorite over Valdosta, which was a two-point favorite here.

          That Warner Robins wasn’t as smooth? Sort of predicted here. But getting shoved around in the second half and losing by 33? Yessir, didn’t see that coming. At all.

          And that sound you might hear is mumbling from Northside.

          Points-wise, Northeast’s win over Carver was an upset. Carver was favored by nine and six, so it could be considered an upset – a 17-point swing – by one of them (hand’s raised).

Last week’s surprises

          Dodge County was a 28-point underdog – or 17 – and gave Swainsboro all sorts of trouble in a four-point loss.

          Bowdon beating Tattnall – which lost some key players – wasn’t a surprise, but the game not being a four-quarter event was.

          Crawford County taking Central Fellowship down to the wire wasn’t expected, and leads to the presumption that yes, the Lancers have a little rebuilding to do off a championship season.

          Jones County was three-point favorite, as per Maxwell and your’s truly, and popped Peach County by 27.

          The computer – wow – picked Twiggs County over Central-Talbotton by 28 – 28? – but the Cobras lost to a team on a 27-game losing streak.

Loughdmouthings

          Will there be a game-of-the-week type crowd this week?

          We had maybe Bleckley County-Dodge County, a longtime rivalry, in Week 1, Houston County-Perry in Week 2 was epic, and we had Warner Robins-Northside last week.

          Perry and Veterans did a pretty good job at Freedom Field last week, and they sure gave those folks a show.

          That seems to be the deal in Houston County right now. You see either a head-shaking to-the-wire finish, or you see somebody – Houston County, and then Perry – play some really good football.

          Yes, there is a top candidate for a big crowd: ACE vs. Northeast at Thompson.

          For a change, a Bibb County public school facility should have every inch of seating covered – other than the too-much-room given the bands. No blather or selfies or mottos or themes or rhymes or Twitter hype or fancy graphics.

          No talk, just action. Show the hell up, or shut the hell up.

          ACE certainly has a segment in the county rooting against the Gryphons in pretty much anything, in large part because they don’t understand much about the school, and/or they’re looking for excuses for, well, whatever.

          It’s almost a public-vs.-private scenario, since ACE has some of both aspects.

          Those in need of unclenching? Unclench. Show up. You’ll be fine.

          With Westside off, Howard and Southwest on the road, and Central playing Rutland on Thursday, there should be some repping from those schools, if only to support the county public-school program that’s knocked off two ranked teams on the road in a row and is carrying the county banner of respectability.

          And, of course, to witness the joy that is Nick Woodford in a football uniform on game night.

          Nobody will inspire from this seat anywhere near the level of exaggeration and hyperbolizing and fanboyness exhibited daily on most topics from those near microphones and cameras.

          But if you see no other team, no other area player for awhile, and grumble about how you wish kids were? This is that kid. He’s not the only one, but he’s in town, and this is a big game.

          ACE did a nice job for a half last year against the Raiders, who got huge TD in the final seconds of the half for the lead and momentum, or we’d have had a good game for most of the second half, if not down to the wire.

          And it being a Friday night with teens, you never know.

          Nevertheless, this is a showtime game, and time for people to show. …

          Speaking of Friday nights and teens, the Region 2-AAA race is quite the mess (no, region play hasn’t started).

          There’s certainly no favorite. The only lock is that Pike County won’t make the playoffs. After that, it’s a crapshoot.

          For now, Mary Persons has an edge. Upson-Lee is off a surprising hammering by LaGrange, so we don’t much know about the Knights.

          It’s increasingly a safer bet that Peach County’s run of seven region titles in nine years will become 10 years. The two years in second were 2021 – an eight-team region – and 2015  - a nine-team region.

          This isn’t a region of multiple ranked teams, like those were.

          This also could easily be the first time Peach County hasn’t opened the playoffs at home since 2007. …

          The lone area shutout last week was thrown by ACE, and that streak is over for a week, but will start back up on Sept. 29.

          Everybody or most everybody played – aka margins of 35 points or more – for Houston County (this is a rerun), and ACE.

          On the third hand, 17 games – a hair more than half – were decided by a possession (eight points) or less, with one overtime game (and *sigh* one tie)  …

          Your Sports Report’s time-saving not-paid-by-the-word skipping-weather-three-time-zones-away kickoff weather this Friday: daytime high about in the low 80s, nighttime low in the low 60s – awwwww yeah -  about 67, chances of rain less than 15 percent all day long.

Polls

          Division I is currently boring, and close.

          Would love to see another Houston County-Perry, Warner Robins-Northside, and Perry-Veterans. So would the Panthers, Eagles, and Warhawks.

          Yes, the Eagles jump the Demons after the thumping in Valdosta, and don’t be surprised by flip-flopping with those two for a few weeks.

          There’s some shuffling in Division II, now that we have some games under the belt. But consistency is still a problem for many teams, as expected early in the season.

          Indeed, it is pretty tight with the top three.

          Yes, your team can be jumped by not playing. It’s week to week, and not head to head. Just a reminder.

Division 1 (6A-5A-4A-3A, 13 teams)
 1. Houston County
2. Perry
3. Northside
4. Warner Robins
5. Veterans
In the hunt: Baldwin, Jones County
Division II (AA-A-GISA, 34 teams)
 1. John Milledge
2. Northeast
3. Macon County
4. Bleckley County
5. Dublin
6. Washington County
7. Dodge County
8. ACE
9. Lamar County
10. Stratford
In the hunt: Central Fellowship, FPD, Hawkinsville, Tattnall, Taylor County