CGA’s HS roundup: Dublin holds off Northeast, Tattnall handles Stratford; ACE outlasts East Laurens, routs for Baldwin, West Laurens, Lamar County, Taylor County, Westfield; who had big nights?
(Rankings are from Georgia High School Football Daily composite polls)
🏈 Teams: Please email game information – stats (offense and defense), names, big plays, etc. – to centralgasports@gmail.com by 2 a.m. Saturday morning to be in Central Georgia’s most comprehensive game-night coverage - the most names and stats and details - for the first roundup, and by 10:30 a.m. Saturday to be added.
Thanks to ACE, CFCA, Dublin, FPD, John Milledge, Jones County, and Tattnall for sending postgame information.
This week
* Scouting Reports: This week’s GHSA and GIAA games
* Maxwell Predictions
* Central Georgia state composite rankings
* Central Georgia rankings
* Monday Morning Quarterback: A Saturday like most others (really); the new Falcons? They still need O; Loughdmouthings galore (the wit, the wisdom, the sarcasm …)
* Macon Touchdown Club players of the week
Last week
* Roundup, coming Saturday morning: Benedictine tops Warner Robins, Mary Persons wins, Upson-Lee & Dodge County hold on, Tattnall survives, Brentwood tops champs
*Thursday’s roundup
* Scouting Reports: This week’s GHSA and GIAA games, coming Friday morning
* Maxwell Predictions
* Who’s going to win this week’s games
* Central Georgia state composite rankings
* Central Georgia rankings
* Monday Morning Quarterback: Missing the point - and tackles - on UGA-Bama; Falcons getting there, but about the O …; Loughdmouthings galore (the wit, the wisdom, the sarcasm …)
* Macon Touchdown Club players of the week
Two weeks ago
* Saturday roundup
* Saturday scouting reports
* Friday roundup
* Scouting Reports: This week’s GHSA and GIAA games
* Maxwell Predictions
* Who’s going to win this week’s games
* Central Georgia state composite rankings
* Central Georgia rankings
* Monday Morning Quarterback: Two good weeks of football for Atlanta? Loughdmoutings galore (the wit, the wisdom, the sarcasm)
* Macon Touchdown Club players of the week
Class 4A
Jones County 42, ELCA 14
The Greyhounds (6-2/5-2) were in cruise control fairly early, leading 21-0 by the midway point of the first quarter. They needed less than a minute to score, Devin Edmonds hitting Jaivon Solomon for a 44-yard score. Edmonds hit DJ Ingram for a 7-yarder a few minutes later, and then Zacarri Thomas went in from a yard out a few minutes after that followed a blocked punt deep in ELCA territory. It was a quiet second quarter, Jones County getting an 50-yard pass from Edmonds to JR Clark in the final 80 seconds of the half. Edmonds had another tight night, completing 19 of 24 for 258 yards and 5 touchdowns. 2 to Solomon, who was one of 10 Greyhounds to catch a pass. The Greyhounds gave up only 40 rushing yards, and 211 yards on 33 passing tries.
Class 3A
West Laurens 41, Richmond Academy 6
It took a quarter to get going, but the Raiders (5-1/3-1)took care of business after a 21-point second quarter put them in control. The Raiders were up only one after Ty Cummings’ 51-yard score was answered by a short ARC (1-5/1-3) run. Shannon Adkins went in from less than 10 yards out a few minutes later, the momentum continuing with a pick-6 early in ARC’s possession. Cason Pollock hit Juvon Hill from nearly 20 yards out late in the second quarter for a 28-6 halftime lead.
Baldwin 57 Hephzibah 0
The Braves led 44-0 at halftime en route to their highest point total since a 52-12 win over Rutland in 2020 and biggest shutout rout (unofficially) since 52-0 over Newton County in 1967. It didn’t start off so well for Baldwin, which recovered the opening kickoff on the 10 but couldn’t score. Right after that, though, they got a safety. Then QB Lamar Pounds followed the free kick with a 30-yard TD run, and the Braves were starting to roll, taking advantage of superb field position – in or near the red zone several times to start drives – the rest of the half. Two plays after recovering the kickoff, Sadur Salahuddin went in for the first of two touchdowns. A 10-play, 82-yard drive was finished by Salahuddin to make it 30-0.
Class AA
Westside 35, Pike County 21
The Seminoles (3-5/1-2) won the second half 21-7 to win the game and break a 1-5 stretch. They clinched it with a touchdown and 2-point conversion with seven minutes left.
No. 5T Callaway 41, Rutland 0
Class A/Division I
ACE 27, East Laurens 21 (For more, click here)
After an inefficient first half and 17-0 halftime deficit, East Laurens got things going and pulled within 17-13 on a TD run by QB Tylan Snead and pass to Kemo Mitchell, the latter coming 17 seconds into the fourth quarter. But homecoming king Brice Whitley took the ensuing kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown and some control. The Falcons (2-4/1-4) made it interesting again with a pass from Snead to Bryson Hazley with 2:13 left in the game, but the Gryphons (4-3/3-3) and Sawyer Raugh were able to run out the clock, ending the game with a knee inside the 5.
Snead threw 9 straight incompletions in the first half and was 9 of 10 in the second half to spark the comeback, aided by fewer Falcons penalties and negative plays. ACE spent all but 6 plays in the first half in East Laurens territory, but managed only 2 TDs and a field goal, a 51-yard field goal try having plenty of leg but just missing wide.
Photo: Dublin City Schools
No. 2T Dublin 17, No. 6 Northeast 7 (For more, click here)
Win No. 200 was a grinder for Dublin head coach Roger Holmes, whose team all but clinched at least second in 2-A/Division I with the win. Dublin (7-0/6-0) was held to its lowest point total of the year by 24 points (41-21 over Swainsboro) and closest win of the year by 10 points. Dublin, 200-73-1 under Holmes, went up late in the first on Micah O’Neal’s 2-yard keeper, Willie Batts making it 14-0 on a 5-yard run midway through the second quarter. The Raiders’ offense was held out of the end zone, despite two possessions ending inside the 10. The points came on a scoop-and-score by Isaiah Stubbs from 23 yards with 42 seconds left in the second quarter.
A big run set up a 33-yard field goal by Urick Andrews for a 17-7 halftime lead. Dublin’s defense came up big on those two late deep drives, holding up after a shanked punt gave Northeast (5-2/5-1) good field position in the final 2 minutes. Northeast’s Nick Woodford was held to 81 yards on 14 carries, QB Reginald Glover had 54 on 5 carries. Batts went off for Dublin with 140 yards on 12 carries, Xavier Bostic adding 75 on 12 as Dublin ran for 300 yards on 49 carries. The Irish ran 16 more plays on the way to a 315-196 total offense advantage.
Putnam County 48, Towers 14
No. 11 Lamar County 64, Utopian Academy 6
The Trojans (5-1/2-0) had a massive 35-0 lead after one and 57-0 advantage at halftime en route to their biggest point total since 62-7 over Spencer in 2011. Markiviyon Dugger’s 60-yard kick return after a safety got Lamar County going less than two minutes into the game. Kaden Carter ran for 154 yards on 6 carries, the Trojans getting a 280 rushing yards and holding Utopian to minus-48.
Class A/Division II
Atkinson County, 4-2, at Crawford County, 2-4, apparently ppd.
Glascock County 61, Twiggs County 22
Hancock Central 46, GMC Prep 3
Telfair County 36, Hawkinsville 14
Telfair County (4-2/2-0) led from the start, Hawkinsville (4-3/1-2) pulling within 20-14 early in the fourth quarter.
Johnson County 20, Wilkinson County 12
The Warriors were tied at 6 and at 12, the Trojans taking the lead in the third quarter.
Help support Central Georgia's best high school football coverage. Every bit is needed, every bit helps, every bit is appreciated.
Taylor County 42, Central-Talbotton 0
Brayden Ellison passed for two first-quarter touchdowns to get the Vikings going toward their biggest shutout since beating the same team 49-0 in 2022. Demarion Parks and Markalan Newton added rushing touchdowns in the second quarter en route to a 35-0 lead, Ellison adding another pass to A.J. Wilder after a fake punt by Taylor County worked.
GIAA
Class AAA
Westfield 41, Calvary Christian 0
First Presbyterian 49, John Milledge 21
The host Trojans were in it early, tied at 7 through one. Then the visiting Vikings got in gear, getting a 11-yard run from Breck Griffin, and scores of 7 and a yard from QB Major Simmons in the final eight minutes of the second quarter, Simmons finding Benjamin McElreath early with a 47-yard TD pass only for JMA to answer 7 minutes later on David Todd’s run. FPD (8-1/3-0) got TD passes from Simmons to Heisman Alvarez and Tinsley Lews a minute apart in the third quarter, JMA’s Asa Wall breaking through in the final seconds of the third. FPD ran for 145 yards and passed for 243, Simmons leading the ground game with 66 yards on 12 carries. McElreath caught 6 passes for 149 yards. Wall went for 81 rushing yards for John Milledge (1-7/0-2)
Piedmont 34, Riverside Military 6
Tattnall 28, Stratford 12 (For more, click here)
The Trojans passed their way past the Eagles, completing 12 of 18 for 233 yards and holding Stratford to an 11-of-26 night. Caden Faulk went 9 for 14 for 148 yards and 2 scores through the air while Antone Johnson was 3 for 3 for 91 and 2 TDs. Johnson ran for 74 yards on 23 carries, and Ty Hunnicutt caught 4 passes for 125 yards and 2 touchdowns. Tattnall marched out to a 21-0 lead at the half, on Johnson’s 6-yard pass to William Stuart, and Faulk passes to Hunnicutt and Johnson, the last coming with six seconds left in the half.
The Eagles tried to rally, but more than a quarter passed between Tyler Stephens’ 17-yard score and Connor Fitzpatrick’s 45-yard pass to Jett Johnston, getting the Eagles within 21-12 with 4:06 left. But on the first play from scrimmage, Johnson connected with Hunnicutt for an 80-yard game-clinching touchdown.
Class AA
Central Fellowship 40, Heritage-Newnan 7
The Lancers (2-6/1-2) were in control early, taking a 23-0 halftime lead. Judson Walls ran for three touchdowns and passed to Matthew Albritton for one, Albritton adding a fumble return for a touchdown and interception.
Flint River 48, Windsor 7
Windsor fell to 2-6 and 0-2 after falling into a 35-7 halftime hole.
Briarwood 29, Gatewood 6
Southland 21, Trinity Christian 7
The Raiders and former Tattnall and Stratford head coach and Westfield grad Chance Jones pulled off the upset with 15 fourth-quarter points for their second win of the season. The Crusaders (5-3) were held to a season-low in scoring.