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. Many thanks to ACE, FPD, Jasper County, Jones County, Northside, Stratford, and Tattnall - and John Milledge on Thursday - for sending in postgame information and/or 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 to Central Georgia’s only roundup.

Houston County 44, Effingham County 41
          The Bears led 23-10 at halftime and 37-20 after three, but the visitor went on a fourth-quarter roll and outscored Houston County 21-7, getting to within 10 with about three minutes left. The Bears coughed it up, and Effingham County got within 3 on a touchdown pass inside the final minute, the Bears easily killing the clock. Wideout Isaiah Mitchell threw two touchdown passes, to go with two from Antwann Hill Jr.

Jones County 48 Woodland 19
          Devin Edmonds threw for 226 yards and two scores and Zacarri Thomas scored on four of his six carries to lead the 2-0 Greyhounds. Jones County outgained Woodland 503-272, averaging 10.1 yards a play. Edmonds completed 16 of 21, with Jaivon Solomon catching 7 passes for 121 yards and a touchdown. Eight different Greyhounds caught passes as Jones County scored at least 40 points for the second straight week.

Northside 13, Baldwin 12
          A 3-0 game at halftime turned into a thriller. Northside went up 10-0 on a 4-yard pass from Jayden Wright to Briston Blasingame with 2:07 left in the third, the Braves getting on the board with 5:30 to go in the game on Sadur Salahuddin’s 81-yard punt return, but the conversion failed. Cody Nelson hit a huge 37-yard field goal with 1:27 to go only for the Braves to get a 7-yard run from Salahuddin a minute later, with 32 seconds left. The play clock on the conversion wound down and Baldwin called time. Then just before the snap, Northside called time. And the Eagles called another timeout when Baldwin came out in a very different formation. QB Lamar Pounds pitched out to Kaiden Gibson, who couldn’t connect with Keelan Walker for the win. Baldwin was flagged 17 times for 155 yards, Northside 14 times for 110 yards. The Braves outgained the Eagles 167-104 on the ground, the Eagles had a 127-66 advantage through the air.

Statesboro 21, Veterans 10
          The Warhawks led 10-9 in the third quarter, the hosts taking the lead back on a 35-yard run midway through the fourth quarter, going up 15-10, Statesboro then got it back on a punt and sealed it with about a minute left.

Warner Robins 42, Fayette County 7
          The Demons scored 21 points in the first and second quarters, four different players taking care of the scoring.

Perry 49, Peach County 39
          The Panthers put up the second-most points in series history as the teams combined for the most points in series history, 88. Peach County won 53-20 in 2010. Perry has won three straight for the first time, and by 28, 21, and 10 points. Peach County led 10-7 early in the second quarter before Ahmad Gordon went for 50 yards and 6 points for, after Carson Camp’s kick, a 14-10 lead four minutes into the second quarter. It was 21-17 a few minutes later, but Perry got a 50-yard TD pass from Cullen McDaniel to Decorrion Daniels connected with Cullen McDaniel for a 50-yard TD pass and a 28-17 lead, which stood until another TD pass inside the final minute for a 35-17 halftime lead. Perry led 42-17, and Peach County cut it to 10 inside the final minute, missing the conversion.

Mary Persons 23, Jackson 0
          The Bulldogs led 21-0 at halftime, muddled through a scoreless third quarter, and added a safety halfway through the fourth quarter.

Manchester 6, Upson-Lee 0
          Manchester finally broke through the defensive slugfest with a 20-yard run with only 4:40 left in the game. Upson-Lee’s last gasp ended with an interception with 1:45 left after a overthrown third-down pass.

West Laurens 28, Groves 0
          The Raiders marched out to a 21-0 lead after a quarter on a punt return, rush, and passing TD.

First Baptist Academy (Fla.) 49, Westside 0
          The Seminoles rode all the way to Naples, Fla., and came home with their first shutout since falling 45-0 to Baldwin and Perry in 2021, and their worst loss since losing 54-0 to Northside in 2004.

Jeff Davis 54, Rutland 24
          The night ended opposite how it started for Rutland, which led 16-0 after one and 24-8 at the half. But Jeff Davis outscored the Hurricanes 46-0 in the second half.

Bowdon 56, Macon County 7
          The Bulldogs were down 21-0 after one and 35-7 at halftime to the top-ranked Red Devils.

ACE 38, Central 6
          Central was within striking distance in the first quarter, down 14-6, but the Gryphons added another score and then two in the second quarter for a 35-6 halftime lead. ACE honored founder Laura Perkins by naming the field – a brand new turf carpet – after her before the game, and the Gryphons responded with 225 rushing yards and 195 passing yards in the 15th game of at least 35 points under head coach Keith Hatcher. He also improved to 6-3 against Bibb County schools while at ACE. Brice Whitley caught 5 passes for 97ards and 2 TDs while Ace Hatcher went 12 for 29 for 179 yards and 3 TDs passing, adding 73 rushing yards. The Gryphons held the Chargers to 97 yards in total offense.

Dodge County 19, Bleckley County 16
          The Indians matched last year’s win total in a big way, knocking off the No. 6 Royals. Duke Johnson’s short run put Dodge County up 12-9 with about four minutes left in the first half, and his 28-yarder halfway through the third quarter made it 19-9. Joshua Stanley’s 1-yard run with about four minutes left in the game and Ford Childers’ PAT made it 19-16. Dodge County, which gave up an early safety, was sloppy down the stretch and couldn’t kill the clock, the Royals getting a chance with a minute left. But the center and quarterback weren’t on the same page in the final seconds and the ball on Dodge County’s 19, and the snap fell to the ground and was recovered by Dodge County as time expired.

Dublin 66, East Laurens 26
          Veteran quarterback Micah O’Neal ran 5 times for 121 yards and 4 touchdowns, completed 3 passes for 79 yards and a score, and then returned a punt 72 yards, for 6 touchdowns and 272 total yards. Xavier Bostic went 55 yards on the third play of the game to get Dublin going. O’Neal hit Willie Batts with a 61-yard with a second left for a 34-12 halftime lead.

Crawford County 43, GMC Prep 7
          Crawford County went from a 7-0 deficit after one to a 27-7 lead at halftime.

Greene County 36, Twiggs County 0

Jasper County 26, Hancock Central 0
          The Purple Hurricanes rebounded from an uneven performance last week to rush for 244 yards on 32 carries and complete 9 of 12 passes for 113 yards. Jalen Stewart ran a dozen times for 93 yards and 2 TDs, while Demonte Green caught 3 passes for 76 yards and a score. Jamarkus Thomas was perfect on 7 passes for 99 yards and a score. Kamarion Owens had two picks and Demonte Green 1 in Jasper County’s first shutout since 2019, holding the Bulldogs to 190 yards on 50 snaps, forcing 5 turnovers.

Schley County 47, Hawkinsville 23
          The Red Devils trailed No. 7 Schley County only 13-9 at halftime, but the Wildcats won the third quarter 21-8 to take control. Schley County ran for 155 yards and passed for 274

Morgan County 42, Putnam County 28
          The War Eagles were shutout in the third quarter, and that was the difference. Morgan County led 21-14 at the half, but won the third quarter 14-0, Putnam County taking the fourth 14-7, unable to get it under two scores in the second half.

Northeast 36, Southwest 14
          Nick Woodford played sparingly, but very effectively, with two touchdowns for Northeast. The Raiders took the lead for good on Tailen Sampson’s long pick-6 late in the first half, adding a 77-yarder from Woodford midway through the third quarter. QB Reginald Glover’s rushing TD a few minutes later put Northeast up 28-7.

Washington County 32, Jefferson County 0
          The Golden Hawks were in control early, leading 25-0 at halftime.

Wilkinson County 29, Treutlen 7

Wheeler County 14, Taylor County 10
          The Vikings got to within four in the third quarter, but both teams went scoreless in the fourth quarter.

GIAA

Deerfield-Windsor 35, Mount de Sales 14
          A 21-0 second quarter put the Knights in control, the Cavs getting a touchdown in the third and fourth quarters.

FPD 49, Marion County 21
          Bennett Lake picked off two passes, returning one for a score, and Benjamin McElreath had an interception and kickoff return for a touchdown to lead FPD to the win over GHSA Class A/Division II Marion County. The Vikings took a 19-13 lead with 5:45 left in the half on a wild 32-yard TD pass from Major Simmons – after a bad snap sent him 25 yards behind the line of scrimmage – to Breck Griffin. McElreath’s second big return to the day put points on the board when he went 81 yards to start the second half. The Vikings then ate up more than five minutes before McHugh battled his way through and off defenders for a 7-yard score and a 35-13 lead – Lake passed to Brady Lincoln for two – with 1:10 left in the third. Marion County made it a two-score game again three minutes into the fourth quarter, but Lake went 48 yards on FPD’s first play after that to seal it. Marion County ran for 245 yards, but completed only six passes for 86 yards, 54 on one play. Lake led the Vikings on the ground, with McHugh getting 75 yards on 10 carries. Simmons completed 4 of 10 passes for 63 yards, Lake 4 of 5 for 25.

Stratford 56, Calvary Christian 0
          The Eagles’ first points came on a safety and then a field goal. The touchdown parade then started, with Ja’Lon Smith’s 1-yard run and then a 6-yarder from Tyler Stephens as Stratford took an 18-0 lead. The Eagles put up 24 points in the second quarter, highlighted by a 46-yard TD pass from Connor Fitzpatrick to Sal Phillips. Fitzpatrick went in from 13 and Stephens from 6, Stebin Horne adding a 42-yard field goal in a 24-point second quarter. Smith ran in another one, and David Garnett recovered a fumble in the end zone to close out the scoring, in the third quarter. Stratford’s defense stuffed Calvary to minus-37 yards on 30 rushing attempts, and only 118 yards on 11-of-18 passing for a 311-79 total offense advantage. Fitzpatrick led with 89 rushing yards.

Tattnall 27, St. Anne-Pacelli 0
          The Trojans were steady in recording their first shutout since topping Brookwood 41-0 in 2021, scoring a touchdown in each quarter. Ty Hunnicutt caught first-quarter and third-quarter scoring passes from Caden Faulk, of 17 and 14 yards, while Christian Weeks took an interception back 29 yards in the second quarter. Antone Johnson got in the scoring column with a 77-yard run midway through the fourth quarter. Hunnicutt caught 5 passes for 93 yards, and Johnson went for 142 yards on 16 carries. Tattnall gave up two more first downs, but held St. Anne-Pacelli to 170 yards on offense and forced 2 turnovers.

Westfield 47, Southland 7
          The Hornets have scored 102 points in their first two games, and are 40.5 percent of the way to last year’s total of 252 points. They had a two-game run in 22 outscoring Southland and Tiftarea 112-55.

Briarwood 31, Central Fellowship Christian 7

Brentwood 67, Pinewood 48
          It was 21-14 after one, 34-27 at halftime, 48-33 after three, and the War Eagles won the fourth quarter 19-15. The War Eagles went for 481 yards on 32 carries – 15 yards a try - led by Zach Denton’s 235 yards on 15 carries with 2 scores. Jones Sheppard carried 7 times, scored 3 times, covering 98 yards overall.

Trinity Christian 28, Gatewood 12
          Wade Register ran 21 times for 151 yards and Ben Castro-Poveda went 5 for 10 for 88 yards and 2 TDs to lead Trinity Christian. The Crusaders put up 14 points in the second quarter to get control.

Windsor 28, Thomas Jefferson 15
          The Knights improved to 2-0 in the return to the 11-man game, getting all their points in the second quarter and shutting out Thomas Jefferson in the fourth.

Thursday
John Milledge 39, Augusta Christian 19
          The Trojans got their first lead of the season on Kolt McMichael’s 10-yard pass to David Todd in the second quarter. Augusta Christian tied it, and then McMichael ‘s 1-yar run put JMA up for good with a 13-6 halftime lead. McMichael ran in two more short-yardage scored in the third quarter, the Trojans getting a run form Cole Vining and 20-yard interception return to seal it. John Milledge won despite being outagained Augusta Christian 416-348 and grabbing seven fewer first downs. Vining ran for 132 yards and McMichael passed for 138.