Good days for Houston County, Bleckley County, Westside and Perry in Saturday action
Houston County 57, Alpharetta 10
The Bears flexed muscles early, scoring on their first five possessions inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Javian Durham got the Bears going early with a 23-yard run midway through the first, and Houston County scored again barely two minutes later after a special teams botch by Alpharetta. Durham got the Bears back in the red zone, setting up A.J. Hill’s TD pass to Gavin Kurpis – the game’s offensive MVP with touchdowns rushing and receiving - early in the second for a 21-3 lead. A lateral and pass turned into a 69-yard touchdown.
A year ago, the Bears opened the season with a 56-12 win over AA Sumter County. They’ve cracked 50 points in three straight seasons,
Bleckley County 31, Rutland 0
The Royals took a few minutes to get started, not scoring until Ford Childers’ field goal four minutes in. Joshua Stanley’s 23-yard run and Childers’ kick made it 10-0 just past the midway point of the first quarter. Dequavis Benjamin bowled in from a yard out early in the second quarter for a 17-0 lead, then followed a fourth-down stop inside its 25 awhile later with Stanley’s 2-yard run inside the final minute of the half.
It’s the Royals’ first shutout since 33-0 over West Laurens n Sept. 16, 2022.
Westside 26, Howard 20
The 3 p.m. kickoff was pushed back to a little after 5 p.m. because of lightning. They started and got a quarter in before falling victim to more weather problems.
Howard opened with a 75-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, and Westside soon tied it, but weather returned at the end of the first quarter. Upon resumption, Howard went up 20-6 in the third quarter with a score and conversion.
Westside got within eight a few minutes into the fourth quarter. The Seminoles kept it going with another score and conversion to tie it with 5:30 left. Westside then won it in overtime.
Perry 37, Baldwin 6
The end of 2023 apparently transitioned pretty well into the start of 2024 for defending 4A champ Perry, which took control early and rolled over its former region rival, under new head coach Kevin Patterson.
Ahmad Gordon put Perry on the board nearly five minutes into the game, Decorrion Daniels ending the first quarter with another score. Baldwin couldn’t throw a second-quarter shutout, Cullen McDaniel hitting Kiel Sparks with two minutes left en route to a 23-0 halftime lead.
The Braves got on the board in the third, but Perry went into the fourth quarter with a 37-6 lead. The Panthers improved to 4-4 in season openers under Kevin Smith. Baldwin suffered a few serious injuries, including a coach in the fourth quarter.