FOOTBALL: Turnovers, injuries frustrate East Laurens at Dodge County

Offenses of both East Laurens and Dodge County remain a work in progress, and each spent a good bit of their game Friday night in Eastman continuing a long-running search for consistency. 

Turnovers and ball insecurity were ongoing themes for the Falcons, and two quarterback injuries over the course of the contest did them no favors as the Indians intercepted their committee of passers four times. Though none of them were lost, East’s four fumbles went along with protection and timing issues to add to its recent frustration on that side of the ball. 

Dodge, meanwhile, was plagued by dropped passes, a few interceptions of its own and only intermittent success establishing the run. But the Indians managed to punch the ball into the end zone enough of the ample times they came across opportunities, and though they didn’t exactly blow the lid off the game, were able to put away a 33-14 decision for their fourth win. 

East Laurens (1-4, 1-3 region 2-High A) will return to action at home on Friday against ACE Charter, while Dodge travels to face Southwest Macon. 

Three Falcon quarterbacks got in on a 13-for-31 for 153-yards team passing line, as both starter Skyler Snead and backup Jason Giles went out at points in either half, forcing East to go to freshman ZaNorrion Ellington (who’s worked out behind center, but done his main work at back and receiver since returning from  an injury in the preseason). 

Ellington rushed for the team lead of 58 yards, with Norrion King carrying nine times for 46, to get the Falcon attack the rest of the way to its total of 255. 

Dodge quarterback Kain Mincey impressed with his arm, and six connections with top target Jauriel Bray for 144 yards and one of his three touchdowns. The junior was 19 of 38 for 220, though a a handful of other near-misses on some plays that didn’t quite come together had the Indians a bit flustered at several points when they had a shot to really pour it on. 

As it was, their lead stood at 19-7, with East Laurens about the same number of could’ve-beens away from being right in it. 

The game’s hit-or-miss rhythm continued at the start of the third quarter, which opened with a 56-yard scoring drive highlighted by a Mincey pass to Bray for double digits, and a Mincey throwback to his left tackle Dorian Hughes behind the line for a nine-yard touchdown run to stretch the lead to 26-7. 

Then came another missed opportunity. 

Bray’s 35-yard punt return put Dodge in great position, but an incompletion on downs gave it back to East Laurens. 

The Falcons, held to three and a punt on their first series of the half, got the same result on this one, plus a high snap on the intended kick that Giles had to run down and pounce on at the 10. 

It was perhaps the easiest of the Indians’ scoring opportunities of the night, and they made the uncontested layup as Mincey dumped out to Jeremiah Alston, who ducked the shoulders around the tackler and proceeded to the end zone on the short completion to make it 33-7. 

The Indians, exchanging the ball back with East the rest of the way via punt and two turnovers on downs, would not add to the lead any further in the remaining time. 

East, stuck in its cycle of punts for most of the third, pieced together strong carries by King and Ellington on a drive to scoring range, before Giles took a sack from Hughes and Peyton Butts, and left the game. 

The possession would end on downs. 

Ellington entered, and after finding his rhythm, made some nifty plays in the fourth to lead the Falcons down the field for a second touchdown. He found Bryson Hazley on a first-down completion, scrambled down to the 15, then made about five men miss on a bail from the pocket to reach the end zone with 9:40 still to go. 

Both defenses would make one more big play each the rest of the way, East’s Luis Roman with a tackle on an Indian fourth down, and Jerimiah Burns with a fourth Dodge pick on a Falcon overthrow late. 

Back in the first half, both attacks opened up with fast pace, though a couple of incompletions had East Laurens punting after just three plays. Dodge started its scripted open at the minus-19, and Mincey missed Bray on the first play from scrimmage, but hit him with a quick hitch on the second, and Bray broke a tackle on his way to the other 20. 

The Indians, at first, struggled to jam it in. But a Falcon holding foul in the end zone offered a second chance at third-and-goal from a short distance, and Mincey snuck it in. A blocked PAT by Caleb Jackson had Dodge up 6-0. 

It took the Indians a while to add to the lead, and they failed to capitalize on two Falcon mishaps during the following series. 

On the first play, Snead had trouble with the handoff, and Cam Hughes came unblocked off the edge to club the ball loose on a sack. Though East Laurens recovered, its first interception came just two plays later on a throw over the middle that was picked by Jordan Spady. 

Dodge did what it took to get the ball inside the 5, but there encountered its own snap issues for a loss of yardage just before getting stuffed on a fourth and goal. 

The Falcons, starting from their own 2, suddenly got some things going with a perimeter screen pass for Major Floyd for a chunk of yardage as the spark. 

Ellington ran for a first down over midfield for another first down, but then came more trouble with unblocked rush, and a tip interception as Snead’s throw went off the fingertips of Dianco Murray and was hauled in by Bray. 

Once again, Dodge gave the football back over after some missed chances – the biggest a picturesque deep ball from Mincey just one snap after the change of possession that was dropped on a likely touchdown in the left corner. 

East Laurens took back over thanks to another muffed catch on fourth down, but doubled its distance with a bad snap on the first play. And Snead, as he covered the ball up, was seemingly injured as he got rolled over by two diving defenders, and didn’t return to the game. 

Giles took over, and immediately spun one up the seam to Floyd for about a 50-yard gain to get the Falcons out of the hole. 

But the drive would stall just past midfield, and also end in a punt. 

This time, Dodge was able to convert in the red zone on a cutback run by Jeremiah Alston, and doubled its lead to 12-0, though its “polecat” style two-point try was unsuccessful. 

The Indians continued clicking on the following possession, getting it back quickly from an Eastside three-and-out, as Mincey sailed a 44-yard touchdown pass to Terrance Fordham, and a good point made it 19-0. 

East Laurens started at its 40 with a few minutes to halftime, and drove to score in about 90 seconds, with a big Norrion King run the key gainer on the way to the red zone. Floyd caught one on a stick route and took it inside the 5 after the catch, then cut up a jet sweep on third and goal for the touchdown. John Thang kicked to narrow the Dodge lead to 19-7. 

The Indians’ two-minute offense, primarily utilizing the night’s great chemistry between Mincey and Bray, got the ball past the 50 for a chance. But some East pressure got to Mincey on a back-footed throw that sailed a bit, and was picked off over the shoulder by Floyd. 

East Laurens, looking to utilize the few seconds of remaining time, would have the ball picked back by Fordham, but as time expired in the half. 

Dodge’s Alston carried 17 times for 61 yards. Fordham rushed three times for 56. 

The Falcons’ Floyd finished with six grabs for 100 yards, and Hazley three for 39. Roman led the defense with nine total tackles and three for loss.