MIDSTATE FOOTBALL ROUNDUP: JoCo, Dodge fight off stiff challenges on road; Wheeler, Brentwood stay unbeaten

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A closer look at last week’s high school football results of note from elsewhere around the Heart of Georgia…

Johnson Co. 28, Treutlen 13

Deciding factor: The Trojans trailed both at halftime, and after three quarters, but made the plays needed in the last 12 minutes to pull through the back-and-forth battle and bring away a hard-earned fifth win from Bobby Driggers Stadium. Both steady ground attacks churned out short yardage at the line all night – with JoCo’s good for 221 yards, with 80 each by leaders Jeremiah Scott and Tayshawn Norris, and Treutlen’s countering with 189, more than half belonging to Peanut Tobler – but big plays were the major tipping point as the lead changed hands early, and the Trojans ultimately took control late. JoCo overcame 11 penalties to tally 324 total yards, and allowed only 217 the other way. A missed extra point was the difference in the Vikings’ favor after dueling touchdowns on short runs by Tobler and Kelsey Waters (both concluding drives of 13 plays and over seven minutes each). But from there, neither team could break back through in anything but explosive fashion. The 90-yard touchdown pass of Nathan Turberville to Scott late in the third quarter put JoCo back in the lead, but only moments before Treutlen responded with a 65-yard Zan Stokes run to get back within one (Cory King’s two-point conversion, combined with a blocked Viking PAT, had the visitors still up 14-13) going to quarter 4.

Pivotal moment: Despite an early punt, tackles for loss by Norris, Waters and Derrick Dixon helped the Trojans force back-to-back Treutlen three-and-outs that were followed by touchdowns to put the game away. Norris scored from 26 to cap a first drive of eight plays and 63 yards, before Scott busted a 57-yarder for the dagger with a little under three minutes left.

Game ball: Ziion Wesley had a hand in eight total tackles, and two of the team’s seven for loss, to help lead JoCo’s resilient defensive effort.

Next: Trojans vs. Hancock Central, Sept. 26; Vikings vs. vs. Wilcox Co., Friday

TROJAN TFL: Several members of the Johnson County defense stack up Treutlen’s Kavion Peeples for a loss/LOGAN REYNOLDS, GTLN

Wheeler Co. 30, Atkinson Co. 22

Deciding factor: The Bulldogs held off their second Thursday-night challenge in a row, and in similar fashion to a home win over Taylor County two weeks earlier that also hinged on one extra score down the stretch. The late score, by who else but Alvin Ricks, put Wheeler back up after AtCo’s rally from a 14-point hole to tie the game. The Rebels ran for all of their 343 yards, with Darrian Roberts carrying 29 times for 160 and all three of their touchdowns. The Bulldogs shook off a single turnover to score once more on just 281 total, with Ricks rushing for 114 and Reco Wooten completing five passes for 53 yards and two touchdowns, and rushing for 47.

Pivotal moment: Wheeler was cruising, up 22-8, after a big first quarter, but couldn’t add to the lead as AtCo chipped away with a single touchdown between quarters 2 and 3, then equalized with its third unanswered a minute into the fourth. The Bulldogs, suddenly reawakened, got Ricks into the open field on a run of 45 yards to the end zone to respond in less than two minutes. Justin Culver ran for the two-point conversion, and they held on defense to seal the eight-point victory and improve to 4-0.

Game ball: Jah Dinkins carried three times for 66 yards and a touchdown rushing, and scored twice on his three receptions for 46.

Next: Bulldogs at Dooly Co., Friday

Brentwood 51, Thomas Jefferson 14

Deciding factor: The Eagles gave up a touchdown late in both halves, but otherwise, easily overpowered a fifth-straight team to open their district slate with a dominant win. Baylor Cobb threw for two touchdowns – one to Zyion Andrews and another to Abe Williams – on his five completions (of seven) for 104 yards. Tristan Robinson scored twice on four carries for 36, and returned a kickoff and three punts for a combined 84. Williams, Quez Collins and Jones Sheppard added rushing touchdowns, each with a share of a 210-yard total on the ground.

Pivotal moment: Cole Dudley forced a fumble, and Grady Boutelle had the recovery to help Brentwood even the turnover margin after Thomas Jefferson forced one just before scoring its lone touchdown in the first half. But the rest of the first 24 minutes was all Eagles, to the tune of 44 points as Robinson reached the end zone to complete their first two drives, Jones Sheppard added a short run and Cobb completed a 23-yard touchdown pass to Andrews to follow a Jaguar safety for a 30-0 lead after a quarter. Williams had a run and reception for both TDs, bookending the TJA score by Rashad Smith, in the second.

Game ball: Sophomore Cole Everett led the Eagles’ defense with nine total tackles.

Next: Eagles at John Milledge, Friday

Dodge Co. 32, Vidalia 13

Deciding factor: Vidalia held its own through a half of football – leading 13-12 at the break thanks to the only successful point after any of the teams’ four combined touchdowns up to then – but couldn’t put together enough on the offensive side (with just under 100 yards in each phase) to hang in down the stretch. A plague of turnovers – four between interceptions by Dodge’s Jordan Spady and Terrance Fordham and fumble recoveries on the part of Cam Hughes and Dallas Worthen – along with the pesky pass rush of Hughes (who had nine total tackles and four hurries) also had a big hand in the home team’s undoing. Kain Mincey and receivers wowed with plays through the air on 14 completions for 260 yards and three touchdowns. What Dodge couldn’t get going with only 89 on the ground, it accomplished just as well with the screen game, which got Jamal Smith loose in space for a touchdown in the first half, and a huge gainer that set up his second on a true run in the third. Vidalia got the first and last word of the opening half, scoring quickly off the bat as Brycen Burns found the end zone on a swing pass from D.J. Wallace, and again for the halftime lead after Ryan Brantley’s 27-yard completion to Jamarcus Bouyer on a gutsy fake punt set up the go-ahead on a scamper by Lyric McKinnie. Dodge took a momentary lead in the middle on unanswered touchdowns via run by Smith and fade pass from Mincey to Jauriel Bray, off a double move toward the back left corner, later in the first.

Pivotal moment: Dodge participated a bit in the night’s outbreak of turnovers, giving the ball away previously on a pick by Vidalia’s Alton Boles, but committed just one more in the rampant outbreak that marked the third quarter. The visitors opened it up by hustling down the field to regain the lead within a minute of the kick, as Mincey slipped one out to Smith for a 41-yard touchdown run. After about nine minutes of stalemate, Dodge struck twice in a short length of time on Smith’s run and a 40-yard rainbow from Mincey to Jerimiah Burns for touchdowns on either side of a Vidalia fumble.

Game ball: Smith ran for 27 on 10 carries, and rolled up 126 receiving yards on his four receptions, while also collecting six tackles and a hurry on defense.

Next: Indians vs. East Laurens, Friday

Josey 38, Twiggs Co. 14

Deciding factor: The Eagles’ explosive plays, and tackles for multiple losses of valuable yardage, piled up by the end of what was initially a close game, and Josey broke away to get its first win since August of 2023. Zavion Hearst threw for three touchdowns, two to help the Eagles capitalize on red zone visits in the first half, and a third in the second for one of two explosive scoring plays (the other a 47-yard run) that put their late lead out of Twiggs County’s reach.

Pivotal moment: The Cobras struck back after Josey’s early two-touchdown burst with a scoring drive that ended on a run by Harold Crawford III, and had the ball again with a shot to drive for a tying touchdown a little before halftime, but a Josey pick-six created a sudden two-score swing that sent the home momentum tumbling downhill too quickly. Twiggs, with little to hang its hat on offensively besides the running of Crawford and a few chunk passing completions from Jeremy Stanley to Demontrez Brown and Courdon Parker, couldn’t do enough to get back in the game.

Game ball: Crawford rushed for both the Cobras’ touchdowns, and rushed for the bulk of its yardage on 155 of the team’s net 180.

Next: Cobras vs. GMC Sept. 26

Best of the rest…

Taylor Co. 32, Montgomery Co. 8: Rilynn Dees was 10-of-19 for 91 yards, but besides some catch-and-run gains on a high volume of bubble screens, the Eagles weren’t able to create or sustain enough offense to challenge Taylor County, which picked off two passes and gave up under 200 total yards. The Vikings scored four touchdowns in the first half, and had put up their entire total before MoCo’s lone score early in the fourth. Elijah McEwen had 69 of the Eagles’ 92 on the ground, and Jaquez Kelly had three receptions for 36.

ECI 35, Jenkins Co. 34: The War Eagles went for two and the win after Calvin Adams crept through a crease and over the goal line for a reciprocal touchdown in the bottom half of overtime, but Taylor Barther was tackled shy of the end zone on the do-or-die play for the win. Tyler Foreman had a run up the middle for the Bulldogs’ go-ahead score, his second of the game, to open OT. Chase Johnson rushed for 129 yards and two others, with Robert Reynolds scoring once, as part of ECI’s 228-yard effort on the ground, and Jackson Kennedy threw nine completions for 119 yards to rally the Bulldogs from a two-touchdown deficit at halftime to back in front early in the fourth, before a Jenkins County touchdown and conversion to tie the score at 28 to close regulation.

MEET ME BEHIND THE STICKS: Houston County linebacker Zion Paul lets out a roar after a five-yard tackle for a loss against Tift County/CLAY BROWN, Houston Home Journal

Houston Co. 57, Tift Co. 14: Ryan Maxwell was 23-of-28 for 326 yards and five touchdowns passing to lead the Bears’ 546-yard rampage in their non-region finale. M.J. Mathis caught two of them, out of his eight total receptions for 148. Colin Anderson rushed for 137. Javien Durham, Westen Ard, J.T. Thomas, Tyler Wright and Messiah Holliday also had a hand in HoCo rushing or passing scores. Jercorien McCoy intercepted a pass for a second-straight week.

Read more on the game from Clay Brown in the Houston Home Journal.

GMC 45, Creekside Christian 14: Freshman Jevion Taylor rushed for three touchdowns, and Evan Stanley two on 171 yards, to help the Bulldogs run away with their first win since 2023, ending a 14-game losing streak.

Harlem 41, Baldwin 18: The Braves got pounded and carved up by a Harlem offense that flexed its muscle in both the run and pass dimensions. The former was led by Malik Tyler, on 17 carries for 128 yards and two touchdowns. For the latter, flawless quarterback Mercer Barton was 16-of-18 for 260 yards and a couple of touchdowns, one each to top wideouts Joseph Clark (six receptions for 174) and Jayden Futrell, who also rushed for a TD. Baldwin’s Kamden Patterson completed 16 of 24 passes for 192, throwing and rushing for one each of the Braves’ three touchdowns, but two not until the game was well beyond reach deep in the fourth quarter. The Braves, who were stonewalled at the goal line in an effort to score first off a fumble then driven 99 yards the other end zone, could answer only one of the six Harlem touchdowns to follow.

Perry 28, Veterans 15: They were tied at 7 going to half, but the Panthers exploded for three unanswered touchdowns – two in the third quarter – to break the game open. Reid Ginn threw for touchdowns to Dakari Fedler and Jahmard Cobb. Cobb and Decorrion Daniels also rushed for TDs. Trey Byrd fired passes to Tyler Glover and Kaden Gutierrez for the Veterans scores in the second and fourth quarters.

Swainsboro 44, Thomson 42: The Tigers nearly had this one slip away, as Thomson scored twice to eliminate a a two-score deficit, and after converting a turnover for that game-tying touchdown, kicked a point-after for a 42-41 lead. But Swainsboro drove down for a final field goal attempt that was good from 27 by Matias Castillo to snatch the win. Joshua Gray was 6-for-6 with 63 yards passing and a touchdown to Marcus Watkins. Marco Danford had a touchdown on 114 rushing yards, and ran back a kickoff for a score. Kamarion Dukes, Ja’Bios Smith and Kyle Johnson also ran for touchdowns and a chunk of the Tigers’ 263 yards on the ground. Swainsboro had 326 to counter the Bulldogs’ 441 in the good old fashioned boat race. Most of the Bulldogs’ number was the responsibility of quarterback Markevion Jones, who completed 14 of 22 for 321 and four touchdowns. Jaris Sinkfield caught nine passes for 207 and Zay Brinson five for 118.

Troup 49, Mary Persons 35: Garrison Edwards rushed for 176 yards and three touchdowns, and threw 12 completions for 134 and three more, to keep the Tigers perfect in a Saturday afternoon clash of unbeatens. Mary Persons did its best to keep pace, with 21 points in the second quarter to dig partially out of an early 21-0 hole, then two in a row after Troup had jumped back out to a 21-point lead to cut the deficit back to only seven, ahead of Edwards’ final touchdown run to seal the game late in the fourth quarter.

Gatewood 13, Mount de Sales 10: The Gators grabbed a late touchdown and got a fourth down stop to come from behind and chalk up their first win in five games.

John Milledge 27, Bulloch 18: Asa Wall caught an early touchdown pass from Lewis Cheney as the Trojans and Gators traded first-half scores, then broke a 78-yard run for the last of three unanswered to put their late lead just out of reach for the defending AAAA state champions, who rallied late to get within nine on a TD run and pass by Sam Hubbard in the fourth quarter.