MIDSTATE FOOTBALL ROUNDUP: Special teams snafus spoil Wheeler Co. semifinal chances; Too many 'Pit' falls for Northeast at Toombs

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Clinch Co. 27, Wheeler Co. 22

Deciding factor: The Bulldogs held more than their own in this hard-fought battle at the line of scrimmage, but made some critical mistakes they could ill-afford against the state’s second-ranked team as they gave up possession on two different kickoffs that got away. The first led to a second of two unanswered Clinch County touchdowns before Wheeler’s offense saw the field. A second deep in the fourth quarter cost them a chance to answer after the Panthers drove to re-take the lead with two minutes left to go. Alvin Ricks scored every point on the Bulldogs’ side of the scoreboard, and combined with Jah Dinkins and Justin Culver (both with more than 50 rushing yards each) to make their unorthodox ground attack a consistent challenge for the Clinch defense to line up to and stop. But Panthers’ quarterback Traviian Miller shined just as brightly in the duel of stars, rushing for three touchdowns and hitting a triple-covered Jakyri Posley on a surgical throw for his fourth.

Pivotal moment: Neither team had a stop until late in the second quarter, when a tackle for loss by Wheeler County’s Isaiah Williams forced the game’s first punt after a trade of five consecutive touchdowns in the early going. Clinch County reciprocated on a fourth-down hold just ahead of halftime, and the tone was set for a defense-dominated second half, which began with another trade of stops, then a time-consuming, 91-yard Bulldog scoring drive as Ricks busted in from a yard and dove for two to take a 22-21 lead. Miller coughed up the ball at the plus-25 as Clinch drove for a chance to answer, and Lane Connell made the recovery to put Wheeler County in business. The Bulldogs ran a little clock and punched it into Clinch territory before a punt that pinned the Panthers inside their 5. But Clinch came up with a 95-yard drive, hinging on a Miller scramble to pick up a key fourth and 10 from its 25 then his 59-yard completion to Kamarion Johnson, to go ahead… once again on a Miller keeper with 2:04 to go. Wheeler wouldn’t get the ball back, as the deep squib kick got lost between two potential returners, the Panthers recovered and proceeded to kneel out the clock.

Game ball: Ricks rushed 22 times for 163 yards, and the Bulldogs’ three touchdowns, in the final act of his remarkable four-year career.

The best of the rest…

Toombs Co. 24, Northeast Macon 6: The Raiders came up short in a second-straight postseason matchup with Toombs (this a rematch of their loss in last year’s state title game), due in part to 16 penalties that exacerbated an already rough night offensively. Several red zone stops and an interception by Tayvon Shivers kept the Bulldogs from running away with it, but Northeast’s offense – gaining only 199 total yards – could never get much started on its lowest-scoring night in four years. “Bam” Glover was held to 10 completions for 112, and picked off by Nick Carroll and Brandon Stephens for the game’s only other turnovers. Jacory Sherman threw to Kortnei Williams on a trick play for the Raiders’ lone touchdown early in the fourth quarter to briefly make it a single-score game, just after Toombs County’s Justin Powell scored the game’s first touchdown, and his first of three rushing on 30 carries for 183 yards. The Bulldogs, before that, were ahead by a halftime count of 3-0 by virtue of an Alex Otero field goal, but rattled off two more Powell touchdowns in the fourth to put the game away. Hayden Roy assembled a line of nine tackles, two for loss and a sack to lead the Toombs defense. The Bulldogs will visit Heard County in the semifinals.

Read Micah Johnston’s recap of the game for the Macon Melody here.

ICE-BREAKER: Northeast linebacker Tayvon Shivers (35) is knocked out of bounds after an interception that the Raiders leveraged into their first touchdown early in the fourth quarter, briefly thawing out some chilly offensive fortunes against Toombs’ stone cold defense. But the Bulldogs quickly put the big freeze back on, and iced their lead with two more touchdowns later in the quarter/JASON VORHEES, the Macon Melody

Heard Co. 39, Fitzgerald 38: Mack Googe hit his second field goal of the night, a 25-yard chip shot, for the win as time expired in a back-and-forth slugfest of big plays. The Braves scored the first 17 and the last 10 points of the night, in a hot start and finish that bookended a commanding stretch of football by a slow-starting Fitzgerald that outscored Heard County 38-12 in the time between. The Hurricane picked off quarterback Ethan Tisdale twice, once on a pick-six by Daniel Harris for a second of back-to-back scores that got it right back in the game just before halftime. Then Latavius Devine, who carried 14 times for 141 rushing yards, hit a crease for a 77-yard touchdown run out of halftime to give the visitors their first lead. Scores went back and forth from there, with Fitzgerald up nine as Tisdale hit Zaiden Moreland in the back right corner for a touchdown and point to cut the lead to two. Then Heard County, after a punt, went 75 yards from inside its own 15 to set up Googe’s final kick. Tisdale was 18-of-30 for 272 and three touchdowns, and joined Darience Coleman with 100 yards each rushing, and a combined three touchdowns. Moreland had eight catches for 114. Fitzgerald’s Matthew Cowan threw for 112 yards and a score, but Vic Copeland was limited to just 45 total yards. Max Lasseter (13, two for loss) led four Braves with double-digit tackles.

Bowdon 49, Jenkins Co. 22: The Red Devils scored six touchdowns in the first 18 minutes to put this one away very early. Their Joshua Hopkins was 13-of-16 passing for 194 yards and five touchdowns, four to Kaiden Prothro, who had five catches for 67, plus an interception and a fumble recovery on defense. Mykah Patterson had four receptions for 73, and Joshua Chandler carried 16 times for 121 yards. Jenkins County put up a few numbers once Bowdon’s foot was removed from the gas, starting with a 46-yard Justin Wright touchdown pass to Marquavious Roberson. But the War Eagles’ usually wild and free ground attack was limited to only 157 yards. The three-time defending state champs will go on the road to battle Clinch County Friday.

Lincoln Co. 52, Brooks Co. 16: The Red Devils’ unbeaten streak (barely challenged since Elbert County’s seven-point brush in early September) rolled on in a 13th consecutive game. Kelby Glaze led rushers with 11 carries for 110 yards and a pair of touchdowns, though seven others took the Lincoln County team total to 335 and six scores (Mekhi Wade also had two). Jeremiah Wynn and Aiden Jones had three sacks apiece. Glaze recovered a fumble and Jones forced two. Damari Baynard had 16 carries for 135 as Brooks County’s only positive gainer on the ground. Sacks pinned Junior Burrus for rushing losses of 65, but the Trojan QB was 18-of-25 for 252 through the air. Top target Trae Stevenson had eight catches for 147 and a rushing touchdown.

Early Co. 27, Screven Co. 20: K.J. Lindsey and Kobe Lingo intercepted passes on each side of the Bobcats’ 46-yard drive to solidify their lead (Devonis Lee’s 34-yard rushing touchdown stretching a 21-20 edge via missed extra point to seven) with about three minutes to go in the fourth quarter, and Early County picked up a first down to run out the clock on its first quarterfinal win since 2006, when a 15-6 loss in the dome that sent top-ranked Charlton County to Dublin for the state title game. Lee and Evan Grist, who also threw a 47-yard touchdown pass to Jimmy Jones, both rushed for triple digits. Screven County was led offensively by A.B. Hilton’s 21 carries for 143 yards.