MIDSTATE FOOTBALL ROUNDUP: Bleckley, Wheeler stay on roll; 3rd-straight loss has WACO playoff hopes in jeopardy

Late-season hot streaks continued for both Bleckley and Wheeler counties, and Washington County’s postseason prospects took a hit in a road loss that’ll put a lot on their final game coming up Friday, in several of the Heart of Georgia’s top week 10 games.

In other area matchups, Swainsboro, Baldwin, Jeff Davis and John Milledge pulled out big wins in some tight ones, and usual suspects Toombs County, Northeast Macon and Peach County put up more big numbers in blowouts to solidify their standing at the top of the rankings.

Here’s a closer look at last week’s results of note…

Bleckley Co. 49, Vidalia 13

The Royals’ offensive machine kept humming as Brody Fleming completed 17 of his 22 passes for 326 yards and four touchdowns, and Zyion Love rushed for 113 yards and two scores on 13 carries, to build a 42-0 lead by halftime. Vidalia’s Tyler McKinney returned the third-quarter kickoff for a TD to break the shutout, but the Indians would come up with their only other set of second-half points to answer the final Bleckley touchdown on a pass from freshman Gavin Reynolds to Jake McCaw. The Royals’ Kelvin Sneed caught a pair of the Fleming TDs on his three receptions for 134 yards (Jason McNulty and Gage Harris had the other two). Octavius Tate had 81 yards on a team-high five grabs. Landry Nobles recorded 11 tackles, two for loss and a sack, and J.J. Stephens an interception. 

Wheeler Co. 47, Wilcox Co. 13

After two closer calls, the Bulldogs blew the lid off their third-straight win to remain in the three-team mix for the region 4-A title, ahead of its final set with Telfair and Dooly counties. Kavion Williams had a near-perfect passing night, going 6-of-7 for 65 yards and a touchdown to Jaden Bridges. Jah Dinkins rushed seven times for 182 and three touchdowns, and returned a kickoff for a fourth. Malik Madison and John Miller (with two touchdowns) also carried for just north of 100 yards each. Bridges and Miller were among four Wheeler County defenders with double-digit tackles. 

Burke Co. 34, Washington Co. 6

Turnovers, numbering five total, were one problem for the Golden Hawks. Another was Burke County’s Mykheal Smith, who scored three touchdowns on his 182 yards rushing, caught a fourth on a pass from Ashton White, ran back several kickoffs for a combined 87 and had a hand in three turnovers with his two interceptions and one fumble recovery. His back-to-back rushing touchdowns, around a WACO punt, stretched the Bears’ lead to four scores just before a five-yard Aiden Watts run for the Hawks’ only touchdown. Burke responded with another scoring drive, and WACO fumbled and threw an interception on its remaining possessions. The loss, setting the Hawks (3-6 overall) back just outside the projected playoff field at No. 33 among public schools in the latest GHSA Post Season Rankings, will likely turn this Friday’s regular-season finale into a win-or-else proposition. 

GMC 13, Twiggs Co. 0

A few impressive plays, by Cason Dennis on the 37-yard keeper for their only touchdown and J.D. Allen on a sprawling one-handed interception in the end zone late in the fourth, helped get the Bulldogs over the top in a tight one for their first win since mid-September. GMC led the whole way from Dennis’ score on drive No. 2 with about four minutes left in the first, adding on via second- and third-quarter field goals by Will Portwood. The Dogs’ defense held off several Twiggs County threats, a biggest just before halftime as time ran out on the Cobras after a touchdown-saving tackle on the 25-yard completion from Yalen Baldwin to Elijah Davis that reached inside the GMC 5. They’d reach the red zone again late in the third, but turn it over on downs, and again ahead of Allen’s pick in the fourth. Twiggs’ Jamarcus Stephens had 14 total tackles. 

ECI 41, Montgomery Co. 13

The Eagles got some offense going, but most of it later as Zaden Waller carried 19 times for 92 yards and the team rushing lead and Rilynn Dees connected with Ashton Bland on a 76-yard pass for a first touchdown in the third quarter, after ECI had already scored its entire total. Dreon Holland ran for a final MoCo touchdown with about four minutes left. 

Jenkins Co. 40, Wilkinson Co. 14

Two Quinterrion Stanford passing touchdowns, on a 16-of-30 line for 134 yards, had the Warriors within striking distance down only 23-14 going to the half. But Jenkins County scored 17 unanswered in the last two quarters to pull away. Tyler Hogan (who recovered two fumbles) and Daverie Walker had the Wilco receiving scores. 

Baldwin 33, Mary Persons 28

The Braves had some pre-Halloween tricks up their sleeve, and came up with treats on a few of them in the form of double-pass touchdowns that originated with Jacob Hester, and found Justin Burton and Tavares Hooks for early scores. Those helped close a series of 14-point gaps after a quick Mary Persons start that Baldwin fully eliminated with a second-quarter momentum swing, as an interception turned the Bulldogs’ drive aiming to restore that margin before the half into a march the other way that tied the game. Hooks, who rushed for 173 yards on 19 carries, scored both the Braves’ go-ahead TDs in the second half. MP, answering in between with a Jordan Singleton touchdown pass to Mason Stephens to go up one, ran out of time on its last-chance drive that reached the Baldwin 29. Singleton was 12-of-18 passing for 147 yards. The Braves’ Kamden Patterson completed 14 of 17 for 206. Hester, when not leading the Braves in passing scores, caught seven of Patterson’s for 109. 

Northeast Macon 40, Southwest 0

Jordan Wiggins fired 11 completions for 237 yards and three touchdowns (two to Scottavian Thomas, who caught three passes for 115), and Kortnei Williams had both an interception and fumble recovery touchdown to lead the Raiders to their seventh win in eight games. 

Houston Co. 42, Veterans 0

The three-headed monster of Ryan Maxwell (25-of-32 for 338 and two touchdowns), Austin Stinson (21 attempts for 146 rushing yards and three scores) and Jeffery Thomas (12 carries for 176 and two TDs) roared for the Bears in a shutout to end their two-game losing streak and get back to .500 overall, and in region play. 

Jeff Davis 21, Cook 14

Braylon Varnadore scored a second of two fourth-quarter touchdowns to complete the Jackets’ rally from a seven-point deficit to pull out the bounce-back win. Jacob Laney and Garrison Coleman, each rushing for 100-plus of Jeff Davis’ 290 rushing yards, scored a touchdown apiece. The Jackets allowed only 158 total. 

Peach Co. 48, Howard 12

The Trojans’ big-play attack was at its best, rolling up 655 total yards to massively dwarf the Howard total of 239. Caiden Ivory was 19-of-32 passing for 237 yards and a touchdown. Ashton Barton rushed for three scores on 24 carries for 218. Tristen Brown had seven catches for 173. Howard’s touchdowns came on a fumble return by Tristan Sands and a Tayshawn Poole reception from Zavion Deshazier. 

Swainsboro 21, ACE Charter 15

Turnovers that have been a theme in four-straight losses for the Gryphons caused several dramatic twists and turns in this one, as Swainsboro lost two fumbles but intercepted three passes that were critical in their comeback to claim an important third overall win. Ace Hatcher was 14-of-27 passing for 198, and ran 17 times for 43 yards and ACE’s only two touchdowns, which produced a single-score lead by late in the third quarter. Swainsboro, whose Joshua Gray was 11-of-15 for 144 and the earliest touchdown to Shannon Benjamin, punched in back-to-back late, the last on a run by Marco Danford, to go up by nine before a field goal from Jack Perry cut it to the final six with the Gryphons’ last set of points.

John Milledge 28, Stratford 20

The Trojans took care of their toughest test so far to complete a 10-0 regular season. JMA led 14-3 after one, but two Stratford touchdowns in the second quarter and a George Dunn field goal in the third pulled the Eagles within one as it got late. Brayden Faulkner’s interception near midfield set up the scoring drive that ended in a 30-yard Asa Wall rushing touchdown for the final difference. Wall carried 23 times for 220 yards and one other touchdown, and made 13 tackles, two for loss. Lane Rhodes and Cayden Wingfield rushed for the others. The Trojans’ Amarion Shivers finished with two sacks. Stratford’s Tucker Johnston threw for 159 yards and a touchdown, rushed for another and caught a third. 

Toombs Co. 62, Johnson, Savannah 0

The Bulldogs improved to 8-0, ahead of this week’s region 3-AAA title game with fellow unbeaten Appling County, in their second-straight shutout. Joseph Owens was 4-of-7 passing for 112 yards and touchdowns to Brandon Stevens and Kareem Palmer. Donterrius Mincey had seven carries for 119 and four TDs. Alex Scott returned a punt for a score, and M.J. Burton chalked up eight total tackles, two for loss. 

Briarwood 28, Edmund Burke 6

The Bucs took a buzzsaw to the Spartans’ unbeaten record, scoring all four of their touchdowns unanswered before a late 50-yard pass from Sam Hickman to Ryan Reddick for Burke’s only points in the rout, to likely clinch a top-four seed in the upcoming playoffs and kick the Spartans down to the fifth seed, which will mean a road game in round 1. Cutler Fleming completed nine of 13 passes for 141 and two touchdowns, with Banks DeMore and Aiden Adler on the receiving end, and rushed 20 times for 120 and another score. Orrin Wynn had the other Briarwood TD on 14 carries for 57. DeMore had an interception and seven total tackles. 

Last week’s local coverage…

Other week 10 scores… 

Dooly Co. 35, Telfair Co. 28

Callaway 53, Rutland 6

Coffee 37, Northside 7

Jackson 56, Central Macon 7

Jones Co. 50, Eagle’s Landing 14

Laney 54, Jefferson Co. 12

Ola 35, Warner Robins 21

Perry 44, Union Grove 0

Spalding 28, Westside Macon 19

Turner Co. 30, Hawkinsville 17

Pinewood 36, Robert Toombs 0

Deerfield-Windsor 42, Central Fellowship 6

FPD 35, Mount de Sales 0

Westfield 46, Terrell 26

Windsor 32, Flint River Academy 26