MIDSTATE FOOTBALL ROUNDUP: Legendary home finale for Treutlen; Southland spoils Brentwood 3-peat hopes; Wheeler wins region again

Treutlen 43, Wilcox Co. 8

The Vikings sent out Bobby Driggers Stadium a winner on “Legends Night,” with a worthy performance by a future Treutlen icon in Peanut Tobler, who rushed for 117 yards and three touchdowns on 16 carries to break the single-season school record of the late Cartel McLendon. Jabari Taylor and Peyton Miller also added in the neighborhood of 50 rushing yards each, Miller and Deverin Knowles touchdowns, while Major Morton threw for another to Zan Stokes on four completions out of seven for 66 yards. Treutlen held Wilcox County, which finishes a season winless for just the second time ever, to only 81 total yards. The Patriots’ only touchdown was a run by Jude Rhodes in the third quarter, after the Vikings had taken a 36-0 lead into halftime. 

Dodge Co. 35, ACE Charter 25

Non-quarterback touchdown passes were a theme on both sides of this exciting matchup of teams jockeying for playoff position. The Indians’ Aamaury Fountain threw two of them, one to Jerimiah Burns that opened the first-quarter scoring and another to Jauriel Bray later in the night. ACE’s trickery came in the fourth quarter as Brady Balkcom threw back to his quarterback Ace Hatcher for a 19-yard score that chipped a little bit away at Dodge County’s lead. But the Indians, whose regular passer Kain Mincey added TD strikes via 52-yard deep ball to Burns and bubble screen to Fountain, stayed a good ways in front the whole way thanks in part to a major swing on one of two Gryphon turnovers late in the first half, when Burns scooped up and returned a fumble for the visitors’ first two-score lead. Hatcher completed 10 passes for 97 yards, and ran 21 times for 122 of ACE’s 197 rushing. 

Montgomery Co. 21, Claxton 8 

The Eagles got their offense back hitting on all the cylinders it was in the season’s first half with big nights by both their main two playmakers: Zaden Waller carrying 26 times for 167 yards and Elijah McEwen 15 for 61 and the first two of their three touchdowns. All were unanswered as his runs off direct snaps punched in scores from 15 and two in the opening half, with Waller toting one for two points to make it a 14-0 halftime lead. Dreon Holland rushed for a third from eight yards early in the fourth period to put the game away. 

Wheeler Co. 54, Dooly Co. 0

The Bulldogs’ ground attack kept up its late-season pace with 533 yards rushing to leave no doubt in the clinching of their second-straight region championship. For a second-straight week, three Wheeler County backs reached triple figures: Jah Dinkins had 15 carries for 174 yards. Malik Madison ran 11 times for 132. John Miller finished with eight attempts for 155. They were joined by Jaden Bridges and S.J. Willis a touchdown each. Kavion Williams sprinkled in four completions passing for 60 yards and two more scores, with Joseph Moore and Dakari Robinson on the receiving end. Bridges had 10 total tackles. Miller and Robinson also recovered fumbles. 

Southland 34, Brentwood 13

It started out well enough, as Baylor Cobb threw to Jones Sheppard for a 38-yard touchdown to put the Eagles up first after dueling turnovers on downs, and ahead by the 6-0 count after 12 minutes. But Southland’s balanced Wing-T attack took over the possession and field position battles from there, grinding their way to the end zone on three consecutive scoring drives – the first covering 60 yards in close to seven minutes, and two others on slightly shorter fields – to score on runs by Jamarcus Walker and Jase Peterson, then Walker’s 43-yard touchdown pass for a 20-6 halftime lead. The Raiders would take down eight minutes on a 57-yard march to open the third quarter, and Peterson punched it in on a short run to stretch the lead out to three scores. Brentwood kept it a game with an immediate response as Cobb hit Quez Collins on a 19-yard bubble less than two minutes later to cut the gap to 27-13, but the Eagles couldn’t come up the stop they needed. Southland answered right back with a 58-yard drive for the touchdown of Hays Hagerson to seal the lead. 

Hancock Central 52, Twiggs Co. 50

This season finale got a little crazy as the teams went back and forth late into their final Friday nights of the season. Highlights among numerous long runs in the shootout included touchdowns by Montez Cornelius, Yalen Baldwin and Darrion Horne, and a long tackle-breaking Adrian Johnson carry reminding a lot of Adrian Peterson’s run of Georgia Southern fame, but a second win proved just out of reach for the Cobras. 

Hawkinsville 17, Telfair Co. 16

The Red Devils overcame a snakebit start to rally for 11 points in the fourth quarter that pulled out their fifth win of the season. They gave up a safety after recovering a second of dueling fumbles near their own goal line, allowed a Telfair score by Decardiya Ellis and then committed a turnover on downs before Samir Whitehead’s run for their first touchdown to make it 9-7 going to half. The third quarter wasn’t as wild, but was equally thorny as another turnover-turned-Trojan TD put them on the ropes, down 11. But Hawkinsville finished the night confidently on two long drives, a first to get within two points on Johnathan Solomon’s rushing touchdown and the last bordering on 70 yards to set up a game-winning 27-yard field goal by Jordan Tate with only seconds left to play. Elisha Rozier had 57 yards to lead a collection of Red Devil rushers who had a share of their 47 carries and 232 rushing yards. 

Peach Co. 52, Troup 38

The Trojans overcame a rough start, as Troup ran out to a 26-0 lead in the first quarter, and a nine-point swing initiated by a third-quarter safety that undid a lot of their work to narrow the gap to only five points just out of halftime. But they’d score four unanswered touchdowns from there to run away with it, and capture the No. 1 overall seed in AAAA. Caiden Ivory rushed for 229 yards and two TDs, and threw for 131 and a third score. Ashton Barton, with 168 yards and a touchdown, and Deandre Stinson, scoring twice on 93, also carried a major part of Peach County’s 517-yard rushing load. The Tigers’ Chase Mosley threw for three touchdowns on 280 yards. Javarris Warner rushed for 121 and two scores. 

Callaway 28, Northeast Macon 24

The Raiders slightly outgained Callaway by a count of 389 yards to 380, but needed an explosive breakthrough that never emerged as their offense focused more than usual on working the short field, rather than stretching it. The Cavaliers, whose QB A.J. Williams threw for 151 and rushed for 82 to complement the 76-yard, two-touchdown performance of Christon Kennedy, cashed in on more early opportunities to build a lead that withstood Northeast’s comeback as they denied the Raiders’ bid to go back-to-back as region champs. They fell short primarily due to an 0-for-4 success rate on two-point conversions, but couldn’t force a stop to get the ball back after cutting the gap to a score on Kaden Lee’s rushing touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Jordan Wiggins completed 28 of 35 throws for 252, hitting Scottavian Thomas and Tavares Tinsley for TDs, and rushed for another on 91. Tinsley caught seven passes for 101. 

Baldwin 30, Spalding 25

The Braves’ rushing attack, for a change, took the front seat of their attack as they survived a close one on the road to finish the regular season 7-3. What would be a quality night passing for most was a season-low for Kamden Patterson, who completed 10 out of his 15 attempts for only 107 yards, but rushed for two touchdowns on 92. Tavares Hooks carried a big part of the load on 23 carries for 185. He and Jacob Hester added touchdowns. Spalding’s Camauri Berry ran for 186 yards and two TDs to keep it tight.  

Swainsboro 34, Vidalia 0

Kyle Johnson rushed for three touchdowns on 23 carries for 282 yards, Joshua Gray threw to Marco Danford for a fourth and Derek Hughes scored on a pick-six (one of three Vidalia interceptions) to carry the Tigers to their fifth win, which clinches a first-round home game. Danford caught five of Gray’s six completions for 96. Swainsboro outgained the Indians 458 yards to just 148. 

Warner Robins 34, Perry 33

The Demons likely fought off elimination, to keep a 16-year playoff streak going, with this rally from a 14-point gap to win it on an 11-yard touchdown pass from Chandler Dyson to X’Zavier Cannon with less than two minutes to go, and an interception later that sealed it. But 428 yards total offense for Perry, whose Jhamard Cobb threw for a touchdown on 129 yards and Kam Oliver rushed for another on 146, had firm control until the tide turned after Carson Camp’s 50-yard field goal with eight minutes to go. 

Briarwood 31, Edmund Burke 21

The Spartans put up a much tougher fight in this rematch of their regular season finale, which was never close. They set the pace a second time around with three first-half touchdowns – two rushing for Sam Hickman, who had 163 yards on 19 carries – to produce a 21-point deadlock at halftime. But Edmund Burke had only 31 additional yards, and would be blanked the rest of the way as Briarwood scored 10 unanswered. The Bucs’ Cutler Fleming was 13-of-17 for 236 and a touchdown, and scored two more on 78 yards rushing. Orrin Wynn carried 14 times for 103 and a TD. Banks DeMore had nine receptions for 126 yards and a touchdown. Aiden Adler caught three passes for 95. 

Last week’s local coverage…

Other week 12 scores… 

Rutland 44, Central Macon 18

Thomas Co. Central 52, Northside 7

Appling Co. 35, Pierce Co. 21

Coffee 42, Veterans 8

Glascock Co. 18, GMC 10

Howard 42, Westside Macon 32

Jasper Co. 35, Jefferson Co. 6

Jeff Davis 28, Brooks Co. 0

Lee Co. 49, Houston Co. 7

Mary Persons 43, Upson-Lee 14

New Hampstead 33, Harlem 28

Toombs Co. 49, Tattnall Co. 3

Stratford 42, George Walton 10

Pacelli 28, FPD 14

John Milledge 42, Lakeview Academy 0

SGA 34, Gatewood 14

Windsor 57, Robert Toombs 8

Thomas Jefferson 46, Flint River Academy 28