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HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
PANTHERS
From page iB
nine passes for 138 yards.
In this offensive show,
Perry just edged Southwest
in total first downs, 19 to
17. The Panthers had a sig
nificant advantage in terms
of big plays as 19 snaps
resulted in 10 yards or more.
Turnovers, though, were
on the even side with two
apiece.
In fact, Perry’s opening
drive of the night ended on
a lost fumble at the Patriot
19-yard-line. The series
started on the Panther 28
and featured a 34-yard run
by Lane. Jecavesia Hayward
and Garrett Stokeling on
the line worked to push
Southwest back and force a
punt to the 37.
Perry looked to be in some
trouble with a holding call
and a stuffed option result
ing in 3rd-and-goal at the 21.
Hayward would find Trey
Smith all alone at the back
of the end zone, the touch
down coming at 5:48 of the
first quarter. Bill Freeman
was perfect in PAT kicking
his six attempts.
Southwest, at 1-6 on the
season but under former
Daugherty High head coach
Carror Wright, used its ath
leticism on offense to stay in
the game early. A little luck
helped as well.
Alexander, on lst-and-10
from his 36, lost a fumble
running up to the 42. The
football bounced loose for
ward, and stayed loose up to
the Perry 42. That’s when
Josh Rousseau of the Patriots
picked it up and sprinted all
the way to the end zone.
That tied the game 7-7 with
just under four minutes left
in the quarter.
Perry’s offense simply out
manned the Patriot defense
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ENI/Gary Harmon
Jacorey Lane shakes loose of a Southwest player after breaking into the open.
Blue Devils upend Demons
ByJOESERSEY
Journal Correspondent
As porous as the Warner
Robins High defense was
in its 41-38 loss to Coffee
County last week, that’s
how strong the Demon
defense was for three quar
ters against Tift County
Friday at McConnell-Talbert
Stadium. But Tift County
escaped with a 20-13 win.
Leading 13-6 going into
the fourth quarter, Tift
quarterback Nick Prostko
hit two touchdown passes of
19 and 33 yards that, com
bined with the two kicks
for extra points, jeopardized
Warner Robins’ hopes for a
playoff spot in 1-AAAAA.
With the loss, the Demons
fell to 1-3 in the region, 2-6
overall. Tift County evened
its region record at 2-2 and
improved to 5-3 on the sea
son with two games left to
play in the season.
The game was a true
defensive struggle in the
first half. Warner Robins
dominated offensively,
amassing 162 yards to Tift
County’s 87 yards.
Unfortunately, the
Demons put only three
points on the board in the
first half on a David Clark
36-yard field goal in the
first quarter.
Tift County marched 67
yards on nine plays before
it was forced to settle of a
20-yard field goal to tie the
score. Warner Robins moved
at will during the first 12
in scoring touchdowns on
the next three possessions.
Smith, with his 6-4 frame,
had to reach down for a
reception of 19 yards for
first down on the Pantehr
45. Akeen Felder, with tight
coverage on him, gave Perry
another first on a 12-yard
catch on the Patriot 42.
Four plays later, on the
second play of the second
period. Hayward (maybe on
necessity due to a high shot
gun snap, ran a keeper to his
left for a six-yard touchdown
at 11:27.
The lead went to 14-7 to
21-7 no sooner after Perry’s
defense forced a punt
Brandon Grace returned 25
yards to midfield. Felder,
wide open, caught a Hayward
pass at 9:56.
But the route was not
on, for Southwest’s 26-yard
kickoff return had the home
team operating from the
Perry 49. Johnson scram
bled to convert 3rd-and-9 on
the 36 and completed a 3rd
and-9 pass on the 5 with end
Tony Davis hot on his heels.
In the power I set,
Alexander scored a three
yard touchdoiyn at 5:50 until
halftime. Southwest missed
the PAT, so Perry’s lead was
21-13.
But it only took three
plays and 30 seconds of the
next drive to get seven more.
Lane was yet another receiv
er left open for his one catch
of 51 yards up to the SW 15.
Hayward, on second down,
scrambled inside to score his
second rushing touchdown.
The Patriots still made it a
one-touchdown game, 28-21,
at the half as Johnson contin
ued to elude the Perry rush
and make plays. J. Hayward
squashed him, but Johnson
already made the handoff to
Alexander to gain 14 yards
to his 49. J. Hayward gave
more chase on the next snap,
minutes of the game, but
in the second quarter, Tift
County’s defense allowed 10
rushing yards on 11 tries.
In an unusual turn of
events for the Demons,
they became the passing
team with the feared aerial
attack that resulted in 57
yards as the Demons’ W J.
McCallister completed four
of seven passes.
The Demons were in posi
tion to add another field
goal but Clark’s 36-yard
attempt sailed wide right.
The third quarter
belonged to the Blue Devils.
They took the opening kick
off at their own 20 and used
six minutes and 45 seconds
of the clock to get their
kicker close enough for a
31-yard field goal to put
it up 6-3. Warner Robins
responded with Clark’s sec
ond field goal from 35 yards
out with 1:59 left in the
third quarter.
The Demons scored
again when McCallister hit
Rashad Wynes for a 69-yard
pass. Clark’s extra point
put Warner Robins up 13-6
with a quarter to play. But,
Prostko'connected for three
passes of 21,32, and 19 yards
to tie the score at 13-13
in the Blue Devils opening
drive of the fourth quarter.
The Blue Devils took over
on their next possession
at their own 46-yard line.
Four plays later, Prostko hit
Kaream Hess on a 33-yard
touchdown pass that put it
up for good.
but Johnson got his throw
off to Ethan Reynolds on the
Panther 25.
On 3rd-and-6 from the 21,
Alexander took the first toss
sweep of the night, and with
a great block he scored at
2:30.
Fullback Keithan Ray
caught a two-point pass.
The third quarter whipped
by fast with no change in the
score, but Perry’s defense
found a way to get to the
Patriot quarterback. J.
Hayward and Davis sacked
Johnson on the start of a
drive as star linebacker
Kanorris Davis started rush
ing himself from one end. K.
Davis drew a double team
on 3rd-and-19, and Trevor
Hatcher made a leaping
catch to give Southwest first
down on the 44.
Ray’s trap run of 14 yards
had the Patriots on the PH
27, but K. Davis would run
Johnson down twice - a
sack coming on the 36 on
third down - and T. Davis’
pressure forced intentional
grounding.
With the foul, Perry had
the ball on the SW 36 to
start the fourth quarter.
Guard Johnnie Farms gave
Lane a wall to run 30 yards
to the six. Center Jay Golden
helped Farms clear the way
for Lane to score at 11:38
(35-21).
J. Hayward got the defense
one more sack and a punt to
the SW 37. Golden took all
the carries on this drive and
actually took a tackier into
the end zone as he scored
from nine yards out (42-21).
The last nine minutes of
play had an exchange of
turnovers. Kaderius Felder
recovered an Alexander fum
ble on the Panther 7. Tay
Brown intercepted Johnson
at his 20, but Southwest got
a fumble on the ensuing snap
on the 21. Alexander scored
STAKE
From page iB
being bad. At the same time,
we have to understand we
are in a great situation
where we control our own
destiny. We don’t have to ask
for any favors from anybody.
If we win, we are the No. 1
seed, period.”
It was the same situation
Perry found itself in last
week going to Henderson
Stadium in Macon to face a
Southwest High club strug
gling in the win-loss column
at 1-6. The Panthers’ big
gest challenge was putting
behind the high from upend
ing two-time defending state
champion Peach County in
Ft. Valley the week before.
“I think Southwest is
probably the best (1-7) team
in the region, or the state,”
said Scott. “They have a tail
back whose rushed for over
1,000 yards. They are well
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Akeen Felder is tackled by a Southwest player after a small gain.
a four-yard touchdown and
ran in for two points with 29
seconds remaining.
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Casey Hayward breaks into the open after running around the end.
coached. I for one did not
think they were any cre
ampuff by any stretch of
the imagination. They just
happened to same region
with Peach, us, Northeast,
Central and West Laurens.
“We play in a region that
on any given Friday, any
body can beat anybody.”
Perry won the game with
Southwest 42-29 (see related
story) in an outcome that
was typical of the other sub
region contests this year.
Consider the West Laurens
game where the Panthers
were leading all the way, but
still needed a last-minute
drive to get the win.
“It’s really frustrating
defensively, because you are
in a situation to play well,
but every team in our region
has athletes,” said Scett. “I
just thank the good Lord
we do, too. Everything’s
been decided late in the ball
game.
“I thought we played real-
Perry will return to Herb
St. John Stadium this com
ing Friday to face Northeast
ly good offensively (against
Southwest). We had a couple
of turnovers. Defensively
I don’t think we played
real well in the first half. I
thought we picked it up in
the second half. Regardless
of where it’s at, when it’s at,
you have to compare yourself
to compete mentally in every
competitive situation.”
The north 4-AAA sub
region is far from decided,
except at the top where
Henry County (4-0) leads
Mary Persons (3-1) by one
game and has the tiebreak
er edge on the Bulldogs.
Henry plays Ola on Friday
while Mary Persons faces
Spalding.
Ola and Spalding are tied
for third at 2-2, and Ola
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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2007 ♦
High of Macon in the final
sub-region game before the
4-AAA state play-in round.
beat Spalding in the regular
season.
Jackson is not out of it at
1-3. Jackson plays last-place
Eagle’s Landing, and with
a win there, a Spalding win
and an Ola loss, the Red
Devils would be fourth by
having beaten Ola in the
regular season.
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ENI/Gary Harmon
ENI/Gary Harmon