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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2008
Northside 14 Warner Robins 0
By MA TTHEW BROWN
Journal Sports Writer
It would seem like Xavier
Bacon grew up his whole life
waiting for a chance to play
Warner Robins High in a
football game at McConnell-
Talbert Stadium.
But Bacon is a senior
transfer in his first full sea
son for head coach Conrad
Nix, and the day his family
relocated may have been the
day the Eagles clinched a
fourth straight win against
the crosstown rival Demons.
Bacon rushed for 162 yards
and a touchdown, but before
all of that his 61-yard kickoff
return set up the first scor
ing of the night. Northside
went on to beat Warner
Robins 14-0 Friday to give
the whole Eagle senior class
the first 4-0 sweep of the
rivals in school history.
Northside also assured
itself a playoff spot in Region
1-AAAAA by improving to 5-
1 with one more regular sea
son game remaining (next
Friday at Colquitt County
High in Moultrie). It’s
another city championship
for Nix’s program, but he
may be looking for help from
the rival Demons to earn
first place in the region for
the state tournament.
Warner Robins, which
entered the game tied
for fourth place with Tift
County, dropped to 3-3
in 1-AAAAA. Up next for
coach Bryan Way’s charges
is region leading Lowndes
High this coming Friday at
McConnell-Talbert.
In another important
game-changing decision,
Warner Robins won the coin
toss but elected to defer
to the second half. David
Clark’s kick didn’t reach the
end zone, but instead the
hands of Bacon on the 5-
yard-line. Bacon turned any
talk about field position into
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Demons running back Doninique Primus runs into the middle of the Eagles’ defensive
line.
On the WS Icebreaker, Main Event and more
World Series
Icebreaker
You should already know
the outcome of the 2008
World Series ... that is if you
were suffering from insom
nia at 2 o’clock in the morn
ing sometime this week.
Bash the Fox Network
all you want about starting
games at 10 p.m. and keep
ing the players on the field
during driving, freezing rain
(Or was that the commis
sioner? Bud sure is bent on
keeping things on schedule),
but if the television execu
tives really wanted a rat
ings bonanza, they had the
match-up right in front of
them the whole time.
Boston Red Sox against
Los Angeles Dodgers. You
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Eagles wide receiver Allen Davis stretches out for the ball as it goes off his fingertips. Defending on the play is Warner Robins’ Darius Rogers-
Wilson.
a moot point with a 61-yard
return to the Demon 36-
yard-line.
That’s one play down. Play
No. 2 of the night was a post
route over the middle by
Eddie Aaron. Quarterback
have
Manny
Ramirez
staring
down his
old team
mates Bill
Belichick
to-B i 1 1
Parcells
style, all
Matthew Brown
Journal Sports Writer
the while
standing by the old Yankee
manager Joe Torre.
And, at the middle portion
of the series in the National
League park, you are staged
in beautiful sunny southern
California.
But that would be fixing,
and fixing just doesn’t hap
pen. Besides, if that were the
case, this whole thing would
SPORTS
Joe Scott hit that target,
and at 11:42 Northside had
six points on the scoreboard.
Devon Pike’s PAT staked
what was the home team to
a 7-0 lead.
Field position wasn’t much
be going down as the last
stand for Yankee Stadium
with the Chicago Cubs right
there to end a championship
drought at the perfect No.
100.
Hey, I like the fact that the
Tampa Bay Rays are in the
Fall Classic for two reasons.
The first is that it completes
the expansion package. Ever
since the hometown favor
ite Atlanta Braves won its
only title in 1995, all four
of the new franchises of the
1990 s have made it to the
last round with the Florida
Marlins winning twice and
the Arizona Diamondbacks
once.
For the other reason, you
have to think back to the
Warren Beatty live-action
of a moot point for the rest
of the first half. Scott had
just 21 yards through the
air, Bacon 41 yards on the
ground and Warner Robins
netted just 83 yards in its
chances.
The Eagle defense was led
by Anton Williams and Abry
Jones on the line and had big
contributions from Darren
Loving and Brison Williams
to shut down the Demons in
the opening quarter.
But the Warner Robins
defense made up for that
opening big play. Scott,
on his next series, hit his
motion man, Quin Green,
for 13 yards and first down
on the WR 24. Derek Stover
and Jesse Fowler shut down
the running lanes to force a
field goal try.
The holder Scott had to
come up from the snap and
threw what was his first
incompleted pass.
With the start of the sec
ond period, the Demons
enjoyed their best starting
position on their 42. And
with W.J. McAllister hitting
Michael Garner in the flat
on third down, the ‘visitors’
were in home ground for the
first time on the Eagle 45.
What happened next was
the game’s only turnover.
movie adaptation of “Dick
Tracy.”
I just can’t get over how
much Tampa Bay manager
Joe Maddon looks like the
villainous Itchy. Hard to
scratch with all those gloves
and coats on, I bet.
The Main Event
It should be a pay-per
view. It’s what it would be
like if Muhammad Ali ever
fought Mike Tyson, both
in peak condition. All we
are missing are a few inspi
rational words from Don
King himself as he, with
the trademark grin, holds
up the hands of Mark Richt
and Urban Meyer.
Jacksonville, Fla., today
See BROWN, page 3 B
It was a busted play in the
Warner Robins backfield,
which resulted in a fum
bled pitch. Eagle Eric Fields,
playing for the first time in
almost a month, recovered
and returned the football to
the Demon 38.
It >vas time for the Warner
Robins defense to respond
again, and Fowler led that
effort tackling Green on
a receiver sweep. Tackle
Andrew Lauritsen was next
to plug the hole on Scott, so
Pike came in for a second
field goal try.
For the first time all sea
son, Northside didn't get the
three points as the football
hit the right pole.
Josh Leggette’s catch of
21 yards from McAllister
got Warner Robins a key
first down. But the combi
nation of Jones, Loving and
Williams stopped the wing-T
formation plays and got the
offense another shot from
the Eagle 22.
Bacon cut inside with full
back Jordan Brandon’s block
for 14 yards and a first down
on the 46. On a dropped
pass and Sam Hvizdzak and
Cody Dorman’s chasedown
of Scott at midfield, the
Demons stayed within seven
at the break.
Locals come up short at Region
1-AAAAA crosscountry meet
From staff reports
Despite having three of the first four runners - posi
tions two through four - cross the line Warner Robins’
boys came up short at the Region 1-AAAAA cross country
meet held Thursday in Tifton.
The Demons finished runner-up with a score of 48.
Host Tift County was first with 35. Houston County
was third with 84, followed by Colquitt County with 88,
Valdosta with 128, Northside with 164, Lowndes with 174
and in eighth, Coffee with 189.
For the girls, the Demonettes were also runner-up.
They finished with a s ore of 72. Valdosta had 38 to
win region. Tift County was third with 76, followed by
Colquitt with 90, Northside in fifth with 128, Lowndes
with 132, Houston County, 142 and in eighth again,
Coffee with 225.
“I told the kids it is not the end of the world,”
said Warner Robins Head Coach David Erpelding.
“And that we learned a lesson today; I know they are
See MEET, page 8B
SECTION: B
HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
Warner Robins’ decision
to defer the coin toss and get
the first second-half drive
looked to pay off with the
first action from Rashad
Wynes. He had a return of
31 yards to this 35-yard-line
and a catch of 20 yards from
McAllister on the Eagle 45.
Wynes wasn’t finished as his
reverse run with two bro
ken tackles resulted in first
down on the 26.
Dominique Primus, one of
several Demons to get run-„
ning action, used a Bryan
Jones wall for seven yards
and got the full-house back
field carry for first down on
the 15.
For the second time in
the game, Eagle cornerback
K.J. Morton read the outside
run for lost yards. Warner
Robins then faced fourth
down on the 15, but jumped
twice in field goal formation.
Clark’s try then went to 42
yards, and it was a low liner
off the target.
For Northside, it was a
whole lot of Bacon, eight
straight carries from the
NS 20 to the WR 39. He
got a lot of help from pull
ing guards Deron Mclntee
and Sam Cherney as well as
from Chris Linder,
See NORTHSIDE, page iB