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PAGE 2B
BARROW NEWS-JOURNAL
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2016
High School Football: Winder-Barrow
Bulldoggs outlast Habersham, clinch playoff spot
RUNNING AWAY
Winder-Barrow’s Teague Moore scores on a 52-yard touchdown pass from Brock Landis during the
second half of Friday’s GHSA Region 8-AAAAAA game with Habersham Central. The Bulldoggs won
35-28 to clinch a berth in the state playoffs for the third consecutive season, the first time that’s hap
pened in school history. See more photos on Page 6B. Photos by Jessica Brown
DEFENSIVE STANDS
Bulldogg defenders bring down Habersham’s
Aaron Wood.
DEFENSIVE STANDS
Raider running back Michael Babers is tackled. He
was held under 100 yards rushing.
By Scott Thompson
Sports Editor
In a back-and-forth
game decided by big
plays, and with its playoff
hopes potentially on the
line. Winder-Barrow had
its ace in Deon Williams.
Williams electrified the
home crowd at W. Clair
Harris Stadium in the sec
ond half Friday night with
a 90-yard kickoff return
for a score and an 80-yard
rushing touchdown as
the Bulldoggs outlasted
Habersham Central 35-28
to clinch a berth in the
GHSA Class AAAAAA
playoffs.
Winder-Barrow (5-4
overall. 2-2 Region
8-AAAAAA) is locked in
as the No. 4 seed and will
face the Region 6 cham
pion on the road in two
weeks after closing out the
regular season next week
at Region 8 winner Dac-
ula.
It's the first time in
school history the Bull
doggs have reached the
state playoffs three con
secutive seasons, and it
comes under third-year
head coach Heath Webb.
“What a ballgame,” a
joyous Webb said after the
Bulldoggs’ senior night
victory. “You had two
teams fighting for their
playoff lives out there. It’s
a shame someone had to
lose because every single
kid on this field played
their guts out. This senior
class has been special.
And for them to accom
plish what they have in the
past three years, it’s been
great.”
But of all the big senior
performances Friday, Wil
liams’ stood out the most.
After the Raiders tied the
game at 14 on a 49-yard
touchdown from Cole Wil
banks to Aaron Wood with
1:30 remaining in the third
quarter, Williams field
ed the ensuing kickoff at
his 10-yard line, found a
crease on the right side
and ran untouched into the
end zone to put the Bull
doggs ahead for good.
Then when Habersham
(4-5, 0-4) had again cut
the lead to 7 on another
touchdown pass by Wil
banks, Williams took the
opening handoff of Wind
er-Barrow’s next posses
sion and motored 80 yards
to make it 35-21.
Williams, who had 334
all-purpose yards on the
night, finished with 110
yards rushing on just 7
carries, two kickoff returns
for 163 yards and 71 yards
on three receptions.
“When we’re in a game
like this, we know we’re
going to do what it takes
to get (Williams) the ball,”
Webb said. “I don’t care if
he’s playing running back,
kick returner, receiver,
whatever. If we need a
play, the bah is going into
his hands.”
Even after Williams"
touchdown run, Habersh
am did not go away qui
etly. The Raiders marched
the ball downfield. con
verted a fourth-down
attempt and then scored
on a 26-yard strike from
Wilbanks to Jake Jones to
make it 35-28 with 5:26
left.
The Raiders then elected
to try an onside kick and
came away with a loose
ball at the Winder-Barrow
46. But a pair of big defen
sive plays helped the Bull
doggs snuff the rally out.
On third and 4 from the
Winder-Barrow 40, Kevon
Mooney sacked Wilbanks
for a 9-yard loss, and on
the next play, linebacker
Kenny Kemp broke up a
pass over the middle to
give the Bulldoggs the ball
back with 4:02 remaining.
“They were slanting us
to death all night,” Webb
said of Habersham, which
had 258 yards through the
air despite being held to
just 53 on the ground. “We
tried to make adjustments
as the night went on and
nothing seemed to work,
but we made a big play
when we needed to. And
what a great job by Kenny,
who was in there because
of an injury to our starter,
making a play when we
needed it. He stepped up
like we all knew he was
capable of doing.”
The Bulldoggs were able
to run out the clock from
there, picking up a couple
of key first downs on runs
by Landis and Jamar Mack
and then being rewarded
the clinching one on a
personal foul penalty by
Habersham.
That put an end to a wild
and chaotic second half
that stood in stark contrast
to a defensive struggle of a
first half.
Winder-Barrow broke
through late in the first
quarter with a quick
48-yard scoring drive.
Following a 23-yard punt
return by Gavin Phillips
into Habersham territory.
Bulldoggs quarterback
Brock Landis found Wil
liams down the left side
on a 32-yard completion
down to the 16. Landis
then went to the other side,
hitting a wide-open Casey
Thurmond on a fade pat
tern in the end zone to
make it 7-0.
The Raiders tied the
game with just over two
minutes left in the half
on a 1-yard plunge by
Michael Babers. Williams
then returned a kickoff 73
yards to the Habersham
Central 26, but the Bull
dogg drive ended in a fum
ble. Landis, who finished
with 207 passing yards,
three touchdowns and one
interception, put the Bull
doggs back on top early
in the third with a 5-yard
pass to Thurmond. He
threw his third touchdown
of the game early in the
fourth, hitting a wide-open
Teague Moore in stride
over the middle of the field
from 52 yards out to make
it 28-14.
Winder-Barrow won’t
know its first-round oppo
nent until next week's
Region 6 action shakes
out. Dalton is currently at
the top of the standings,
but a loss to Allatoona
and a Harrison win over
Creekview would create a
three-way tie.
Game summary
H07 7 14 —28
W7 0 14 14 —35
W—Brock Landis 16
pass to Casey Thurmond
(Omar De La Rosa kick)
H—Michael Babers
1 run (Hampton Hotard
kick)
W—Landis 5 pass to
Thurmond (Jesse Zamora
kick).
H—Cole Wilbanks
49 pass to Aaron Wood
(Hotard kick)
W—Deon Williams 90
kickoff return (Zamora
kick)
W—Landis 52 pass to
Teague Moore (Zamora
kick)
H—Wilbanks 6 pass to
Trey Hurt (Hotard kick)
W—Williams 80 run
(Zamora kick)
H—Wilbanks 26 pass to
Jake Jones (Hotard kick)
High School Football: Apalachee
Wildcats’ playoff hopes end in 28-0 loss to Gainesville
By Scott Thompson
Sports Editor
The Apalachee High
School football team need
ed a win Friday to keep
its playoff hopes alive,
but Gainesville and junior
quarterback DJ Irons had
other plans.
Irons threw for 105
yards, rushed for 30 and
accounted for three touch
downs as the Red Ele
phants cruised to a 28-0
victory over the Wild
cats in a GHSA Region
8-AAAAAA matchup.
All of Gainesville’s
points came in the first
half, fueled by Irons who
ran for a pair of scores and
threw a touchdown pass to
Martavious Davis. Calvin
Murphy also scored for the
Red Elephants (5-4, 3-1)
region on a 5 5-yard punt
return.
Apalachee coach Steve
Sims said Irons proved to
be too much for the Wild
cat defense.
“It’s a tough deal for us
when (Irons) can pull it
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down and make something
out of nothing,” Sims said.
“When you’re able to take
something and make a
35-yard touchdown run out
of it, that’s very difficult to
defend. Overall, they were
just more athletic than we
were. We knew it was a
tough matchup going in
and we just weren’t able to
get anything going.”
The Wildcats also strug
gled to generate offense,
finishing with just 184
yards. Quarterback Ryan
Miller finished with 113
yards on 9-of-21 pass
ing and an interception.
Apalachee’s run game was
also stifled, accounting for
just 71 yards. Austin Jones
led the way with 28 yards
on 8 carries.
Apalachee (2-6-1. 0-4)
wraps up its season Fri
day at Habersham Central.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
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ALL OUT
Apalachee’s Brandon Barnard tries to tackle Gainesville’s Matthew Gaydon during Friday’s region
matchup. The Wildcats lost 28-0, ending their state playoff hopes. The Wildcats are 2-6-1 overall and
close out their season Friday. See more photos from the game on Page 7B. Photo by Jessica Brown
PUBLIC NOTICE
The Town of Carl
regular town meeting,
November 17, 2016
at 7:00 p.m. in City Hall.
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fcPM.Ar.HCC
Chase Williamson
AHS
Farm Bureau
would like to
congratulate the
Players of the Week
for their exceptional
performances!
Matthew Kamm
BCA
Deon Williams Williamson/Williams ^
WBHS Nelson Sanders 770-867-2188