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Barrow News-Journal
Award-winning local sports coverage
Wednesday, October 13, 2021
Phone: 706-367-5233
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sthompson@barrownewsjournal.com
Section B
★★★★
FOOTBALL WEEK 9 PREVIEW
PREP ROUNDUP
The stretch run arrives for local teams
Photos by Scott Thompson
Winder-Barrow will look for another strong outing from its defense and hope to get its offense back on track this
week in a key region game against Central Gwinnett.
Bulldoggs in must-win mode against Central Gwinnett
Kaiden Martin and Apalachee will host John-
son-Gainesville for homecoming this week.
BCA’s offense will be aiming to keep its balance and
productivity this week against Thomas Jefferson Acad
emy in a battle of two 6-1 teams.
By Scott Thompson
sthompson@barrownewsjoumal.com
Like most other head foot
ball coaches, Winder-Bar
row's Ed Dudley often says
execution in all three phases
— offense, defense, special
teams — is the key to winning
games. And for the Bulldoggs,
the goal this week and going
forward over the final three
regular season games is sim
ple: they have to get better
production out of their offense
than they have the last two
weeks if they want to make a
third straight trip to the post
season and seventh in the past
eight years.
The Bulldoggs committed
four turnovers and were limit
ed to just 121 yards by a stingy
Shiloh defense Thursday. Oct.
7, in a 9-0 loss in Snellville.
The Generals got a 5-yard
touchdown pass from Jeremi
ah Harden to Jamir Imuzai in
the first quarter and tacked on
two more points in the third
when an errant snap on a punt
attempt by the Bulldoggs trav
eled out of their end zone for
a safety.
Since a 45-14 road blowout
of Habersham Central on Sept.
24, Winder-Barrow (3-4, 1-2
GHSA Region 8-AAAAAA)
now has 10 giveaways and
has managed only 15 points
over its last two games —
both losses which have put
the Bulldoggs in critical need
of a win Friday, Oct. 15, when
they host Central Gwinnett in
another key region game.
“It's a must-win game for
both teams, really, if we want
to keep our playoff hopes
alive,” Dudley said earlier this
week of the pending matchup
with the Black Knights, who
are also scuffling and enter the
action at 1-6 overall and 0-3 in
region play with three games
left for both sides.
“We've been having a good
week of preparation for it.”
Dudley said. “I’m really proud
of the way our defense played
last week and has been play
ing, but, offensively, our guys
have got to show up.”
The Bulldoggs particularly
have struggled in the passing
game, where they threw four
interceptions last week against
Shiloh and have now been
picked off seven times in their
last two outings. But those
interceptions and not-so-op-
timal passing situations were
created in part by Shiloh's
stuffing of the run. The Bull
doggs were held to 34 yards
on the ground and completed
only 13 passes in 39 attempts.
“We've put in a lot more
quarterback run to try to em
phasize the run game some
more because (39 passes) is
definitely not our style,” Dud
ley said. “Since I’ve been here,
we've probably not won too
many games, if any, where we
had more than about 25 pass
attempts. We’ve got to have
better run-pass balance.”
Central Gwinnett, which
has lost six straight contests
since its season-opening 20-0
win over Discovery, has also
struggled mightily, but for a
longer period of time. The
Black Knights, who lost 48-
14 to Lanier last week, have
scored only 42 points over the
span of that six-game skid.
Junior quarterback Justin
Johnson has been Central’s
primary source of offense,
amassing a little over 1,000
total yards (672 passing, 387
rushing) and accounting for
three touchdowns, while soph
omore Jason Jackson has 479
rushing yards (5.8 a carry) and
five touchdowns. But Johnson
has also been intercepted eight
times and will go up against
a Winder-Barrow secondary
that has shown a knack for
picking passes off.
“Pretty similar. They've
been battling the turnover bug,
too, and I hope they keep it up
and we get our issues fixed,”
Dudley said. “(Johnson) is
definitely the key pivot point
for them. We've got to have a
spy on him at all times, and I
think our coaching staff will
have our kids ready for the
challenge.”
Kickoff at W. Clair Harris
Stadium is set for 7:30 p.m.
JOHNSON AT
APALACHEE
After its final bye week of
the year before a pivotal four-
game stretch to close out the
regular season, Apalachee
returns to action this week
also needing to pick up a win
against a struggling opponent
and keep itself firmly in con
tention for a playoff spot.
The Wildcats (1-5, 1-2
8-AAAAA) enter their Friday
homecoming game against
Johnson-Gainesville (0-6,
0-4) as one of five teams in
the eight-team region with
two losses. They've already
defeated one of those teams,
Eastside, and the other three
— Walnut Grove, Loganville
and Jackson County — will
be their final three opponents.
The Knights are allowing
more than 52 points per game
through their first six and have
averaged just 7 a game, but
they've been shut out four
straight times since scoring 35
against East Hall in a 49-35
loss Sept. 10.
Apalachee will hope to con
tinue building off strong run
ning performances from its
past two games. Senior run
ning back Colby Sikes (636
rushing yards, 8 yards a car
ry, five touchdowns) leads a
committee of backs who have
supplied the bulk of the team’s
offense.
Kickoff at R. Harold Har
rison Stadium is set for
7:30 p.m.
THOMAS JEFFERSON
ACADEMY AT
BETHLEHEM
CHRISTIAN ACADEMY
At 6-1 with four regular-sea
son games to play, Bethlehem
Christian is playing the best
football it's ever played and
with one more non-region
game to play before its three-
game GISA Region 4-AAA
slate.
While the Knights' eventual
postseason positioning will be
determined by power rank
ings and not region standings,
there is ample anticipation
about how they'll fare against
a competitive region, starting
with next week’s showdown
with two-time defending
AAA state champion John
Milledge Academy in Milled-
geville.
But BCA coach Bruce Lane
was quick this week to brush
that talk aside with a talented
Thomas Jefferson Academy
team — two-time defending
champs in their own right
in Class AA — coming to
Knights Field on Friday night.
“John Milledge isn’t even a
blip on our radar right now,”
Lane said this week. “Our
kids have been really good
about focusing on one game
at a time, and they realize
we’ve got an opportunity to
do some things that no other
team here has done. For us,
it’s all about practicing and
playing up to our standard that
we’ve set for ourselves. If we
meet or exceed it and believe
in the process, that gives you
the opportunity to win and be
successful.”
The Knights, who are com
ing off a bye week that fol
lowed a 38-31 win over Cher
okee Christian on Oct. 1, will
face a Thomas Jefferson team
that is 6-1 and winners of its
last two games. The Jaguars
are an option team basing out
of a traditional Wish Bone but
also mixing in triple-option
concepts.
Sophomore quarterback
Cam Beasley and sophomore
running back Beans Hunt are
the top two offensive threats.
“They’re traditionally very
good and are having their typ
ical year.” Lane said. “They’re
well-coached, solid across the
board, and the quarterback and
running back do a good job of
running that offense. They’re
going to come right at you, but
they run just enough misdirec
tion and counters to keep you
honest. Scheme is important,
but some of it is about the Jim
mies and Joes, too. and ours
have done a good job this sea
son in all phases of the game.
Hopefully we’ll have a disci
plined game Friday.
“They're going to be a very
good opponent. Our kids rec
ognize and respect that.”
Season comes
to end for
local softball,
volleyball teams
The lOth-ranked Winder-Barrow softball team
had about as rough as draw as one could in the
first round of the GHSA Class 6A playoffs, and
No. 2 Lassiter showed why on Tuesday, Oct. 12.
The Trojans rolled to an easy two-game sweep
of the Bulldoggs, winning Game 1 8-0 and tak
ing the nightcap 9-0 to advance to the Sweet
16. Lassiter (27-2), the No. 2 seed from Region
6-AAAAAA, advances to take on either North
Atlanta or Glynn Academy with a trip to the Elite
Eight in Columbus on the line. Meanwhile, the
Bulldoggs, the third-seeded team from Region 8,
saw their season come to a close at 15-13.
Winder-Barrow was making its ninth consecu
tive state playoff appearance.
In other county action, Apalachee missed out
on the Class 5A state playoffs, as the Wildcats
wrapped up an injury-riddled year Saturday, Oct.
9, with a pair of losses to Walnut Grove at the
University of North Georgia (18-4 and 5-3).
The Wildcats had been eliminated from playoff
contention the previous night after losing a 6-5
heartbreaker against Jackson County. They fin
ished the year at 10-16.
VOLLEYBALL: WBHS, AHS
ELIMINATED IN FIRST ROUND OF
REGION TOURNAMENTS;
BCA BOWS OUT IN FIRST ROUND
OF STATE TOURNAMENT
In local volleyball action Tuesday, Winder-Bar
row and Apalachee both saw their seasons come
to an end just shy of a state playoff berth after
being eliminated in the first round of their respec
tive region tournaments.
Winder-Barrow played a back-and-forth match
at Lanier with the teams trading set wins before the
Longhorns pulled out a 16-14 victory in the fifth
and deciding set to advance to the 8-AAAAAA
tournament semifinals Thursday, Oct. 14, and
lock down a playoff spot.
The Bulldoggs finished the year 19-20.
In Athens, Apalachee dropped a contest to
Clarke Central in the first round of 8-AAAAA
tournament in straight sets (25-14, 25-23, 25-23).
The Wildcats, in the midst of a rebuilding year,
finished 18-22 for the season.
And in GISA action, Bethlehem Christian
Academy fell 3-0 to Creekside Christian in the
first round of the eight-team Class AAA state
tournament in McDonough on Friday, Oct. 8. The
Knights finished 14-10 on the year.
CROSS COUNTRY
WBHS boys place
fourth at Jefferson
Winder-Barrow's
Daniel Laird finished
fourth out of 114 run
ners, and the Bulldoggs
finished fourth out of 13
teams overall Saturday,
Oct. 9, in the Jefferson
Invitational at Lamar
Murphy Park.
Laird was followed
by teammates Chris
topher Rubio in 17th
place (17:48.93), Noah
Boyd in 24th (18:06.53)
and Kyle Kehoe in
37th (18:43.82). Bar-
row Arts and Sciences
Academy also compet
ed in the meet Saturday
morning and was led
by Jacob Carruthers in
39th (18:46.64) and Mi
chael Fletcher in 42nd
(18:52.05). The Blazers
finished 10th in the team
standings. Athens Chris
tian’s Nathan Smith was
the individual winner
(16:27.66) while host
Jefferson took the team
title.
In the girls' race,
Winder-Barrow's
Matilee Rogers finished
sixth overall out of 80
runners (21:03.73),
while BASA’s Smita
Carroll came in 15th
(22:31.71). Jefferson’s
Katherine Law was
the individual winner
(18:49.28) and helped
pace the Lady Dragons
to a team victory.
Winder-Barrow's
teams are off this week
as they get set to host
the GHSA Region
8-AAAAAA champion
ship meet Oct. 23 at their
home course behind
Russell Middle School.
BASA’s teams will make
the trip Athens Christian
on Thursday, Oct. 14, for
the Kent Kramer Classic
in their final tune-up
before the Region 8-A
Public championship
meet Oct. 28 at Social
Circle.
Winder-Barrow's
teams were late entries
into the Jefferson meet
after the Mountain In
vitational, scheduled
for Oct. 7 in Helen, was
postponed until Tues
day. Oct. 12, due to
rain. Apalachee was also
scheduled to take part
in that meet. The AHS
teams will compete in
the Region 8-AAAAA
championships Oct. 28
in Helen.
o