Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 2B
BARROW NEWS-JOURNAL
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2021
FOOTBALL
Wildcats keep rolling in 35-7 rout of Walnut Grove
By Scott Thompson
sthompson@barrownewsjoumal.com
Apalachee head coach
Tony Lotti’s message to his
team as the regular season
winds down has been that
it controls its own destiny
in its quest to end an 11-
year playoff drought. And
the Wildcats took another
important step in that mis
sion Friday, Oct. 22, with a
convincing win over Wal
nut Grove that put them
in a position where they
could clinch a postseason
berth as soon as next week.
Junior Tyler Ferro
blocked a punt and re
turned it for a touchdown
to break a scoreless tie late
in the first quarter, and se
nior running backs Colby
Sikes and Jeff Roberts had
a pair of rushing touch
downs apiece, as the Wild
cats walloped the Warriors
35-7 at R. Harold Harrison
Stadium for their second
straight victory and third
in their last four games.
“We knew we were ready
to play,’’ Lotti said after the
win. “We came out a little
too emotional, but once we
settled down we were fine.
We executed the blocked
punt the way we practiced
it all week to get us going,
and from there the main
thing we needed to do was
settle down and play.”
Apalachee (3-5, 3-2
GHSA Region 8-AAAAA),
which entered the night in
a wild six-way tie for sec
ond place, ended it in a
three-way tie for second
along with Greenbrier and
Eastside — a game ahead
of Loganville, Jackson
County and Walnut Grove
in the standings. The Wild
cats, who travel to Logan
ville this week, would lock
down a playoff spot with
a win over the Red Devils
and a Jackson County loss
to Greenbrier.
It might be difficult for
some to believe Apalachee
would be in this position
after an 0-4 start, but for
Lotti it all comes to the
confidence his team is
playing with in the back
half of the season.
“We’re believing,” said
Lotti, whose team has out-
scored its opponents 77-7
the last two weeks and has
been steadily improving
since an early-season rash
of COVID-related absenc
es depleted Apalachee’s
roster and contributed to
the rough start. “The first
three games of the year
we were just about con
tact-traced out, but our kids
have fought. We’re finally
getting everybody back
and they’re playing hard
together. They know what
our goal is and they’re fo
cused on that goal.”
One of those early-sea
son absences due to the
COVID protocols was Ler-
ro, the 6-foot-4, 275-pound
defensive lineman who has
made his presence felt in a
big way — perhaps none
bigger than his massive
special teams play Lriday.
Lerro broke through the
Walnut Grove line and got
his hand on a punt attempt
inside the Warriors’ 30,
scooped up the ball after it
deflected inside the 5, and
stretched it across the goal
line to help give his team
a 7-0 lead with 1:05 left in
the first quarter.
The Warriors (3-5, 2-3
region), who relied heavily
Lriday on the option run
ning of sophomore quarter
back Kendall Lee (35 car
ries, 142 yards) responded
with a 37-yard touchdown
pass from Lee to Zackary
Lord, the team’s only pass
attempt of the night, that
tied the game with 7:45 re
maining in the first half.
It didn’t remain tied for
long. The Wildcats, who
got a kickoff return from
Roberts into Walnut Grove
territory, needed just three
plays to cover 48 yards as
Sikes raced into the end
zone from 39 yards away.
And, after a three and
out, the Wildcats took just
two snaps to go 49 yards
with Roberts gliding in
with a 37-yard score to ex
tend their lead to 21-7, an
advantage they would car
ry into halftime.
Lrom there, Apalachee
was not challenged much.
They yielded yardage to
Lee but avoided any huge
breakaway runs that might
have put the Warriors back
in it.
“They had a good game
plan going in and were
trying to make it as slow
as possible,” said Lotti,
whose Wildcats led by 14
at the half despite Walnut
Grove having run 35 plays
to their eight. “They want
ed to keep us off the field,
and I don’t blame them be
cause we’ve got a chance
to score when we’re on the
field and executing offen
sively.”
A key source of Lot
ti’s confidence has been
the steady play of senior
quarterback Isaiah Skin
ner and his efficiency and
effectiveness at running
Apalachee’s offense on the
field. Skinner showed his
own big-play capability
during a pivotal third-quar
ter drive, where he avoided
a sack on third down-and-
long and turned it into
a 21-yard run and a first
down. A few plays later,
Roberts plunged into the
end zone from 2 yards out
to cap the 10-play, 60-yard
march and put the Wildcats
up 28-7 with 46 seconds
left in the third quarter.
“I’ve been very pleased
with his poise,” Lotti said
of Skinner, who went
through the summer, pre
season camp and start of
the regular season in a
competition for the start
ing job but has held control
of the spot since week two.
Skinner was 1-for-
2 passing Friday for 12
yards and hasn’t had to
throw too much in the run-
heavy Wing-T. His first
touchdown pass came in
game No. 7 against John-
son-Gainesville.
"He can throw the ball,
but I’m that old-school guy
Northeast
Georgia y s
Best Fence
Installer
Farm Fences
Wood Fences
Steel and Aluminum Fences
Chain Link Fences
Select Fence Group: (678) 201-6548
Photos by Scott Thompson
Apalachee’s Jeff Roberts scores a second-quarter touchdown in the Wildcats’ 35-7 win over Walnut Grove on
Friday, Oct. 22.
who’s going to mix it in
here and there,” Lotti said.
“He gives that running
threat and he’s able to get
out of some jams because
he’s pretty quick. “I’ve
been most proud of him in
his poise and not getting
rattled. He’s able to settle
the guys down. He’s really
shown that he’s got a lev
el head about him. We just
need him to keep playing
well and leading the way
he’s been leading.
Apalachee’s defense
came up with another
stop after Roberts’ second
score, and the Wildcats
took just seven plays to
maneuver 68 yards and ice
the game away with Sikes’
12-yard touchdown run
with 3:45 to go supplying
the final dagger.
Sikes finished with 130
yards on 10 carries, while
Roberts added 59 yards
on eight carries and also
caught Skinner’s lone
completion for 12 yards.
Lotti was allowing his
players to bask in another
blowout win for a night
and go ring the school’s
victory bell behind the
end zone nearest the field
house.
But from there, he said,
he planned to go into his
office and start making
preparations for the show
down with Loganville,
where the Wildcats will be
going for their first road
victory of the season.
“We’re going to be going
into a hostile environment.
Both these next two games
will be huge,” Lotti said
of the pending showdown
with the Red Devils and
the team’s scheduled reg
ular-season finale at home
against Jackson Coun-
W 0 7 0 0 — 7
A 7 14 7 7 — 35
A—Tyler Lerro blocked
punt return for touchdown
Apalachee’s defense was stellar again in the win over Walnut Grove last week.
ty on Nov. 5. “We’ve put
ourselves in a good spot.
We’re trying our best to
turn things around here.
We’re not there yet. We’ve
still got two (games) to go
and we’ve got to continue
playing better, but I think
the kids can taste it.
“This was one more hur
dle to get over, and we got
over it. Now we’ve got an
other big hurdle to face.”
(Brody Ham kick)
W—Zackary Ford 37
pass from Kendall Lee
(Brenden Hamrick kick)
A—Colby Sikes 39 run
(Ham kick)
A—Jeff Roberts 37 run
(Ham kick)
A—Roberts 2 run (Ham
kick)
A—Sikes 12 run (Ham
kick)
Barrow County Schools
Child Find
Developmental Screenings
for children ages 2 1 / 2 - 5
November 10,2021
8:30 am - 1:30 pm
Statham Elementary
1970 Broad St, Statham, GA
TO SCHEDULE A SCREENING,
please contact Karen Bedford at (770) 867-4527
For school-aged children (ages 6-21) enrolled in a home
school program or private school within Barrow County, you
may contact the Director of Special Education, Dr. Brad
Bowling, for information regarding the referral process at
770-867-4527.
For children ages 6 to 21 enrolled in the Barrow County
School District, please contact your local school for more
information about the referral process.
In accordance with federal regulations and Georgia State
Board Rule 160-4-7-03, for children ages 3 through 21, BCSS
is responsible for identifying, locating, and evaluating all
children within the jurisdiction of the LEA who are suspected
of having disabilities that may result in a need for special
education and related services.
WWW.BARROWLEISURESERVICES.ORG
For more information
contact Misty Gay
770-307-3024 Ext 1
mgay@barrowga.org