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The Sylvania Times
Wednesday, August 31, 2022 - Page 11
GAMECOCKS HOLD OFF BACON
COUNTY IN THE RAIN 7-6
Catapulted by a Dirty Bird
defense that made four
fourth down stops, two on
fourth and one, the Screven
County Gamecocks of
Head Coach Ron Duncan
held off the homestanding
Bacon County
Raiders 7-6 in
the rain in Alma
last Friday
night. The
game started
well over an
hour late due
to inclement
weather and
was played
in a steady
downpour
throughout.
SCHS will host
AA Westside
on Friday while
Bacon County
will travel to
Adel to face
Berrien County.
The
Gamecocks
are 2-0 for the
first times since
2019.
SCHS
scored early
in the second
quarter on
a two yard run by Justin
Smith following a 75 yard
interception return by
Dylaun Adams and then
held off two BCHS rally
attempts in the
fourth quarter. They held
on fourth and a half yard
with 7:05 remaining and
then on fourth and two
with just :39 remaining.
The Raiders scored in the
third quarter following
a fumbled punt by the
Gamecocks. Of special
note is that the former stop
in the fourth quarter came
at the Dirty Birds’ four
yard line.
The opening stanza was
a virtual standoff with
each team completing
two possessions and
each team punting twice.
Homestanding Bacon
recorded a pair of first
downs in the quarter;
SCHS one. After yet
another SCHS punt early
in the second quarter a 15
yard Raider run put them
into Gamecock territory
for the first time. Going
for broke BCHS went deep
with Adams picking it off
at the 23 and turning it 75
yards to the two yard line.
Smith took it in with 9:50
showing. Jeremiah
Stuart’s most
important point
barely made it
over the cross bar
but it counted as
if it had gone over
the concession
stand.
A long kickoff
return allowed
Bacon to start their
next possession
at the Screven
24. Following a
holding penalty
the defense forced
a turnover on
downs. Another
Jake Pollock punt
pinned BCHS
down at their own
eight but a 40
run enabled the
Raiders to cross
midfield again.
With just :28
remaining in the
half the SCHS
defense held
Bacon at their 43 on fourth
and one.
The second half saw the
punts continue until the
Gamecocks fumbled one
with 3:41 remaining in
the third quarter. BCHS
took advantage and scored
on an 18 yard run by Jo Jo
Brown at the 1:04 mark but
a very high snap ended any
chance of a PAT to tie the
Freshman Andre Michaud uses both hands on the wet ball in
Friday’s 7-6 road win over Bacon County (photo by PJ Richards).
game. Taking
yet another
Pollock punt one
minute into the
final stanza the
Raiders marched
down the field
reaching the
SCHS seven
yard line second
and two. The
drive ended
when Andre
Michaud tackled
the runner for
a one yard loss
on fourth down.
Bacon got one
more chance
when the
Gamecocks
fumbled with
just 5:10 remaining giving
the Raiders the ball at their
own 39. A pair of third
down conversions later
and the home team was
inside the SCHS 30 but on
fourth and two
from the 26
an incomplete
pass with :39
remaining
gave the
Roosters their
second win of
the
season.
Leading the
stellar defense
effort were
Dalton Kay
and Michaud
who were in
on 12 tackles
respectively.
V a s q u e z
Lonon was in on seven
and JaMarcus Badger and
Miyon Fulcher six each.
The Dirty Birds bent
at times, allowing 200
yards on the ground on 43
attempts but just
49 passing. They were
tough when they had to be.
Offensively SCHS netted
Above: Cheerleaders and football players meet in the middle of the
field at Bacon County High with the 7-6 score in favor of the visiting
Gamecocks showing (photo by PJ Richards)
but 133 total yards, 79 on
the ground. Michaud had
nine carries for 35 yards
and Justin Smith had
eight carries for 28 yards.
Pollock threw for 54 yards
including a key 49 yarder
to Adams in the fourth
quarter.
Above: Justin Smith (10) heads
into the end zone behind blocks
by guard Ed Lee (76) and
fullback Miyon Fulcher (21). The
score, from two yards out, was
the only of the night for SCHS
but combined with Jeremiah
Stuart's PAT was enough (photo
by PJ Richards)
Around the horn
THE VIEW FROM THE ROOF
FRIDAY NIGHT WAS
ONE FOR THE AGES
Burton Kemp
As I begin, remember
the most important thing
about last Friday night is
that the good guys wearing
the Red and White held
on for a win. That is the
most significant thing
that will ever be recorded
about August 26, 2022 and
the Screven County High
School football program.
The Dirty Bird defense
stepped up big and made
one, two-yard touchdown
drive and one PAT stand
up. This is the ninth 7-6
win in SCHS history.
The first game ever
played under the banner
of Screven County High
School was a 7-6 win
over Metter on September
22, 1950.1 played in two
7-6 Gamecock victories
- Benedictine on October
6, 1972 and Westside on
November 1, 1974. All of
those wins are recorded,
pretty much nothing
else. What I will always
remember about last
Friday is the view from the
roof.
In a lot of years with the
SCHS football program I
have been part of a lot of
things. I
have been part of some
broadcast team doing
either color or play by play
every week (except
October 25, 2002) since
the late Ted Byrne and I
first teamed up in 1996.1
have broadcast from
roofs and stands and
press boxes. You might say
that I have broadcast from
the proverbial outhouse
to the penthouse that was
the Georgia Dome. I have
broadcast with bullet holes
in the
window behind me
(Josey). I have broadcast
from the stands because,
except for the official’s
window, all windows in
the press box were painted
over and nailed shut
(Josey again). There were
many interesting stories
that came from games
in Richmond County
including the National
Anthem sung by Tutu
D’vyne before yet another
Josey game. They make
for great stories.
Generally, however,
wherever we went there
was a press box and
generally they were all
fun in some way. I will
say that rain and lightning
might have changed any
fun though.
With our drop to Class
A in 2020 I figured things
would change, most likely
not for the
better. I was right. We
were in the stands amongst
the Claxton fans in the
pecan trees in Claxtons’
Pecan Grove two years
ago. It was cold and we
were too low for any kind
of accurate commentary.
It was the last game of the
year, we were not going
anywhere, and many of
our players had “packed
it up.” Because of those
things, it was little more
than an annoyance because
there is an air of history
in the Pecan Grove (Bell
Memorial Stadium) that
makes it more bearable.
My father played there in
1945. Last year we were
in the stands at ECI. There
is no excuse for their
facilities considering their
success over the years.
Then there was the outside
broadcast at the mammoth
stadium at McIntosh
County Academy last year.
Alex Collins was getting
electricity from an “outlet”
on a light pole to get us on
the air and the sand gnats
and
mosquitoes were unreal.
I called that the worst
conditions ever.
Then there was last week
and the worst conditions
in which I have ever
broadcast (a
terrible job at it too). I
do give a disclaimer. The
Alma folks in the brand
new but small press box
were quite apologetic
about the facilities and
were very, very cordial.
They had absolutely
nothing to do with the
situation that arose.
Because of them, I almost
feel guilty about my
complaints. Anyway, at
a school with otherwise
unbelievable facilities
(how about all those
chair back seats in the
booster section and the
scoreboard) we were on a
very small roof, we were
behind the stadium lights
and in the dark, there was
the smell of the dog food
plant (the smell of
money and jobs) very
near the school and the
retention pond directly
behind the stands, at times
there were mosquitoes,
there were the three sets
of mammoth speakers all
around us, and then
there was the rain that fell
on us from start to finish.
Maybe the worst was
actually the dark. A
cell phone light was
necessary to see anything
written. There was the lack
of a video in the second
half. The camera, not
really of the all weather
variety, was possibly
destroyed from
being rained on for better
than two hours to that
point. It was a chance for
father-daughter (both
of them) bonding. It is all
just a memory now and
nothing is recorded. Yes
the game is still on
line for now.
As for interesting nights,
I cannot leave out the
night in 1993, before I was
full time,
when Mac Mahaffey
and I were on a rooftop
at Wilkinson County (the
only 7-6 road victoryever)
and we had to cut our
postgame short because of
the rocks being hurled in
our direction. I
mentioned that one in a
column when Mac died.
See you from the press
box at Kelly Memorial
Stadium this Friday.
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