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The True Citizen, Wednesday, September 29, 2021 — Page 13
SPORTS
Bears pick up first region win
BEN ROBERTS
benroberts@bellsouth.net
Burke County improved to
3-0 and picked up their first
region win last week, pushing
Cross Creek up and down the
held on their way to a 41-8
rout.
“It wasn’t always pretty,”
Bears’ head coach Eric Parker
admitted. “We had a pretty
sloppy second quarter, but
outside of that, I thought we
played pretty good. We got a
chance to play a lot of kids.
That’s always great.”
The Bears (3-0 overall, 1-0
region) scored on their third
play from scrimmage, on a
42-yard run from Marshall
Flowers.
The Razorbacks (1-4, over
all, 0-1 region) responded by
driving to Burke County’s
25-yard line before turning the
ball over. It was the first of 5
turnovers for Cross Creek on
the night.
Eldrick “Tiger” Williams
went 71 yards on the next play
to score his first of four touch
downs. Blake Burden’s point
after attempt put the Bears up
13-0 early in the first quarter.
Burke County scored again
in the second quarter on a
2-yard run by Charlie Dorsey.
Burden’s kick put the Bears
up by 20.
Cross Creek put together
their only scoring drive of the
night on their next possession.
The Razorbacks drove 51 yards
on 5 plays to score and then
tacked on a two-point conver
sion to make it 20-8 with 6:32
left in the half.
The Bears again looked
complacent during the second
quarter after jumping out to an
early lead. Parker said that is a
trait of this team he is trying
to change.
“I think we jumped out and
started pretty good, got a big
lead; and, I think, as much as
we’ve got some kids that have
played some, we’ve still got a
lack of maturity when it comes
to guys just not having played
as much as some of our kids on
some of our teams in the past.
You’ve got to play at a certain
level all the time regardless
of what is happening,” Parker
said.
Whatever Parker and his
staff said during halftime
worked. Cross Creek was set to
receive the opening kickoff of
the second half but turned the
ball over on a huge hit by Jae-
don Middleton. Burke County
got the ball on the Razorback
34 and scored six plays later
on a 4-yard run from Williams.
Dorsey’s successful two-point
conversion stretched the Bears’
lead to 20 again.
Williams scored again on a
65-yard run on the second play
of Burke’s next possession.
The point after attempt failed,
but the Bears went up 34-8.
Jaylen Golphin ended Cross
Creek’s next drive with an
interception near midfield.
Freshman A’merre Williams
scored a few plays later with
a 9-yard run. Burden’s kick
would be the last points of the
night. Most of the fourth quar
ter was played by the Bears’
second and third teams with a
running clock.
“Sometimes I think there are
distractions,” Parker said, de
scribing his team’s lack of fo
cus in the first half. “When we
got up big, I think we decided it
was over with and didn’t have
to continue playing as a team.
We kind of got it right at half
time and did a better job in the
third quarter.”
Burke County will host the
Benedictine Cadets of Region
3-AAAA this week at the Bear
Den in a makeup game origi
nally scheduled for August 20.
This week’s game has been
moved to Thursday at 6:30 pm
by the Georgia High School
Association due to a shortage
of referees.
Benedictine is 3-2 on the
season with losses to Colum
bus High School of Miami,
Florida, and Beaufort, South
Carolina. The Cadets defeated
a strong Ware County team last
Friday, 49-42.
“We’ve got our hands full,”
Parker said about facing what
has become a familiar oppo
nent in recent years. “We knew
when we scheduled them what
we were getting into. They’ll
be one of the last teams stand
ing in AAAA, so they’re a
championship level opponent
for us.”
Parker isn’t counting on the
short rest for Benedictine after
a big game to help the Bears
come Thursday.
“We just need to go out
and play well, prepare; we
need a couple of breaks here
and there. But that’s just part
of playing big time football
against a quality opponent,”
he said.
Burke County had 413 total
yards against Cross Creek with
369 on the ground but just 44
passing yards. The Razorbacks
had just 222 with 87 thru the
air and 135 rushing. The Bears
had 17 first downs on the night,
while allowing 10 by Cross
Creek.
BURKE COUNTY BEARS
GO LIVE
The Burke County High
School’s home football game
against Benedictine, scheduled
for October 1, has been moved
to Thursday, September 30 due
to referee availability. Kick
off time is 6:30 p.m.
The game is live streamed at
https ://bchs .burke .k 12 .ga .us/
apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_
ID=340811 &type=d&pREC_
ID=747924
EBA suffered tough loss
EBA Homecoming Court 2021
Edmund Burke Academy is celebrating its annual Homecoming this week and as is tradi
tion, one of the senior Homecoming Court representatives will be crowned queen during
halftime festivities. Seniors elected to the court this year are, from left, sitting: Avery Wiggins,
Alaina Boulineau and Emily Johnson. Underclassmen chosen to represent their respective
class are from left, standing: sophomores Carleigh Woods and Avery Chance; juniors Kelsey
Jaquess and Marlee Mobley; and freshmen: Zaylie Baker and Ellee Mobley. The Spartans
host Glascock County this Friday, Oct. 1, with kickoff at 7:30 p.m.
POWER PLAYERS
BURKE COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL - 2021
Of theGame!
fGw.A Jr
ifujaS
Williams
SENIOR
The senior running back
racked up 171 yards on 9
carries and scored 4 TD's
including scores on runs of 71
and 65 yards.
j y ' fj
McGill
SOPHOMORE
McGill had 11
tackles, including
three for loss, in
the Spartans’
game against
Southland.
From Staff Reports
Edmund Burke Academy’s
varsity football team (1-4) fell
35-7 to Southland Academy on
Friday night.
“We came out and played on
our heels, and we turned the
ball over way too many times,”
said head coach Aaron Phillips
, adding that the Spartans need
to do a better job of holding
onto the football. “We had a lot
of success moving the football
at times, but then we would
shoot ourselves in the foot with
a negative play or turnover.”
Phillips said EBA found
themselves inside the red zone
four times in the first half yet
failed to come come away with
any points. “Three of those
times resulted in turnovers,”
he said. “We have to continue
to develop our younger play
ers and continue to improve
upfront on both sides of the
ball. Our message to the team
Friday night was stay focused,
continue to work hard and all
of our goals are still in front
of us.”
This week, EBA celebrates
its annual Homecoming with
a non conference game against
Glascock County.
“Glascock is a young team
like us; we match up pretty
good with them, so hopefully
it’s going to be a good competi
tive game,” Phillips said. “If
we can hold on to the football
and execute a little better, then
we should have a good show
ing. But anytime you put the
ball on the ground or turn it
over as much as we did last Fri
day, it’s tough to beat anyone.”
Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. at
Rogers Field. The 2021 Home
coming queen will be crowned
at halftime.
Lady Spartans defeated
in doubleheader last week
From Staff Reports
The Fady Spartans traveled
to Milledgeville to face the
Fady Trojans of John Milledge
in a doubleheader Thursday,
falling in both games.
Addison Riggs took the loss
in the first game as shortstop
Kensy Felix got the lone Spar
tan hit. Poor defense and lack
of offense were the undoing of
the Spartans.
“I just don’t seem to push the
right buttons this year,” said
coach Farry Keller. “I keep
trying to figure it out; it’s been
tough - nobody to blame but
myself.”
In the night cap, Darcy Rich
threw a good game and the
Spartans managed 4 hits, and a
more enthusiastic dugout made
the game much more exciting.
Felix and Rich garnered hits
and Marlee Mobley had two
hits in the loss.
EBA finishes the season
with three games: They played
Burke County on Tuesday, but
results were not available at
press time. They face Thomas
Jefferson Academy at home to
day (Wednesday) at 4 p.m., and
will travel to Briarwood Oct.
5. Both games begin at 4 p.m.
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