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Region 3-AA Upset
Panthers Shock Trojans As
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Defense Stops “Box” 10-6
Perry High's defensive unit,
torn to shreads three weeks
ago by Dodge County,
rededicated themselves last
Friday night and brought
Peach County’s Trojans back
down to earth saddled with a
10-6 loss at Anderson Field in
Fort Valley.
Led by junior linebacker
James Hillson, the Panthers
held the vaunted Peach
County offense scoreless until
the final seconds. The victory,
over the state’s ninth ranked
class AA team, improved the
Panthers’ record to 3-3 and
► kept alive their shot at a post
season playoff.
Running out of the Notre
Dame Box formation sixty of
their sixty-nine offensive
plays the Trojans could not
pul it together against a fired
up band of Perry Panthers.
“We worked extremely hard
in preparing for Peach County
and it helped us stop their
“bread-and-butter”, assistant
Panther coach Dave Crockett
said concerning the region
contest.
The Trojans’ “bread-and
butter” was the “box”, but it
dried up Friday night. Fifteen
limes the Panthers’ defense
held the Trojans’ potent of
fense to less than one yard per
carry. Peach County backs
Mathew Jackson and Kenneth
Baldwjn were held to less than
half their seasonal output.
While the defense walled up
the Trojans the Perry offense
was putting enough points on
the scoreboard to secure the
win. James Hillson, who had
the greatest night of his
career, produced the first
Panther points via a long 36-
yard ficldgoal, followed four
minutes later by a TD strike
from Lloyd Turner to Ike
King.
Morrow’s men controlled
the pigskin to the tune of 59
offensive plays and kept the
Trojans backed up in their
own back yard thanks to the
prodegious punting of senior
Randy Murphy. Filling in for
(he injured Bob Brown,
Murphy booted the ball six
limes for a PHS record of 54.5
yards per kick, including a 72
yarder.
The defensive secondary
was just as tough as they
limited the Trojans to just 16
yards via the airlanes. Peach
County completed only 2 of 9
pass tries, with one errant toss
being picked off by Ike King.
Friday night’s win over
Peach County rekindled a lot
of faith in the Panthers.
THE BOX IS STOPPED
For the third time in six
games the Panthers won the
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Jackson Pounded
• ... By Determined Panther Defense
toss of the coin and elected to
receive (oddly enough, in
every game the Panthers won
the toss they won the game.
Perry called the flip right
against Lamar County and
Putnam County, and added
Peach to the list Friday
night). Ike King returned the
kickoff 14 yards to the Perry
27.
The Panthers could net only
one yard in their first series of
downs, so Randy Murphy
punted 42 yards to the Peach
30.
After running two plays
from a pro set the Trojans
shifted to their “Box” on third
down. Jackson cracked off
tackle for 6 yards and the
initial chain movement of the
game. Peach stayed in their
single wing offense and
racked up another first down
thanks to two offsides calls
against Perry and a 9 yard run
of Jackson.
With the ball just 34 yards
from paydirt the Panther
defense came to life. Baldwin
hauled on a tailback reverse
and was pulled down for a 2-
yard loss by David Coley. The
Trojans quickly ran out of
downs so McCrary punted just
14 yards to the Perry 25.
Perry again failed to
generate any offense and after
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King Gets Five
. ... In Friday Night s Panther Win
three plays Murphy punted
the Trojans in a hole with a 58-
yarder. Claude Lester aided
the cause further by knocking
down punt returner Alvin
Jackson at the Peach 8.
Despite being in a deep hole
the Trojans began moving the
football. Jackson and Baldwin
carried for 6 and 5, and a first
down. Jackson cracked the
line twice more for 6 followed
by a 21-yard scamper on a
fullback spinner by Larry
Brown to the Trojan 46. Ike
King produced the TD saving
tackle.
The second quarter com
menced with the score still
deadlocked 0-0. Peach began
to bog down after Brown’s
burst. Brown tried an encore
but was rudely flattened for a
loss by LB Jaru Ash. A 5-yard
walkoff against the Trojans
and another bone-crushing hit
by Hillson left Peach with a
third and- long situation.
Jackson dropped back to pass
out of the “box” and found one
of his backs open. But the pass
fell incomplete, thanks to a
solid crack by William Car
swell. Peach then punted the
Panthers in a hole at the 16.
Turner just missed on a
bomb to Lester followed by a
personal foul on the Panthers,
so Murphy punted on third
down from the 9. Murphy’s
high spiral carried 61 yards to
the Trojan 30, and a foul on the
Trojans backed them up to the
18.
Baldwin carried on a
reverse on first down for 19
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The Houston Home Journal
PAGE 3-B
OCT. 24, 1974,
yards to the 37, Baldwin and
Jackson each added 4 more to
the 45 followed by a one yarder
by Jackson. Faced with a
fourth down and one, with still
half a quarter til halftime, the
Trojans elected to gam
ble...and lost. Baldwin tried
another reverse and was met
by a wall of Panthers that
threw him for a yard loss.
That play, according to Coach
Bob Morrow, was the turning
point of the game.
Perry immediately took
advantage. Turner hit Lester
with a 10-yard toss to the
Trojan 35. King on a lead
carried for 9 to the 26. Two
runs netted nothing so King
carried again on fourth and
one and made the first down
by half the football. The
elusive King hauled again for
5 to the Peach 20 and then two
Turner passes missed their
marks, bringing up fourth and
5.
Morrow called on James
Hillson to attempt a 36-yard
fieldgoal. Randy Murphy
received a good snap from
center, got it down and Hillson
toed a line-drive kick that
sailed cleanly through the
crossbars. With 4:42 left til
halftime the Panthers were in
the lead, 3-0.
Peach again could muster
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Sophomore DE
nothing against the fired-up
Panthers and punted after one
series. Perry look possession
on their own 28 and got a 18-
yard scamper from King on
first down. The Panthers
proceeded to bog down, so
Murphy boomed a 50-yard
punt that sailed out of the
endzone.
Perry got the ball right back
two snaps later when Jackson
threw a bomb that was picked
off by Ike King at the Perry 38.
King raced the ball back to the
Trojan 42 before being
grounded.
With only 1.05 left in the
second period the Panthers
went right to work. A face
mask penalty moved the bail
to the Trojan 38, followed by a
16-yard run by Ash on a draw
to the 12. Turner then tossed
an aerial to King in the corner
of the endzone for the TD.
Hillson booted the PAT and it
became 10-0, Perry, with just
33 seconds left in the half.
Peach ran off two plays, for
just one yaru, and the half
ended.
DEFENSE STANDS OUT
The third period proved to
be one of frustration for the
heavily-favored Trojans.
Against a determined band of
Panthers the Trojans
aggragaled a total of just 28
net yards, ran just 13 plays,
and tallied only two first
downs. The Trojans never got
closer than the Perry 49.
Perry recorded just ten
offensive plays in the third
quarter, with King carrying
the ball eight of those for 26
yards. The Panthers entered
No. 1 Americas
Next For Perry
The Perry Panthers, after
shocking Peach County last
week, face even a more stiffer
test this Friday night when
I hey journey to Americus to
face the awesome Americus
Panthers, the state’s top
ranked AA power.
The South Georgia con
tingent is a powerful football
team, both offensively and
defensively. The Americus
eleven has averaged better
than 300 yards per contest,
most of it on the ground. They
own one of the top run
ningbacks in the state in A1
Colwell, a lightning quick
speed merchant who can
break open a game. Joining
Ihe 170 pound senior in the
backfield are stablemates
Kay Johnson, another grass
burner, and fullback Arthur
Gooden, a 5-10, 190 pounder.
The quarterback is a 5-9, 170
pound senior who has
tremendous speed and can
throw the football when
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Ash Follows King’s Block
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.... Coach Morrow At Game's End
I lie final light still clinging to
their 10-0 advantage.
Conner’s Trojans could do
nothing for the first eight
minutes of the final period,
registering just one chain
movement. Given a break by
the Panthers on a fumbled
punt attempt, the Feachmen
finally started moving the
football in the waning
moments.
From the Perry 49, the
Trojans drove to paydirt in ten
snaps. Jackson finally pun
ched the ball over from a yard
out, and just barely made it on
the fourth down call. The
Trojans tried for a 2-poinl pass
conversion, but it fell in
complete. With half a minute
left it was 10-6.
Kandy Murphy alertly fell
on (he onsides kickoff attempt,
and then three keepers by
Turner finished off the clock to
preserve the Panthers’ upset
win.
needed.
While the Americus offense
is as good as any, their
strongest forte is a defense
that has allowed just four
scores all season. Opponents
have averaged less than 100
yards per game total offense.
“They (Americus) are quick,
agile and execute better than
any team we’ve seen,” Coach
Bob Morrow said about
PCC Golf Scramble
Tournament Held Sun.
The foursome of Jerry
Rogers, Bob Vance, Robert
Spainhour and Lois Downing
captured the Ferry Country
Club scramble tournament
last Sunday. Carl Fierce, Lory
Gunter and Wayne Stewart
teamed up to finish second,
and Ed Cain, Luke Vest,
Moody Mulkey and Henry
>|
The Stats
PERRY PEACH CO.
7 First Downs it
106 Yds. Rushing 180
22 Yds. Passing 16
2-13-0 Comp-Att-Int 2-9-1
21 Return Ydg, 22
3-0 Fumbles-Lost 1-0
6-54.5 Punts-Avg. 6-36.3
39 Off. Plays 69
5-28 Penalties 5-45
22:28 Possession 25:32
RUSHING; King 22 for 83.
Ash 3 for 23. Turner 6 for 9.
RECEIVING: King 1 for 12.
Lester 1 for 10.
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Friday’s Ferry foe. They have
an all-state linebacker.
Americus is currently the
state’s top ranked AA team (5-
0) and are even belter in their
home stadium, where Friday
night’s region contest will be
played. They were 12-2 a year
ago and this year’s crop is just
as touch.
The Perry Panthers will
have their hands full.
Casey wrapped up third place.
FCC golf pro Wiltz Bernard
announced that the rye grass
has germinated and the
greens and fairways are in
great shape for the winter
season. “The cooler weather
just might knock a few strokes
off your score,” Wiltz said.