About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 3, 2018)
2B Saturday, November 3, 2018 The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com SPORTS NO. 6 GEORGIA AT NO. 11 KENTUCKY Bulldogs facing tough road test in Lexington Associated Press Sixth-ranked Georgia is used to playing on the national stage. No. 11 Ken tucky not so much. But the Wildcats must deal with the sudden spotlight of playing the program’s most important game in a generation. The Southeastern Confer ence’s Eastern Division title is on the line in Saturday’s Top 25 nationally televised matchup between Georgia (7-1, 5-1 SEC, No. 6 CFP) and Kentucky (7-1, 5-1, No. 9 CFP). It’s the schools’ first meeting since 2007 with both teams ranked. In Lexington, discussion of Kentucky’s most signifi cant football game since the 1970s has almost overshad owed buzz about the sec ond-ranked Wildcats men’s basketball team’s upcom ing opener Tuesday against hated rival Duke. Kentucky football coach Mark Stoops likes being part of the con versation but said earlier this week he wouldn’t dis cuss the potential impact with players. “I probably need to calm them down,” the coach joked. Not that Stoops needed to remind his players of what’s on the line. “We know what’s at stake,” junior linebacker Kash Daniel said. “We know what’s riding on this game, and obviously it is a motivat ing factor. With big games like this it’s important to go into it thinking it’s just a normal game, because if you try to overdo it, Georgia at Kentucky When: 3:30 p.m. today Where: Lexington, Kentucky TV: CBS mistakes happen.” But he added, “this is obvi ously the biggest game I’ve ever played in.” Off to their best start since 1977, the Wildcats are rid ing the momentum of an improbable 15-14 win at Missouri that has put them on the brink of their first division title. They held the Tigers without a first down in the second half and enter with the nation’s top scor ing defense (13.0 points per game) along with the SEC’s No. 2 unit overall (295.3 yards). GA TECH VS. NORTH CAROLINA Surging Jackets seeking to keep up momentum Georgia Tech hopes it’s finally found its groove. North Carolina has been close — but that’s not good enough for the Tar Heels. The surging Yellow Jack ets visit the Tar Heels on Saturday looking to move closer to bowl eligibility and keep alive their longshot hopes in their topsy-turvy division race. Georgia Tech (4-4, 2-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) has won three of four to move back to .500 after a 1-3 start that put some pressure the Yellow Jackets. Their famed triple-option offense ran all over Virginia Tech last week, rolling up 465 yards rushing in a 49-28 rout of the Hokies. “We’ve got a lot to play for,” coach Paul Johnson said. “We’re still alive in the conference. We’re trying to play to get bowl eligible. There’s a ton to play for. ” For North Carolina (1-6, 1-4), there’s no more mar gin of error. In order to earn bowl eligibility for the first time since 2016, the Tar Heels must win their remaining four games — then find a replacement for the game with UCF that was canceled because of Hur ricane Michael, and win that one, too. They’ve been close lately, but haven’t been able to close out a vic tory in more than a month. Since their 37-point loss at Miami, they’ve lost twice by three points apiece — once in overtime at Syracuse, another when Virginia Tech scored the winning touch down with 19 seconds left following a critical fumble. Coach Larry Fedora acknowledged that there’s “plenty of frustration. “We talk about it as a team. We talk about how close we are and the differ ence between winning and losing and what we need to do,” Fedora said. “Nobody’s happy with what’s going on. Everybody’s searching, and everybody’s looking at me. I’m the leader of this team, and .. I’m responsible for giving them answers. ” Associated Press Football/NFL AMERICAN CONFERENCE East W L T Pet PF PA New England 6 2 0 .750 239 185 Miami 4 4 0 .500 174 219 N.Y. Jets 3 5 0 .375 192 200 Buffalo 2 6 0 South .250 87 200 W L T Pet PF PA Houston 5 3 0 .625 197 167 Tennessee 3 4 0 .429 106 127 Jacksonville 3 5 0 .375 134 170 Indianapolis 3 5 0 North .375 231 213 W L T Pet PF PA Pittsburgh 4 2 1 .643 204 172 Cincinnati 5 3 0 .625 221 237 Baltimore 4 4 0 .500 197 137 Cleveland 2 5 1 West .313 169 210 W L T Pet PF PA Kansas City 7 1 0 .875 290 205 L.A. Chargers 5 2 0 .714 195 163 Denver 3 5 0 .375 188 194 Oakland 1 7 0 .125 141 252 NATIONAL CONFERENCE East W L T Pet PF PA Washington 5 2 0 .714 146 134 Philadelphia 4 4 0 .500 178 156 Dallas 3 4 0 .429 140 123 N.Y. Giants 1 7 0 South .125 150 205 W L T Pet PF PA New Orleans 6 1 0 .857 234 183 Carolina 5 2 0 .714 178 152 Atlanta 3 4 0 .429 190 212 Tampa Bay 3 4 0 North .429 201 233 W L T Pet PF PA Chicago 4 3 0 .571 194 144 Minnesota 4 3 1 .563 197 195 Green Bay 3 3 1 .500 175 173 Detroit 3 4 0 West .429 171 186 W L T Pet PF PA L.A. Rams 8 0 0 1.000 264 155 Seattle 4 3 0 .571 171 131 Arizona 2 6 0 .250 110 199 San Francisco 2 7 0 .222 Thursday’s Games San Francisco 34, Oakland 3 207 239 Sunday’s Games N.Y. Jets at Miami, 1 p.m. Atlanta at Washington, 1 p.m. Detroit at Minnesota, 1 p.m. Kansas City at Cleveland, 1 p.m. Tampa Bay at Carolina, 1 p.m. Pittsburgh at Baltimore, 1 p.m. Chicago at Buffalo, 1 p.m. L.A. Chargers at Seattle, 4:05 p.m. Houston at Denver, 4:05 p.m. L.A. Rams at New Orleans, 4:25 p.m. Green Bay at New England, 8:20 p.m. Open: Indianapolis, Arizona, N.Y. Giants, Jacksonville, Philadelphia, Cincinnati Monday’s Games Tennessee at Dallas, 8:15 p.m. Football/college Today’s games EAST Air Force (3-5) at Army (6-2), Noon Columbia (4-3) at Harvard (3-4), Noon Robert Morris (1-6) at Sacred Heart (5-3), Noon Bryant (5-3) at St. Francis (Pa.) (3-5), Noon Valparaiso (1-7) at Marist (4-4), Noon Duquesne (5-3) at Wagner (2-6), Noon Holy Cross (2-6) at Lafayette (3-5), 12:30 p.m. Bucknell (1-7) at Lehigh (1-7), 12:30 p.m. Colgate (7-0) at Fordham (1-7), 1 p.m. Charleston Southern (3-4) at Monmouth (NJ) (6-2), 1 p.m. Hampton (4-3) at NY Maritime (6-2), 1 p.m. James Madison (6-2) at New Hampshire (2-6), 1 p.m. Dartmouth (7-0) at Princeton (7-0), 1 p.m. Brown (1-6) at Yale (4-3), 1 p.m. Delaware (6-2) at Albany (NY) (2-6), 3:30 p.m. Liberty (4-3) at UMass (3-6), 3:30 p.m. Maine (5-3) at Towson (6-2), 4 p.m. SOUTH Texas A&M (5-3) at Auburn (5-3), Noon Louisville (2-6) at Clemson (8-0), Noon Memphis (4-4) at East Carolina (2-5), Noon Butler (3-5) at Jacksonville (1-6), Noon Michigan St. (5-3) at Maryland (5-3), Noon South Carolina (4-3) at Mississippi (5-3), Noon Syracuse (6-2) at Wake Forest (4-4), Noon Georgia Tech (4-4) at North Carolina (1-6), 12:15 p.m. Chattanooga (6-2) at Furman (3-4), 1 p.m. Florida A&M (6-2) at Howard (3-4), 1 p.m. Norfolk St. (3-4) at NC A&T (6-2), 1 p.m. Morehead St. (3-5) at Stetson (6-1), 1 p.m. Rhode Island (5-3) at Elon (5-2), 1:30 p.m. Presbyterian (2-5) at Gardner-Webb (2-6), 1:30 p.m. Tusculum (5-3) atVMI (0-8), 1:30 p.m. Savannah St. (2-5) at Delaware St. (1-7), 2 p.m. Texas St. (2-6) at Georgia St. (2-6), 2 p.m. UT Martin (1-7) at Jacksonville St. (6-2), 2 p.m. Campbell (5-3) at Kennesaw St. (7-1), 2 p.m. Edward Waters (4-4) at NC Central (3-4), 2 p.m. Shorter (0-9) at North Alabama (5-3), 2:30 p.m. Murray St. (4-4) at Tennessee Tech (0-8), 2:30 p.m. Texas Southern (2-6) at Alabama St. (2-5), 3 p.m. MVSU (1-6) at Grambling St. (4-4), 3 p.m. Prairie View (3-5) at Jackson St. (3-4), 3 p.m. Georgia Southern (7-1) at Louisiana-Monroe (4-4), 3 p.m. ETSU (7-2) at Mercer (4-4), 3 p.m. Villanova (3-5) at Richmond (3-5), 3 p.m. Wofford (6-2) at Samford (4-4), 3 p.m. Marshall (5-2) at Southern Miss. (3-4), 3 p.m. Georgia (7-1) at Kentucky (7-1), 3:30 p.m. Florida St. (4-4) at NC State (5-2), 3:30 p.m. McNeese St. (6-2) at SE Louisiana (3-6), 3:30 p.m. Tulane (3-5) at South Florida (7-1), 3:30 p.m. Louisiana-Lafayette (4-5) at Troy (6-2), 3:30 p.m. The Citadel (2-5) at W. Carolina (3-5), 3:30 p.m. Boston College (6-2) at Virginia Tech (4-3), 3:45 p.m. Missouri (4-4) at Florida (6-2), 4 p.m. Bethune-Cookman (4-5) at Morgan St. (2-6), 4 p.m. Charlotte (4-4) at Tennessee (3-5), 4 p.m. E. Kentucky (4-4) at Austin Peay (4-4), 5 p.m. Appalachian St. (5-2) at Coastal Carolina (5-3), 5 p.m. Duke (5-3) at Miami (5-3), 7 p.m. FAU (3-5) at FIU (6-2), 7:30 p.m. Louisiana Tech (6-2) at Mississippi St. (5-3), 7:30 p.m. UTSA (3-5) at UAB (7-1), 7:30 p.m. Alabama (8-0) at LSU (7-1), 8 p.m. MIDWEST Cent. Michigan (1-8) at E. Michigan (4-5), Noon Iowa St. (4-3) at Kansas (3-5), Noon Nebraska (2-6) at Ohio St. (7-1), Noon Rutgers (1-7) at Wisconsin (5-3), Noon South Dakota (3-5) at Indiana St. (5-3), 1 p.m. San Diego (6-2) at Drake (5-2), 1:30 p.m. Illinois St. (5-3) at N. Iowa (4-4), 2 p.m. W. Illinois (4-4) at S. Illinois (2-6), 2 p.m. Tennessee St. (3-3) at SE Missouri (6-2), 2 p.m. Missouri St. (3-4) at S. Dakota St. (4-3), 3 p.m. Navy (2-6) at Cincinnati (7-1), 3:30 p.m. Minnesota (4-4) at Illinois (3-5), 3:30 p.m. Youngstown St. (3-5) at N. Dakota St. (8-0), 3:30 p.m. Iowa (6-2) at Purdue (4-4), 3:30 p.m. Penn St. (6-2) at Michigan (7-1), 3:45 p.m. Notre Dame (8-0) at Northwestern (5-3), 7:15 p.m. SOUTHWEST Oklahoma St. (5-3) at Baylor (4-4), Noon Northwestern St. (3-5) at Abilene Christian (4-4), 3 p.m. South Alabama (2-6) at Arkansas St. (4-4), 3 p.m. Nicholls (5-3) at Houston Baptist (1-7), 3 p.m. Sam Houston St. (5-3) at Incarnate Word (4-4), 3 p.m. Alabama A&M (4-4) at Ark.-Pine Bluff (1-7), 3:30 p.m. UTEP (0-8) at Rice (1-8), 3:30 p.m. Kansas St. (3-5) atTCU (3-5), 3:30 p.m. West Virginia (6-1) at Texas (6-2), 3:30 p.m. Lamar (4-4) at Cent. Arkansas (5-3), 7 p.m. Houston (7-1) at SMU (3-5), 7 p.m. UConn (1-7) at Tulsa (1-7), 7 p.m. Oklahoma (7-1) at Texas Tech (5-3), 8 p.m. FAR WEST Sacramento St. (3-5) at Weber St. (6-2), 2 p.m. San Jose St. (1-7) at Wyoming (3-6), 2 p.m. E. Washington (6-2) at N. Colorado (2-7), 2:05 p.m. Montana (4-4) at S. Utah (1-7), 3 p.m. Utah (6-2) at Arizona St. (4-4), 4 p.m. Cal Poly (3-5) at Montana St. (4-4), 4 p.m. Alcorn St. (7-2) at New Mexico St. (2-7), 4 p.m. N. Arizona (3-5) at UC Davis (7-1), 4 p.m. North Dakota (4-4) at Idaho (3-5), 5 p.m. Idaho St. (5-3) at Portland St. (4-4), 5 p.m. TODAY ON TV FOOTBALL RACING ■ Nebraska vs. Ohio State, noon, Fox ■ Oklahoma State vs. Baylor, noon, Fox Sports 1 ■ Memphis vs. East Carolina, noon, ESPNU ■ Michigan State vs. Maryland, noon, ESPN 2 ■ Louisville vs. Clemson, noon, ABC ■ Georgia Tech vs. North Carolina, 12:15 p.m.,Raycom Sports ■ Kansas State vs. TCU, 3:30 p.m., Fox Sports 1 ■ Navy vs. Cincinnati, 3:30 p.m., ESPNU ■ Iowa vs. Purdue, 3:30 p.m., ESPN 2 ■ West Virginia vs. Texas, 3:30 p.m., Fox ■ Florida State vs. North Carolina State, 3:30 p.m., ABC ■ Georgia vs. Kentucky, 3:30 p.m., CBS ■ Penn State vs. Michigan, 3:45 p.m., ESPN ■ Missouri vs. Florida, 4 p.m., SEC Network ■ Duke vs. Miami, 7 p.m., ESPN 2 ■ Houston vs. SMU, 7 p.m., ESPNU ■ Mississippi State vs. Louisiana Tech, 7:30 p.m., SEC Network ■ Notre Dame vs. Northwestern, 7:15 p.m., ESPN ■ UCLA vs. Oregon, 7:30 p.m., Fox ■ Alabama vs. LSU, 8 p.m., CBS ■ Oklahoma vs. Texas Tech, 8 p.m., ABC ■ San Diego State vs. New Mexico, 10:15 p.m., ESPNU ■ Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series: Fort Worth Practice, 12:30 p.m., CNBC ■ NASCAR XFINITY Series: Fort Worth Qualifying, 2:30 p.m., CNBC ■ Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series: Fort Worth Final Practice, 3:30 p.m., NBC Sports ■ NASCAR XFINITY Series: O’Reilly Auto Parts 300,4:30 p.m., NBC Sports GOLF ■ PGA Tour Golf: Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, 4:30 p.m., Golf Channel ■ LPGA Tour Golf: TOTO Japan Classic, 10:30 p.m., Golf Channel State scores Alpharetta 41, Cambridge 21 Appling County 34, Tattnall County 8 Arabia Mountain 37, Lithonia 0 Archer 35, Shiloh 7 Armuchee 35, Dade County 14 Athens Academy 21, Commerce 14 Athens Christian 24, Lakeview Academy 21 Bainbridge 44, Thomas County Central 11 Baldwin 31, Cross Creek 0 Bleckley County 33, Southwest Macon 12 Blessed Trinity 42, White County 7 Bowdon 14, King’s Ridge 7 Brantley County 29, Long County 14 Brentwood 45, Thomas Jefferson 13 Brooks County 49, Berrien 0 Brookwood 52, Lakeside-DeKalb 7 Brookwood School 21, Creekside Christian Academy 3 Buford 45, Clarke Central 3 Cairo 38, Dougherty 8 Calhoun 49, Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe 0 Calhoun County 24, Baconton 0 Calvary Christian 14, Flint River 7 Camden County 28, Tift County 24 Carrollton 50, Hiram 0 Cartersville 43, Troup County 10 Carver-Columbus 40, Americus Sumter 19 Cedar Shoals 45, Walnut Grove 0 Cedartown 45, Chapel Hill 13 Centennial 38, Northview 28 Charlton County 47, Lanier County 14 Chattahoochee County 50, Stewart County 22 Chattooga 19, Pepperell 7 Cherokee 26, Lassiter 23, OT Christian Heritage 38, Mt. Pisgah Christian 24 Clinch County 42, Telfair County 9 Colquitt County 40, Lowndes 6 Columbus 34, Northside-Columbus 3 Cook 18, Worth County 7 Coosa 37, Gordon Central 14 Creekside 44, South Paulding 7 Creekview 36, Harrison 35,0T Crisp County 38, Monroe 8 Dacula 28, Winder-Barrow 21 Dalton 61, Osborne 0 Darlington 22, Whitefield Academy 14 Dawson County 17, North Hall 10,0T Douglas County 34, Alexander 28 Douglass 60, Clarkston 8 Dublin 28, Washington County 10 Dutchtown 34, Locust Grove 10 Eagle’s Landing 28, Ola 27, OT East Hall 32, Lumpkin County 31 East Paulding 21, Villa Rica 7 Eastside 42, Hampton 28 Effingham County 12, Richmond Hill 0 Elbert County 41, Banks County 0 First Presbyterian Day 28, Washington-Wilkes 12 Flowery Branch 28, Denmark 19 Forsyth Central 28, Lambert 27,0T Frederica 49, Bulloch 24 Glynn Academy 42, Bradwell Institute 21 Grayson 35, South Gwinnett 7 Greater Atlanta Christian 37, Fannin County 14 Griffin 28, Riverdale 12 Grovetown 30, Evans 20 Habersham Central 28, Apalachee 21 Hapeville 42, B.E.S.T. Academy 6 Haralson County 55, Murray County 29 Heard County 20, Bremen 7 Heritage School 51, Loganville Christian 0 Heritage-Catoosa 56, Northwest Whitfield 28 Hillgrove 21, North Cobb 14 Holy Innocents’ 54, Our Lady of Mercy 0 Irwin County 48, Turner County 14 Jackson 42, Rutland 0 Jackson County 55, East Jackson 14 Jeff Davis 43, Metter 23 Jefferson County 35, Screven County 21 John Milledge 48, Augusta Prep 7 Kell 41, Woodland Cartersville 18 LaFayette 34, Gilmer 14 LaGrange 16, Shaw 14 Lakeside-Evans 10, Heritage-Conyers 7 Lamar County 26, Temple 23 Lanier 6, Gainesville 2 Lee County 38, Coffee 7 Loganville 27, Johnson-Gainesville 10 Lovett 34, Westminster 28 Maclay, Fla. 63, Pataula Charter 6 Manchester 34, Macon County 13 Marietta 42, Kennesaw Mountain 22 Mary Persons 60, Howard 14 Mays 30, Northgate 29 McEachern 34, North Paulding 27 Memorial Day 60, Robert Toombs 8 Mill Creek 24, Collins Hill 0 Miller County 29, Seminole County 7 Milton 49, North Forsyth 23 Monroe Area 43, Franklin County 19 Monticello 36, Social Circle 28 Morgan County 35, Hart County 34 Mount Vernon 21, Strong Rock Christian 3 Mount de Sales 38, Hancock Central 18 Mountain View 48, Duluth 0 Mt. Zion-Carrollton 20, Fellowship Christian School 7 Newnan 28, East Coweta 16 Norcross 42, Meadowcreek 10 North Cobb Christian 28, Mt. Paran Christian 10 North Murray 23, Sonoraville 0 North Springs 49, Lithia Springs 27 Northeast-Macon 47, East Laurens 16 Northside-Warner Robins 41, Houston County 6 Oconee County 41, Madison County 20 Parkview 49, Central Gwinnett 14 Paulding County 17, Cass 14 Peach County 28, Westside-Macon 12 Peachtree Ridge 41, Discovery 21 Pebblebrook 38, Wheeler 35 Pelham 34, Mitchell County 13 Perry 38, West Laurens 27 Pierce County 29, Liberty County 26 Pike County 38, Kendrick 0 Prince Avenue Christian 48, Riverside Military Academy 27 Putnam County 13, Oglethorpe County 10 Rabun County 56, Union County 28 Ridgeland 37, Southeast Whitfield 21 Ringgold 42, Coahulla Creek 6 Rockdale County 35, Newton 34, 0T Rockmart 61, Model 6 Roswell 34, Etowah 10 Sandy Creek 45, Central-Carrollton 0 Sequoyah 17, Allatoona 0 South Atlanta 43, KIPP Atlanta 10 Spencer 35, Jordan 8 Sprayberry 44, River Ridge 6 Starr’s Mill 27, Fayette County 0 Stockbridge 17, Jones County 10 Stratford 17, Aquinas 14 Swainsboro 21, Toombs County 20 Taylor County 42, Pacelli Catholic 7 Terrell Academy 55, Southwest Georgia Academy 48 Thomasville 56, Early County 3 Thomson 20, Richmond Academy 14 Tiftarea 28, Southland 13 Towns County 20, Providence Christian 17 Trinity Christian-Dublin 23, Bethlehem Christian Academy 16 Trion 40, Pinecrest 13 Upson-Lee 50, Spalding 23 Valwood 28, Deerfield-Windsor 14 Vidalia 42, Bacon County 13 Walker 19, Georgia Military 14 Walton 30, Woodstock 7 Warner Robins 28, Veterans 0 Wayne County 28, Ware County 21 Wesleyan 17, Trinity Christian-Sharpsburg 10 West Forsyth 24, South Forsyth 14 West Hall 62, Chestatee 19 Westlake 55, Campbell 38 Woodward Academy 45, Luella 6 Associated Press FALCONS ■ Continued from 1B ends just shy of a first-ever state playoff berth. “The heart of this football team is really strong,” Den mark coach Terry Crowder said. “We (showed) that all year and played like that all year.” It certainly showed. The Danes, who broke the scoreless tie with 21-play scoring drive to open the game, had to battle back after falling behind 28-7 at the start of the second half. The Danes got a pair of touchdown drives in the third and fourth quar ters, starting with a 7-yard rushing score from Devin Ducille, who spun off a Fal cons defender in the back- field and dashed across the plain at the 4:06 mark of the third period. A missed 32-yard field goal by the Fal cons minutes later berthed the Danes’ final scoring drive, which ended with a Ze’Vian Capers 35-yard catch-and-run touchdown off the shovel pass nine plays later. But quarterback Ben Whitlock’s pass attempt on the two-point conversion to follow was broken up by defensive back D.J. Brown, keeping it a two-score mar gin for the remainder. Capers finished with 10 catches and 110 yards for the Danes. Their quarterback Whitlock had 221 passing yards and a pair of touchdowns on 21 of 44 attempts. The Danes (5-5,2-4), while giving the hosts quite the scare in the final two quar ters, still showed signs of a young program against a Falcons squad that knew how to bring the pressure inside the box. The Fal cons came up with three takeaways as Chase Dial- Watson and Jerzee Allentini each intercepted Whitlock. However, Flowery Branch dropped two pick-six chances in the second half. Defensive end Cody Inman had a pivotal sack — one of five for the Fal con defense Friday — to back the Danes well behind the chains on their second- to-last drive in the fourth quarter, then fell on a Danes fumble to award Flowery Branch possession with 2:14 to play. Falcons fullback Allentini was able to move the chains twice on gaines of 11 and 10 yards to put the game away. The Falcons overcame a lackluster start in the first half to build a 21-7 halftime lead. Flowery Branch flipped the momentum with a blocked punt on Denmark’s second offensive drive, dur ing which they punched in the big special teams play with an Aidenn Lorenz scoop-and-score to tie the contest at 7-all with 54 sec onds left in the opening period. An Allentini 1-yard touchdown plunge and Eli jah Gainey 7-yard touch down pass to Connor Larson on a rollout on back-to-back scoring drives extended the Falcons’ lead to 21-7 with 3:03 left in the half. Senior running back Zar- ian Brawner, who rattled off gains of 11 and 17 yards to setup Gainey for his lone scoring strike, left the game with a foot ailment after that and finished with 72 yards rushing on 12 carries. Dial-Watson stretched the margin to open the second half for Flowery Branch. He carried three times for 65 yards — including a 55-yard scamper and nine-yard touchdown — to make it 28-7 with 11:10 left in the period. Flowery Branch was oth erwise slow out the gates as the Danes took their turn in milking some clock on the game’s opening drive. Denmark ate up over seven minutes of the game clock during a 21 play, 73 yard drive, extended by the first of three Falcons encroach ment penalties in the half and one defensive pass inter ference on a third-and-long. Whitlock was a big part of turning the long march into points, as he hooked up with wideout Capers four times for 38 yards before finding Teddy Davenport, who managed to get one foot in-bounds in the back of the end zone for a 7-0 Danes lead with 4:49 left in the first period. NORTH ■ Continued from 1B downs — and the offense started to show signs of life as well. A 55-yard rush from JT Fair set the team up for their first score of the night — a chip-shot field goal to draw within four points at 7-3. Then, midway through the fourth quarter, a Mat thew Gunter sack forced the Tigers to punt from deep inside their own territory, setting up North Hall with excellent field position. “It’s really encourag ing, knowing (he’s a) young player, and knowing he’s playing not just for him, but for the team,” Seavey said of Gunter’s sack, one of three he had on the night. A facemask penalty on the ensuing drive brought the Trojans into striking distance, and a 21-yard pass from Seavey to Jackson put North Hall on top for the first time on the night. “Obviously character is revealed when things are tough, and our kids played hard in the second half,” Bishop said. “They were able to come back.” But North Hall could not hang on to its narrow lead. After forcing a three- and-out following Jackson’s touchdown and having a chance to run the clock out, the Trojans netted 1 yard lost over three plays, forcing them to give the ball right back to the Tigers. Dawson County took full advantage of the oppor tunity, returning the punt all the way down to North Hall’s 13. And while the Tigers could not punch the ball into the end zone to end the game in regulation, kicker Caleb Bonesteel was perfect on his field goal attempt to end reg ulation to send the contest to overtime, where Dawson County managed to pull off the victory. With the loss, North Hall finishes third in Region 7-3A, meaning they will open the postseason on the road. But according to the Trojans — coaches and players — the venue of the team’s play off matchup is not going to make a difference in the outcome. “I’m completely confi dent in our team,” Seavey said. “I’m just ready to see how far we can go in the playoffs.” SCORES ■ Continued from 1B start the second half. Kylan Curry had a pair of touchdowns for East Hall (3-7, 2-4), one of those passing. With the loss, the Vikings’ season is finished. LANIER 6, GAINES VILLE 2: The Red Elel- phants allowed the go-ahead score with less than three minutes remaining on Fri day in Sugar Hill. With the loss, Gainesville (2-8, 2-3 Region 8-6A) will go into the playoffs as the No. 4 seed. The Red Elephants’ play off opponent is still to be determined. PRINCE AVENUE 48 CHRISTIAN, RIVERSIDE MILITARY ACADEMY 27: Camron Dabney scored a touchdown for Riverside Military Academy on Friday in Gainesville. With the loss the Eagles (5-5, 4-2 Region 8-A) are in the playoffs and will face a team to be deter mine in the Class A private schools state tournament. Jordan Battles, Isaac Teas- ley and Khalid Duke each scored once for the Eagles. Race lineup Friday’s qualifying; race Sunday At Texas Motor Speedway Fort Worth, Texas (Car number in parentheses) 1. (12) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 200.505 mph 2. (14) Clint Bowyer, Ford, 200.230 3. (4) Kevin Harvick, Ford, 199.941 4. (10) Aric Almirola, Ford, 199.778 5. (2) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 199.527 6. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 199.255 7. (41) Kurt Busch, Ford, 199.225 8. (22) Joey Logano, Ford, 199.086 9. (24) William Byron, Chevrolet, 199.071 10. (18) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 198.705 11. (21) Paul Menard, Ford, 197.954 12. (20) Erik Jones, Toyota, 197.853 13. (78) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 197.962 14. (31) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 197.925 15. (6) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 197.715 16. (9) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 197.686 17. (17) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 197.592 18. (88) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 197.542 19. (19) Daniel Suarez, Toyota, 197.397 20. (1) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 197.383 21. (37) Chris Buescher, Chevrolet, 197.087 22. (42) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 196.815 23. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 196.728 24. (13) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 196.514 25. (47) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 196.007 26. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 195.327 27. (38) David Ragan, Ford, 195.221 28. (95) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 194.749 29. (34) Michael McDowell, Ford, 194.475 30. (43) Bubba Wallace, Chevrolet, 194.398 31. (32) Matt DiBenedetto, Ford, 192.404 32. (00) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 191.843 33. (15) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 191.299 34. (96) Parker Kligerman, Toyota, 191.110 35. (23) JJ Yeley, Toyota, 190.268 36. (99) Kyle Weatherman, Chevrolet, 189.221 37. (72) Corey LaJoie, Chevrolet, 188.824 38. (7) Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet, 187.598 39. (51) Joey Gase, Ford, 183.076 40. (97) David Starr, Toyota, 181.305 Associated Press
