About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 17, 2018)
SPORTS Bill Murphy Sports Editor | 770-718-3415 | sports@gainesvilletimes.com Sftncs gainesvilletimes.com Saturday, November 17, 2018 PAYOFFS SCOREBOARD HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PO\YOFFS I Second round Buford tops Kell, 44-11 Aaron McLaughlin rushed for a first- quarter touchdown and threw for a late fourth-quarter score for Buford in a 44-11 win against Kell in the second round of the Class 5A state tournament Friday in Buford. With the win, the Wolves will host Bain- bridge in the state quarterfinals on Nov. 23. The Wolves’ sophomore quarterback ran it in from 63 yards in the first quarter. Leading big late, McLaughlin connected with Dom Maggio on a 19-yard scoring pass for Buford (10-2). In the second quarter, University of Texas pledge Derrian Brown ran it in from 27 yards, making the score 17-0, then he returned a punt for a score just before halftime. n FELLOWSHIP CHRISTIAN 35, RIVER SIDE MILITARY 28: Senior quarterback Isaac Teasley threw for 191 yards and two touchdowns and added another score on the ground, but the No. 23-seeded Eagles (6-6) ultimately fell short of a first-ever GHSA quarterfinal appearance Friday night in Roswell. Riverside Military led 21-14 at the half and carried that lead into the final period before a shootout ensued. Teasley, who put the Eagles on the board with a deep strike to Jashod Dab ney in the first period, put Riverside Military ahead 28-21 with 4:51 to play on a 55-yard touchdown pass to Harrison Nash. Fellowship Christian’s Cameron Gill had touch down receptions of 91 and 55 yards on back- to-back drives inside the final five minutes of regulation to grant the No. 7 seeded Paladins passage to Savannah in the Class A private school playoffs where they’ll face Savannah Christian. Also for Riverside Mili tary, senior running back Jordan Battles rushed for 121 yards and a touch down. Eagles senior line backer Harry Kim led the defense with 20 total tackles (three for loss). Compiled by Bill Murphy and Sarah Woodall Teasley Kim HIGH SCHOOL SCOREBOARD Chestatee girls defeat Jackson Co. Nicole Sedwick finished with a game-high 14 points for Chestatee’s girls in a 56-35 win against Jackson County on Friday in the first round of The Banker’s Classic in Jefferson. Kaylie Barrett chipped in nine points for the Lady War Eagles (1-1), while Emma Easterwood scored eight. On Saturday, Chestatee faces T.L. Hanna (S.C.) at 3 p.m. in the Banker’s Classic final in Jefferson. EAST HALL BOYS 62, BANKS COUNTY 58: Carl Cleveland had 21 points, 14 rebounds and six assists for the Leopards on Friday. Clay Gosnell had 15 points and 10 rebounds for Banks County in Homer. Dakota Orr blocked 10 shots for the Leopards. Banks County led 51-45 after three quarters. On Saturday, Banks County faces Clarke Central at 4:30 p.m. in Bogart. Compiled by Diana Lewis High school scores can be reported each night by calling 770-718-3415 or email sports@gainesvilletimes.com. Trojans come up short Photos by AUSTIN STEELE I The Times Cedar Grove’s Chris Sanford runs the ball with North Hall’s Daniel Jackson reaching for him during the second round of the Class 3A state tournament in Panthersville. Early turnovers cause North Hall to fall to Cedar Grove 49-33 North Hall’s David Seavey hands the ball off to Drew Faulkner against Cedar Grove during the second-round playoff game in Panthersville. BY NATHAN BERG nberg@gainesvilletimes.com North Hall played its best late Friday against Cedar Grove. However, a fourth- quarter surge was not enough for the Trojans (9-3) to climb out of the hole they dug themselves early on, as they eventu ally fell to the second-ranked Saints 49-33 in the second round of the Class 3A state playoffs inside William Godfrey Stadium in Decatur. “I can’t be any more proud of them,” North Hall coach David Bishop said of his team. “(Cedar Grove is) a team that’s going to have kids playing Sat urdays, kids playing Sundays in the next few years. That’s a very tal ented football team.” The Trojans started the game off slow, turning the ball over on three fumbles in their first five offen sive snaps. The Saints (11-2) turned those extra possessions into 13 points, jumping out to an early lead. North Hall found some offensive foot ing to end the opening frame, getting on the board with a field goal to draw within 10. But Cedar Grove’s rushing attack — led by Robert Jones’ 89 yards and two touchdowns on seven carries to go along with a 25-yard touchdown on his lone reception — proved too much for the Tro jans to keep up with. By halftime, North Hall was trailing 35-3, and in need of a spark. “We challenged them at halftime to just come out and finish strong, finish with character, which is what we built this program on,” Bishop said. Bishop’s challenge proved to be just what the team needed to get things back on track. North Hall came out of the half with a surprise onside kick attempt on the kickoff to open the third quarter and appeared to recover, inciting cheers from the Trojan student section. And while the referees eventually decided to rule that the ball did not travel far enough on the onside attempt, negating the play, the energy it infused the team with seemed to last. “The second half for us, our coaches said just go out there, have fun, and just play,” North Hall quarterback David Seavey said. The strategy seemed to work for the Trojans. ■ Please see NORTH, 2B Second-round games Friday’s games Class 6A ■ Creekview 65, Habersham Central 48 Class 5A ■ Buford 44, Kell 11 Class 3A ■ Cedar Grove 49, North Hall 33 ■ Monroe Area 49, Dawson County 17 Class A (private schools) ■ Fellowship Christian 35, Riverside Military 28 GEORGIA BULLDOGS Heaping on praise UMass coach feels Bulldogs best program his school has ever faced Associated Press In Mark Whipple’s two stints as the UMass coach covering 11 years and time spent in FCS and FBS, No. 5 Georgia is his pick as the Minutemen’s toughest opponent. Whipple says he didn’t even have to pass along that opinion to his players. “All they have to do is look at the tape,” Whipple said. “You just put the tape on and they’ve got great players. They’re the best team UMass has ever played at Georgia vs. UMass When: 4 p.m. today Where: Sanford Stadium, Athens TV: SEC Network any level. They’re a really super team. You look at the scoreboard and they do it on offense, they do it on defense and they’ve got a terrific kicking game.” Added Whipple of the chal lenge facing UMass (4-7) in ■ Please see GEORGIA, 2B JOHN RA0UX I Associated Press Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Jake Fromm prepares to throw against the Florida Gators on Oct. 27 in Jacksonville, Fla. GEORGIA TECH Jackets’ ground game keeps Cavs busy in preparation Virginia’s champion ship hopes could be dashed before the Cavaliers take the field today. Yet, there isn’t time to fret over what-ifs. The triple-option demands their full attention. Georgia Tech leads the nation in rushing yards with an average of 362.3 per game. The Yellow Jackets have pretty much dropped the forward pass from their repertoire, putting the ball in the air just seven times in the last three contests. “It’s unique,” Virginia linebacker Jordan Mack said. “You’ve got to abandon Georgia Tech vs. Virginia When: 3:30 p.m. today Where: Bobby Dodd Stadium, Atlanta TV: Fox Sports South everything you know, essen tially, and just focus in on the offense.” The Cavaliers (7-3, 4-2 ACC) can’t fare much worse than the last time they faced the unique offense. In the 2017 Military Bowl, Virginia scored an early touchdown — and then watched Navy run up and down the field the rest of the game, piling up 452 yards rushing in a 49-7 blowout. The Midshipmen failed to complete their lone passing attempt. Not that it mattered. ■ Please see TECH, 2B
