Newspaper Page Text
Page 2C
September 7, 2022
^Reporter
MOMS Bulldogs
throttle Bryon
Eagles 28-12
By Michael Smallwood
michael.smallwood@mcschools.org
The MCMS Bulldog football team ran its
record to 2-0 on Wednesday with a solid
28-12 win over a good Byron team. After
trading possessions with Eagles, Monroe
was able to get on the board when run
ning back Mason Stephens took a handoff
around the left end and darted in and out
of traffic for a 39-yard touchdown run.
Corey Mixon added the extra point for a
7-0 Bulldog lead.
The game stayed that way until there
were 2 minutes left in the half. The Eagles
were able to put a big play together for a
65 yard TD. The 2 point conversion at
tempt failed leaving the Dogs clinging to
a 7-6 halftime lead. It was all Dogs in the
second half. After holding Byron to minus
15 yards to open the half, the Bulldog of
fense struck quickly. Taking the handoff,
Ladarian Zellner ran over left tackle and
broke through the defense for a 40 yard
TD run. On the 2 point conversion, QB
Hagan Bailey threw to Grayson Bennett
for the conversion.
On the ensuing Byron possession,
defensive lineman Jarvis Holloway caused
a fumble that was recovered by linebacker
CJ Banks. The Bulldog offense marched
down the field behind the strong running
of Zellner. The drive was capped by a 12
yard TD pass from Jordan Singleton to big
tight end Isaiah Hendricks. Mixon added
the extra point for a 22- 6 lead. In the 4th
quarter, Monroe put the Eagles away for
good when QB Hagan Bailey rolled out
and hit tight end Dallas Flanders for a
45 yard TD pass. Byron was able to tack
on another score late leading to a 28-12
Bulldog win. The Dogs are off next week
before hosting Pike County.
_ ,pl
1 -
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’ ^
Ladorian Zellner scored a touchdown and led the Bulldogs in rushing on Wednesday.
(Photo/Will Davis)
Haralson writer says Rebels are rebuilding
Tucker Cole, who covers
the Haralson County Rebels
for the Times-Georgian
newspaper in Carrollton,
kindly agreed to answer a
few questions to give insight
leading up to Friday’s game
with Mary Persons. Cole is
also a Haralson
County graduate.
Find his work
at www.times-
georgian.com.
Q. Mary
Persons football
fans probably
know very little Tucker Col
about Haralson
County. What
should we know about
the community and the
school’s football team?
A. It is important to
know that the Haralson
County community is a
group of very devout Rebel
football fans. I would say
Haralson County has had
one of the best traveling
fan bases in recent years,
and they show up in even
greater numbers at home.
Without a doubt, the
cowbells will be out in full
force when Mary Persons
comes to town Friday.
Head coach Scott Peavey
is going into his 20th sea
son coaching and his sixth
season at Haralson County.
Peavey has led Haralson
County football to historic
places after several under
whelming seasons before
his time. For the first time
in school history, the Reb
els hosted, and won, a state
playoff game last year.
Q. The Rebels appeared
to do very well last season,
winning the region etc.
How much talent did they
lose and what is the ex
pectation in the commu
nity this fall for Haralson
County football?
A. I will admit, Haralson
County lost a lot of talent
going from last year to
this year. For one, they lost
quarterback/linebacker
Clay Hyatt, who car
ried most of the offensive
workload last season, along
with Hyatt’s top receiv
ers and several guys along
both lines, so the Rebels
are relying upon several
younger players to step into
those roles.
Two key returning start
ers are Caden Hughes and
Holden Davis, both of
which will likely have their
names called several times
for carries on offense and
tackles on defense.
I would say the expec
tation is still high in the
community simply because
Haralson County fans are
that loyal to their team. No
matter who is stepping on
the field, the Rebel faithful
are going to believe in their
boys in blue and gray.
That being said, I think
there is a slight under
standing that this
could be a bit of
a rebuilding year
for the team. At
least, there is an
understanding
that young talent
will have to grow
up quickly for the
team to enjoy the
same kind of suc
cess they had last
year.
Q. This new quarterback
Haldyn Williams appears
to be leading the team
in rushing in that single
wing. What does he bring
for the Rebels?
A. Williams brings a
unique skillset to the Rebel
offense this year. One
statistic to note is that he
went 13-1 as Haralson’s JV
starter while Hyatt was the
varsity starter, so obviously
Williams has been doing
something right.
As I was talking to coach
Peavey before the season
began, he essentially told
me that Williams was
going to have to be him
self rather than trying to
replicate what Hyatt did
as the starting QB. And
ultimately, in their run-
heavy offense, it will be
more about what kinds of
running lanes the young
offensive line is able to
create.
One trait I think will be a
difference maker for Wil
liams is that he has a very
good arm when he can set
his feet and push the ball
downfield. In baseball, he
is one of the most tal
ented catchers in the area,
especially when it comes
to throwing on a line to
second base, and I think
we may see that translate
onto the football field if
the Rebels attempt a pass
Friday.
Q. Haralson County won
a close one to Bremen and
was trounced by Rabun
County, which is usually
pretty good. What are the
takeaways from those first
two contests?
A. I think the main
takeaway from the Rabun
County loss is that this is
clearly a young group of
guys for the Rebels. I think
last year’s group would
have likely been able to put
up a couple scores against
The Mary Persons student section, which set a Hawaiian theme
for Friday s game, cheers on the Dogs. (Photo/Will Davis)
a very talented Rabun
County team, but as it was,
a field goal was the Rebels’
only score.
Another takeaway from
the Rabun game was that
the Rebels are just not built
to defend spread offenses
with speedy skill-position
players and accurate quar
terbacks. Rabun County
had too much talent on
their roster for the Rebels
to be able to compete. It
was as simple as that.
As for the Bremen game,
the biggest thing I learned
was that these Rebels know
how to fight through ad
versity. There were so many
opportunities for Haralson
County to go down with
out a fight, but they just did
not. A fumbled/blocked
punt was essentially the
difference in that game.
If Bremen had gotten the
punt off, Haralson quite
possibly could have lost
the game, but the Rebels
fought through, recovered
the punt, and won.
Another takeaway from
the Bremen game was the
emergence of Kael Whid-
don. Whiddon scored the
winning touchdown and
two-point conversion in
the win. He also had a few
good kickoff returns and
made several plays on de
fense, so his impact on this
team will be something to
watch in the games ahead.
Q. What are Haralson
County’s strengths and
what are the weaknesses
that Mary Persons might
be able to exploit?
A. I do not think it would
be fair for me to reveal
Haralson County’s specific
weaknesses, but I will say
again that the Rebels have
struggled to defend groups
of speedy skill-position
players in the past. That
was the main contributing
factor in the Rebels’ loss to
Northeast in the playoffs
last year and this year’s loss
to Rabun County.
It might sound a bit
cliche, but I would say the
strength of the team is that
the whole is greater than
the sum of its parts. It does
not seem that there are
any absolute stars on the
roster, not yet anyway, but
the team as a whole seems
to work together very well.
After the Bremen game, it
seems they have a way of
grinding out a win without
having to rely solely on
explosive offense.
Q. Mary Persons fans
have a long drive ahead.
Can you recommend a
good place to grab supper
before the game and what
should they know about
the stadium etc?
A. One of my favorite
places to eat in downtown
Tallapoosa is Burger Chick.
It does not look like much
from the outside, but they
have some of the best
burgers, milkshakes and
chicken fingers around.
Another good place nearby
would be Santa Fe, if the
urge for Mexican food
strikes. Santa Fe has a
unique menu with the
usual Tex-Mex cuisine, as
well as options like Teryaki
chicken and hot wings.
Also, if you want to drive
out toward the Interstate,
there’s a great southern
food place called Mama ‘n
‘ems, as well as Stateline
Barbecue (formerly the
Smoking’ Pig) and some
chain places like Waffle
House and Dairy Queen.
These are all great choices
depending on fans’ crav
ings.
I would say the stadium
is fairly self explanatory for
the most part, and there
will be nice people outside
to answer questions and
direct traffic. One thing
I would advise is to get
to HCHS as early as you
possibly can. As it always
does for home games, the
parking lot will fill up very
quickly, and you may end
up having to park in the
grass by the band practice
field if you show up too
late. Also, make sure you
have money for parking
and your GoFan tickets are
ready to display at the visi
tor gate. Screenshots will
not suffice. It must be on
the app or website.
Q. OK here’s what we re
ally want to know. What’s
your prediction?
I am a graduate of Haral
son County, so I could not
force myself to pick against
my hometown Rebels.
However, I think they are
truly going to have a tough
test against Mary Persons,
especially considering the
Bulldogs already bested
Northeast, whom the
Rebels lost to in the second
round of the playoffs last
year.
The key to the game will
be the line of scrimmage. If
Haralson’s young offensive
line can bust open a few
holes for some big runs,
it should be a good game.
However, if Mary Persons’
defensive line is able to
contain the ground attack,
it could be a long night for
the Rebels.
TRINITY VS. MP
TEAM
STATS
MP
TC
First Downs
14
17
Rushing yds.
109
212
Passing yds.
250
145
Total yards
359
357
Comp-Att-Int
17-29-0
39
Fumbles-Lost
1-1
0-0
Penalties
6-47
88
i
2
3
4
T
TRINITY
7
3
7
14
28
MP
0
7
6
7
41
BULLDOG SCORING
Second Quarter
• Nemo Jones 5 yard pass (Bankston kick)
Third Quarter
• Nemo Jones 8 1 yard pass (kick blocked)
Fourth Quarter
• Duke Watson 23 yard pass (2-point failed)
INDIVIDUAL MP STATS
OFFENSE
RUSHING
Player
Carries
Yards
TDs
Duke Watson
15
103
0
RJ Holder
3
6
0
PASSING
Comp.
Att. Yards TDs INTs
Logan Hickman
17
29 250 3
0
RECEIVING
Rec.
Yards
TDs
Nemo Jones
6
120
2
Duke Watson
3
30
1
Kham Little
3
36
Ty Dumas
2
43
Maury Lowe
2
17
Carter Campbell
1
4
PUNTING
Punts Average
Long
Ryan Bankston
5
21
29
DEFENSE
TACKLES
Tackles
Assists
Jacobi Jones
7
9
Jaise Davis
7
8
OJ Evans
3
3