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WE HAVE IT COVERED IF IT'S PLAYED
• Reporter
1C
September 28, 2022
SPORTS
CALENDAR
Wed., Sept. 28
5 pm
Clifton Ridge Middle
School ( - Monroe County
Middle School @ Dan Pitts
Stadium
Thurs., Sept. 29
4:30 pm
JV Softball @ Crawford
County High School
5 pm
Jones County High School
( - Girls Freshman Volleyball
( - Mary Persons High
5 pm
Middle School Softball
( - Henderson Middle
School
Thurs., Sept. 30
7 pm
Jones County High School
( - Mary Persons High,
Sen ior Night
7:30 pm
Varsity Football @ Pri nee
Avenue Christian School
Sat., Oct. 1
Noon
Varsity Competition Cheer
( - Starrs Mill High School
8:30 am
Boys and Girls Varsity
and JV Cross Country
vs. Baldwin Braves
Invitational
10 am
Lamar County High
School ( - JV Softball @
Banks Stephens Middle
11:30 am
Lamar County High
School ( - Varsity Softball @
Banks Stephens Middle
Tues., Oct. 4
4:30 pm
Pike County High School ( -
JV MP Softball
5 pm
North Oconee High @
Varsity MP Volleyball
6 pm
Pike County High @ MP
Varsity Softball @ Banks
Stephens Middle School
Dogs face huge test at Prince Avenue
By Will Davis
publisher™ my mcr.net
Mary Persons (4-1) will
face its toughest test of
the season when it heads
to Athens on Thursday
to play perennial Class A
powerhouse Prince Avenue
Christian School (PACS).
The Wolverines (4-0)
were state runners up last
year and won a state title
in 2020. They have lost
just two games the past 3
seasons.
PACS is coached by Greg
Vandagriff, whose son
Brock led the Wolverines
to that 2020 state title and
is now with the Georgia
Bulldogs. But Vandagriff
has another terrific QB in
junior Aaron Philo (No.
2), who averages 324 yards
passing per game and has
12 TDs and 4 interceptions
on the year. His favorite
target is senior receiver
Bailey Stockton who
averages an impressive 139
yards per game and has 5
scores on the year in PACS’
spread offense. MP coach
Brian Nelson said the
Wolverines run the spread
offense very well, mixing
pass and run, and play
good defense too.
The Bulldogs are com
ing off their best offensive
performance of year in a
49-21 win over Columbus.
But Nelson said that may
be due to the competition.
After watching film he said
PACS is better than the
Trinity Christian team that
beat MP three weeks ago.
Even though Prince
Avenue is a small private
school in Class A, Nelson
said the top 15 teams in
each classification are all
really good no matter their
enrollment, which deter
mines their classification.
Nelson said he is fine
with moving the game to
Thursday due to Hurricane
Ian. He said Prince Avenue
is a good final tune-up
before region play begins
next Friday at Jackson.
See our interview with
Athens Banner-Herald re
porter McClain Baxter be
low for more on the Mary
Persons-PACS matchup in
Athens.
GAME ®wim
vs
Mary Persons @ Prince Avenue
7:30 p.m., Thurs., Sept. 29
Brad Akins Field at PACS
Teams have never met
Prediction: PACS 35 MP 21
Tickets: $8 GoFan app
www.myrricr.net
Bulldogs cast out Blue Devils
Duke Watson barrels toward the endzone for one of his three touchdowns on Friday. (Photo Mark Wooley)
By Will Davis
publisher@mymcnnet
The Mary Persons
Bulldogs (4-1) put together
perhaps their most complete
game of the year on Friday
in a 49-21 beatdown of
Columbus (2-3) on Home
coming.
Junior running back Duke
Watson accounted for three
touchdowns and senior
quarterback Fogan Hick
man threw three TDs to
pace MP’s biggest offensive
explosion of the year in a
game never really in doubt.
The Bulldogs took an
early lead after Columbus
botched the punt snap on
its first drive, giving MP the
ball at the Blue Devil 8. Two
plays later Watson put MP
on the board with a 5 yard
run. Ryan Bankston’s PAT
made it 7-0 with 10:10 left in
the first.
MP’s ensuing drive fizzled
but the Bulldogs forced
a punt and went to work
again at their own 30. MP
marched down the field
with Watson’s legs and a big
33-yard pass completion
from Hickman to Kham
Fittle. Watson scored from
2 yards out and Bankston’s
PAT made it 14-0 with 2:50
left in the first.
After forcing another punt
MP’s offense went to work
and senior defensive back
Champ Brantley got a rare
carry and made the most of
it, going 45 yards for a score.
Bankston’s PAT made it
21-0 with 1:06 left in the first
and MP was on its way to a
Homecoming rout.
Columbus finally got
on the board early in the
second quarter when Fidel
Small Jr. got loose for a 23-
yard touchdown to make
it 21-7 with 10:05 left in the
half.
The Bulldogs answered
as Hickman found Fittle
streaking down the left side
for a 39-yard touchdown
pass and it was 28-7.
Columbus responded with
a 10-play drive capped when
running back Shaun Beard
scored from 4 yards out
with 3:31 left in the second
quarter. It was 28-14.
But the Bulldogs again
extended their lead on their
next possession. MP went
69 yards in just four plays,
keyed when Hickman
found Gavin Martin for a
38 yard pass on the first play
of the drive. Watson did the
rest of the work, bursting up
the middle and then peeling
to the left sideline to score
from 23 yards and make it
35-14 with 1:40 left in the
half.
You might think the Dogs
were done scoring in the
first half, but they were not.
The MP defense, led all
night by linebacker Jacobi
Jones, forced another punt.
With time running out, on
3rd and 10 from its own 48,
Hickman pump faked to his
left and then tossed a screen
to Watson on the right.
Watson sliced through the
Blue Devil defense and
scored his third TD of the
night. Bankston’s PAT made
it 42-14 as the teams went to
their locker rooms.
See DOGS Page 3C
Athens reporter expects
PACS to cruise over MP
Among other beats, Mc
Clain Baxley covers MP’s op
ponent on Thursday, Prince
Avenue Christian School, for
the Athens Banner-Herald
and agreed to answer some
questions about this weeks
game. Baxley also cov
ers UGA and Athens-area
recruiting for the
Athens Banner-
Herald and USA
TODAY Network.
He is a Georgia
Southern Univer
sity alum who has
previously worked at
the Atlanta Journal-
Constitution,
Savannah Morning
News and Marietta
Daily Journal. You
can follow him on Twitter @
Mcclainbaxley and read his
work at onlineathens.com
Q. Prince Avenue lost
in the state title game last
year but after a 4-0 start
appears headed back there.
What makes this team and
program so successful?
A. Head coach Greg
Vandagriff has run his
program like a college team
for several years now —
preaching perfection and
holding his players to a high
standard. Players all over
the field want
to be great and
attain state and
region champi
onships because
that’s been
the standard
for years now.
They’re sound
on offense,
defense and
special teams and it
makes them one of
the more complete teams in
Georgia.
Q. The only team that has
come kind of close to PACS
this year is Monroe Area.
What did the Hurri
canes do that kept them
in the game that the other
teams could not?
A. It was more of Prince
shooting themselves in the
foot than anything Monroe
Area did super well. There
were faults on offense and
defense and Prince could
never really break away
from the Hurricanes. The
other close game was the
rivalry game against Athens
Academy, where the Spar
tans were up 14-0 before
Prince closed the game on a
48-0 run.
Q. It appears the PACS
junior quarterback Aaron
Philo is developing into
quite a weapon, maybe
even catching his prede
cessor UGAs Brock Van-
dergriff. What does he do
for the Wolverines and
are there any weaknesses
Mary Persons might could
exploit? Also what are his
See PREVIEW Page 3C
BAXLEY
Logan Hickman
10 of 14,206 yards, 3 TDs
to set new MP career TD record
MARY PERSONS BULLDOGS
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
STIFEL
Investment Services Since 1890
Chanin Jungberg Ketterbaugh Wealth Advisory Group
577 Mulberry Street, Suite 1200
Macon, Georgia 31201
478-803-9342 cjkawealthadvisory.com
Jason Jungberg, AAMS* Senior Vice President/Investments
MARY PERSONS BULLDOGS
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Abbey Stembridge
5th overall in the
Greyhound Invitational,
Leading the Lady Dogs to
1st place overall out of 8 teams
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