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PAGE 8A- THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL. THURSDAY. NOVEMBER 28. 2019
Sports
SILENCING THE DOUBTERS
Madison County crushes Mary Persons to advance to the state quarterfinals
Photo by Kyle Funderburk
Martavian Cooper hurdles a defender for a big gain Friday night during Madison County’s 38-14 in over Mary
Persons.
By Kyle Funderburk
kyle@mainstreetnews.com
FORSYTH - At Madi
son County, you get used to
doubters. Playing football
for a sub .500 program, you
just have to deal with peo
ple saying you don’t have a
chance.
Those people can’t talk
anymore, not after Friday
night. Not after the beat-
down Madison County
subjected 19-time region
champs Mary Persons in the
second round of the Class
AAAA state playoffs. The
Red Raiders dominated all
facets of the game to defeat
the Bulldogs on the road 38-
14.
“I’m so proud of these
guys,’’ said head coach
Chris Smith. “They come to
work every single day; they
do what we ask them to do
and we got ourselves an
other week. I can’t begin to
explain how proud of these
young men I am.
“I can promise you, no
body gave these kids a
chance to be where we’re at
right now except this coach
ing staff and them (players),
because they believe in each
other and they truly are a
brotherhood. They want
what’s best for each oth
er and they’re not selfish.
That’s how you win foot
ball games, when you can
get kids to buy in to what
we’re doing and to believe
in the team. When you put
the team first, you’re able to
achieve things like this.’’
Dayton Gresham, who
ended the night with 120
rushing yards and three
touchdowns, said the doubt
ers upset him, but he choos
es to use them as motiva
tion.
Martavian Cooper, who’s
151 total offensive yards
and two first half touch
downs set the tone for the
victory, echoed the coach’s
statement about the doubt
ers and the Red Raiders be
ing a brotherhood.
“I know nobody expected
the Red Raiders to come in
here and win, and we just
proved them wrong,’’ Coo
per said. “We just have to
have faith and believe in our
brotherhood every day.”
Through the offseason, no
group had to tolerate doubt
ers more than the offensive
linemen. The line struggled
last season with the switch
to the triple option, but they
became the backbone of the
offense in 2019. Lineman
Lucas Childers addressed
the doubters and credited
new offensive line coach
Scott Wilkins with develop
ing the offensive line.
It (the win) means a lot. So
many people doubted us,”
Childres said. “We showed
everybody that we’re more
than just some country,
farming community. We are
also a powerhouse in sports.
“We have an amazing of
fensive line coach. He has
turned us around. He is the
best offensive line coach
I’ve ever had. He’s the rea
son we are what we are.”
Madison County (6-6,1-3
Region 8-AAAA) didn’t
have to wait until the final
buzzer to silence the doubt
ers. It shut up many on the
second snap of the game.
Colby Smith dropped back
and found Cooper wide
open over the middle for a
72-yard touchdown pass.
Madison County led 7-0
just 56 seconds into the
ball game. Colby Smith and
Cooper broke down why
the play worked for a long
score.
“On the first play, they
(Mary Persons’ safeties)
spun when we ran regu
lar triple (option),” Colby
Smith said. “Coach (Tyler)
Berryman saw that in the
box and he relayed it to
my dad (coach Smith). We
knew we had a shot to take
deep and we took it and it
worked out for us.”
Cooper added, “We knew
if they kept on spinning
down we could go right past
them and I was just able to
make a huge catch with my
eyes and my hands. That’s
what I love working on, us
ing my hands, going up and
making big plays when it’s
time to make them.”
Mary Persons (6-6, 3-2
Region 2-AAAA) moved
the ball 45 yards on its open
ing drive before the Red
Raiders recovered a fumble
at their own 26-yard-line.
Gresham got the ball rolling
with a 36-yard rumble into
Bulldog territory.
The drive seemed dead
at the 22-yard line when
a snap on 4th-and-7 went
over Smith’s head, but the
defense failed to corral the
crafty quarterback in the
backfield and he ran down
the sideline picking up the
first down and finally going
down inside the 1-yard-line.
Gresham scored a play later
to increase the lead to 14-0
before the first quarter end
ed.
Mary Persons cut Madi
son County’s lead to 14-7
with a 45-yard touchdown
pass with 9:49 left before
halftime. The score ener
gized the packed Dan Pitts
Stadium crowd, but did lit
tle to slow down the Red
Raider offense. Madison
County marched 19 yards
into Bulldog territory and
Cooper did the rest with
an ankle breaking 31-yard
touchdown run. Madison
County extended the lead to
21-7 and took the score into
halftime.
After the break, Mary
Persons needed just three
big plays and 49 seconds to
cut the lead down to 21-14.
After the score, Mary Per
sons had 208 yards of total
offense through the first 25
minutes. The Red Raiders
only allowed 56 yards in
the final 23 minutes of play.
The defense stopped the
Bulldogs on fourth down
twice in the second half and
also intercepted a pass in the
fourth quarter.
Madison County’s of
fense was stagnant in the
third quarter, but it used the
second fourth-down stop
to go on a 66-yard scoring
drive which ended with
Gresham scoring from a
yard out with 4:11 left in the
game. Madison County led
28-14.
Mary Persons started its
next drive at midfield but it
squandered the great field
position by throwing an
interception. Colby Smith
returned the pick down to
the Bulldogs’ 23-yard-line.
Gresham scored soon after
on a 16-yard-run. The Red
Raiders led 35-14 with 3:27
remaining.
The Bulldogs had one
more mistake left in them
and it cost them any chance
of a comeback. Kicker Cam
den Jordan launched a high,
short kick to an upman. The
player fielded the kick like
a punt and let it bounce, but
kickoffs are live balls and
Madison County recovered
the kick at the Bulldogs’
20-yard-line. Jordan iced
the game with a 32-yard
field goal, setting the final
score at 38-14.
“Our kids are playing
hard right now,” coach
Smith said. “They want this.
We told them all year, ‘just
come out. do what you do
and play your brand of foot
ball. Minimize turnovers,
control the line of scrim
mage and you have an op
portunity.’ We came out and
did that tonight.
“We weathered a little
storm to start the second
half, but we came back to do
what we do and that’s pound
the rock.”
While there was plenty of
credit to go around. Coach
Smith heaped praise on the
offensive and defensive
lines saying the play at the
line of scrimmage won the
ball game.
“Our O-line played
their butts off,” he said.
“Chandler Phillips, James
Matheny. Justin Owens, Lu
cas Childers. Dylan Vining,
Chase West, Cameron Rich
ardson, those guys played
their tails off and that’s the
reason we won.
“We wanted to keep do
ing what we were doing and
that was pounding the ball
at them, and the more we
pounded the ball at them,
the more first downs we got,
the softer they (Mary Per
sons) got. They kept bend
ing and we kept pounding
the rock. The big plays were
a result of our O-line wear
ing them down. The defen
sive line played their butts
off too. That’s how you win
football games, control the
line of scrimmage.”
Childers vouched for his
group and gave insight on
the offensive lines mentality
in the trenches.
“What can we say? We
got our nickname for a rea
son. we’re hogs,” Childers
said. “We’re going to drive
the ball downfield and we
can’t be stopped. We’re go
ing to eat anything in our
path. We have an idea of
where the ball is going to
go and we’re going to put in
there. We’re going to make
sure our runners have the
protection to get where they
need to be.
The effort of the hogs
and the defensive line led to
Madison County out gain
ing Mary Persons 326-264.
On top of Cooper’s 151 to
tal yards and Gresham’s 120
rushing yards, Colby Smith
carried the ball 16 times for
47 yards.
Off the field, coach Smith
praised the Madison County
community and schools for
their support. The Red Raid
er nation brought a large
crowd to Forsyth which
filled the visiting stands.
The crowd included the
marching band and a large,
vocal student section, but
also featured many parents
and community members.
“Red Raider nation trav
eled in waves tonight,” he
said. “I’m so proud of them
coming down here and
supporting us. It means so
much to these young men to
have a crowd like that here,
“We’re so blessed to have
the administration we have
from superintendent (Mi
chael) Williams all the way
down to Mr. (George) Bull
ock at the high school to our
AD (athletic director) coach
(Mike) Haynes. The student
body has been traveling
and supporting us. We’re so
happy.”
Colby Smith also ex
pressed his pride in the
community and shared the
teams’ interaction with the
community before leaving
Danielsville for Forsyth Fri
day afternoon.
“It’s a great feeling to
look into the stands and see
how supported we are,” he
said. “We had a send off
from the high school today,
we had a send off from the
middle school today, some
of us guys went down to
Comer Elementary for their
star rewards banquet. We
participated with the stu
dents there with games and
stuff because they wanted
us down there.
“To have this support
from our community right
now is huge. It feels great.
All these people come down
to watch us, the band trav
els to watch us and play for
us. It’s a testament to them
as well to stay with us for
so long through the ups and
the downs of this season.
It makes everybody’s heart
happy.”
Madison County’s quar
terfinals opponent is Sandy
Creek (10-1, 5-1 Region
5-AAAA), the runners-up
of its region. The Fight
ing Patriots have only been
around since 1992, but are
227-95-1 all-time and have
three state championships
on top of eight region cham
pionships. Sandy Creek has
produced such stars as NFL
Pro Bowler Calvin Johnson
and 11-year NFL veteran
Kedric Golston.
U
4
LESLIE SPORNBERGER JONES, LLC
ATTORNEY-AT- LAW
Leslie congratulates the
Madison County Red Raiders
on their historic win to advance
to the State 4A Quarterfinals!