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down, three to go!
Playing with Jacob Walker on sidelines, Hornets step up and down Milledge
By PHIL CLARK
Home Journal Spouts
When Jacob Walker went down
with a knee injury on the opening
kickoff Nov 12 in the first round of
the Georgia Independent School
Association playoffs, a hush fell
over the Westfield stands.
Losing the team’s leading rush
er could have been a damaging
blow, but instead it showed the
versatility and resiliency of the
Westfield team as fullback Chance
Jones and a stifling defense
helped to overcome the loss of
Walker and four first-half
turnovers to propel the Hornets
into the next round of playoffs
with a 28-10 win over a good John
Milledge team.
The Hornets move to the quar
terfinals against Tattnall Square
Nov. 19 without Walker. Team
sources indicate Walker is fin
ished for this season and may
have knee surgery within the next
two weeks.
•Jones took over the ball-carry
irig load tor the Hornets, rushing
24 times for 129 yards and three
touchdowns. Will Holt added 102
on 14 carries while Mark Hulbert,
filling in for Walker in the starting
backfield, picked up 40 yards on
eight carries.
Hulbert scored the Hornets'
first touchdown of the game on
their first possession of the game.
The nine-play drive took nearly
five minutes before Hulbert .swept
to the right and followed Matthew
Eve into the end zone untouched
for the score.
Nate Skinner added the first of
his four successful point-after
Georgia High School Association playoffs offer surprises
Thirty two teams from each of
the GHSA’s four classifications
begin action this week, each hop
ing to take home the coveted
state championship trophy.
There are a few surprises for
fans as play begins Nov 19. Tops
among the surprises is defending
AAAA state champion Valdosta
staying home this year. The Wild
cats didn’t have one of their typ
ical over powering seasons, but
they played well enough on the
field to make it back to try and
defend their title.
It was a bookkeeping error
that spelled the Wildcats' doom.
It seems the team used a B
teamer in too many quarters in a
42-7 win over Coffee County Nov.
5. The player had been used in
all four quarters of a B-gamc the
day before, then was used in
more than two quarters in the
varsity game the next night, vio
lating the six-quarter rule. In the
GHSA. football players may
appear in no more than six quar
ters in the same seven-day week.
Valdosta, to their credit, real
ized the error and reported them
selves to the Georgia High School
Association. The GHSA. rightful
ly, took the win away from the
Wildcats and awarded Coffee a 1 -
0 forfeit win.
Ironically, it was the second
forfeit that had overturned a loss
for Coffee. Earlier, Bainbridge
had used an ineligible player in a
game with the Trojans, and that,
too. was overturned, giving Cof
fee a forfeil win. With the two for-
kicks to give Westfield the lead
with 6:12 left in the first quarter.
John Milledge had gotten the
ball to open the game, but Donald
Walker and Cole Carter stopped
two running plays for a net of just
one yard, and strong safety Kory
Kitchens handed the Hornets the
ball with an interception of a Brad
Hobbs pass.
Carter, Kyle Harold and
Matthew Hulbert led a defense
effort that held John Milledge to
just one first down following the
Westfield touchdown, but then
the rash of turnovers began for
the Hornets. After a 33-yard run
by Holt had given the Hornets a
first down at the John Milledge
38-yard line, Bo Hart’s pass
intended for Daniel Weir was
picked off by the Trojans’ Greg
Greg Maxey at the 20-yard line
and returned to the 36.
Cole Dunaway threw the Tro
jans’ speedy Matt Wilson for a
four-yard loss on second down,
setting the stage for two outstand
ing plays bv senior cornerback
Will Sexton. First Sexton broke up
a pass intenied for Wilson, then
on the next play fielded a Todd
Culpepper punt at the Westfield
38-yard line and returned it 49
yards to the Trojans' 13.
That set up a short three-play
drive with Jones going the final
three yards for the first of his three
scores. Skinner's kick was good
and the Hornet had a 14-0 lead.
After holding the Trojans and
forcing another Culpepper punt,
Westfield couldn’t handle the punt
and the Trojans recovered the
fumble at the Westfield 18-yard
Phil
Clark
Home
Journal
Sports
felt wins. Coffee wound up tied
with Valdosta for the fourth play
off spot, and Coffee won the spot
by virtue of the head to head win.
even tough it was by forfeit.
I had a further surprise in all
of this. In my own record keep
ing, 1 had Coffee with only the
two forfeit wins, but apparently I
had erred in logging their game
with Tift County, giving Tift the
win instead of Coffee. If my
records had been correct, Val
dosta would have still been in the
playoffs.
After winning a playoff spot in
their first year of varsity competi
tion a year ago. Westsidc Macon's
Seminoles under Robert Davis
will have to sit at home this time
around. Their Oct. 15 loss to
Lakeside Evans proved to be the
game that knocked Westside out
of the playoffs.
The three Houston County
class AAAA teams will all
advance again, with Northside
winning the 2-AAAA champi
onship again with a 16-7 win
over Warner Robins. Northside
will be at home Nov. 19 to play
line, setting up their only touch
down of the game when Kellen
Montgomery went over from the
five-yard line with 5:40 left in the
half, cutting the Hornets’ lead in
half.
The 14-7 score held up for the
rest of the half as both teams had
trouble holding onto the football.
Sophomore Justin Mills intercept
ed a Hart pass with just over three
and a half minutes left in the half.
Golden Goss stopped Montgomery
for a one-yard gain before Hobbs
threw incomplete to Wilson.
On third-down-and-nine at the
Westfield 44, Hobbs tried to hit
Maxey. the team’s leading receiv
er, but Sexton picked off the pass
at the Hornets’ 18 and returned it
to the 39.
Westfield gave the ball right
back when Hart let go of the ball,
thinking he was down. The offi
cials ruled a fumble, however, and
the Trojans had the ball back with
2:34 left in the half. Neither team
could move the ball during their
final possession of the first half,
and the Hornets went into the
locker room with a 14-7 lead over
the stubborn Trojans.
During the first half, the Hor
nets’ defense held John Milledge
to just 51 yards rushing and three
through the air while Westfield
was picking up 121 yards rushing
and 25 passing.
The Trojans used their first
possession of the second half to
mount a long, six-minute drive
that took a dozen plays. They had
to settle for a Culpepper field goal
when the Westfield defense stiff
ened at the 11-yard line.
the Griffin Bears, the number
four team from 4-AAAA, while
Warner Robins will host Newnan
on Nov 20. Houston County will
be on the road Nov 19 at East
Coweta.
Peach County lost a chance for
another 2-AAA championship
when they fell to the Shaw
Raiders 10-7 Nov. 5. But the Tro
jans will have a chance to make
it back to the championship
game in AAA for the second
straight year, finishing in the
runner-up spot in 2-AAA. The
Trojans host Starr’s Mill Nov 19.
Shaw will be at home to Sandy
Creek. Had Peach County won
over Shaw and claimed the top
spot, they would have been fac
ing last year’s coach Rodney
Walker, now at Sandy Creek.
Dodge County recorded a per
fect 10-0 regular season to claim
the top seed in region 4-AA. The
Indians did not qualify for the
playoffs a year ago, so the perfect
season is extra sweet for John
Peacock and his team. This sea
son, 4-Ai. has two new playoff
teams. Lamar County Joins
Dodge in representing the region.
Perennial playoff teams Man
chester and Mary Persons are
both back, although both will be
on the road for the first game this
year.
A year ago, Manchester was
number one, Mary Persons num
ber two in the final region 4-AA
standings. Dodge will host
Screven County of region 2-AA,
is at home to play Jeff
Page 6A
Wed., Nov. 17, 1999
RUSHING TOWARD VIC
TORY Westfield running
back Mark Hulbert (40 in
left photo) races forward
Jor the Westfield Hornets
against John Milledge in
the first round of the GISA
state football playoffs
Nov. 12. Hornet running
back Chance Jones (2 in
right photo) follows his
example and looks for
yards on another play.
(Home Journal Photos by
Rob Mead)
Houston Ham Journal
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With a first-and-10 at the 11-
yard line, Montgomery rushed
three straight times for eight
yards before Culpepper’s fourth
down field goal made it 14-10.
With the running game in high
gear, the Hornets marched 67
yards in 24 plays, overcoming a 15-
yard clipping penalty in the
process, when Jones went over
from the 6-yard line with 9:09 left
in the game. Again, Skinner’s kick
was good for a2l -10 Westfield lead.
The final score of the game
came with 2:15 left in the fourth
quarter after the Westfield defense
had held the Trojans again. With
the ball at their own 32-yard line,
the Hornets marched 68 yards in
nine running plays, highlighted
by a Will Holt run of 18 and Jones'
15 yarder.
After Holt got four yards to the
Trojans' 1-yard line for a first
and-goal, Jones went the final
yard for his third touchdown and
Skinner added his fourth point
after kick.
Kyle Harold recovered a Wilson
fumble on the kickoff, and the
Hornets were headed to Tattnall
Square for the second round of
the GISA playoffs Nov. 19 with a
28-10 win over a John Milledge
team that managed just 102
yards rushing and three passing
against a determined Westfield
defense.
The Hornets got another scare
in the second half as noseguard
Cole Carter suffered an injury to
his left arm. However, the sopho
more returned to the lineup later
in the game.
A relieved coach Ronnie Jones
Davis, Manchester is at Toombs
County while Mary Persons trav
els to Appling County to play the
unbeaten Pirates.
Dooly County, under first year
head coach Bill Clark, finished at
10-0 to win region 3-A. The Bob
cats will host Clinch County,
which had to win their last regu
lar season game over Seminole
County just to get into the play
offs from well-balanced region 1-
A.
Dooly and Taylor County
exchanged playoff seeds from a
year ago thanks to Dooly’s 7-0
win over Taylor on Nov 5. Taylor
and Dooly are each 19-1 over the
last two regular seasons, with
each beating the other. Taylor ,
will also be at home to open the
playoffs, hosting Miller County.
Hawkinsville had a chance to
take second place in 3-A, but
needed a season-ending win over
Taylor County to accomplish
that. The Red Devils led until the
final quarter when Taylor scored
twice for a 30-21 win. Still, the
Red Devils earned a spot in the
playoffs, along with surprising
Wilcox County. Hawkinsville
plays at Irwin County, Wilcox at
Atkinson County.
When you talk about surpris
es, you have to mention Lincoln
County. Larry Campbell’s Red
Devils lost two region games this
year, the first time that's hap
pened in many a year. In fact,
Lincoln had not lost one region
game in the past dozen years!
They will still be in the play-
said after the game “It was defi
nitely a blow to us. Jacob (Walker)
is that important to this team. It
took us a little while to get over it,
and we hurt ourselves with
turnovers in the first half, but we
hung in there and finally got it
going in the second half.
Referring to a reporter’s ques
tion about Chance Jones’ perfor
mance, Ronnie Jones said
“Chance knew what he had to do.
The other backs and the line did a
good Job, too. They all had to step
it up a notch with Jacob out, and
they did it", Jones added.
Scoring summary:
(W) Mark Hulbert 5-yard run {Nate
Skinner kick) 6:12 first
(W) Chance Jones 3-yard run (Skinner
kick) 10:30 second
(M) Kellen Montgomery 5-yard run
(Todd Culpepper kick) 5:40 second
(M) Culpepper 33-yard field goal 3:25
third
(W) Jones 6-yard run (Skinner kick)
9:09 fourth
(W) Jones 1-yard run (Skinner kick)
2:15 fourth
Westfield John Milledge
17 First downs 6
281 Rushing yards 102
30 Passing yards 3
4-9-2 Comp-Att-Int 1 -8-2
1- Penalties-yards 3-25
2- Fumbles-lost 2-1
2-25.0 Punts-Avg 5-31.6
Leading rushers: Westfield Chance
Jones 24-129, Will Holt 14-102. Mark
Hulbert 8-40, Ernest Greene 1-10, Bo
Hart 1-5. John Milledge Kellen Mont
gomery 16-54. Ben Hobbs 9-34, Brad
Hobbs 5-17
Passing: Westfield Bo Hart 4-9-2 (30
yards) John Milledge Brad Hobbs 1-8-2 (3
yards)
Receiving: Westfield Will Holt 3-20,
Daniel Weir 1-10. John Milledge Mont
gomery 1-3.
offs, though, but they will open
on the road at Callaway this
week. The Red Devils aren't
accustomed to traveling to open
the playoffs, but Campbell hasn’t
put up a career record of 323-46
at the school by not having the
team ready to play!
Another surprise team this
year has been Lovejoy in region
4-AAAA. Although they reached
the playoffs last year as the
number four team from the
region, the Wildcats never got the
recognition around the state.
They have not been in the Asso
ciated Press top ten all year, even
though teams with two losses,
like Brookwood and Valdosta,
have remained in the top 10.
Lovejoy is one of just five unbeat
en AAAA teams.
For the second straight year,
Carrollton enters the playoffs as
the number two team from
region 6-AA. Last year, Villa Rica
took the top seed, this year it’s
Cedartown. However, a year ago,
the Trojans went from second in
6-AA to first in the state as they
defeated Early County for the AA
title.
The Trojans are back to defend
their championship, and so is
Darlington in class A. However
the other two champions are out
of the picture as Valdosta in
AAAA and Dougherty County in
AAA failed to qualify
GHSA state championship
games will be played Dec. 18 at
various locations around the
state.