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Sports 'lf ||&life; J®SI3SSSS3SS^ ; ' '^-W Pir^^PiWW|P^ s> ' W' 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 rritMMC JjKPk -yJB UPm* • ijmSwUlbtp M •U ■ - - * 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.