Four teams in AA clinched region crowns Friday night, highlighted by No. 1 Greater Atlanta Christian's 14-7 win over No. 3 Lovett, the defending state and 6-AA region champions. Second-ranked Vidalia stayed unbeaten and clinched the 23rd region title in program history with a 38-0 win over Jeff Davis in 2-AA play. It was the fifth shutout of the season for the Indians. In 5-AA, Bowdon defeated Bremen 41-23 to claim its first region title since 2005, and No. 8 Darlington wrapped up 7-AA with a 14-0 win over Coosa.
Venable powers GAC ground game
While the defense was the star of GAC’s win Friday night, Jaelen Venable may have been the breakout performer. With leading rusher Micah Abernathy focusing the majority of his time on defense, Venable, a 5-foot-10, 180-pound senior, became the offensive workhorse.
In the first half, GAC was only able to move the ball through the air, with quarterback Davis Mills completing 13 of 18 passes for 144 yards. Meanwhile, the ground game accounted for just 20 yards on 16 carries. But in the second half, worsening weather conditions and the absence of star receiver Darius Slayton (exited after a hard hit; returned later) changed the Spartans’ plans.
For long, successful stretches, GAC went with an I-formation, power running game with Venable churning out yardage. He accounted for 46 yards on six carries on the Spartans’ 80-yard scoring drive in the third quarter, and finished the game with 89 yards on 22 carries.
Venable entered the week averaging a little more than 10 carries per game, but don’t be surprised if we see more of him in the playoffs if the Spartans opt to keep Abernathy fresh for defense.
Purple Hurricanes one win away from 1-AA championship
No. 5 Thomasville missed its chance to claim the region title in 1-AA, falling 28-18 to Brooks County. That creates a three-way tie at the top with Thomasville, Brooks County and Fitzgerald. Sixth-ranked Fitzgerald holds the edge in the three-way tiebreaker and can clinch the region championship with a win over Seminole County next week.
Screven still the favorite in 3-AA
No. 9 Screven County also failed to clinch the Region 3-AA title Friday night, but the Gamecocks will get another shot. Dublin won 28-8 over Screven, handing the Gamecocks their first loss of the season and throwing them into a three-way tie with Jefferson County and Swainsboro.
However, Jefferson County and Swainsboro play next week, and Screven County holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over both. To win its second region title in the last three years, the Gamecocks need a win over Metter (4-5, 2-3) next week.
- Other teams that can claim a region title with a win next week include the winner of No. 7 Lamar County at No. 10 Macon County in Region 4 and Rabun County (vs. Greene County) in Region 8.
That Lamar-Macon game looks like it’s going to be a good one. Lamar County has won three straight region titles and advanced to the state championship game last year. Macon County is on a five-game winning streak since its 41-34 loss to Fitzgerald, and has now posted three straight shutouts after Friday’s 65-0 win over Putnam County. It seems like the Bulldogs slipped off the radar for some after the Fitzgerald loss, but they look like a scary team right now. It’ll be interesting to see how they fare next week against the Trojans.
One team, four quarters, 106 points
Since falling to Vidalia, No. 4 Benedictine is 2-0, outscoring opponents 133-27. More impressive: 106 of those points have been scored in the first halves. The Cadets led 43-0 in Friday’s 63-8 win over McIntosh County Academy.
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