Marion County edges Hawkinsville
No. 2 Marion County (7-0, 5-0 in Region 4) claimed a 13-6 win over No. 5 Hawkinsville (7-1, 5-1) in a defensive slugfest that may have been a preview of the public school state title game in two months. The Hawkinsville defense that had been yielding less than a touchdown a game held the defending state champions to just 200 yards total offense, according to the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, and bottled up the Eagles’ two main offensive weapons – junior receiver Lorenzo Smothers and senior running back Johnny Royal. But Smothers served as an effective decoy on Marion County’s first touchdown, a 34-yard pass to Matt Dennis to put the Eagles ahead 7-6 in the third quarter, and then broke loose for the final score of the night, a 9-yard touchdown run. The win all but assures Marion County of winning its second consecutive region title, its fourth in the last five seasons. Meanwhile, Hawkinsville hopes for a reversal of last year’s scenario, in which the Red Devils defeated Marion County in the regular season (14-10) but lost to the Eagles in the state semifinals.
Tattnall Square continues to roll
No. 8 Tattnall Square remained unbeaten (7-0, 3-0 in Region 7-Division A) with a 28-14 win over First Presbyterian (4-3, 1-2), in a renewal of a rivalry between former members of the Georgia Independent Schools Association. The Trojans jumped out to a 21-7 halftime lead after an 18-yard touchdown run by senior FB/LB Jonathan Ward. The win for Tattnall Square keeps the Trojans on a collision course with No. 1 Aquinas for the Region 7 championship in the crossover game on the final night of the regular season.
Mt. Pisgah rebounds
After giving up 33 points in an upset loss to Fellowship Christian of Roswell last week, Mt. Pisgah Christian (5-2, 2-1 in Region 6-Division B) played much better defense Friday in a 21-14 win over Pinecrest Academy of Cumming, which was previously unbeaten in sub region play (5-2, 2-1). Patriot linebacker Max Miller led the way with 11 tackles. The win keeps the sub region championship hopes alive for the Alpharetta-based school, as Fellowship was upset by Whitefield Academy on Friday, 17-14. Mt. Pisgah will root for Pinecrest to give Fellowship another loss in sub region play next week.
In other action Friday night …
No. 4 Mt. Paran Christian (7-0, 2-0 in Region 6-Division A) continues to be the most prolific scoring team in Class A. The Eagles broke the 40-point barrier for the sixth time in seven games with a 45-9 win over Christian Heritage. The lowest point total for the Kennesaw-based school thus far was in a 31-14 win over Eagle's Landing Christian in the season opener ... Claxton (6-1, 3-0 in Region 3-Division A) won its sixth consecutive game Friday, 36-30 over Savannah Country Day. With the win the Tigers matched their win totals for the past two seasons. But the road will be much tougher the next two weeks as Claxton travels to Savannah to face No. 3 Calvary Day next week, and then returns home to host No. 10 Savannah Christian Oct. 31… Lincoln County (5-2, 4-0 in Region 7-Division B), in its first season since 1971 without legendary coach Larry Campbell pacing the sidelines, has quietly won four in a row after Friday's 33-6 blowout of Hancock Central. If the Red Devils handle their business next week in Milledgeville against Georgia Military, they will host No. 1 Aquinas on Oct. 31 in a showdown for the sub region championship … The upset of the weekend goes to Schley County (4-3, 3-3 in Region 4). The Wildcats of Ellaville, located just north of Americus, defeated Dooly County (4-3, 2-3) for the first time in the program's 15-year history, 26-21 … Our Lady of Mercy (6-2, 2-0 in Region 5) won its fifth straight in convincing fashion, 56-20 over Strong Rock Christian (3-4, 0-2). It was career win number 212 for Bobcat head coach Mike Earwood, moving him past Jim Cavan for 44th all time in Georgia.
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