Second-ranked Oconee County is coming off a 20-6 victory against Class 2A No. 4 Thomasville (4-1), which moved last season’s state runner-up to 4-0 heading into Friday’s game at Class 5A Veterans (1-3).
The Warriors have beaten 4A North Oconee 35-28, 4A Cedar Shoals 27-19, 4A Clarke Central 21-2 and Thomasville with a balanced offensive attack that features Super 11 selection Jake Johnson.
Johnson, a four-star tight end and LSU commitment, has 12 receptions for 151 yards and a touchdown. The 6-foot-5, 225-pound senior is a small part a potent Warriors offense which could – and quite frankly – should threaten another deep postseason run.
The numbers tell the story:
Quarterback: Senior Jacob Wright is 42-of-72 passing for 733 yards, nine touchdowns and three interceptions. Wright has rushed 34 times for 30 yards and a touchdown. His best game this season was the program’s season-opening victory against North Oconee -- 8-of-12 passing for 255 yards and three touchdowns. It’s worth noting that senior Darius Johnson Jr. is 1-of-2 passing for 24 yards and one touchdown.
Receivers: The Warriors offense averages 189.3 passing yards, 10.8 completions (17.6 yards per completion) and has passed for 10 touchdowns. Johnson Jr. has 14 receptions for 328 yards and five touchdowns. Jack Ward, Dylan Manders, Whit Weeks and C.J. Jones each have one touchdown reception.
Rushing: The Warriors offense averages 104.8 rushing yards per game (3.6 yards per carry) and have scored two rushing touchdowns. Jones has 76 carries for 350 yards and one touchdown to lead the Oconee run game.
Defense: The unit has made 251 total tackles (178 assisted, 73 solo) and averages 62.8 tackles per game with 10 tackles for loss. The defense has seven interceptions, four fumble recoveries, and two blocked field goals. Weeks leads with 14 solo tackles, 33 assists and two tackles for loss. He averages 11.8 tackles per game. Manders has 14 assists, nine solos and two tackles for loss. Senior Grant Williamson has 23 assists, eight solo and averages nearly eight tackles per game. Junior Cam Elderidge has 23 assists, seven solo and two tackles for loss. Junior Billy Lewis has three interceptions; Johnson Jr. has two interceptions (one returned for a touchdown), junior Kyle Strickland and junior Cameron Thurmond have one interception each.
Special Teams: Senior Gabe Valdez is 11-of-12 on extra points and 4-of-4 on field goals. Junior Banks Arnold has 13 punts for 394 yards (30.3 avg.), with a long of 42 yards, and has left two punts inside the 20-yard line. Weeks has returned five kickoffs for 136 yards (27.2 avg.), with a long return of 40 yards.
Here is the 3A Top 10 for this week
1. (1) Cedar Grove (2-1)
2. (2) Oconee County (4-0)
3. (3) Pierce County (3-1)
4. (5) Sandy Creek (4-0)
5. (4) Peach County (1-2)
6. (6) Appling County (5-0)
7. (8) Thomson (3-0)
8. (9) Monroe Area (4-0)
9. (10) Hart County (4-0)
10. (NR) Burke County (2-0)
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