The Coweta County schools won two of the three games in Saturday’s fourth-annual Coweta-Fayette Kickoff Classic at Drake Stadium in Newnan. East Coweta and Northgate prevailed in the first two games and Sandy Creek prevented the sweep by winning the nightcap.
A year ago, it was Fayette County that came up with the three-game sweep when the event was hosted at Starr’s Mill High School in Fayetteville.
Sandy Creek 44, Newnan 24
Defending Class 3A champion Sandy Creek looked like they’re ready for another run at the title on Saturday, when they overpowered a young Newnan team 44-24 to give Darius Smiley a victory in his first game as head coach.
The Patriots rolled out an overpowering ground game that Newnan could never quite handle. Sandy Creek scored on a 16-play drive on its first possession, with Amari Latimer scoring from the 1. They scored again after forcing a three-and-out when Latimer ran 74 yards for a touchdown.
“We wanted to come out and try to establish the run early,” Smiley said. “In our scrimmage we kind of threw it a little more than we wanted to and our backs only had six carries. We wanted to establish the run and impose our win early on and I think we did that.”
Newnan rotated three quarterbacks, none with varsity experience – Jeb Baggett, Brodie Campbell and Hayes Maginnis. The one with the most success in the first half was Maginnis, the third man to get his turn. He produced a nice 33-yard run and connected with Emarion Nichols for a 47-yard catch-and-run touchdown,
But Sandy Creek tacked on two more scores before the half. Chase McDowell scored on runs of 2 and 9 yards and enjoyed a 25-7 lead at the half. The Patriots rushed for 262 yards in the first half, with Latimer gaining 156.
Latimer carried 26 times for 287 yards and two touchdowns. Quarterback Dalen Penson rushed for 172 and two touchdowns and threw for 80 yards and one touchdown. McDowell ran for 39 yards and three touchdowns.
“We got to be sharper and crisper on the back end of things,” Smiley said. “I felt like we let the game get away from us late. Gave up a few scores, but I’m proud of our kids for the way they fought and the way they played. Got to continue to get better.”
Despite playing from way behind, Newnan continued to fight. Maginnis ended up throwing for 141 yards and two touchdowns and Campbell threw for 59 yards and one touchdown. Gus Anderson caught five passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns.
Northgate 31, Whitewater 18
Northgate coach Mike McDonald entered the season with high hopes after winning a state playoff game last year and his team didn’t let him down. The Vikings moved the ball effectively and were outstanding on defense in a 31-18 win over Whitewater.
“We were ready,” McDonald said. “They were prepared. We came out and started fast that certainly helped.”
Veteran quarterback Ishan Metts ran for a touchdown and threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Cameron Coleman. Evan Garrett scored on a 4-yard run to give Northgate a 21-0 lead at halftime.
“Ishan has been there and been under the fire,” McDonald said. “He did a good job of leading us.”
Garrett scored his second touchdown on a 60-yard run to give the Vikings a four-touchdown lead when Whitewater began clicking.
The Wildcats scored on a 55-yard run by K.J. Deriso, but a bad snap foiled the extra point, and Northgate added some insurance when Jake Anderson kicked a 27-yard field goal.
Whitewater scored on a 1-yard run from Will Poitevint and added another touchdown with 4:25 remaining on Jason Bryant’s keeper over center. But the Wildcats missed both two-point conversions and Northgate was able to run out the clock.
“It’s a great environment,” McDonald said. “It isn’t easy to be the middle game, warming up on the baseball field and the referees not sure when to start. I thought we handled all that well.”
The victory gave Northgate a measure of revenge over last year’s 27-14 loss to Whitewater.
Credit: Stan Awtrey
Credit: Stan Awtrey
East Coweta 28, Starr’s Mill 21
East Coweta’s Derrion Horsley returned a fourth-quarter kickoff 78 yards to help the Indians to a 28-21 win over Starr’s Mill in the opening game.
Starr’s Mill had tied the game seconds earlier at 8:56 on a 2-yard run by Dorsey Benefield, a drive set up by Taylor Ratinaud’s interception, his second of the game, and ensuing return.
But Horsley took matters in his own hands and followed the blocking of freshman Chance Gilbert all the way down the field for the game-changing score.
“I’m thinking, they just made a big play, I’ve got to convert,” Horsely said. “Got to make a big play.”
East Coweta coach John Small said, “We’re a young team, so it can go one of two ways. But the message our coaches have been preaching, the older guys have been preaching is to stay the course … stay in it … stay up. You know, that’s what they did. They responded. You need a game like that.”
East Coweta quarterback Cohen Peeples, making his first varsity start, grew in confidence as the game progressed. He threw for 237 yards and two touchdowns and overcame three interceptions.
East Coweta scored on its second possession when Peeples hit Deshaun Horsley on an 81-yard post. Starr’s Mill answered and tied the score at 7-7 when Andersen Cardoza broke to the outside and scored on a 48-yard run.
The Indians regained the lead in the second quarter after its defense bottled up Starr’s Mill inside its own 10 and forced a punt, a shank that went only 6 yards and set East Coweta up at the 17. After a penalty, the Indians scored when Dylan Barber powered in from the 8.
East Coweta took a 21-7 lead on its first possession of the third quarter when Peeples connected with Seth Gritton for a 53-yard touchdown pass. Starr’s Mill answered when Benefield went off tackle for 4-yard run that cut the lead to 21-14. It stayed that way until the Panthers tied the game with 8:56 remaining.
Starr’s Mill was led by quarterback Logan Inagawa, who ran for 102 yards and threw for 98. Cardoza rushed for 68 yards and two touchdowns.
“We just made too many mistakes,” Starr’s Mill coach Chad Phillips said. “You can’t make those kind of mistakes and expect to beat a team like East Coweta.”
The victory avenged last year’s 27-17 loss to Starr’s Mill.
Credit: Stan Awtrey
Credit: Stan Awtrey
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