Week 3 Roundup: Northeast-Macon gets redemption with big win

On Friday, the Northeast-Macon Raiders made the two-hour drive to top-ranked Fitzgerald and came away with a 27-20, despite being 25-point underdogs.

The win propelled the Raiders (1-1) back into the top 10, pushing past half of the prior week’s ranked teams to return at No. 5. They opened the season No. 10, but lost 20-14 to 3A’s unranked Mary Persons.

The Raiders had a bye to prepare for the Purple Hurricane, which beat them 28-27 last year.

The Raiders were led on offense by their workhorse running back NIck Woodford. The AJC preseason all-state selection finished 226 yards and two touchdowns. The plan going into every game is to feed Woodford the ball, but Raiders coach Jeremy Wiggins and his staff added a wrinkle for Fitzgerald, with Woodford passing for a third touchdown.

“Obviously we wanted to get Nick going early, but we wanted to use Nick a little bit different did we normal do,” Wiggins said. “On defense, we wanted stop the run and force Fitzgerald to pass.”

Their plan on both sides of the ball worked. Heading into the fourth quarter, the Raiders were up 21-13 and held on to get redemption from last year’s loss in Macon.

“This game felt different from last year and previous years,” Wiggins said. “The boys were focused on the task this week, watched a lot film and had a great week of preparation. We played through some adversity and made some big plays on offense and defense.”

The Raiders (1-1) have another two-hour bus ride for an incredibly tough road matchup this week, at 3A’s No. 9 Carver-Columbus (2-0). The Tigers have outscored their first two opponents, 3A’s Hardaway and 2A’s Spencer, a combined 68-6.

That will be the Raiders’ final non-region game, then it’s on to 5-2A competition, starting with the up-and-coming ACE Charter Gryphons (3-0).

Keeping the Raiders locked in is a priority for Wiggins.

“We preached all week to be consistent and match Fitzgerald’s level of play,” Wiggins said. “After win like this, it can do two things. First, it can give your boys the confidence they need. Or, we can get complacent and not work or prepare each week. My job is to find ways to keep them focused and motivated to do right, and to be prepared each week.”

Washington County tops Dodge County

In region crossover play, 4-2A’s Washington County Golden Hawks beat 1-2A’s Dodge County 27-23 for their first win of the season.

The win gives the Golden Hawks (1-1) momentum heading int to their final non-regin game against 4A’s No. 10 Baldwin. It’s also a clear sign they moved past a 46-6 loss to A Division 1′s No. 2 Swainsboro. Further, it could be a sign of the program’s growth in coach Robert Edwards’ second year, as they lost 43-21 to Dodge County last year.

“We wanted to focus on us and try to eliminate the big plays and limit our mistakes,” Edwards said. “You have to take advantage of the opportunity when it’s your turn.”

Ka’Monta Durden impacted all phases of the game, finishing with an interception, 10 tackles and a pass breakup at defensive back, seven catches for 104 yards and a touchdown at receiver, and two punt returns for 67 yards.

This week’s game is the final tuneup before region play. Top-ranked Thomson, 2A’s defending champs, are on the schedule for Sept. 22 at Washington County.