The Ola Mustangs are accustomed to being in the playoff picture. They’ve made the postseason the last two years. But now the team has put the rest of Region 2 on notice that they may have bigger things in store this season.
The Mustangs are coming off a 9-7 win over Jones County, along with Stockbridge the preseason favorites to win the league. That victory improved Ola’s record to 4-0 overall, 3-0 in region play, and marked its second victory in 11 games against Jones County.
Ola is in its first season under coach Dustin Adkins, who came from Hawthorne, Fla., where he was the school’s athletic director and defensive coordinator on a team that won the state championship last season.
Adkins’ defensive side has been most noticeable. Ola has allowed a total of just nine points in four games and has yet to yield a touchdown.
“I really attribute that to the players, who trust the system and trust the staff,” Adkins said. “I’ve been defensive coordinator for the last 14 years, so I kind of hang my hat on that, but we had a lot of kids that graduated so we have a lot of first-time starters.”
Ola starts only three seniors on defense. Adkins said they’ve bought into the new system that he brought with him, starting in February and going through the spring and preseason.
“We took our lumps, a lot of bruises, but we got a lot of stuff on film that we were able to correct and see our mistakes,” he said. “And we’ve got a great group of coaches that buy in and fully teach it to the players. Then the players trust the system. They’re flying around and making plays. We’re not perfect by any means, but we’re believing in it.”
The defense is led by linebackers Skylar Spence, who has 65 tackles, and Macklin Sanders, an East Carolina commit who has 55 tackles. Spence had 10 tackles, two for loss, against Jones County. A pair of defensive tackles have been doing their job of clogging the middle and stopping the run – sophomore Alijah Campbell and junior Klevon Gartman.
The offense is more of a work in progress. Sophomore Caden Worley is a first-year starter at quarterback. His top targets have been Mark-hel Joinville, who has eight catches for 98 yards, and sophomore Jacoby Parker, who has six catches for 92 yards and one touchdown.
The team is without all-region running back Nigel Newkirk, who was injured in the second game; he had rushed for 365 yards and four touchdowns in the first six quarters. Newkirk is expected to return soon. Sophomore Cayden Hutson has rushed for 132 yards and two touchdowns.
Ola continues its journey through the region with a home game this week against Eagle’s Landing (2-2).
“They have athletes all over the field,” Adkins said. “Their defense flies around, they do a lot of stunts and blitzes and try to use their speed. They’ve got a dual-threat quarterback and a good offensive line, so they’ll definitely present a challenge for us.”
Credit: Mark Brock, DeKalb County Athletics
Credit: Mark Brock, DeKalb County Athletics
Druid Hills breaks region winless streak
The Druid Hills football won its first region contest in four years when the Red Devils beat North Springs 28-13 on Friday at North DeKalb Stadium. Zach Manning rushed for 210 yards, two touchdowns and a two-point conversion and Bre’lon Cade scored on a 14-yard pass from Travion Bryant to spark the offense. Deonte Smith clinched it with a 62-yard fumble recovery and return. Xavier Norris had 8 ½ tackles (3 ½ for loss), two sacks and two forced fumbles and Caleb Rourk had 11 tackles.
Warner Robins outslugs Houston County
No. 8 Warner Robins (3-1) scored with 2:11 remaining on a run by Skyler Williams to take the advantage for good after the two powers swapped leads all night. The Demons iced it on a 10-yard run by Da’veon Latimore with 1:03 left for a 54-44 win over Houston County. Williams was the dominant player in the game, rushing for 151 yards and three touchdowns and passing for 154 yard (15-for-19) and one touchdown.
Cambridge improves to 4-0
Cambridge scored on a two-point conversion in overtime to beat Denmark 35-34 and improved to 4-0 for the first time since 2021. Quarterback Weston Taylor ran for the winning points after throwing a touchdown pass to Craig Dandridge. First-year coach Tyler Jones opted to go for the win. Weston threw a 41-yard touchdown pass and Tyler Blalock scored on a 1-yard run for the Bears, who also scored on a blocked punt.
Top performers
No. 2 Cartersville rolled 35-13 over rival Calhoun behind the 215 yards passing from Nate Russell, which included a 90-yard touchdown to Brady Marchese. Linebacker Kelson Mitchell had nine tackles and forced a fumble. … Landon Roldan caught four touchdown passes and ran for another in No. 5 North Oconee’s 36-13 win over Clarke Central. … Jamir Boyd ran for 186 yards and three touchdowns, but No. 9 Ware County lost to Bartram Trail, the No. 9 team in Florida’s 6A league, on a two-point conversion in overtime. …. No. 10 Eastside got 175 yards passing and two touchdowns from Payton Shaw. …
Maurice Seal’s interception in the final minute secured Miller Grove’s 7-0 win over Heritage. … LeSahaun Huggins scored on a 14-yard fumble recovery and intercepted a pass in Tucker’s 41-7 victory over Lithonia. … Southwest DeKalb quarterback Braylon Carter was 5-for-5 for 124 yards and four touchdowns, all in the first half. … Michael Buhay threw four touchdown passes and ran for a score to help Westminster beat Greater Atlanta Christian 34-13. … Bishop Adams scored on a pair of touchdown runs to lead Harris County to a 27-6 win over Dougerty and remain undefeated. … Xavier Tucker of Allatoona ran for 247 yards and two touchdowns in a 30-21 win over Holy Innocents’. ... Ben Hockman of New Hampstead caught five passes for 182 yards and two touchdowns in a 47-28 loss to Richmond Hill. .. Izayah Horsham carried eight times for 152 yards and one touchdown in a 41-7 win over Lithonia.
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