Football teams hit midway point, facing region foes

McIntosh: Bye this week

McIntosh won their homecoming game last week 23-18. Andrew Johnson rushed for two touchdowns and threw one to Trey Walters, while Mike Licitra chipped in a field goal in the win. Head coach Lee Belknap gave the entire defense credit for stepping up and making plays.

“You can’t just credit one player tonight, especially on defense,” said Belknap. “You just have to say the guy in the green helmet got it done.”

The biggest play on defense might have been Jabari Ajao’s interception in the final minute to stop Mundy’s Mill’s final drive and preserve the win. This is the first time since 1995 that the Chiefs have opened the season 4-1. McIntosh is off this week. They will open the sub-region schedule at Whitewater next week.
Fayette County Tigers (0-4) vs. Carrollton Trojans (2-2)
The Tigers scored two touchdowns against Sandy Creek in the second half of a 55-14 loss last week. Jason Williams connected on a touchdown pass to Ashton Jackson and Montrel Kelley had a touchdown run.

Calvin Crawford had an interception for the defense. This game figures to be nearly as tough for the Tigers as last week’s game. Carrollton is a perennial powerhouse and playoff team. They are ranked fourth in Class AAAA. Carrollton beat Columbus 66-0 last week. They held Columbus to -20 yards of offense. Fayette County plays at Columbus next Thursday as the schedule finally lightens up a little for the Tigers.

Our Lady of Mercy Bobcats (4-1) vs. Landmark Christian War Eagles (3-2)

The Bobcats bounced back from a 10-7 loss to Athens Academy with a 33-21 win over Pace Academy. Rashard Fant scored the first touchdown on a kick return and scored the final touchdown on a big reception. He is a playmaker but not the only one for the Bobcats. Their offense was slowed down against Athens Academy but their defense played well except for one big play late in the game. Aside from their forfeit win over Southwest Atlanta Christian, the Bobcats have scored 33 points or more in all three wins. Landmark Christian has won two games in a row.

Last Friday they beat Mt. Vernon Presbyterian 62-0. Jeremiah Kirkland rushed for 193 yards and five touchdowns last week, while Cole Higbie threw for a touchdown to Josh Nobles. Deion Hill, Ben Baggett and Darius Smith also scored touchdowns in the win. The War Eagles had their defensive line of seniors Jacob Cobb and Reid McGuire and sophomore Will Yancey registering tackles for loss and sacks all night long. The War Eagles defense held their opponents to only two first downs on the night and negative yardage on the evening.

Sandy Creek Patriots (4-0) @ Troup Tigers (1-3)
Sandy Creek won their first region game of the season, beating Fayette County 55-14. Senior safety Corey Griffin and junior Khari Lane both had stellar nights. Griffin had a blocked punt, interception, and a few hard tackles and Lane accompanied with an interception and fumble recovery in the end zone for a touchdown on Griffin’s blocked punt.

On the Patriot offense, Cole Garvin again threw for over 235 yards and two touchdowns. Demarre Kitt received 60 yards and a touchdown before being pulled after a collision with one of his own players on punt return. Junior Justin Sumpter stepped up and had 60 receiving yards on the night with two touchdowns (one from Garvin and the other from back-up quarterback Trey Walker). But it was Eric Swinney who had the big night. With over 150 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns, he really set the tone for the Patriot ground game.

“We played well. I thought we had some really good plays offensively and defensively,” said head coach Chip Walker. “Obviously we have some things to work on; overall we had a well-rounded game.”

Troup snapped a three game losing streak last Friday with a 49-7 win over Alexander. In their previous games, the Tigers lost to Redan (15-12), Callaway (28-7) and Newnan (21-14).
Starr’s Mill Panthers (2-3) @ Creekside Seminoles (3-2)
The Panthers lost to Drew 14-6 last week. The points came from kicker Daniel Rorick who had two field goals, the longest going for 40 yards. Drew held the Panthers to 126 total yards of offense.

Creekside started the season 1-2 with the win coming against Westlake (18-7). Creekside has won two games in a row, scored 90 points total in those games (40-0 over Forest Park, 50-0 over Mt. Zion, Jonesboro) and allowed none.

Whitewater Wildcats (4-1) vs. Northgate Vikings (2-3)
One has to believe that while the Wildcats’ focus has simply been on improving throughout the season and trying to win every game, this one has been circled on the calendar for a long time. Northgate beat Whitewater with a furious come from behind win in the sub-region championship last season and Whitewater lost in the region playoffs the following week. The Wildcats are now on a four game winning streak. They have scored 30 points or more in all four wins and have allowed only one touchdown in the last two weeks. The running game has been good since week two and the defense is always solid, but now the passing game is coming along. Kendall Conley rushed for three touchdowns last Friday, while Christian Wafford added two more on the ground and Austin Penland connected with Wyatt Burke on a nine yard touchdown catch in their 48-7 win over Forest Park. The Whitewater defense forced three turnovers as the Wildcats built a 35-0 lead by the half.

Northgate lost to Union Grove last Friday, 23-0. Whitewater beat Union Grove 39-0 a week earlier. Northgate was the game that got away from them last year. The Wildcats should play a full four quarters this year and put this one away.