Mary Persons, West Laurens face off for first place
Mary Persons and West Laurens have played three terrific games the past three seasons, and both teams’ coaches expect more of the same at 7:30 p.m. on Friday in Dexter.
That’s when and where the Bulldogs and Raiders will face off for first place in GHSA Region 2-4A. Both teams are 5-2 overall and 2-0 in the region, setting up an important showdown.
Mary Persons owns an 11-2 record in the series, winning 20-16 last year and 34-31 in 2013, while West Laurens won 21-14 in 2014.
“I know there’s some distance between us, but it has kind of turned into a good rivalry,” Mary Persons head coach Brian Nelson said. “And the neat thing is they have been good football games, just clean, not a lot of penalties, not a lot of this and that. They’ve just been good high school football games, and that’s the neat thing about it.
“Obviously, we’re right back in the same boat, and they’ve got a really good football team, so we’ve got our work cut out for us.”
The Bulldogs are at home for their final two games of the regular season (against Perry and Howard), while the Raiders’ final two games are on the road (against Upson-Lee and Perry). Upson-Lee and Perry are 1-1 in the region, while Spalding and Howard are 0-2.
So Friday’s winner puts itself in terrific shape for a region title.
“I told the kids (Tuesday) it’s awesome to have the opportunity, and it’s a blessing to have such a meaningful game in week eight of the season,” West Laurens head coach Stacy Nobles said. “This is what you play for, two undefeated teams in the region. We’ve had a heck of a ballgame with these guys the last three years, and I don’t expect anything else Friday night.”
Both teams focus their programs on strong running games and terrific defensive play, and more of the same could be on display Friday.
Darius Bradford leads West Laurens with 476 yards and seven touchdowns, while Isaiah Morman adds 422 yards and five scores. Mary Persons’ Zach Harvey is among the area leaders with 938 yards, plus nine touchdowns.
The Bulldogs have recorded three shutouts, while the Raiders haven’t allowed a rushing touchdown since the season opener. Malik Herring, Tre Howard and Vic Henderson lead the Mary Persons defense, while Ben Deal, Doryan Gorham and Jathaniel Allen have been mainstays for West Laurens.
In their past five games, both teams have surrendered 41 points.
“I certainly know that’s how we operate our program a little bit, and just by watching and playing them these past few years and knowing Stacy, he kind of does the same thing, and they’re really good it,” Nelson said. “They’ve got a really, really good defense, and their front is strong, and their linebacker corps is one of the best we’ve seen, if not the best. And then they’ve got a really big offensive line and two or three guys can run the football.
“So it should be a terrific game.”
This story was originally published October 20, 2016 at 6:31 PM with the headline "Mary Persons, West Laurens face off for first place."