Vikings continue impressive start, steamroll Red Devils
Watch out, Middle Georgia.
After convincing victories over Howard and Brookstone to start the season, FPD put forth another strong statement Friday in its home opener, defeating Hawkinsville 56-0.
The Vikings scored three touchdowns in the first six minutes against the 2014 GHSA Class 1A public school champion and held the Red Devils to two first downs — one by penalty — in the first half.
FPD controlled the game from beginning to end. After excelling through the air during thier first two games, the Vikings scored five of their seven first-half touchdowns via the run game and threw just one scoring pass in the first 24 minutes.
The Vikings outgained the Red Devils (2-1) 326-42 in the first half and 418-96 for the game.
Three who mattered
Robert Johnson: The FPD junior recovered a fumble on Hawkinsville’s second offensive play and returned it 27 yards for a touchdown, and he added 51-yard scoring run just before halftime.
C.J. Harris: FPD’s junior running back scored the Vikings’ first touchdown, a 12-yarder less than four minutes in, and he also had a 5-yard scoring run in the second quarter.
Dalton Cox: Another junior, Cox completed 16-of-24 passes for 208 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions.
Observations
Rolling, rolling, rolling: Between a big offensive line and running backs making moves, FPD’s running game was unstoppable. The Vikings ran for 154 yards in the first half, with Harris picking up 78 yards (he finished with a team-high 81) on six carries and Johnson having his big scoring run.
Nothing going for Hawkinsville: The Red Devils were held to 9 yards of total offense in the first quarter and didn’t pick up a first down until they trailed 35-0. They did have a couple of possessions deep in FPD territory following a first-half muffed punt return and a fourth-quarter interception, but the former resulted in a blocked field goal attempt and the latter drive ended with a fumble.
Worth noting
It has a while: The loss was Hawkinsville’s worst since 2009, when the Red Devils fell 62-0 to Fitzgerald.
Running clock: Hawkinsville agreed to go with a running clock at halftime. Only 16 plays were run in the third quarter.
They said it
Harris on FPD’s run game: “Hawkinsville knew we had a great passing game. so they were trying to cover that. They weren’t expecting the run, and that’s what we gave them (Friday).”
Johnson on the first-quarter fumble return: “It felt amazing. Time was, like, non-existent to me. When I saw him pitch it, the ball was just on the ground. I was like, ‘Big players make big-time plays in big-time games,’ so I just saw it, picked it up, and I was gone.”
FPD head coach Greg Moore on the Vikings’ impressive showing: “We had a great week of practice. I hope what we learned is when we do things right in preparation and take care of things the way we should mentally when we are getting ready to play a ballgame, there are good rewards there. Hawkinsville has a pretty good football team, and we spent a lot of time in practice this week getting ready to play them. I’m really proud of the kids and the way they played.”
What’s next?
Hawkinsville plays Friday at Schley County on Friday, while FPD plays at Warren County.
This story was originally published September 9, 2016 at 11:11 PM with the headline "Vikings continue impressive start, steamroll Red Devils."