Off date doesn’t slow down FPD’s momentum
Coming off an open date, FPD spent much of the past two weeks going against itself during practice. On Friday, that effort paid off for the Vikings in a 35-0 homecoming victory over Twiggs County in the GHSA Region 7A-1A opener for both teams.
A pair of touchdown passes from Dalton Cox to Titus Moore gave FPD a 21-0 halftime advantage, and the Vikings defense pitched a shutout, picking off five passes.
Perhaps fittingly, the Vikings (4-1) capped the scoring when Harrison Aulds ran back an interception 90 yards for the game’s final score. Twiggs County falls to 0-5.
Five who mattered
Dalton Cox: Even if the Vikings’ offense misfired at times, Cox still had a solid night. He got FPD on the board early on a 2-yard keeper before connecting with Moore for touchdown passes of 18 and 51 yards in the first half. Cox finished 13-of-24 for 233 yards.
Titus Moore: Moore had 115 yards on five catches.
Maurice Gordon: He had big night on both sides of the ball with 50 yards receiving and an interception on defense.
Harrison Aulds: On a defense that had a big night, he provided one of the biggest highlights. Aulds intercepted Twiggs County quarterback Seth Bloodworth deep in FPD territory and turned on the afterburners, flying 90 yards down the opposite sideline for the game’s final score.
Bloodworth: Bloodworth gave the Vikings’ defense plenty to account for through the air, going 8-of-18 for 91 yards.
Turning point
Trailing 7-0 late in the first quarter, Twiggs County manufactured some momentum after stopping one Vikings drive with an interception and found itself within a play of stalling another. But an offsides penalty on third down kept the FPD drive going, and Cox connected with Moore a play later for the 18-yard touchdown and 14-0 lead.
Observations
Getting it to the playmakers: Getting the ball into the hands of the Vikings playmakers turned out to be a good strategy. Simply put, when Moore and Gordon got the ball in space, it was a recipe for for chunks of yards.
Mixing the rush: FPD got a strong balance from its ground game with the top two leading rushers, Robert Johnson and Joshua Raines, combining for 94 yards. That depth will be key for the Vikings as they get into the teeth of region play.
Protection needed: If there’s something for the Vikings to improve on going forward, it’s pass protection as Cox was sacked five times.
Ball-hawking: By shutting down Twiggs County on the ground, FPD forced the Cobras to throw the ball, and the Vikings welcomed the opportunity by picking off five passes. Two of those interceptions ended Twiggs County scoring drives inside the FPD 30, and the other was returned for the score.
They said it
FPD’s Titus Moore on starting sub-region play strong: “All week, we wanted to focus on just playing sharp and getting a good start in region. Last year, we didn’t get a good start in region. We really want to go out and execute.”
FPD head coach Greg Moore on the Vikings’ defensive play: “I’m really happy and proud of how we played on defense. They’ve worked really hard for the last couple of weeks, and it’s nice to see that rewarded. I thought we tackled well up front. We had hoped we could get them into a passing game, and when we did, our guys were in position to make plays.”
Greg Moore on the Vikings’ preparations going into Friday: “I can’t say enough about how our kids have practiced the last 10 days. And we were a little bit sloppy (Friday), and I was a little disappointed in that. But I am not in any way disappointed in any way in the way our kids prepared and practiced for the last two weeks. It’s been awesome.”
What’s next?
Twiggs County travels to Stratford on Friday, while FPD travels to Wilkinson County on Friday.
This story was originally published September 30, 2017 at 12:02 AM with the headline "Off date doesn’t slow down FPD’s momentum."