Middle Georgia football scores: Central pulls off major upset in region play
THREE STARS OF THE WEEK
1. Curtis Head, Perry, Junior running back, wide receiver: Perry jumped out to a 49-0 lead at the half and Head was a big part of the Panthers success. Head caught a pair of passes from quarterback Lane Rucker and rushed for another one in Perry’s 49-12 win over Rutland Friday night. Perry moves to 1-0 in the region and 1-3 on the season.
2. Tyler Williams, Houston County, senior, running back: The Bears suffered a blowout loss to Warner Robins last week, and Williams helped Houston County get back on track with a pair of touchdown runs to knock off Newton at home 21-7. Williams came into the game leading the Bears in rushing yards but hadn’t found the end zone. His pair of rushing touchdowns Friday night is now second on the team behind Simeon Askew, who has four on the season.
3. J.T Wright, Dublin, junior, running back: Wright rushed for three long touchdowns in the Irish’s 50-0 Friday win over Dooly County. Dublin won a state championship last season behind its ground game but lost its top three backs to graduation. Dublin opened the season with a loss to Dodge County but has bounced back with back-to-back wins. Wright will have the chance to star in this run heavy offense for the rest of this season.
BEST GAME
Central 36, Mary Persons 20
Before Friday, it had been 20 years since Central beat Mary Persons in football. Heading into the game, the Chargers were 1-5 all-time against the Bulldogs. Central beat Mary Persons for the second time ever with a 36-20 win Friday night.
Central led big for most of the night until Mary Persons moved within a score in the final quarter. Central, however, put the game out of reach to move to 3-1 on the season and 2-0 in region play. The Chargers are on pace to make the playoffs if they continue to play well against its region opponents. They are tied with Peach County at the top of the standings. Central has already matched its win total from a season ago.
SCOREBOARD
- Bleckley County 38, Dodge County 33 (Thursday)
- Houston 21, Newton 7
- Colquitt County 63, Northside 14
- Perry 49, Rutland 12
- Peach County 53, Americus-Sumter 3
- Jones County 34, Stockbridge 6
- Dublin 50, Dooly County 0
- Oconee County 14, Veterans 6
- Lee County 27, Warner Robins 7
- Baldwin County 35, Westside 28
- Savannah Christian 40, Mount de Sales 11
- Stratford 28, Savannah Country Day 21
- Aquinas 47, Tattnall Square 7
- West Laurens 14, Spalding 7
- Crisp County 32, Upson-Lee 0
WHAT’S NEXT
Veterans vs. Houston County
Veterans gave up its first game of the season Friday, a 14-6 loss to Oconee County in a defensive battle. The schedule doesn’t get any easier for Veterans as it heads into a tough matchup against Houston County next week. The Bears have a pair of losses but each have come against top teams in the state in Warner Robins and Crisp County. These two teams have great defenses but struggle to score at times. This will be a battle of crosstown rivals that could come down to one or two plays — much like their game last season, when Veterans won 7-2.
Central vs Jackson
Central has had three impressive wins this season, including wins over Westside and Mary Persons, teams Central has historically struggled against. This will be another big region matchup for the Chargers and could put them in the driver’s seat for a playoff spot in a loaded region where Peach County and Crisp County will almost certainly lock up two of the four available bids. Central needs wins over teams like Jackson in order to finish no worse than the three seed coming out of this region. Jackson is 2-1 after knocking off Pike County 35-14
This story was originally published October 9, 2020 at 11:35 PM.