Middle Georgia football scores: Rivalry game ends with walk-off touchdown
The high school football regular season in Middle Georgia is starting to wind down, with just a couple of weeks left before the playoffs begin.
Each game has additional importance with playoff spots and seeding on the line.
There were plenty of upsets, close calls and blowout wins to go around on Friday night including an exciting finish in one of the biggest rivalry games in Middle Georgia.
Here is a look at some of the best games, highlights and scores from around Middle Georgia in Week 11 of the season.
BEST GAME
Mary Persons 23, Jackson 21
The Backyard Brawl is the annual meeting between these two teams. Friday night marked the 79th time the schools have met on the gridiron. Mary Persons came into the game having won 8 of the past 10 meetings, but Jackson won, 28-27, last season.
The Bulldogs were looking to avenge last season’s loss, but also to position themselves to make the playoffs after missing out last year for the first time in 10 years.
The Red Devils jumped out to an early 14-0 lead, the second score coming after a fumble on the kickoff following the first touchdown.
With 4:45 left in the first half, Mary Persons running back Duke Watson broke off a big gain to set up a touchdown run on the next play from five yards out by Watson. The Bulldogs tacked on a field goal to close out the first half down 14-10.
On the first drive of the second half, Mary Persons linebacker Griffin Morris came up with a pair of tackles for a loss before recovering a fumble inside the Jackson 25-yard line. This set up a J.T. Owens rushing touchdown to give Mary Persons its first lead of the game.
The lead was short-lived as the Red Devils answered back on the following drive on a Okemus Grier Jr. touchdown run.
The fourth quarter was all about the Jackson defense. Twice the Bulldogs drove inside the Red Devil’s 5-yard line and twice came away with no points. Jackson stopped the Bulldogs on fourth and goal with 1:26 left in the game.
After the Bulldogs burned their final two timeouts, they forced a punt from the Red Devils with 15 seconds left. Instead of kicking the ball away or taking a safety, the punter scrambled for a 10-yard gain but was stopped short of the first down.
Mary Persons got the ball back at the Jackson 15 with five seconds left. Quarterback Logan Hickman dropped back and floated a pass to the end zone. Wide receiver Ty Dumas pulled down the score to give Mary Persons the 23-21 win on the final play of the game.
Three stars
Ty Dumas, Mary Persons WR: On the biggest play of the game and possibly the season, Dumas hauled in the pass from Hickman, maintained possession, got a foot in bounds and completed the catch. It gave Mary Persons the victory over its rival on the final play of the game and could be the catch that all but sends the Bulldogs to the playoffs.
Bleckley County: On Thursday night, the Royals finished off their regular season with another win to improve to 10-0 on the year. They will now get a week off before entering the playoffs as No. 1 seed in 2A.
Head coach Von Lassiter is in his fifth season with Bleckley County. After winning 10 games in his first two seasons combined he has reeled off 25 wins over the last three seasons including a pair of playoff wins last season.
FPD: For the second straight season, the FPD Vikings are region champions. The Vikings have reeled off five straight victories since dropping two games in a row in non-region play. FPD also finishes the season with a perfect 3-0 record against the three Macon private schools it shares a region with.
The defense has been the focal point this season as they’ve given up just 21 points in their four region games. The Vikings have one game left on the schedule against Strong Rock Christian next week but will have the No. 1 seed locked up already.
Scoreboard
- FPD 14, Stratford 7
- Tattnall 41, Strong Rock 16
- Northside 38, Houston County 21
- Dublin 45, Telfair County 7
- Perry 35, Howard 0
- Crisp County 48, Central 0
- Peach County 46, Upson-Lee 16
- Warner Robins 22, Coffee County 7
- John Milledge 61, Creekside Christian 0
- West Laurens 27, Rutland 8
- Ware County 28, Veterans 21
- Mount de Sales 14, Deerfield-Windsor 10
- Spalding 48, Westside 13
- Bleckley County 42, Southwest 6
- Jones County 69, Woodland 26
What’s next?
Perry vs Baldwin
The Braves come into the game leading the region. Perry is sitting in a tie for second with Spalding, a team the Panthers lost to earlier this season. Since the loss to Spalding, Perry has gone on a run including three straight shutouts in region play. If Baldwin can win this game it will take home the region title. If not there will be a three-way tie at the top.
This game has a ton on the line in terms of playoff seeding but the winner should have a ton of momentum heading into the playoffs.
This story was originally published October 29, 2021 at 10:59 PM.