Peach County holds off Perry

FORT VALLEY -- Peach County head coach Chad Campbell challenged his team Friday night before its game with Perry to play better than it did the first week against Warner Robins and to improve on a lackluster practice week.

The Trojans answered the challenge by defeating Perry 13-6.

Quarterback Antonio Gilbert scored from 1-yard out late in the third quarter, and Peach County’s defense stopped two Perry drives in the fourth quarter to hold on for the win.

“That football team we just played is so much better than they were last year, and you have to give their kids a great deal of credit,” said Campbell, whose team improved to 1-1. “We were playing without five starters, but Perry was able to gain 3 and 4 yards at a time and control the football against us. At this time of year, we want to see improvement, and I think we saw some as the game went on. But it’s really good to get out of here with a win.”

Perry controlled the first half with a bruising running game, running 34 plays to just 19 for Peach County. The Trojans put one drive together in the first half, going 87 yards in 13 plays, with Otha Redding scoring from 3 yards out to take a 6-0 lead.

But Perry went on a bruising 17-play, 69-yard drive that ate nearly nine minutes off the clock to quickly answer. It finally scored on the final play of the first half on a Jay Watkins 1-yard run. But like Peach County, it could not make the extra point.

Peach County capitalized on an interception by Shamarcus Redding midway through the third quarter and drove 58 yards for the final score of the game. James Jackson, who ended the game with 62 yards rushing, did most of the work before Gilbert got the winning score.

Perry threatened behind the running of Khalil Alexander, who ended the game with 98 yards on 17 carries, but the Panthers could not put the ball in the end zone.

“I thought we played our hearts out against a very angry and very good Peach County football team,” said Perry head coach Carl Dixon, who is in his first year as Perry’s head coach. “The effort we game in this game was outstanding, and it was what we expected in our first game of the year. It doesn’t get any easier next week against Macon County, but we are getting better every single week.”

This story was originally published September 4, 2015 at 11:27 PM with the headline "Peach County holds off Perry ."