Teams in Region 2-AAAAA football race regaining key pieces for stretch run

WARNER ROBINS -- Darion Anderson is getting healthy at just the right time for Houston County head coach Von Lassiter.

The 6-foot, 170-pound wide receiver/defensive back who has committed to Georgia battled an offseason knee injury through the first half of the season. After picking up more than 1,200 receiving yards last year, Anderson didn’t post any receiving numbers this season until Sept. 25, when he had four catches for 100 yards and a touchdown in a 37-0 win over Lakeside-Evans.

His availability should be a big boost for the second-ranked Bears, who travel to No. 6 Jones County on Friday.

“He is getting his knee back right,” Lassiter said. “He will be 100 percent against Jones County. He will be full-tilt on both sides of the ball as of this week.”

All four Middle Georgia teams in GHSA Region 2-AAAAA are getting players back -- or are close to getting players back -- in time for the second round of games against local opponents. With those teams taking up the top four spots in the region, the return of any injured player is meaningful.

Warner Robins offensive tackle Tez Raybon has worn a cast with an electronic stimulation device to help him heal from a broken wrist. He is about ready to return, possibly for Friday’s rivalry game with top-ranked Northside.

“He broke it at an offensive line camp in June,” Warner Robins head coach Bryan Way said. “When they went in to repair it, they noticed that the bone, which had been broken before, was dying. So they had to do a procedure and put some sort of device in the cast to get his bone to regenerate and to improve the blood flow. That’s been successful. He’s still casted up, but he practiced last week for the first time in pads, and it’s going to be beneficial to get him back on the offensive line.”

Running back Terry Harris (MCL tear) was cleared to play last week, but Way said his availability for Friday’s game is questionable.

“He’s still a work in progress,” Way said. “If we played (Tuesday), it would be 50-50. He’s made a lot of improvement over the last week. He had been braced up with very limited mobility for about four weeks to try to get that thing to heal. He’s just now getting to where he can run and do the things he needs to do. It’s probably going to be a gametime decision on Terry as to whether he will be able to play.”

Northside hasn’t had a lot of injuries this season, but the one big piece the Eagles lost, defensive back Chris Haughton, is making a quick recovery from a broken leg suffered in the season opener at North Cobb.

“He had the surgery and had a rod put in his leg, and he’s worked his tail off in rehab,” Northside head coach Kevin Kinsler said. “He’s already back walking without crutches. It’s just amazing to see how far he’s come in just six, seven weeks. Of course, he still won’t be able to play.”

Complicating things in the secondary was an injury suffered by Hiram Johnson on Sept. 11 at Lakeside-Evans. While depth took a short-term hit, Johnson is expected back this week to complement sophomore Jalen Andrews, who has 10 tackles and a fumble recovery as the primary replacement for Haughton.

“(Johnson) is cleared to come back this week, and he had some really good reps,” Kinsler said. “Jalen, along with Hiram Johnson, those two guys have done a really good job filling in.”

Back at Houston County, another receiver, Jaylen Searcy, has played through some injury issues this season. But the senior came up big two weeks ago at Cross Creek, recording an 81-yard touchdown catch en route to a 101-yard performance.

“He’s been fighting through injury,” Lassiter said. “He’s not 100 percent, but he’s making plays at practice and in games. He’s feeling good.”

Jones County, meanwhile, has had its share of injury problems since the season started.

Linebacker Cameron Gibson went out with an ACL in the opener, and offensive tackle Quay Bethay suffered a broken leg in the final moments of the loss to Northside.

Then two-year starting defensive lineman Tracy Jackson tore his MCL and meniscus against Grovetown a week later.

Offensive lineman Triston Avery’s season ended during the summer with an ACL.

The Greyhounds already were thin on the offensive line but have had a few weeks -- including an off week -- to get some game and practice snaps in since Bethay went out.

But quarterback Bradley Hunnicutt is at 100 percent after trying to play last year nowhere near 100 percent against Houston County following a hard hit to his back in a loss at Lakeside-Evans two weeks earlier.

“He didn’t take any reps during the open week last year,” head coach Justin Rogers said. “He didn’t start the game, we just sort of brought him in.

“Now, he’s ready.”

The Telegraph’s Michael A. Lough contributed to this report.

This story was originally published October 13, 2015 at 7:06 PM with the headline "Teams in Region 2-AAAAA football race regaining key pieces for stretch run ."