Wednesday, November 8, 2000
Wednesday, November 8, 2000 |
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Playoff picture shaping up as season end nears By MICHAEL BOYLAN The regular season of high school football ended for several teams last Friday night. For some teams, there is a postseason to look forward to, while others look forward to a better season next year. Starr's Mill (10-0) won its final game of the regular season to remain undefeated. The 41-18 win over Eagle's Landing crowned them Region 4-AAAAA Division A champs. The Panthers did it like they have all season with a solid ground attack and a stingy defense. Reuben Houston scored two touchdowns in the victory and gained 167 yards on the ground on seven carries. Starr's Mill, now ranked eighth in AAAAA, has a week off before the playoffs start. It is the first time a Fayette County team has gone undfeated and it is also the first time a Fayette County team has won the division title. This is only the third year of varsity play for the Panthers. Starr's Mill has been succesful thanks to an outstanding offensive line as well as tremendous efforts from the defense. Some defensive standouts are David Clark, Eric Advincula, Tony Tofanelli and Andrew Bashakes. East Coweta (9-0) also got one step closer an undefeated season by defeating Jonesboro 42-13. East Coweta got two touchdowns from Jay Walton but the real star was the defense which only allowed 68 yards. Should the Indians, currently ranked ninth in AAAAA, defeat Newnan Friday night, they will tie Starr's Mill for the top spot in the region and a coin toss will determine who is the top seed. Newnan's playoff hopes were squashed on Friday night with a loss to Mt. Zion, Jonesboro but the Cougars (6-3) would love to play spoiler against their rivals. The Fayette County Tigers(1-9) finished their season with a 35-17 loss to the Morrow Mustangs. The Tigers rolled up 353 yards including 248 yards passing from quarterback Nathaniel Enloe. Drew Furey and Matt Tedford scored the two touchdowns for the Tigers while Jason Deraney added a field goal. Tedford had 43 yards rushing and 80 yards receiving, while T.J. Brandenburg added 108 yards receiving. McIntosh (2-7) got its second win of the season by defeating Stockbridge 24-17. They did it with a solid ground attack, led by Jim O'Shea's 208 yards and Rusty Stewart's 105 yards. The defense also did a tremendous job, causing four turnovers and stalling several Stockbridge scoring drives. The Chiefs hope to keep the momentum going as they travel to take on North Clayton (3-6) Friday night. The Eagles have heated up late in the season and will present a challenge for the Chiefs. Sandy Creek (7-2) clinched a trip to playoffs and a home playoff game by beating Rockdale County, 34-3. The Patriots got an outstanding performance from quarterback Andre Green, who kept several drives alive with long runs. Kelvin German also looked impressive in the win, scoring two touchdowns and gaining a lot of yards. Sandy Creek also got great performances from their defense. omar Espinoza blocked several passes and Riley Swanson made a huge interception in the third quarter which set up another Sandy Creek touchdown. The Patriots, now ranked seventh in AAAA, will host Salem (4-5) Friday night and a win will lock up a good seeding when the playoffs begin. In other games last week, Northgate hammered Decatur 40-0 and Landmark Christian lost to Heard County 6-0. The Vikings prevailed despite a slew of injuries that kept several starters on the sideline. A win by the Vikings this week will lock up the region title and will allow them to host at least two playoff games. Northgate will host Grady (6-3) Friday night. The War Eagles did enough to keep the game close but had trouble putting points on the board. They will travel to Mt. Zion-Carrollton (3-6) this week looking for a win and some momentum heading in to the Class A playoffs. |
