Wednesday, October 9, 2002
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Wednesday, October 9, 2002 |
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Panthers and Patriots stay perfect in the region
By MICHAEL
BOYLAN
The high school football season is nearly halfway over and it is getting very exciting. Starr's Mill faced Lovejoy in a Region 4-AAAAA showdown last Friday, made an incredible comeback and won, 35-34. The Panthers now sit atop the region standings with Newnan, whom they will face on Oct. 18 at home. Lovejoy struck first on Friday with a touchdown just over six minutes in the game. Starr's Mill started a drive towards the end of the first quarter and sustained it thanks to big runs from tailback Chris Strauch. Patrick Mullinix capped it off with an 11 yard touchdown run to tie the game. Lovejoy then scored 20 points in a row and looked like they had the game in their clutches. Strauch then carries the Panthers again on a three minute drive, running for three first downs and a touchdown. The Panthers went in to the half down 27-14. Lovejoy came out in the second half and scored putting 20 points of distance between themselves and the Panthers but Starr's Mill refused to quit, despite the fact that they did not score in the third quarter. Daniel Carmichael ran 38 yards for a touchdown two and a half minutes into the fourth quarter to bring the score to 34-21. The Panthers then recovered an onside kick and had Deante Battle run 20 yards for a touchdown. Starr's Mill now had the momentum. Their defense shut Lovejoy down and Strauch gave his team the tying touchdown with a one yard run. Kicker Chris James converted the extra point and Starr's Mill had the lead. Lovejoy got the ball back and immediately threw an interception to Johnny Edwards, which sealed the win for the Panthers, 35-34. Strauch finished the game with 202 yards rushing. Starr's Mill is now 3-0 in region play, as is Newnan. East Coweta, Starr's Mill's opponent this Friday, is 2-1, while Lovejoy and Riverdale are 1-1 as well. Carver is 1-2 and both McIntosh and Fayette County are 0-3. Speaking of McIntosh and Fayette County, those two teams will meet at Fayette County this Friday for what is always a fun game. The Chiefs hosted Carver, Columbus last Friday and lost 22-16, despite touchdowns from Cameron Hall and Nick Achor. The Chiefs put up 379 yards of offense but saw a fumble late in the game stall a drive that could have tied the game. Taylor Lee led the defense with 11 tackles, while Achor led the offense with 160 yards rushing. Fayette County trailed Creekside 14-0 at the half and saw another comeback attempt fall short as they lost 14-10. David Roberson had 14 catches for 200 yards and a touchdown. Sandy Creek (3-1) had a big game last Friday, defeating Lithia Springs 32-14. The Patriots charged to a 20-6 lead at the half with touchdowns from Phillip Hyde, Brian Brown and Will Judson, who ran a kick back 85 yards for a touchdown. Hyde scored again in the second half, as did Jamal Rome. Hyde finished with 120 yards rushing. Coach Rodney Walker felt Brent Brewer made the difference in the game with two blocked punts which led to touchdowns. The Patriots are 3-0 in Region 4-AAAA play. They will host undefeated Douglas County on Friday, a team ranked sixth in AAAA and picked in the preseason to win the region. They are skilled on both sides of the ball and the Patriots will hope to control the ball and dictate the pace of the game. In other games last Friday, Landmark Christian came back from a 21-14 deficit at the half to defeat Carver, Atlanta, 41-27. Sean Hill led the charge on offense for the War Eagles running for 191 yards and four touchdowns. Wren Gibby gave another great performance on defense with 12 tackles and two sacks. Our Lady of Mercy fell to Blessed Trinity, 35-8. The Bobcats defense gave up 22 points in the second quarter in the loss. Josh Flores scored the lone touchdown for Our Lady of Mercy with a one yard quarterback sneak. Coach Alan Gordon hopes to have his full team back for Friday's game. Games scheduled for this Friday are Starr's Mill (5-1) at East Coweta (2-4), McIntosh (1-5) at Fayette County (1-5), Sandy Creek (3-1) versus Douglas County (5-0) and Our Lady of Mercy (1-4) versus Walker (2-3). Landmark Christian is off this week. They will host Heard County next week. Kickoffs are scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
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