Wednesday, September 10, 2003

Patriots tame Tigers 34-10

After a first-week bye, the Sandy Creek Patriots started a season of high expectations with a rousing 34-10 win over the Fayette County Tigers, the first time they have ever defeated their intracounty rival, last Friday night in Fayetteville.

The Patriots, who lost 39-26 to Fayette County last season, entered this game ranked eighth in the state in AAAA. They did nothing to suggest that ranking is undeserved.

The only scoring in the first quarter came on a punt return when Sandy Creek’s Will Judson started near midfield and went all the way in for a score, although it seemed twice as far since he took the ball on a reverse and went from sideline to sideline. The Tigers got on the board early in the second quarter when a fumble recovery led to a 34-yard field goal by Hart Pearson.

That’s when the Patriots broke the game open, scoring three more times before the half. Reggie Ellington’s a 20 yard-burst up the middle and Michael Jones’ extra point made it 14-3, then Brian Brown intercepted a Hunter Rozakos pass and returned it to the FCHS 16. Shortly thereafter, Dusty Bennett threw a 9-yard scoring pass to Calvin Johnson with 3:19 to go before intermission. The Patriots would tack on another score in that time, as Bennett connected with Judson on a 35-yard touchdown pass for a 27-3 lead.

Fayette County scored again in the third quarter, with a sustained drive getting a boost from a pass interference penalty for a first down at the Sandy Creek 15. Rozakos threw a 9-yard scoring pass to Grant Jones for the Tigers’ first touchdown of the season, and Pearson tacked on the point after.

The Patriots’ defense came up big the rest of the way, forcing several turnovers. The final score of the night was set up by a long Ishmael Gordon run, as Ellington took it in from two yards out and Katie Wallace kicked the extra point.

Sandy Creek opens its home schedule this week against Region 4-AAAA foe Alexander, while Fayette County travels to Newnan for a 4-AAAAA matchup.

Whitewater: The Wildcats came up big last Thursday with a 28-6 home win over the Starr’s Mill ninth-grade team. Jonathan Frierson ran for a score and Jay Bright threw touchdown passes to Jonathan Bringuell, Justin Evans and Aaron Grech. Previous games include a 35-0 jamboree win over Jonesboro and a 20-0 loss to Luella of Henry County, also a new school. But Luella has enrollment through 11th grade this year, and Whitewater’s ninth-graders played the entire game against sophomores and juniors. The Wildcats host Lovejoy tomorrow.

Our Lady of Mercy: There were several bright spots in the Bobcats’ 28-18 loss to Aquinas in Augusta. Coach Alan Gordon said that his squad did a good job playing a tough road game. Sophomore Wynton Yates returned a kickoff 96 yards for a score, and Ralph Woolfolk threw a 48-yard touchdown pass to Matt Gill. Sam Etuk scored on a 36-yard run. On defense, Woolfolk intercepted a pass and Gill had seven tackles. The Bobcats host Temple this week.

Landmark: On the road, the War Eagles fell 28-3 to a fast Decatur team that scored on runs of 65 and 70 yards and a 31-yard pass play. Down 7-0 at the half, Landmark got on the board when a sack near midfield resulted in a fumble that was returned to the Decatur 5. Three plays later, the War Eagles got their only points of the night on a 26-yard field goal. The team hosts Brookstone this week.

Starr’s Mill: A 35-14 loss to Cherokee Friday night dropped the Panthers’ record to 0-2, although they have yet to play a region game. The Panthers’ home opener is this Friday against Spalding.

McIntosh: The Chiefs evened their record at 1-1 after losing their home opener 42-14 to Upson-Lee. This week the team faces a long road trip and a meeting with seventh-ranked Lowndes.

Fayette Christian: It was a long night for the Falcons Friday night, a 54-0 loss to King’s Way in Douglasville. Jared Abadie rushed seven times for 44 yards and was the team’s leading tackler with eight. Brandon Gable had seven tackels, as did Terrance Dunston.

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