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Good news for Patriots, Panthers and War Eagles, while the Tigers and Bobcats both get handed tough losses

By MICHAEL BOYLAN
mboylan@TheCitizenNews.com

Sandy Creek hosted their first home game of the football season last Friday and gave their fans a show. The Patriots defeated Northgate 20-0. They forced seven turnovers in the game, including five in the second half. One of the turnovers, an interception in the end zone by Brent Brewer, was returned for a touchdown, setting a new school record of 102 yards as the longest interception return.

It took a little while for Sandy Creek to get started. Quarterback Jake Turing threw one of his three interceptions on the first play of the game but he was able to get the offense going soon afterwards with a nearly four minute long 70 yard touchdown drive. Braxton Lane caught a 20 yard touchdown pass for the first score and Brewer followed it up with his big return to close out the second quarter. In the third quarter Corbin Miles returned an interception to the Viking one yard line and Khiry Battle ran it in for the third and final score of the evening.

Among the defensive players who recovered fumbles or intercepted passes on the night were Michael Teasley, E.J. Holt, Rickey Nicholson and Tyler Betsill. The defense stood out for limiting Northgate to short drives for most of the night and delivering big hits. Other standouts for the Patriots were Aybid Coleman and Stephan Atrice on defense, Terrance Roberts on offense and kicker Michael Jones.

Sandy Creek travels to take on McIntosh on Friday. The Chiefs (0-2) had a bye last week.

Fayette County played at South Gwinnett and might have squeaked out with a win if it weren’t for some miscues with special teams. The Tigers led 7-0 at the half after quarterback Brandon Boykin scrambled 60 yards for a touchdown. In the second half, the Tiger punter nearly got to the endzone to give the Comets a safety after a dropped snap but he was tackled at the one yard line and South Gwinnett scored and then missed the extra point. The Tigers drove the field once again but got pushed back due to a penalty and a field goal attempt did not connect because of a bad snap. The Tigers gave South Gwinnett another short field after a fumble on their 20 yard line and the Comets scored to take the lead and the win.

Boykin finished with 95 yards rushing and Channing Welch had 60 yards rushing. The defense for Fayette County played particularly well, limiting South Gwinnett to 130 total yards of offense. Kip Rossi had six tackles and four assists and Jared Crittenton had four tackles, one tackle for a loss, one sack, two quarterback pressures and two passes knocked down.

“We’re progressing and growing as a team,” said Coach Webb. “We just need to eliminate the mistakes.”

Our Lady of Mercy needs to do the same. The Bobcats hung tight with Oglethorpe County into the second quarter but an offsides on a fourth down gave Oglethorpe new life leading to a touchdown. Mercy also had two interceptions and a fumbe returned for a touchdown, turning a close game into a blowout. The Bobcats were without several experienced starters due to injury and illness and any depth the team had was elimianetd, forcing inexperienced players into the starting lineup. Coach Bill Schmitz is looking forward to the start of the region schedule when his starters should be back and the players that have filled in create a deep bench for the team.

Senior Mike Donald had the Bobcats lone touchdown off a 60 yard run.

Our Lady of Mercy hosts Bremen on Friday. It is their homecoming game this week.

Starr’s Mill’s offense looked like it was firing on all cylinders last Friday as the Panthers put up 30 points against Spalding and totaled 358 yards of offense. Antonio Brown had two touchdowns and 145 yards of rushing in the win, giving him the title of the school’s offensive player of the week. Robby Davis threw for a touchdown and rushed for 50 yards, while Greg Davis added 62 yards rushing and a touchdown as well.

Coach Mike Earwood felt the special teams played better but still are not playing as he wants it. He also credited the defense for playing solidly and cited good play from linebacker Austin Watts.

The Panthers travel to take on a big and fast Tri-Cities team on Friday.

Landmark Christian stayed undefeated last Friday by defeating Social Circle 40-21. While the defense allowed the most points in a game so far this season, the offense continued to roll. The War Eagles will have a big test this week when they host Bowdon on Friday night.

Both Mcintosh and Whitewater had bye weeks last week. The Chiefs will host Sandy Creek in a game that is sure to draw a big crowd, while Whitewater plays host to Carver-Atlanta. Sandy Creek is 2-0 this year, while Carver is 1-1. The Panthers picked up their first win of the season last Friday with a 31-16 win over Therrell.