By MICHAEL BOYLAN
Sports Editor

The trend of Fayette's AAA teams performing better than the AAAA teams continued last week, even though Starr's Mill lost its first game of the season.

Sandy Creek got back into the winning trend by defeating Jones County, while Fayette County and McIntosh had their hands full with East Coweta and Upson Lee respectively.

Starr's Mill easily played the most exciting game of Friday night when the Panthers took on the 6-0 Mt. Zion Bulldogs. Starr's Mill scored first with a 78-yard touchdown run by quarterback Brad McClaren, but it was clear that the evening would be full of battles on both sides of the ball. There was not another score until the closing minutes of the first half when Reuben Houston ran for three yards and a touchdown. The Panthers led 14-0 at the half and looked to be in good shape.

The second half was almost the exact opposite of the first half. While both teams battled tough, Mt. Zion was the team to put up 14 points, tying the game and forcing overtime. Craig Maddock made the three-yard touchdown run to put the Panthers ahead but Mt. Zion capitalized on their drive as well, doing the Panthers one better and converting a two-point conversion for the win.

There is nothing for the Panthers to hang their heads about; they played great. The Panthers must get up for Friday night's game against Jones County. Jones County lost to Sandy Creek last week but has proven a tough opponent in 4-AAA.

Sandy Creek played some great defense in its 14-9 victory Friday, despite giving up a ton of yards on the very first drive. The defense has been able to maintain its high level of intensity for much of the season. Friday, the Patriots held Jones County to 155 total yards.

The offense was led by backup quarterback Riley Swanson who helped generate a 99-yard drive, capped off by a four-yard touchdown run by Mark Lawson. The Patriots led 7-0 at the half and 14-0 early on in the second half. They amassed 248 yards in the game. Jones County scored a touchdown in the third quarter and then got a safety when Sandy Creek took a knee when punting from the endzone.

Mt. Zion now leads the area with a record of 7-0. Sandy Creek and Starr's Mill are tied for second place with matching records of 5-1. The Panthers game this Friday with Jones County will be huge. A win will keep Jones County pretty much out of the playoff hunt, but a loss will tie Starr's Mill and Jones County and give Sandy Creek sole possession of second.

The AAAA quagmire continued with McIntosh losing 37-10 to Upson-Lee and Fayette County losing to East Coweta 30-7. The Chiefs gave up a touchdown on the first play of the game and then battled themselves by turning the ball over and going three and out several times.

McIntosh kicked a field goal to cut the lead to 14-3 in the first half, but they could not hang on. McIntosh did capitalize on an Upson-Lee fumble toward the end of the game, when Jim O'Shea did a quarterback draw and ran 10 yards for the touchdown.

Fayette County's Chiefs knew they would meet a tough opponent in East Coweta, but the knowledge did not slow the Indians down. East Coweta rushed for 193 yards in the first half and led 16-7. Fayette County scored when quarterback Nathaniel Enloe connected with T.J. Brandenburg for a 58-yard touchdown pass.

The offense would remain silent for the rest of the night, however. East Coweta gained a total of 445 yards and held the Tigers to 189 yards. The game represented the momentum shift in the area from the third week of the season on.

This Friday will see Starr's Mill travel to take on Jones County, while Sandy Creek goes on the road to meet Woodward Academy. Fayette County will host Upson-Lee for homecoming, and McIntosh will host the Griffin Bears. All games are scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m.

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