And they’re off.

Week one of the 2006 high school football season is over and the results were good for some and not so good for others.

On Friday night, Whitewater’s Wildcats started their first season with a region schedule. They faced non-region opponent Newnan on the road and won 38-14. Whitewater jumped on the Cougars early and led the entire way. Tavoris Dixon rushed for two touchdowns, Kurdice Neal and Colin Wooddy each rushed for one, quarterback Jay Bright connected on a touchdown pass with Jerrod Richardson and Jordan Cooper added a field goal in the win.

Chris Asbury had an interception for the Wildcats and Coach Amos McCreary felt Brice Thomas and Dustin Davis both played well on defense, as did Blake Underwood and Jonathan Ashley. He also felt Seth Wilkington played a great game on the offensive line.

“You never know what to expect when you bring a team into a big stadium and a packed house,” said McCreary. “The kids played very well.”
Next up for Whitewater is a home game with another non-region opponent, the Sandy Creek Patriots.

Sandy Creek hosted McIntosh last Friday and won 28-0. Things didn’t start well for the Chiefs as they threw an interception to Chris James on their second play. The Patriots scored less than a minute later on an 11 yard touchdown run from Josh Williams. That would be all the points Sandy Creek would get until the final minute of the first half. McIntosh played great defense and performed well on special teams. One particular moment that stood out was a sack from Eric Willanzheimer that knocked Sandy Creek back 10 yards. Williams would score again before the half with a 45 yard run and the patriots would score less than 30 seconds in to the second half with an 11 yard run from Brad Bush. Tim Russell made an interception for Sandy Creek later in the third quarter and Rashad Hollis would add the final touchdown with a three yard run with just under six minutes remaining in the half.

Overall, the Chiefs had trouble with Sandy Creek’s defense and they couldn’t capitalize on several Patriot fumbles throughout the game. Sandy Creek also got solid performances from their running game, which gained over 230 yards. While Sandy Creek travels to Fayetteville for a game against Whitewater on Friday, McIntosh hosts East Coweta.

Landmark Christian started their 2006 campaign on the road. The War Eagles defeated Ringgold 20-6 and got 73 yards rushing, 173 yards passing and one touchdown from quarterback Matt Moody, while Brian Lee and Trey Strickland each added a touchdown as well. Lee rushed for 73 yards and Strickland had 12 tackles, one interception for a touchdown and a blocked punt in the win. The team was led in receiving by Jimmy Eden with five catches for 81 yards. He also played well on defense with three tackles, one forced fumble and an interception. Landmark will travel to take on Ola this Friday.

Fayette County did not have an easy first game, falling to the Mt. Zion, Jonesboro Bulldogs 42-13. Matt Daniels rushed for 100 yards and two touchdowns before injuring his shoulder. Audy Whittington led the Tiger defense with six tackles.

“The offense did a great job of moving the ball, controlling the clock and putting points on the board in the first half., “ said Coach Tommy Webb. “Losing key players to injury in the second half hampered our offensive efforts.”
Fayette County hosts Jonesboro this Friday night.

Our Lady of Mercy lost to Creekview 47-6 on Friday night. Jarrell Bankhead rushed for 102 yards and had a touchdown run of 47 yards, while Will Simmons had three solo tackles and eight assists. The Bobcats made five fumbles in the first half but Coach Bryan Pinabell was glad to see that his team did not quit at the half and played a much better second half. The team has a bye week this week.

On Saturday, Starr’s Mill once again opened their season at the Corky Kell Kickoff Classic at the Georgia Dome. This year they took on Cherokee and won 35-7. The Panthers got knocked back consistently on their opening drive and then dominated for a majority of the rest of the game. Greg Davis caught an eight yard touchdown reception at the end of the first quarter for the Panthers first score. Cherokee fumbled on their next drive, Starr’s Mill’s Kevin Farrow recovered the fumble and Davis ran two yards on the Panthers ensuing drive for a touchdown.

Starr’s Mill’s Santrez Collier recovered a Cherokee fumble on ther next drive and ran 45 yards for another Panther touchdown. Collier recovered another fumble later in the game. In the second half, quarterback Robby Davis rushed 53 yards for a touchdown and Nick Fevella recovered a fumble forced by Ryan Mullikan and ran 75 yards for Starr’s Mill’s fifth and final touchdown.

Starr’s Mill hosts Rockdale County this Friday.