By Joey Marchant
The Dodge County Indians traveled to Fitzgerald with something to prove. Over the last few years, Dodge fans have become accustomed to winning. Dodge has posted a 46-14 record over the last five years with two region championships.
However, this season has gotten off to a rocky start for Dodge. Bad luck, undisciplined play, a tough non region schedule, and a rash of injuries all contributed to a 1-2 start.
After rushing for 476 yards in the opener, Dodge was held to less than 100 yards rushing by West Laurens and Appling County. And the Dodge defense was giving up 40 points per game through the first three games.
The Indians made the trip down to Fitzgerald to take on its third ranked opponent in as many weeks. About half of the players who missed the Appling game were able to suit up for this one.
The Canes took the opening kickoff and marched down the field taking an 8-0 lead and chewing up half of the first quarter clock on a 13 play drive capped off by a 19 yard touchdown reception by Chance Gamble, who would prove a thorn in the Indians side all night.
The Canes would employ an interesting strategy in the kicking game. Despite having a left footed kicker in Alex Martinez who could seemingly kick the ball into the end zone whenever he chose to, Fitzgerald would employ a pooch kick strategy early in this one. Perhaps this was out of respect for the Dodge return team, which has returned two kickoffs for touchdowns and had a third called back on a penalty. Jayleen Lemon fielded the first pooch kick and returned it 14 yards to the Fitzgerald 47 yard line. However, Dodge would go three and out on its first possession. Timmy Johnson punted for 34 yards downing Fitzgerald at its own 8 yard line.
Fitzgerald would make one first down before Nathan Coley forced a fumble that was recovered by Elisha Williams to give Dodge the ball at the Fitzgerald 28 yard line. Dodge brought Mikhail Carr in motion and faked the Jet Sweep. Fitzgerald converged on Carr, but Kade Harpe kept the ball and ran 14 yards for a first down to the Fitzgerald 14 yard line. Carr was used entirely as a decoy in the first half and would not touch the football. On the next play, Dodge used a late shift to move Harpe up behind the tight ends on the right side, and Gordon took a direct snap and ran 14 yards for a touchdown. Mason Mangham’s extra point cut the Fitzgerald lead to 8-7.
After Gabe Thompson’s kickoff, Fitzgerald would start on its own 34 yard line and move quickly down the field featuring the running of Mario Clark and the receiving of Gamble. An eight yard wide receiver screen pass to Gamble resulted in a Fitzgerald touchdown. Gamble had also drawn a key pass interference penalty on the drive. The extra point was missed, and Fitzgerald led 14-7.
The ensuing pooch kickoff dropped in front of Lemon who was able to corral it at the Dodge 40 yard line. Harpe hit a Davis Marchant for 14 yards to the Fitzgerald 46 yard line. Gordon had runs of five, 11 and two yards to get the ball to the Fitzgerald 28 yard line, but a crucial illegal procedure call made it second down and 13. Two incompletions brought up a fourth and 13. Harpe was tackled for no gain on a quarterback keeper, and the ball was turned over to Fitzgerald on downs.
Fitzgerald took over at its own 33 yard line where it converted one first down before the Dodge Defense stiffened. Landynn Powers ran the quarterback out of bounds on third down to force a punt, which rolled all the way to the Dodge 10 yard line.
Harpe completed a beautiful third down pass to Keldrick Beck for 10 yards to get Dodge out of the hole. Beck ran his man off the ball, and Harpe released the ball just as Beck broke back toward him to create separation from the defender. Gordon rushed for a gain of 23 yards to get the ball into Fitzgerald territory, but Lemon had a larger player rip the ball from his hands as he fought for yardage at the Fitzgerald 38.
Lemon got revenge on the next play as he blitzed and sacked the quarterback for a six yard loss. Two plays later, Mahan applied pressure to force an incomplete pass and another Fitzgerald punt, which rolled dead at the Dodge 38 yard line.
Scotty Davis went high in the air to snag a Harpe pass for an 11 yard gain. A screen pass to Gordon netted three yards. A big gain on a run by Beck was negated by a penalty for illegal formation. Harpe was then hit as he released a pass, which was intercepted and returned to the Dodge 44 yard line. Fitzgerald passed to Demarion Dixon for a 41 yard gain. Coley brought Dixon down inside the Dodge five yard line. Fitzgerald then ran its version of the goal line play made famous by the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl 52, which is now run by every high school team in America.
Quarterback Rashad Davis handed to Gamble who started left only to pitch to a wide receiver coming right who would try to pass to Davis in the end zone. Credit Lemon who recognized Davis was going out for a pass just in time to turn and run behind him providing just enough coverage to force the incompletion. Fitzgerald had to settle for a short field goal and led 17-7 at halftime.
Fitzgerald attempted an onside kick to start the second half. The play might have worked, but the kick did not travel the required 10 yards and Dodge alertly stayed away from it. Dodge took over at the Fitzgerald 43 yard line. Harpe hit Carr on a pass for six yards, but Dodge could not convert and called on Timmy Johnson to punt. Johnson hit it a little harder than he wanted, and the ball sailed 40 yards into the end zone.
Fitzgerald gained one first down before the Dodge Defense stiffened. Beck jumped a swing pass to Gamble and almost had his third interception return for a touchdown of the season. He had the ball in his hands, but he could not hang on. The play was also dangerously close to being a lateral, which would have been a fumble recovered by Dodge. Instead, it was an incomplete pass. Rico Caines and Jamal McNeal stopped the running back after a three yard gain on a toss sweep. Caines who was making his first start was around the ball all night long making 10 tackles. On third down, Dodge blew up a screen pass. Caleb Fluellen executed a spin move against a would be blocker and met the running back head up along with AJ Melvin who had stood up his blocker. Williams came in to help finish of the tackle.
Fitzgerald executed low line drive punts all game that prevented a Dodge return. However, this time Coley took a chance and scooped up the bouncing ball between four Fitzgerald Defenders and returned it 23 yards to the Fitzgerald 40 yard line. Dodge lined up in the same formation and ran the same play three consecutive times with Gordon gaining seven, 17 and 26 yards for the touchdown on the direct snap. Thompson’s extra point cut the Fitzgerald lead to 17-14.
Fitzgerald would start its next possession at its own 19 yard line where Gamble would take a direct snap and fake a run left only to pull up and loft one to his tight end who had hesitated at the line before running downfield. The play gained 32 yards to the Dodge 49 yard line, but luckily the ball hung in the air long enough to allow Caines to catch up to and tackle the tight end. Fitzgerald reached the Dodge 33 yard line where on third down Davis rolled right and attempted a throwback pass to the tight end. Powers read it and slapped the ball from the tight end’s hands.
[Full Story »]
Sports - Topics from September, 2019
Russ's Sports Review
We have several things to talk about this week. It’s about magic numbers. Winning by the skin of their teeth and the hype of one of the biggest home games in Georgia history.
First, we will talk about the Braves magic number. It dropped to just four as the Braves won two of three games in Washington. The starting pitcher from Soroka and Foltynewicz pitched well out of the rotation and the bullpen stayed strong. The weekend did bring the return of Nick Markakis. He had a strong comeback as he had seven hits over the weekend. The weekend did have a downside as Charlie Culberson was hit in the face with a pitch. It gave him several facial fractures and he is certainly gone for the season. It is hopeful that Camargo can come back before the playoffs. Lets hope the rotation can get some rest and be ready to go for the downseason series.
Now for the football scene. Let’s start with the Falcons. The Sunday night clash with the Eagles was close and exciting but not very well played. Matt Ryan had a rough game with three interceptions but his fourth down pass to Julio Jones was the difference. What an awesome block that Jake Matthews sparked the play. The defense was pretty good the entire game. The NFC south is now very interesting now that Drew Brees is out for at least six games with thumb surgery. The birds have a big stretch coming up as they have three of their next four on the road. The running game must improve as it only has 13 total yards in two games. Devonte Freeman has been held to 41 total yards. Matt Ryan’s start hasn’t been very good either as he has been picked off five times in the first two games. He threw only seven the entire 2018 season. They hit the road this week to play the Colts.
Now for one of the biggest regular season games in recent memory for the Dogs. They have an 8:00 p.m. start on Saturday night against Notre Dame. This is the third meeting between the powers since 1980. Of course the first two meetings went to the Dogs. The first was in the Sugar Bowl and the second in Notre Dame recently. The hype for this one is huge. The Dogs come in ranked third and the Irish at number seven.
The odds makers really like the Dogs. They are early 14-point favorites and I agree with them. I don’t think the Irish can stop the Dogs on the ground or in the air. Georgia has way too much talent and depth on both sides of the ball. I think the Dogs prove to the world they are national contenders. Sanford Stadium will be jumping this Saturday.
First, we will talk about the Braves magic number. It dropped to just four as the Braves won two of three games in Washington. The starting pitcher from Soroka and Foltynewicz pitched well out of the rotation and the bullpen stayed strong. The weekend did bring the return of Nick Markakis. He had a strong comeback as he had seven hits over the weekend. The weekend did have a downside as Charlie Culberson was hit in the face with a pitch. It gave him several facial fractures and he is certainly gone for the season. It is hopeful that Camargo can come back before the playoffs. Lets hope the rotation can get some rest and be ready to go for the downseason series.
Now for the football scene. Let’s start with the Falcons. The Sunday night clash with the Eagles was close and exciting but not very well played. Matt Ryan had a rough game with three interceptions but his fourth down pass to Julio Jones was the difference. What an awesome block that Jake Matthews sparked the play. The defense was pretty good the entire game. The NFC south is now very interesting now that Drew Brees is out for at least six games with thumb surgery. The birds have a big stretch coming up as they have three of their next four on the road. The running game must improve as it only has 13 total yards in two games. Devonte Freeman has been held to 41 total yards. Matt Ryan’s start hasn’t been very good either as he has been picked off five times in the first two games. He threw only seven the entire 2018 season. They hit the road this week to play the Colts.
Now for one of the biggest regular season games in recent memory for the Dogs. They have an 8:00 p.m. start on Saturday night against Notre Dame. This is the third meeting between the powers since 1980. Of course the first two meetings went to the Dogs. The first was in the Sugar Bowl and the second in Notre Dame recently. The hype for this one is huge. The Dogs come in ranked third and the Irish at number seven.
The odds makers really like the Dogs. They are early 14-point favorites and I agree with them. I don’t think the Irish can stop the Dogs on the ground or in the air. Georgia has way too much talent and depth on both sides of the ball. I think the Dogs prove to the world they are national contenders. Sanford Stadium will be jumping this Saturday.
Appling defeates Dodge, 42-7
By Joey Marchant
Dodge County limped down U.S. 341 to Baxley where they were soundly defeated by the Appling County Pirates by a score of 42-7. Dodge hit the road without head coach Ken Cofer who was not eligible to travel with the team this week due to having been ejected from the game against West Laurens due to the team receiving two sideline infractions in that game.
The Indians were also without the following starters: Caleb Fluellen, Colby Lee, Cameron Gooch, Timmy Johnson and Jamerius Hines. Additionally, Noah Cummings would leave the game in the first quarter and Tyrese Johnson would leave at halftime. Still credit must be given to Appling County who is a very good football team and will make some noise in AAA this year.
Dodge would come out strong on defense as they held Appling to three and out highlighted by Tyrese Johnson dropping the running back for a 12 yard loss on a toss sweep.
Dodge took the ball at its on 47 yard line. A jet sweep by Mikhail Carr gained nine yards. A jet sweep by Carr the opposite way gained eight yards. Daylon Gordon would later score on a 22 yard run, but it was called back for an obvious block in the back. On third down and 14, Harpe got six yards back with a pass to Keldrick Beck. That left Dodge with 4th down and eight yards to go at the Appling 24 yard line, which was just outside of field goal range. Harpe threw an interception in the end zone resulting in a touchback.
Appling fullback RJ Conaway carried for 24 yards, 8 yards and 39 yards. After getting a breather, Conaway came back in to score from five yards out. The extra point gave Appling a 7-0 lead.
Dodge would take possession at its own 21 yard line when two players collided trying to field the kickoff. A screen pass to Gordon gained 13 yards but was called back for holding. From his own nine yard line, Gordon took a handoff and finding nothing inside bounced it outside for a 43 yard run to the Appling 48 yard line. The Dodge Offense stalled there, and Mason Mangham punted for 31 yards to the Appling 15 yard line.
Elisha Williams stuffed the run on first down, and Kane Northcutt stuffed the run on second down. However, Appling came back with a trick play of sorts on third down. They lined up in an unbalanced line meaning they took an offensive lineman from the right side and moved him over to the left side. This left an eligible receiver lined up in a three point where the right offensive tackle would normally line up. The receiver released inside and cleared the linebackers and safety without notice as the quarterback faked the handoff and bootlegged left hitting the receiver for a 32 yard gain before Beck caught up with him. Later in the drive, Appling went for the end zone where the pass bounced off an Appling receiver being defended by Beck and into the arms of Nathan Coley who returned it to the 23 yard line before a block in the back on the return brought it back to the Dodge 14 yard line.
Dodge could not move the football, but Mangham got off a nice 43 yard punt. On 3rd down and very long, Appling Quarterback Jeremiah Holmes rolled right where Williams and Jamal Mahan did a good job of containing and turning the quarterback inside. However, the help was not there from the inside, and Holmes cut back for a 63 yard gain before Coley brought him down around the Dodge 12 yard line. After being backed up by a penalty, Holmes threw a 26 yard touchdown pass. The extra point made it 14-0 Appling.
On the ensuing drive, Harpe would complete passes of 12 yards to Tyrese Johnson and 12 yards to Kevin Sykes. However, the Dodge Offense would again stall. Mangham punted for 36 yards to the Appling 10 yard line.
Appling had consecutive runs of 34, 34 and 20 yards for a touchdown. The extra point made it 21-0 Appling.
Tyrese Johnson returned the ensuing kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown. The extra point cut the Appling lead to 21-7. However, Appling returned the ensuing kickoff 86 yards for a touchdown of its own. The extra point gave Appling a 28-7 lead, which it would take into halftime.
Appling would shut Dodge out in the second half adding two more touchdowns for the 42-7 victory. Appling outgained Dodge in the game by a total of 501 yards to 140 yards.
Dodge falls to 1-2 on the year, losing consecutive games for the first time since September 2016, and will travel to Fitzgerald to face the Purple Hurricane on September 20th at 7:30 pm. Hopefully, Dodge can get some of its injured players back and perform well against Fitzgerald so that it can begin Region Play the following week with some momentum. Fitzgerald is 3-1. Dodge defeated Fitzgerald in Eastman last year by a score of 28-9.
Dodge County limped down U.S. 341 to Baxley where they were soundly defeated by the Appling County Pirates by a score of 42-7. Dodge hit the road without head coach Ken Cofer who was not eligible to travel with the team this week due to having been ejected from the game against West Laurens due to the team receiving two sideline infractions in that game.
The Indians were also without the following starters: Caleb Fluellen, Colby Lee, Cameron Gooch, Timmy Johnson and Jamerius Hines. Additionally, Noah Cummings would leave the game in the first quarter and Tyrese Johnson would leave at halftime. Still credit must be given to Appling County who is a very good football team and will make some noise in AAA this year.
Dodge would come out strong on defense as they held Appling to three and out highlighted by Tyrese Johnson dropping the running back for a 12 yard loss on a toss sweep.
Dodge took the ball at its on 47 yard line. A jet sweep by Mikhail Carr gained nine yards. A jet sweep by Carr the opposite way gained eight yards. Daylon Gordon would later score on a 22 yard run, but it was called back for an obvious block in the back. On third down and 14, Harpe got six yards back with a pass to Keldrick Beck. That left Dodge with 4th down and eight yards to go at the Appling 24 yard line, which was just outside of field goal range. Harpe threw an interception in the end zone resulting in a touchback.
Appling fullback RJ Conaway carried for 24 yards, 8 yards and 39 yards. After getting a breather, Conaway came back in to score from five yards out. The extra point gave Appling a 7-0 lead.
Dodge would take possession at its own 21 yard line when two players collided trying to field the kickoff. A screen pass to Gordon gained 13 yards but was called back for holding. From his own nine yard line, Gordon took a handoff and finding nothing inside bounced it outside for a 43 yard run to the Appling 48 yard line. The Dodge Offense stalled there, and Mason Mangham punted for 31 yards to the Appling 15 yard line.
Elisha Williams stuffed the run on first down, and Kane Northcutt stuffed the run on second down. However, Appling came back with a trick play of sorts on third down. They lined up in an unbalanced line meaning they took an offensive lineman from the right side and moved him over to the left side. This left an eligible receiver lined up in a three point where the right offensive tackle would normally line up. The receiver released inside and cleared the linebackers and safety without notice as the quarterback faked the handoff and bootlegged left hitting the receiver for a 32 yard gain before Beck caught up with him. Later in the drive, Appling went for the end zone where the pass bounced off an Appling receiver being defended by Beck and into the arms of Nathan Coley who returned it to the 23 yard line before a block in the back on the return brought it back to the Dodge 14 yard line.
Dodge could not move the football, but Mangham got off a nice 43 yard punt. On 3rd down and very long, Appling Quarterback Jeremiah Holmes rolled right where Williams and Jamal Mahan did a good job of containing and turning the quarterback inside. However, the help was not there from the inside, and Holmes cut back for a 63 yard gain before Coley brought him down around the Dodge 12 yard line. After being backed up by a penalty, Holmes threw a 26 yard touchdown pass. The extra point made it 14-0 Appling.
On the ensuing drive, Harpe would complete passes of 12 yards to Tyrese Johnson and 12 yards to Kevin Sykes. However, the Dodge Offense would again stall. Mangham punted for 36 yards to the Appling 10 yard line.
Appling had consecutive runs of 34, 34 and 20 yards for a touchdown. The extra point made it 21-0 Appling.
Tyrese Johnson returned the ensuing kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown. The extra point cut the Appling lead to 21-7. However, Appling returned the ensuing kickoff 86 yards for a touchdown of its own. The extra point gave Appling a 28-7 lead, which it would take into halftime.
Appling would shut Dodge out in the second half adding two more touchdowns for the 42-7 victory. Appling outgained Dodge in the game by a total of 501 yards to 140 yards.
Dodge falls to 1-2 on the year, losing consecutive games for the first time since September 2016, and will travel to Fitzgerald to face the Purple Hurricane on September 20th at 7:30 pm. Hopefully, Dodge can get some of its injured players back and perform well against Fitzgerald so that it can begin Region Play the following week with some momentum. Fitzgerald is 3-1. Dodge defeated Fitzgerald in Eastman last year by a score of 28-9.
Lady Indians lost to Cordele but recover against Northeast Macon
By Russ Ragan
The Dodge High Lady Indians softball team split a pair of games last week. Dodge had a rough day in Cordele as they dropped an 8-0 decision. The Lady Indians recovered for a 15-0 region win over Northeast Macon. Dodge will host Veterans today (Wednesday) at 5:30 p.m. They hit the road to play East Laurens on Thursday. They travel to Stone Mountain on Saturday for 9:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. games. On Tuesday, Dodge will host Bleckley County for a huge region match up.
The week started on a tough note as they stepped out of region play to play Crisp County. The Lady Indians only managed a second inning double by Gracie Lewis and a single by Makiyah Roberson on offense. Linzy Bowen actually pitched well as she allowed only one earned run.
Tuesday was a first for Dodge County softball. Silent softball was observed. The purpose of the event was to increase awareness regarding youth mental health in softball. The first inning would be completely silent as parents, coaches, players and umpires would not say anything. Dylanna Barton got the start on the mound against North East Macon. She had an easy inning that featured a pair of strikeouts. Barton led off the bottom of the first with a line drive down the right field line. The defender had trouble getting to the ball and Barton circled the bases for the inside the park homerun and a 1-0 Dodge lead. Dodge centered to do damage with two outs. Kyla Howell would triple to left center and a pitch to put runners on the corners hit Jaina Vae Patillo. A single to left center by Gracie Lewis would score both run for a 3-0 lead. Ava Roland would single in Lewis for a 4-0 lead after one inning.
Barton has an easy second with another pair of strikeouts. Dodge went back to work in the bottom of the second. Jacey Hickman singled and stole second. She scored on a ground ball from Sydney Powell for a 5-0 game. Patillo would double and that scored Powell and Howell for a 7-0 Dodge lead. Ava Roland drove in Lewis to cap off a five run inning for a 9-0 lead after two innings.
North East got their only base runner of the game on a hit by pitch. Dodge would finish this one in the bottom of the third. Barton would double and steal third and score on a passed ball for a 10-0 game. Powell and Patillo would walk and score for a 12-0 Dodge lead. Gracie Lewis would reach on an error and score on a triple by Ava Roland for a 13-0 game. Roland would score or a single by Carson Ethridge for a 14-0 game. Ethridge would steal second and score on an infield hit by Jacey Hickman and the final would be 15-0 Dodge.
The Dodge High Lady Indians softball team split a pair of games last week. Dodge had a rough day in Cordele as they dropped an 8-0 decision. The Lady Indians recovered for a 15-0 region win over Northeast Macon. Dodge will host Veterans today (Wednesday) at 5:30 p.m. They hit the road to play East Laurens on Thursday. They travel to Stone Mountain on Saturday for 9:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. games. On Tuesday, Dodge will host Bleckley County for a huge region match up.
The week started on a tough note as they stepped out of region play to play Crisp County. The Lady Indians only managed a second inning double by Gracie Lewis and a single by Makiyah Roberson on offense. Linzy Bowen actually pitched well as she allowed only one earned run.
Tuesday was a first for Dodge County softball. Silent softball was observed. The purpose of the event was to increase awareness regarding youth mental health in softball. The first inning would be completely silent as parents, coaches, players and umpires would not say anything. Dylanna Barton got the start on the mound against North East Macon. She had an easy inning that featured a pair of strikeouts. Barton led off the bottom of the first with a line drive down the right field line. The defender had trouble getting to the ball and Barton circled the bases for the inside the park homerun and a 1-0 Dodge lead. Dodge centered to do damage with two outs. Kyla Howell would triple to left center and a pitch to put runners on the corners hit Jaina Vae Patillo. A single to left center by Gracie Lewis would score both run for a 3-0 lead. Ava Roland would single in Lewis for a 4-0 lead after one inning.
Barton has an easy second with another pair of strikeouts. Dodge went back to work in the bottom of the second. Jacey Hickman singled and stole second. She scored on a ground ball from Sydney Powell for a 5-0 game. Patillo would double and that scored Powell and Howell for a 7-0 Dodge lead. Ava Roland drove in Lewis to cap off a five run inning for a 9-0 lead after two innings.
North East got their only base runner of the game on a hit by pitch. Dodge would finish this one in the bottom of the third. Barton would double and steal third and score on a passed ball for a 10-0 game. Powell and Patillo would walk and score for a 12-0 Dodge lead. Gracie Lewis would reach on an error and score on a triple by Ava Roland for a 13-0 game. Roland would score or a single by Carson Ethridge for a 14-0 game. Ethridge would steal second and score on an infield hit by Jacey Hickman and the final would be 15-0 Dodge.
Lady Indian win 20-1 against Southwest
By Russ Ragan
It was a slow week for the Dodge High Lady Indians softball team as they played just one game. They traveled to Macon for a region game with Southwest. The game was never in question as they scored 10 runs in the first and coasted to a 20-1 win. Dodge will return home on Monday for a 5:30 p.m. start against Washington County.
Here is a stat rundown for the game: Dylanna Barton; one for two, three runs scored, two stolen bases and two walks. Sydney Powell; four for four, two runs scored and two RBIs. Logan White; two for two, two runs scored, two doubles, two stolen bases, two walks and two RBIs. Kyla Howell; two for two, two runs scored, one homerun, one walk and one RBI. Makiyah Roberson; two for two, two runs scored, one stolen base and one walk. JaineVae Patillo; one for one, three runs scored, a stolen base and two walks. Ava Roland; two for three, two runs scored, a double, a triple and two RBIs. Carson Etheridge; one for one, two runs scored, a walk, a stolen base and an RBI. Jacey Hickman; one for three, two runs scored and an RBI. On the mound, freshman Dylanna Barton pitched a no hitter with six strikeouts.
Upcoming games for the Lady Indians will be Tuesday, September 17 against Washington County and Wednesday, September 18 against Veterans. Both games will be played at home.
It was a slow week for the Dodge High Lady Indians softball team as they played just one game. They traveled to Macon for a region game with Southwest. The game was never in question as they scored 10 runs in the first and coasted to a 20-1 win. Dodge will return home on Monday for a 5:30 p.m. start against Washington County.
Here is a stat rundown for the game: Dylanna Barton; one for two, three runs scored, two stolen bases and two walks. Sydney Powell; four for four, two runs scored and two RBIs. Logan White; two for two, two runs scored, two doubles, two stolen bases, two walks and two RBIs. Kyla Howell; two for two, two runs scored, one homerun, one walk and one RBI. Makiyah Roberson; two for two, two runs scored, one stolen base and one walk. JaineVae Patillo; one for one, three runs scored, a stolen base and two walks. Ava Roland; two for three, two runs scored, a double, a triple and two RBIs. Carson Etheridge; one for one, two runs scored, a walk, a stolen base and an RBI. Jacey Hickman; one for three, two runs scored and an RBI. On the mound, freshman Dylanna Barton pitched a no hitter with six strikeouts.
Upcoming games for the Lady Indians will be Tuesday, September 17 against Washington County and Wednesday, September 18 against Veterans. Both games will be played at home.
Russ's Sports Review
It was a fairly good week for area sports overall. The Braves were great as they probably shut down the National League East Championship. The Bulldogs ran over Murray State as expected. Then there were the Falcons. What can you say? They were awful in every way as they were whipped by the Vikings.
Let’s start with the Braves. I will be the first to admit that this team wasn’t as good as they were to become. They did get so much better at the trade deadline as they got bullpen help from Shane Greene and Mark Melancon. It took a little while to get Greene going. He has been great as of late in the eighth inning role. Melancon is finally healthy and he is proving to be a great closer.
At least for now the young Braves starters are great. Foltynewicz was great in the critical first game against the Nationals. He also gave seven great innings in Monday night’s win against the Phillies. Fried has also been the pitcher he was hyped up to be for a few years now. The Braves would give the Dodgers, Yankees and Astros a real run for their money with a true number one starter. The problem is there are very few of them out there. The offense is being led by the veterans Freddie Freeman and Josh Donaldson. Freeman has been good all year as he leads all of baseball in RBIs. The hot one as of late has been Donaldson. He hit his 37th homerun in Monday night’s win over Philly. Acuna, who has been ice cold, hit his 38th dinger to lead off Monday night. October baseball should be very interesting.
It was no shock in Georgia that the Dogs blew out Murray State 63-17 on Saturday in Athens. There were three freshmen that stood out. Redshirt freshman running back Zamir “Zeus” White had 72 yards on just eight carries and a touchdown. The wide outs were also very good. George Pickens had 78 yards on just four catches and a touchdown. The other is Dominick Blaylock. He had 48 yards on just three catches. It looks like the offense will be in good hands after this year even if Fromm and Swift leave for the NFL draft. I don’t think either one will return.
Then there were the Falcons. They were bad in so many ways. They did nothing on offense and the defense was beat up and for good measure they got a punt blocked. Everything went wrong.
They will take another shot at things this Sunday in the home opener against the Eagles.
Let’s start with the Braves. I will be the first to admit that this team wasn’t as good as they were to become. They did get so much better at the trade deadline as they got bullpen help from Shane Greene and Mark Melancon. It took a little while to get Greene going. He has been great as of late in the eighth inning role. Melancon is finally healthy and he is proving to be a great closer.
At least for now the young Braves starters are great. Foltynewicz was great in the critical first game against the Nationals. He also gave seven great innings in Monday night’s win against the Phillies. Fried has also been the pitcher he was hyped up to be for a few years now. The Braves would give the Dodgers, Yankees and Astros a real run for their money with a true number one starter. The problem is there are very few of them out there. The offense is being led by the veterans Freddie Freeman and Josh Donaldson. Freeman has been good all year as he leads all of baseball in RBIs. The hot one as of late has been Donaldson. He hit his 37th homerun in Monday night’s win over Philly. Acuna, who has been ice cold, hit his 38th dinger to lead off Monday night. October baseball should be very interesting.
It was no shock in Georgia that the Dogs blew out Murray State 63-17 on Saturday in Athens. There were three freshmen that stood out. Redshirt freshman running back Zamir “Zeus” White had 72 yards on just eight carries and a touchdown. The wide outs were also very good. George Pickens had 78 yards on just four catches and a touchdown. The other is Dominick Blaylock. He had 48 yards on just three catches. It looks like the offense will be in good hands after this year even if Fromm and Swift leave for the NFL draft. I don’t think either one will return.
Then there were the Falcons. They were bad in so many ways. They did nothing on offense and the defense was beat up and for good measure they got a punt blocked. Everything went wrong.
They will take another shot at things this Sunday in the home opener against the Eagles.
Russ's Sports Review
The Bulldogs opened the season on Saturday night with a dangerous SEC east road game in Nashville against Vanderbilt. They did what they needed to do and that was to jump out early and they did as they grabbed a 21-0 lead and they coasted to a 30-6 win. The second half was nothing special as they did little in the red zone. A couple of dynamic players were important in the win. The first was wide out Demetris Robertson. He had a rough year last year after transferring from Cal. He caught his first three passes including the first touchdown of the game. The second was the long awaited debut of red shirt freshman Zamir “Zew” White. He had 53 yards on just five carries. This week is the home opener as Murray State comes and they are just a 49 point underdog. It was a rough weekend for the SEC East as South Carolina was upset by North Carolina and the shocker was Tennessee losing to Georgia State at home. Also Missouri lost despite being a 21-point favorite at Wyoming.
The Falcons will get things going for real this Sunday as they hit the road to play the Vikings. The Birds are a four-point underdog for the game. The big news for the week was the re-signing of kicker Matt Bryant. Honestly, he should have never been let go to start with. I guess the other big story is what hasn’t happened yet and that is the new contract to super star wide out Julio Jones. The plan was to have a deal done prior to the start of the season. All I can say there is that they better hurry. It looks like it will be a two-team race between the Falcons and the Saints. I guess the Panthers could make it a three-team race but we will have to see. It will come down to the health of Falcons defense if they want to compete this year.
Okay, time to talk baseball. It was a big week for the Braves as they were riding a five-game winning streak going into Tuesday night’s play against the Blue Jays. The Nationals had been playing very well also but they finally lost to the Mets on Monday so the lead reached 6-5. This week is huge as the Nationals come to Atlanta starting on Thursday. The week has belonged to Freddie Freeman. The veteran first baseman has 38 homeruns and 114 RBIs entering Tuesday night’s play. He had a pair of homeruns and drove in five in Sunday’s win over the White Sox. The pitching and especially the bullpen has been a lot better. Shane Greene and Mark Melancon have been lights out in the late innings. Lets hope the young arms of Soroka and Fried can continue to hang on in September. Fried was great against the Sox with 11 strikeouts. They are off to a great start in September. A good weekend against the Nationals will go a long way to a National League East championship. It would be one I didn’t think would happen.
The Falcons will get things going for real this Sunday as they hit the road to play the Vikings. The Birds are a four-point underdog for the game. The big news for the week was the re-signing of kicker Matt Bryant. Honestly, he should have never been let go to start with. I guess the other big story is what hasn’t happened yet and that is the new contract to super star wide out Julio Jones. The plan was to have a deal done prior to the start of the season. All I can say there is that they better hurry. It looks like it will be a two-team race between the Falcons and the Saints. I guess the Panthers could make it a three-team race but we will have to see. It will come down to the health of Falcons defense if they want to compete this year.
Okay, time to talk baseball. It was a big week for the Braves as they were riding a five-game winning streak going into Tuesday night’s play against the Blue Jays. The Nationals had been playing very well also but they finally lost to the Mets on Monday so the lead reached 6-5. This week is huge as the Nationals come to Atlanta starting on Thursday. The week has belonged to Freddie Freeman. The veteran first baseman has 38 homeruns and 114 RBIs entering Tuesday night’s play. He had a pair of homeruns and drove in five in Sunday’s win over the White Sox. The pitching and especially the bullpen has been a lot better. Shane Greene and Mark Melancon have been lights out in the late innings. Lets hope the young arms of Soroka and Fried can continue to hang on in September. Fried was great against the Sox with 11 strikeouts. They are off to a great start in September. A good weekend against the Nationals will go a long way to a National League East championship. It would be one I didn’t think would happen.
Lady Indians win a pair of region games
By Russ Ragan
The Dodge High Lady Indians had a big week as they had a pair of region games on Tuesday. Dodge overcame a slow start to beat East Laurens 13-2. Thursday was the big game as they traveled to Cochran to play Bleckley County. Junior pitcher Linzy Bowen would pitch a dazzling one hit shutout in a big 9-0 win.
The win puts Dodge in control of 3-AA play as the leader of the region at the end of the regular season and Dodge will be the top seed for the state tournament as there will be no region tournament at the end of regular season play. Dodge will play at Southwest Macon this Thursday.
Dodge hosted East Laurens last Tuesday. Dodge would trail 2-0 after the first. Freshman Dylanna Barton got the start on the mound for Dodge. She had an easy second as fellow freshman Ava Roland gunned down a would be stolen base. The Lady Indians then went to work at the plate. Gracie Lewis doubled to left center and Makiyah Roberson singled to put runners on the corners. Roberson would steal second and both runners would score on a single by Bailey Harvey and the game would be tied at 2-2. Harvey would score on a wild pitch to give Dodge the lead at 3-2. JainaVae Patillo would single and score and the Dodge lead would go to 4-2 going to the third.
Barton had a strong third with a pair of strikeouts. Aniyah Black and Logan opened the inning with a double and a single. Gracie Lewis drove home Black as she reached on an error for a 5-2 Dodge lead. Makiyah Roberson would triple to right center that scored White and Lewis for a 7-2 lead. Ava Roland singled home Roberson for an 8-2 game. Sydney Powell would single home Carson Ethridge who was running for Roland and Patillo for a 10-2 game. Black would drive in Powell for an 11-2 lead going to the fourth.
It would be an easy fourth for Barton as she had an easy inning that featured her fifth strike out. Singles from Roberson and an RBI single from Roland gave Dodge a 13-2 lead. Barton had an easy fifth for the 13-2 final. Barton pitched well allowing just three hits and two runs.
Dodge failed to score in the top of the first in the Bleckley showdown. After walking the lead off batter she struck out the next three all swinging to keep the game scoreless going to the second.
Logan White reached on an error and Gracie Lewis singled to begin the inning. One out later, Bailey Harvey singled home White for a 1-0 lead. Ava Roland reached on an error as two runs scored and the Dodge lead would be 3-0. The Lady Royals got a single to right that just got by a diving Sydney Powell with two out. Bowen got a pair of strikeouts to end the inning.
Dodge would put the game away in the third. Singles from Black, White and Lewis loaded the bases with nobody out. Makiyah Roberson would hit a double to left and when the ball got past the left fielder everyone scored and suddenly the game was 7-0 and that was a gracious plenty for Bowen. She struck out the side for the second time in three innings.
The inning did feature the only caught looking strike out Bowen had on the day. Dodge put the finishing touches to the game in the fifth. Roberson would be hit by a pitch and score on a wild pitch. Patillo would single home Harvey who also singled and the Dodge lead would reach 9-0.
The fifth for the Lady Royals featured their hardest hit of the day but Sydney Powell made a beautiful diving catch. A strike out and a fly ball to Roberson to center would do it for the 9-0 final. Bowen walked just one and struck out 10 while allowing just one hit.
The Dodge High Lady Indians had a big week as they had a pair of region games on Tuesday. Dodge overcame a slow start to beat East Laurens 13-2. Thursday was the big game as they traveled to Cochran to play Bleckley County. Junior pitcher Linzy Bowen would pitch a dazzling one hit shutout in a big 9-0 win.
The win puts Dodge in control of 3-AA play as the leader of the region at the end of the regular season and Dodge will be the top seed for the state tournament as there will be no region tournament at the end of regular season play. Dodge will play at Southwest Macon this Thursday.
Dodge hosted East Laurens last Tuesday. Dodge would trail 2-0 after the first. Freshman Dylanna Barton got the start on the mound for Dodge. She had an easy second as fellow freshman Ava Roland gunned down a would be stolen base. The Lady Indians then went to work at the plate. Gracie Lewis doubled to left center and Makiyah Roberson singled to put runners on the corners. Roberson would steal second and both runners would score on a single by Bailey Harvey and the game would be tied at 2-2. Harvey would score on a wild pitch to give Dodge the lead at 3-2. JainaVae Patillo would single and score and the Dodge lead would go to 4-2 going to the third.
Barton had a strong third with a pair of strikeouts. Aniyah Black and Logan opened the inning with a double and a single. Gracie Lewis drove home Black as she reached on an error for a 5-2 Dodge lead. Makiyah Roberson would triple to right center that scored White and Lewis for a 7-2 lead. Ava Roland singled home Roberson for an 8-2 game. Sydney Powell would single home Carson Ethridge who was running for Roland and Patillo for a 10-2 game. Black would drive in Powell for an 11-2 lead going to the fourth.
It would be an easy fourth for Barton as she had an easy inning that featured her fifth strike out. Singles from Roberson and an RBI single from Roland gave Dodge a 13-2 lead. Barton had an easy fifth for the 13-2 final. Barton pitched well allowing just three hits and two runs.
Dodge failed to score in the top of the first in the Bleckley showdown. After walking the lead off batter she struck out the next three all swinging to keep the game scoreless going to the second.
Logan White reached on an error and Gracie Lewis singled to begin the inning. One out later, Bailey Harvey singled home White for a 1-0 lead. Ava Roland reached on an error as two runs scored and the Dodge lead would be 3-0. The Lady Royals got a single to right that just got by a diving Sydney Powell with two out. Bowen got a pair of strikeouts to end the inning.
Dodge would put the game away in the third. Singles from Black, White and Lewis loaded the bases with nobody out. Makiyah Roberson would hit a double to left and when the ball got past the left fielder everyone scored and suddenly the game was 7-0 and that was a gracious plenty for Bowen. She struck out the side for the second time in three innings.
The inning did feature the only caught looking strike out Bowen had on the day. Dodge put the finishing touches to the game in the fifth. Roberson would be hit by a pitch and score on a wild pitch. Patillo would single home Harvey who also singled and the Dodge lead would reach 9-0.
The fifth for the Lady Royals featured their hardest hit of the day but Sydney Powell made a beautiful diving catch. A strike out and a fly ball to Roberson to center would do it for the 9-0 final. Bowen walked just one and struck out 10 while allowing just one hit.
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