Sports

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.

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.

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.

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.

By Joey Marchant
Dodge County opened the 2019 season by outlasting the Bradwell Institute Tigers by a score of 49-37 on Coach John M. Peacock Field at Memorial Stadium.
Bradwell would take possession at its own 20 yard line after a touchback on the opening kickoff by Mason Mangham. The Tigers picked up two first downs moving out to their own 45 yard line before an errant snap by Bradwell resulted in a 22 yard loss. This proved a drive killer for Bradwell, but the Tigers were able to pin Dodge at its own 18 yard line with a nice high punt.
Daylon Gordon took the handoff from Kade Harpe on Dodge’s first play from scrimmage and ran virtually untouched for an 82 yard touchdown. Davis Marchant’s block on the middle linebacker cleared the way for Gordon. Mikhail Carr rushed for a two point conversion to give Dodge an 8-0 lead.
Bradwell would start its next possession on its own 36 yard line and move quickly to the Dodge 15 yard line where Carr made a touchdown saving tackle on the quarterback after a 27 yard gain on the keeper. From there, Carr dropped the quarterback for a one yard loss on first down. Elisha Williams sniffed out the screen pass and dropped the running back for a three yard loss on second down. On third down, the quarterback rushed for 10 yards before Jamal Mahan tackled him short of the first down at the Dodge nine yard line. Bradwell connected on a 26 yard field goal from there to cut the Dodge lead to 8-3.
Carr returned the ensuing kickoff 95 yards for an apparent touchdown, but the play was called back to the Dodge 27 yard line for a penalty on the return. Harpe hit Timmy Johnson with a pass for 3 yards on first down. Consecutive carries by Nathan Coley resulted in a Dodge first down at its own 37 yard line. Harpe hit Marchant who gained two yards before being horse collared by a defensive lineman. The resulting penalty gave Dodge a first down at the Bradwell 46 yard line. Later in the drive, Harpe would hit Carr in stride streaking down the sideline for a 52 yard touchdown pass. Gabe Thompson added the extra point to give Dodge a 15-3 lead. A penalty on Bradwell enforced on the kickoff allowed Mangham to drive the ball into the end zone for a touchback.
Two plays later, Coley forced a fumble, which was recovered by Williams at the Bradwell 28 yard line. Gordon carried up the middle for 10 yards making a man miss at the line before running over the safety. Gordon’s helmet came off in the process, which resulted in the play being blown dead by rule. A Bradwell player slammed Gordon to the ground. Harpe came in to defend his teammate and earned a 15 yard penalty moving the ball back to the Bradwell 33 yard line. Two plays later, Harpe handed to Keldrick Beck on an end around play that gained 24 yards to the Bradwell 10 yard line. Two plays later, Noah Cummings, who started at defensive end, came in for his only snap at quarterback. He faked a handoff and hit Carr in the corner of the end zone on a beautiful fade route for an 18 yard touchdown. Mangham nailed the extra point to give Dodge a 22-3 lead at the end of the first quarter.
However, Bradwell would come roaring back. The Tigers started on their own 38 yard line where Cummings dropped the quarterback for a one yard loss on first down. On the next play, Bradwell went to the air for a 63 yard touchdown pass. The wide receiver faked a wide receiver screen route and then took off down the field. The Dodge corners appeared to bite on the fake. Carr came over from his safety position but could not make the touchdown saving tackle this time. Blaine Pritchett came off the corner and blocked the extra point attempt. Dodge led 22-9.
Dodge took possession at its own 20 yard line after a touchback. Harpe went to the air hitting Timmy Johnson for 11 yards, Tyrese Johnson for five yards and Beck for 26 yards. Gordon rushed for a 14 yard gain to the Bradwell 35 yard line. Lemon had runs of eight yards and four yards. Coley rushed for eight yards to the Bradwell 15 yard line. The Dodge Offense stalled, and Mangham was wide left on a 37 yard field goal attempt.
Bradwell took over at its own 20 and moved down the field largely on the legs of its quarterback. However, the Dodge Defense stiffened at its own 24 yard line. On first down, Mahan and Williams blew up the screen pass dropping the running back for a loss of one yard. On second down, Mahan grabbed the running back in the backfield and flung him backwards dislodging the ball in the process, which was recovered by Javon McNeal. The play earned Mahan the 13 WMAZ Rib Rocker Award.
Dodge took over at its own 35 yard line and would drive to Bradwell’s 27 yard line highlighted by a 16 yard run by Gordon. The Bradwell Defense held on fourth down when Harpe overthrew Timmy Johnson.
When Bradwell took over, Williams sacked the quarterback for a one yard loss. McNeal sacked the quarterback for an 11 yard loss. Dodge would force a punt to end the half with a 22-9 lead.
The two teams traded punts to start the third quarter. Then Gordon rushed for a 69 yard touchdown on a counter trap play. Gordon ran behind the pulling linemen Jarred Frost and Noah Pace. He made the safety miss and ran untouched to the end zone. Harpe handled a low snap and Thompson split the uprights with the extra point to give Dodge a 29-9 lead.
Bradwell came roaring back by returning the ensuing kickoff to the Dodge 11 yard line and scoring on a run up the middle on the next play. The extra point cut the Dodge lead to 29-16.
Carr returned the ensuing kickoff to the Dodge 26 yard line where Harpe hit Marchant on a tight end screen pass for 24 yards to midfield. Two plays later, Coley ran 45 yards to the Bradwell five yard line. However, two plays later Coley would fumble the ball away to Bradwell.
Bradwell would throw incompletions on first and second down. Mahan dropped the running back for a big loss on third down forcing Bradwell to punt with the ball sitting just outside its goal line. Dodge brought pressure and almost blocked it, but the punter got off a low line drive punt. Coley fielded it on the Bradwell 33 yard line and raced down to the 10 yard line. A face mask penalty moved it to the five yard line, and Lemon would take it in from there on a direct snap for the Dodge touchdown. Mangham drilled the extra point, and Dodge led 36-16.
Dodge lost containment on the kickoff, and Bradwell brought it out to the Dodge 48 yard line. Bradwell quickly moved down the field to the Dodge 24 yard line where despite heavy pressure from Mahan, the quarterback threw a touchdown pass. Bradwell converted the extra point to cut the Dodge lead to 36-23.
Carr had a nice return, but a penalty moved it back to the Dodge 18 yard line. This time Dodge ran the counter trap to the left with Quinn Whitehead and Colby Lee pulling. Gordon took the handoff and split three defenders who converged on him. He would then outrace the Bradwell Defense for another 82 yard touchdown run. Thompson converted the extra point to stretch the Dodge lead to 43-23.
It was about this time that the momentum began to shift. The Georgia heat began to take its toll as often happens in a season opener. Bradwell being a much larger school with virtually no players playing on both sides of the ball was better suited for the heat. Dodge played a lot of players, and came into the game having trained hard, but several key players began to suffer cramps. The game now looked like a heavyweight fight where one guy opens up with a flurry of punches but eventually punches himself out while his opponent paces himself and cruises to victory. There was no doubt who was the better team, but could Dodge hang on?
Dodge fans began to watch the clock while still in the third quarter. A short kickoff allowed Bradwell to start at its own 37 yard line. Tyrese Johnson came up from his safety position and dropped the quarterback for a one yard loss on first down. However, on second down, a Dodge defender pulled up with a cramp in the middle of a pass play allowing the receiver to run free down the field before Pritchett caught up with him inside the Dodge 10 yard line. Two plays later, the quarterback floated one into the end zone, and Beck picked it off returning it to the Dodge 27 yard line.
The third quarter would finally end with Dodge leading 43-23. Dodge could not make a first down, and Timmy Johnson came in to punt. The kick took a Dodge roll and netted 41 yards. Bradwell flew down the field scoring a touchdown and extra point to cut the Dodge lead to 43-30.
Bradwell would try an onside kick that looked like trouble for Dodge until the ball changed directions and took a lateral bounce toward the sideline coming up short of the 10 yards required of an onside kick. Dodge would take over with great field position at the Bradwell 32 yard line. Dodge appeared to be ready to deliver the knockout punch after runs by Gordon and Coley, but a holding call on a nice run by Beck left Dodge in second and long. Two incompletions left Dodge facing a fourth and 13 at the Bradwell 27. It was too far for a field goal, so Dodge left its offense on the field. Bradwell brought a blitz which swallowed Harpe before he could find a receiver giving Bradwell the ball back at its own 34 yard line.
Dodge lost containment on the next play as the quarterback took it down the sideline for a 66 yard touchdown run. The extra point cut the Dodge lead to 43-37. All Bradwell needed was one stop, and it would be in position for a game winning drive. Dodge would look to Carr who was also suffering from cramps to give them a spark on offense. Credit Coach Cofer who has brought a lot of new plays to the Dodge playbook, but he dialed up an old play familiar to Dodge fans when he called for Carr on the Jet Sweep. Carr took it left on one play and right on the next play totaling 39 yards on two carries, his only two rushes of the game. Carr limped off the field, and Dodge went back to Gordon on the next play. A pulling Frost blocked the defensive end, and tight end McNeal absolutely obliterated the outside linebacker. Gordon broke the tackle of the middle linebacker and veered to the outside outrunning everyone to the goal line. The snap on the extra point was high, and Thompson’s kick was blocked. Dodge led 49-37.
Bradwell would eventually score again, but have its touchdown called back for a penalty. Then with Mahan and Williams bearing down on the quarterback, he threw the ball into the arms of McNeal who returned it 39 yards to the Bradwell 46 yard line. Dodge could not score, but Timmy Johnson came in for a 38 yard punt that pinned Bradwell on its own five yard line. Bradwell threw four incompletions giving Dodge the ball back. Dodge went into its Victory formation, and Harpe took a knee to finally run out the clock on Dodge’s 49-37 victory.
Dodge was excited to get the victory in Coach Cofer’s first game at Dodge County. The team showed a lot of heart to persevere down the stretch and grind out the victory. The Dodge Offense rolled up over 600 yards. Dodge will now have an open week in which to get some rest and go to work correcting its many mistakes. It has been said that a team improves most between its first and second game of the season. We look forward to seeing if that proves true for Dodge this year.
Dodge will take on the AAAA West Laurens Raiders on September 6th at 7:30 in Eastman. West Laurens is a talented team who the Indians have narrowly defeated for the last three years in a row, so you can bet the Raiders have this one circled on their calendar. West Laurens will bring a lot of fans, so we need all Dodge fans to be there and be loud.

Statistical leaders for
Dodge were as follows:
Passing: Kade Harpe was 7 for 17 for 122 yards with 1 TD.
Noah Cummings was 1 for 1 for 18 yards with 1 TD.
Rushing: Daylon Gordon had 13 carries for 322 yards and 4 TDs.
Nathan Coley had 10 carries for 74 yards.
Mikhail Carr had 2 carries for 39 yards.
Jayleen Lemon had 5 carries for 17 yards and 1 TD.
Keldrick Beck had 1 carry for 24 yards.
Receiving: Mikhail Carr had 2 catches for 70 yards and 2 TDs.
Davis Marchant had 2 catches for 25 yards.
Timmy Johnson had 2 catches for 14 yards
Keldrick Beck had 1 catch for 26 yards.
Tyrese Johnson had 1 catch for 5 yards.
Defense: Jamal Mahan had 15 total tackles including 9 solo tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss and forced a fumble.
Elisha Williams had 10 total tackles including 6 solo tackles and a sack and a fumble recovery.
Noah Cummings had 7 tackles including 2 tackles for loss.
Javon McNeal had 5 tackles including 4 solo tackles and 1 sack, 1 fumble recovery and 1 interception.
Nathan Coley had 4 tackles and forced a fumble.
Keldrick Beck had 3 tackles and 1 interception.
Special Teams: Mason Mangham was 0/1 on field goals and 2/2 on extra points.
Gabe Thompson was 3/4 on extra points.
Timmy Johnson averaged 42.33 yards on 3 punts.

By Russ Ragan
It was a busy week for the Dodge High Lady Indians Softball. Dodge played five games over the week including a pair of region games. The week opened with a tough 11-6 loss to a strong West Laurens team. Region play opened on Tuesday against Southwest Macon. Dodge rolled to a 15-0 game that wasn’t near that close. Thursday Dodge traveled to Macon to play Northeast. The game wasn’t close as the Lady Indians rolled to a 19-1 win. Dodge traveled to Cordele to play in the Watermelon Classic. The opener was a shoot-out between Dodge and Ware Counties. The Lady Indians rallied from six runs down to tie the game before falling 11-9 in extra innings. Dodge would rally in their second game as they defeated Brantley County 5-2.
The Lady Raiders started strong as they took a 4.0 lead in the first. Dodge would cut the lead in half as Aniyah Black knocked in Dylanna Barton and Makiyah Roberson to cut the lead to 4-2. The Lady Raiders kept the bats going with five more runs in the second to move the lead to 9-2. Dodge would come back in the 4th as Barton drove in Logan White who doubled for a 9-3 game. Ava Roland walked and runner Jainavae Patillo and the game was 9-4. Dodge trailed 11-4 before Gracie Lewis singled home Roberson for an 11-5 game. Bailey Harvey wrapped up the games scoring with a very long homerun to dead center that cleared everything. The final was 11-6.
Dodge welcomed Southwest Macon to Eastman on Tuesday. The Lady Patriots have had no lunch against Dodge and today would be no different. Dylanna Barton got the start on the mound and pitched a perfect game with seven strikeouts in the 15-0 win. Here is an offensive rundown: Barton two for two with three runs scored and three stolen bases; Makiyah Roberson two for two with three runs scored, two stolen bases and an RBI; Logan White one for one with three runs scored, four stolen bases and two RBIs; Sidney Powell one for two with one run scored and two RBIs; Jainavae Patillo two walks and two stolen bases; Kyla Howell two runs scored and two stolen bases; Ava Roland one for one with a stolen base and two RBIs; Carson Ethridge had two walks and Jayci Hickman had a walk and an RBI.
Dodge went to Northeast Macon on Thursday. This one wasn’t close as well as Dodge rolled to a 19-1 win. Barton pitched well again as she allowed only an unearned run going up two hits and striking out six. Here is the offensive breakdown: Barton had two stolen bases and a run scored; Robertson two for two with three runs scored, two triples and an RBI; White three for three with three runs scored, two doubles, a stolen base and three RBIs. Powell two for two with three RBIs, three stolen bases, a triple, a homerun and two RBIs; Howell has a stolen base and a walk; Roland three runs scored and two stolen bases; Patillo two for three with two runs scored and a triple; Ethridge two for two with two runs scored and Hickman with a single, a walk and a run scored.
The competition level went way up on Saturday as Dodge opened with Ware County in Cordele. As has been the case, Dodge got off to a slow start as Ware jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first. Dodge would come back in their half of the first. Roberson tripled with one out and Black followed with a walk. Gracie Lewis singled home Roberson for a 6-1 game. Logan White knocked in Black for a 6-2 game. Sidney Powell knocked in Lewis for a 6-3 game. Ware added to the lead in the second as they scored three more for a 9-3 game but back came Dodge. Dylanna Barton singled and stole second with one out. Aniyah Black got a two-out single to cut the lead to 9-4. Black would score on an error and Lewis knocked in Harvey for a 9-6 game.
The game was still 9-6 when Dodge came to the plate in the third. Barton doubled to left center that scored Kyla Howell for a 9-7 game. Robertson would double and score for a 9-8 game. Black would get an RBI double to finally tie the game at 9-9. The game stayed at 9-9 going to extra innings as the time limit ran out. Ware scored a pair of runs in the sixth for an 11-9 win.
Linzy Bowen got the ball on the mound for Dodge against Brantley County. Dodge trailed 2.0 but it could have been worse as Bowen got a pair of strikeouts to leave the bases loaded. The game was still 2-0 going to the bottom of the second. Ava Roland doubled with two outs and Jainavae Patillo walked with two out. Barton got an RBI hit scoring Ethridge who was running for Roland. Aniyah Black singled home Patillo to tie the game at 2-2. Bowen settled down on the mound as she had four strikeouts through three innings. Dodge would grab the lead in the bottom of the inning. Logan White reached on an error and Sydney Powell walked with one out. Bailey Harvey got a sacrifice fly to score White for a 3-2 Dodge lead. Powell would steal home for a 4-2 Dodge lead. Bowen had an easy top of the fourth and Dodge would increase the lead in the bottom of the fourth. Barton doubled to left to lead off the inning. Aniyah Black would hit a sacrifice fly to score Barton. Roberson moved Barton with a ground out. Brantley had one more swing at things in the fifth, as the 90-minute time limit was about to run out. A walk and a pair of hits loaded the bases. Pop-ups to Sydney Powell and Bailey Harvey would end this one and Dodge would take a 5-2 win.

The Dodge High Lady Indians opened their 2019 softball season on Thursday as they traveled to Perry. The game didn’t go well for the Lady Indians as they dropped a 10-2 decision. On Saturday, Dodge traveled to Harlem to play in the Chic Fil A Tournament. Dodge won the opening game 2-0 over Lakeside. The Lady Indians dropped a 6-5 decision to Washington-Wilkes. Dodge returns to play Thursday as they travel to Northeast Macon. They also play Saturday in the Watermelon Tournament in Cordele. They open with Ware County at 9:30 a.m. They play Brantley County at 1:30 p.m. Dodge will not return to home action on Tuesday, August 27. The game scheduled for Tuesday, August 20 against Dublin will not be played. Also, the game scheduled for September 12 in Dublin will not be played. Dodge will play East Laurens on August 27.
It was a rough season opener for Dodge County in Perry. Dodge couldn’t get started as they trailed 7-0 after two innings. Dodge got on the board in the fifth. Makiyah Roberson doubled and scored. Aniyah Black added a long homer to left center to cut the Perry lead to 7-2. Black added another single. Dylanna Barton added a hit in the game. The final was 10-2.
Dodge traveled to Harlem Saturday to play in the Chic Fil A Tournament. Dodge opened up against Lakeside. Linzy Bowen got the start on the mound for the Lady Indians. Dodge got on the board in the first. Dylanna Barton opened with a walk and she would score on a fly out by Aniyah Black for a 1-0 Dodge lead. Bowen worked around a walk as Ava Roland threw out a would be stolen base and the Dodge lead stayed 1-0. Bowen got on a roll after that. She retired eight in a row including four strikeouts.
Dodge added an insurance run in the fifth. Gracie Lewis led off with a single and she would score on a fly out from Dylanna Barton and the lead would go to 2-0. Bowen went the distance allowing just two hits and striking out seven.
Dodge trailed 2-0 going to the third against Washington-Wilkes. Kyla Howell would lead off the third with a single. Bailey Harvey would double her home to make it a 2-1 game. Logan White would drive in Harvey to tie the game at 2-2.
The Lady Indians took the lead in the fourth. Aniyah Black doubled to lead off the inning and Gracie Lewis walked. Ava Roland knocked in Black for a 3-2 Dodge lead. Howell would drive in Lewis for a 4-2 game. Logan White would drive in Howell and the Dodge lead would reach 5-2. Unfortunately Dodge couldn’t hang on to the lead. Wilkes would rally back in the fifth. They would score four runs and take the 6-5 win.

By Joey Marchant
Dodge County opened the 2019 football season by traveling to Hawkinsville for a preseason scrimmage with the Red Devils. Many Dodge County fans braved the heat in order to get an early look at this year’s team. On the field, Hawkinsville was outnumbered and outmanned from the start.
Hawkinsville started on offense. On the first play from scrimmage, Caleb Fluellen got immediate penetration up the middle flushing the quarterback out of the pocket where Elisha Williams sacked him for a 10 yard loss. On second down, Jamal Mahan dropped the running back for a loss of three yards. Hawkinsville got 14 yards back on third down, but Keldrick Beck dropped the quarterback well short of the first down forcing a punt.
Dodge took over at its own 45 yard line where Noah Cummings faked a handoff and hit Mikhail Carr for a 65 yard touchdown pass. Carr ran right past his defender on a simple vertical route, and Cummings hit him in stride. Mason Mangham added the extra point for a 7-0 Dodge lead.
Dodge held Hawkinsville to only three plays on its next possession highlighted by Daylon Gordon dropping the quarterback for a six yard loss.
After a Hawkinsville punt, Dodge took over at the Hawkinsville 45 yard line where Gordon took a handoff running over one defender and spinning out of the arms of another defender on his way to a 32 yard run. Cummings would later roll right and hit Timmy Johnson on a 12 yard pass to the one yard line. Cummings would call his own number from there taking it in for the one yard touchdown. The extra point was no good, and Dodge had a 13-0 lead.
On Hawkinsville’s next possession, Javon McNeal dropped the running back for a loss of two yards on first down. Blaine Pritchett blew up Hawkinsville’s second down play when he hit the ball carrier five yards in the backfield allowing Cummings to fly in to finish him off for a seven yard loss. Hawkinsville was able to complete a long third down pass for a first down at the Dodge 46 yard line. Three plays later, Carr intercepted a pass at the Dodge 30 yard line and set sail down the sideline for what appeared to be a 70 yard return for a touchdown. However, a Dodge defender turned blocker could not resist an opportunity to level the Hawkinsville quarterback well behind the play. Until recently, this type of block would have been legal as players were warned to “keep your head on a swivel.” However, the block is no longer legal in high school football due to player safety concerns. As a result, the interception would stand, but Carr’s touchdown was negated and a penalty marked off from the spot of the foul leaving the ball at the Hawkinsville 45 yard line.
Kade Harpe came in to run the Dodge offense. Nathan Coley used his speed as he went around the left side for a gain of 35 yards to the Hawkinsville 10 yard line. Fluellen blocked both the defensive end and the linebacker on the play. Another Coley run moved the ball to the 1 yard line. On the next play, Coley lined up for a direct snap. Hawkinsville got penetration, and Coley fumbled the snap which Hawkinsville recovered.
On the next play, Hawkinsville went to the air again resulting in another interception for Carr as his momentum carried him out of bounds at the Hawkinsville 30 yard line. After Tyrese Johnson rushed for 7 yards on a jet sweep, Harpe went to work on the short passing game. He hit Jackson Bowen for 3 yards and a first down. A five yard pass to Ja’lon Jaynes was backed up due to a holding call on the perimeter. Harpe hit Beck on what appeared to be a 23 yard touchdown on a wide receiver screen pass, but another holding call on the perimeter negated the touchdown. Dodge would eventually miss a field goal.
Hawkinsville took over on its 35 yard line where they managed to start a drive aided by Dodge penalties. However, Carr intercepted a pass on the Dodge goal line and returned it 100 yards for a touchdown. Gabe Thompson added the extra point giving Dodge a 20-0 lead early in the second quarter.
On the next Hawkinsville possession, Jamerius Hines hauled in a one handed interception and returned it 38 yards. Later, Coley took a direct snap from the Hawkinsville 15 yard line and ran up the middle behind lead blockers Cummings, McNeal and Davis Marchant before cutting to the sideline for an apparent touchdown run, which was again negated by a holding penalty on the perimeter. Coley then carried for 9 yards, and Elisha Williams carried for five yards to the Hawkinsville one yard line. On the next play, Williams muffed the direct snap giving Hawkinsville the ball on its own five yard line.
Hawkinsville was able to escape the shadow of its own goal line with the help of a questionable pass interference call. On third down, AJ Melvin applied pressure up the middle causing an incomplete pass and forcing a Hawkinsville punt.
Dodge took over on the Hawkinsville 35 yard line. On third down, Cummings hit Seth Cossett for 12 yards on a tight end screen pass. On the next play, Gordon took the handoff and with Cossett leading the way ran untouched up the middle for a 23 yard touchdown. Mangham added the extra point for a 27-0 Dodge lead.
Hawkinsville tried to put together a drive before halftime, but Coley intercepted a pass inside the Dodge 20 yard line. Harpe came back in to run the offense. Harpe hit Kevin Sykes for 15 yards and Timmy Johnson for 12 yards. Harpe scrambled for a 19 yard gain. Coley had a nine yard run, and Jayleen Lemon had a six yard run. Harpe hit Lemon on a screen pass, and Lemon raced 30 yards for a touchdown.
Thompson nailed the extra point, and Dodge led 34-0.
Dodge forced another Hawkinsville punt, and Cummings came back out to run the offense. Carr had a 10 yard run. Cummings hit Tyrese Johnson running a post pattern for 21 yards and Gordon on a screen pass for 22 yards. However, Dodge could not score after reaching the Hawkinsville 16 yard line as the first half ended.
Coach Ken Cofer would sit most of his starters to start the third quarter. Hunter Kirkley came in to run the offense behind the first team offensive line, which was still in the game. Jakevious Bray had runs of 35 yards and 8 yards to open the drive. Kirkley would later score on a 5 yard quarterback keeper. Mangham added the extra point, and Dodge led 41-0.
Javarious Collins had an interception to give the ball back to Dodge at the Hawkinsville 40 yard line. Ty Denton came in to run the offense. Behind the running of Bray and Rico Caines, Dodge drove to the Hawkinsville 10 yard line where Thompson connected on a 27 yard field goal giving Dodge a 44-0 lead.
Dodge then stopped Hawkinsville on fourth down and took over at its own 30 yard line. Kirkley re-entered at quarterback and hit Jonah Collins with a 15 yard pass. Kirkley then faked a handoff and rushed around the right side for a 55 yard touchdown to cap the scoring. Mangham added the extra point making the final score: Dodge 51 Hawkinsville 0.
Statistical leaders for Dodge were as follows: Nathan Coley led the team in rushing with 68 yards on 6 carries with a long of 35 yards. Jakevious Bray had 67 yards on six carries with a long of 35 yards. Daylon Gordon had 66 yards on 5 carries including a 23 yard touchdown. Hunter Kirkley had 60 yards on 2 carries including a 55 yard touchdown.
Noah Cummings was 4/9 passing for 110 yards with 1 touchdown. Kade Harpe was 6/10 passing for 63 yards with 1 touchdown. Hunter Kirkley was 1/1 passing for 15 yards.
Eleven different receivers caught passes for Dodge. Timmy Johnson led in receptions with 2. Mikhail Carr had a 55 yard touchdown reception. Jayleen Lemon had a 30 yard touchdown reception.
Javon McNeal led the defense with eight tackles including five tackles for loss. Daylon Gordon had 4 tackles including two tackles for loss. Elisha Williams had 3 tackles including a sack. Noah Cummings had three tackles including two tackles for loss. Blaine Pritchett had two tackles including one tackle for loss.
Mikhail Carr had three interceptions including one returned 100 yards for a touchdown. Jamerius Hines, Nathan Coley and Javarious Collins each had one interception.
Mason Mangham was 0/1 on field goals and 4/4 on extra points. Gabe Thompson was 1/1 with a 27 yard field goal and 2/3 on extra points.
I would be remiss if I did not mention the offensive line. These guys are the most important position group on any football team and often the least recognized. Starters were Center Pat Stevenson, Right Guard Hunter Rahn, Left Guard Jarred Frost, Right Tackle Colby Lee, and Left Tackle Noah Pace. Davis Marchant started at Tight End. Five of the six were making their first varsity start. Caleb Fluellen, Cameron Gooch, Seth Cossett and Javon McNeal also played extensively. They did a good job opening holes in the running game and protecting the quarterbacks all night.
The game was never in question, but Dodge had plenty of mistakes that will need to be corrected before the regular season starts on August 23rd at 7:30 pm as the Indians host 6A Bradwell Institute. Come out and support the Indians.

Dodge County was represented at the 2019 National Archery in Schools Program Championship in Nashville, Tennessee held in late July. Noah Coleman participated in the bullseye flight and scored 294 out of a possible 300. Noah, along with Jacob Towns and Deanna Yancey shot in the 3-D championship. They all ranked in the top twenty-five percent of the national archers participating. “ These archers practiced hard and showed a true commitment to their team, school,” stated Elaine Pittman, head coach of the Dodge County Team Bullseye. Coaches Jason and Brenda Williams escorted these team members to the competition. The Dodge County Team Bullseye is so grateful and appreciative for the Williams’ contribution to the team as well as the entire coaching staff. We are also so thankful for the contributions made to this team by Gabby Ellis Cossett, George Johnson and Chris Bass.