Sports

By Chad W. Smith
The Dodge County High School (DCHS) basketball teams played one game last week.
They traveled to Southwest Macon on Friday, January 10 for a region match-up. The Squaws faced, the first place in Region 3AA and eighth ranked in state, Lady Patriots and lost 32-62 while the Indians hung tough but lost 59-63 against  coach Robert Cotton’s Patriots.
Scoring for the Squaws against Southwest was: Kylie Hart, nine points; Sanaa Searles, seven points; Altierra Gooch, four points; Jazmyne Mizell, four points; Ileisha Mitchell, four points; Cheyenne Hunt, two points; Ambria Simmons, two points.
Scoring for the Indians against the Patriots was: Timmy Johnson, 21 points; Lamarie Mitchell, 14 points; Keldrick Beck, nine points; Keyshawn Mincey, eight points; Sir Brown, three points; Dontavian McMillian, two points; Caleb Singletary, two points.
Dodge was scheduled for the following games this week: Tuesday, January 14 at home against Northeast Macon; Friday, January, 17 at Dublin; Saturday, January 18 at Telfair County and then return home on Tuesday, January 21 to face Washington County.
All girls’ games start at 6:00 p.m. with the exception of Saturday at Telfair which will begin at 4:00 p.m. Boys’ games always follow immediately after the girls. 

By Chad W. Smith
The Dodge County High School (DCHS) basketball teams played six games over the Christmas break.  They traveled to Washington County on Tuesday, December 17 and then hosted non-region foes Hawkinsville and Telfair County on Friday, December 20 and Saturday, December 21. DCHS played in one game of the Turner County Christmas Classic against Worth County on Monday, December 30 and then hosted East Laurens on Friday, January 3 and traveled to Bleckley County on Saturday, January 4.
The Squaws picked up two wins during that time period as they defeated Hawkinsville, 55-49 and Telfair County, 59-52 and lost games against Washington County, 39-75; Worth County, 41-61; East Laurens, 36-51 and Bleckley County, 49-58.
Scoring for the Squaws against Washington County was: Kylie Hart, 11 points including two three-pointers; Cheyenne Hunt, 11 points; Altierra Gooch, four points; Sanaa Searles, four points; Ambria Simmons, four points; Jazmyne Mizell, three points; Kaonta Goolsby, two points. 
Scoring for the Squaws in the win over Hawkinsville: Kylie Hart, 24 points including four three-pointers; Altierra Gooch, 13 points; Sanaa Searles, eight points; Carson Ethridge a three-pointer; Brooke Dixon, three points; Gabby Hilburn, two points; Jazmyne Mizell, one point; Ambria Simmons, one point.
Squaws scoring in the win over Telfair County was; Altierra Gooch, 13 points; Kyle Hart, 11 points including three three-pointers; Sanaa Searles, 10 points; Carson Ethridge, nine points including two three-pointers; Jazmyne Mizzell, nine points including two three-pointers; Ambria Simmons, seven points.
Scoring for the Squaws against Worth County was: Kylie Hart, 16 points including two three-pointers; Kaonta Goolsby, 12 points; Ambria Simmons, eight points; Jazmyne Mizell, three points; Sanaa Searles two points.
Scoring for the Squaws against East Laurens was: Kylie Hart, 11 points including three three-pointers; Kaonta Goolsby, six points; Altierra Gooch, five points; Jazmyne Mizell, five points; Ambria Simmons, four points; Ileasha Mitchell, two points; Sanaa Searles, two points; Brooke Dixon, one point.
[Full Story »] 

By Joey Marchant
The Dodge County Indians officially turned the page on their 2019 football season with a banquet and awards ceremony. Players and their families enjoyed a meal catered by The Butcher Block. Seniors were presented with their home football jerseys.
Coaches gave the following awards. Senior Hunter Rahn and junior Patrick Stevenson were awarded academic awards for their hard work in the classroom. Senior Jamal Mahan was recognized for being named to the Scout Smart Academic Team by Georgia High School Football Daily. This team is made up of players from all seven classifications whom excel both on the field and in the classroom.
Freshman Hunter Kirkley was presented the Junior Varsity Offensive Award. Sophomore Jackson Bowen was presented the Junior Varsity Defensive Award. Senior Noah Pace was presented the Most Improved Offensive Player Award. Freshman Lamarie Mitchell was presented the Most Improved Defensive Player Award. Senior Timmy Johnson was presented the Special Teams Award. Junior Kevin Sykes, Jr. was presented the Hustle Award for Offense. Junior Rico Caines was presented the Hustle Award for Defense. Senior Jayleen Lemon was presented the Coach’s Award for Offense. Senior AJ Melvin was presented the Coach’s Award for Defense. Senior Colby Lee was presented the Offensive Lineman Award. [Full Story »] 

By Chad W. Smith
The Dodge County High School (DCHS) basketball teams had three games at home last week. They hosted region rival Dublin on Tuesday, December 10; AAAAA Wayne County on Friday, December 13; and then Wilcox County on Saturday, December 14 for another non-region game.

The Squaws picked up their first win of the season against Dublin, 79-59; the Squaws kept things close with AAAAA Wayne County but lost 47-56; and then defeated Wilcox County, 75-63 for their second win of the week.

Scoring for the Squaws in the win against the Dublin Lady Irish was: Kylie Hart, 17 points including five three-pointers; Altierra Gooch, 15 points; Kaonta Goolsby, 11 points including a three-pointer; Cheyenne Hunt, nine points including a three-pointer; Jazmyne Mizell, seven points including a three-pointer; Sanaa Searles, seven points; Carson Ethridge, five points including a three-pointer; Ambria Simmons, five points including three-pointer. 

Scoring for the Squaws in the loss against Wayne County was: Kylie Hart, 18 points including four three-pointers; Kaonta Goolsby, 12 points including a three-pointer; Altierra Gooch, five points; Cheyenne Hunt, four points; Sanaa Searles, four points; Jazmyne Mizell a three-pointer; Ambria Simmons, one point.
[Full Story »] 

By Chad W. Smith
The Dodge County High School (DCHS) basketball teams had three games on the road last week.
They traveled to Wheeler County on Tuesday, December 3 for a non-region game, Northeast Macon on Friday, December 6 for a region game and then to Wilcox County on Saturday, December 7 for another non-region game.
The Squaws lost to second ranked Lady Bulldogs of Wheeler County, 55-80; the Squaws kept things close with region foe Northeast but still lost 49-57 and again kept things close with Wilcox County but fell to the Lady Patriots, 66-69.
 Scoring for the Squaws against Wheeler County was: Kylie Hart, 15 points including a three-pointer; Altierra Gooch, 13 points; Jazmyne Mizell, seven points including two three-pointers; Sanaa Searles, seven points; Kaonta Goolsby, four points; Ambria Simmons, four points; Ileisha Mitchell, three points; Cheyenne Hunt, two points.
Scoring for the Squaws against Northeast Macon was: Kylie Hart, 20 points including five three-pointers; Kaonta Goolsby, 10 points; Altierra Gooch, 10 points; Ambria Simmons, three points; Cheyenne Hunt, two points; Jazmyne Mizell, two points; Sanaa Searles, two points.
Scoring for the Squaws against Wilcox County was: Altierra Gooch, 21 points;  Kylie Hart, 16 points including four three-pointers; Sanaa Searles, 10 points; Kaonta Goolsby, nine points; Cheyenne Hunt, nine points; Carsen Ethridge, one point.
[Full Story »] 

By Chad W. Smith
The Dodge County High School (DCHS) basketball teams opened the 2019-20 season with three games during the Thanksgiving Holiday period. Both the Squaws and Indians have started the new season on a rough note as they both lost their three opening games over the past week. The Squaws and Indians both have youthful and inexperienced teams with lots of underclassmen seeing playing time. They are exciting to watch and see the young talent but have yet to put a win on the board. Improvement is sure to come as the season progresses.
The Squaws are coached by returning head coach CaSandra Hamilton and assistants, Pamela Powers and Nisha Brundige. Coach Hamilton has taken on a new role this year as she is also coaching the Indians with assistants, David Orange and Powers. 
The Squaws lost to AAAAA Wayne County, 27-56, on the road on Saturday, November 23 and then lost two home games on Friday, November 29 to Dooly County, 58-66 and then to Southwest Macon on Saturday, November 30 by a score of 36-68.
Scoring for the Squaws against Wayne was: Kaonta Goolsy, 11 points; Altierra Gooch, five points; Cheyenne Hunt, four points, Sanaa Searles, four points, Kylie Hart, three points.
Scoring for the Squaws against Dooly County was: Kylie Hart, 17 points including three three-pointers; Altierra Gooch, 11 points; Cheyenne Hunt, nine points; Jazmyne Mizell, seven points including two three-pointers; Kaonta Goolsby, six points; Ambria Simmons, four points; Ileasha Mitchell, two points; Sanaa Searles, two points.
[Full Story »] 

The Dodge County Indians played their hearts out in Thomasville against the sixth ranked Bulldogs Friday night. Dodge played its most complete game of the season against one of the toughest opponents it has faced this year.
Dodge kicked off to start the game and Mason Mangham’s squib kick was bobbled allowing Javon McNeal to level the return man at the Thomasville 17 yard line. That set the tone early for what would be a very physical football game with big hits on both sides. On first down, Daylon Gordon pressured the quarterback forcing an incompletion. A second down offsides penalty against Dodge and a short third down pass gave Thomasville a fresh set of downs. Noah Cummings and Jamal Mahan combined to stop the runner after a short gain on first down. Mahan stopped the quarterback for a short gain on second down. On third down, Cummings, Mahan and AJ Melvin combined to stop the quarterback short of the first down forcing a Thomasville punt that rolled dead at the Dodge 17 yard line.
Two runs by Daylon Gordon netted -1 yard. On third down, Cummings who was playing tight end was open for what looked like a big gain, but Hunter Kirkley’s pass was a little behind him. Cummings twisted but couldn’t hang on to the ball. In Kirkley’s defense, Cummings was not exactly where Kirkley expected him to be. Timmy Johnson drove the return man back as his punt sailed 49 yards in the air. A big return was negated by a block in the back by Thomasville who would start at its own 24 yard line.
The two teams would trade punts before Thomasville finally got on the scoreboard first. After a 37 yarder by Timmy Johnson and a nice return, Thomasville started at its own 46 yard line. Thomasville immediately went to the air and was able to drive to the Dodge one yard line where they were met with a goal line stand by the Indians. Thomasville would bring in its starting middle linebacker to take direct snaps as they like to do in short yardage. Cummings managed to get into the backfield on first down and grab the runner by the ankles for no gain. On second down, the runner dropped the snap and Cummings stood him up for a host of Indians to finish off. The ball now sat at the Dodge two yard line. Thomasville rolled the quarterback out for a short pass on third down, but Gordon got a hand on the pass to tip it away bringing up fourth and goal. Thomasville would settle for a field goal and a 3-0 lead.
Dodge would waste no time putting up a score of its own. Gordon fielded the kickoff and ran up the middle behind a wedge of blockers where McNeal leveled a defender opening a hole for Gordon to run through. Gordon made a defender miss around the Thomasville 46 yard line and took it all the way to the Thomasville seven yard line where Thomasville’s athletic kicker had the angle on him. There was also a great effort by Kevin Sykes, Jr. who shielded the kicker for the last 45 yards as the kicker ran diagonally and away from Sykes. It looked like Gordon would cut off Sykes block and score, but he was unable to as he was also having to outrun another defender with an angle. On the next play, Gordon took a direct snap and tried to run right where he was stood up at the line, but Gordon kept his feet moving and bounced it back to the middle where he scored easily. Mangham’s extra point made it 7-3 Dodge.
Thomasville would come back strong as they scored two touchdowns in the first half to take a 17-7 lead aided by a Dodge County turnover on a muffed punt. That would be the score at half, and Dodge had to be confident going in at halftime only down 10 on the road against a one seed.
Dodge got the ball on its own 20 yard line to start the second half after a touchback. Dodge went three and out, and Timmy Johnson’s 34 yard punt was fair caught by Thomasville at its 45 yard line. The Dodge Defense held highlighted by Nathan Coley deflecting a pass intended for Thomasville’s Ricardo Johnson who was running free down the middle. It would be one of the few times Dodge was able to defend Johnson who finished with four catches for 119 yards and three touchdowns. After the Thomasville punt, Dodge would get the ball at its own 22 yard line. A first down pass lost one yard, and a second down pass was incomplete. Then Kirkley rolling right and under heavy pressure threw up a ball that Tyrese Johnson was able to stop and come back to for a 19 yard completion out to the Dodge 30 yard line. Dodge could not get another first down, and Timmy Johnson got off a 35 yard punt that was muffed but recovered by Thomasville at its own 48 yard line. Coley jumped a hitch route on first down and was a fraction of a second away from an interception, on which he would have scored. Cummings dropped the runner after a gain of three yards on second down. Keldrick Beck made a nice open field tackle after a gain of two yards on third down to force another Thomasville punt. Dodge’s Defense was hanging tough in spite of being without its leading tackler and fourth leading tackler on the season. The Dodge Offense was contributing very little, and Thomasville was winning the field position battle as a result. The Thomasville punt drove Coley back to the Dodge eight yard line where he made a fair catch.
The momentum was about to swing big in Dodge’s favor. Gordon took a handoff running right without a lot of blocking. The defensive end knifed inside and ran past Gordon. Landynn Powers pulled and made a good block on an outside linebacker. Noah Pace blocked an inside linebacker. [Full Story »] 

By Joey Marchant
With a 34-14 victory over East Laurens, Dodge has moved a step closer to making the state playoffs for the eighth straight season.
Dodge started the night by honoring its 2019 senior class. In a touching moment, Dodge Seniors brought out a #85 jersey in honor of Kevin Mack, a Dodge County Middle School player who passed away while in the eighth grade in 2016. Kevin was loved by all who knew him. My son told me the week of the Dublin game this year that one of the last times he remembered hearing Kevin speak was in the locker room after Dodge Middle squandered a halftime lead to Dublin in the 2015 Middle School Region Championship Game. Kevin tried to encourage his teammates who were taking the loss hard. “We will beat Dublin when we get to high school,” Kevin said. Kevin’s prediction came true as Kevin’s classmates beat Dublin in high school for the next two years. His old Dodge Middle teammates beat Dublin in 2016 for the Middle School Region Championship. Kevin’s memory lives on in the hearts of his teammates as demonstrated here Friday night.
Mason Mangham kicked off for Dodge squibbing it so as to protect against what happened on the opening kickoff the prior week. East Laurens returned it to its own 41 yard line where the Dodge Defense forced a three and out to start the game.
After an East Laurens punt, Dodge took over at its own 32 yard line. Kade Harpe started at quarterback for Dodge, but he was trying to get over a stomach virus and would not make it through the first quarter. Harpe completed a seven yard wide receiver screen to Keldrick Beck on the first drive, but Dodge could not make a first down. Timmy Johnson came in to punt and got off a 51 yard punt, which was inexplicably fielded by East Laurens at the two yard line and returned to the five yard line.
AJ Melvin dropped the running back for a loss on first down. On second down, Lamarie Mitchell intercepted a pass on the 22 yard line that deflected off the hands of an East Laurens receiver. Mitchell’s feet got tangled up as he came down with the ball, so Dodge would take over there. Kade Harpe kept the ball twice for a total of eight yards. Harpe then handed to Daylon Gordon who ran 14 yards for a touchdown. Mangham added the extra point to give Dodge a 7-0 lead.
Dodge went with the traditional kickoff this time as Tyrese Johnson dropped the returner on the East Laurens 22 yard line. The Dodge Defense forced a three and out with Nathan Coley fielding the punt in heavy traffic and returning it 11 yards to the East Laurens 45 yard line. Harpe tried to continue hitting Beck for a five yard gain on a curl route between two incompletions, but Dodge would go three plays and out, and Harpe’s night would be done. Timmy Johnson punted for 33 yards angling it out of bounds at the East Laurens seven yard line. Dodge forced a three and out, and the East Laurens line drive punt went out of bounds on its own 38 yard line where Dodge would take over.
Freshman Hunter Kirkley came in at quarterback to relieve the ailing Harpe who was noticeably sick on the sidelines between possessions. Kirkley hit Davis Marchant on a tight end screen pass for a gain of 27 yards to the East Laurens 11 yard line. Dodge’s Offense stalled, and Mangham connected on a 27 yard field goal to give Dodge a 10-0 lead.
Gabe Thompson kicked off, and a host of Indians tackled the returner on the East Laurens 28 yard line. On first down, Landynn Powers sacked the quarterback for a loss of eight yards. On second down, a blown coverage by Dodge resulted in a huge play for East Laurens. Two Dodge Defenders jumped a hitch route by a receiver allowing a second receiver to catch a pass running free down the sideline. Safety Ja’Lon Jaynes slowed him up on the Dodge 40 yard line allowing Timmy Johnson to catch the receiver from behind tomahawking the ball loose momentarily before the receiver gathered the ball in at the Dodge 10 yard line. Two plays later, East Laurens completed a touchdown pass. The extra point cut the Dodge lead to 10-7.
Nathan Coley returned the kickoff to the Dodge 34 yard line. Kirkley completed passes of 13 yards and 15 yards to Beck as well as a 23 yard pass to Kevin Sykes, Jr. to get Dodge to the East Laurens eight yard line. Gordon carried for gains of six, seven, zero and a one yard touchdown. Mangham’s extra point gave Dodge a 17-7 lead.
Kane Northcutt ran the kick returner out of bounds at the 24 yard line. Timmy Johnson, Noah Cummings and Javon McNeal combined to drop the East Laurens running back for a 1 yard loss on first down. On third down, Elisha Williams sacked the quarterback for a seven yard loss to force a punt.
[Full Story »] 

By Joey Marchant
The undefeated and fourth ranked Dublin Irish rolled into Dodge County where they defeated the Indians by a score of 35-6. Dodge had a great defensive game plan and was able to contain the strong Irish rushing game for nearly two quarters. In the end, Dodge’s inability to produce on offense resulted in the wearing down of the defense. Dublin ran 73 offensive plays to Dodge’s 31 offensive plays.
Dublin got the ball to start the game at its own 33 yard line after Mason Mangham intentionally squibbed the kickoff. On the first play, Dodge lost containment on a 36 yard run before Mikhail Carr could make a tackle at the Dodge 31 yard line. On first down, Javon McNeal dropped the running back for a three yard loss. On second down, a host of Indians led by Elijah Williams dropped the running back for a loss of five yards. This brought up a long third down on which Noah Cummings sacked the Dublin quarterback for a four yard loss. On fourth down, Dublin snapped the ball far over the head of the punter. Running back Jaquez Evans also handles punting and kickoff duties for the Irish, so he picked the ball up and tried to get back what yards he could breaking three tackles. However, McNeal brought him down at the Irish 36 yard line.
Dodge had an excellent opportunity to take an early lead. Daylon Gordon rushed for three yards on first down. Kade Harpe completed a wide receiver screen to Tyrese Johnson on second down, but a block was missed, and the play failed to gain. On third down, Harpe tried to change the play at the line of scrimmage, but there was some confusion and Harpe was sacked on the play. Timmy Johnson got off a 38 yard punt, which rolled into the end zone for a touchback.
Dublin drove down the field entirely on the ground, but the Dodge Defense stiffened around its own 20 yard line. On fourth and three from the Dodge 19 yard line, Dublin sent Evans into the left flat. Dodge was focused on the run, and no one covered Evans who caught a short pass and ran into the end zone for a touchdown. Dublin added the extra point and led 7-0.
The Dublin kickoff went out of bounds, and Dodge started at its own 35 yard line. Nathan Coley rushed for one yard to the 36 yard line. From there, Harpe hit Keldrick Beck on a short curl route between three defenders. Beck quickly turned and showcased his speed going 64 yards for a touchdown. The extra point was blocked, and Dublin led 7-6. Beck’s catch and run was Dodge’s only big offensive play of the night and accounted for two-thirds of Dodge’s 97 yards of total offense.
The Dodge defense would continue to stand strong forcing Dublin to punt on its next two possessions. Then late in the half, coach Roger Holmes dialed up a play Dublin had not shown on film. The quarterback dropped back as if to pass with Evans blocking before he slipped the ball to Evans from behind on a draw play. Evans headed up field, and then he cut to the outside picking up some key blocks on his way to a 45 yard touchdown run. Evans was tackled by Carr as he crossed the goal line and fell out of bounds into a piece of band equipment cutting his arm. However, he refused to leave the game. Paramedics bandaged him up at halftime until he could get further attention after the game. The extra point gave Dublin a 14-6 lead, and the half ended that way.
The Dodge offense self-destructed on the first play of the second half when Tyrese Johnson attempted to take a handoff from Harpe on the jet sweep. The ball fell to the turf, and Dublin pounced on it at the Dodge 10 yard line. Two plays later Dublin scored. The extra point gave Dublin a 21-6 lead.
[Full Story »] 

By Joey Marchant
Dodge traveled to Macon needing a win against Northeast to keep its region championship hopes alive. Northeast came in with a lot of size, strength and experience. That size and strength would give Dodge fits all night. However, in the end Dodge looked like the more experienced team able to keep its composure and make plays with the game hanging in the balance.
Northeast took the opening kickoff out to the Dodge 35 yard line before Jaylon Jaynes could make the tackle. On third down, Northeast Quarterback Travion Solomon threw the ball directly to Dodge’s Nathan Coley at midfield. Coley took it down the sideline for a touchdown, his second touchdown return in the past two games. Mikhail Carr scored the two point conversion to give Dodge an early 8-0 lead.
Dodge again had trouble containing the kick returner, and Carr had to make the tackle at the Northeast 43 yard line. Northeast would use a series of runs and short passes to get to the Dodge 15 yard line, but the Dodge defense would hold. Elijah Williams dropped the runner for a four yard loss on first down. Timmy Johnson almost picked off a pass on second down. Rico Caines sacked the quarterback on third down. A fourth down pass on a corner route fell incomplete as Keldrick Beck defended. Dodge took over at its own 30 yard line.
Dodge came out with Carr at quarterback. He took the snap and ran right picking up 12 yards. Dodge came back with the same play, but a holding call on the perimeter negated a gain by Carr. Kade Harpe then entered the game at quarterback. Harpe rolled left and hit slot receiver Kevin Sykes, Jr., who ran a short out route picking up 10 yards. A Northeast defender gave Sykes a late shove out of bounds and was flagged for 15 yards moving the ball to the Northeast 43 yard line. The Dodge offensive line struggled to block resulting in Daylon Gordon being dropped twice near the line of scrimmage and Harpe being sacked back at midfield. On fourth down, Dodge ran the fake punt play we have seen often in recent years. Caines crouched behind the Dodge linemen next to Carr. Punter Timmy Johnson faked as if the ball was snapped over his head while Carr actually took the snap moving right and slipped the ball to the still crouched Caines who ran back to the left. Northeast sniffed out the fake and tackled Caines after a short gain.
Northeast took over on downs at its own 48 yard line and again used a series of runs and short passes to reach deep into Dodge territory. A Northeast pass was complete on fourth down, but Coley tackled the receiver immediately short of the first down.
Dodge took over at its own 21 yard line. Harpe passed to Carr for six yards, and Gordon carried for five yards and a first down. Harpe carried for three yards. Then Gordon took a handoff and raced 47 yards before being brought down deep in Northeast territory.
Dodge would eventually turn it over on downs at the Northeast 10 yard line early in the second quarter. Northeast would drive the ball into Dodge territory at the 48 yard line before having to punt. A high snap and pressure from Javon McNeal resulted in a short punt that rolled dead at the Dodge 35 yard line.
Dodge went three plays and out. A wild snap caused Timmy Johnson to have to move to his right to catch the ball, and he had to rush his punt, which only netted 18 yards. Johnson took some contact on the play, but no flag was thrown.
Northeast took over at its own 45 yard line, but went three and out. The Northeast punt rolled out of bounds at the Dodge 35 yard line. Harpe later faked to Gordon and rolled left where he spotted Carr running free down the field. Harpe threw a nice easy pass which Carr cradled and took into the end zone for a 67 yard touchdown. Carr’s defender attempted to jam Carr at the line, but then he let Carr go in favor of another receiver running a shallow route. There was no one within 15 yards of Carr when he caught the football. Mangham added the extra point, and Dodge took what looked at the time like a comfortable 15-0 lead.
Dodge again struggled to cover the kickoff, and Carr and Kane Northcutt had to make the tackle at midfield. Northeast took advantage of the good field position on the legs of Deondre Duehart, the Warner Robins High School transfer, who would gash the Dodge Defense for 137 yards and 3 touchdowns on the night. Duehart scored from six yards out on this drive. The extra point was no good, but Dodge was flagged on the play. Northeast trotted Duehart back out, and he converted the two point play to cut the Dodge lead to 15-8. The half would end that way.
Dodge would get the ball to start the second half, but Northeast would intercept a Harpe pass on the Dodge 45 yard line. Duehart would score on a seven yard run for Northeast. The extra point tied the game at 15-15. Dodge had a game on its hands.
The teams would then trade punts with Dodge getting the better field position on the exchange thanks to a 40 yarder by Timmy Johnson. Timmy has really been a pleasant surprise with his punting this year.
Dodge took over at the Northeast 38 yard line where Harpe hit Timmy Johnson on an out route for a 10 yard gain. Harpe gained 12 yards on a keeper. Later Dodge faced a 3rd down and 20 at the Northeast 27 yard line. Harpe hit Tyrese Johnson on a slant route as Johnson split two defenders for a touchdown. However, Northeast’s Roderick Smith obliterated the snapper and blocked the extra point. Dodge led 21-15. That was an illegal play as you are not allowed to hit the snapper in high school football. No flag was thrown. Smith did everything for Northeast but run the concession stand as he played offense and defense recording 4 tackles including a sack and 2 blocked kicks. He was also named Mr. Northeast High School during homecoming festivities.
[Full Story »] 

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.
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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.