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.
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Sports
Dodge basketball teams open new season
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 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.
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Dodge finishes the first season under new coach
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 »]
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 »]
Dodge defeats East Laurens
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 »]
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.
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Irish defeat Indians, 35-6
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 »]
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 »]
Dodge holds off Northeast Macon
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.
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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.
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Canes edge Indians in thriller
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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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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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.
Dodge defeats Bradwell Institute 49-37
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.
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.
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