Statesboro falls, as do records in opening weekend

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Posted 6:28AM on Saturday, August 31, 2002

The streak is over. The Screven County Gamecocks have done what no other football team has been able to do over the last three seasons: defeat the Statesboro Blue Devils at Womack Field. Screven County's 13-0 shutout victory ended a 22-0 run that the Blue Devils enjoyed at home. ``It feels pretty good (to end the streak); our kids are used to it,'' Screven County head football coach Mark Daniel said after. ``They've been ending streaks against other teams; Appling County and so forth. So the records and stats don't mean anything to these seniors.'' For Statesboro, it was the first time that the Devils were defeated on their home field since a 33-28 loss to Westside-Augusta on November 7, 1998. The Gamecocks entered Friday night's contest ranked No. 5 in the AAA polls, after advancing to the quarterfinals of the state playoffs last season. Statesboro, who went 15-0 last season and won the 2001 state title, opened up as the No. 1 ranked club in AAAA. RECORD BREAKING NIGHT ECLIPES MISTAKES: A myriad of mistakes nearly doomed the Greater Atlanta Christian School at Lovett on Friday night. But Micah Andrews can make up for plenty of errors. The senior running back rushed for a school-record 327 yards and three touchdowns on 27 carries as the Spartans won their season opener 35-25 Friday night on the banks of the Chattahoochee River. Andrews broke his own school mark of 311 yards, which he set as a sophomore vs. East Hall. ``It wasn't anything fancy, we just lined up and gave the ball to Micah,'' GACS fullback Brannan Southerland said. He's something else.'' Andrews' first carry of the game was a 68-yarder and he opened the third quarter with a 39-yarder. ``We came out in the second half and we were going to ride him,'' said GACS coach Jimmy Chupp, whose team tallied 466 yards of offense to Lovett's 218. Despite the edge in yards, GACS nearly lost because of the mistakes. But the Spartans defense held when it needed to, including a stop late in the first half that forced a field goal from Lovett that kept the Spartans ahead 14-13 at the break. HOMELESSNESS PROVES SERIOUS: Class A No. 2-ranked Bowdon (0-1) was held to under 200 total yards in its 14-0 loss to Alabama 1A powerhouse Clay County Thursday night. The Red Devils committed three turnovers in the second half, including a fumble on the Clay County 6-yard line. Terrence McIntyre had 47 yards on eight carries. Bowden's home field bleachers were condemned earlier in the year and has forced them to play a season's worth of road trips. LENGENDARY PROGRAM DOMINATES: The Valdosta High Wildcats 2002 debut was a smashing success. Valdosta pounded Wayne County, 32-7 Friday night on Cleveland Field. ``I was very pleased with the way we played,'' head coach Mike OBrien said. The whole team played well. I was pleased with the way the team responded.'' Corey James rushed for 135 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Wildcat offense, while the Wildcat defense held Wayne scoreless until the closing minutes, as the state's No. 2 Class AAAAA team turned in a dominant performance. RELIEF FOR A SHAKEY START: If the No. 5 team in the state hangs on at home to beat an unranked team, can it be called an upset? Unlikely. Could that same result be called a relief? Unquestionably. Lowndes High shrugged off a tumultuous off-season coaching search, a shaky preseason and a handful of missed opportunities in the first half Friday night, scoring 16 points in the fourth quarter and holding on for an 18-15 win over Westside-Macon in a battle of Class AAAAA teams at Martin Stadium. The win gave Randy McPherson his first victory as Vikings head coach and Lowndes an answer for its critics after falling twice in preseason scrimmages to teams from lower classifications. ``This is definitely a special win for me and our staff,'' said McPherson, coaching in his first official game since leading Madison County to Florida's Class 2A state championship last December. ``We've been working our guts out trying to get these kids playing right and getting our new system in. It couldn't have come at a better time.'' COMBO TURNS SPEED INTO WIN: Heading into Friday night's game against Cook, Cairo head football coach Warren Field had just one concern about the Hornets, their speed. It turned out, it was his running backs' speed that made the difference in Cairo's 33-19 win. The Syrupmakers used a combination of junior Clifford Hammonds inside between the tackles and sophomore Dante Harrell around the outside. Both presented major problems for the Hornets, as the quickness and speed of both runners kept the Cairo offense steadily moving the chains all night long. Harrell finished the night with 20 carries for 97 yards. Hammonds had 22 carries for 81 yards and finished with three touchdowns. AIRING IT OUT: Four of Joe Louis Mingos seven pass completions went for touchdowns, sending Class A's No. 1 Clinch County to a 32-12 win at Bacon County Friday night. Mingo threw touchdown passes of 9 and 27 yards to Rance Morgan. He opened the scoring with a 16-yard toss to Dexter Foster, and finished the scoring with a 14-yard strike to Rhett Barber to start the fourth quarter. Clinch broke the game open with an 18-point second quarter. Less than a minute in, Lorenzo Kelsaw ran 20 yards for a touchdown. Morgan scored the first of his two less than two minutes later, and added the second just 13 seconds before halftime. PLAYING AND SCORING BOTH WAYS: No. 5 (Class AAAA) and defending state runner-up Dalton beat Northwest Whitfield, 28-9, on Friday night at Northwest. Dalton, which had 402 yards of offense, was led by senior quarterback David Raymond, a transfer from Worth County. Raymond had 10 carries for 135 yards and went 8-for-9 for another 131 yards and two TDs in the air. Raymond's touchdowns were a 33-yard strike to tight end Cole Bennett and a 53-yard pass to Dusty Eggleston.