Thursday August 21st, 2025 2:21PM

Few surprises as ranked teams continue to roll

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The No. 1 team in the Florida Assosciated Press Class AAAA poll traveled north to play the No. 2 team in the Georgia Associated Press Class AAAAA poll. <br> <br> The result was a draw. <br> <br> Valdosta and Lincoln, Fla. tied 29-29 Friday night at Cleveland Field. <br> <br> ``Both teams played an excellent ballgame,&#39;&#39; Valdosta head coach Mike O&#39;Brien said. ``I am just so proud of how hard our kids played. They all played their hearts out.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> The game was ruled a tie and did not go into overtime because it was a non-region game. The teams are also from two different states, which use two very different formats for overtime. <br> <br> On the surface, a tie against a team like Lincoln seems like an accomplishment to be proud of. For Valdosta on this night it was, and it should have been. But it was also a painful tie. <br> <br> Valdosta led most of the game, but Lincoln staged a furious rally in the final five minutes, scoring 16 points to earn the tie. <br> <br> MISTAKES OVERCOME WITH EXPERIENCE: Experience often helps overcome youthful mistakes. <br> <br> That was the case for the Rome High football team Friday night at a rain-drenched Barron Stadium when the No. 5-ranked Wolves shook off a slew of mistakes and a never-say-quit group of Ringgold High Tigers to hang on to a 21-16 Region 7-AAAA victory. <br> <br> And for Rome coach David Humphreys, his team&#39;s third win in as many outings was one he hopes will make the Wolves very aware that another similar outing next week when Rome hosts unbeaten Lakeview-Ft. Oglethorpe in a key region showdown may not end up the same way. <br> <br> ``Our youth showed when it got tight,&#39;&#39; Humphreys said after the game that saw the Wolves score all 21 points in the second quarter then hold off a fourth-quarter rally by the Tigers. ``But by the same token, our experience showed and that put us over the top. <br> <br> ``When we start going up against the top teams (in the region) like Lakeview,&#39;&#39; he added, ``shooting yourself in the foot like we have done won&#39;t do it.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> GAMEPLAN WORKS TO PERFECTION: When a coach comes into a game with a designed game plan and it works to perfection there can be no better feeling, and that is the feeling Cedartown coach Everett Kelley had Friday night when he walked off the field after beating Region 6-AAA rival Pepperell 21-7. <br> <br> ``Our game plan coming in was to pass a lot. We wanted to use Jacob (Kelley) as a weapon. The weather didn&#39;t affect us,&#39;&#39; Kelley said. <br> <br> The Bulldog&#39;s passing attack was by far their best performance of the season as quarterback Sam Hunt completed 11 of 18 passes for 302 yards and two touchdowns. <br> <br> No. 6 FINALLY GIVES UP TOUCHDOWN: It took Calhoun&#39;s football team exactly four plays to score two touchdowns against homestanding Darlington Friday night in the Yellow Jackets 27-6 win. <br> <br> It took Darlington more than 60 plays to break into the end zone just once, but some might consider that a feat, considering that up until then no team had scored at all on Calhoun. <br> <br> ``Our kids came out ready to play and we were worried to death about Darlington because they&#39;ve got a good ball team,&#39;&#39; said Calhoun coach Hal Lamb, whose Yellow Jackets have outscored their first three opponents 107-6. <br> <br> ``I thought we took care of the ball well under the rainy conditions... we got some momentum early and that&#39;s huge.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> TURNOVERS PUNCH TICKET FOR THOMASVILLE: Its one thing to get turnovers. It&#39;s another to get points off turnovers, which is exactly what happened at Veterans Memorial Stadium Friday night as Thomasville turned four turnovers into 14 points and rolled over Bainbridg 35-7.<br> <br> WIN RECORD TIED IN CLASS A SHOWDOWN OF RANKED TEAMS: The administration at Athens Academy has always labeled its football stadium as ``Historic Slaughter Field.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> The field now has the pedigree to back that claim up. <br> <br> Lincoln County head coach Larry Campbell picked up his 346th career win Friday night as the Red Devils defeated Athens Academy 34-10. The victory moves Campbell into a tie with former Mary Persons coach Dan Pitts for the all-time win record in the state of Georgia. <br> <br> ``People say this is an individual achievement, but it&#39;s really not,&#39;&#39; Campbell said. ``This is a Lincoln County honor. It&#39;s one this program should cherish.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> After the game, Campbell played the role of a humble spectator and praised what Pitts accomplished. Pitts, who retired from coaching in 1997, is a Lincoln County graduate, and he and Campbell are close friends. <br> <br> Campbell said Pitts called him earlier in the week to wish him luck, but Pitts wasn&#39;t on hand Friday night. <br> <br> ``When you tie a record like the one Dan Pitts has, it&#39;s really special,&#39;&#39; Campbell said. ``I don&#39;t consider myself to be in the same league as Dan Pitts. He&#39;s probably the best high school coach to come through this state.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Pitts compiled a record of 346-109-4, while Campbell improved to 346-56-2.<br> <br> CLINCH CONTINUES TO ROLL: Joe Louis Mingo threw two touchdown passes to Lamar McKnight as No. 1 Clinch County (4-0) defeated Worth County 27-14 in a non-region football game Friday night. <br> <br> Mingo completed 7-of-14 passes for 115 yards, with the two touchdown throws starting and ending the scoring. <br> <br> Midway in the first quarter, Mingos 35-yard pass to McKnight, along with Stephon Hodges kick, made it 7-0. Lorenzo Kelsaws 4-yard run to start the second quarter made it 14-0. <br> <br> Worth, a Class AAA school, came back with a Cody Royster 2-yard run four minutes before halftime. The extra-point kick failed. But Clinch answered on defense, as Jarvis Henderson recovered a fumble in the end zone with 1:46 left before halftime. <br> <br> REGION RIVALS GO TO THE WIRE: Seventh-ranked Brookwood got a 30-yard, game-winning field goal from Mike Nixon with 33.5 seconds left for a 20-17 win over eight-ranked Collins Hill Friday night.
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