Prep football playoff notes

UNDATED - East Coweta got its best offensive drive when it was needed most.

The Indians marched 79 yards in 14 plays, capped off by an 18-yard Ryan Gates field goal with 3.5 seconds left to put away Stephenson 17-14 in the first round of the state playoffs.

For the first time since 2000, the Jaguars didn't advance to the second round. The big reason was because of East Coweta running back Tim McGill, who ran for a game-high 181 yards on 29 carries.

After Stephenson kicker missed a 27-yard field goal wide right, the Indians took over at the their own 20 with 5:29 left in the fourth quarter. East Coweta (10-1) needed only four plays to get to the 50, but then the Stephenson defense began to stiffen.

The Jaguars (8-3) forced East Coweta into three third downs on the drive; the biggest was a third-and-two at the Stephenson 40.

With a stop there, the Indians would have been forced into a tough fourth-down decision, but as he did much of the night, quarterback Mac McKnight made a play.

Looking to his right, he found Spencer Smith open in the flat, throwing a well-placed pass that put East Coweta on the Jaguars 15.

McKnight completed only four passes, but three came on third-down plays, and two of them went for scores.

``There was a key pass or two in there,'' East Coweta coach Danny Cronic said. ``We couldn't give it to Tim (McGill) every time. (McKnight) is our leader. He's a very intelligent player.''

VALDOSTA CRUISES: David Arnold ran for 94 yards and a touchdown and Marcus McNair added two scores to help Valdosta to a 42-0 win over Bradwell Institute.

Michael Turner, who completed 7-of-10 passes, threw for 154 yards. The Valdosta defense was stout, giving up minus-12 yards rushings.

Less than three minutes into the game, Valdosta safety Patrick Moore recovered a fumble at the Bradwell 10. That set up McNair's four-yard touchdown run. On Valdosta's next possession, Turner scored on a seven-yard quarterback keeper, then passed to Marcus Ewings for the two-point conversion, making it 14-0. McNair's seven-yard run made it 21-0, after Lawrence Clagett's extra point. Just before halftime, David Arnold went 32 yards around left end for a touchdown to make it 28-0.

LOWNDES DOMINATES: Darriett Perry ran for 91 yards and three touchdowns and Lowndes pulled away early in a 50-0 win over Windsor Forest.

The Viking defense was dominant in the win, forcing seven turnovers. The defense was also outstanding against the run, holding Windsor Forest to minus-42 yards on the ground.

Lowndes took a 23-0 lead in the first half when Perry scored on a 50-yard touchdown. Perry, who also had a 4-yard run TD, scored for the third time on a 21-yard run.

Greg Reid returned a punt 62 yards for a touchdown in the second half to make it 37-0 for Lowndes. Hayden Martin's 45-yard touchdown run with four seconds left in the third quarter gave the Vikings their final touchdown.

BIG GAME MILES: Kenny Miles ran for 197 yards and two touchdowns and Bruce Smith score twice to lead Brookwood to a 34-0 win over Sprayberry.

Miles, who finished with 20 carries, scored on a 3-yard run and a 17-yard run in the second quarter to give Brookwood a 27-0 lead.