ONTHEBALL
Matt Lane is host of The Weekend Rundown which airs from 10 a.m.-noon Saturdays on News-Talk-Sports 1630 AM. He can be reached at mattlane28@gmail.com.
Prep Rehash
For the Evans Knights, it wasn’t that we thought they couldn’t produce points; we just weren’t sure where they would come from. With only three offensive starters returning, chemistry was the main concern entering this season. Team speed on defense seems to be their fastball this year. The surprises started with sophomore running back Stephon Jacobs, who ran for 213 yards and three touchdowns in his first varsity start. Evans also got stellar play out of then-reserve quarterback Eddie Johnson, who went a perfect 7-of-7 for 81 yards and added 36 yards rushing on eight carries as well. What was most impressive for the Knights, though, was after only scoring a touchdown in the first half, they found their momentum and exploded for 26 points in the second half to get the 33-19 win at home. And not to put too much stock into one win for the Knights, but Coach Marty Jackson — at least for this week — will be able to ditch the pencil and use a pen to fill out his starting lineup. Lincoln County enjoyed an exciting matchup in their second game of the season. They took on Abbeville, which is Lincoln County coach Larry Campbell’s hometown team, who had won 14 consecutive games and beaten Lincoln County the past three seasons. The win was in comeback fashion as the Red Devils trailed 13-10 at halftime against South Carolina’s reigning Class A champion. To solidify the win, the Red Devils relied on quarterback Denzel Gunby (9-16, 117 yards, two TDs) and Zireycus Letman (Five Rec, 72 yards, one TD), who also intercepted a pass to setup the goahead TD early in the second half to prevail 24-13. The area’s best team, the Burke County Bears, are at it again. Led by dual-threat QB Corey Mayton and RB/WR/DB Montres Kitchens (88 yards of total offense, TD and two INTs), the Bears beat a Top 10 team in Baldwin with the help of excellent run defense. They held the Braves to just 16 yards rushing on 14 carries, thereby completely eliminating any type of run game Baldwin might have had and making them more predictable on offense. Burke County also proved they can finish a game early in the season against a respectable foe with their 14 points in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach at 31-14.
Games to Watch
Statesboro @ Washington County: Friday, September 2, 7:30 p.m. The third best team in AAAA heads to Sandersville to give the talented, but lower classification, Golden Hawks all they can handle. Thomson @ Lakeside: Friday, September 2, 7:30 p.m. We will see how Mark Weidenaar performs against a tough Thomson bunch, and also what Head Coach Jarrett Troxler has up his sleeve. Evans @ Grovetown: Friday, September 2, 7:30 p.m. Grovetown has had a lot of downtime since their thrilling 28-24 win over Greenbrier on Aug. 18. Evans is riding high from their great second half performance against ARC. This will be quite the battle for both teams.
College Games to Watch
Western Carolina @ Georgia Tech: Thursday, September 1, 7:30 p.m., ESPN3 If you can name me five Tech players/coaches that are not named Barry Bostic or Paul Johnson, you might have a problem. Georgia Southern @ Samford: Saturday, September 3, 7 p.m. What do you have planned for your second season, Coach Monken? After leading Southern to their first NCAA FCS playoffs semifinal appearance since 2002, and beating five ranked teams throughout the season, he’s got the diehards back in Paulson Stadium after they started going to Statesboro High School games and inhaling Crown Royal to forget the Chris Hatcher era at GSU. Georgia vs. Boise St (Atlanta): Saturday, September 3, 8 p.m., ESPN UGA is the dawg — like what I did there? — in this one as the boys of Boise come into town looking to add a SEC team to their resume in hopes of playing for the National Championship at the end of the season. Georgia is underrated this year based off of last year’s losing season. Don’t be surprised if they pull out the victory — the speed on the defense this year will surprise you. And if you can’t make the game and are in the area, drop by the parking lot for the tailgate. Somebody’s bound to have a drink for ya.
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