Greater Rome teams leave opponents wanting
Area defenses had a big night on Friday, which led to big wins for several local teams as they head into the meat of their region schedules.
All of the teams that emerged victorious held their opponents to 10 points or less, with many of those points coming on plays late in the game against reserves.
Shutouts came from Rockmart and Trion as the Jackets blanked Dade County 42-0 in a Region 7-AA matchup, and North Cobb Christian had no luck against the Bulldogs in a 28-0 Region 6-A/A battle.
Both Darlington and Model held 280 halftime leads over their opponents before each allowed a touchdown in the third quarter but nothing more in 7-AA wins.
Darlington’s best defense early on was its special teams as kicker Krisztian Sandor sent three of his five kickoffs into the end zone for touchbacks, keeping Bowdon pinned in its half of the field most of the night. A late score and two-point conversion was all that kept Chattooga from a shutout against Gordon Central as the Indians cruised to a 63-8 win in Summerville.
Big matchups on the horizon
The new region realignments that took effect this season will see some
old and new foes face off this Friday night in highly anticipated contests.
After dropping back down to Class 2A, Pepperell will travel to No. 6 Model for a Region 7-AA battle between Floyd County squads.
The five-year gap between games for
Rockmart and Chattooga will be closed as the Jackets host the Indians in what is always a competitive matchup.
Coosa will be looking to get some revenge against fellow Floyd County team Armuchee at home after the Eagles lost to the Indians in the last game of the regular season last year.
Rome, meanwhile, will make the trip to Carrollton to face off with the No. 3-ranked Trojans in a Region 7-5A contest that puts the two teams together for the first time in 26 years.
This week’s top performers
Jalynn Sykes (Rome) ran for 195 yards and two touchdowns on just 15 carries against Paulding County.
Jacob Hunt (Darlington) was in on four tackles for loss against Bowdon’s quarterback, two of which were sacks.
Trevor Thomas (Pepperell) had 206 yards of total offense, with 150 passing, as well as two touchdowns against Coosa.
Chris Dublin (Model) ran for 164 yards and four touchdowns on 19 carries against Armuchee.
Week 6 local scores
Darlington 28, Bowdon 7 Model 42, Armuchee 7 Rome 51, Paulding County 10 Pepperell 45, Coosa 10 Chattooga 63, Gordon Central 8 Rockmart 42, Dade County 0 Cartersville 44, Cedartown 6 Trion 28, North Cobb Christian 0 Calhoun 31, North Murray 7 Sonoraville 49, Ringgold 21