Tigers hang on against Bowdon
♦ Demetrius Rogers scores two touchdowns to carry Darlington to a region win.
Darlington’s Demetrius Rogers broke open a 7-7 tie in the second quarter of Friday’s road game against Region 6-A foe Bowdon (0-8, 0-5) to lead the Tigers to a 17-7 win.
The sophomore returned a punt 65 yards for a score, giving No. 10-ranked Darlington a 14-7 lead. A 43-yard field goal by Alex Liddle in the third quarter sealed the win for the Tigers, who sit at No. 2 in the Class A Private Power Ratings.
Darlington (7-1, 4-1) quarterback Frank Manning was 8 of 10 for 102 yards, including a 15-yard touchdown pass to Rogers in the first quarter to put the Tigers up 7-0. Kolin Rogers led the Tigers’ rushing attack with 139 yards on 25 carries. Roth Wilcox had three catches for 45 yards.
The Tigers will host North Cobb Christian (7-1, 3-1) in a pivotal region matchup next Friday to close out the regular season.
Gordon Central 36, Model 26
The Gordon Central football team rallied in the second half of Friday’s game against Model to keep its playoff hopes alive with a 36-26 win. The Warriors now sit in a three-way tie with Model and Coosa for third place in the Region 7-AA standings.
Model’s Kidron Ford scored on a 60-yard run in the third quarter to put the Blue Devils (2-3, 2-6) ahead 19-17, but the Warriors (3-5, 2-3) scored 19 unanswered points to take the lead for good. Nelson Gravitt led the Warriors with 129 yard and two touchdowns on 18 carries. Alec Morris had 98 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries.
Model quarterback Sam Silver was 7 of 13 for 107 yards and two touchdowns, and Ford finished with 131 yards on 19 attempts.
Gordon Central will travel to Rockmart next Friday, while the Blue Devils will host Coosa.
Calhoun 56, Coahulla Creek 13
The Calhoun football team easily maintained its perfect record Friday with a 56-13 road victory against Region 6-3A opponent Coahulla Creek (1-7, 1-4).
Calhoun (8-0, 6-0) quarterback Gavin Gray was 13 of 19 for 215 yards and three touchdowns.
The Jackets will face Haralson County next Friday at home for another region matchup.
Chattooga 40, Armuchee 14
Chattooga opened with a 28-0 lead and went on to defeat Region 7-AA foe Armuchee 40-14 in Summerville on Friday night. The win keeps them in position for a showdown with Pepperell on Nov. 2 for the No. 2 seed in the region.
The first quarter was the best one from Chattooga (6-2, 4-1 7-AA) as it scored the first four touchdowns of the night in the 12-minute period. After a scoreless second quarter, Armuchee (1-7, 0-5) got on the board in the third to cut the lead to 28-7.
Chattooga outscored the visitors 12-7 in the final period to set the final score. Chattooga is scheduled to travel to Dade County next Friday, while Armuchee hosts Pepperell.
Victory Baptist 34, Unity Christian 18
Quarterback John Nance threw three touchdowns Friday night, but Unity Christian couldn’t keep up with Victory Baptist and lost 34-18 on the road.
Nance completed a 6-yard touchdown pass to Jayden Stewart in the first quarter to put Unity up 6-0, but Victory scored two minutes later and took an 8-6 lead after the two-point conversion.
Nance hit Caleb Thompson for a 17-yard scoring strike in the second quarter and then had an 11-yard TD pass in the fourth quarter caught by Eli Wells.