Chandler Duggan scored three touchdowns as Westfield’s football Hornets finally turned offensive domination into a victory Friday at Marvin Arrington Stadium. With 337 team rushing yards and more than 100 through the air, Westfield defeated Brookwood School of Thomasville 35-0.
That evens the team’s record at 1-1. In the season opener in Macon, the Hornets had more yards of offense than the home-standing Tattnall Square Trojans but could not score in a 21-0 loss.
Against the Hornet defense, Brookwood netted 169 yards. The visitors had four turnovers, three on intercepted passes. Giles Amos took one of those picks the opposite direction 42 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter.
Duggan, in his first varsity season at Westfield, gained 77 yards on 10 carries. He had two first-half touchdowns on rushes of 27 and two yards. His third score, in the third quarter, was from nine yards out.
After a game with only one pass completion and multiple attempts, quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick was 4-for-8 through the air for 87 yards. His leading receiver was fullback Cam Forrester, who took one catch late in the first half and chugged 64 yards to the end zone.
Top rusher was Drew McCrory, also a fullback, who gained 87 yards on nine totes. Stuart Smith added 64 yards on seven carries.
PERRY
With two pass interceptions, Alcovy High sent the Perry High Panthers to 0-2 in a 21-10 final Friday in Covington.
Perry fell behind 7-0 when the Tigers cashed in an 84-yard drive with a three-yard touchdown run by quarterback Tristen Payne at 5:25 of the first quarter. The Panthers were on the verge of possibly tying the score with 1st-and-goal on Alcovy’s 1-yard-line. But the home defense stuffed two sneak attempts and threw Perry for a 10-yard loss on third down.
So with 2:57 remaining in the half, Daniel Ward made a 29-yard field goal.
Before the break, the Tigers seized all momentum for the rest of the game with a Robert Bullard pass interception. He returned the football 41 yards for a touchdown, and it was 14-3 at halftime.
Alcovy’s next interception took place late in the third quarter when the Panthers began a drive from midfield. That set up one more Tiger scoring series where Payne scored again on a fourth-down call from the Perry 1.
HOUSTON CO.
Going once, going twice, going thrice. That describes the Tift County High return game Friday when the Devils thrashed the Houston County High Bears 47-21 in Tifton. Three Blue Devil scores were turned in by special teams return units, and all took place in the first half of play.
Malik Henry of Tift had both a kickoff and punt return touchdown. Teammate Ladarius Stewart scored three total touchdowns, one as a punt returner.
The 1-1 Bears of Von Lassiter did get the better of Tift in terms of total offensive yards, 326 to 282, and the visiting team had more first downs, 14 to 8.
Houston County in fact dented the scoreboard first with a 71-yard drive that took 10 plays to complete. Quarterback Taylor Boyett threw to Chris Lewis for a 19-yard touchdown, and that was a 3rd-and-goal play following a sack from the home team defense.
Both clubs had some issues with PAT conversions, and in this case it kept the Bear lead at 6-0. Tift County did not make the PAT after returning the ensuing kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown, and it was only a 12-6 lead for the Blue Devils after their next touchdown on a punt return.
The Bears caught a break later in the game when a possible fourth touchdown on special teams was called back due to penalty. In the second quarter, Romarcus Williams blocked a punt and scored, and with a successful conversion kick Houston was back in front 13-12.
Tift County returned this kickoff to the Bear 36. The home team took the lead for good when Stewart rushed the ball over the goal line from 26 yards away.
Before halftime, the Devils added touchdowns on a 16-yard run and 65-yard punt return for 33-13. They opened the third period with a touchdown drive and 40-13 lead.
Quay Denning intercepted a pass for Houston only to see his team lose a fumble. That set up Tift’s drive for seven points at the beginning of the fourth.
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