Friday Night Football Roundup

Warner Robins Demons

The No.1 Warner Robins Demons (6-0) will be back on the gridiron this Friday following last week’s bye. The Demons will begin region play this Friday against Ware County. Ware County (5-1) is 1-0 in Region 1-5A after defeating Coffee last week 35-3.

Last season’s matchup between Warner Robins and Ware County was a close contest. The Demons ended up winning 22-19 at home in The MAC. This week, the Demons will be at Ware County’s house. The game is Friday, Oct. 15 with kickoff scheduled at 7:30 p.m.

Northside Eagles

It must feel great to be a Northside Eagle right about now. The Eagles are 5-2 on the season following last week’s 34-3 beating on Luella. Sophomore defensive back Ricardo Jones had a day with three interceptions as the Eagles went on to outclass Luella.

With region competition up next, the Eagles will be fighting for home field advantage in the early rounds of the playoffs. Region play (Region 1-6A) will start this Friday against the Valdosta Wildcats (3-4). Last season, Valdosta narrowly defeated Northside 14-0 and went on to the 6A state semifinals. This Friday, Northside will be at home and they’ve yet to lose as the home team this season (Northside was technically the away team in the loss to Warner Robins this season).

Northside will host Valdosta in The MAC this Friday, Oct. 15 with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

Note: Valdosta’s postseason ban automatically places them as the fourth seed in Region 1-6A so Northside, Houston County and Lee County will battle for the top three seeds within the region. The top two seeds in the region get home field advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Perry Panthers

The Perry Panthers (5-1) overcame adversity in last week’s 37-24 win over Washington County. Washington County forced five turnovers against Perry, two of which were interceptions returned for touchdowns— and the Panthers still prevailed.

In the game, senior wide receiver Curtis Head showed off his versatility by filling in on defense. Head lined up as a linebacker throughout the night and led the team in tackles (10) and sacks (3), he also caught a pass for 35 yards. Senior wide receiver Daequan Wright took over on offense and finished with six catches, 119 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

The No. 7 ranked Panthers will resume region play this week against Region 4-4A rival West Laurens. Perry is 0-1 in Region 4-4A after suffering a shocking loss to Spalding on Oct. 1. West Laurens is 3-4 on the season and 1-2 in Region 4-4A. Last season, Perry beat West Laurens 22-10.

Perry will visit West Laurens for the region matchup this Friday, Oct. 15 at 7:30 p.m.

Westfield Hornets

Revenge is what the Westfield Hornets sought after last week and revenge is what they got. The Hornets faced Briarwood Academy last Friday and put on a clinic against the team they tied with last season.

Before the fourth quarter began, the Hornets led 34-0 and went on to win 34-12. Westfield’s senior running back Porter Faulk couldn’t be stopped as he rushed for 210 yards and two touchdowns while averaging 13.1 yards per carry. Junior quarterback Hunter Kirkley rushed for 110 yards with two touchdowns and also threw a touchdown in the win.

This week, the Hornets will face Gatewood (3-3) and revenge should remain on their minds. Last season, Westfield lost to Gatewood 24-19. The difference this year is that the Hornets will be at home for the matchup. The Hornets have only had one home game this season and it was a 56-35 win over a Terrell Academy program that was undefeated at the time.

This week’s game will be the last non-region game for the Hornets. Westfield and Gatewood play on Friday, Oct. 15 at 7:30 p.m. in The Hornet’s Nest.

Houston County Bears

The Houston County Bears (4-3) are coming off a bye last week and had ample time to prepare for this week’s showdown against Region 1-6A rival and No. 2 ranked Lee County (6-1). Lee County was also off last week, so both teams should come into this game well rested and well prepared. The Bears will have home field advantage for this game and a win could shake up Region 1-6A. But history isn’t on the Bears’ side; Lee County is 7-0 against the Bears and has outscored Houston County 130- 26 in the past four meetings.

It should be interesting to see the state’s leading rusher, Simeon Askew, go up against a Lee County defense that’s decorated with Division-1 committed athletes.

The Bears will host Lee County at Freedom Field on Friday, Oct. 15 at 7:30 p.m.

Veterans Warhawks

The Veterans Warhawks (2-4) picked up their second win of the season against winless region rival Wayne County last week. Veterans won 22-7 and are 1-0 in Region 1-5A. As a team, the Warhawks nabbed three interceptions and recovered two fumbles. Senior linebacker did a little bit of everything in the win over Wayne. Brooks snagged an interception, forced a fumble, recovered a fumble and rushed for a touchdown to help lead the Warhawks to victory.

The Warhawks are on a bye this week and will be in the gauntlet of Region 1-5A when they resume the season. Veterans will face No. 7 Coffee on Oct. 22, No. 5 Ware County on Oct. 29 and then end the season against No. 1 Warner Robins.

With the win over Wayne, Veterans is in shape to make the 5A playoffs even with the difficult schedule up ahead.

HHJ News