MACON, Ga. — It was a great slate of football games on Friday night.
Dublin and Northeast had a defensive battle, while ACE and East Laurens had a decisive battle.
There were also plenty of shutouts. Taylor County shutout Central Talbotton, Baldwin shutout Hephzibah and Westfield shutout Calvary Christian.
Here's a full roundup of scores and highlights from teams in and around Central Georgia.
Game of the Week: ACE vs East Laurens
There was a lot on the line for both teams.
For ACE, a chance to break the team's two-game losing streak. For East Laurens, an opportunity to right the ship and reach an even .500 record.
Ultimately, it was ACE who snagged the win with a 27-21 victory.
The Gryphons quickly picked up momentum thanks to sophomore quarterback Ace Hatcher. Two touchdowns from the young quarterback, alongside a field goal, gave ACE a quick 17-0 lead.
East Laurens couldn’t snag any points in the first half, but the team got the score close after two rushing touchdowns in the second half.
As the Falcons began to build momentum, they had a special teams blunder. ACE return man Brice Whitley took a kickoff 70 yards to the house with 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter to return the momentum back to the Gryphons.
ACE’s defense rode this momentum until two minutes remained in the fourth quarter. East Laurens cut the deficit to six points with a 4-yard rushing touchdown and two-point conversion.
While East Laurens closed the gap, the Falcons were unable to get the ball back into the endzone to claim a win. They fell to 2-4, while ACE rose to a 4-3 record.
Three Stars
Shannon Adkins, West Laurens running back/linebacker - Adkins was all over the field for the Raiders in their 41-6 over Academy of Richmond County.
He was flying all over the field on defense and made a crucial tackle for a loss to help keep the ARC offense quiet.
Adkins was also key on offense as a running back. He carried the ball into the endzone for the Raiders to help extend the team’s lead.
Sadur Salahuddin, Baldwin running back - Baldwin’s offense, as a whole, was overwhelming. Quarterback Lamar Pounds had a strong performance, but Salahuddin’s day on the ground was tremendous.
In just the first half alone, Salahuddin carried the ball into the endzone three times. He and Pounds combined to put up 44 points in just the first half and helped the Braves claim a dominant 57-0 victory over Hephzibah.
Caden Faulk, Tattnall quarterback - Tattnall had a tough task facing off against the 6-2 Stratford Academy. Yet despite the challenge, Faulk rose up to meet it.
The quarterback, who missed a decent bit of the season due to injury, had a rough outing in his first game back from injury last week. Yet against Stratford, he had one of his best performances of the season.
He helped the Trojans find the endzone three times through the air, and he and Antone Johnson connected twice en route to a 28-12 win. Faulk will have to keep up this momentum to help the Trojans find consistent success in the postseason.
Honorable mention: Dublin head coach Roger Holmes - The Fighting Irish reached an outstanding achievement in its 22 years under Holmes. The tenured head coach reached his 200th win as Dublin’s head coach thanks to a 17-7 win over Northeast.
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SCOREBOARD
- LaGrange 41 - Mary Persons 28
- Baldwin 57 - Hephzibah 0
- West Laurens 41 - ARC 6
- Lamar County 64 - Utopian Academy 6
- Callaway 41 - Rutland 0
- FPD 49 - John Milledge 21
- Jones County 42 - Eagles Landing Christian 14
- Taylor County 42 - Central Talbotton 0
- Dublin 17 - Northeast 7
- Wilcox County 41 - Dooly County 7
- Tattnall 28 - Stratford 12
- ACE 27 - East Laurens 21
- Thomasville 23 - Fitzgerald 8
- Westside 35 - Pike County 21
- Telfair County 36 - Hawkinsville 14
- Southland 21 - Trinity Christian 7
- Appling County 24 - Crisp County 7
- Briarwood 29 - Gatewood 6
- CFCA 40 - Heritage 7
- Piedmont 34 - Riverside Military 6
- Flint River 48 - Windsor 7
- Glascock 61 - Twiggs County 22
- Westfield 41 - Calvary Christian 0
- Johnson County 20 - Wilkinson County 12
- Hancock-Central 46 - Georgia Military 3
- Putnam County 48 - Towers 14
What’s next
Treutlen and Montgomery County will get the action started with a game on Tuesday, Oct. 15. Two days later, Crawford County will face Turner County, Sumter County will take on Turner Carver Columbus and Wilkinson County will play Glascock County.
On Friday, Oct. 18, many teams, including Houston County, will be coming off their second bye week of the season. The Bears will play a tough opponent in Coffee. Perry, meanwhile, will host Ware County, who recently defeated Benedictine — who beat Warner Robins — 38-14.
While Houston County teams have some difficult matchups against teams outside of middle Georgia, many Central Georgia teams will face each other. Wheeler County will take on Telfair County, Lamar County will play Putnam County and East Laurens will play Washington County.