Last updated at 5:51 p.m. EDT on Thursday, September 13, 2018
By Walter L. Johnson II
Four weeks have come and gone from the high school football regular season in Southwest Georgia, and already, some interesting storylines are starting to develop.
One team is basically picking up where it left off after winning a state championship last season, while other teams are struggling to even score points, much less winning actual games. That’s not to mention that another team has yet to give up any points in 2018.
So, what do the developments of the past four weeks mean for at least the next four weeks? Let’s go further to find out.
Lee County still undefeated: The defending GHSA Class 6A state champion Lee County Trojans ran their record to 4-0 overall after running over defending GHSA Region 1-4A champion Americus-Sumter 49-7 at Trojan Field in Leesburg last Friday. The Trojans have now outscored their opponents 164-16 in the four games they have played thus far in 2018. They’ll look to go to 5-0 this Friday, playing host to Southwest (Macon) for Homecoming.
Dougherty County teams struggle: It was not a good week for teams in Albany/Dougherty County, as every team except one lost last week.
It was a particularly rough week for Albany’s three GHSA teams, as both Dougherty and Westover fell to Shaw and Columbus, respectively. The Trojans (0-3, 0-2 in GHSA Region 1-4A) remained winless under new head coach Damien Gary with a 32-12 loss to the Raiders, while the Patriots (1-2, 0-1) dropped a 46-26 decision to Columbus in a pair of Thursday night games in Columbus.
In the lone Friday night game involving a local GHSA team, the Monroe Tornadoes lost their second straight game after starting the season at 2-0, as the Perry Panthers rolled to a convincing 43-0 shutout win. Monroe (2-2) has now been outscored 69-6 in their last two contests, both ending with losses.
Even the GISA Deerfield-Windsor Knights had a bad night, as Heritage (Newnan) handed them their first loss of the season in a 21-8 setback at Webb Stadium in Albany last week. Deerfield (2-1) took its only lead after scoring its only touchdown, followed by a fake PAT try that led to a two-point conversion. That gave the Knights an 8-7 advantage with less than seven minutes to play in the third quarter. But Heritage (4-0) held the home team scoreless during the final period en route to the road win.
But the news wasn’t all bad for teams in the Good Life City, as the GICAA Sherwood Christian Eagles (2-1) won their second straight game after snapping a 29-game losing streak dating back to the end of their state championship season of 2014 in a 21-12 win over John Hancock on the road.
So what does that mean for the next four weeks?: Lee County has two more non-region games before jumping into GHSA Region 1-6A action on October 12, with Southwest (Macon) paying a visit to Leesburg for Homecoming this week, followed by a trip to Thomson on September 28.
As for Dougherty and Westover, both the Trojans and Patriots have multiple must-win games in Region 1-4A prior to that second week in October. The Trojans from Albany will face Carver (Columbus), Monroe, and Northside (Columbus) over the next several weeks, while the Patriots from Albany will take on the Patriots from Columbus in Northside, followed by contests vs. Cairo and Shaw, all at Hugh Mills Stadium.
Meanwhile, while GHSA Region 1-3A play doesn’t begin for a few weeks, Monroe still faces some challenges, as the Tornadoes travel to Thomas County Central this week, followed by a return to Hugh Mills Stadium to face fellow Albany archrival Dougherty, and another road trip to Brunswick before taking a bye the week of October 5.
As for Dougherty County’s two private schools, Deerfield-Windsor continues its four-game stretch against GISA Region 1-3A teams at Creekside Christian this week, then taking next week off, traveling to Notre Dame Academy the week off, before finally returning home to play host to Loganville Christian on October 5. The Knights open GISA Region 3-3A action at home against Brookwood (Thomasville) the following week.
Finally, Sherwood Christian has this week off before returning to action on the road at Holy Ground Baptist Academy and Lafayette Christian in back-to-back weeks, before returning home to face Fullington.
How other SOWEGA teams fared: How did other teams from the Southwest Georgia Network coverage area and beyond do last week? Click here, or scroll below, to see all of the scores from Week 4.
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