This is what you’ll hear on this week’s installment of the High School Football Round-Up Podcast:
-Thoughts on some of last week’s games, including Crisp County’s stunning upset win over Thomasville.
-Region play getting underway for most teams in our area.
-A preview of this week’s games.
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(File Photo by Walter L. Johnson II)
Albany, Ga. – Georgia taxpayers earned nearly $3.5 million dollars in tax credits by donating to Phoebe Worth Medical Center and Phoebe Sumter Medical Center in 2018 through the Helping Enhance Access to Rural Treatment (HEART) tax credit program. “The rural hospital tax credit program was amazingly successful this year, with donations easily reaching the statewide cap of $60M,” said Kim Gilman, Phoebe Worth CEO. “We are thrilled with the amount donors gave to our hospital in Sylvester.”
Phoebe Worth received donations totaling $2,566,453.14. “That is huge for our bottom line,” Gilman said. “It will allow us to pay for ongoing renovations to our facility, to buy new equipment and to recruit and retain well-qualified physicians and other clinicians who will provide quality care to patients right here in Worth County.”
Donors gave $901,937.25 to Phoebe Sumter. “So many rural hospitals in Georgia are struggling,” said Brandi Lunneborg, Phoebe Sumter CEO. “This program gives those hospitals a vital financial boost while also giving donors a chance to lower their tax bills. It truly is a win-win, and it will allow us to improve and expand our primary and specialty care services throughout our service area.”
Phoebe Sumter plans to use its donations for projects that include upgrading equipment for key clinical services, expanding clinical service offerings and community health initiatives, hiring new physicians and offsetting the millions of dollars in cost of uncompensated care each year.
“The best thing Georgia could do to help rural hospitals thrive and to provide insurance coverage to hundreds of thousands of uninsured Georgians would be to expand Medicaid,” said Joel Wernick, Phoebe Health System CEO. “In the absence of that expansion, which would increase reimbursements to Georgia hospitals by hundreds of millions of dollars a year, we appreciate state leaders’ support of the Georgia HEART program. It is an excellent way to strengthen the financial foundation of hospitals that provide critical services for our rural residents,” Wernick added.
Georgia HEART will begin accepting 2019 tax credit applications at 9:00 a.m. on Oct. 1, 2018. “The program has become so popular that it will certainly reach the statewide cap again next year,” said Lunneborg. “We encourage those who want to support our rural hospitals to apply early to make sure they don’t miss out on the tax break.”
If you pay Georgia income taxes, you are eligible to receive a 2019 tax credit for contributing to your designated rural hospital as follows:
· Individual Filer – 100% of the amount contributed, up to $5,000
· Married Filing Jointly – 100% of the amount contributed, up to $10,000
· Pass-Through Entity – 100% of the amount contributed, up to $10,000, so long as they would have paid Georgia income tax in that amount on their share of taxable income from the pass-through entity
· C-Corporation or Trust – 100% of the amount contributed or 75% of the corporation or trust’s Georgia income tax liability, whichever is less
After June 30, 2019, taxpayers may make unlimited contributions as long as the $60M has not been met. Fifty-four rural hospitals throughout the state qualify for the program. You can apply to make your donation to Phoebe Worth or Phoebe Sumter at www.georgiaheart.org.
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NOTE: All final scores are in alphabetical order, with the winning team marked in BOLD type.
Last updated at 1:06 a.m. EDT on Saturday, September 28, 2018
GHSA Scores–Week of September 28, 2018
Thursday, September 27
Early County 13, Dothan (Ala.) 0
Friday, September 28
Baconton Charter 50, Randolph-Clay 8
Berrien 30, Cook 27
Brooks County 38, B.E.S.T. Academy 12
Brunswick 42, Monroe 6
Cairo 46, Columbus 7
(Syrupmakers win their fourth straight game after starting 0-2, now 4-2 overall, 4-0 in GHSA Region 1-4A!!!)
Chattahoochee County 20, Miller County 6
Colquitt County 56, Alcovy 0
Crisp County 42, Thomasville 38
(Class 3A Cougars pull off the upset over the Class 2A #3 ranked Bulldogs, now 4-3 overall after winning their third straight game following a 1-3 start!!!)
Fitzgerald 50, Worth County 13
Irwin County 46, Charlton County 20
Lee County 40, Thomson 0
Lowndes 37, Ware County 16
Pelham 55, Stewart County 14
(Class 1A Hornets still undefeated, now 6-0 overall!!!)
Seminole County 22, Terrell County 14
Tift County 31, Bainbridge 14
Turner County 47, Lanier County 0
Valdosta 57, Beaufort (S.C.) 20
GISA Scores–Week of September 28, 2018
Friday, September 28
Deerfield-Windsor 41, Notre Dame Academy 10
Gatewood 37, Terrell Academy 21
Tiftarea 34, Valwood 0
GICAA Score–Week of September 28, 2018
Friday, September 28
Sherwood Christian 40, Lafayette Christian 14
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Editor’s Note: On this week’s installment of “Four-Down Territory”, we’ll take a brief departure from our weekly game previews, and instead have more thoughts on the region races that could define the final six weeks of the high school football season. So, without further ado, on to this week’s post.
FIRST DOWN: Is Region 3-3A the toughest in the GISA? So far, the answer is yes. Entering the final week of September, the five teams that makeup GISA Region 3-3A combined for an overall record of 15-4, with four of those teams suffering at least one loss, including the Deerfield-Windsor Knights at 3-1 overall. Three other teams; Brookwood (Thomasville), Southland, and Valwood sit at 4-1 overall, while Tiftarea is the lone undefeated team in the region at 4-0 overall. While Tiftarea plays host to Valwood to open region play this week, DWS won’t open league action until October 12. That’s when the Knights will return to Webb Stadium to take on Brookwood. It’ll be interesting to see which of these four teams will advance to the GISA Class 3A playoffs this season.
SECOND DOWN: Who’s the team to beat in GHSA Region 1-2A? With just one more non-region game to play before entering region play in October, there doesn’t appear to be a clear-cut favorite as this article is being written. However, the defending region champion Thomasville Bulldogs have proven themselves as one of the state’s best teams at 4-1, with their lone loss coming to the Class 7A Colquitt County Packers. As this article was being posted, the Early County Bobcats improved to 5-1 overall with a 13-0 shutout win over Dothan (Ala.) in a Thursday night contest, while Berrien also carried an overall mark of 4-1 into their Friday night clash against archrival Cook. It’s too bad that at least one of these teams will be on the outside looking in when postseason play arrives on the week of November 9.
THIRD DOWN: What about GHSA Region 1-5A? While the Thomas County Central Yellow Jackets have gotten off to a fast 4-1 start under first-year head coach Ashley Henderson, the balance of power in this league is in Middle Georgia. That’s where the Veterans Warhawks of Kathleen have gotten off to a surprising 6-0, while last year’s 5A state runner-up Warner Robins Demons are 4-1, with their lone loss so far coming to last year’s Class 7A runners-up in the Colquitt County Packers. Then there are the Bainbridge Bearcats, who have lost three straight games after winning back-to-back games to start the 2018 season, as well as the Harris County Tigers, who got their first win over a struggling Northside (Columbus) squad last week. Indeed, Region 1-5A will be just one of many races to watch when the calendar transitions from September to October.
FOURTH DOWN: Will any of Albany’s three GHSA teams make the playoffs? Yes, it’s possible for either the Dougherty Trojans, Monroe Tornadoes, Westover Patriots, or even all three of them, to find themselves playing beyond the week of November 2. But all of them will have their work cut out for them.
First, a look at the Patriots. Westover fell to 2-3 overall, and 1-2 in GHSA Region 1-4A after losing to Cairo 27-25 in a Thursday night contest at Hugh Mills Stadium on September 20. If the regular season ended right now, the Patriots from Albany would fall just short of the playoffs, currently sitting one game behind fourth-place Columbus, who downed first-year head coach Olten Downs’ squad 46-26 just three weeks earlier on September 6. With five games still left to play, including critical games at Carver (Columbus) and Americus-Sumter, Westover has no margin for error whatsoever if they’re to advance to the playoffs for the first time since 2014.
Moving on to Monroe, being in a region with just three other teams aside from them in 1-3A, all the Tornadoes have to do to guarantee themselves a playoff berth is to win at least one game in league play. The first opportunity for head coach Charles Truitt and company comes on October 12. That’s when they travel to Cordele to take on the Crisp County Cougars in the 1-3A opener for both teams.
As for the Trojans from Albany, at 0-5 overall and 0-3 in Region 1-4A action, Dougherty might have the longest shot out of all of the GHSA squads from Dougherty County. However, in order for the Trojans to even have the slimmest of chances to play the spoiler’s role, much less land in the playoffs, they must win that first game under first-year head coach Damien Gary. Their next chance to finally get over the hump will happen on, you guessed it, Thursday, October 4, at Northside (Columbus).
Related Posts:
High School Football Round-Up Podcast: Mid-Season Report
High School Football Round-Up: Mid-Season Thoughts
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Press Release courtesy of the Southwest Georgia Public Health District
On this week’s episode of the High School Football Report, you’ll listen to a look back at the first six weeks of the regular season, as well as what to watch for in the final six weeks.
Column: High School Football Round-Up Podcast/Mid-Season Thoughts
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Six weeks of the Georgia high school football regular season have come and gone, with six weeks of it still to come.
So, what have we learned during the first half of the 2018 campaign in Southwest Georgia? Keep reading to find out.
Lee County and Pelham dominant: Both of these teams might be in different classifications, but the GHSA Class 6A Lee County Trojans and the Class 1A Pelham Hornets are not only unbeaten at 5-0 but also have been dominant in winning their respective games, especially when comes to allowing very few points if any.
So far, the defending Class 6A state champions Trojans have outscored their opponents 214-16 in their five wins, while pitching two shutouts along the way. As for the Hornets, they held their first four opponents scoreless in their first four games, outscoring them 226-0. However, in last week’s win over the Miller County Pirates, the Hornets finally gave up their first points for 2018, allowing several touchdowns in a 63-20 rout over the Region 1-1A rivals from Colquitt.
Lee County has one more non-region game this season after taking last week off, with the Trojans traveling to Thomson to take on the Class 4A Bulldogs, while Pelham will put its undefeated season on the line again against Stewart County at home this week.
A tale of three teams: While the Lee County’s and Pelham’s of the world have cruised to fast 5-0 starts so far, Albany’s three GHSA teams have had their ups-and-downs in 2018.
The Monroe Tornadoes currently hold the best overall record among the city’s three squads at 3-3, followed by the Westover Patriots at 2-3, rounded out by the winless Dougherty Trojans at 0-5 overall.
But, in the race for the mythical City of Albany championship, Westover currently has the advantage in that department, as the Patriots defeated Monroe 26-6 on August 31. The loss to the Patriots started a three-game losing streak for the Tornadoes, a streak that was snapped with a close 20-15 win over Dougherty at Hugh Mills Stadium last week.
Last Thursday, Westover (1-2 in GHSA Region 1-4A) fell behind early against the visiting Cairo Syrupmakers (3-2, 3-0), but rallied late before losing 27-25. The Patriots trailed 27-3 going into the fourth quarter before scoring 22 unanswered points. Still, Cairo managed to seal the win after stopping Westover with an interception on the two-point conversion attempt.
Dougherty and Westover have this week off, while Monroe travels to Brunswick for their final non-region game of the season before taking next week off. The Tornadoes will open Region 1-3A play at Crisp County on October 12.
How do the region races stack up? While some regions within the Southwest Georgia Network coverage area won’t begin the region schedule for at least another week or two, at least two of them have already well into league action heading into the last week of September. Here’s how some of these races stack up going into Week 7.
Region 1-6A: While Lee County is still 5-0 going into their game against Thomson this week, the team that the Trojans from Leesburg beat to win the Class 6A title last year, the Coffee Trojans, is 6-0 so far this year. Both teams will square off in Douglas on November 2 in what could be a battle for the region crown.
Region 1-4A: Carver (Columbus)-(5-0 overall, 3-0 in region play) is currently tied with Cairo for first place in this nine-team league, with Americus-Sumter (2-3, 2-1) dropping into sole possession of third place after falling to Hardaway 23-20 last week. Meanwhile, Columbus (2-2, 1-1) fell into fourth place all by itself after losing to Carver 44-28, while Westover finds itself in a four-way tie for fifth place after the loss to Cairo at 1-2.
For those Region 1-4A fans that are already looking ahead to a potential showdown for the region championship, Cairo plays host to Carver on October 19. Don’t be surprised if both teams are still unbeaten in region play by the time they finally square off at West Thomas Stadium.
Region 1-3A: The Crisp County Cougars, as well as the Monroe Tornadoes, both share this region’s best overall records at 3-3, with the Cook Hornets sitting at 2-4, while the Worth County Rams sit at 1-4. Two weeks ago, the Rams won their first game since November 11, 2016, as they outlasted Rutland 22-16. The win over the Macon-based Hurricanes snapped a 15-game losing streak dating back to that second Friday in November. The Rams defeated Southeast Bulloch in the first round of the GHSA Class 3A playoffs that night, before being eliminated by Greater Atlanta Christian in the second round.
With just four teams in Region 1-3A, only three of these teams will be assured of a playoff berth, with the fourth-place team being thrown into a pool of seven fifth-place teams from Region 2-8 for the at-large playoff berth. Having said that, every game will count when region play starts on October 12.
Region 1-1A: Pelham (5-0, 4-0) and Mitchell County (4-1, 4-0) are currently tied for the lead in this league heading into the final week of September. Just like Lee County and Coffee in Region 1-6A, both the Hornets and Eagles could find themselves on a potential collision course for the Region 1-1A crown to close out the regular season on November 2.
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NOTE: All final scores are in alphabetical order, with the winning team marked in BOLD type.
Last updated at 12:07 a.m. on Saturday, September 22, 2018.
GHSA Scores–Week of September 21, 2018
Thursday, September 20
Cairo 27, Westover 25
Friday, September 21
Atkinson County 56, Lanier County 26
Berrien 19, Brantley County 6
Charlton County 35, Turner County 7
Chattahoochee County 22, Seminole County 13
Colquitt County 26, Grayson 14
Crisp County 23, Bainbridge 0
Early County 20, Tallassee (Ala.) 13
Hardaway 23, Americus-Sumter 20
Irwin County 54, Telfair County 0
Lowndes 71, Valdosta 35
Monroe 20, Dougherty 15
(Tornadoes snap a three-game skid with the win over the still winless Trojans, who are still looking for their first win under first-year head Damien Gray. Monroe now 3-3, while Dougherty falls to 0-5.)
Pelham 63, Miller County 20
(Class 1A Hornets remain undefeated at 5-0, but their shutout streak was snapped at four straight games.)
Terrell County 22, Calhoun County 12
(Greenwaves get their first win of the season after four straight losses, now 1-4 overall, 1-3 in GHSA Region 1-1A. Cougars fall to 1-4 overall, 1-3 in GHSA Region 1-1A.)
Thomas County Central 17, Brooks County 0
Thomasville 49, Cook 20
GISA Scores–Week of September 14, 2018
Friday, September 21
Gatewood 42, Westwood 6
Heritage (Newnan) 15, Southland 14
Southwest Georgia Academy 44, Piedmont 7
Tiftarea 49, Loganville Christian 14
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Editor’s Note: Unless otherwise indicated, any and all historical information is courtesy of the Georgia High School Football Historians Association at http://www.ghsfha.org/. All games listed are played on Fridays unless otherwise indicated.
FIRST DOWN: Miller County (2-1) at Pelham (4-0)
The Region 1-1A Hornets return to action this week looking to remain undefeated against the Pirates in Pelham. Pelham will not only look to stay unbeaten but also try to continue their streak of consecutive shutouts, as the Hornets have outscored their opponents 226-0 so far this season. As for Miller County, the Pirates opened their campaign by crushing Terrell County 51-8, followed by a bad 43-6 loss to Mitchell County, before bouncing back with an astounding 82-22 triumph over Randolph-Clay last week. It’ll be interesting to see which way the ball will bounce in this battle of Class 1A teams this week.
SECOND DOWN: Monroe (2-3) vs. Dougherty (0-4)
The Tornadoes and Trojans will meet for the 49th time this week in a battle of Albany-based teams that are trying to snap losing streaks of three and four straight games, respectively. Monroe has lost three straight games after a 2-0 start, while Dougherty has given up an average of almost 41 points in all four games this season. Monroe downed Dougherty 29-19 in last year’s meeting, while the Trojans stunned the Tornadoes 21-14 the year before. Although Dougherty leads the all-time series 28-19-1, Monroe has won nine of the last 11 meetings dating back to 2006.
THIRD DOWN: Crisp County (2-3) at Bainbridge (2-2)
The Region 1-5A Bearcats play host to the Region 1-3A Cougars in another game where both teams have had their ups-and-downs thus far in 2018. After outlasting archrival Americus-Sumter 17-14 to open the season, the Cougars lost three straight games before snapping that skid with a 21-6 win over Region 8-7A South Gwinnett last week. On the other hand, the Bearcats have lost back-to-back games to Lincoln (Fla.) and Brooks County after starting with wins over Seminole County and Cairo respectively. With only one non-region game to play following this contest, this will serve as a measuring-stick game for both the Bearcats and the Cougars.
FOURTH DOWN (GAME OF THE WEEK):
Cairo (2-2, 2-0 GHSA Region 1-4A) at Westover (2-2, 1-1)-(Thursday)
Less than a week after holding off their Patriot namesakes in Northside (Columbus), the Patriots from Albany must quickly turnaround and face a Syrupmakers squad that has pitched back-to-back shutouts in easy wins over Hardaway as well as this aforementioned Northside team over the last two weeks, winning both contests by a combined score of 62-0 during that span. Cairo opened its 2018 campaign with back-to-back heartbreaking losses to Thomasville (15-14) and Bainbridge (15-7) respectively.
As for Westover, it’s been an up-and-down season so far for first-year head coach Olten Downs, suffering a tough opening-week loss at Cook, as well as being crushed at Columbus just two weeks ago. However, the Patriots defense has been impressive in wins over Albany archrival Monroe as well as Northside. If Westover is to win another critical GHSA Region 1-4A game, the defense must not only lead the way once again, it’s also important for the offense to do its part, and put enough points on the scoreboard to stop the Syrupmakers.
The Patriots last win over Cairo came in 2013. That was when they stunned the Syrupmakers 14-9 en route to winning their lone region title that season. Cairo holds a commanding 23-4 lead over Westover in an on-and-off again series that dates back to the Patriots inaugural season of 1969.
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