Canes, Wildcats improve to 4-0
Cartersville and Woodland improved to 4-0 Friday night with home victories.
The Hurricanes handled their toughest challenge of the season by defeating Class AAAAAAA Cherokee 28-10 and the Wildcats stormed from behind twice to seize a 26-21 Homecoming Night and Region 7-AAAAA victory over Paulding County.
Adairsville lost at Haralson County 51-28 and Cass dropped its third straight game 16-3 at Villa Rica.
CANES IMPROVE TO 4-0
Marcus Gary (photo) ran for 112 yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries and Sunni Moorehead recovered a blocked punt for a touchdown as Cartersville defeated visiting Cherokee, 28-10.
Moorhead also added an interception that set up the Canes’ final touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Cherokee’s defense limited Cartersville to their lowest first half output of the year (138 total yards and 14 points), but the Canes’ defense was even better. Cartersville limited the Warriors to zero yards rushing over the game’s first 24 minutes and allowed only 24 rushing yards in the game. The Warriors had 180 passing yards.
Desmond Winters blocked a Cherokee punt on Cherokee’s first possession of the game. Moorehead’s end zone recovery gave the Canes a 7-0 lead only 90 seconds into the contest.
Cherokee missed a 31-yard field goal attempt later in the quarter and Cartersville scored on back-to-back possessions to grab a 21-0 lead early in the second period.
The Cartersville defense did allow a touchdown for the first time this season. Cherokee scored on a six-play, 61-yard drive in the opening seconds of the fourth quarter. The Warriors’ field goal came at the end of the third quarter.
Cartersville quarterback Tee Webb was 15-of-37 passing for 72 yards and one interception.
Moorehead finished with three tackles, one for loss, the interception and the touchdown on the blocked punt; Marquail Coaxum finished with six tackles, an interception (his second in the last two games) and a pass breakup; senior defensive end Bobby Harris had eight tackles, two for losses and a sack; junior outside linebacker Jadon Martin had eight tackles, three for losses; senior defensive end Isaiah Chaney had five tackles, two for losses; and Harrison Allen had eight tackles and one for loss.
Cherokee slipped to 2-3 on the season with the loss.
Cartersville (4-0) extended the state’s longest regular season winning streak to 42 games. The Hurricanes open Region 5-AAAA play next week at Cedartown.
— Game stats provided by Jason Greenberg, The Daily Tribune News
RESILIENT WILDCATS RALLY FOR HISTORIC HOMECOMING WIN
Woodland kept finding ways to come back Friday night and ultimately rallied in the game’s final moments for a heart-stopping 26-21 homecoming victory over Paulding County.
Paulding County went ahead 14-0 in the first quarter on a 58-yard opening drive and a 77-yard fumble recovery return for a touchdown.
Smael Mondon capped the Patriots first possession scoring drive with an eight-yard scoring run and Austin Harrell scooped up a fumbled pitch and raced 77 yards to put Paulding up 14-0 following a pair of Matthew Frey PATs.
Woodland narrowed the margin to 14-7 at halftime following the first of three 90-plus yard drives.
Justice Carter (photo) scored the first of his two touchdowns on a two-yard run to cap a 91-yard Woodland drive that took 14 plays. The score and Ronny Ramirez PAT kick made the score 14-7 at halftime.
Late in the third quarter, Woodland scored to tie the game 14-14.
Again it was a 91-yard drive that took nine plays. Demarcus Williams did the scoring honors this time on a one-yard plunge.
The Patriots regained the lead on the first play of the fourth quarter. Mondon took a direct snap on a fourth down play and raced 37 yards for a touchdown and a 21-14 advantage.
Another long drive by Woodland gaven the Wildcats hope. Justice Carter powered his way into the end zone with 2:43 left in the game to culminate a 94-yard drive that took 13 plays.
Trailing 21-20, Woodland head coach Tony Plott decided to roll the dice and take advantage of his team’s offensive momentum. The Wildcats lined up for a two-point conversion run and Carter was stopped inches short of the goal line.
Now trailing by one point, Plott called for the bouncing on-side kickoff.
Ramirez kicked an ideal ball that took a pair of huge hops. It was touched by a Paulding County player and recovered by Woodland at the 25-yard line.
Five plays later, Titus Jones — who was inserted late at the quarterback position — scored on a nine-yard sweep on a diving stretch for the pylon. Another two-point conversion run attempt failed, but the Wildcats held a 26-21 lead with 0:54 remaining.
Paulding County surged back up the field and reached Woodland territory, but a sack as time expired gave the Wildcats their first 4-0 start in school history.
Justice Carter totaled 205 yards rushing in the game and Demarcus Williams rushed for 104 yards on 18 carries for the Wildcats.
Paulding — who also led in the fourth quarter the week before against Hiram — falls to 0-4 overall and 0-2 in Region 7-AAAAA.
Woodland (4-0, 2-0) has matched its best-ever start to a season and travels to Hiram next Friday for another region showdown.
— Games stats provided by Nicholas Sullivan, The Daily Tribune News
HARALSON COUNTY PULLS AWAY FROM TIGERS
Treylon Sheppard ran for over 200 yards in the first half and finished his night with five touchdowns and well over 300 yards rushing as Haralson County remained unbeaten and stopped visiting Adairsville 51-28.
Phillip Holloman returned the opening kickoff 95 yards and Sheppard added a 57-yard scamper as the Rebels grabbed an early 14-0 lead.
Adairsville’s Mason Boswell scored a pair of rushing touchdowns on back-to-back Tigers’ possessions to knot the score at 14 midway through the second quarter, but Haralson County answered with a 37-14 scoring run from that point.
Sheppard added two more scoring runs — one from more than 70 yards out — as the Rebels took a 36-22 lead into the intermission.
Boswell scored for the Tigers in the final minute of the first half on a one-yard run.
Derrick Simmons had a two-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter to narrow the Adairsville deficit to 36-28 and the Tigers recovered the ensuing onside kick, but their drive stalled just across midfield.
Sheppard’s 80-yard scamper in the fourth quarter extended the Rebels’ lead to 44-28 and a 16-yard quarterback run accounted for Haralson’s final points.
Haralson County improved to 3-0 overall and 1-0 in Region 6-AAA.
Adairsville (2-2, 1-1) will host North Murray next Friday.
COLONELS FAIL TO FIND OFFENSE ON THE ROAD
After a season opening win over Adairsville, Cass has now dropped three straight with a loss Friday night at Villa Rica, 16-3.
T.J. Brown scored the game’s first touchdown on a 3-yard run on Villa Rica’s second possession of the game for a 7-0 Wildcats’ lead.
Cass kicked a second quarter field goal by Kaleb Speights to narrow the Villa Rica lead to 7-3, but the Wildcats raced back down the field in five plays to take a 13-3 lead. Noah Best connected with Phillip Zachary on a second-and-10 play for a 15-yard scoring strike. The extra point was missed.
Following a three-and-out, Villa Rica blocked a Cass punt to set up a field goal for the final points either team would score on the night.
The two teams battled scoreless through the second half and the Wildcats held on for a 13-point Region 7-AAAAA win.
Villa Rica (3-2, 1-1) plays at Paulding County next Friday while Cass (1-3, 0-2) travels to top-ranked Rome.
