State Playoffs: Canes advance to second round; Tigers fall on the road
Cartersville forced five, second-half turnovers and held off the Flowery Branch Falcons 14-6 Friday night at Weinman Stadium to advance to the second round of the GHSA Class AAAA playoffs.
The top-ranked Hurricanes led 7-6 at halftime on a first quarter, Tee Webb to Kyler Johnson 26-yard touchdown pass and an Oscar Hernandez PAT kick. The Falcons narrowed the margin to 7-6 just before the intermission on a five-yard Jaizen Ellingham run, but Flowery Branch missed the extra point. The Falcons' scoring drive took advantage of a pair of Cartersville personal foul penalties.
The first of the Falcons’ turnovers in the second half was a fumble recovered by Devonte Ross that set up the game’s final scoring play.
On the very next play, Webb connected with Ross for a 49-yard touchdown pass with 9:58 remaining in the third quarter and that would be the final scoring of the night. Of the second half turnovers, none was more important than a Kolbe Benham interception with 1:25 remaining in the game. Benham, who had punched a ball free on the previous series leading to a Marquail Coaxum fumble recovery, went high in the air at the Cartersville 41-yard line to make a backward tumbling interception to seal the Canes' eight-point win. Webb (photo) finished 23-for-36 passing for 281 yards with two touchdowns. Ross hauled in six receptions for 92 yards and a score.
(Photo by Randy Parker, The Daily Tribune News) Quante Jennings finished with 121 rushing yards and Sam Phillips added 48. Jennings also added 35 yards on two receptions. Kyler Johnson made four catches for 46 yards. Benham had a pair of 20-yard receptions and forced two fumbles. Also on the defensive side, Marko Dudley and La'Kwayme Jupiter had an interception and fumble recovery, respectively.
Cartersville (11-0) will host Thomson, the No. 2-seed from Region 4-AAAA next Friday.
JENKINS 41, ADAIRSVILLE 0 Running back Damozzio Harris ran for three touchdowns and the Warriors’ defense scored twice as 7th-ranked Jenkins blanked Adairsville Friday night at Savannah State University, 41-0. Clarence Patterson scored on a 24-yard scoop-and-score in the first quarter and Dajon Morgan returned an interception early in the second period for the defensive scores. Harris scored on runs from 12, 14, and 48 yards as the Warriors took a 35-0 lead to halftime. With a running clock in the second half, the only scoring was a three-yard, third quarter run by Donavan Hall. Jenkins (10-1) will host Dawson County next Friday in the second round. Dawson County defeated Westminster 27-3. Adairsville’s season ends with a 5-6 mark.
