DAMASCUS —
The Valwood Valiants closed out the regular season with a dominating 48-7 win over the Southwest Georgia Warriors Friday night.
With the win, Valwood (10-0) clinched the outright Region 3-IAA championship and will serve as the region’s No. 1 seed in the state playoffs, which begin Nov. 16.
“One of the goals from the beginning of the season was to repeat as region champions,” Valwood head coach Ashley Henderson said. “That’s tough to do with the brutal schedule we had and to run through that gauntlet undefeated is nice. The target we had on our backs all year will only continue to get bigger so we have to continue to stay humble and work to improve each time we hit the field, be it at practice or Friday nights.”
Seniors Khary Paige and Rashad Mathis both accounted for two touchdowns on the night to lead the Valwood offense. Paige opened the scoring with a 6-yard touchdown run before adding a 75-yard touchdown run later in the first half, which put Valwood ahead by four scores.
Mathis followed up Paige’s 6-yard run with a pair of scores, the first a 3-yard touchdown run and the other a 56-yard touchdown run from the wildcat formation.
With Valwood up four scores, senior quarterback Jake Lastinger connected with junior Char Merine on a 55-yard touchdown pass.
The Valiants’ final two scores of the night came on a Zane Edmondson 7-yard touchdown run and a Marik Merine 8-yard TD run.
Local Sports
Valwood beats SGA, wins Region 3-IAA championship
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Sending the Blazers off
The Valdosta State softball team made the long journey to Salem, Va. Tuesday, leaving Valdosta at 10:30 a.m. with devoted fans cheering them out of the parking lot.
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All-Region teams announced
Lowndes was one win away from a trip to the Class AAAAAA state semifinals, and the success by the Vikings this season showed when the All-Region 1 baseball teams were announced Monday.
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Lowndes tennis dominates
Lowndes’ tennis team dominated the All-Region 1 teams, with coach Heath Phelps garnering Coach of the Year honors on both the girls’ and boys’ side.
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Banks Lake Youth Fishing Derby a success
The 13th annual Banks Lake Youth Fishing Derby held May 11 drew 150 children from ages 3 to 15 who competed for trophies while learning how to fish.
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Valdosta's Alakulppi ties for 2nd at state
Valdosta freshman golfer Luukas Alakulppi fired a 71 to finish in a tie for second at the Class AAAAAAA state golf tournament in Tifton.
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Brooks County's Parrish in Rivals Top 100
Brooks County rising senior Malkolm Parrish is ranked the 73rd best high school football prospect in the nation, according to the release of the Rivals.com Top 100.
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Summer camp information
VSU baseball camp coming soon
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Prince Automotive donates new baseball equipment
Prince Automotive of Valdosta is supporting the Valdosta community through its partnership with the Valdosta/Lowndes County Recreation Department. The dealership has joined forces with the national Chevrolet Youth Baseball program to provide new equipment, instructional clinics, and a monetary donation.
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Needmore holds final races before big Memorial Day weekend
Saturday night racing at Needmore Speedway saw some new faces in victory lane.
That wasn’t the case in the Late Model division, as Valdosta's Gene Ross drove to victory once again, but not without some close competition from Steven Roberts who came in second.
In the Limited Late Model class, it was another win for Cole Exum, with Gene Maine finishing second in the NAPA Auto Parts special. -
VSU softball wins South Region, headed to nationals
For the third time in four years, and second in a row, Valdosta State’s softball team will play in the national championship tournament.
The Blazers won their third South Region championship Saturday, beating Alabama-Huntsville 8-3 in game three of the best-of-three series at Steel’s Diamond at Blazer Park. - More Local Sports Headlines
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