VALDOSTA — In a battle of two of Class AAAAA’s titans, Brookwood came out ahead Saturday night.
Brookwood, the defending AAAAA state runner-up, defeated Valdosta 9-7 Friday night at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium.
Dawson Zimmerman was the star of the night for Brookwood (1-2), kicking three field goals to account for all of the Broncos’ nine points. He connected from 24, 29 and 41 yards. The third field goal erased a 7-6 Valdosta lead with 7:16 left in the game, and proved to be the winning points.
Meanwhile, Brookwood’s defense, arguably one of Georgia’s best, made it tough for Valdosta (1-2) to move the ball. The Wildcats were held to just 153 yards of total offense.
Brookwood’s offense did not reach the end zone, and managed just 82 yards rushing on 37 carries, but thanks to its defense and Zimmerman, it was enough.
The Broncos’ first field goal was set up by a first-quarter punt return by Demetre Ludlum down to the Valdosta 6. Before catching the punt, Ludlum made a signal with his arm that looked somewhat like a fair catch signal but apparently wasn’t, then when the defenders slowed up around him, he took off running and went 50 yards before being pulled down. Valdosta’s defense held, but Zimmerman kicked a 24-yard field goal to give Brookwood a 3-0 lead.
Brookwood likes to move the ball with long, time-consuming drives, and at the start of the second quarter, the Broncos drove from their own 25 to the Valdosta 29 with a 12-play drive. But after the drive stalled, Zimmerman missed a 47-yard field goal.
But the Broncos’ defense forced a three-and-out, and took over at the Wildcat 46. On the second play of the drive, quarterback Daniel Peek hit Patrick Moran with a 27-yard pass, down to the 17. That set up a 29-yard field goal by Zimmerman with 31.9 seconds left in the half.
Valdosta had not mounted a long drive in the first half, but at the end of the third quarter, the Wildcat offense got going, and drove 83 yards down the field for the game’s first touchdown. On third-and-five from the Bronco 20, on the final play of the third quarter, quarterback Michael Turner faked the handoff, then found an open Brian Mathis cutting towards the Brookwood sideline at the 10. Mathis evaded two defenders, and crossed the goal line for the touchdown. Brad Barr’s extra point gave Valdosta a 7-6 lead.
But with Zimmerman, Brookwood knew it just needed to move the ball inside the 30, and it would have a chance to score.
After Valdosta’s touchdown, Barr’s kickoff bounced out of bounds, but Brookwood coach Mark Crews chose to make Valdosta kick again instead of taking the ball at the Bronco 35. Big mistake. On the re-kick, the return man slipped at the 3, and Brookwood was pinned deep in its own end. A tackle in the backfield and a penalty moved the ball two feet from a safety.
That’s when Peek made his biggest throw of the night. He lofted the pass downfield, and Moran caught it for a 55-yard completion, down to the Valdosta 44. Instead of facing a possible punt from their own end zone, Brookwood had a first down in Wildcat territory.
Brookwood then ran the ball five straight times, and on fourth-and-6 from the 24, Zimmerman split the uprights from 41 yards out.
On the first play of Valdosta’s final possession, Turner hit James for a 17-yard pass to the VHS 45. But on the next play, when Turner tried to take off and run, he was tackled at the 46 and limped off the field. Backup Alfrie Johnson tried to scramble on the next two plays, and was tackled in the backfield by a blitzing defense. Turner came back on fourth-and-15 from the 40, but his pass was intercepted by Brookwood’s Jared Reine.
For Brookwood, Ludlum rushed for 77 yards on 16 carries. Peek, in his first game of the season, was just 4-of-11 passing, but those four passes, all to Moran, went for 122 yards.
For Valdosta, James carried 15 times for 63 yards, but the rest of the Wildcats managed just 41 yards on the ground (28 by Turner). Turner was 4-for-9 passing for 49 yards and a touchdown.
Valdosta will host Tallahassee (Fla.) Lincoln next week.
Local Sports
Wildcats fall to Brookwood
Zimmerman’s three field goals give Broncos 9-7 win
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