VALDOSTA — It’s official. For the third time in four years, Lowndes High can say it has the best AAAAA football team in the state of Georgia.
Lowndes defeated the North Gwinnett Bulldogs for the state championship in impressive fashion Saturday night, winning 34-6.
“I’m so proud of our kids,” Lowndes head coach Randy McPherson said after the game. “What a great effort by our offense, defense, and special teams.”
For the second week in a row, the Vikings’ defense was dominating. This time, the offense was just as dominant.
Lowndes put up 401 yards offensively, and all of it came from the running game. The Bulldogs put up 204 yards, only three of which came on the ground.
“The offensive line did a good job, they took control of the game,” McPherson said.
Then there was Lowndes’ Greg Reid. Reid, the Region 1-AAAAA player of the year, and quite possibly the best football player in the state, put on a show Saturday night.
Reid rushed for 191 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries, had an interception on defense, blocked an extra point and ran for a two-point conversion on special teams.
“It feels great. It’s exciting,” Reid said.
Though Reid had the best game, he wasn’t the only Viking making huge play after huge play.
Lowndes’ Darriet Perry, in the final game of his storied Vikings career, rushed for 115 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries.
On defense, Michael Copeland had three sacks, one of which went for a safety, and Tavaris Williams had six tackles and a 64-yard interception return for a touchdown.
“It’s a dream come true,” Williams said. “I knew this was my last game, and I had to leave on a good note.”
With the packed-out stadium rocking on the opening kickoff, the Vikings took less than 15 seconds to put the first nail in North Gwinnett’s coffin.
After Perry took the opening kick and slipped on the wet grass at the 9-yard line, the Bulldogs might have been feeling confident. They shouldn’t have.
On the next play, Reid took the hand-off, started left, reversed field, found an opening, and raced 91 yards for the touchdown.
The Bulldogs got the first of their two extra-point blocks, but Lowndes led, 6-0.
On the Vikings’ next drive, it would be Perry’s turn to score. Perry capped off a 7-play, 72-yard drive by bursting up the middle for a 3-yard touchdown. Reid ran in the two-point conversion, and Lowndes held a 14-0 lead with 6:07 left in the first.
Lowndes’ third score of the night again came on the feet of Perry. This time, Perry capped off a 6-play, 80-yard drive with a 22-yard run for the score.
Perry had 57 yards rushing on the drive, and with 3:44 left to play in the first half, the Vikings were running away with the game, 20-0.
North Gwinnett struck back with their lone score of the night just one minute later. Quarterback Michael Tamburo took the snap and ran it in from 10 yards out for the touchdown. The play was set up by a 54-yard pass from Tamburo to Tyler Jarry.
Reid blocked the extra point, and Lowndes headed into halftime leading 20-6.
The Bulldogs had a chance earlier in the half, but missed a 25-yard field goal.
Just two and a half minutes into the half, Reid would score his second touchdown of the night. Reid had ended the previous North Gwinnett drive with an interception on the Bulldogs’ 41-yard line.
Five plays after his interception, he took the snap out of the Tebow formation, and burst up the middle for a 15-yard touchdown. His two-point run failed, but the Vikings were pulling away, 26-6.
On the Bulldogs’ following drive, the Vikings added two points to their score. Sophomore defensive end Michael Copeland sacked Tamburo two times in a row on North’s following possession. Both sacks went for a loss of 11-yards, and the second one came in the North Gwinnett end zone, after a bad snap, for a safety. With 8:17 left in the third quarter, the Vikings were up, 28-6.
The Vikings’ defense wasn’t done scoring, though.
Two Bulldogs possessions following the safety, Williams intercepted a tipped pass, and ran 64 yards behind a crimson wall of blockers for the touchdown.
“If it wasn’t for my teammates on that run, I wouldn’t have scored. They set up great blocks,” said Williams.
The two-point try failed, but the game was still as good as over. The game ended with the Vikings on top, 34-6.
“The defense did a great job. What an effort,” McPherson said.
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Discussion
Lowndes claims state title, 34-6
Vikings win third championship in four years
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