TWIN CITY — The Clinch County Panthers did something no other team has been able to do. The Panthers virtually stopped Washaun Ealey cold for two quarters of football.
Good thing for the defending Class A state champion Emanuel County Institute Bulldogs that four quarters make a game.
Ealey shook off a rough first half in which he gained only 19 yards on six carries, and scored four touchdowns in the second half, lifting the Bulldogs to a 33-21 win in the second round of the playoffs.
Clinch (9-3) entered halftime holding a 14-7 lead. The Panthers used some trickery to take a halftime lead. On a fourth-and-6 play from the ECI 31-yard line, Panther quarterback Vintavious Cooper threw a lateral to receiver Dominique Ellis, who turned and hit Brandon Richardson for a touchdown with only 16 seconds remaining in the first half.
But Ealey took control in the second half. The University of Georgia-bound senior running back scored on runs of 3 and 59 yards to give the Bulldogs the lead at 21-14 entering the fourth quarter.
In the final frame, Ealey scored two more times on runs of 25 and 46 yards, the latter coming on a fourth-and-1, giving ECI a 33-21 lead.
Ealey finished with 255 yards and four touchdowns on 30 carries. He also added a fourth quarter interception while playing defense.
ECI’s Dexter Moody scored in the first quarter on a 22-yard pass from Michael Robertson on a fourth-and-20. Moody also delivered a bone-crushing hit on Panthers receiver Trey Richardson in the fourth that jarred the ball loose. The Bulldogs’ senior linebacker recovered the fumble himself, and ECI ran the clock out from there.
Local Sports
Strong second half propels ECI to victory
- Local Sports
-
-
Dario Franchitti wins Indy again
Dan Wheldon couldn’t win his third Indianapolis 500. Dario Franchitti did it for him.
And if it wasn’t going to be Franchitti, then it would be Scott Dixon. Maybe even Tony Kanaan.
No matter what, one of Wheldon’s best buddies was going to Victory Lane. -
VSU teams hosting summer camps
The national champion Valdosta State softball team will host two separate summer camps this summer, as well as weekly clinics throughout the summer.
The two summer camps will be held on June 11-13 and July 9-11 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The camps will cost $100 each. -
David Dean Youth Camp begins next week
The David Dean Youth Football Camp is quickly approaching.
The fourth annual camp will be held May 29-June 1 at the Athletic Fieldhouse off Mary Street. -
National champion head coach rewarded with new truck
National champion head coach rewarded with new truck Valdosta State head softball coach Thomas Macera was rewarded with a new Toyota Tacoma from Valdosta Toyota on Wednesday for his team’s 4-1 victory over the University of California-San Diego in the Division II Softball National Championship Game.
-
Valwood’s Savino, Elliott named All-State soccer
Two Valwood boys’ soccer players have been named to the GISA Class AA All-State team.
-
All-American again
Go ahead and add another award to resume of this year’s Valdosta State softball team.
Between conference player of the week awards, a national player of the week award, All-Conference and All-Region honors and four All-American awards, the national champion Blazers had plenty of individuals honored for performances throughout the season, which ultimately led to VSU’s first ever softball national title. -
Local area events coming soon
Several local area runs will take place in the coming weeks.
Monday, May 28, there will be a Memorial Day 5K, which will begin at 8 a.m. from the VECA School located on the corner of Azalea Drive and College Street. -
Tech bound
Donjahae Jones gets it done in the classroom and on the track.
One of the top students in her class, and one of the top track and field competitors in the state, Jones will be taking her talents to the Division I level after she signed a track and field scholarship with Georgia Tech on Tuesday. -
Blazers garner All-Region honors
Two Valdosta State baseball players have been named All-South Region while a third has garnered Academic All-Region, according to announcements made by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA), the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) and the Collegiate Sports Information Director's of America (CoSIDA) this week.
-
Lowndes' Phelps named tennis Coach of the Year
Lowndes tennis coach Heath Phelps has been named the Region 1-AAAAA girls’ and boys’ tennis Coach of the Year, after he guided both teams to region championships.
- More Local Sports Headlines
-
