VALDOSTA —
VALDOSTA — It was a good night for Valdosta’s three high school football teams on Friday.
Lowndes routed Pebblebrook 47-7 at Martin Stadium. Across town, Valdosta blanked Brooks County 35-0 at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium. Valwood traveled to Chula and defeated rival Tiftarea 25-21.
The other teams in The Valdosta Daily Times’ coverage area had mixed success. Clinch County had a good night, defeating Pierce County 41-28, and Lanier County opened its season with a 40-14 win over Calhoun County. But Brooks fell to Valdosta, and Berrien lost its opener 18-0 to Southwest Macon.
Lowndes 47, Pebblebrook 7
VALDOSTA – The Lowndes Vikings came out firing on all cylinders in their second game of the season, and crushed the Pebblebrook Falcons 47-7 on Friday night at Martin Stadium.
It was clear domination by the No. 2 team in Class AAAAA from start to finish. Lowndes piled up 414 yards of total offense, and held Pebblebrook to 119 yards.
Vikings quarterback Cole Parker completed 5 of 6 passes for 156 yards and four touchdowns. Parker threw two touchdown passes to Kendall Coleman, one to Josh Clemons and one to Kenneth Durden. Troy Braswell, Sam Duncan and Mike Moore all ran for touchdowns.
“It felt good,” Vikings coach Randy McPherson said. “We worked hard all week. The kids came out and played hard. They played the whole game.”
Valdosta 35, Brooks County 0
VALDOSTA — Valdosta scored touchdowns on its first three possessions, built a 25-0 halftime lead and defeated Brooks County 35-0 Friday at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium.
“I thought we did some good things. I thought we made some plays,” Valdosta head coach Rance Gillespie said after his first win as Valdosta’s head football coach. “I’m proud for these kids. They’ve worked hard.”
Valdosta quarterback Ryan Whilden completed 12-of-20 passes for 245 yards and three touchdowns in the victory. Malcolm Mitchell caught three passes for 105 yards and two touchdowns. DaShay March caught a touchdown pass and ran for another score. The Wildcats’ defense kept Brooks off of the scoreboard.
Brooks quarterback Malcolm Parrish ran for 47 yards and passed for 34.
Valwood 25, Tiftarea 21
CHULA — Valwood, which went 1-9 last year, followed its preseason win over Sherwood Christian with a stunning 25-21 win over rival Tiftarea Academy in its regular season opener on Friday.
“Everyone is excited,” Valiants head coach Brannon Tidwell said. “The kids were going crazy on the bus. They haven’t experienced this since 2006.”
Tiftarea led 14-0 and 21-10, but Valwood scored the game’s final 15 points.
Valwood quarterback J.B. Bahnsen threw one touchdown pass and ran for another one. Rashad Mathis caught two touchdown passes.
Lanier County 40, Calhoun County 14
LAKELAND — Lanier County opened its season with a 26-point win over Calhoun County on Friday.
The Bulldogs scored 20 points in both the second and the third quarters, and built a 40-0 lead at one point. Calhoun could only muster 14 points once the game was out of reach.
“Our kids have matured a little bit since last year,” Bulldogs head coach Wade Beale said. “We needed our playmakers to make plays, and they made plays tonight.”
Anthony Ethridge scored three touchdowns for Lanier, including one on a 25-yard fumble return. On defense, Junior Gnonkonde finished with three solo sacks, two assisted, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery for a touchdown. The Bulldogs had 368 yards of total offense.
Southwest Macon 18, Berrien 0
NASHVILLE — Berrien struggled in its season opener, and fell 18-0 to Southwest Macon on Friday night.
“We have a young ball club and we have some young kids,” Berrien head coach Ryan Branch said after the game. “We are going to keep plugging away, and we are going to look at it and just study it and do what we can to get better.”
The Rebels allowed 201 rushing yards to the Patriots, while managing just 132 yards of total offense. Berrien quarterback Vidal Atkins was 8 for 24 for 102 yards, and threw five interceptions.
Clinch County 41, Pierce County 28
BLACKSHEAR — Clinch County began its 2010 season with a 41-28 win over Pierce County on Friday night.
Clinch dominated the first three quarters, and built a 41-14 lead. Pierce, a AA school, scored two late touchdowns on the Panthers’ reserves to make the final score 41-28.
Local Sports
Victories for Valdosta, Lowndes, Valwood, Lanier and Clinch
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Fans welcome home champion Blazers
Much like it had done all season, the local Valdosta community showed its support for the National Champion Valdosta State softball team Sunday.
The support started when the team reached the Georgia state-line on its trip home Sunday morning when it was greeted by 13 police vehicles -
COLUMN: Blazers title win caps off another year of local sports
The Valdosta State softball teams 4-1 victory over UC-San Diego in the Division II National Championship Game capped off another season of local area sports.
The next thing to look forward to will be the start of football training camps in August. -
Valdosta teammates Foster, Bridges sign with Albany State
Valdosta basketball players Sierra Foster and LaPorchia Bridges have been teammates for years. Now they will remain teammates at the next level.
Foster and Bridges have both signed letters of intent to play basketball for Albany State next year. -
David Dean youth football camp set for May 29 start
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 CHAMPIONS!
The Valdosta State softball team faced all kinds of adversity throughout the national tournament. After losing to UC-San Diego in the first game of the tournament on Wednesday, the Blazers staved off four elimination games en route to an appearance in the Division II National Championship Game on Saturday afternoon.
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VSU seniors come up big at national level
For the eight seniors on the Valdosta State softball team, Saturday’s 4-1 win in the national championship game capped off a four-year run filled with success.
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Blazers to play on championship Saturday
The Valdosta State softball team advanced to the final day of the NCAA Division II Softball Championship Tournament following two wins on Friday.
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VSU beats Southern Connecticut State, 6-3
Morgan Johnson hit a 3-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning to carry the top-ranked Valdosta State Blazers past the Southern Connecticut Owls, 6-3, on Friday morning.
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Valdosta High runners going to South Georgia
Timmy Evans and Mike Hammond have been teammates on the Valdosta High cross country team the past two years. Now they will remain teammates in college.
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Posey’s homer lifts VSU in 11th
To some, Samantha Posey is known as Buster’s sister. But on Thursday, Valdosta State softball fans were referring to Posey as the hero, after she delivered a walk-off home run in the 11th inning to carry the top-ranked Blazers past the Augustana (S.D) Vikings, 5-4.
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