EATONTON – The Brooks County Trojans rolled through the first round of the Class AA playoffs on Friday night, defeating the Putnam County War Eagles 35-12 at Eagles Stadium.
“I thought we were the better team, and we just needed to come out here and hit on these folks,” Brooks County head coach Maurice Freeman said.
The Trojans were led by quarterback Keojuan Rose and running back Keith Christopher. Rose and Christopher combined for 323 yards of offense, and every Trojan touchdown.
“Well they have both been kind of banged up, so we challenged them both,” Freeman said.
The Trojans scored first when they dashed 65 yards on their opening possession. They took an early 7-0 lead when senior running back Keith Christopher scored from three yards out.
The Trojans added another touchdown to their lead when Rose broke an 83-yard touchdown run on the Trojans’ second offensive possession to give the Trojans a 14-0 lead.
The War Eagles answered by driving 75 yards and chewing up nearly seven minutes of the clock. They got on the scoreboard with a 15-yard Nick Burke touchdown pass, making the score 14-6.
Brooks County added another touchdown late in the first half when Rose found Keith Christopher for a 13-yard touchdown pass, which jolted the Trojans’ lead to 21-6.
The War Eagles managed one more scoring drive to end the second quarter, as Burke dashed into the end zone for a 2-yard touchdown run that made the halftime score 21-12, Brooks County.
The Trojans started the second half with a seven minute, 16 second drive that ended with a 10-yard Keith Christopher touchdown run.
Christopher added another Trojan touchdown, as he dashed into the end zone for a 4-yard touchdown run to start the fourth quarter, making the score 35-12, Brooks County.
The Trojans’ defense held Putnam County to 12 yards of total offense in the second half, and only 169 yards of offense in the entire game.
“That is the way to play,” Freeman said. “That’s a job well done, and that is what they’re supposed to do.”
Keith Christopher ended the night with four total touchdowns, three rushing and one receiving. He rushed for 104 yards on 12 carries, while Rose ended the night with 219 total yards (170 rushing) and two total touchdowns.
“We were talking to each other, and kept telling each other that every chance we got, we had to take advantage,” Christopher said. “We depended on our offensive line, and they got us there.”
With Friday’s win, the Trojans secured a spot in the second round of the GHSA state playoffs. They will travel to Charlton County next week.
