The Valdosta Daily Times
— Lowndes High’s football team defeated the East Coweta Indians 52-14 in the first round of the Class AAAAA playoffs on Friday. Vikings head coach Randy McPherson said East Coweta had a good team. He pointed out that East Coweta had played undefeated Newnan very well the previous week.
— McPherson said he believes the Vikings have gotten better each week. “I can’t make any predictions, but I like the chemistry, and how together they are,” McPherson said about his players. “They love to play the game.”
— McPherson called East Coweta’s Tay Willis a heck of a running back. Willis ran for 87 yards and a touchdown against the Vikings.
— McPherson was impressed with his defense in the second half. He said the Vikings’ first-team defense didn’t allow any first downs after halftime.
— McPherson said quarterback Cole Parker had a good game. He also credited the offensive line for good pass protection.
— McPherson said Parker’s 22-yard touchdown pass to Aaron Winston, which made it 17-7 late in the first half, was a huge play in the game. “We’ve got some throwers and some catchers this year,” McPherson said. “Believe it or not, I enjoy throwing the ball. Throwing the ball effectively has a lot to do with the throwers and catchers.”
— After looking at the film, McPherson said he didn’t think his team got off to a slow start against East Coweta, despite only leading 10-7 late in the first half. He said turnovers and penalties hurt the Vikings, but they were ready to go.
— McPherson said that when fullback Robert Anderson goes on to college, he won’t remember all of his runs at Lowndes, but he’ll certainly remember the 10-yard touchdown reception he had against East Coweta in the third quarter.
— Lowndes’ Defensive Player of the Week is defensive lineman Dion Crenshaw, who had 6.5 tackles. McPherson said Crenshaw gets better every week.
— The Offensive Player of the Week is running back Khary Franklin, who rushed for 145 yards and two touchdowns.
— The Special Teams Player of the Week for the second week in a row is kicker Jed Solomon, who was 6-for-6 on extra points and kicked a 34-yard field goal.
— The Scout Team Player of the Week is Jordan “Cowboy” Williams. McPherson said Williams, a ninth grader, played the role of Tay Willis in practice, and spent the first three days of practice last week running for his life from the first-team defense.
—The Lowndes broadcast team’s Athlete of the Week is Cole Parker. “It was a pretty good game,” Parker said. “I missed a couple people, but I hit them when I needed to.”
— Parker credited the offensive line for doing a great job of blocking for him all year. He said he’s only been sacked a few times this season, and most of those sacks were his fault.
— Parker said the Vikings didn’t pass the ball that much at the beginning of the season, but the coaches have gotten more confident in the passing game, and he’s gotten better as the season has gone on.
— Parker said football takes up most of his time, but he spends Saturdays watching college football and Sundays with his youth group.
— The Vikings take on the defending state champion Camden County Wildcats this Friday in the second round, in a game that’s been billed as the biggest in the state. “If you’re going to make any kind of run, or hope to win a state championship, you’re going to have to play Camden,” McPherson said.
— McPherson said the Wildcats haven’t changed much since the Vikings last played them (in the 2007 state semifinals). He said they are a fast team, but they aren’t the biggest team. “They look like they do every time you see them,” McPherson said.
— McPherson said Camden basically runs the same offense as the Vikings, except Lowndes throws it more. He added that Camden still uses the 3-5-3 defense.
