VALDOSTA —
The Lowndes Vikings cruised past the Newton Rams last Friday night. Up next: the Windsor Forest Knights at Martin Stadium.
Although the Vikings are off to another 2-0 start, their fifth straight, they still have plenty to improve on, according to head coach Randy McPherson.
“We got the shutout. Obviously that was nice,” McPherson said. “I felt like we played hard, but we are still missing blocks. We’ve had a couple turnovers. There is plenty of room for improvement — everywhere.”
Friday’s 31-0 shutout win over Newton was Lowndes’ third shutout in its last five games, dating back to the end of the 2011 regular season. Despite the loss of All-State linebacker Josh Harvey-Clemons, now a member of the University of Georgia football team, the Vikings’ defense seems to have picked up where it left off in 2011.
The key for Lowndes this season? Depth and speed, not size, says McPherson.
“I really like the group we got on defense,” McPherson said. “I wish I had (the) number of kids that played (Friday night). We played a lot of kids. Those kids would have played regardless of what the score was or anything. We like them.”
“We are coming together on defense,” said McPherson in his postgame interview with The Times on Friday night. “I (said) early on, ‘We are a little bit small, but we have a lot of speed.’ They are getting tough. They like each other. We just have to keep improving each day.”
Lowndes’ win Friday was also the 35th win in the month of September under McPherson. The early season success has allowed the Vikings to pile on 108 all-time victories under McPherson, who took over the program from Milt Miller in 2002, including three state championships.
“If you want to know why we have success here, we got really good kids that want to represent the community,” McPherson said. “We have good assistant coaches. Lowndes is a good place.”
The Vikings aren’t done winning yet, either.
This Friday night, Windsor Forest, a Savannah-based school, will visit Martin Stadium. The meeting will be the first since the 2007 state playoffs, when the Vikings hammered the Knights, 50-0. The schools also met in the 2004 state playoffs, and Lowndes won 56-7. Lowndes went on to win the state championship in both years.
Lowndes’ final non-region game will feature the Hardaway Hawks visiting Martin Stadium. Last season, Hardaway was a dismal 1-9, and both of its wins this season are against opponents from smaller classifications who have a combined 0-4 record.
In fact, none of the Vikings’ first four games of the 2012 season brought the excitement that other teams had on their schedule. While Lowndes’ crosstown rival Valdosta traveled to metro Atlanta to face a tough North Augusta (S.C.) team, the Vikings beat up on the Luella Lions. Last week, the Wildcats were playing one of the best teams in Class AA, the Brooks County Trojans, while the Vikings hosted Newton.
A week before Lowndes started its season, Colquitt County and Camden County, both members of Region 1-AAAAAA, faced Gwinnett County powers North Gwinnett and Peachtree Ridge in the Corky Kell Kickoff Classic in the Georgia Dome.
Of Lowndes’ first four games to start this season, only Windsor Forest made the playoffs in its respective classification last season, and the four teams (Luella, Newton, Windsor Forest and Hardaway) combined for just a 17-23-1 record last year.
Teams like Valdosta, Colquitt County and Camden County chose tougher routes to start the season. Valdosta’s first two opponents (North Augusta and Brooks County) both made the playoffs last season. All three of Colquitt County’s opponents so far this season were playoff teams last season, including Lovejoy, whose only loss was a 22-7 defeat in the Class AAAA state championship game. Camden County’s first two opponents of the season — Peachtree Ridge and Ocala (Fla.) Vanguard — made the playoffs last year.
For the Vikings, the tougher competition will come when they open region play Sept. 28 against Colquitt County in Moultrie. Last season, the Packers beat the Vikings, 34-7.
The game in Moultrie will just be the start of what will be a tough stretch of games for Lowndes.
Of the teams the Vikings will face in region play (Colquitt County, Brunswick, Valdosta, Coffee, Tift County and Camden County), five made the Class 5A playoffs in 2011, including Colquitt County, who was just one defensive stop away from beating eventual state champion Grayson in the semifinals.
In order to handle the tougher competition, the Vikings will need to escape the next two games against obviously weaker competition without injury.
Linebacker Tre’ Jackson left Friday’s game against Newton and the extent of his injury isn’t known. Besides Jackson, McPherson said, “We are in good shape,” when describing the health of his team.
Health isn’t an issue for the Vikings at quarterback. Senior Alex Stephenson and junior Seth Carlo will continue to rotate as Lowndes experiments with the two-quarterback system through non-region play.
After being outperformed in the passing game through Lowndes’ preseason scrimmage and season opener, Stephenson was much improved Friday against Newton. The former Valdosta Wildcat completed 8 of 13 passes for 87 yards and added 12 yards on the ground.
Carlo was 0 for 2 passing and failed to record a rushing yard.
McPherson said both quarterbacks will play Friday, and that Lowndes coaches are focused on improving the team at every position.
“(Alex) had a very good game,” McPherson said. “I think we are still going to try and get everybody better. That is the goal. That position is no different.”
The Lowndes High Randy McPherson Coach’s Show airs Tuesday nights on 99.5 FM, with hosts Bill Osborne and Wes James. The broadcast begins at 7 p.m. and airs live from the Holiday Inn Express on West Hill Ave.
Top Sports News
Related Photos
-
Lowndes running back Jordan Williams (5) turns up field and looks for running room as offensive lineman Larry Scarborough (61) leads the way during Friday’s game with Newton at Martin Stadium. Pat Gallagher | The Valdosta Daily Times
-
Lowndes quarterback Alex Stephenson looks for an open receiver as Jordan Williams (5) blocks a Newton defender during Friday night’s game at Martin Stadium. Pat Gallagher | The Valdosta Daily Times
Discussion
Vikings preparing for tougher competition
- Top Sports News
-
-
Gillespie, McPherson pleased with spring practices
Valdosta’s Rance Gillespie and Lowndes’ Randy McPherson both think their football teams got better during the recent 10 days of spring practice.
Then again, both coaches know their teams have a ways to go before the start of the football season. -
VSU softball wins South Region, headed to nationals
For the third time in four years, and second in a row, Valdosta State’s softball team will play in the national championship tournament.
The Blazers won their third South Region championship Saturday, beating Alabama-Huntsville 8-3 in game three of the best-of-three series at Steel’s Diamond at Blazer Park. -
Pop Warner Football coming to Valdosta
Pop Warner Football is coming to Valdosta.
The nationally known organization that puts an emphasis on education and developing American youth has been established in the Valdosta area and will begin playing football this August. -
Vikings commit 4 errors, fall to Roswell, 5-2
The small things matter in baseball, especially in a winner-take-all game three.
On Wednesday, Lowndes’ baseball team made too many mistakes on the little things. The Vikings committed four errors that led to five Roswell runs and were eliminated in the Class AAAAAA state playoffs with a 5-2 loss to the Hornets. -
VSU wins 7th GSC Men’s All-Sports Trophy
Look out Title Town, another trophy is coming to town.
Valdosta State’s athletic department was awarded a seventh Gulf South Conference Men’s All-Sports Trophy Tuesday, sharing the honor with West Florida.
The tie between VSU and West Florida marked the first time in the GSC’s 42-year history that a pair of schools shared the honor. Both schools finished the athletic season with 29.5 points, based on the conference’s point system that gauges athletic success. -
VSU softball beats Tampa, 12-6, to host Super Regional
Kiley Rusen picked a good time to have a career breakout day for the Valdosta State softball team. Slugging her first-career home run and triple, while driving in six runs, Rusen led the charge as the Blazers routed Tampa 12-6 to advance to a second straight NCAA South Super Regional Tournament.
-
Vikings sweep Alcovy
Cory Pope gave the Lowndes Vikings everything they needed in game one of Wednesday’s doubleheader against the Alcovy Tigers. Then in game two, Lowndes’ offense came alive and provided plenty of support as the Vikings swept Alcovy 2-0 and 8-1 in the second round of the Class AAAAAA state playoffs at Noel George Field.
With the sweep, the Vikings advance to the Elite 8 — the state quarterfinals — where they will face either Roswell or Mill Creek, who will meet in a doubleheader today in Hoschton, on Tuesday. -
Berrien girls’ tennis in Final Four
It’s been quite the year for the Berrien girls’ tennis program. And today, the Rebels will try to make their season even better.
After clinching a school-record 20th win in the Elite 8 of the Class AA state playoffs Thursday with a 3-1 win over state-power Bleckley County, the Berrien girls will make the schools’ third all-time appearance in the Final Four when they host Westminster today at 3 p.m. in Nashville. -
VSU softball wins record fifth straight GSC championship
Valdosta State’s softball team claimed a record fifth straight Gulf south Conference tournament championship Sunday evening, erasing a 3-run deficit to beat archrival Alabama-Huntsville 4-3 in the championship game in Southaven, Miss.
The Blazers (41-10) became the first school in GSC-history to win five straight championships, a half-decade of dominance throughout the double-elimination tournament. -
Blazers erase 4-run deficit, knock off DSU in 10th
Valdosta State scored six unearned runs, including two in the bottom of the 10th inning, to defeat No. 2 Delta State 6-5 in the second day of play at the Taziki's Gulf South Conference Tournament Friday evening.
With the win, Valdosta State has now won 23 of its last 27 games and will face West Alabama in the winner’s bracket of the GSC tournament today at 1 p.m. The winner will advance to the GSC championship series. - More Top Sports News Headlines
-
Gillespie, McPherson pleased with spring practices
