Shane Thomas | The Valdosta Daily TimesValdosta running back Chris Wolfe (27) runs the ball during a GHSA Class 6A playoff game against Lovejoy Friday at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium.

VALDOSTA –– It only took Javonte Sherman one quarter to have his best game of the season.

The East Carolina commit scored three first-quarter touchdowns as Valdosta (5-4) boat raced Lovejoy (8-3) 52-14 Friday night.

Valdosta racked up 549 total yards –– 435 from the offense and 114 from special teams –– as they scored 45 of their 52 points in the first half.

Valdosta head coach Rush Propst credits a week of energetic, focused practices for the team’s success.

“I just thought we had a better week of practice,” Propst said. “I just knew, going into this ballgame, our kids were focused all week. I’ve had a great record in Thanksgiving games –– I don’t think I’ve lost but one, maybe two out of 25 years. I felt good about practice, real good practices, so I felt good about our production tonight.

“The one thing I was pleased with was that our kids responded. Everything I told them to do, they responded.”

The ‘Cats seemed to get whatever they wanted at times against Lovejoy –– using their deep threats to set up the run.

In the region championship game against Lee County Nov. 13, Valdosta rushed for just 58 yards in a 41-7 loss.

On Friday, the ‘Cats rushed for 194 yards on 32 carries.

Through the air, the ‘Cats produced 241 yards, led by Sherman’s four catches for 135 yards

“He had a great week of practice,” Propst said of Sherman. “He was our best practice player. Although a bunch of them practiced well, he practiced really well. He showed he’s an SEC player. He’s a better football player than where he’s committed right now. … He’s an SEC player, definitely a Power Five wide receiver. He can play. I’ve spotted them all my life and I know who can play and who can’t. He’s definitely one of them that can. I’ve got to get some of these SEC guys and some of these ACC guys on him. If you watch this game, first half, you’ll take him.”

Defensively, Valdosta forced Lovejoy off the field often in third-down situations. The ‘Cats got heat on the quarterback much of the night, coming away with several sacks and forcing incompletions downfield.

More impressively, Valdosta allowed just six first downs on Friday. Lovejoy finished with 234 total yards, 197 coming from the offense.

Though Lovejoy ran the ball 24 times, Valdosta held them to only 25 yards on the ground.

“Up front, they were pressuring us a little bit right there,” Lovejoy head coach Edgar Carson said. “They whooped our tails up front and that hurt us.”

Ultimately, Valdosta wreaked havoc in all three phases –– offense, defense and special teams.

Kicker Angel Martinez was crucial, pinning Lovejoy deep in their own territory consistently throughout. Long fields kept Lovejoy from doing much damage with the exception of two plays in the second quarter.

“I thought that was the best our kicking game has done all year,” Propst said. “We got decent punt returns. I thought we put pressure on the punt. I thought we pressured them on kickoff returns. Kickoff team was phenomenal. There was one punt we had partially blocked, but it was a bad snap –– it wasn’t a protection issue. I was real pleased with our kicking game tonight.”

With Valdosta leading 21-0 going into the second quarter, Lovejoy found some momentum.

Quarterback Jevon Kinchen connected with running back Jakiel Middlebrook on a 55-yard touchdown pass 11 seconds into the second quarter. Middlebrook broke several Valdosta tackles before bursting into the open field for the score.

The momentum was short-lived as Valdosta scored in just three plays on the ensuing drive. Valdosta quarterback Amari Jones hit Aalah Brown for a 12-yard gain, then two plays later, Jones called his own number right up the middle for a 50-yard touchdown to put Valdosta ahead 28-7 with 11:15 left in the second quarter.

Despite the deficit, Lovejoy continued to battle.

Backup quarterback Stephin Craig fired to running back Jordan Thompson, who went 34 yards to pull Lovejoy within two scores, 28-14 with 9:03 left in the second quarter.

Once again, the spark Lovejoy needed was fleeting as its defense allowed Jones to score on a five-yard rush to make it a 35-14 Valdosta lead with 6:56 to go in the first half. 

Valdosta wasn’t done there as Martinez banged in a 40-yard field goal off the crossbar to extend the Valdosta lead to 38-14 with 5:40 left in the second quarter.

From there, Valdosta scored twice more –– Chris Wolfe rumbled for a 20-yard touchdown with 3:55 left in the first half, then Kaleb Robinson punched in a 5-yard score with 6:59 left in the third for the final margin.

Capping off a stellar defensive performance, Trenton Carter picked off Craig in the fourth quarter, sending the Valdosta sideline into a frenzy.

Jones completed 12-of-18 passes for 192 yards and accounted for five total touchdowns in the win. Wolfe finished with a team-high 65 yards on four carries.

Despite the dominant performance, Valdosta continues to be dogged by penalties. The ‘Cats were whistled 12 times for 120 yards with four personal fouls on the night.

“We’ve got to cut out the silly penalties,” Propst said. “I chewed them out at halftime about the four personal fouls. They’ll be punished on Sunday for it, too. That’s what you’ve got to do. And it’s four seniors that got the personal fouls. They can’t do that. That’s something you can’t do. If we can cut that out, we’ve got a really good chance to make a run here.”

PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS

Valdosta advances to face Evans Knights (9-2) on the road this Friday. The Knights have won six straight games after dispatching Alcovy 40-30 on Friday.

MILESTONE FOR RUSH

Friday’s win marked the 300th in Propst’s storied career. The team congratulated him by dumping a water cooler on him after the game.

Furthermore, the win was also Propst’s 79th career playoff victory.

“It was good getting to 300 wins,” Propst said of the milestone. “That’s a monumental deal and 79 playoff wins, I’m more excited about the playoff wins. I’m worrying about getting 83 wins. Eighty-three wins means you win it all. I appreciate my players and coaches and the people here for recognizing me tonight.”