By Austin Bruce

VALDOSTA — No love was lost Friday night as arch-rivals Lowndes and Valdosta clashed in the Winnersville Classic.

Region championships, however, were very much lost.

The Vikings (9-1. 4-1 Region 1-6A) built an early lead over the ‘Cats (8-2, 3-2 Region 1-6A) and then pulled away late for a 30-20 win, their first in the Classic since 2021.

The win for the Vikings not only ended Valdosta’s quest for the region title but also sends them on the road to open the playoffs in two weeks as the 3-seed in the region.

Unfortunately for Lowndes, they too just missed out on the region title after Colquitt County defeated Richmond Hill and will instead be the 2-seed in the region.

Still, Lowndes head coach Adam Carter believes that the win was worth everything to his team.

“Any time you get a Region 1 victory is a huge deal,” Carter said. “Obviously, Winnersville is something that is completely different and special. To be able to get that and for our kids to be able to enjoy this moment right now, it’s worth everything we’ve had to put into it for sure.”

An Electric First Half

The Vikings set the tone for what wound up being a first half full of explosive plays right out the gate. On the second play from scrimmage, senior running back Aalim Brown had a 47-yard dash to the end zone to give Lowndes an early 7-0 lead.

The ‘Cats were quick to respond, though. Senior quarterback Todd Robinson led a march right down the field that ended with him scrambling away for a 29-yard touchdown run to even the score.

“I don’t know if you can contain him,” Carter said on the challenge of facing Robinson. “He is a really good player and a competitor. We were just trying to keep him in the pocket, like our deal was we were trying our best not to let him outside. If he’s got to step up in the pocket and move around, that’s one thing. If he gets on the edge and he can throw it or run it, you’re in trouble.”

After both teams traded field position for the remainder of the first quarter, scoring resumed early in the second. Senior quarterback Marvis Parrish capped off the Vikings’ second touchdown drive of the night with a two-yard run.

The Vikings then made the first big defensive stand of the ball game on the ensuing drive. Facing a fourth-and-four in Viking territory, the ‘Cats were stopped short as sophomore running back Marquis Fennell was quickly met by a host of Viking defenders.

The Vikings made sure to take advantage of the turnover on downs. Sophomore quarterback Jayce Johnson connected with senior wide receiver Jaylin Carter, who then broke away for a 61-yard touchdown. The Vikings would miss the extra point, however, making the score 20-7.

The Vikings’ two-score lead did not last long, though. On the ensuing kickoff, senior wide receiver Eli Lewis flew down the field on his way to a 90-yard kickoff return touchdown. The ‘Cats would also miss the extra point, keeping it a seven-point game.

Valdosta’s Red Zone Woes

Throughout the night, the ‘Cats struggled mightily in the red zone against a stingy Lowndes defense, coming up empty-handed on several occasions.

The first of those came late in the first half with Valdosta looking to tie the game entering the break. Opting to again go for it on fourth down, the ‘Cats instead had the game’s first turnover as senior safety Tre Thomas picked off Robinson’s pass in the end zone for a touchback.

This wound up being a trend that defined the game. The ‘Cats came up short three more times in the second half via another turnover on downs and a pair of missed field goals.

Carter was proud of how his defense performed when their backs were against the wall.

“When they get the ball down in the red zone, you talk to your defense and say, ‘Hey, find a way to make them kick it. Keep them out of the end zone. Just find a way to make them kick it,’” Carter said. “Our kids went and did that. That’s a really good offense with playmakers all over the place. To be able to get down into this red zone and be able to get some stops was a huge deal for us.”

Carter added: “Again, I think it’s another confidence thing for us defensively. [That’s] a couple of weeks in a row of us getting some good stops. I’m proud of them. The defense showed up when it needed to. We’ve got some stuff we’ve got to fix and build off of, but they keep showing up and keep doing everything that I ask plus a lot more. I’m very grateful for a great group of guys that are doing what they’re doing.”

The Vikings Pull Away

The ‘Cats were eventually able to knot the game at 20 late in the third quarter as Robinson hit junior wide receiver Prince Jean for a 27-yard touchdown strike.

The tie was short-lived. On the Vikings’ next offensive possession, Brown got loose again for a 65-yard run. That set up a 37-yard field goal from junior kicker Aiden Andrews as Lowndes took a 23-20 lead into the fourth quarter.

It was the final stanza where Valdosta’s red zone blues came to full fruition.

On their first fourth-quarter red zone trip, the ‘Cats busted out a familiar trick play — the very same halfback pass that helped them seal the deal against the Vikings last year at Bazemore-Hyder. However, the Vikings were ready and forced an incompletion. The ‘Cats turned it over on downs on the next play.

It was a quick reaction and good awareness by the defense and coaching staff that proved to be the difference this time around, according to Carter.

“They motioned out and went to empty,” Carter said of the play. “We didn’t get the pinch done like we had planned to this week to make that kind of stuff go outside to us. One of their tackles folded on us. Kudos to them. They found it. That’s just some good coaching right there.”

Still, the ‘Cats quickly got another shot to potentially tie or take the lead following near disaster for the Vikings on a punt — a bad snap led to a short punt from the Vikings and set Valdosta up with great field position.  The Vikings again held their ground defensively, forcing a field goal try that went wide left.

Most Valuable Player: Marvis Parrish

With time winding down and the Vikings needing a big play to put the game on ice, Parrish stepped up and delivered in a big way.

Following the missed field goal, Parrish, who was named the game’s MVP after rushing for over 100 yards and accounting for two touchdowns, left everyone in the dust on his way to an 84-yard touchdown run to give the Vikings a 30-20 lead.

The win was surreal for Parrish as he and his fellow senior teammates were able to bring back the trophy to Lowndes for the first time since their freshman year.

“It’s amazing,” Parrish said. “We didn’t win the past two years, and we came out today and got our get back. We dealt with that the past three years, and we finally won it.”

The Vikings went on to drain the clock after Valdosta’s second field goal attempt on the next drive went wide right.

UP NEXT

Lowndes- Will be at home to host North Paulding (6-4) in the first round of the playoffs on Nov. 15 at 8 p.m.

Valdosta- Will be on the road to face Walton (7-3) in Marietta for the first round of the playoffs on Nov. 15 at 7:30 p.m.