Two of the state’s biggest high school football rivalries were on the schedule Friday night, and neither one of them turned out well for the Class AAAAAA teams involved.
Valdosta lost to Lowndes 71-35 in the highest-scoring game in the history of the Winnersville Classic.
And as one would expect from such a high-scoring affair, the offensive numbers were eye-popping. The teams combined for 1,390 yards of total offense, led by Lowndes’ 774. Vikings running back Travis Tisdale rushed for 413 yards (which ranks 13th best in state history, according to the Georgia High School Football Historians Association) and six touchdowns on 21 attempts. Lowndes had 538 yards rushing and 236 passing.
Valdosta quarterback Tate Rodemaker passed for 524 yards (tied for 12th best in state history) and five touchdowns, two of which went to Aalah Brown, who caught seven passes for 227 yards. Tarrell Roberts had five catches for 103 yards and a touchdown.
Lowndes beat Valdosta for the second consecutive season and 14th time in 20 years. The Vikings became the first team in the state to record 20 victories against the Wildcats, although Colquitt County would argue that it has 30 win against Valdosta if you include its history as Moultrie High School.
Northside played a lower-scoring and closer game against crosstown rival Warner Robins but came up on the short end of a 39-34 game that was back-and-forth throughout. It was the Demons’ second consecutive victory over Northside after losing 15 of the previous 19 meetings.
Warner Robins quarterback Dylan Fromm threw six touchdown passes. Northside quarterback Jadin Daniels ran for two touchdowns and passed for another.
Northside got the ball back with one last chance to win the game, taking over at the 35-yard line with 2:08 remaining, but an incomplete pass from the Warner Robins 18 on the final play ended it.
Here are some of the other big stories in Class AAAAAA from Week 6:
*Showdown looms: Tucker and Lovejoy improved to 3-0 in region play with victories on Friday, setting the stage for next weekend's showdown at Adams Stadium with sole possession of first place at stake. Tucker (3-2) beat Drew 42-12 for its third consecutive win. Lovejoy also is 3-2 overall after beating Morrow 34-27. But teams still must play Stephenson (3-1, 2-0), which is a half-game back.
*Taking the lead: Douglas County and Johns Creek are in sole possession of first place in their regions after their victories this week. Douglas County beat Hughes 7-0 to move to 3-0 in Region 5, a half-game ahead of Alexander and Mays. Johns Creek is 3-0 in Region 7 after beating Northview 65-20. The Gladiators are a half-game ahead of defending region champion Alpharetta and Centennial.
*Playoff picture: Barring something unforeseen happening, the playoff teams from Region 6 will be third-ranked Harrison, No. 4 Creekview, No. 5 Sequoyah and Allatoona (3-2, 3-1), which is alone in fourth place after its 29-7 victory over Sprayberry. Harrison, Creekview and Sequoyah are undefeated. Dalton, the 2016 region champ, is 0-3 in region play but has lost to the top three teams.
*Struggles continue: Gainesville is 0-5 for the first time ever after a 28-19 loss to Flowery Branch, which won at Gainesville for the first time since 2007. "But I feel like we're close to turning the corner," Red Elephants coach Heath Webb told Jeff Hart of accessWDUN. "We came out of the halftime asking ourselves if we were going to fold or step up and compete. The guys stepped up."
*Winless weekend: Four teams from Region 3 were in action this week, and all four of them lost. Lakeside-Evans lost to Emerald, S.C., 27-20; Heritage-Conyers lost to South Gwinnett 19-13; Grovetown lost to Thomson 20-13; and Greenbrier lost to Baldwin 14-0. Region 3 is the only Class AAAAAA region that does not have a team with a winning record at the regular season's halfway point.
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