Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Calhoun
The Calhoun Tigers fell to 0-2, 0-1 in region play with a 51-0 loss to Goshen at home, Friday night.
However, Calhoun head football coach Ervin Starr said he was proud of the way his team competed. And he saw improvement.
The 2A Region 3 Tigers fell to 2A Region 4 Keith in its season opener on the road 49-0. However, Friday night against 2A Region 3 Goshen, though trailing 45-0 at the half, the Tigers hung tough and only gave up six additional points the remainder of the game.
Starr said, “We were better than last week. “
He said, “We ran the ball well and had some big drops in the passing game. Mistakes really hurt us on offense.”
Starr said his team is still looking for a defensive identity, and when opponents have success early the Tigers tend to play on their heels.
However, he said, “I’m proud of the way we competed against a talented, hardnosed, disciplined and well coached football team.”
The Tigers will net host arch rival Central at home next Friday.
Central
The 2-1 Central Lions tasted their first victory of 2017, Friday with a 40-20 region win over Zion Chapel at home.
The 2A Region 3 Lions opened the season with a 34-6 loss to 2A, Region 4 Francis Marion. Then the Lions were defeated 58-34 after leading at the half by 4A Bullock County High at home.
But Friday night, the Lions went on the road and defeated 2A Region 3 Zion Chapel 40-20.
Henry Gordon scored for Central a rushing play and interception return. David Baldwin scored for the Lions on receiving end of two touchdown passes. Quarterback Keegan Blackman scored on a running play and completed two touchdown passes. And Ma’Lek Hill scored on a rushing play.
Central head football coach Quinn Hambrite said the Lions didn’t play too well in the first half against Zion Chapel dropping three touchdowns and making mental mistakes. But, he said, “After a halftime talk we came to our senses and scored on three possessions straight. What we lacked in the first half, we made up in the second.”
Hambrite said the Lions have to learn how to finish giving up 14 points after taking a 35-6 lead.
“Overall, I am very proud of my team, but we still have a long way to go to reach our ultimate goal. The second half showed what Central really could do, and once we start clicking for four quarters and learn how to finish, we have the ability to be a real threat.”
Hambrite called this a great bounce back after a tough loss to a 4A opponent.
“I love my boys, and I hope they continue to improve and understand that they have something special brewing here at Central.”
The Lions will travel to face arch rival Calhoun in a regional encounter next Friday.
Lowndes Academy
The Class A, Region 1 Lowndes Academy Rebels fell to 1-2 on the season and 1-1 in regional play with a 26-21 region loss to the Crenshaw Academy Cougars at home Friday night.
The contest proved to be a physical hard hitting, penalty plagued contest in which the Cougar running attack ultimately broke the Rebels down,
The Rebels opened the season with 19-12 win over the Southern Academy Cougars at home, but fell on an extremely long road trip to Freeport High in Freeport, Fla. 34-0. That set the Rebels up for Friday night’s regional tilt.
Lowndes Academy head football coach Bob Taylor said, his team played really hard but too many mistakes cost his team.
He said Crenshaw did a good job with their offense and played really well. He said, “Hats off to them, they are a pretty good football team.” He said his own team, “We just got a lot of work left to do.”
Taylor acknowledged that his team had a chance to win at the end. But he said, “We’ve just got to get back to work and get better, we’ve got a tough Chambers team coming in next week.”
That contest will be another important region game for the Rebels.
Crenshaw Academy head football coach Mike Sims said following the game against Lowndes, “It was a hard-fought game… first region game of the year between the two football teams. And you could see how important it was, because in our region, losing a football like we did last year, South Montgomery, now you’re automatically coming in playing for a playoff position. So, it puts as much pressure on you right off the bat as anything.”
He said, “I thought both clubs played really, really hard. You know, a pretty good football game for the first of the year.”
He said Gauge Cornelius played hard for the Cougars at defensive end and at quarterback some and accounted for six sacks. He said Logan Johnson was an “animal” for the cougars. And he said that Drew Gibson on offense had about 100 rushing and 100 receiving yards.
Sims also credited the play of his big guys up front, as well.
He said, “We played pretty well all together. We just need to clean some things up.”