SPORTS

Dodge shuts out Swainsboro
By Joey Marchant
The Dodge County Indians cruised past the Swainsboro Tigers in the first round of the state playoffs. Dodge would get the ball first, and Swainsboro lined up for an obvious onside kick. Dodge sent in the good hands team to field the ball, but the kick failed to travel 10 yards giving Dodge possession at the Tiger 40 yard line. On the first play from scrimmage, Mikhail Carr handed to Keldrick Beck who raced untouched 40 yards for a touchdown on a jet sweep around right end. Mason Mangham split the uprights on the extra point to give Dodge a 7-0 lead.
Swainsboro put together a drive of its own with a series of short passes and runs, but the Dodge defense bowed its back when the Tigers reached the Dodge 37 yard line. Reco Caines sacked the quarterback for an eight yard loss. However, the Tigers got that and more back by completing a pass to the Dodge 19 yard line. On first down, Noah Cummings pressured the quarterback into the arms of Davis Marchant and Kade Harpe for a sack and a five yard loss. On second down, Jackson Bowen stopped the running back after a gain of four yards to the Dodge 20. On third down, Daylon Gordon and Tyrese Johnson went high in the air to defend a pass to the endzone. On fourth down, Cummings again sacked the quarterback for a five yard loss and a turnover on downs. That would prove to be Swainsboro’s best chance at points all night.
Neither team could do much offensively in their next two possessions, but Dodge gained field position thanks to Tiger penalties and a less than stellar Swainsboro punting game. Dodge began its fourth possession of the game at the Tiger 36 yard line. Gordon took it around right end breaking a tackle at the line of scrimmage and picking up a great block from Beck down field in route to a 36 yard touchdown run. Mangham’s extra point attempt was blocked due to penetration from the right side, and Dodge led 13-0.
Late in the first half, Dodge forced a Swainsboro punt when Cummings sacked the quarterback for an eight yard loss on third down. Harpe returned the punt eight yards to the Tiger 48 yard line. On first down, Gordon took the handoff and picked up four quick yards before being stood up by three defenders without going down. Kevin Sykes, Jr. realized Gordon was still on his feet and began to push Gordon forward for extra yardage. Linemen Cameron Gooch and Lane Poole joined Sykes, and eventually the whole Dodge Offense was pushing the pile down the field for another 17 yards from where Gordon was initially hit. Dodge would have a first down at the Tiger 27 yard line but could not score as a fourth down pass to Beck fell incomplete in the end zone.
Swainsboro went to the air and was able to reach the Dodge 28 yard line, but Caines delivered another sack and a four yard loss. Swainsboro would eventually turn it over on downs. The first half would end with Dodge leading 13-0. Things got worse for Swainsboro in the second half. Bowen put a hit on the backup quarterback that temporarily knocked him out of the game. The starter had previously left the game. The Tigers lined a running back up at the quarterback position who botched a handoff attempt that bounced off the ground and into the arms of Caines who returned the fumble 26 yards for a touchdown to give Dodge a 19-0 lead. An errant snap doomed the two point attempt.
Dodge would force two more three and outs by the Swainsboro Offense before Gordon took one in from 43 yards out for a touchdown. Mangham nailed the extra point to give Dodge a 26-0 lead. A snap over the head of the Tiger punter led to a 25 yard field goal by Mangham making the score 29-0 Dodge. A snap that rolled back to the Swainsboro punter led to a three yard touchdown run by Gordon making the final score Dodge 35 Swainsboro 0.
Gordon finished with 216 yards on 21 carries and three touchdowns.
It was the third shutout for Dodge during its five game win streak.
Defensive leaders for Dodge were as follows: Reco Caines had seven tackles including two sacks and a 26 yard fumble return for a touchdown. Lamarie Mitchell had nine tackles. Jackson Bowen had eight tackles. Noah Cummings had seven tackles including two sacks. Jalon Jaynes had seven tackles. Kade Harpe had six tackles including ½ sack. Landynn Powers had six tackles. Keldrick Beck had four tackles and did a great job in coverage all night against some very tall Swainsboro receivers.
Dodge advances to the second round of the state playoffs to host Thomasville High on Friday, December 4 at 7:30 p.m. The two teams have met four times in the state playoffs since 2006 with Dodge winning 20-13 in 2006 and 17-7 in 2016. Thomasville defeated Dodge 31-26 in 2019.
Thomasville figures to be the toughest opponent Dodge will have faced this year. The Bulldogs ranked #3 in AA by the Atlanta Journal Constitution are 7-4 on the year but those four losses have come to Brooks County (#3 in A-Public), Bainbridge (#6 in AAAA), Oconee County (#2 in AAA) and Fitzgerald (#1 in AA). The Bulldogs have defeated another ranked team (Early County #6 in AA). To say the Bulldogs have been tested is an understatement. Dodge is now 6-3 after a 1-3 start. This should be a great football game. Come out and support the Indians.





RUSS"S SPORTS REVIEW
By Russ Ragan
It was a wild but successful week in sports. The Braves stayed aggressive and signed another strong starting pitcher. The Bulldogs found their missing running fame and they blew out South Carolina. Then there were the Falcons. What can I say? It was their best game in years as they blasted the Raiders as we said goodbye to their biggest fan this week.
Seldom do the Falcons deserve top billing for good things but they did this week. The key number of this game is five. Kicker Younghoo Koo kicked five field goals including a 54 yarder. The defense really came to play. They had a season high five sacks. They had five additional quarter back hits. They also had five forced turnovers, which is the most in a while. They also had a pick six from Deron Jones. The Falcons’ offense wasn’t great, as Gurley and Julio Jones didn’t dress out in the 43-6 win. Hard to believe that the Raiders are the only team to beat the Chiefs.
This past week, my dad, Buddy Ragan passed away due to Covid. Everyone that knew him knew that he was a huge Falcons fan. It didn’t matter if it was the super bowl or pre-season, he watched every snap. I am sure he loved this game from the best seat in the house in heaven. I know he was really proud of the defense.
To stick with the football theme, it was a better game for the Bulldogs as they played South Carolina. The game was never in question but the running game made a comeback. Cook and White had a pair of touchdowns each and the team ran for 332 yards, only 432 more than the week before in the 45-16 win. J.T. Daniels had a solid game even although he wasn’t forced to do very much; He had 139 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Regular season play wraps up against winless Vandy this Saturday.
The biggest bit of Bulldog news is the reports that quarterback D’Wan Mathis will enter the transfer portal. That shouldn’t come as a surprise because there is no room for him. In addition to Daniels, who I hope comes back and not to the NFL, Carson Beck, a freshman and Vandergoff will be there next year as well. Mathis didn’t play well when given the chance. Mathis didn’t make the trip to South Carolina.
Let’s wrap up this week with the Braves. We all knew that the Braves had to address the starting pitching and they did. General Manager, Alex Anththropolis signed free agent Charlie Morton to go with Drew Smyley. Morton, as some of you may know, came up as a Brave. He struggled and was let go. He has had good years with Houston and Tampa Bay.
Personally, I really like both moves. Keep in mind Soroka probably won’t be ready for opening day. Both of these should take innings off of the bullpen. There are also reports that the team will make a multi year offer to Marcell Ozuna. I know the team is waiting for the decision on the designated hitter rule in the national league. A decision should come on that real soon.