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Flags Out in Full Force as Habersham Central Downs MCHS
reprinted from The Madison County Journal October 4, 2008 edition
by Ben Munro
Hab Penalized 18 Times in Win Over Madison Co.
It was a prolific night of football at Red Raider Stadium -- for the officials.
Madison County High School (2-4) couldn’t capitalize on 176 yards worth of penalties assessed to visiting Habersham Central (3-3) in a 28-7 loss Friday.
The team from Mt. Airy racked up 18 infractions in the flag-filled affair, but managed to shut out the struggling Red Raiders for the first three quarters in its third-straight win over MCHS.
Madison County’s state playoff hopes continue to dim as the Red Raiders dropped to 2-4 in the region with four games remaining. They're also in danger of suffering the program's first losing season since 1999. Madison County will look for its first win in a month Friday when it travels to face resurgent Loganville (4-1), which is just three points away from being unbeaten.
With the Red Raiders down 21-0, Stacy Mack managed MCHS’s only score against Habersham Central with a 12-yard touchdown at the 10:14 mark in the fourth quarter.
But it was too little, too late.
Madison County managed 171 total yards, but most of that came after the Red Raiders were already down by three touchdowns. The MCHS offense struggled for its third-straight game, converting just 3-of-13 third down opportunities and turning the ball over three times, though the last was a meaningless interception on the last play of the game.
Madison County’s first turnover – on its first possession of the game --- set up Habersham Central’s first score and the defending region champions never looked back.
Picking up a Red Raider fumble on Madison County’s 31, Habersham drove and got on the scoreboard with an eight-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Austin Brown. The Mt. Airy Raiders added a 75-yard touchdown strike from Brown to Zach Mayfield in the second quarter to go up 14-0. Then, tailback David Griffeth scored twice in the second half on touchdown runs of seven and two yards as Habersham Central left Danielsville with a convincing win.
Of course, the most eye-opening stat of the night was Habersham’s penalties. Habersham Central actually accrued more penalty yards (176) than Madison County managed total yards (171).
A huge chunk of that came late in the second quarter.
Habersham picked up a first down inside the Madison County 10, only to have it negated by a penalty. Habersham was then hit with three subsequent unsportsmanlike conduct fouls to force it into a rather rare 4th-and-65 situation.
Madison County committed six infractions in the game for a total of 24 flags on the night between the two teams.
Rushing: Mack 5-40-1TD; Owens 8-7; Johnson 2-2; Allen 4-1; Gunnells 1- -1
Passing: Owens 13-31, 117 yards, 0 TD 2 INT; Allen 1-1, 5 yards
Receiving: Allen 6-65; Turner 4-32; Baird 2-23, Owens 1-5; Mack 1- -3
reprinted from The Athens Banner-Herald October 4, 2008 edition
HABERSHAM CENTRAL 28, MADISON COUNTY 7
By ROGER CLARKSON |roger.clarkson@onlineathens.com|
DANIELSVILLE - The last thing a team struggling with confidence needs is to turn the ball over on its first possession.
Madison County did exactly that as Habersham Central beat Madison County 28-7 on Friday at Red Raider Field.
Madison County (2-4) dropped its third straight game, all in Region 8-AAAA. Habersham Central (3-3) has now won two straight.
Madison County fumbled on its third play from scrimmage to set up Habersham Central's first touchdown. Madison County had three turnovers in the game as Habersham Central scored a touchdown in every quarter."We wanted to play conservatively and not put ourselves in any trouble early," Madison County coach Randell Owens said. "But we fumbled and we obviously didn't do that."
Madison County also could not capitalize on Habersham Central's lack of discipline. Habersham Central picked up 17 penalties for 154 yards, including three unsportsmanlike conduct penalties on the sideline.
"I'm embarrassed about the penalties, definitely," Habersham Central coach Gene Cathcart said. "It's a bad reflection on me, the head coach. We can't be doing that. When the Miami Dolphins were winning Super Bowls they were the least-penalized team in the NFL. You can't be letting yourself go like that."
Habersham Central's Colton Webber recovered a fumble at the Madison County 31-yard line to set up the first score of the game. Habersham Central converted a third-and-goal from the 8-yard line when Austin Brown hit Ty Fry for a touchdown to give Habersham Central a 7-0 lead with 5:37 left in the first quarter. A 76-yard touchdown pass from Brown to Zach Mayfield gave Habersham Central a 14-0 lead with 7:39 left in the second quarter.
"We're a young team and that was big to be able to get a break like that," Cathcart said. "We were able to get some confidence under us and it set the tone for the rest of the game."
Habersham Central outgained Madison County 356-169. Sophomore running back Dee Griffin gained 90 yards on 13 carries and had two touchdowns. Brown completed 7 of 14 passes for 171 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. Mayfield caught three passes for 97 yards.
Madison County completed 13 of 29 passes for 119 yards with two interceptions. Madison County also ran 20 times for 45 yards.
Madison County's only score came in the fourth quarter on a 10-yard run by Stacy Mack to bring Madison County within 21-7 with 10:14 left.
Habersham Central responded by marching to a 1-yard touchdown plunge by for the final margin of victory.
Madison County struggled on offense in the first half. Madison County managed 26 rushing yards and 33 passing yards to go with three first downs and two turnovers to trail by two touchdowns.
Habersham Central drove to a 6-yard touchdown run by Griffin on its first possession of the second half to lead 21-0.
Madison County scored early in the fourth after a five-play, 43-yard drive. A 22-yard pass from Jacob Owens to Aldreakis Allen sparked the drive. Stacy Mack carried the final 10 yards to bring Madison County within 21-7 with 10:14 left.
GAME REPORT
• Turning Point: Habersham Central's Colton Webber recovered a fumble on Madison County's third snap of the game to set up the first score.
• Key Stat: Habersham Central offset 17 penalties for 154 yards by outgaining Madison County 356-169.
• Impact: Madison County has lost three straight Region 8-AAAA games.
Originally published in the Athens Banner-Herald on Saturday, October 04, 2008
MADISON COUNTY vs. HABERSHAM CENTRAL STAT SHEET - GAME 6
TEAMS | Madison Co. | Habersham Central |
SCORE | 7 | 28 |
NUMBER OF RUSHING ATTEMPTS | 20 | 42 |
RUSHES - YARDAGE (NET) | 55 | 189 |
PASSING YARDAGE (NET) | 124 | 164 |
ATTEMPTED PASSES | 32 | 12 |
COMPLETED PASSES | 14 | 7 |
INTERCEPTIONS | 2 | 0 |
TOTAL OFFENSE - YARDS | 179 | 353 |
FIRST DOWNS | 9 | 15 |
FUMBLES | 3 | 1 |
RECOVERED BY OPPONENT | 1 | 1 |
PENALTIES | 6 | 19 |
PENALTY YARDS | 37 | 176 |
INDIVIDUAL OFFENSIVE STATISTICS Madison Co vs. Habersham Central | ||||||||||
RUSHING | ATT. | YDS | TD | - | RECEIVING | NO. | YDS | TD | ||
#5 Al Allen | 4 | 2 | 0 | - | #33 Stacy Mack | 1 | -1 | 0 | ||
#13 Jacob Owens | 8 | 12 | 0 | - | #34 C Johnson | 0 |
0 |
0 |
||
#21 Kendrick Butler | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | #13 J Owens | 1 | 5 | 0 | ||
#33 Stacy Mack | 5 | 40 | 1 | - | #18 T J McGuire | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
#34 C Johnson | 2 | 2 | 0 | - | #5 A Allen | 6 | 65 | 0 | ||
#58 J Gunnells |
1 |
-1 |
0 |
#9 S Baird |
2 |
23 | 0 | |||
0 |
0 |
0 |
#10 B Turner |
4 |
32 |
0 |
||||
0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
TOTAL | 20 | 55 | 1 | - | TOTAL | 14 | 124 | 0 | ||
|
||||||||||
PUNTING | NO. | YDS | AVG | PASSING | COM | ATT | TD | YARDS | ||
#5 Al Allen | 4 | 143 | 36 | # 13 Owens | 13 | 31 | 0 | 119 | ||
Comp.% | 41.9% | - | INT: | 2 | - | |||||
|
#5 A Allen | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | |||||
Comp.% | 100.0% | |||||||||
KICKING | - | MADE | ATT. | NAME | - | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
#38 B. Wilson | PAT | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | INT: | 0 | - | |
FG | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
Defensive Stats Madison County vs. Habersham Central - Game 6 | |||||||||||||
Tackles | Fumbles | Other | |||||||||||
Player | 1st Hits | Assists | Sacks | Total | Caused | Recovered | PBU | INT | BLOCK KICK- | TD | Safety | ||
Adams T. |
3 | 1 | - | 4 | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
Allen A. |
3 | 2 | - | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
Anglin J. |
- | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
Baird S. |
- | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
Bodiford K. |
7 | 4 | - | 11 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
Boyett C. |
- | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
Bush C. |
- | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
Butler K. |
3 | 2 | - | 5 | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | ||
Caldwell D. |
5 | 3 | - | 8 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
Carey D. |
5 | 13 | - | 18 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
Dalton B |
- |
1 |
- |
1 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
||
Dean M. |
1 | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
Dove M. |
6 | 4 | - | 10 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
Esco C. |
8 | 9 | - | 17 | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | ||
Hardman J. |
- | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
Holloway A. |
- | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
Johnson C. |
1 | 2 | - | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
Jones K. |
- | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
Kendrick D. | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
Luna R. |
- | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
Mack S. |
- | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
Martin H. |
- | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
McKeaver P. | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
Nesmith J. |
7 | 4 | - | 11 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
Owens J. |
- | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
Rucker B. |
- | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
Thomas M. |
- | 3 | - | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
Thomas Q. |
- | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
Turner B. |
2 | 3 | - | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
Young A. |
- | 2 | - | 2 | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | ||
Team Totals | 51 | 53 | - | 104 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
reprinted from the Madison County Journal online edition, September 27, 2008
Down 21-7 late, Madison County recovered a fumble, scored a touchdown and then recovered an onside kick before quarterback Jacob Owens was intercepted, ending the Raiders' comeback bid in a 21-14 loss.
When asked, Raider tailback Al Allen said he felt he and his teammates fought to the bitter end.
"As far as putting up a fight, I feel good that we came out and played hard and had a chance in the last two minutes of the (fourth) quarter," he said.
The setback drops Madison County to 2-3 as the Raiders try to rebound next week against Habersham Central.
Salem ran its ground-oriented offense well, rushing for 223 yards. That total included a 68-yard touchdown run from Jo Jo Smith early in the third quarter.
The Seminoles’ only mistake in the running game came with their late fumble. Up 21-7 and driving to ice the game, Salem coughed the ball up at the Raider 24 with 4:29 left.
Madison County then drove and Owens hit Allen for a 19-yard completion, moving the Raiders to the Seminoles' one-yard line. Two plays later, Allen scored Madison County’s second touchdown with just 2:26 left, to cut the lead to 21-14 and set up the last-minute dramatics. Alex Young recovered Spencer Baird’s ensuing onside kick, and Madison County then gained a first down as the Raiders raced against the clock.
But on fourth-and-13 with 1:00 left at the Salem 47, Owens scrambled and threw a high pass downfield into the hands of Salem free safety Tyler Askew as the Seminoles clinched their fourth win in five meetings over Madison County.
Madison County, held to just 34 yards in the first half, moved the ball better in the second half, gaining 165 yards. However, it was a special teams play that really sparked the squad. With the Raiders down 14-0 in the third quarter, Claude Johnson returned a kickoff to the Salem 41, which led to Kendrick Butler’s one-yard score at the 8:18 mark.
Madison County relied more heavily on the legs of Al Allen in the second half as he carried the ball 10 times for 54 yards on the night. Allen added 41 receiving yards on three catches. Owens finished 9-of-15 for 100 yards passing, with no touchdowns and the one interception.
Rushing: Allen 10-54-1 TD; Butler 4-16-1 TD; Mack 4-19; Owens 17-9; Johnson 1-1
Passing: Owens 9-15-100, 0 TD, 1 INT
Receiving: Mack 4-43; Allen 3-41; Turner 2-16
reprinted from The Athens Banner Herald September 27, 2008 edition
At Conyers, the Red Raiders fought back from a 14-0 halftime deficit, but couldn't close the deal. Kendrick Butler scored on a 1-yard run in a third-quarter drive that was highlighted by a 54-yard kick return by Claude Johnson.
Madison County's subsequent onsides kick attempt was recovered by Salem, which quickly scored to retain its two-touchdown advantage.
The Red Raiders recovered a Semimoles fumble late in the fourth quarter and converted the turnover into points when Aldreakis Allen scored on a 1-yard run with 2:26 to play.
Madison County tried another onside kick and recovered the ball, but quarterback Jacob Owens was sacked twice and threw an interception with 40 seconds remaining.
The Red Raiders (2-3, 2-3 in Region 8-AAAA) will host Habersham Central on Friday.
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