TIFTON —
Even though he is now fully entrenched in his first year as the head football coach of the Fitzgerald Purple Hurricanes, Jason Strickland has several memories from his time as the head coach of Lamar County, the school he left to come to Fitzgerald.
One of those vivid memories comes in the form of the Northeast Macon Raiders. So when he sees the Raiders across the field from his Fitzgerald squad tonight in the first round of the state Class AA playoffs, he will know full well what his team is in for.
“They are very athletic, and very well coached,” said Strickland. “I know (Northeast) Coach (Bruce) Mullen well and he is an excellent coach.”
The Fitzgerald coach continued, “They are also a very disciplined team, they will make you beat them, because they won’t beat themselves.”
Northeast features a good mixture of run and pass.
Quarterback Davion Anderson has thrown for 1,473 yards and 14 touchdowns this season. His favorite target has been Drake White, who has caught 10 touchdown passes and has 794 yards receiving.
On the ground, the Raiders are led by Darius Jackson, who has run for 732 yards and nine scores.
Northeast has outscored their foes by an average of 28-10 this season. Their only two losses have come to the teams above them in the Region 4-AA standings, Lamar County, 36-0, and Bleckley County, 28-20.
The Bleckley game came last week, and with his own squad off, Strickland got to see the game in person.
“They throw the ball extremely well. We are going to have to be great tacklers in the open field, because they get a lot of yardage after the catch,” said Strickland.
The week off also worked well for the health of the Hurricanes.
“It was great to have an open week, we were able to get some guys healthy. We are in relatively good shape going into the game,” said Strickland.
The winner of the Fitzgerald-Northeast game will face the Vidalia-Westside Augusta winner in the second round.
Local Sports
Strickland familiar with Northeast Macon
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Tattnall Square tops Tiftarea, 6-2
Ernie Banks used to say, "let's play two." In a game that was as long as two and was defined early on by errors and later by a pitching duel, it would be offense that propelled the Tattnall Square Trojans past the Tiftarea Academy Panthers, 6-2 in 14 innings. Tattnall, who won the first game of the series, 4-1 before dropping game two, 6-3, will meet Mount de Sales in the Class AAA semifinals next week.
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Loop the Lake coming June 1
The 2013 Lake Blackshear Loop the Lake 5K Run, 1 Mile Fun Run/Walk and Stroller Roll benefiting GraceWay Recovery Residence will be held on Saturday, June 1 at the Lake Blackshear Resort and Golf Club.
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Tiftarea-Tattnall split
The quarterfinals series between the Tiftarea Academy Panthers and defending state Class AAA champions Tattnall Square Trojans matched up two of the top teams in the state and after two games, the battle has been a stalemate. The Trojans won the first game 4-1, while the Panthers took game two, 6-3. Game three will be today at 2 p.m.
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Tiftarea hosts defending state champs
Coach Brad Porter and the Tiftarea Academy Panthers have been taking the road to the GISA state Class AAA championship one obstacle at a time. As Region 3's No. 1 seed they are entitled to host the quarterfinals round, which starts at 4 p.m. today in Chula. However, their obstacle is a big one: the defending state champions, the Tattnall Square Trojans.
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First inning dooms Devils
For a team used to deciding games late, it was the first inning that hurt the Tift County Blue Devils Wednesday. Two homeruns within a span a three hitters put the Walton Raiders up by three. That would be the final margin in the quarterfinal series between the two schools, the Devils ending their season with a 5-2 loss in Marietta.
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TCHS spring football game Friday
Are you ready for some football? The Tift County Blue Devils are. Their spring game is being played Friday and it is the start of a fresh season of competition. The game will be played at Brodie Field at 7 p.m. Admission for adults is $5, but is free for students.
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Late magic forces another game three
Metro Atlanta has become home away from home for the Tift County Blue Devils. They have made four trips north for three series in the state Class AAAAAA baseball playoffs. All three series have gone to game three, the third against the Walton Raiders in Marietta because of a miracle comeback 2-1 win after a first game loss of 8-0. Game three will begin at 4:30 p.m. today.
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GHSA girls state track results
The girls state track competition was held last weekend at Albany's Hugh Mills Stadium and several area athletes participated in events.
- Tift County spring football game Friday
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Quarterfinals has Devils on the road again
Convenience store owners on I-75 probably know the Tift County Blue Devils by name now. They will be making their third bus ride in two weeks to metro Atlanta when they play the Walton Raiders of Marietta today in a doubleheader in the state Class AAAAAA baseball quarterfinals.
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