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September 18, 2019
MARY PERSONS BULLDOGS
HOME CALENDAR
5:00 p.m.
Varsity Softball
(vs. Jackson)
6:30 p.m.
JV Softball
(vs. Jackson)
5, 0 p.m.
JV Football
(vs. Jackson)
6.'00 p.m.
Varsity Volleyball
(vs. Howard)
7:00 p.m.
Varsity Volleyball
(vs. Spalding)
FR AY, SEF JMER 2O
7:30 p.m.
Varsity Football
(vs. Peach Countyl
By Rk rd
forsyth@mymcr.net
In a game that took a full day
to complete, the Mary Persons
Bulldogs fell just short in their
comeback bid to upset Lovett on
the road on Saturday.
The Bulldogs dropped the
non-region contest 29-27 to the
AAA Lions on Saturday, almost
24 hours after the game began.
A late-summer lightning storm
halted play on Friday night with
the score tied at 0 with 4:43 to play
in the first quarter. After waiting
nearly two hours for the skies
to dear, a torrential downpour ,
occurred instead, forcing MP
to travel back to Forsyth. The
Bulldogs then retumed to Lover
on Saturday to pick up the game
where it left offat 5 p.m. In a
stadium with no more than 600
fans on a beautiful Saturda)~ MP
represented about two-thirds of
the crowd.
The Bulldogs gave their faithful
much to cheer about with four
touchdowns of 30 yards or more
in length, but it was the steadier
Lions who prevailed thanks to a
couple of timely defensive stands.
With MP trailing 29-21 with 3:25
left in the game, Dogs' sophomore
linebacker Kelvin Harden picked
off an ill-advised pass by Lovett
quarterback Blaine McAllister
and returned it 48 yards for a
touchdown to narrow MP's deficit
to two at 29-27. MP head coach
Brian Nelson wisely elected to go
for two, but Bulldogs' quarterback
Logan Hickman underthrew a
fade to the back left comer of the
end zone intended for Malikk
Harris, allowing the Lions to
maintain the lead.
Nelson said of the failed two-
point try: "It was underthrown.
You've got to give him a little more
of a chance to jump and make a
play and catch a ball. It is what it
is. You either make plays or you
don't make plays?'
Then, after a major Lovett
special teams blunder a minute
later, MP's offense had one more
chance with lst-and-10 at the
Lions' 11-yard-line with 2:14 left
in the game. However, Lovett's
defense held the Bulldogs to a
field goal ~r, and MP's normally
reliable senior placekicker Julian
Rivera pull-hooked a 23-yard field
goal wide right with 1:20 to play,
enabling the Lions to run out the
dock.
Nelson said of Rivera's miss: "It
was a good hold, good everything~
good operation. I think he just
missed it."
In a losing cause, MP running
back William Stewart, subbing for
injured starter Rico Harden, had
a night for the ages, rushing for
See MP FOOTBALL Page 4C
MARY PERSONS
KETrERBAUGH JUNGBERG FINANCIAL GROUP
OF WELLS FARGO ADVISORS
1425 Bass Road Macon, GA 478-749"6zx9
Wells Fargo Advisors is a trade name used by
Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC, Member SlPC
Despite
intense
pressure
from MP
pass-
rushers
lle
Thomas
Warren
(No.
39),
Lovett
quar-
terback
Blaine
McAIlis-
ter ac-
counted
for four
total
touch-
downs
in the
Lions'
29-27
victory
over MR
(Photo/
Richard
Dumas)
SUNDAY, SE J m
ex
MONDAY, 23
5:00 p.m.
Varsity Softball
:(vs. Crawford County)
24
5:00 p.m.
Varsity Softball
(vs. Spalding)
e
The Mary Persons
varsity volleyball team
dropped to 0-4 in region
play with a doublehead-
er defeat at Upson-Lee
on Sept. 12.
MP, 2-11 overall,
dropped its opening
match to West Laurens
in straight sets 19-25,
12-25. The Volley Dogs
were then throttled by
the home Lady Knights
7-25, 15-25 in two sets
in the nightcap.
The Volley Dogs were
next scheduled to host
a three-team region
match starting at 6 p.m.
on Thursday. The Volley
Dogs will play Howard
at 6 p.m. in Game I and
will then face Spalding
in Game 2 at 7 p.m.
4
Michael A. Lough worked at the Macon Telegraph from 1998-
2017 and founded and has been running www.centralgasports.
com, The Sports Report of Central Georgia,
for two years. He has covered the past three
Mary Persons-Peach County games.
Q) What's the first thing that comes to
mind when you think of this year's Peach
County team?
LOUGH
A.) A fairly typical Peach County team,
and more. They're not necessarily unbe-
lievable in one area, but are at a high level in every area. Their
game this year - when all are playing hard and smart, always
merely a hope with a bunch of teen agers - is better than their
normal game, which is always pretty dang good.
Q.) There are reports that this is one of Chad Campbell's best
teams How surprising was their loss to Houston County?
A.) I really believed Houston County had their best overall
team - from talent to chemistry to work ethic, etc. - since the
end of the Fromm-and-Co. Era. Players didn't transfer, the
staff retained some stability and was boosted by the retum of
Ben Bailey as offensive coordinator. But the early schedule was
pretty weak. Still, if you're supposed to be good or better, you're
also supposed to take care of bus'mess and beat teams by a cer-
tain general margin. They weren't tested, which was a good sign
for them, to do what they should have done.
But against Peach County and with a full crowd at home?
That's a different stor They could still have been much im-
proved and lose by three or four touchdowns. That they didn't
play well and hung tough and won says we underratedthem.
And no doubt Peach County's kids did - as will happen - after
they racked up such a head-tuming win over Lee County.
Q) Do you think that the Trojans' loss last week is bad news for
Mary Persons, since Peach will probably be ready to take that loss
out on the Bulldogs?
A.) Well, two places where Monday was no fun and practice
will be loud this week are Georgia Tech and Peach County. The
Trojans are more equipped to take out the web's worth of prac-
tice on game night than the Jackets. I've thought for awhile that
there was a really good chance for a running clock this week. I
See LOUGH . Page 3C
it
In the
absence
of starting
running
back Rico
Harden.
junior
William
Stewart.
running
behind
a Travis
Webb
block.
rushed for
214 yards
and two
touch-
downs
against
Love. on
Saturday.
(Photo/
Richard
Dumas)
F R E E G o Dog s T-shirt
WITH YOUR PIZZA
Get a large speciality
pizza from Jonah's
between 3-5 pm
on Friday and
y0u'll get a FREE
Go Dogs T-shirtfl
Enjoy Pizza
and Pigskin
on a Football
Friday Night in
Forsyth, Ga!
ON JOHNS
D
i
t
