Heavy offense expected for Fitzgerald, Macon County

Published 9:00 am Wednesday, September 6, 2017

TIFTON — At 7:30 p.m. Friday at Jaycee Stadium, Fitzgerald and Macon County play each other for the sixth time.

The Purple Hurricane have a 5-0 record in the series, but that has been something particular about the scores.

When the two first met in 1986, Fitzgerald won by a 25-0 score. A year later, Fitzgerald scored 26 points. They needed 41 points to beat Macon County in 2014, then scored 57 in 2016. Last year, the Purple Hurricane scored even more — 70 — in a 70-42 finish.

Then-head coach Jason Strickland confided afterwards he was not entirely comfortable with his team’s lead at 70 points.

Tucker Pruitt, who took over as Fitzgerald’s head coach earlier this year, said he hoped the Hurricane would not need to score 70 points, but he could see it becoming that type of game.

Macon County (1-1) fell to Irwin County last Friday, 36-28, but have been a scary opponent for opposing head coaches for the last few years.

The Bulldogs averaged 46 points per game on offense during their Class A (public) state championship run in 2016. Though starting quarterback K’hari Lane graduated, little has changed since his departure in the scoring department.

Macon County scored 44 points against Dooly County in their opener and had a 14-0 lead against Irwin before falling behind at the half.

Lane’s replacement, Jadarius Hicks, is a different style player.

“More of an athlete,” said Pruitt.

Against Irwin, Hicks threw for 186 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 20 more, plus another score.

The big target for Hicks is Trey Brown, a 6’4” wide receiver that is projected to be one of the state’s best in 2017. He has supposedly received offers from Oregon, Mississippi State and North Carolina State to play collegiately.

Brown, said Pruitt, “can run like a deer.”

In two games this year, Brown has 219 receiving yards and three touchdowns. He is averaging 27.4 yards per catch.

Irwin’s win over the Bulldogs was perhaps surprising, considering the Indians lost 57-15 in 2016. They managed to stop Macon County’s offense Friday by forcing four turnovers and taking advantage of what Pruitt labeled “a couple of crazy plays.”

“Irwin wore them down,” said Pruitt.

Fitzgerald, which fell to 1-2 last Friday in a 24-21 loss to Camden County, had its own rough game.

Camden’s Bob Sphire described the contest to The Brunswick News as a “48-minute slugfest.” Pruitt was inclined to agree.

Fitzgerald never led, but had ties at 7-7 and 14-14.

Fingers are crossed the game did not cost the ‘Canes their starting quarterback, James Graham. Pruitt said Graham had an MRI scheduled Tuesday on his knee.

Graham was injured in the fourth quarter. In his absence, Matthew Howell came in to throw a 23-yard touchdown pass to Montreil Harris with 48 seconds left to pull to the final score.

“I’m very proud of Matthew,” Pruitt said, adding that his squad “finished the game strong.”

Other scores were a 48-yard run by Graham and a 41-yard pass from Graham to Callen Ray.

Ray, who had been a defensive specialist in years past, was able to move off a block for the reception before rumbling down the field and stretching into the end zone while pulling a Camden player with him.

Fitzgerald will continue its brutal stretch of games next week against Rockdale County. Rockdale (1-1) took a 75-8 win over Berkmar before falling to Chattahoochee Aug. 25. They play Heritage High of Conyers Friday.