SGA runs past Sherwood Christian, 54-22

ALBANY — Southwest Georgia Academy didn’t need much of a playbook Friday night.

Hand it off. Run it up the middle. Do it again.

And when the Warriors wanted a slightly different look, they put senior Colt Williams in the Wildcat, lined him up at quarterback or simply gave him the football from his usual running back position.

Whatever the formation, the result was largely the same.

SGA pounded away at Sherwood Christian Academy on a soggy Legacy Field, building a 40-8 halftime advantage on the way to a 54-22 victory in the region opener for both teams.

The loss dropped Sherwood to 4-2, while SGA improved to 5-1 and looked like the program that finished as the state runner-up a year ago.

Nothing particularly complicated about how the Warriors did it.

SGA ran the football on every offensive snap of the first half until its final two plays before halftime. With a wet field underneath them, the Warriors repeatedly attacked between the tackles and used Williams in several different roles.

The Harvard commit was particularly difficult to bring down. On one second-quarter possession, Williams broke through the Sherwood defense for a 35-yard gain, shedding tackles along the way.

SGA established that physical approach immediately.

The Warriors drove for a touchdown on their opening possession and Williams added the two-point conversion for an 8-0 lead. After Sherwood managed one first down before punting, SGA struck again when Jon Mason Calhoun broke around the left side for a 26-yard touchdown. Williams again converted the two-point attempt, making it 16-0.

Sherwood answered with its biggest play of the night.

Freshman quarterback Brandon Hemmings found fellow freshman Dyson Harris along the sideline, and Harris turned it into a 70-yard touchdown. Harris added the two-point conversion to cut the deficit to 16-8 by the end of the first quarter.

But the Warriors went right back to work on the ground.

Owen Hunt scored on a 3-yard run during the second quarter, and Williams added another two-point conversion. Later, Williams’ 35-yard run helped set up another SGA touchdown as the Warriors continued to wear down the Eagles.

Even when Sherwood appeared to catch a break, SGA found a way out of trouble. A bad punt snap sent the football bouncing behind punter Lawson Brooks, but Brooks recovered and still managed to get off a strong kick.

Sherwood eventually stopped the Warriors on downs near midfield with only 26 seconds remaining in the half.

That should have been the end of it.

It wasn’t.

SGA got the ball back, put it in Williams’ hands and had him pitch to Calhoun, who raced around the right side to the Sherwood 11. Then, after spending virtually the entire half running the football, the Warriors went to the air.

Calhoun threw a 7-yard touchdown pass as time expired, and SGA took a commanding 40-8 advantage into halftime.

Sherwood didn’t fold.

The Eagles matched SGA 14-14 over the final two quarters, with Hemmings throwing touchdown passes to Hunter Gregg and CJ Grier.

With junior quarterback Chuck LaGrange sidelined in a walking boot, Hemmings continued to make the most of an opportunity that arrived earlier than expected. LaGrange also missed last week’s game, and Sherwood coach Doug Eason previously said the junior is expected to be out for several games.

Hemmings finished 12 of 20 for 270 yards and three touchdowns, giving the freshman six touchdown passes over Sherwood’s past two games.

Gregg caught three passes for 103 yards and a touchdown, while Harris had three receptions for 81 yards and a score. Grier added three catches for 63 yards and a touchdown, and Bryson Harris caught one pass for 23 yards.

Sherwood’s running game never found similar room. Hemmings led the Eagles with 17 yards on five carries, while the rest of the team combined for just one rushing yard.

That was quite a contrast from an SGA offense that spent the night chewing up yards on the ground. Complete individual statistics for the Warriors were not available.

For Sherwood, the road doesn’t get any easier.

The Eagles travel to Valdosta next Friday to face Valwood, another significant test as region play continues.