Sardis (3-1) at Geraldine (3-1)
Series record: Sardis 20, Geraldine 13, one tie
Last meeting: 2011 – Sardis 35, Geraldine 21
Last week: Sardis 42, Douglas 28; Geraldine 42, New Hope 19
By Gene Stanley/Messenger Sports Correspondent
Not much has changed about Geraldine football.
The Bulldogs still like to run the Double Wing formation. They like to run the ball a lot. And they win.
“They’re the same old Geraldine,” Sardis coach Gene Hill said. “The only difference this year is that they’re able to throw the ball better than they used to. But they’ve been scoring so much that they haven’t had to throw it much.”
Geraldine’s only loss came at the hands of Fyffe, by a 14-10 score – and the Bulldogs had a 10-0 lead.
“They’re a very hard-nosed group that just lines up, puts their heads down and runs the ball at you,” Hill said. “And they’ve got three very good running backs, probably the best combination of backs we’ll see this year.”
Geraldine finished with 358 yards rushing on 38 attempts last week, with two of the backs gaining over 100 yards.
Meanwhile, Hill is concerned about his team’s defense – and that is what practice has concentrated on this week.
“We’re missing tackles and giving up too many big plays,” Hill said. “We’re also giving up too many third-and-long conversions. Getting more people to the ball has been one of our areas of work this week.”
While the Lions did win last week, they were guilty of allowing Douglas to score 28 points in the first half – and one touchdown came on a fourth-down play just before halftime.
The victory moved Sar-dis into a second-place tie with St. Clair County in the Class 4A, Region 6 standings at 3-1. The Lions and Saints trail first place Oneonta by a game.
Against the Eagles, Toby Pee rushed for 125 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. He also caught two passes for 54 yards.
Will Scott completed 16-of-18 passes for 300 yards and a TD.
Kailon Roberson caught seven passes for 98 yards, while Jared Shirley had four receptions for 115 yards and a touchdown.
Zack Childers led the Lions in tackles with 14, followed by Colton Salers, Jesse Hubbard and Cody Turk with seven each.
Braun Pee had an interception.