Effingham County had to start their season on the road on Friday, and it wasn't the start they were hoping for. They fell just short of the Houston County Bears by a score of 44-41. While losing is never fun, the Rebels can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Georgia football rankings (they are ranked 116th, while the Bears are ranked 24th).
Effingham County's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Tucker Perkins, who threw for 378 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 12.2 yards per attempt, and Ryan Wells, who picked up 203 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Wells torched the secondary when he pulled down a catch that went for 74 yards. Speaking of playmakers, who could forget Kris Swinney, who went all the way with a kickoff return for a touchdown.
Houston County's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Isaiah Mitchell, who picked up 232 receiving yards and a touchdown, and also threw for 14 yards and a touchdown while completing 100% of his passes. Antwann Hill Jr was another key player, throwing for 342 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 13.2 yards per attempt.
The victory made it two in a row for Houston County and bumps their season record up to 2-0.
Effingham County will look to take advantage of their home-field for the first time this season as they take on New Hampstead at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. As for Houston County, they will venture away from home to face off against Perry at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Both might be coming in a bit winded given how much these teams ran up and down the field in their prior games.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
