ELLAVILLE — Schley County gave up more than 400 yards of offense, but still managed a 35-16 win against Pacelli.

Sophomore Jonathon Thompson racked up 189 yards and three touchdowns, and the defense scored on a fumble return.

Schley travels to Taylor County tonight, and coach Jim McFather expects as tough of or an even tougher match up with these Vikings.

“They got personnel very similar to Pacelli with a quarterback that can run the ball,” said McFather. “They’ve got as many weapons, and we’ve got to tighten up. If we don’t — it’s hard to get plus-3 turnovers  in your favor. Even if you do, I don’t know if it will be enough against Taylor.”

The biggest question mark entering the season would be the play of the offensive line. The Wildcats rushed for 232 yards, but McFather said there is still a lot of room to improve. He said Taylor’s front line on both sides will be a lot to handle.

“They’re big and strong, and they’re fast,” said McFather. “That’s a tough combination. They’ve got some size; they always do. It seems like they always have one of the bigger lines in the region every year. They seem to grow them big up that way.”

Thompson, who hasn’t played since seventh grade, provided a spark for Schley. The Wildcats will need him and possibly more production out of the passing game.

“Jonathon had a good game; I don’t think it was a fluke, doing what he did,” said McFather. “It gives you another weapon. Things change around a little bit, and the more weapons you’ve got on the field, the better the offense. We’re still looking for more kids to step up.”

Taylor has only played a half of football so far, and that was against Crawford County in the scrimmage. The Vikings were the only region team off last week, having its bye the first week of the season. They have six starters back on offense and seven on defense.

They are led by quarterback Bodarius Johnson and linebacker Jamarious Bailey.

McFather said the key to victory is having a great start defensively.

“We can’t let them get started,” he said. “As a team gets going, they build momentum and confidence and all. If we force them into some punt situations, sometimes frustrations sink in. We need to start off playing good defense.”

Schley was picked to win one region game this season, and the Wildcats have already matched that. They hope to stun another region opponent, even though the Vikings have had extra preparation time.

“Our goal was to take each week by week and make the most of every situation and not let any slip away,” said McFather. “We’re growing, and hopefully, we can keep it close and have a chance at the end to do it.”



Macon County at Marion County

DRANEVILLE — The Eagles are coming off a 27-8 win in which they rushed for more than 300 yards and scored 27 unanswered points.

Ykeem Wells (172 rushing yards) and Zamir Shelton (72 yards, 4 TDs) look to carry the Eagles again against a defense that allowed 42 points to Brookstone.

Macon County had 193 yards of offense and didn’t score until the last six minutes of the game.

Marion County’s defense allowed 100 yards of offense to Chattahoochee County, but the offense hopes to limit its mistakes after three turnovers last week.