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From Staff Reports

TALBOTTON, GA – The Schley County Wildcats (9-1, 6-1 in Region 5A-Public) finished out the regular season with a 62-0 thrashing of the winless Central Talbotton Hawks (0-10) on Friday, November 5, at Central Talbotton High School (CTB).

SCHS quarterback Jay Kanazawa completed 13 of 16 passes for 290 yards and three touchdowns and running back Sam Forehand rushed for 59 yards on three carries and scored two rushing touchdowns.  In addition to the production of Kanazawa and Forehand, running back Zayden Walker not only scored an offensive touchdown, but also scored one on defense when he forced a fumble, recovered the ball and ran it back 24 yards to pay dirt.

Being that Macon County defeated Chattahoochee County 21-13 in its final regular season game, the Bulldogs (9-0, 7-0 in Region 5A-Public) are the GHSA Region 5A-Public champions and the Wildcats are the region runners-up.  As the #2 seed out of Region 5A-Public, SCHS will host ACE Charter in the first round of the GHSA Class A-Public State Playoffs on Saturday, November 13, at 7:30 p.m.

The Wildcats scored their first touchdown with 10:13 to go in the first quarter when Walker scored from 21 yards out. Javier Lopez then tacked on the extra point to give SCHS an early 7-0 lead.

About five minutes later, Kanazawa found Sidney Blackwell in the end zone for an eight-yard touchdown. The extra point by Lopez was good and the Wildcats led 14-0 with 5:08 to go in the first quarter.

Then as the first quarter was about to end, Kanazawa struck again for a 76-yard touchdown pass to Clinton Jackson. Lopez tacked on the extra point and SCHS had a 21-0 lead.

Kanazawa would later throw his third touchdown of the night with 11:31 left before halftime when he found Jackson again for a 29-yard touchdown pass. Lopez’s PAT was good and the Wildcats had a 28-0 lead. Jackson caught two passes on the night for 103 yards and they were both for touchdowns.

Then with 9:45 to go before the half, Walker sacked the Hawks’ quarterback, forced a fumble and took the ball 24 yards the other way for another SCHS touchdown. Lopez tacked on the extra point and the Wildcats led 35-0 over CTB.

A little more then two minutes later, the Wildcats added to their huge lead when running back Matthew Nguyen scored from two yards out. This time, Lopez missed the extra point, but it was all academic at that point, as SCHS would take a 41-0 lead into the locker room at halftime.

With 6:58 to go in the third quarter, the Wildcats picked up where they left off when Same Forehand scored a rushing touchdown from seven yards out. Lopez’s extra point was good and SCHS had a 48-0 lead.

Then with 2:49 to go in the third quarter, the Wildcats defense came up with another big scoring play, as Carson Westbrook intercepted a pass and scampered 53 yards the other way for another SCHS touchdown. Lopez tacked on the extra point and the Wildcats led 55-0.

SCHS scored its final touchdown of the night with 3:13 left in the game when Sam Forehand broke through the CTB defensive line and scampered 43 yards for his second touchdown of the night. Lopez’s extra point was good and the Wildcats left Talbotton, having grounded the Hawks 62-0.

The Wildcats will now prepare to host the Gryphons of the Academy for Classical Education (ACE Charter) in the first round of the GHSA Class A-Public State Playoffs on Saturday, November 13, at 7:30 p.m. The Gryphons, who defeated Twiggs County 47-20 in their regular season finale, have an overall record of 4-4 and are the #3 seed out of Region 7A-Public.