CUSSETA - Lincoln County upset the Chattahoochee County Panthers 29-13 here last Friday night in the first round of the Class A Public playoffs.
The Red Devils will travel to Sparta this Friday night to play Region 7-A Public champion Hancock Central. The Bulldogs defeated B.E.S.T. Academy from Atlanta 24-22 last Friday. They are 7-0 after completing a COVID-19-reduced regular season. They are averaging over 42 points per game, while allowing less than 11. This Friday will equal their deepest participation in the playoffs. Hancock was last in the playoffs in 2018, the only year when the Bulldogs claimed a win over Lincoln County. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30.
Tevin Gartrell led the Devil rushing attack with 17 carries for 130 yards and two touchdowns. Keenon Lampkin only threw three passes, but he completed all three for 88 yards and two touchdowns. Colton Willis rushed 17 times for 96 yards, and caught a pass for 29. Caleb Willis caught the two touchdown passes for 59 yards, an interception, and punted once for 50 yards.
The Devil Defense allowed 263 yards on 43 plays, but 157 of that was on their first three possessions. The Devil offense gained 352 yards on 48 plays. The Devils improved to 6-4 with the surprising win.
After a four-hour trip to the outskirts of Columbus, the Red Devils took the opening kickoff and picked up a first down near midfield before two illegal procedure flags stymied the drive. Caleb Willis boomed a 50-yard punt that rolled dead at the Panther 5.
Chattahoochee County started slow with a one-yard run, but then gained chunks of turf. Most advances were quick passes of nine yards or more. The Panthers looked to score first after a 12-yard pass earned a first down at the LC 9. Semaji Jenkins then caught the Panther runner for a five-yard loss. A pass gained three before another pass appeared to advance seven, but a holding penalty put the home team in a 3rd-&-goal from the 22. Franklin Brown broke up the next pass effort. On the next pass play the Devils were called for holding, resulting in 4th-&-goal from the 12. The Panther QB was stopped after a 2-yard gain. The Devils took over on downs with 1:13 left in the first quarter.
Colton Willis ran for three, two, and then eight yards for a first down at the LC 23 as the second quarter opened. Gartrell rushed for six before breaking three tackles and scampering 39 yards to the CC 32. Two more Gartrell carries moved the pigskin to the CC 22. Lampkin ran for three before illegal procedure cost the Devils five. Colton Willis rushed for three and Johnny Wise gained four. Facing fourth down and five, Lampkin floated the ball to Caleb Willis on the right side of the endzone. Somehow the tall senior receiver caught the pigskin while he was being pulled down by a Panther. The Devils declined a pass interference penalty and took the miraculous touchdown.
The Panthers were called offsides on the PAT attempt. The Devils quickly replaced their kicking team with their offense. Lampkin pushed through the line for two points. The Devils led 8-0 with 7:14 left in the half.
Chattahoochee County started from their 27 and gained seven yards before a dead-ball personal foul cost them 15 yards back to the 19. Brown then grabbed the Panther pass attempt and returned two yards to the CC 12.
Colton Willis rushed for seven yards, then two runs of two yards each for 1st-&-goal at the 1. Gartrell scored through the left side with 4:07 left in the half. Tristan Tankersley booted the PAT for a 15-0 Red Devil lead in a game where Lincoln County was a 24-point underdog.
The Panthers had lost only one game all season, and their powerful offense cranked up. The home team scored on a 50-yard pass play where their receiver broke three tackles. The extra point kick was good with 3:36 left in the second quarter and the Devils leading 15-7.
Lincoln County started from their 18 thanks to a 15-yard return by Gartrell after a deep kickoff due to a roughing-the-kicker call on the PAT. Colton Willis ran for five followed by Gartrell for 12. C. J. Zellars, returning from an injury, ran for eleven to the LC 46. Gartrell added four and Wise five. Lampkin gained two for a first down at the CC 43 with only one minute left. The Devils called a time-out. Lampkin then found Caleb Willis on the left side. His height helped him secure the catch and head about 15 yards to the end zone after the defender fell. Tankersley's kick with 50 seconds remaining gave the Devils a 22-7 lead.
Two quarterback sacks by the Devil Defense preserved the 22-7 lead through halftime. The Panthers had not allowed more than 19 this season.
The Panthers rushed for 15 to midfield to open the second half. A third-down pass fell incomplete leaving Chattahoochee with a 4th-&-3 at the LC 43. Wise and other defenders stopped the Panther quarterback a yard shy of the line to gain. The Devils took over at their 41 with ten minutes remaining in the third.
Colton Willis took the handoff and headed down the left side of the field in front of the Devil bench. He was just caught from behind at the CC 21. Gartrell rushed for four, and Colton Willis added two. Gartrell then broke through on the right side for 15 to paydirt. The touchdown and PAT kick gave the Devils a 29-7 lead with 7:55 left in the third quarter.
The Devil Defense stopped the next Panther drive at midfield. Lincoln County started from its 18 after a punt. Two illegal procedure flags followed by a lost fumble gave the Panthers new life at the LC 18. The Devils played tough, forcing a 4th-&-1 at the 9. The Panther QB gained two for the first down before the Panthers scored from the seven. The PAT pass failed, but the Lincoln County lead was cut to 29-13 with 1:20 left in the third.
The Panthers kept playing with "10 in the box" to defend against the run, and the Devils took advantage with a 29-yard pass from Lampkin to Colton Willis to reach the CC 32. Two plays later the Panthers stripped the ball and recovered at the 37. A personal foul against the Devils moved the ball to the CC 42. Seven plays moved the Panthers to the LC 25 with a 2nd-&-14. Caleb Willis proved he could catch Panther passes as well as those from Lampkin when he intercepted and returned 30 yards to the LC 40.
Devil fans held their breath as the officials huddled to determine the outcome of three flags laying on the field after the interception. Nullifying the interception would keep the Panthers alive. Two of the infractions were against the Panthers and declined by the Devils. The third flag was a sideline warning against the Devil bench for encroaching on the field during the interception celebration. The interception stood. The Devils took over at their 41 with 6:21 remaining in the game.
The Devils kept the ball on the ground, winding down the clock with a 10-play, four first down drive. The final play was a four-yard run by Gartrell on 4th-&-3 at the CC 17. With the 29-13 victory, the Devils advanced to the second round for the second straight season.
The winner of this week's Lincoln County at Hancock Central game will play the winner of Clinch County at Pelham in the quarterfinals. If LCHS and Clinch win, a coin-toss will decide the location since both teams are #3 seeds. If LCHS and Pelham win, the Devils will travel to south Georgia.