Ross Couch
The Union-Recorder
September 24, 2007 10:04 pm
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The Georgia Military College JUCO football team hit on all cylinders for the first time this season Sunday, defeating Louisburg College 24-0 on the road.
It was the Bulldogs second shutout of the year. They held the Valdosta State junior varsity scoreless Sept. 13.
“Everybody played with great enthusiasm, focus and intensity,” GMC JUCO head coach Bert Williams said. “That’s something we worked on last week in practice, and it showed. These guys played hungry, and they played to make a statement. It was the best game we’ve played, top to bottom, all year.”
GMC JUCO had a huge day on offense, picking up nearly 450 yards total and scoring three touchdowns.
Fernando Pitts (14 carries, 132 yards) scored one, Steven Robinson (6 carries, 47 yards) scored another and Chleb Ravenell (3 catches, 38 yards) scored the third.
“We protected the quarterback, and we did a better job in the passing game,” Williams said. “I was also really pleased with the running game. It was the third game where we have more than 260 yards rushing. The offensive line did exceptionally well. It was good to see.”
The Bulldog defense had another strong day, allowing only 90 yards of total offense. Louisburg had 49 yards on the ground and 41 yards through the air. GMC JUCO also had an interception by Taikwon Paige and a fumble recovery by Leroy Burgess.
Markeith Wylie was named player of the game. He had five tackles, including three tackles-for-loss and two sacks. He also forced two fumbles. One of the forced fumbles was on the GMC 6-yard line, and the turnover preserved the Bulldog shutout.
“We flew around to the ball, and we made some big plays,” Williams said. “As far as team speed goes, Louisburg was as good as anybody we’ve seen, and their offensive line was better than anybody we’ve seen except Trinity Valley. Our guys did a good job controlling the game.”
The GMC JUCO special teams played well. Joey Fiegler averaged 45.3 yards on four punts, with all going as fair catches. Two of those went for more than 50 yards.
Placekicker Juan Rodriguez went 3-for-3 on extra points and converted a field goal from 24 yards out. He also averaged 61.2 yards on
kickoffs.
The coverage on the kickoff team was also strong, holding Louisburg to just 94 return yards on five kickoffs.
“Special teams was big in that game, especially our kickoff coverage,” Williams said. “We gave up one big return, but we just shut them down for the rest of the game. The special teams did some really good things.”
The Bulldogs return to action next Sunday, hitting the road to take on the Troy University junior varsity. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
“We beat a good team on the road,” Williams said. “It’s something we can use to build on as we get ready for Troy.”
Sports Editor Ross Couch can be reached at (478) 453-1465 or sports@unionrecorder.com
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