Victory at Baldwin to help Evans get to state

Evans (6-2) at Baldwin (3-5)

Evans claimed football bragging rights in the county with its thrilling 15-13 victory over Lakeside on Friday night. That gave the Knights a perfect 3-0 mark against their rival county public schools. More important for Evans, the victory assures the team a spot in the Class AAAA state playoffs, a place it has not been in a while.

This week, Evans will get a major road test at Baldwin. It is the most athletic team in the region and features one of the state's most highly recruited players in wide receiver Nick Kyles.

The 6-foot-2-inch, 190-pound standout has narrowed his college choices to Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Florida State and Georgia. Also, do not let the 3-5 record fool you. Baldwin played a brutal nonregion schedule against teams such as Warner Robins and Mary Persons.

Baldwin 27 Evans 20

Greenbrier (2-6) vs. Jones County (3-5)

The Pack lost a heartbreaker at Effingham County last week. The team must regroup against Jones County. Greenbrier has had a disappointing season, but it still has faint hopes of a playoff berth, but Greenbrier must win versus the Greyhounds to keep those hopes alive.

Greenbrier 20 Jones County 16

Lakeside (2-5-1) vs. Wayne Co. (2-6) (Saturday game)

The Panthers lost an emotional ball game at Evans. The team seemed to have the victory in hand, but a pass interference call on a huge third and long for Evans, coupled with a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, gave the Knights a chance to steal a victory. Like all good teams, Evans seized the opportunity and Reid Tankersley nailed a game-winning field goal to give Evans a 15-13 win. Lakeside must forget about that game and try to pick up its first region victory.

Lakeside 27 Wayne Co. 10

Augusta Christian (5-3) at Hammond (8-0)

The Lions play the No. 2-ranked team in SCISA. ACS has battled back nicely after losing three straight games earlier this season. They really seem to be balanced and could be a big challenge for Hammond. However, playing on the road is always tough.

Hammond 21 ACS 17