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Indians make it 3 in a row
Seminole Stadium buzzed with excitement as the Indians returned to their
home field to host the Atkinson County Rebels this past Friday night. The Green Machine Marching Band opened up the
event with the National Anthem and the alma mater before lining the field for the team's entrance. A capacity crowd
was on hand to welcome the Indians back home as they burst through the banner at the north end zone of the field. The
captains took the field for the coin toss and the Indians began the contest kicking to the Rebels. Through a flurry
of pass attempts, the Rebels made one first down, but the Seminole County defense stood tall forcing the visitors to punt
the ball away. Atkinson County's punter succumbed to the intense pressure and shanked the kick leading to terrific field
postion for the Indians. Chris Brown only needed one play to go 29 yards to draw first blood. Jeffery Croom booted
through the point after attempt and the Indians led 7-0 early in the game. Antwan Buggs, who started at quarterback,
pinned the Rebels deep in their own territory with a deep kick off. The Indian defense overwhelmed the young Atco team
forcing them into punt formation once again. The snap sailed over the punter's head and out of the end zone giving the
Indians a safety and lifting the score to 9-0. The free kick following the safety left the home team in splendid shape
and two plays later, Dee Virgin cruised through a wide open line off left tackle and scored a 36 yard TD. Croom, who
went a perfect 7 of 7 in PAT's, added the extra point and the score was 16 zip barely halfway into the first period.
The Rebels received the ball and promptly went back to their air attack. This time on second down, senior safety Rickelle
Wilson snagged the first of his game-high two interceptions putting the Indian offense back in business. Chris Brown
and company moved the ball with ease and Brown ran for his second TD, this one from 7 yards out. With a scoreboard malfunction
and the time being kept on the field, the first quarter came to a close with the Indians holding a comfortable 23-0 lead.
The
second quarter gave no relief to the visiting Rebel squad. Early in the 2nd stanza, the Chris Brown show returned to
center stage with a 60 yard toss sweep. Brown hit the opposing 40 yard line and turned on the jets to reach the goal
line for the third time. Croom, who happens to be the grandson of head coach Alan Ingram, continued his perfect PAT
night and the Indians led 30-0. We're not sure what 'Paw Paw' told the young kicker during the past week of practice,
but it certainly took hold. The Rebels offense took the ball on their next possession and quickly were forced into a
punting situation again. The up man in the formation took the snap and tossed a quick pass over the middle. The
ball was tipped by the intended receiver and Owen Parks intercepted the ball with a 'look what I found' catch, putting the
Indian offense on the field. Antwan Buggs marched the Indians down the field and in the final score of the half dashed
34 yards to paydirt, plowing over the last defender at the one yard line. Time ran out for the Rebels and the Indians
took a 37-0 lead into the locker room.
The halftime intermission brought quality entertainment from start to finish as
the Atkinson County Marching Rebel Band took the field to begin the festivities. The young musicians from Pearson gave
a superb performance to the delight of the hometown crowd. After the Atkinson County band was done they gave way to
the pride of Seminole County, the Green Machine Marching Band. The marching Indians entered the field and put on yet
another dazzling show featuring a medley of 80's hits. The Green Machine opened with the Quiet Riot hit "Come on feel
the noize" and blended perfectly into Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'". This song featured Alana Hall and assistant
drum major Kalob Yanez with both playing a solo that earned them a standing ovation. Drum major C.J. Jackson led the
band into "Jump", "Groove is in the Heart", and the Bon Jovi smash "Livin' on a Prayer", complete with flaming batons.
The final tune of the show featured the dance line paying tribute to pop icon Michael Jackson while dancing to his huge hit,
"Thriller". Both majorette instructor Krysta Womack and dance line instructor Brie Stacks, with their tireless efforts,
put together an exciting routine for these young ladies who in turn performed them with perfection. The Green Machine
is under the direction of Dallas Burke. The young marching musicians then marched off of the field to the tune of "Glory,
Glory" bringing the few in the crowd not already on their feet out of their seats in appreciation for such a spectacular and
entertaining performance, which has become the norm for this talented group.
The second half began with the Indians receiving
the kickoff from the Rebels. Dee Virgin provided a 19 yard return, putting the Indians at their own 34 yard line.
Chris Brown took over for the final time as he put together two long runs, one of 20 yards and the second one a 46 yard sweep
right into the end zone. PAT by Croom and the score was 44-0. The Rebel offense, who really couldn't get anything
going all night, mixed it up with a variety of passes and runs. Their drive ended with Rickelle Wilson's 2nd INT of
the game. The Indians took a slow and steady pace, grinding down the clock with the drive stalling deep inside Atco
territory. On 4th down, Croom took the field to attempt a 20 yard field goal. The kick sailed wide left and the
visitors took over on their own 20 yard line.
The game moved into the final quarter with the mercy rule being invoked.
The mercy rule states that if a team leads by 30 or more points, it is mandatory to have a running clock during the final
period. The Indian JV team then took the field to finish the contest. JaKhari Martin took over at quarterback
with fresh players on the field. The JV squad took full advantage of their playing time, with Hank Rambo shooting through
the line behind the blocking of Dillon Helms, Alex Koonce, and several other fresh linemen. End result was a 38 yard
TD run and PAT moving the score to 51-0. Other players to hit the field on offense as well as defense were Eriq Pace,
Tyrone Cunningham, and P.J. Moore with all having an impact forcing the Rebels to turn the ball over on downs with their next
possession. Two plays later, it was in the books. Seminole County moves to 3-1 while Atco falls to 0-4.
While
enjoying their first defensive shutout of the season, the Indians piled up 344 rushing yards on 26 attempts. Owen Parks
while at quarterback threw 2 passes completing one for 26 yards to Chris Brown who made a spectacular catch. Brown led
all rushers with 5 carries for 162 yards with 4 touchdowns. Defensively, Dezmond Wright and Barren Rambo led defenders
with 5 solos and 1 assist each in the tackling statistics. As a team, the Indians sacked the Atco QB 5 times for a total
of 21 yards lost and intercepted 3 passes. The Indians racked up 11 first downs as opposed to 3 by the Rebels.
In other region 1 play, Clinch County got back on track with a win over Calhoun County, 40-0, in a game that started at 10
p.m. Friday night due to inclimate weather. Miller County rolled past the Lanier County Bulldogs 41-6, and Terrell County
defeated Pelham in a weather delayed game 28-6. The Indians take to the road this week traveling to Alma, GA to face
the Bacon County Red Raiders fresh off their first win of the year, downing the Randolph-Clay Red Devils in a squeaker, 32-30.
Scott Brown, Bacon Count head coach, will be sure to have his team locked and loaded in preparation for battle with our Indians.
Make plans to make the long drive and support your Indians. Also remember there will be a double header at Seminole
Stadium right here in Donalsonville on Saturday night beginning with the 8th grade team at 5:00 p.m. followed by the JV game.
Baconton Charter will be coming to town in an attempt for revenge of the losses our boys handed them in Baconton.
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