Honor roll
Tyler Adams, Commerce: Recorded 13 tackles in a loss to George Walton.
Imani Cross, North Hall: Had 137 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries in a loss to Stephens County.
Nick Drury, Lakeview Academy: Had 188 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries in a win over Towns County.
Michael Flanagan, Lumpkin County: Carried the ball 10 times for 65 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Chestatee.
Cole Givens, Jefferson: Had four catches for 125 yards and two touchdowns in a win over East Jackson.
Jeremy Greenway, Banks County: Ran the ball nine times for 180 yards and added a 93-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in a win over East Hall.
Taylor Guthrie, Lumpkin County: Went 11-18 passing for 101 yards and added 48 yards and two touchdowns rushing on 13 carries in a win over Chestatee.
Jeremy Haley, Flowery Branch: Carried the ball 16 times for 171 yards and three touchdowns in a win over Salem.
Keyontra Harrison, Gainesville: Had a 50-yard punt return for a touchdown in a win over West Hall.
Chris Jackson, Jefferson: Had 132 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries while adding 10 tackles (nine solo) and an interception in a win over East Jackson.
Michael Lorentz, Gainesville: Had three catches for 27 yards and two touchdowns in a win over West Hall.
Matthew Patton, Banks County: Had 12 tackles, four for loss, and a sack in a win over East Hall.
Devon Pierce, Gainesville: Carried the ball five times for 113 yards and two touchdowns in a win over West Hall.
Cole Segraves, White County: Went 16-for-23 passing for 130 yards and a touchdown in a win over Franklin County.
Bryant Sherriffs, Jefferson: Went 11-for-17 passing for 222 yards and three touchdowns in a win over East Jackson.
Wesley Simonton, Jefferson: Had 16 tackles (13 solo) and a sack in a win over East Jackson.
Josh Swistak, Commerce: Had 15 tackles in a loss to George Walton.
Mack VanGorder, North Hall: Ran the ball 13 times for 135 yards and a touchdown in a loss to Stephens County.
Deshaun Watson, Gainesville: Went 10-of-11 passing for 129 yards and three touchdowns in a win over West Hall.
HOMER — After losing a game to Fannin County on Oct. 22, the Leopards of Banks County High went into last Friday’s match up with East Hall with more than a chip on their shoulder.
They went in with the possibility of playing for a spot in the state playoffs on the line.
If Banks County (7-2, 4-1 Region 8A-AA) had lost to East Hall, there was the possibility the Leopards would have finished as the No. 4 team from the north subregion and out of the playoff hunt.
Instead, Banks County got five rushing touchdowns and one defensive touchdown from senior Dylan Lackey on the way to a 53-28 rout of the Vikings. Banks County is the No. 2 seed in the region play-in game this Friday against Hart County.
The winner will earn a berth in the state playoffs.
For his efforts, Lackey is The Times Football Player of the Week.
The running back/linebacker credits his offensive line and the blocking of fellow senior Jeremy Greenway for the 173 yards and five touchdowns he earned on the ground.
“Mainly what was working was the line,” Lackey said. “They were busting their tails and pretty much dominated every aspect of the East Hall’s defensive line.”
The defensive line of East Hall features two players which have already verbally committed to Division-I schools, Chaz Cheeks and Sterling Bailey, making the performance by the Leopards all the more impressive.
Lackey said he gained most of his yards off one specific play.
“Mainly what I got all of my yards off of was a play called blast, which (Greenway) is the lead blocker for me,” Lackey said. “The offensive line splits in the defensive line and (Greenway) is supposed to block the middle linebacker and he was just knocking the tar out of the middle linebacker.
“I was mainly just walking into the end zone every play.”
Despite his five touchdowns on the ground Friday night, Lackey wasn’t the leading rusher for the Leopards; Greenway was by one yard (174 yards on nine carries).
“He’s just real big for us,” Lackey said of Greenway.
While Lackey can’t remember ever scoring five touchdowns in a game, he also said that he had never scored a defensive touchdown before Friday night.
“It feels different, scoring on defense,” Lackey said of the pitch he intercepted. “I was supposed to come up and hit the running back, but I saw that the quarterback was fumbling with the ball, so I just waited an extra step for him to toss it and picked if off in-stride and went all the way to the end zone.”
The all-around strong performance was not unexpected, according to Banks County coach Blair Armstrong.
“He’s quiet and just does his job,” Armstrong said. “We knew he could have a night like that at any time. He’s real explosive with good speed and good instincts.”
Not only was the night a historic one for Lackey, it was also historic for Banks County High, which earned its first win over East Hall in school history.
Armstrong credits his seniors with the success of Banks County so far this season.
“I’ve got a really good group of seniors that really lead by example,” Armstrong said.
That group of seniors were sophomores the last time Banks County made the state playoffs in 2008.
“We just hope to follow in their footsteps,” Lackey said. “But we’re just trying to stay focused on one game at a time.”
The Leopards will get their shot at the state playoffs when they face the No. 3 seed from the south subregion, Hart County, at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Leopard Stadium in Homer.