Franklin Jones rushed for 150 yards on 17 carries to lead the Lincoln County Red Devils to an important 28-6 win over the visiting Wilkinson County Warriors. Lincoln totalled nearly 400 yards offense on 71 plays.
The win gives our Devils sole possession of first place in Region 7-A with a 4-0 record. Wilkinson County, Twiggs County, Warren County, and Hancock Central are each 3-1 in the region.
All but two snaps of the first quarter came in Wilkinson territory, but the Devils couldn't get untracked offensively. Late in the first, the Devil Defense stopped the Warrior offense and forced a punt from their 38. Tyler Beale shoved a Warrior into the kick, blocking the punt. Jatheus Jones recovered the ball at the 10 and rushed to the two. Darell Norman scored from there with 2:41 left in the opening period.
The Devil Defense again stopped Wilkinson from making a first down, with Alex Bradford returning the punt 15 yards to the Warrior 36. Brandon Barden rambled for 15 yards to the 14. One play later, Jones scored from the 10 with 11:11 left in the half.
Another Warrior possession meant another punt. Our Devils drove from their 45 to the 18. A facemask penalty moved the ball back to the 34. Barden found Jones open about the 20, with Jatheus walking the left sideline into the endzone for the TD. Beale passed to Jones for the two-point conversion and a 22-0 Big Red lead.
After another WilCo punt, Lincoln started from their 40 with Austin Goldman as quarterback. Goldman's passing moved the Devils to the 5. Wilkes Goolsby made two great catches, for 15 and 16 yards. Goldman then connected with Rontae Norman for 17 to the 7. Darell gained 2 and Barden 4 before Brandon scored from the 1 with 1:45 left in the half and LCHS leading 28-0.
Wilkinson County finally got on the board with an 8-yard TD pass with 3:18 left in the game. The touchdown was setup by a 36-yard pass when the Devils had begun substituting some defensive players.
Lincoln travels to Warrenton next Friday.