Pickens Football Looks Back On 2016 Season
Team FYN Sports December 6, 2016
Last night, the PHS Football team held it’s annual banquet at Chattahoochee Technical College. Despite the not so pleasant weather, there was a big turnout to recognize and celebrate the accomplishments achieved during the 2016 season. The event was catered by the Pickens County Sheriff’s Department, who cooked and served meals for everyone in attendance.
As everyone was settling in and getting their food, PHS head football coach Chris Parker welcomed everyone to the banquet and turned it over to the cheer leading coaches so that they could recognize the efforts and accolades these young ladies garnered during the year. Then it was on to recognizing the 9th grade football team. These young men had a fantastic season going 7-0 during the year.
Next, it would be the JV football team to take their turn in the spotlight. Much like their younger teammates on the 9th grade squad, the JV team also went undefeated with a 7-0 record during the season. Very impressive seasons from both these teams and a lot to look forward to once they find themselves on the varsity.
The seniors were recognized individually as a short highlight reel of their play during the season showed as they received their plaque. Coach Parker took a moment to say something about each of the seniors and what they’ve meant not only to him and the other coaches, but to the program as well. A graphic was shown displaying how much the program has grown since the departing seniors were in 8th grade. The 2016 team leaves tied with the 2015 team for most wins by a class with 27.
Avery Luke would take home the academic award for the highest GPA on the team
Alex Pittman was named the team MVP
Jordan Burton, Devin Grant, Nick Southern, & Will Wotring were named team captains
Dragon players named to 6-AAAA All-Region teams were:
1st Team
Jacob Brumby (QB), Alex Pittman (DL), Chris Pittman (P)
2nd Team
Michael Cain (LB), Zach Goss (WR), Andrew Hasbrouck (OL), Trevon Hawkins (ATH), Chris Pittman (RB), Will Wotring (DB)
Honorable Mention
Dylan Huffman (RB), Nick Southern (DL)
The senior players receiving the Touchdown Club Scholarships were:
Andrew Hasbrouck, Jordan Burton, Devin Grant, Josh Holbert, Michael Coriell, Nick Southern, Chris Pittman, Connor Head, & Jacob Gordon.
Dragons Season Ends In State Playoffs At #4 Ranked Jefferson
Team FYN Sports November 12, 2016
Last night, the PHS Dragons football team traveled to Jefferson Ga, to take on the Num. 4 ranked Jefferson Dragons in the 1st round of the GHSA 4A state playoffs. Pickens represented region 6 as the 4 seed & Jefferson was the 1 seed out of region 8. This was the 1st meeting between the two schools since 1989, with Pickens winning the last two meetings.
Pickens, won the toss and elected to receive to begin the ball game. Jefferson held the Dragons and were able to get a blocked punt to take over deep in Dragon territory. Two plays later, Jefferson punched it in from a yard out, giving them the 7-0 lead with 9:42 left in the opening quarter. Jefferson was able to add to their lead at the 2:53 mark with a 38-yd field goal, making it 10-0. The Dragons of Jefferson again stretched their lead out after a 52-yd punt return, giving Jefferson a 17-0 lead after one.
Jefferson continued to add to their lead early in the 2nd with a 7-yd td run at the 10:16 mark making it 24-0. On the ensuing kickoff, Trevon Hawkins took it to the house from 96 yards to put Pickens on the board at 24-7. Jefferson answered at the 7:16 mark with a 25-yd td run to make it 31-7. A 20-yd td pass from Jefferson with 38 seconds left in the half, gave them a 38-7 advantage going to the break.
Jefferson started the 2nd half with the football and would end the possession with a 4-yd td run at the 9:17 mark, to make it 45-7. Jefferson added a 1-yd td run at the 3:36 mark to make it 52-7. Just before the end of the 3rd, Pickens found some offensive success. The Dragons were able to get into the end zone after a 19-yd run from Dylan Huffman to make it 52-14 with 11:50 left in the game. The Dragons again found pay dirt when Jacob Brumby found Josh Cain on a 31-yd screen play at the 5:39 mark to make it 52-21. Jefferson added a 1-yd td run at the 1:57 mark to make it a 59-21 final.
Stats for the game:
Pickens had 10 1st downs, went3/12 on 3rd down, & 2/4 on 4th down. Totaled 339 yards on 54 plays, 262 passing & 77 rushing.
Jacob Brumby went 18-30 for 262 yards, 1 TD & 1 INT
Dylan Huffman ran it 6 times for 48 yards & 1 TD, Chris Pittman ran it 8 times for 10 yards, Trevon Hawkins ran it 2 times for 10 yards, C.J. Streicher ran it 2 times for 6 yards, & Brumby ran it 6 times for 3 yards
Zach Goss caught 2 passes for 71 yards, J. Cain caught 3 passes for 70 yards & 1 TD, C. Pittman caught 5 passes for 51 yards, Streicher caught 3 passes for 42 yards, Hawkins caught 3 passes for 23 yards, & Huffman caught 2 passes for 5 yards
Will Wotring led with 11 tackles with 6 assts, Alex Pittman had 10 tackles with 7 solo, Elijah Lawson had 8 tackles with 6 solo, Michael Coriell had 7 tackles with 6 assts, Hawkins had 6 tackles, Devin Grant & J. Cain each had 5 tackles
C. Pittman punted 3 times for 112 yards, a 37.3 yard average & Brumby punted 2 times for 45 yards
T. Hawkins returned 5 kickoffs for 178 yards, a 35.6 yard average, 1 TD, & a long of 96, Streicher had 1 return for 10 vyards, J. Cain had 1 return for 9 yards, & C. Pittman had 1 return for 6 yards
Rudy Perez went 3/3 on PAT attempts
Season Stats:
4,335 total yards (394 ypg), 2,404 rushing yards (218.55 ypg), & 1,991 passing yards (175.55 ypg), & Defense forced 14 takeaways
Passing:
Jacob Brumby went 126-212 for 1,704 yards, 11 TD & 9 INT
C.J. Streicher went 6-7 for 152 yards, 1 TD & 1 INT
Rushing:
Chris Pittman 182 rushes, 1,024 yards, 5.6 ypc, 11 TD
Dylan Huffman 83 rushes, 525 yards, 6.3 ypc, 7 TD
C.J. Streicher 43 rushes, 220 yards, 5.1 ypc, 6 TD
Receiving:
Zach Goss 32 catches, 462 yards, 14.4 ypc, 3 TD
Trevon Hawkins: 24 catches, 375 yards, 15.6 ypc, 4 TD
Dylan Huffman 26 catches, 355 yards, 13.7 ypc, 2 TD
Tackles:
Will Wotring 83 total, 57 solo, 26 assists, 1 TFL
Alex Pittman 79 total, 43 solo, 36 assists, 19 TFL
Michael Cain 64 total, 42 solo, 22 assists, 15 TFL
Devin Grant 62 total, 35 solo, 27 assists, 13 TFL
Jacob Gordon 57 total, 32 solo, 25 assists, 6 TFL
Sacks:
Devin Grant 5
Michael Cain 3
Alex Pittman 3
Nick Southern 3
Jordan Burton, Kelton Gilbert, Jacob Gordon, & Zach Swain with 1
Interceptions:
Michael Casey 2
Alex Pittman 2
Josh Cain 1
Punts:
Chris Pittman 29 punts, 1,104 yards, 38.1 yard average, long of 51, & 10 inside the 20-yd line
Punt Return:
Dylan Huffman 16 returns, 168 yards, 10.5 yard average, long of 31 yards
Kick Return:
Trevon Hawkins 14 returns, 403 yards, 28.8 average, long of 96, 1 TD
Will Wotring 4 returns, 99 yards, 24.8 average, long of 35
Kelton Gilbert 3 returns, 84 yards, 28 yard average, long of 41
Kicking:
Rudy Perez 32-37 on PAT attempts, 3-5 on field goals with a long of 32
Victor Moya 5-5 on PAT attempts
Dragons Finish Fourth In Region, Play Jefferson In State Playoffs
Team FYN Sports November 6, 2016
This past Friday, the PHS football team hosted the Generals of Heritage in a big 6-AAAA region matchup. A win for the Dragons would give them a share of the region title, and the #3 seed as determined by a tie-breaker. It was also a special night as they recognized all the seniors from players, managers, cheerleaders, & band members before the ball game.
Heritage won the toss and elected to receive to have a crack at the 1st points. After each team traded possessions, The Generals got on the board first with a 17-yd td pass at the 4:52 mark to lead it 7-0. The Dragons found their way into the end zone at the 2:55 mark after a 3-yd run from C.J. Streicher, tying things up at 7 as we went to the 2nd quarter.
Heritage took the lead back at the 10:19 mark after an 8-yd td pass, making it 14-7 Generals. Pickens answered when Streicher found pay dirt for a 2nd time, this one coming after an 8-yd run at the 6:15 mark to once again tie things up at 14. An interception by the Generals led to a 65-yd td pass at the 4:01 mark giving Heritage a lead of 21-14 as we hit halftime.
In the 3rd, Heritage added to their lead with a 7-yd td run at the 5:43 mark, making it 28-14 Generals. The Dragons were able to counter with a 3-yd td run from senior Chris Pittman at the 1:44 mark to cut the Heritage lead in half, 28-21. The Generals however were able to stretch the lead out once again just before the end of the 3rd with a 13-yd td run. Giving Heritage a 35-21 advantage going to the 4th.
The Generals again added to their lead with a 44-yd td pass at the 10:19 mark, making it 41-21 after a missed PAT. An interception returned for a td at the 8:18 mark gave Heritage a 48-21 lead. Dylan Huffman found the end zone for the Dragons at the 6:14 mark making it 48-28 Heritage. Pickens again scored late in the 4th after a 9-yd td pass from Jacob Brumby to Trevon Hawkins gave us a final of 48-35, Heritage.
Stats for the game:
Pickens had 17 1st downs, went 5/10 on 3rd down, & 1/1 on 4th down, 371 yards on 63 plays, 115 yards rushing & 256 yards passing
Jacob Brumby went 19-28 for 231 yards 1 td
Trevon Hawkins went 1-1 for 25 yards
Chris Pittman ran it 16 times for 53 yards & 1 td, Dylan Huffman ran it 7 times for 30 yards & 1 td, C.J. Streicher ran it 4 times for 15 yards & 2 tds, Brumby ran it 5 times for 13 yards, & Josh Cain ran it 1 time for 4 yards
C. Pittman caught 3 passes for 65 yards, Elijah Lawson caught 3 passes for 43 yards, Zach Goss caught 4 passes for 40 yards, J. Cain caught 3 passes for 34 yards, D. Huffman caught 2 passes for 31 yards, Colby McDowell caught 1 pass for 22 yards, T. Hawkins caught 3 passes for 18 yards & 1 td, & Streicher caught 1 pass for 3 yards
Defensively, Michael Burrell & Kelton Gilbert each had 6 tackles, Nick Southern, Jordan Burton, & Alex Pittman each had 5 tackles, A. Pittman added a sack, Devin Grant & Streicher each had 4 tackles, T. Hawkins, Jacob Gordon, & Michael Coriell each had 3 tackles
C. Pittman punted it 3 times for a 118 yards, a 39.3 yard average with a long of 47
T. Hawkins returned 3 kickoffs for 109 yards, a 36.3 yard average with a long of 73, D. Huffman returned 3 kickoffs for 32 yards, K. Gilbert returned 1 kick for 28 yards, J. Cain returned 1 kick for 18 yards
Rudy Perez & Victor Moya combined to go 5/5 on PAT attempts. Perez went 4/4, Moya 1/1
Next week, the GHSA 4A state football playoffs begin and Pickens will be on the road taking on the #1 seed out of region 8, the Jefferson Dragons. Jefferson is 9-1 on the season and finished 5-0 in region 8. Kickoff is set for 7:30
Dragons Earn Playoff Spot, Region Title Still In Sight
Team FYN Sports October 29, 2016
Last night, the PHS Dragons football team took to the road to take on the Ramblers of LaFayette. Pickens, came into the game at the top of the 6-AAAA standings and were looking to keep pace with Northwest Whitfield & Ridgeland.
Pickens won the toss and elected to receive the opening kickoff. The Dragons were able to work the ball down the field with Chris Pittman capping the opening drive off getting his 10th rushing td on the season with a 4-yd run at the 9:03 left in the 1st quarter. After a stop on defense, Dylan Huffman would get his 5th rushing td of the season after a 3-yd run to make it 14-0 Pickens at the 4:43 mark of the 1st. The Dragons then recovered a fumble at the LaFayette 1-yd line after the Ramblers were pushed back deep into their own territory. C.J. Streicher powered in for the score, making it 21-0 with 4:21 left in the 1st quarter.
Just before the opening frame came to a close, Jacob Brumby found Josh Cain on a receiver screen for an 8-yd td. Giving Pickens a 27-0 lead going to the 2nd. LaFayette got on the board following a 15-yd screen pass at the 9:07 mark of the 1st half, making it 27-6 Dragons. Pickens answered at the 2:46 mark with a Brumby 1-yd td run to give us a halftime score of 34-6, Dragons leading.
Alex Pittman came up with an interception on defense & the Dragons turned that into points as Brumby got in for his 2nd rushing td on the night, this time from 3-yds extending the lead to 41-6 as we headed to the 4th. With the clock running in the final quarter of play, Streicher capped off the game with his 2nd rushing td of the night as he punched it in from 4-yds, giving us a final of 48-6, Pickens.
Stats for the Dragons:
Pickens finished with 21 1st downs, 4/5 on 3rd down, 451 total yards on 55 plays, 322 yards rushing, 129 passing.
Jacob Brumby went 10-17 for 122 yards & 1 td & ran it 8 times for 63 yards & 2 tds
C.J. Streicher went 1-1 for 7 yards & ran it 6 times for 43 yards and 2 tds
C. Pittman led the Dragons with 66 yards rushing and 1 td, Trevon Hawkins ran it 4 times for 55 yards, Dylan Huffman ran it 5 times for 48 yards & 1 td, Joesiah Tucker ran it 2 times for 36 yards
Huffman caught 3 passes for 41 yards, J. Cain caught 4 passes for 25 yards & 1 td, Zach Goss had 1 catch for 24 yards, Luke Smith had 1 catch for 18 yards, Hawkins had 1 catch for 12 yards & C. Pittman had 1 catch for 9 yards
Defensively, the Dragons held LaFayette to 146 total yards, 112 rushing, 34 passing, giving up just 3.4 yards per play, & forced 4 turnovers. 2 fumbles, & 2 INT’s.
Will Wotring & Devin Grant led Pickens with 9 total tackles each, Nick Southern had 8 total tackles & 1 sack, Michael Cain & Hawkins had 7 total tackles, Jordan Burton & Jacob Gordon each had 5 total tackles
Rudy Perez went 5/6 on PAT, & Victor Moya went 1/1 on PAT
Next week, Pickens will be back home at Dragons Stadium to host the Generals of Heritage. Heritage has also clinched a playoff spot by virtue of Southeast Whitfield’s loss to Northwest Whitfield last night. A win for the Dragons gives them a share of the 6-AAAA region title. Game time is set for 7:30.
Dragons Hold On To Upset Ridgeland Now Tied For Region Lead
Team FYN Sports October 22, 2016
Last night, the PHS Dragons football team hosted the 4A top ten ranked, and region leading Ridgeland Panthers. Coming into the ball game, the Dragons were 3-4 and in 3rd by themselves in 6-AAAA at 2-1. The all-time series between these two teams was even at 2 a piece with the home team never winning. Prior to the game, the 2016-17 PHS Athletics Hall of Fame class was recognized. Inductees included Katie Frye, Jordan Shaw, & Don Boggus, Sr.
Ridgeland won the toss and elected to receive. After each team took turns stalling on drives, the Dragons were able to cash in on points when Dylan Huffman took it in from 3-yds out to give Pickens a 7-0 lead with 4:31 left in the opening quarter. The Panthers were able to tie things up after a 4-yd run just before the quarter ended and we went into the 2nd, tied at 7 a piece. It was all Pickens in the 2nd quarter.
As the teams went back and forth trading possessions, the Dragons took the lead back when Jacob Brumby found Huffman on a wheel route from 15-yds out at the 4:01 mark making things 14-7 in favor of Pickens. A turnover by Ridgeland gave it right back to the Dragons offense and Pickens cashed in on that turnover when Brumby tossed it to C.J. Streicher, then Streicher connected with a wide open Trevon Hawkins for the 47-yd score giving the Dragons the lead at the half, 21-7.
Nearly 2 minutes into the 2nd half, the Panthers cut the Pickens lead in half after a 59-yd td run at the 10:04 mark, making it 21-14. The Dragons answered fairly quickly with a big play of their own as Brumby found Zach Goss wide open for a 51-yd td at the 8:37 mark of the 3rd quarter making it 28-14. Streicher added to the Dragon lead after another Ridgeland fumble with a 4-yd td run, making it 35-14 as we would head to the 4th and final quarter of play.
The 4th quarter was both exciting and heart wrenching to say the least. Knowing they had to make something happen quick, the Panthers drove down the field and scored on a 1-yd run, making it 35-21 with 10:54 left in the game. After getting the ball back, another 1-yd run by Ridgeland cut the Pickens lead down to 35-28 with 6:54 left. Ridgeland again got possession of the ball and took it 54-yds to cut it to 35-34 with the ensuing PAT to follow. To the delight of the home crowd and the dismay of the away side, the potential game tying PAT went wide right, sailing off the right upright, and Pickens clung to a 35-34 lead. The Dragons, were able to run off the final 2:57, to secure the upset, 35-34.
Stats for the game:
Pickens had 16 1st downs, went 8-15 on 3rd down, had 475 yards of total offense on 65 plays, 223 yards rushing on 41 carries, & 252 yards passing on 24 attempts
Jacob Brumby went 13-22 for 176 yards 2 tds & 1 INT
C.J. Streicher went 2-2 for 76 yards & 1 td
Chris Pittman ran it 15 times for 97 yards, Streicher ran it 11 times for 64 yards & 1 td, Dylan Huffman ran it 11 times for 60 yards & 1 td
Zach Goss caught 2 passes fro 82 yards and 1 td, Trevon Hawkins caught 3 balls for 64 yards and 1 td, Huffman caught 4 passes for 58 yards and 1 td, Streicher caught 3 balls for 25 yards, & Josh Cain caught 3 balls for 23 yards
Defensively, the Dragons held Ridgeland’s high powered rushing attack to 193 yards on 31 carries and forced 2 turnovers
Michael Cain & Josh Gordon led the Dragons with 8 tackles each, Alex Pittman & Hawkins each had 7 tackles, Will Wotring had 6 tackles, Michael Corriell had 5 tackles, Michael Casey & Micheal Burrell added 4 tackles with Burrell also recording a forced fumble and fumble recovery
C. Pittman punted it 6 times for 199 yards (33 yard average), Huffman had 1 punt return for 20 yards, Hawkins had 1 kick return for 22 yards, Casey had 1 kick return for 18 yards, J. Cain had 1 return for 13 yards & Jordan Burton had 1 return for 12 yards. Rudy Perez went 5-5 on PAT attempts
With the win, the Dragons find themselves .500 on the season at 4-4, & more importantly, tied for 1st in 6-AAAA at 3-1. Next Friday, Pickens will travel to LaFayette to take on the Ramblers. The Ramblers to this point are 2-6 on the season and 0-4 in region play but that is no reason to look past them. Kick off scheduled for 7:30.
Dragons Fall In Shootout With Northwest Whitfield
Team FYN Sports October 15, 2016
Last night, the PHS Dragons football team traveled to Tunnel Hill to take on the Bruins of Northwest Whitfield in a 6-AAAA meeting. This was the 6th meeting between the two schools with the Bruins holding a 1-4 series advantage.
The Dragons won the toss and elected to receive the opening kickoff. After driving down the field, Jacob Brumby found Zach Goss for a 29-yd score. The PAT was missed, giving Pickens the 6-0 lead with 9:57 left in the opening quarter. The Bruins got into field goal range during their first drive, looking to cut the Pickens lead in half. The Dragons were able to block the attempt, and Michael Casey took it to the house to extend the lead to 13-0 with 7:23 left in the opening frame.
23 seconds later, Northwest Whitfield got on the board with a 54-yd td run. The two point conversion was good, cutting the Dragons lead to 13-8 with 7:00 left in the 1st. Two minutes later, the Bruins took the lead after an 80-yd td run, giving them a 15-13 advantage over Pickens going to the 2nd quarter.
Dylan Huffman scored after a 23-yd run and the ensuing two-point conversion try was good, giving the Dragons a 21-15 lead with 10:11 left in the half. Northwest Whitfield took the lead back at the 8:28 mark of the 2nd quarter after a 3-yd run, making it 22-21. The Bruins extended their lead after a 30-yd td pass at the 7:27 mark, giving them a 29-21 lead. Northwest Whitfield again found the end zone again after a 33-yd td pass at the 5:46 mark, making it 36-21 Bruins. Pickens cut into the lead just before halftime after a 1-yd run from Huffman. The score at the break, was 36-28 Bruins.
The Dragons surprised Northwest Whitfield with an onside kick to start the 2nd half as Pickens would recover, setting themselves up with great field position. The Dragons capitalized on the recovered onside when Brumby found CJ Streicher in the back of the end zone for a 25-yd score at the 8:16 mark of the 3rd. The two-point try was unsuccessful, making the score 36-34. The Bruins again stretched their lead after a 32-yd td pass, making it 43-34 as we went to the 4th.
Pickens cut the Bruins lead to 43-41 after a 15-yd run from Kelton Gilbert at the 8:31 mark of the 4th. At the 3:01 mark, Northwest Whitfield extended their lead to 50-41 after a 1-yd td run. The Bruins were able to hold on and get the win over the Dragons, 50-41.
Stats for Pickens:
15 1st downs, 10-17 on 3rd down, 1-2 on 4th down, 355 total yards on 68 plays, 159 yards rushing, 196 yards passing
Jacob Brumby went 16-28 for 192 yards & 2 tds & CJ Streicher went 1-1 for 4 yards
Chris Pittman ran it 14 times for 67 yards, Dylan Huffman ran it 8 times for 36 yards & 2 tds, Kelton Gilbert ran it 2 times for 29 yards and 1 td, & Josh Cain ran it 1 time for 11 yards
Zach Goss caught 8 passes for 79 yards & 1 td, C.J. Streicher caught 2 passes for 48 yards & 1 td, Luke Smith caught 1 pass for 23 yards, Huffman caught 2 passes for 16 yards, C. Pittman caught 1 pass for 14 yards, J. Cain caught 2 passes for 11 yards, & Trevon Hawkins caught 1 pass for 5 yards
Alex Pittman had 12 tackles, 2 TFL, Michael Burrell had 8 tackles, 1 forced fumble, Jordan Burton with 8 tackles, 1 TFL, & 1 sack, Michael Casey, Jacob Gordon, & Will Wotring had 7 tackles each
C. Pittman punted it 5 times for 207 yards. A 41.4 yard average, Huffman had 2 punt returns for 24 yards & 3 kick returns for 24 yards, & Gilbert had 2 kick returns for 56 yards
Victor Moya went 3-3 on PAT
Next Friday, the Dragons return home to host the 4A top ten ranked Ridgeland Panthers. The Panthers are 6-0 & 3-0 in 6-AAAA while Pickens is 3-4 & in 3rd in 6-AAAA at 2-1. The series is tied between the two schools at 2-2, with the away team winning each game. Kickoff is at 7:30.
#TeamFYNSports Sports Writer Player Of The Week Alex Pittman
Player Of The Week October 2, 2016
This week’s #TeamFYNSports Sports Writer Player Of The Week is Alex Pittman. Pittman helped lead a Dragons defense that only allowed 7 points to Gilmer on Friday night & shut them out in the 2nd half. Pittman finished the game with 6 total tackles, 4 solo, 2 assists, 1 TFL, 1 INT, and 1 fumble returned for a touchdown. You can catch Alex and the rest of his Dragon teammates at home this coming week as they host the Southeast Whitfield Raiders in a 6-AAAA region match up.
Dragons Get Homecoming Win Over Raiders, 2-0 In Region Play
Team FYN Sports October 9, 2016
Last night, the PHS varsity football team hosted the Raiders of Southeast Whitfield in a 6-AAAA region match up for Homecoming. This was the first game at home for the Dragons since September 2nd. Coming into the game, Pickens held a 5-1 all-time series lead over Southeast Whitfield.
Pickens won the toss, but elected to differ to the 2nd half, giving Southeast Whitfield the first shot at points. After forcing a three-and-out, the Dragons offense took to the field at their own 29-yd line. They would not be on the field for very long as Jacob Brumby found Trevon Hawkins streaking across the middle for a 71-yd touchdown on the 1st play from scrimmage. The PAT hit the left upright, giving Pickens a 6-0 lead with 10:16 left in the opening quarter. With 6:26 left in the 1st, Chris Pittman found the end zone from 12-yds out, giving the Dragons a 13-0 lead going to the 2nd.
Both teams went back and forth in the 2nd quarter, trading possessions. The Raiders would attempt a field goal towards the end of the 1st half, but the Dragons were able to get a claw on it, sending us to halftime with Pickens ahead of Southeast Whitfield, 13-0. During halftime the 2016 PHS Homecoming Princess & Queen were crowned. Miss Olivia Moore was crowned princess, while Miss Autumn Young was crowned queen.
The Dragons started off the 2nd half with possession. However, the possession would not last too long as the Raiders recovered a fumble deep inside Dragon territory and would turn it into points after a 6-yd run at the 10:50 mark to cut the Pickens lead to 13-7. The Dragons stretched their lead to 9 at the 6:27 mark after a 25-yd field goal from Rudy Perez, making it 16-7. Just before the end of the 3rd, Southeast Whitfield punched it in from a yard out, making it 16-14 Dragons going to the 4th.
Pickens added to their lead early in the 4th with a 2-yd run from C.Pittman, making it 22-14 with 9:04 left in the game. The Dragons held the Raiders on their 1st possession of the 4th quarter then would go to work using the run game. Pickens chewed nearly 7 minutes off the clock in the 4th quarter giving Southeast Whitfield only 9 seconds to work with deep in their own territory. The Raiders’ final play was stopped well short of the goal line by the Dragons defense and Pickens came away with the win, 22-14.
Stats for Pickens:
For the game, Pickens had 18 1st downs, went 7/14 on 3rd down, & 0/2 on 4th down. Had a total of 423 yards of offense on 68 plays, 235 rushing, 188 passing
Jacob Brumby went 10-18 for 188 yards & 1 td
Chris Pittman led the Dragons with 143 yards rushing on 30 carries & 2 tds, Dylan Huffman ran it 9 times for 48 yards, C.J. Streicher ran it 4 times for 20 yards, Trevon Hawkins ran it 4 times for 15 yards, & Brumby ran it 3 times for 9 yards
Hawkins led the way in receiving with 117 yards on 4 catches & 1 td, Streicher had 1 catch for 26 yards, Huffman had 2 catches for 18 yards, C. Pittman had 1 catch for 15 yards, & Zach Goss had 1 catch for 12 yards
Defensively, Pickens held Southeast Whitfield to 211 total yards on 52 plays, 54 rushing, 157 passing, & had 1 fumble recovery
Alex Pittman led the Dragons with 10 tackles, 1 TFL, & a forced fumble, Jacob Gordon had 7 tackles, 1 TFL, & 1 sack, Kelton Gilbert had 6 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 sack, & 1 fumble recovery, Michael Cain had 6 tackles, Devin Grant, & Will Wotring had 5 tackles a piece
C. Pittman punted the ball 3 times for 107 yards. A 35.7 yard average
Huffman had 1 punt return for 4 yards, Hawkins had 1 kick return for 22 yards, & Josh Cain had 1 kick return for 8 yards
Rudy Perez went 1-3 on PAT & 1-1 on field goals with a 25-yd long
With the win, Pickens is now at .500 on the season at 3-3 overall and now tied for 1st in 6-AAAA with Ridgeland at 2-0. Next week, the Dragons will be back on the road as they head to Tunnel Hill to take on the Bruins of Northwest Whitfield in a crucial region game. Northwest Whitfield is currently tied for 3rd in the region at 2-1 and is 4-3 overall after defeating Heritage this past Friday. Game time is 7:30
Dragons Use Defense, Running Game To Pull Away From Bobcats
Team FYN Sports October 1, 2016
Last night, the PHS Dragons varsity football team made the short trip up 515 to Ellijay to take on the Bobcats of GHS in the annual rivalry match up. After having a bye week last week, Pickens came in playing their first of six straight region games.
Pickens won the toss and elected to receive the opening kickoff. The Dragons had a drive going, until Gilmer was able to force and recover a fumble deep in their own territory. The Bobcats turned that turnover into points when Kell Kiker scrambled 57-yds for the touchdown at the 4:37 mark of the 1st quarter. That would be the only points in the opening quarter as Gilmer took a 7-0 lead into the 2nd.
Pickens tied things up when Freshman CJ Streicher bullied his way in from the 2-yd line at the 9:08 mark of the 2nd quarter. For the rest of the 1st half, both teams traded possessions. Both teams went into the lockerooms tied at 7 at halftime.
In the 3rd quarter, the Pickens defense, and Chris Pittman took over. C. Pittman had two touchdowns runs during the frame. The first, came from 5 yards out at the 3:48 mark to give the Dragons their first lead of the ball game, 13-7. The 2nd, was a 52-yd rumble to the endzone with 12 seconds left, to give Pickens a 19-7 lead going to the 4th and final quarter.
In the 4th, the Dragons found pay dirt from the ground again as this time, Dylan Huffman got in from a yard out at the 7:34 mark to make it 25-7. At the 2:38 mark, Alex Pittman picked up a loose ball and took off for a 45-yd score, to make it 32-7. The annual rivalry game went to Pickens by a final of 32-7.
STATS for the game
Pickens went 12/22 on 1st downs, 6/12 on 3rd downs, & 1/5 on 4th down, totaled 489 yards of offense on 70 plays, 308 yards rushing, 181 yards passing
Jacob Brumby went 10-16 passing with 150 yards while C.J. Streicher went 1-1 for 31 yards
Chris Pittman led the Dragons in rushing with 152 yards on 19 carries and 2 tds, Brumby ran it 11 times for 60 yards, Dylan Huffman ran it 9 times for 48 yards and 1 td, Streicher ran it 8 times for 32 yards, & Kelton Gilbert ran it 4 times for 16 yards
Trevon Hawkins led Pickens in receiving with 55 yards on 4 catches, Zach Goss had 54 yards on 2 catches, Huffman caught 3 passes for 50 yards, Streicher caught a pass for 20 yards, & C. Pittman caught 1 pass for 2 yards
Defensively, the Dragons held the Bobcats to just 7 points, including a shutout in the 2nd half, 194 total yards, 137 rushing, 57 yards passing, & forced 4 turnovers
Jacob Gordon led Pickens in tackles with 9, collecting 2 TFL & forcing a fumble, Alex Pittman had 6 total tackles with 1 INT, & a fumble recovery for a td, Nick Southern had 5 total tackles including 3 TFL, Jordan Burton had 5 total tackles on the night, Will Wotring forced a fumble, Zach Swaim forced a fumble and collected a sack, Devin Grant collected a sack, & Michael Casey had an INT.
Pickens did not punt the ball once last night or had any kickoff or punt returns. Rudy Perez went 2/3 on PAT
Next week, the Dragons will be back home for the first time since September 2nd when they host the Raiders of Southeast Whitfield this coming Friday. After the win over Gilmer, Pickens finds themselves at 2-3 on the season but more importantly, 1-0 in region and tied for 2nd place. Southeast Whitfield is 4-2 after a loss to Heritage last night and is 1-1 in region play, tied for 4th. Kickoff is set for 7:30.
Dragons Fall To Raiders In The Final Seconds
Team FYN Sports September 19, 2016
Last Friday, the Pickens Dragons football team traveled to take on the North Forsyth Raiders out of the 7A classification. This was the 7th all time meeting between these two schools with the series tied at 3-3. The Dragons were looking to end a tough two game stretch as this was their final game before region play.
Pickens won the toss and elected to take the 2nd half kick off giving the Raiders the ball first. After managing to get one first down on the drive, the Dragons were able to hold the high powered Raider offense and it would be Pickens’ turn with possession. Chris Pittman got the first points of the ball game as he rumbled 60 yards for the score, giving the Dragons a 7-0 lead with 7:53 left in the opening frame. After getting the ball back after another defensive stop, Kelton Gilbert added to the lead for Pickens at the 4:07 mark with a 5 yard run, making it 14-0.
North Forsyth found the end zone for their first points on a 4 yard run at the 2:25 mark to make it 14-7. The Dragons however answered right back with a touchdown of their own as C. Pittman got in from a yard for his 2nd score of the frame, making it 21-7 as we headed to the 2nd quarter. The lone score of the quarter came from the Raiders as they punched it in from 3 yards out, giving us a halftime score of 21-14 Pickens.
The 3rd quarter saw both teams go back and forth, trading possessions. The Raiders again found the only points to be had on a 1 yard run, tying things up at 21 as we went to the 4th and final quarter. The Dragons got their first points of the 2nd half at the 7:27 mark of the 4th quarter after a 29 yard field goal from Rudy Perez, giving Pickens the lead back, 24-21. North Forsyth answered back with a 5 yard touchdown run with 5:41 left, giving them their first lead of the game, 28-24.
Showing fight and determination, the Dragons drove down the field and Jacob Brumby connected with Zach Goss for a 5 yard touchdown with 48 seconds left giving Pickens a 31-28 lead. However, North Forsyth had some magic left of their own and were able to connect on a 42 yard pass with 16 seconds left to take a 35-31 lead. Pickens were unable to get anything on their final drive as the Raiders came away with the win in a back and forth thriller.
Stats against North Forsyth:
15 1st downs, 5/13 on 3rd down, 2/3 on 4th down, 393 total yards on 63 plays, 257 rushing yards, 136 passing yards
Jacob Brumby went 11-19 for 102 yards and 1 touchdown
C.J. Streicher went 1-1 for 34 yards
Chris Pittman led in rushing with 152 yards on 21 carries & 2 td’s, Dylan Huffman rushed for 50 yards on 7 carries, Trevon Hawkins rushed it 4 times for 24 yards, Brumby 6 times for 18 yards, & Kelton Gilbert ran it 5 times for 13 yards and a td
Zach Goss led in receiving with 7 catches for 57 yards and a td, Hawkins had 1 catch for 30 yards, Huffman had 1 catch for 24 yards, C. Pittman had 2 catches for 15 yards, & Streicher had 1 catch for 10 yards
Michael Cain & Will Wotring led with 12 tackles with M. Cain adding a sack, Avery Luke made 10 tackles, Alex Pittman made 7 tackles, Michael Burrell, Michael Casey, & Devin Grant finished with 6 tackles each
C. Pittman punted it 3 times for 129 yards with a 43 yard average, Rudy Perez was 4/4 on PAT’s and 1/1 on field goals with a long of 29
The Dragons finish up their non-region portion of their schedule at 1-3 after facing some tough teams. The combined record of those teams is 11-4. Two of those schools (North Hall, Pepperall), went 7-3 and made the playoffs in 2015, while Chattahoochee & North Forsyth have greatly improved from a year ago. This is all building to what comes next, and that is region play. These next 6 straight games that Pickens have coming up are of the utmost importance.
The first region game just happens to be against a familiar face in the Gilmer Bobcats. This year’s match up will be like last year’s, at Gilmer. Pickens has a bye week next week and will essentially have 2 weeks to prepare for the Bobcats. This showdown will happen on September 30th, at 7:30
Dragons Fall In Heartbreaking Fashion To North Hall
Team FYN Sports September 10, 2016
Last night, the Pickens Dragons varsity football team took to the road for the first time in the 2016 campaign as they took on a familiar opponent in the North Hall Trojans. These two teams were apart of the 7-AAA region some years ago, but haven’t faced off since 2009 with the Trojans carrying a 4 game win streak into last night’s match up.
Pickens won the coin toss and elected to differ to the 2nd half giving the home standing Trojans the ball first. North Hall used their wing-t offense to drain nearly 8 minutes off the 1st quarter as they powered it in from 2-yds out, giving them a 7-0 advantage with 4:07 left in the opening frame. The first quarter came to an end as the Trojans held the lead, 7-0.
Both teams went back and forth in the 2nd quarter, with neither team able to come away with points. Late in the half, North Hall marched their way down the field as the Pickens defense thought that they had forced a fumble at their 5-yd line. When it was determined that the ball went out of bounds, the Trojans were able to get points with 26 seconds left, to stretch their lead out to 13-0 at the break.
The 3rd quarter, like the 2nd, saw both teams trading field position looking for points. North Hall found those points in the form of a 25-yd field goal at the 5:30 mark, to make it 16-0. Pickens finally was able to get a sustained drive going towards the end of the 3rd, and 8 seconds into the 4th, Chris Pittman fought his way into the end zone for the score. Jacob Brumby connected with Dylan Huffman on the 2-pt try and suddenly, the Dragons were in the game with 11:52 left.
Both teams traded possessions during the 4th, and Pickens had their last chance at tying the ball game up with just over 2 minutes left. The Dragons mixed the run and the pass well converting on key 3rd downs during the drive. Pickens found themselves on the edge of the goal line as time was winding down. As the clock struck 0, the Dragons fell inches shy of a score that would have given them the chance to tie it. North Hall was able to come away with this one, 16-8.
Stats for Pickens
For the game, the Dragons had 18 1st downs, went 7-14 on 3rd down, & 2-5 on 4th down, racked up 301 total yards including 244 on the ground and 57 through the air
Jacob Brumby was 7-14 for 57 yards passing
Chris Pittman led the Dragons in rushing with 112 yards on 20 carries & a score, Dylan Huffman ran it 12 times for 71 yards, Trevon Hawkins ran it 6 times for 37 yards, & Kelton Gilbert ran it 5 times for 22 yards
Huffman led Pickens in receiving with 31 yards on 4 catches, Zach Goss had 23 yards on 2 catches
Avery Luke led the Dragons in tackles with 11 including 7 solo, Will Wotring & Michael Cain each had 9 tackles, Michael Burrell finished with 8, & both Alex Pittman & Josh Cain finished with 6 tackles each.
C. Pittman punted the ball twice on the night for 75 yards, Wotring returned 1 kick for 21 yards, & Hawkins returned a kick for 20 yards
Pickens will again be on the road for next week’s opponent, the North Forsyth Raiders. North Forsyth is out of region 5 7-A and is 2-1 on the season after having a bye week this past week. This will be the first match up in football between the two schools since 2001, with the series tied at 3-3. Game time will be 7:30
Pickens Goes To 1-1 After Tough Game With Pepperell
Team FYN Sports September 4, 2016
This past Friday night, The Pickens Dragons varsity football team welcomed the Dragons of Pepperell In a clash of the Dragons. Pepperell is out of 2-AA and was looking to complete their first game of the season after playing two scrimmages and having their first actual game of the season called a no contest due to lightening last week. This was the first meeting between the two schools since the mid 80’s. Prior to the game, the Mr. & Miss PHS court was recognized as Dominic Stephens was selected Mr. PHS & Hunter Harrington was crowned Miss PHS.
Pepperell won the toss and elected to differ to the 2nd half giving the Dragons the first shot at points. While both teams went back and forth with defensive stops, Pickens finally was able to get on the board at the 6:02 mark of the 1st quarter with a 32-yard field goal from Rudy Perez, making it 3-0. Pepperell struck for their first points soon after with a 58-yd pass and catch. The Dragons of Pepperell then got a two-point conversion to make it 8-3 with 3:02 left in the opening quarter. With the score still 8-3 as we went into the 2nd, quarter, Pickens grabbed the lead back after a 5-yd run by Trevon Hawkins, making it 10-8 with 4:21 to go in the 1st half. Pepperell got in after a 2-yd run with 33 seconds left to take a 15-10 lead going into the break.
In the 3rd, both teams again were going back and forth taking turns with possessions but finding no success. Pepperell got the lone points in the 3rd quarter with a 29-yd field goal at the 3:53 mark to stretch their lead out to 18-10. Pickens had several chances in the 4th including one late in the game, but it was not meant to be as the Pepperell Dragons got their first win on the year, 18-10.
Stats for the game.
Pickens had 11 1st downs, went 3-11 on 3rd down, 2-3 on 4th down, ran 52 plays for a total of 239 yards including 108 yards rushing on 37 attempts, and 131 yards passing on 15 attempts
Jacob Brumby went 7-14 for 81 yards & Avery Luke went 1-1 for 50 yards
Chris Pittman led the way rushing with 39 yards on 13 attempts, Trevon Hawkins ran it 5 times for 30 yards and a td, & Brumby ran it 14 times for 27 yards.
Alex Pittman led the receivers with 50 yards on 1 catch, Hawkins caught 3 passes for 46 yards, Zach Goss had 2 catches for 20 yards, & Dylan Huffman had 2 catches for 15 yards
The Pickens defense did all it could on Friday night keeping the Dragons in the ball game till the very end.
Alex Pittman & Will Wotring led the Dragons in tackles, each coming up with 10, Avery Luke had 8 total tackles, Devin Grant & Michael Cain each came up with 6 stops & Cain added a sack, Michael Casey forced the lone turnover on the night for the Dragons defense with an interception to go along with 3 total tackles
C. Pittman punted it 2 times for a total of 85 yards, Huffman returned 5 punts for a total of 47 yards, & Wotring returned 3 kickoffs for a total of 78 yards
Rudy Perez went 1-1 on PAT’s & went 1-2 on field goals
Pickens will now prepare for their first road game of the season next week when they travel to Gainesville to take on the North Hall Trojans in the Brickyard. The Trojans are in the AAA classification and were former region mates of Pickens several years ago. Game time is set for 7:30.
Dragons Start Season Off With Win Over 6-A Chattahoochee
Team FYN Sports August 21, 2016
This past Friday night, the PHS Dragons varsity football team took to their home field in Dragons Stadium to begin the 2016 season. The Dragons hosted the Chattahoochee Cougars out of the 6-A classification in what would surely test them early on in non-region play.
The Cougars won the toss and elected to receive to begin the ball game. The Pickens defense came ready to play on the opening drive as they forced a punt. A good punt return by Dylan Huffman set up the Dragons offense in prime position for points. Chris Pittman found those 6 points by way of a 9-yd touchdown run. The PAT from Rudy Perez was good and the Dragons held an early 7-0 lead on Chattahoochee. Chattahoochee tied things up when they were able to recover a fumble and take it back 46-yds for the score. We ended the opening quarter of the 2016 season as we began it, tied at 7 a piece.
The 2nd quarter was a wild and crazy ride to say the least. After tight end Alex Pittman made a catch down field, the Cougars punched the ball away, but Trevon Hawkins was there at the right time and fell on it in the endzone to give the Dragons a 14-7 lead. Pickens stretched their lead out to two scores as Kelton Gilbert got in from a yard to make it 21-7 with 6 minutes left in the 1st half. Chattahoochee came back with a 90-yd kick return for a score to cut the Dragon lead to 21-13. C. Pittman found pay dirt for a 2nd time, this one from 5-yds to make it 28-13 with 3:48 still to go in this 1st half.
After a 38-yd touchdown pass for the Cougars, they were unsuccessful at the two-point conversion making it 28-19 Pickens with 2:15 left in the 1st half. The Dragons had one more score left in them before halftime as Jacob Brumby found Huffman down the sideline for a 65-yd touchdown making it 35-19 Dragons as we headed to the break.
Pickens wasted little time getting more points after starting the 2nd half with the ball. Brumby found Hawkins for a 5-yd score to make it 42-19 with 9:14 left in the 3rd. Hawkins found the endzone again at the 4:26 mark this time, by way of the ground as he got in from 16-yds out, making it 49-19 Dragons.
The 4th quarter saw a running clock and the young guys getting a chance to play and they did really well. With no scoring from either side in the 4th and final quarter, the Dragons came away with their first win of the season in the opener, 49-19.
Stats for the night
Pickens had 14 1st downs on the night, went 8-11 on 3rd down, had 499 total yards on 54 plays for a 9.2 yard average, 356 rushing yards on 48 attempts for a 7.4 yard average, & 143 yards passing on 6 attempts for a 23.8 yard average
Jacob Brumby went 5-6 for 143 yards and 2 touchdowns
Chris Pittman led the way in rushing with 133 yards and 2 tds, Dylan Huffman had 77 yards, Kelton Gilbert had 63 yards a 1 score, Trevon Hawkins had 26 yards and a score, freshman C.J. Streicher had 33 yards
Dylan Huffman led the team in receiving with 66 yards & a score followed by Alex Pittman with 1 catch for 42 yards, Colby McDowell had a catch for 24 yards, & Trevon Hawkins had a catch for 5 yards & a score
Defensively the Dragons were all over the field and especially in the backfield. Pickens totaled up 5 sacks Friday night and 11 tackles for loss as a team
Devin Grant led the team with 10 total tackles. 4 solo, 6 assts, 2 TFL, and 2 sacks, Will Wotring had 9 total tackles on the night, 6 solo & 3 asst, Josh Cain had 7 total tackles, 5 solo, 2 asst, 1 TFL, Michael Cain had 6 total tackles, 4 solo, 2 asst, 2 TFL, Jordan Burton had 6 total tackles, all assts, Alex Pittman had 4 total tackles, 3 of which went for a loss, and 2 of those were sacks. Nick Southern also had a sack.
Chris Pittman punted twice on the night for 72 yards
Dylan Huffman had 3 punt returns for a 52 yard total and a long of 31
Rudy Perez went 7/7 on PAT’s
Pickens will have next week off as they prepare to face the Dragons of Pepperell on the 2nd of September. That game will also be at home and will have a kickoff time of 7:30
18 Dragon Players Named On 7-AAAA All-Region Teams
Team FYN Sports December 1, 2015
Several PHS varsity football players were selected to be on the 7-AAAA All-Region Teams. In total, 18 Dragons were on the list between 1st team, 2nd team, & Honorable Mention.
Six Dragons were selected to the 7-AAAA All-Region 1st team. They include:
Walker Lawrence- TE/H-Back
D.J. Walden- C
Ty Chastain- K
Andrew Ortiz- DL
Kyle West- LB
Marcus Byrd- P
Four Dragons made it to the 7-AAAA All-Region 2nd Team. They are:
Chris Pittman- RB
Zach Betts- OL
Alex Pittman- DL
Dillin Eilers- LB
8 Dragons were included on the 7-AAAA All-Region Honorable Mention List. These Players are:
Nick Southern- DL
Zack Hermann- DB/WR
Caleb Brooks- DB/WR
Avery Luke- DB
Will Wotring- DB
Bradley Ragano- TE
Andrew Hasbrouck- OL
Cortlin Norton- OL/DL
Congrats to these young men on this accomplishment and a great season.
Dragons Season Ends At 8-3
Team FYN Sports November 15, 2015
This past Friday, the PHS varsity football team traveled down to Atlanta to take on region 6-AAAA’s #2 seed and #8 4A ranked Marist War Eagles in the 1st round of the GHSA 4A State Playoffs. Pickens, went into the ball game looking for their first ever playoff win as this was the first meeting between the two schools.
Marist won the toss and elected to receive to start the ball game. As the War Eagles were driving towards mid field, the Dragons defense forced a fumble and game the offense good field position to start their opening drive. The War Eagle defense was able to stop the Pickens offense and give the ball back to their offense. Marist found the first points of the game after a 2-yd td run at the 5:54 mark to take a 7-0 lead. Chris Pittman got the Dragons on the board after a 41-yd td run giving us a 7-7 tie going to the 2nd quarter.
In the 2nd quarter, both defenses made it very difficult for either offense to get anything going. Ty Chastian connected on a 27-yd field goal for the Dragons at 3:10 mark giving Pickens a 10-7 lead. The War Eagles marched down the field using their triple option offense looking to tie or take the lead before the half. Marist called timeout with 2 seconds left in the half looking for a game tying field goal. The Dragons were able to apply pressure and block the field goal attempt sending us to the break with Pickens ahead, 10-7.
As was the story for the majority of the 1st half, the 3rd quarter was dominated by defense as both teams made it tough for the other to find any rhythm on offense. The War Eagles were able to take the lead with the only points of the quarter getting in the end zone with a 1-yd run giving Marist a 14-10 advantage going to the 4th and final quarter.
In the 4th quarter, The War Eagles stretched their lead with scores at the 10:52, 8:00, & 3:55 marks using a 3-yd run, a 48-yd run, and a 20-yd pass respectively to make it 35-10 Marist. The Dragons found the end zone at the 2:18 mark after a 46-yd td run from Marcus Byrd making it 35-17 War Eagles. Marist was able to recover the ensuing onside kick and score the game’s final points after a 44-yd td run with 26 seconds left giving us a 42-17 final. The War Eagles will now play Mary Persons in the 2nd round.
Pickens finishes the season at 8-3. This was the first time the Dragons were in the playoffs back to back seasons since ’04 & ’05 & had back to back 8-win seasons for the first time in school history. The senior class leaves tied for the most wins by a class with 27 wins.
On the night, the Dragons finished with 10 1st downs, went 4/14 on 3rd down & 2/2 on 4th down, had 286 total yards of offense, ran it 44 times for 216 yards and threw it 11 times for 40 yards.
Marcus Byrd led the Dragons in rushing with 121 yards on 12 carries & 1 td, Chris Pittman had 82 yards on 16 carries and a touchdown.
Defensively, the Dragons recovered a fumble, had 6 TFL, recorded 1 sack, & blocked a field goal attempt
Dillin Eilers led Pickens in tackles with 12, 4 solo, 8 assists, Kyle West finished with 11 total tackles, 8 solo, 3 assists, 1 sack, & 2 blocks, & Will Wotring finished with 10 total tackles, 7 solo, 3 assists, 3 TFL, a fumble recovery, & a pass break up.
Byrd punted it 6 times for a total of 235 yards, a 39.2 yard average, & landed 2 inside the 20 yard line
Hunter Golden returned 4 kicks for 101 yards and Dillon Gasaway returned 1 kick for 21 yards
Ty Chastain went 2/2 on PAT’s & 1/1 on field goals with a long of 27
For the season, the Dragons averaged 25.73 ppg, and gave up 19.09 per game, had 150 1st downs (13.6 a game), went 47/130 on 3rd down, & 11/24 on 4th down, collected 3,683 yards of offense (334.8 per game) on 636 plays (57.8 average), ran for 3,169 yards on the season (288 per game) on 531 plays (48.3 a game) for an average of 5.96 yards per rush. Dragons finished with a season total of 514 passing yards on 105 plays.
Marcus Byrd finished the season 30/64 passing for 333 yards and 3 tds while Jacob Brumby finished 20/40 for 181 yards
Chris Pittman led the Dragons in rushing finishing with 1,335 yards on 227 carries (5.9 yard average), and 18 tds, Byrd finished 771 yards on 106 carries (7.3 yard average) and 6 tds, & Dillon Gasaway ended the season with 505 yards on 86 carries (5.9 yard average) and 4 tds.
Walker Lawrence was the leading receiver on the season with 142 yards on 13 catches followed by Hunter Golden with 12 catches for 106 yards, then Bradley Ragano with 6 catches for 100 yards.
Defensively on the season the Dragons forced 22 total takeaways, 14 fumbles and 8 INT’s, had 751 total tackles, 68.5 TFL, 16 sacks, 13 forced fumbles, 30 pass break ups, and 6 blocks
Dillin Eilers led the Dragons in tackling this season with 110 total tackles (57 solo, 53 assists), followed by Kyle West with 85 total tackles (54 solo, 31 assists), & Jacob Gordon finished with 77 total tackles (48 solo, 29 assists)
Avery Luke led the team in INT’s with 4, Alex Pittman led the way in sacks with 4, Lawrence & A. Pittman led the team with 2 forced fumbles, Gordon, Lawrence, & A. Pittman tied for the team lead in fumble recoveries with 2, Caleb Brooks & Zack Hermann led the team in pass break ups with 6, & Cortlin Norton led the team with 3 blocks.
Byrd punted it 31 times for a total of 1,298 yards, a 41.9 yard average, a long of 58, & 10 inside the 20 while C. Pittman punted it 14 times for a total of 514 yards for a 36.7 yard average, a long of 53, & 4 inside the 20
Hermann led the team in punt return yards with 120 on 8 returns followed by Brooks with 117 yards on 8 returns
Gasaway led the team in kickoff return yards with 186 on 7 returns followed by Brooks with 185 yards on 6 returns, then Golden with 101 yards on 4 returns
On the season Ty Chastian went 35/36 on PAT’s, a 97.2% accuracy rate, & 10/12 on field goals, 83.3% rating, & a long of 42 yards.
Dragons Clinch Playoff Berth With Win Over Heritage
Team FYN Sports October 24, 2015
Last night, the PHS Dragons varsity football team hosted the Generals of Heritage in another crucial 7-AAAA region game. On a night where the newest class of the PHS Athletics Hall of Fame and the 8th grade middle school championship football team were honored, the Dragons looked to clinch their 2nd straight playoff berth with a win over the Generals.
Pickens won the toss, electing to differ to the 2nd half giving Heritage the ball first. The Generals tried to catch the Dragons off guard with a trick play on the opening kickoff but, Pickens didn’t fall for it and Heritage had to start deep inside their own territory as a result. The Generals were able to march down the field however and got into the end zone after a double pass taking the 7-0 lead with 8:58 left in the opening frame. The Dragons answered the Generals score with a 1-yd Chris Pittman touchdown run to tie things up at 7 as we went to the 2nd quarter.
Both teams went back and forth defensively in the 2nd quarter as the only scoring came at the 5:34 mark when Ty Chastain knocked a 42-yd field goal through the uprights giving Pickens a 10-7 lead at the break. In the 3rd quarter, Chris Pittman found the end zone for the 2nd time on the night at the 3:17 mark as he put the Dragons ahead 17-7 going the 4th and final quarter.
Early in the 4th, with the Generals backed up deep in their own territory, the Pickens defense forced a safety with 11:34 left in the ball game stretching the lead out to 19-7. After getting the ball back on the ensuing kickoff, the Dragons marched down the field and Chris Pittman found pay dirt for the 3rd time making it 25-7 with 9-13 left in the game. Heritage did not go quietly as they connected on a 33-yd screen pass for a touchdown at the 6:01 mark cutting it it 25-13. Kelton Gilbert got in on the action as the Sophomore running back scampered 27-yds for the touchdown making it 32-13 with 3:29 left in the game.
The Generals found the end zone at the 1:06 mark after a 1-yd pass but could not convert the two-point try giving us a score of 32-19. The Dragons were able to fall on the ensuing onside kick and ran out the clock to seal the win, 32-19. With the win, Pickens has clinched a playoff berth and are now 7-1 on the season & 4-1 in region play.
On the night, Pickens had 18 1st downs, went 6/13 on 3rd down, and 1/1 on 4th down, ran 69 plays for a total of 422 yards, ran for 366 yards on 63 rushes & threw for 56 yards on 6 passes.
Marcus Byrd went 3/4 passing for 45 yards & Jacob Brumby went 1/2 for 11 yards
Chris Pittman ran it 28 times for 119 yards and 3 tds, Marcus Byrd ran it 12 times for 95 yards, Dillon Gasaway ran it 7 times for 53 yards, & Kelton Gilbert ran it 5 times for 69 yards and a touchdown
Bradley Ragano led the Dragons in receiving with 21 yards, Caleb Brooks had a catch for 15 yards, Zack Hermann caught 1 ball for 11 yards, & Walker Lawrence reeled in 1 catch for 9 yards
Defensively, Pickens forced one fumble, recovered a fumble, recorded a sack, and forced several hurries and broke up 6 passes on the night.
Dillin Eilers led the Dragons in tackles with 11, 9 solo & 2 assists, Will Wotring finished with 5 total tackles, 1 solo, 4 assists, Caleb Brooks, Jacob Gordon, Avery Luke, Cortlin Norton, & Alex Pittman each finished with 4 total tackles
Chris Pittman punted it 5 times for a total of 171 yards for a 34.2 yard average, a long of 50, and left 2 inside the 20-yd line
Caleb Brooks returned 1 punt return for 22 yards and 1 kickoff for 32 yards while Michael Casey returned 1 kickoff for 21 yards
Ty Chastain went 3/4 on PAT’s & 1/1 on field goal attempts with a long of 42 yards
Pickens will travel to Ellijay to take on the Bobcats of Gilmer next week in the annual 515 rivalry match up. Gilmer is 3-5 on the season & 2-3 in region play and fighting for a possible 3 or 4 seed in the playoffs. Pickens, is hoping to stay in the hunt for the 2 seed.