Dragons pick up big region win over Ridgeland
Sports, Team FYN Sports November 11, 2020
Jasper, Ga — It was a rare Saturday night football game as the Pickens Dragons welcomed the Ridgeland Panthers to Dragons Stadium. It was the first game for the Dragons since playing at Cedartown on October 16th. Coming into the game, Pickens was 2-4 overall and 0-1 in region play. The Ridgeland Panthers, came in with an overall record of 1-6, but tied for second place in 7-AAAA at 1-1. Traditionally, the games between Pickens and Ridgeland have been very exciting and very competitive. This one, was no different. Overcoming not having played in twenty-two days and missing some players, the Dragons came away with a 27-18 win.
Pickens, as they have for the majority of the season, won the coin toss and elected to receive. The Dragons, came out in their version of the wildcat offense to begin their opening drive with Senior running back Jarod Whitmore taking the snaps at the QB position. The opening drive ended in points for Pickens as Whitmore ran it in from 5-yds out to give the Dragons an early 7-0 lead. The defense for the Dragons did a good job in the opening quarter against what can be an explosive Panther offense. Going to the second quarter, Pickens led Ridgeland 7-0.
RB Jarod Whitmore taking the snap for the Dragons
In the second quarter, both teams, especially the Dragons, had chances for points, but just couldn’t connect. At the 6:40 mark of the second quarter, the Panthers broke through with a 5-yd TD run. The PAT was no good and Pickens kept the lead, 7-6. The Dragons had another good chance just before the half, but we would head into the break with Pickens ahead of Ridgeland, 7-6.
The Dragons defense was aggressive all night
The Panthers, got the ball first to start the second half and turned their first possession into points after a 50-yd TD run. the two-point conversion attempt was no good. With 10:33 left in the third, Ridgeland took the lead for the first time, 12-7. The Dragons came back with a good drive of their own as Junior Collin Kellogg, who took over at QB after the first possession of the game for Pickens, found Whitmore streaking down the middle of the field for a 28-yd TD. With 5:53 left in the third, the Dragons were back on top, 14-12. As time was running off the clock in the third, the Panthers scored on a 40-yd run. The snap on the PAT attempt was mishandled and the try was no good. Going to the fourth, Ridgeland held an 18-14 lead over Pickens.
Kellogg played well at QB for the Dragons
The Dragons were down, but definitely not out as they turned their first possession of the fourth quarter into points. After a bad snap pushed Pickens from the 6-yd line to the 22-yd line, a holding penalty was called on the Dragons on their fourth down play. The penalty was accepted, and the ball was moved back, making it fourth and goal from the Ridgeland 32-yd line. Kellogg, lofted it up to the left corner of the end zone where Senior WR Mykel Hand fought two Panthers defenders and came down with it to give the Dragons the lead. With 8:51 left in the game, Pickens went ahead, 20-18. On the ensuing kickoff, and without his regular kickers, Dragons head coach Jeff Nelson decided to go for an onside. The gamble paid off as Pickens recovered it. The Dragons cashed in on the recovery as Sophomore Kadyn Hampton took it in from 20-yds out. The PAT was good, and Pickens extended their lead over the Panthers to 27-18. Needing a big play, Ridgeland turned to the passing attack. Junior Conor Browning, picked off a pass attempt, and helped seal the win for the Dragons. The final, 27-18 Pickens.
7-AAAA Standings:
Cedartown: 6-2 (3-0)
Central-Carroll: 5-2 (1-1)
Pickens: 3-4 (1-1)
Northwest Whitfield: 6-2 (1-2)
Ridgeland: 1-7 (1-2)
Heritage: 4-4 (1-2)
Next week, the Dragons will again be at home as they welcome the Heritage Generals to Dragons Stadium. The game will be on Friday, November 13th. Kickoff is set for 7:30 in this 7-AAAA match up.
Dragons fall in final non-region tune up
PHS Football, Sports, Team FYN Sports October 3, 2020
Blairsville, Ga — Friday, October 2nd marked the first time that the Pickens Dragons and Union County Panthers faced off since 1991. Pickens won that game 34-0 on 11-1-91. The first meeting between these two schools came in 1960. The Dragons came in with a 2 game win streak and the overall series was tied a 5 a piece. This was Union’s first game since having to cancel a game due to Covid protocols, a young man on the team was involved in a wreck, and did we mention, it was homecoming. The Panthers were able to capitalize on some mistakes by the Dragons and took this one, 28-14.
The Dragons opened the ball game on offense as they seem to have done to begin every game this season so far. Union was able to force a 3 and out to get the ball for the first time. A short punt, gave the Panthers good field position to work with on their first drive, but the defense of Pickens held strong and forced a punt. The punt backed the Dragons up all the way to their 3-yd line. Desperate to get out of their own end zone, Sam Streicher lobbed it up for Senior receiver Mykel Hand and he made a spectacular catch along the sideline to move the chains and give Pickens some breathing room. The second Dragon drive would stall as both defenses looked strong early on. Going to the second quarter, we remained scoreless.
Big tackle for loss by the Dragons early in the game
A minute and six seconds into the second quarter, the Panthers struck first with a 14-yd touchdown run to give them a 7-0 lead with 10:54 left in the first half. During their final drive of the half, the Dragons were setting up for a 42-yd field goal attempt. A false start, caused head coach Jeff Nelson to call a timeout, talk to his team, and decide to send his offense back out there. On 4th and fifteen, Streicher completed a pass to Senior running back Jarod Whitmore and Pickens had 1st and goal set up at the Union 9-yd line. Several plays later Whitmore would mash his way into the end zone for the 1-yd touchdown to tie things up with 27 seconds left in the half. Union took the ensuing kickoff deep into Dragon territory, but a holding call on the Panthers negated that run and we hit the half all tied at 7.
Streicher completing a 4th down pass to Whitmore
Almost midway through the third, Union was able to retake the lead after a 14-yd touchdown pass. The PAT was no good, so the Panthers held a 13-7 lead with 7:34 left in the third quarter. Union would pick off a pass attempt from Streicher and took over near midfield. The Dragons defense settled in and forced a field goal attempt. The try was no good and Pickens took over at their own 20-yd line. The next play, the Panthers picked off a pass along the sideline to give it back to their offense. Union was able to turn the turnover into points with a 5-yd touchdown run. The two-point conversion attempt was successful and the Panthers took a 21-7 lead over the Dragons going to the fourth quarter.
Dragons looking to stop a Union run play
Union County added to their lead at the 9:38 mark of the 4th quarter with a 16-yd touchdown run to make it 28-7 Panthers. The Dragons found success on a drive going with a quicker tempo and running back Kenny Nelson would finish the drive off with a 4-yd touchdown run to make it 28-14 with 4:37 left. In the end, the Union County Panthers took this one, 28-14.
7-AAAA Standings:
Northwest Whitfield: 4-0
Central-Carroll: 2-1
Heritage: 3-2
Cedartown: 2-2
Pickens: 2-3
Ridgeland: 0-5
With the exception of Central-Carroll, every other team in 7-AAAA is on a bye week next week. 7-AAAA play will start on October 16th. For the Dragons, they will open up region play on the road at Cedartown against the Bulldogs. This will be the 7th all time meeting between the two schools with the last one coming in 2011, the last time these two schools were in the same region. Kickoff is set for 7:30 pm.
Defense dominates as Dragons defeat Eagles
PHS Football, Sports, Team FYN Sports September 26, 2020
Jasper, Georgia — On Friday September 25th, the Pickens Dragons (2-2) hosted the Coosa Eagles (2-1) in non-region action at Dragons Stadium. The Dragons were back home for the first time in two weeks, and were looking for a spark to jump start their season. Coosa, came in putting big points up in two games with over forty in each contest. Last night was also Homecoming for Pickens. Behind a stellar defensive effort, the Dragons evened up their record with a 10-0 win.
The Eagles won the toss but elected to differ to the second half, giving the Dragons the ball first. After a quiet first drive, Pickens was forced to punt. Senior Jarod Whitmore got a great punt off that was downed at the Coosa 2-yd line. The Eagles picked up one first down, but that was it for their opening drive. The Dragons drove down a short field and set up for a 29-yd field goal attempt. That attempt was unsuccessful. Going to the second quarter, we had no score on the board.
The Dragons defense getting after the Eagles
In the second quarter, Pickens had several chances to punch in touchdowns and were finally able to cash in during the later stages of the first half with a 5-yd touchdown run by Whitmore which was helped set up by a beautiful pitch and catch by Sam Striecher to Mykel Hand. Going into halftime, the Dragons led the Eagles, 7-0.
Jarod Whitmore looking to gain big yards
In the third quarter, the Dragons added on to their after a 39-yd field goal by Jose Sanchez connected giving Pickens a 10-0 lead with 8:59 left in the third. The field goal was set up by an interception by Conner Browning, one of three turnovers forced by the Dragons defense. No other scoring occurred in the third and we headed to the fourth with the Dragons ahead, 10-0.
The Dragon defense played well against the wing-t
The fourth quarter saw the Dragons defense stuff any possible chance at a comeback for the Eagles as Pickens was able to hold on to the shutout and improve their record to .500 on the season with a 10-0 win.
7-AAAA Standings:
Northwest Whitfield: 4-0
Heritage: 3-1
Central-Carroll: 1-1
Pickens: 2-2
Cedartown: 1-2
Ridgeland: 0-4
Next week, the Dragons will be back on the road as they head to Blairsville to take on the Union County Panthers in their final non-region game of the schedule. This will be the 11th all time meeting between the two schools having not played since 1991. Pickens currently is riding a 2-game win streak in the series. Kickoff is set for 7:30 pm.
Dragons fall to Warriors in non region action
PHS Football, Sports, Team FYN Sports September 19, 2020
Cleveland Ga — Last night, the Pickens Dragons (1-2) traveled up to Cleveland Georgia to take on the White County Warriors (3-0) in non region action. These two teams have become very familiar with each other over the last several seasons meeting twice in 2018, once in 2019, and again in 2020. All together, this was the 46th all time meeting between the two schools. It was senior night for White County as they would continue their impressive start to the season defeating the Dragons 42-7.
The Dragons kept up their streak of winning the opening coin toss to start the season as they elected to get the ball first. Their opening possession for the Dragons was a short one as the Warriors were able to recover a fumble. White County cashed in on the turnover with a touchdown run to make it 7-0. The Warriors added to their lead with an 6-yd touchdown run to make it 14-o with 6:37 left in the first quarter. With 2:29 left in the first quarter, White County got into the end zone with an 8-yd touchdown run to make it 21-0 Warriors over the Dragons.
Sam Streicher looking for a receiver
The first quarter ended as the Warriors were driving. twelve seconds into the second quarter, White County struck again with a 65-yd touchdown pass to make it 28-0 with 11:48 left in the first half. That would be the only score in the second quarter as we headed into halftime with the Warriors ahead of the Dragons, 28-0.
Dragons looking to defend a pass play
The third quarter saw the Warriors add to their lead with a 2-yd touchdown run to make it 35-0 with 8:03 left. With fifty-three seconds left in the third, White County scored on a second 2-yd touchdown run to make it 42-0 going to the fourth and final quarter.
Pickens looking to get into the end zone
The fourth quarter saw the Dragons come up with their best drive of the night. Some highlights of the drive included a great catch by Mykel Hand and a 1-yd touchdown run by Jarod Whitmore just before time expired. Final from Cleveland, 42-7.
7-AAAA Standings:
Heritage: 3-0
Northwest Whitfield: 3-0
Pickens: 1-2
Central-Carroll: 0-1
Cedartown: 0-2
Ridgeland: 0-3
Next week, the Dragons will be back home as they welcome the Coosa Eagles to Dragon Stadium. The Eagles, are 2-0 on the season after wins over Trion and Lookout Valley (TN). They are out of region 7 in AA. Kickoff is set for 7:30 pm.
Dragons open unusual 2020 season with win over rival Bobcats
PHS Football, Sports, Team FYN Sports September 5, 2020
On Friday September 4th, the 2020 high school football season got underway for the majority of the state of Georgia. With all of the ups and downs that has been this year and the will they won’t they speculation, to get to this opening night was a huge deal. In Jasper Georgia, two teams very familiar with each other took the field to open their seasons. The Pickens Dragons came into the 2020 season having to fill many major holes on both offense and defense after graduating most of their production from the team last season. The Gilmer Bobcats, came in with a lot of momentum having exceeded expectations last season, moving to a new region, and returning players with a lot of varsity experience. After it was all said and done, the Dragons picked up the win, 17-8.
The Bobcats won the toss, but elected to defer to the 2nd half, giving the Dragons the ball first. After a pooch kick was fair caught, the Dragons took over with a new starting quarterback in freshman Sam Streicher. If that last name sounds familiar, it should. Sam is the younger brother of Dragon football standout C.J. Streicher. The Dragons used a heavy dose of the run game on their opening drive with senior Jarod Whitmore getting the bulk of the carries. At the 9:44 mark of the opening quarter, Whitmore turned the corner on the right side and got in for the touchdown. The extra point from Juan Sanchez was good, and the Dragons took a 7-0 lead. After a Bobcat fumble on their opening drive, Pickens turned that into points with a 30-yd field goal by Sanchez to make it 10-0.
Jarod Whitmore scores the first touchdown of the season
Defense was the name of the second quarter as neither offense could find hardly anything. The score remained 10-0 Pickens until late in the first half when the snap on a punt attempt by the Dragons sailed over the head of Whitmore and landed in the end zone. Gilmer picked up two points with the safety, and had a chance to get more before the half. The defense for the Dragons held and we would head to halftime with Pickens leading 10-2.
Dragons on defense in the second quarter
The Bobcats, started the second half with the football and with a tweak to their game plan. Gilmer came out throwing more for their first possession of the second half and found success with it. After a pass interference call against the Dragons, the Bobcats connected on a 36-yd touchdown pass to make it 10-8. The ensuing two-point conversion try was no good, and Pickens still held the lead, this time at 10-8 with 8:55 to go in the third. Using that momentum from having just scored, Gilmer transferred that over to the defensive side of the ball where they got the stop. The Bobcats next possession was a quick one as Andrew Burrell picked off a pass attempt and set the Dragons up with good field position. Pickens turned that interception into points when Streicher found the returning Mykel Hand after a nice pass for the touchdown. The first varsity touchdown pass for Streicher. The PAT was good and the Dragons extended their lead over the Bobcats 17-8, going to the fourth quarter.
Freshman QB Sam Streicher rolling out for a pass attempt
In the fourth and final quarter, Gilmer had their chances to cut into the lead, but the Dragons defense held strong and helped Pickens come away with the win, 17-8.
After the set of games this week, here are the records for the teams in the new 7-AAAA:
Pickens: 1-0
Heritage: 1-0
Northwest Whitfield: 1-0
Cedartown: 0-0 (game canceled)
Central-Carroll: 0-0 (game canceled)
Ridgeland: 0-1
Pickens will travel to Summerville Georgia next Friday to take on the Chattooga Indians in non-region play. Chattooga is in region 7 in AA. They fell to Adairsville 35-28 on Friday night. Kickoff set for 7:30 pm next Friday.