Dragons pick up big region win over rival Gilmer
PHS Football, Team FYN Sports October 15, 2022
Jasper, GA — It was a cooler October night in Jasper as the Pickens Dragons welcomed their long time rivals, the Gilmer Bobcats. It was the first time these two teams have met since 2020, and the 64th all time meeting. Coming into the game, the Bobcats lost a tough one to the Lumpkin County Indians. The Dragons, came in off a bye week looking to right the ship a bit having lost two straight, and only scoring 7 points in the process. Pickens, got a big time boost from it’s run game and defense to lead them to a 27-10 win over Gilmer and their 8th win in a row in the series.
The Bobcats, got the ball first to begin the ball game. The Dragons, got the stop and gave the offense the ball for the first time. After a great drive by the offense, that included a halfback pass, Pickens got into the end zone with a 2-yd run by Kadyn Hampton. The PAT was good and the Dragons took a 7-0 lead with 5:54 left in the opening quarter.
Dragons looking to punch the ball in
Gilmer got the ball and were driving down the field as the first quarter came to an end. A great defensive stand by the Dragons left the Bobcats with a 24-yd field goal attempt. The field goal was good and Gilmer cut into the Pickens lead, 7-3, with 11:57 left in the first half. After a bit of a back and forth, the Dragons added to their lead after QB Sam Streicher tossed a screen pass to Colby Brooks and Brooks took it the rest of the way for a 79-yd touchdown. The PAT was good and with 4:37 left in the first half, Pickens led Gilmer, 14-3. After stopping the Bobcats on 4th down near mid-field, the Dragons were looking for more. Gilmer’s defense did a good job themselves stopping Pickens on 4th down as the Dragons also picked up an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty to help the Bobcats with field position.
After a good run by Brock Titus, QB Issac Rellinger heaved the ball into the end zone as time expired in the first half and Will Kiker was able to come down with it. The PAT was good and we headed into the half with the Dragons leading the Bobcats, 14-10.
Dragons on defense
In the third quarter, there was no scoring, but the physicality, especially one that comes with the territory of a rivalry game, was definitely there during the quarter. As the quarter was coming to an end, the Dragons offense, with big help from their run game, got down close to the end zone as they headed to the fourth, still up 14-10.
Colby Brooks with the catch
A couple of seconds into the fourth quarter, Miguel Salto bullied his way into the end zone for a 2-yd touchdown run. The PAT was good and with 11:56 left in the game, Pickens extended it’s lead over Gilmer, 21-10. Later on in the quarter, the Dragon run game, really left its mark on this game as Hampton got in for his second rushing touchdown after a 1-yd run. The PAT was no good and with 5:20 left in the game, the Dragons now led the Bobcats, 27-10. The defense for Pickens on Friday night was at its best as they held a high scoring Bobcats offense scoreless in the second half and just one touchdown all night. Pickens runs its win streak over Gilmer to 8 in a row after a 27-10 victory.
7-AAA Standings:
Dawson County: 6-2 (4-0)
Lumpkin County: 6-1 (2-1)
Gilmer: 5-3 (2-2)
Wesleyan: 3-5 (2-2)
White County: 3-4 (1-2)
Pickens: 2-5 (1-2)
West Hall: 1-6 (0-3)
The Dragons, will be back on the road next week as they head to Oakwood to take on the West Hall Spartans. The last time these two teams met was in 2009. The last time Pickens traveled to West Hall was all the way back in 2008. West Hall leads the all time series, 6-4. The first meeting took place in 1994. Kick off is set for 7:30.
North Georgia Week 6 Players of the Week
FYNTV, Sports, Team FYN Sports, TeamFYNSports September 27, 2022
Players of the week brought to you by:
As we wrap up Week 6, here are last weeks Players of the Week for their schools!
Chatooga- QB Quarry Gibson 95 total yards, 1 TD
The QB struggled a bit throwing the ball but he was able to connect with Trey Smith for the only Indians score of the game as well as leading the team in rushing yards averaging 6 YPC.
North Murray- Tyler Henry
Gilmer- RB Will Kiker 14 Car, 133 Yds, 9.5 YPC, 2 Tds, 243 all purpose yards, 6 Tot Tckls
Get to know the name. Kiker may be the best player in this region. He paired with Brock Titus and Hunter Watkins to combine for 339 rushing yards. The senior led the team in rushing yards and was tied for the team lead in rushing TDs while also making his presence felt on the defensive side of the ball.
Dawson- RB/LB Kade Moledor 6 Car, 71 Yds, 2 Tds, 7 Tot Tckls, 1 TFL
The captain of this Tigers team got it done again as he was able to pick up two rushing TDs in the first half, including one big 37 yard TD. He also notched 7 tackles which led the team as well as adding a TFL.
Lumpkin- WR Cal Faulkner 10 Rec, 209 Yds, 3 TDs, 5 Tot Tckls
Lumpkin dominated Pickens and Faulkner was a big reason why. His name was mentioned all night. He was Cooper Scott’s favorite target as he accounted for 79% of Scott’s passing yards.
Pickens- LB Kadyn Hampton 13 Tot Tckls, 2 QB hurries
Not a lot went the Dragons way on Friday night, but senior Kadyn Hampton had a solid performance leading the Dragons defense in tackles while also getting in the backfield a few times.
Fannin- QB Elijah Weaver 9/15, 215 Yds, 5 TDs
Talk about a good day, 5 TDs on 9 passes! Weaver showed up this last Friday leading the Rebels to a big shutout win over Gordon Central.
Dragons fall to Bobcats in physical rivalry game
PHS Basketball, Team FYN Sports January 16, 2022
Jasper, Ga — After the girls game, it was time for the Dragons and Bobcats to take the floor. The Dragons, were coming off of a 64-51 win over Southeast Whitfield on the road to run their win streak to 5 games in a row. The Bobcats, came into the game having won a tough back and forth game with West Hall on the road, 54-51. Gilmer, won the first two meetings of the season against Pickens by scores of 60-53, and 66-56. Pickens, got on the board with a 59-46 win last month. After much back and forth and very physical play from both sides, the Bobcats came away with a 53-46 win.
To open the ball game, the Bobcats got on the board first with a bucket to give themselves a 2-0 lead. Jaden Stewart answered for the Dragons with a three pointer to make it 3-2. After a bucket by Gilmer, Pickens went on a 5-0 run as Luke Rogers made a bucket and Collin Kellogg hit a three to make it 8-5. After a Bobcat bucket made it 8-7, the Dragons went on a 7-0 run with 5 of those 7 points coming from Kellogg to make it 15-7. Gilmer would then go 1 for 2 from the free throw line to make it 15-8. Marcus Pike hit a shot to give Pickens a 17-8 lead going to the second quarter.
Dragons on offense
Just like the first quarter, the second quarter began with a bucket by Cade Carter of the Bobcats. Caleb Keith quickly answered with a bucket of his own to make it 19-10 Dragons. After a pair of free throws from Gilmer, Rogers made a bucket to again keep the Pickens lead at 9. A free throw make and a bucket by the Bobcats cut the lead down to 21-15. A pair of free throws from Chanler Dunn made it 23-15 Dragons. Gilmer, would then close the first half on an 8-0 run to tie this game up at 23 heading to the break.
Dragons on defense in the second quarter
To start the second half, Gilmer again put the first points on the board as they hit a three pointer to make it 26-23. Caleb Bryant would then hit a pair of free throws and Rogers made a bucket to give the Dragons a 27-26 lead. After a bucket and an and-one conversion by the Bobcats, Rogers made another bucket to tie it up at 29. After a three pointer gave Gilmer the lead back, Rogers hit another shot to cut it to 32-31. An Ethan Banks bucket made it 34-31. Rogers, continued his scoring surge in the third as he again made another bucket to make it 34-33. A 4-0 run from the Bobcats to close out the third made it 38-33 going to the fourth.
Dragons with the ball in the second half
The scoring run from the third quarter carried over to the fourth quarter for Gilmer as they opened with a three pointer to make it 41-33. Keith then answered with a three to make it 41-36. After a bucket by the Bobcats, Kadyn Hampton made two free throws to make it 43-38. A Mark Tyson bucket made it 45-38. Hampton, got the hoop and the harm as he would complete the three point play to make it 45-41. After a free throw from Banks, Kellogg hit a three pointer to make it 46-44. From then on it would become a free throw game as the Bobcats scored 5 of their last 7 points from the charity stripe, while the Dragons could only manage a late Stewart bucket in the late stages of this one. The final in this one, 53-46 Gilmer.
Leading Scorers For Gilmer:
Ethan Banks: 17 points
Mark Tyson: 13 points
Lewis Mulkey: 6 points
Will Kiker: 6 points
Christian Somner: 6 points
Leading Scorers For Pickens:
Luke Rogers: 14 points
Collin Kellogg: 11 points
Jaden Stewart: 5 points
Caleb Keith: 5 points
Kadyn Hampton: 5 points
7-AAAA Boys Region Standings:
Central-Carroll: 11-5 (6-0)
Heritage: 8-7 (4-2)
Northwest Whitfield: 13-3 (3-3)
Cedartown: 5-8 (3-3)
Pickens: 9-10 (3-3)
Southeast Whitfield: 7-10 (2-4)
Ridgeland: 6-10 (0-6)
Weather permitting the Dragons will be back in action on Tuesday, January 18th as they host the Cedartown Bulldogs in a key 7-AAAA match up. As you can see from the standings above, both teams are tied for third in the region currently. Pickens holds a win over Northwest Whitfield, Northwest Whitfield holds a win over Cedartown, and Cedartown holds a win over Pickens. The Dragons will look to earn a season split with Cedartown after the Bulldogs survived after a late rally to beat Pickens 55-52 earlier this season. Tip off set for 7:30.
Dragons end 2021 with win over Bobcats
PHS Basketball, Team FYN Sports December 31, 2021
Jasper, Ga — What better way to close out 2021 than with some 515 rivalry action am I right? That’s what we got in Jasper on Thursday, December 30th as the Pickens Dragons took on the Gilmer Bobcats in the final day of the Pickens Holiday Tournament. For the Bobcats, they came into this game having fell to Creekview on Tuesday, and having beaten Lassiter on Wednesday. For the Dragons, they came into the game looking to end their 2021 on a high note after tough losses to Lassiter and Sonoraville on Tuesday and Wednesday. After jumping on them quickly in the first quarter, the Dragons came away with a big 59-46 win over the Bobcats.
In the first quarter, the Dragons used a good balance of defense and offense to jump out to a quick 12-6 lead. Pickens would then go on an 8-0 run getting three pointers from Jaden Stewart and Caleb Keith, as well as a bucket from Luke Rogers to make it 20-6. After a free throw make from the Bobcats’ Britt Taylor, Keith hit three to make it 23-7 Dragons going to the second quarter.
Dragons on offense late in the 1st
The second quarter started out with several runs as Rogers went on a 3-0 run to make it 26-7, then Luke Wimpey of Gilmer made three free throws to make it 26-10. After another Rogers free throw and an Isaiah Williams bucket, Pickens went up 29-10. The Bobcats then went on a 6-0 run to cut the lead down to 29-16. Stewart would then make a free throw and Collin Kellogg would hit a three pointer to make it 33-16. Gilmer closed out the first half on a 6-0 run to make it 33-22 Dragons going into the break.
Dragons defending the painted area
After getting the final bucket of the first half, Mark Tyson of Gilmer began the second half by getting a bucket and cutting the lead to 33-24. Stewart then countered with a three pointer to make it 36-24. Taylor, then made a bucket to make it 36-26. The Dragons then went on an 11-0 run as Stewart hit a three and two layups during the run. Kellogg and Rogers got the run started with a pair of buckets. After a three pointer from Wimpey, Keith and Stewart made back to back buckets to make it 51-29 Pickens going to the fourth.
Dragons looking for an open shot
Keith, continued his hot shooting as he opened up the fourth quarter with a three pointer to make it 54-29. Back to back three pointers from Christian Sumner and Ethan Banks cut the lead to 54-35. After a bucket by Rogers, Banks and Keith would trade three point field goals. The Bobcats ended the game on an 8-0 run, but the Dragons came away with the win, 59-46.
Leading Scorers For Gilmer:
Ethan Banks: 14 points
Britt Taylor: 6 points
Will Kiker: 6 points
Mark Tyson: 4 points
Leading Scorers For Pickens:
Luke Rogers: 19 points
Jaden Stewart: 16 points
Caleb Keith: 14 points
Collin Kellogg: 5 points
The Dragons finish the 2021 part of their schedule at 6-9. They will look to get on the board in region play on Tuesday, January 4th as they welcome the Ridgeland Panthers to the Dragons Den for a 7-AAAA match up. Tip off for that one is set for 7:30 pm.