Claxton

Claxton, ECI face elimination in play-in games

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            CLAXTON – After nine grueling weeks of the regular season, it all comes down to one more game to decide who goes on and who goes home.

            The Claxton Tigers welcome Treutlen into The Grove tonight in a Region 3-A play-in game that will earn the winner a spot in the GHSA state playoffs.

            While both the Tigers and Vikings now have the same task at hand, the two teams have taken different roads to get to this point.

            Treutlen started off with a bang. The Vikings rolled to six straight victories to begin the season and reached the No. 7 ranking in the state polls. Losses to Emmanuel County Institute and Johnson County knocked Treutlen out of the Top 10, but it bounced back with a win last week.

            Claxton dug itself a hole before turning things on late. A rough non-region schedule saw the Tigers stumble to a 2-2 record out of the gate. A loss to No. 2 Savannah Christian in its first region game dropped Claxton to 2-3, but they have caught fire and have some momentum coming into tonight.

            “We’ve been improving throughout the season,” said Claxton coach Allen Cartwright. “These last two weeks have probably been the best two games that we’ve played all season. Hopefully, we’re peaking at the right time.”

            After the Savannah Christian loss, the Tigers have reeled off four consecutive wins to earn the No. 2 seed out of their division and secure the home field advantage for the play-in round.

            To keep the season alive, Claxton will have to figure out Treutlen, which promises to be one of the toughest teams that the Tigers have faced in recent weeks.

            “They have lots of athletes and lots of speed,” said Cartwright. “They’re very talented and can throw a lot of looks at you. We just need to match their athleticism and intensity.”

            Claxton will likely turn to star running back Jamalcolm Morgan to shoulder the load tonight. The powerful senior has been turning in progressively better performances, including back-to-back 200-yard rushing games in the past two weeks.

            “Our offense and our rushing game has been the key for us all season,” said Cartwright. “We’ve been running very well lately and we’ve been able to throw when we’ve had to. We might need both to get the win, but we’re prepared.”

            After last season’s play-in game loss to Johnson County, this year’s goal has been clear for Claxton.

            “We know what we need to do,” said Morgan. “We’re practicing hard and we all remember how close we came last year. Friday night, we’re all going to come to play and leave everything out there on the field.”

Calvary Day at ECI                                       

            TWIN CITY – It has been a terrific 8-1 season for Emmanuel County Institute, but the Bulldogs will need one more win to earn the right to take their show to the state playoffs.

            ECI squares off against Calvary Day tonight in what could be a lopsided matchup.

            The Bulldogs have been on a tear for much of the season. After its only loss in the second game of the season, ECI has rattled off seven wins in a row while averaging 37.7 points per game and notching five wins of 20 or more points.

            For the Cavaliers, the 2009 season has been much more of a struggle.

            Calvary Day got off to a 3-2 start, but has managed just one win in its final four games. After two consecutive losses to end the regular season, the Cavaliers were lucky to hold onto the No. 4 seed out of their division.

            While the offense isn’t nearly as potent as the Bulldogs’, the Calvary Day defense has as good a shot as anyone to slow down ECI. The Cavalier defense has given up more than three touchdowns just three times this season and has only allowed one opponent to reach the 30 point mark. Their best performance – albeit in a losing effort – came two weeks ago when the Cavaliers held No. 2 Savannah Christian to just 20 points.

            An ECI win would earn it a home game in the first round of the state playoffs against an opponent from Region 2-A.

            Mike Anthony can be reached at (912) 489-9404.