On a night honoring the 2003 Semifinal team and coach Sid Fritts, the Vidalia Indians earned their first win of the 2026 season Friday night, defeating Bacon County 28-14. The win gave Indian Head Coach Zach Grage his first win at the helm and snapped an 8-game losing streak dating back to last September. With the win, the Indians move to 1-2 on the year and will next face Metter this Friday night, the final game before the Region 2AA schedule begins on September 25th.

The opening possession by Bacon County looked like the Raiders were going to control the game early, as they drove the ball from their 40 down to the Indian 7-yard line in just four plays, with the biggest run coming on a Jamon Ellis run, setting up a goal-to-go situation. But at that point, the Indian defense rose to the occasion and stopped the Raiders on 3 straight runs from inside the 2-yard line. A penalty would put the Raiders back to the 6-yard line, and just when the Indians thought they would escape the drive without giving up any points, Ellis on 4th and goal, sprinted to his right and outraced Indian defenders to the corner of the end zone, giving Bacon Co. the lead, 7-0, after the point-after, with 7:07 left in the opening quarter.

A short kickoff on the ensuing kickoff took a bad bounce and ended up in the Raiders' possession at the Indian 47, giving Bacon County the ball for its 2nd possession without the Indians ever running an offensive play.

But the Vidalia defense came up big when Landen Scott intercepted a pass from Scottland Hennesy, giving the Indians their first possession of the night at the 4:31 mark of the first quarter. The Indians would go three-and-out and used a 44-yard punt from Ryan Brantley to give the Indian defense some breathing room.

The Indian defense again would bow their back and come up with another turnover: an interception on the 4th play of the 2nd quarter, the first of two by Freshman Jay Brown. But the Indians would give it right back on an interception of their own. The game turned into a defensive battle with neither team able to put points on the board.

But that would change with 1:24 left in the half, when Brown would get his 2nd interception of the night at the Vidalia 18-yard line, ending a six-play drive in Indian territory.

The Indians capitalized on the turnover on the 2nd play from scrimmage when Jamarcus Bouyer got behind the defense and Henry Adams found him in stride for an 82-yard strike, giving the Indians their first points of the night. Following an Eddie Martinez PAT, the game was tied 7-7 with 47 seconds left in the half.

The second half would belong to the Indians, who took the third-quarter kickoff and put together a 9-play drive capped by a Ja’Marion Lanier 3-yard run. Following the Martinez PAT, the Indians led 14-7 with 7:58 to go in the quarter.

The Indians would extend their lead later in the quarter when Adams would hook up again with Bouyer, this time on a 25-yard pass, to give the Indians a 21-7 lead after the PAT, with 46 seconds left in the quarter.

But Bacon County would cut into that lead on the 4th play of the 4th quarter, when Hennessey hit Zai McClarity for a 17-yard score, cutting the Indian lead to 21-14 with 11:21 to go in the game.

Following a Vidalia fumble on the next series, the Indian defense would hold Bacon to a three-and-out and force a punt, giving the Indians good field position with 7:15 to go in the game.

The Indians' offense would go to work, chewing up almost five minutes off the clock and driving the ball down to the Raider 1-yard line before sophomore Jah Robinson hit paydirt, capping an 8-play drive and sealing the Indians' first win of the year, 28-14.

Following the game, 1st-year Head Coach Zach Grage was very complimentary of his young squad: “What an unbelievable showing of guts by the players tonight! They fought through adversity and made the plays when they needed to. I could not be prouder of a group of young men than I am right now! It was only fitting that the first W of the season came on a night when we honored the legacy of Coach Fritts, the band, the cheerleaders, and all the fans who helped make this happen. Go Indians!”

The Indians will next travel to Metter to take on the Tigers, who lost to Jeff Davis 40-0 on Friday night. Kickoff is set for 7:30.You can hear the game on Classic Hits, 98Q, 97.7 FM and southeastgeorgiatoday.com.  (Courtesy of Vidalia Athletics) 

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Written by Bob Roberts

Category: Sportsbreak

Published: 09 September 2026

Hits: 141

(Adrian Brewton, Wyatt Vassey and Simon Collins) 

The Vidalia Indians Cross Country teams turned in an outstanding performance this weekend, with both the boys and girls teams bringing home team championship victories in the Blue Tide Invitational at Long County High School. The Indians showed tremendous determination and depth throughout the meet, with nearly every athlete recording a season-best time.

The boys team was led by an impressive individual championship performance from Wyatt Vassey, who captured the overall individual win with a time of 18:03. Wyatt’s strong performance set the tone for the Indians and helped lead the team to the team championship.

Adrian Brewton continued the Indians’ strong showing with a 3rd-place finish- 18:21, while Simon Collins crossed the finish line in 4th place in 18:25. The strong finishes at the front of the field, combined with the depth of the entire boys team, proved to be the difference as Vidalia claimed the team title.

(Judith Hussey and Cannon Sharpton

The girls team also delivered a fantastic performance, securing the team championship behind a strong showing from several of the Indians’ top runners. Judith Hussey led the way with an impressive 2nd-place finish, followed by Cannon Sharpton, who finished 5th, and Dayanna Onate, who placed 10th.

Emma Neal rounded out the top four for the Indians with a personal-best performance, providing another key contribution to the team’s championship effort.

As a coach, I could not be more pleased with the effort displayed by this group. Nearly every athlete ran a season-best time, which is a tremendous indication of the hard work, commitment, and progress this team is making early in the season. 

“I am beyond pleased with the effort from both teams. To see nearly every athlete run a season-best time and then come away with wins for both the boys and girls team championships is something we can all be proud of. This group continues to work hard, compete for one another, and improve every time they step on the course.”

The Indians will look to build on this momentum as they travel to Carrollton, Georgia, on September 12 to compete in the Ortho West Invitational.

The future is bright for Vidalia Cross Country, and this weekend’s double championship is another exciting step forward for both teams. Congratulations to all of our Indian runners on an incredible team effort! (Courtesy of Vidalia Athletics) 

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Written by Bob Roberts

Category: Sportsbreak

Published: 08 September 2026

Hits: 142

The No. 1-ranked Toombs County Bulldogs overcame an early 14-point deficit Friday night, scoring 49 unanswered points on the way to a 49-21 victory over No. 8 Swainsboro.

Swainsboro jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the opening quarter, putting Toombs County in unfamiliar territory. The Bulldogs responded behind their Red Bullet defense and a commanding performance from the offensive front.

The offensive line of RJ Langston, JJ Pacheco, Lane Morris, Jayce Corbitt, Dax Nobles and Nick Frazier took control of the line of scrimmage, opening the way for a record-setting performance from senior running back Donterrius Mincey.

Mincey carried the ball 29 times for 255 yards and scored a school-record seven touchdowns. He reached the end zone on runs of 8, 11, 14, 2, 2, 75 and 21 yards, surpassing the previous Toombs County record of six touchdowns held by Keshawn Morgan.

The record-setting seventh touchdown came on a 21-yard run with 4:10 remaining, completing a historic night for Mincey.

After allowing Swainsboro to build its early lead, the Red Bullet defense shut down the Tigers while the Bulldogs’ offensive line imposed its will for the remainder of the game.

The victory improved Toombs County to 3-0 in 2026. The Bulldogs will have an open date this coming Friday before beginning region play with their home opener against the Beach Bulldogs.

Friday’s win also delivered two coaching milestones for Buddy Martin. It was his 40th victory as Toombs County’s head coach in his 45th game leading the program and the 80th win of his career.

Down 14 points early, the Bulldogs answered with a dominant response and left Swainsboro with a 28-point victory. (Courtesy of Toombs County Athletics) 

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Written by Bob Roberts

Category: Sportsbreak

Published: 08 September 2026

Hits: 218

Lindy Morris drove in six runs on two hits Thursday as Toombs County defeated Pierce County 10-2 to cap a strong week for the Bulldogs.

Toombs County opened the scoring in the first inning when Leighton Williams delivered an RBI single. The Bulldogs added four runs in the second, highlighted by RBI doubles from Taylor Bland and Morris. Morris’s double brought home two runs.

The Bulldogs broke the game open with five runs on four hits in the third. Bland added an RBI single before Morris launched a grand slam to left field, driving in four runs and giving Toombs County a commanding lead.

“This was a really good response from our girls,” Coach Brant said. “We had a tough loss to Wheeler, but the way they came back and competed the rest of the week says a lot about this team. We’ve had a great week, and I’m proud of the way they’ve continued to battle, play together and believe in each other. We’re going to keep building on this and getting better.”

Taylor Bland earned the win in the circle, allowing three hits and two runs, one earned, over five innings. She struck out five and did not issue a walk.

Toombs County finished with 11 hits. Bland went 3-for-3 from the leadoff spot, Kylah Gay added two hits in three at-bats, and Morris supplied the game’s biggest offensive punch with six RBIs.

The win followed a difficult loss to Wheeler County earlier in the week and gave the Bulldogs an immediate response. Toombs County will travel to Montgomery County on Tuesday for its next game. (Courtesy of Toombs County Athletics) 

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Written by Bob Roberts

Category: Sportsbreak

Published: 08 September 2026

Hits: 147