Bulloch Academy, Portal and Southeast Bulloch all notched a victory in the win column last Friday. The Gators, who suffered their first loss of the season against Westfield, proved they had what it takes to bounce back by defeating Brentwood 18-12.
    The Gators (6-1) enter sub-region play for the first time this season Friday against Edmund Burke Academy.
    While teams like BA were able to hold on to a win, Statesboro High School was not so lucky. The Blue Devils held a slim 14-13 lead in the second quarter, thanks to a couple of touchdowns from the team’s star running back, but couldn’t hold on for the win.
    For a few teams in Bulloch County, the sub-region picture is starting to get a little clearer. Here are a few notes to look at as teams prepare themselves for the next week of football.

Williams answers health concerns:
The Portal Panthers won their first game of the season on homecoming in lopsided fashion Friday night 27-7 over Claxton.
    Head coach Matt Smith said his team’s conditioning was a cause for concern due to the lack of players on the football team. The Panthers needed to come out strong against Claxton and a strong start is exactly what happened.
    Portal's Malik Williams took back the opening kickoff 85 yards to give the Panthers an early lead. The week prior, Williams had to be carted off the field.
    Smith, jokingly, said if he received a shot like Williams did against Johnson County he’d have several broken bones.
    Williams, who appeared to be the “Million Dollar Man” against the Tigers, helped Portal avoid an 0-5 start.

    Bad, Bad man:
    Statesboro High School running back Mahlon Williams is good. Really good. Against one of the better defenses in region 3-AAAAA football Williams ran for 178 yards and three touchdowns.
    Williams contributed 77.3 percent of the Blue Devils’ total yards on offense. Williams also carried the ball a season-high 34 times in a losing effort to Coffee County 39-20.
    Of course, Williams was able to break big gains thanks to the work of the offensive line up front. The o-line has suffered countless injuries, including injuries to three starters.
    On one of Williams’ biggest plays of the game, the Blue Devils’ star running back broke free on a 74-yard run to the endzone in the second quarter. Williams would score again on a five-yard run eight minutes later. 

    Life’s a beach:
    Against Beach High School, the first sub-region game of the season for Southeast Bulloch, the Yellow Jackets dominated their way to an easy 42-7 win.
    SEB dominated almost every facet of the game, including special teams.
    Yellow Jackets’ head coach Pat Collins praised the efforts of kicker Evan Schlierf.
    “Special teams and  kick coverage were very good.  Evan Schlierf had two kick-offs for touchbacks.  Our defense got them off of the field and their punting was poor. Our offense cashed in 6 of 7 possessions for touchdowns,” Collins said.
    The offense was led by none other than Chase Walker, who ran for 126 yards on 17 carries and two touchdowns.
   
Horace Holloman may be reached at (912) 489-9408.