Armuchee downs Southeast 46-13 after early Raider lead

Published 11:30 pm Friday, September 6, 2024

With a motivated defense and a Tucker Townsend-Mason Williams connection for a 26-yard passing touchdown in the first quarter, the Southeast Whitfield Raiders led on the scoreboard for the first time in the season with a 7-3 advantage after one.

But a dominating Armuchee offense throughout the remainder of the game quickly quashed the early Raider celebrations.

After the 7-3 deficit, Armuchee came alive for 29 second-quarter points and cruised to a 46-13 victory for the Indians.

While Southeast Whitfield (0-4) was able to hold down Armuchee (3-0) for a quarter, the game began with a rocky start for the Raiders when, just two plays in, a Southeast fumble was recovered by the Indians’ Will Pethel. But the Raider defense would apply ample pressure, including a Hunter Rodgers sack of Armuchee quarterback Blaine Ragland, to keep the Indians to a successful 21-yard field goal attempt by Julian Alvarez four minutes into the game.

The following possession would see Townsend connecting with Williams for the Raiders’ first touchdown of the night, and a successful Julian Villa PAT put Southeast up 7-3.

Then the Indians answered quickly and loudly.

With 9:34 left in the second quarter, Ragland met Pethel with a 49-yard passing touchdown. After allowing the Raiders only two yards on the next possession, Ragland once again took to the air, meeting Evan Hayes with a 79-yard passing TD. Another Alvarez PAT ensured a 17-7 lead for Armuchee.

Following more defensive pressure from the Raiders and a quarterback sack courtesy of Luis Familia, the Indians pressed forward, getting to the Raider 1. A 1-yard Jakson Hightower rushing TD extended the lead to 25-7 after a successful 2-point conversion attempt by Caden Atkins.

On the following Southeast possession, it wouldn’t take long for Armuchee’s Colton McBurnett to step in with an interception with 21 seconds left in the half, opening the opportunity for another Hightower rushing TD — this time a 4-yarder — to pad the score 32-7.

A second Indian interception by Ragland minutes into the second half led to a 37-yard passing TD to Pethel, and a 21-yard Caleb Fellows receiving TD soon followed, stamping the scoreboard with the largest deficit of the game at 46-7.

“We’re moving the ball up and down the field, and we just got to quit shooting ourselves in the foot,” said Southeast head coach Todd Murray. “A bad snap or a penalty, something like that, we can’t get behind the sticks. We move the ball when we’re moving the ball, but we can’t get behind the sticks and hurt ourselves.”

The Raiders offense and defense showed spurts of fire throughout the second half following a long drive by Armuchee to eat up a majority of the clock.

Despite a rough second and third quarters for the Raiders, the maroon and silver team was able to end the game with a 2-yard rushing touchdown courtesy of freshman Anthony Young with just 2 seconds left on the clock, softening the score to 46-13 as cannons fired to signal the end.

The schedule for the Raiders, who are playing a non-region schedule this year, will only prove tougher as they travel to Tunnel Hill next Friday to take on cross-county rival Northwest, who will be coming off of a bye week 3-0, at 7:30 p.m.

“We have to play with a higher mindset and we’ve got to know that we’re going to go out there and we’re going to control the ball, and put points on the board,” Murray said.