Raiders suffer first region loss of the season at Valwood

Published 6:51 pm Monday, October 21, 2019

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From Staff Reports

 

HAHIRA, GA – The Valwood Valiants jumped out to a 20-0 lead against the Raiders and never looked back en route to a 30-14 win over Southland Academy (SA) on Friday evening, October 18, at the Valwood School (VS) in Hahira, GA.

With the loss, the Raiders fall to 4-3 overall and are now 1-1 in the GISA 3-AAA standings.

SA senior running back Clay Owens led the Raiders’ attack by rushing for 167 yards on 17 carries and scoring two touchdowns. Senior running back Hunter McCain rushed for 25 yards on eight carries and senior quarterback Landon Law rushed for 22 yards on eight carries. In total, the Raiders gained 231 yards on the ground on 37 carries, while the Valiants gained 109 yards on 25 carries.

Southland running back Owen Exley fights hard for yardage against Valwood. Exley rushed for 15 yards on three carries.
Photo by Sherry Bass

According to information obtained from the Valdosta Times, the Raiders were shutout for the first three quarters of the game and scored all of their points in the fourth quarter. Part of this was due to the VS run defense. Though Owens and the other Raider backs had a decent performance, the Valiants were able to keep the Raiders’ running attack in check.

VS also had a more effective passing game than did the Raiders. The Valiants threw for 157 yards, while Landon Law completed three of six passes for just seven yards.

Southland defensive back Adam Smith (12) breaks up a pass against a VS wide receiver.
Photo by Sherry Bass

On the defensive side of the ball, McCain had a tremendous game as he tallied a total of 11.5 tackles on the night. Riley Parker had five and a half tackles and Owen Exley,   James Griffin and Nathan Duke each earned five tackles on the evening.

With the win, the Valiants vault to the top spot in the Region 3-AAA standings (2-0).

The Raiders will try to bounce back when they travel to Albany, GA to take on the Knights of Deerfield-Windsor on Friday, October 25. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.