In a series dominated all-time by White County, the Warriors chugged out another win over rivals Lumpkin County in Week 1, 40-7 at the Burial Grounds. After a scoreless first quarter, the Warriors got a touchdown to go up 7-0 midway through the second, but scored 33 unanswered before the Indians got on the board in the final quarter.
White County (1-0) opened its season in fine fashion, mirroring last season’s 66-14 win over the Indians (1-1), who came in riding momentum from a Week 0 historic shutout win at East Jackson. While the score looks bad, the Indians played great defense, holding White County to nothing in the first and only giving up one score entering halftime.
It was Michael Mintz who got the White County offense going, scoring on a wildcat QB one-yard touchdown with 7:37 to go in the second. Coming out of the break, the Indians fumbled away the ball on the first play from scrimmage.
Mintz made them pay a few plays later with a 16-yard touchdown, his second, to push the lead to 14-0. The ensuing kickoff ended with Lumpkin back at their own one yard line. Despite a 60-yard run that followed by Luke Smith, White County’s defense stalled the drive.
On third and nine, J Ben Haynes threw a bomb to Cody Versluis who went 77 yards into the end zone to stretch the lead to 21-0. By the time the third quarter ended, it was a 27-0 lead for the Warriors.
They weren’t done. Haynes connected on a 30-yard TD to Cooper Turner in the first minute of the final quarter to go up 33-0. Lumpkin responded with a 70-yard touchdown run by Smith to get the Indians on the board. White County closed the scoring with a Jared Jullian 38-yard touchdown run.
The Warriors next host Habersham Central in another neighboring country showdown, while Lumpkin plays host to Jackson County, who shut out Banks County in Week 0. The win for White County now gives it the 37-11-1 advantage in the series and have now won nine of the past 11 (losing in 2011 and 2016) and two in a row.
