Jackets heading to quarterfinals with big win over Laney
Wet weather wasn’t going to stop the touchdown machine once the Rockmart offense was rolling, and they took a 48-18 victory over Laney in the second round of the playoffs on Friday night. Don’t miss · Cedartown Bulldogs RIVALS CLASH: Jackets trounce Dawgs in latest Battle of Polk County Read more → Rockmart took an […]
Wet weather wasn’t going to stop the touchdown machine once the Rockmart offense was rolling, and they took a 48-18 victory over Laney in the second round of the playoffs on Friday night.
Rockmart took an early lead over the Wildcats and got tangled in a first quarter tie, but the Jackets stung hard in the second quarter and kept their foot on the gas through the win to advance to the quarterfinals on Black Friday night.
Jamari Samples took an interception early to help the offense after they went four and out, and then Tucker Parson got rolling and put up a four touchdown performance on the night, clocking one in each quarter including one in the fourth to Gavin Green for 73 yards.
Nate Davis put up a six-yard push in for a touchdown taking on much of the work on the ground on the night for the offense, and Devin McCoy punched in two touchdowns in the second and fourth quarters on short runs. Green nabbed three touchdown passes out of the air, and Qua Alexander added another to his stat sheet on the season as the Jackets remain alive for a post-Thanksgiving showdown.
Where the offense kept rolling, the defense held firm and only allowed a touchdown in the first three quarters and blanked the Wildcats in the fourth – including a sack from Jayden Helms that pinned Laney at their own 2 at one point the fourth.
Rockmart will face Burke County in the next round, who defeated Columbia in a 48-21 victory on their home turf on Friday. And this one will matter as the Bears knocked Rockmart out in the semifinal round in 2024.
The 11-2 Bears come into the quarterfinals having finished second in Region 4-AA ahead, having lost to Thomason in October, and notching an early season loss to Benedictine (they face Central-Carroll in the quarterfinals next Friday) as their only two losses on their season.
Burke County will be bringing a tough challenge to the Jackets: outscoring opponents 443-196 on the year and on a five-game winning streak behind the work of the likes of Jamari Reeves and Sean Vandiver. Burke advanced in the first round as the tenth-seeded squad in the playoffs over Sonoraville in the first round, and traveled to Columbia in the Sweet Sixteen round on Friday to keep their season alive.
Rockmart plays host to the Bears next Friday with a 7:30 p.m. kickoff in the quarterfinals round.
The Jackets are advancing to quarterfinals for their fourth season in a row.