GROVETOWN – Grovetown High School built a two-touchdown lead in the first half and then held on to defeat winless Lakeside 21-13 on Friday night, Oct. 16, on the Warriors’ home field.
Lakeside (0-7) started its offensive night at its own 20-yard line. Its drive quickly stalled out, and the Panthers punted. That gave Grovetown the ball at the Warriors’ own 30-yard line. However, GTHS also saw its initial drive peter out.
That became the theme of the first quarter, as neither team was able to score in the opening 12 minutes.
Grovetown (2-5) finally got on the scoreboard when senior running back Miles Dauley ran the ball 23 yards for the first touchdown of the night. Junior place-kicker Jared Mendoza nailed the PAT, and the home team was up 7-0 with 11:06 left in the first half.
The Panthers started off their following drive at their own 20-yard line, but once again they couldn’t convert and were forced to punt.
However, on the punt return, the Warriors fumbled the football, and Lakeside linebacker Reeves Higgins recovered the ball, setting the visitors up at the Grovetown 25-yard line.
Lakeside unfortunately succumbed to the same mistake as its opponent, as the visitors also fumbled the ball, this time with the hosts recovering.
Grovetown took over at its own 8-yard line and wasted no time making an explosive play. Quarterback Michael Malone dropped back and launched a missile down the field, which was caught by wide receiver Jabari Cook for a 92-yard touchdown. Mendoza drilled another extra point drilled, and Grovetown led 14-0 with 5:34 left in the half.
It would turn out that would be enough for the Warriors to notch their second win of the season, but the Panthers still made it a game.
On the next Panther drive, quarterback Ben Herrington dropped back and found wide receiver Lawson Springs for a 60-yard touchdown. Springs added the PAT, and that made the score 14-7 with Grovetown up by a touchdown late in the half.
Clearly, the visitors were beginning to gain some traction.
Grovetown started off the third quarter at its own 35-yard line. This drive died out quickly, and Lakeside took over at the Warrior 40.
Lakeside’s drive also came to an end prematurely after a sack by Warrior defensive end Isiah Young forced a punt.
The hosts started their next drive at their own 11-yard line. After driving all the way to the Lakeside 35-yard line, running back Derrick Gowdy took the ball the rest of the way for the Warriors’ third touchdown of the night. Another extra point by Mendoza gave the Warriors a 21-7 lead as the third quarter ended.
Lakeside couldn’t respond on its following drive, as Herrington’s pass was intercepted by Warrior linebacker Coby Eckert, setting up the home team at the Panther 30.
Panthers’ defensive end Javion Bennett got a sack, causing a Grovetown fumble. Lakeside’s Colton Saxson recovered, giving the Panthers the ball at their own 40-yard line.
Both teams exchanged a pair of punts as the chances of winning for Lakeside dwindled.
On their second-to-last drive, the Panthers threw another interception, this time caught by defensive back Jaxson Armstrong, setting up Grovetown at the opposite 25, but the Warriors failed to convert on fourth down.
Herrington drove the Panthers all the way to the Warrior 20-yard line. Wide receiver Joey Curkovic then made a twisting reception for a touchdown. However, the extra point was blocked by safety Kenny Mathis for Grovetown, with the Warriors up 21-13 with just 15 seconds remaining in the game.
Despite recovering an onside kick, Lakeside failed to score.
Dedrick Mayo’s Warriors will hope to start a winning streak on Sept. 23 at home against Effingham County, while Brett Johnson’s Panthers will hope to get their first win at home that same night against Bradwell Institute.
William Reyes is an Augusta University student. Augusta Good News is an award-winning member of the Georgia Press Association, receiving a second place General Excellence in 2025 and 2026 Sign up for our free weekly newsletter here.
