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Rickman keeps cool, boots South to victory
Joell Laldee
South Effingham's Joell Laldee hauls in a late fourth-quarter touchdown pass Friday night. - photo by Photo by Gilbert Miller
Effingham Herald
Published: Sep 13, 2021, 9:55 AM

By Donald Heath

Special for the Effingham Herald

GUYTON — Friday night’s tense moment didn’t change the calm demeanor of South Effingham kicker Liam Rickman as he lined up for a game-winning field goal against visiting Wayne County.

“You can’t put yourself through that (mental) stress,” Rickman said. “I just thought God is going to get me through this. He always does.”

And with a perfect snap, a perfect hold and a little help from above, Rickman’s 38-yarder split the uprights as time expired to give the Mustangs a thrilling 33-30 victory over Wayne County.

SEHS (1-2) won its home opener after two 31-point setbacks on the road to Metter and Appling County to start the season.

The Mustangs stared at another potential blowout loss as the Yellow Jackets built a 23-7 third-quarter lead.

But, in a 180-degree turnaround, South, held to 77 total yards in the first half, found a way to score 26 points in the final 16 minutes. 

“We played two really, really good programs and to play tonight and get a win, it meant everything in the world,” SEHS coach Nathan Clark said.

Rickman’s kick began a celebration like it was 2019 — a season when the Mustangs shot to a 6-1 record. Rickman, then a sophomore, booted a game-winning 24-yarder in overtime to stun highly regarded Jenkins.

The SEHS football program needed this win even more now after losing 15 of its last 16 games.

On Friday night, an emotional group on the sidelines let loose and stormed the field to mob Rickman, now a senior.

“And we’re not done yet,” said smiling senior Cameron Edwards, who finished with 111 rushing yards and a touchdown on 24 bruising carries.

Fans began a chant of “Liam, Liam.” Rickman ran to the stands and received a much-deserved hug and kiss.

“I’m so proud of Liam,” Clark said. “He has really put so much time and effort into becoming a really good kicker. He’s committed his life to kicking the football. That’s the No. 1 priority for him and it shows.”

Mustang perseverance showed up as well Friday night. SEHS was outgained 383-194 in total yards but remained undaunted. Jamari Fields’ 89-yard kickoff return for a touchdown provided the Mustang’s only first-half points. Four of SEHS’s first five possessions ended in turnovers.

Clark said the team talked about staying positive.

“We talked about it — don’t think you’re going to lose, believe you can win,” Clark said. “I tell them all the time — good things happen to people who work hard. They kept fighting and believed.”

South’s belief was bolstered by Wayne County’s discombobulation within a two-minute span late in the third quarter. A fumble recovery at the 14 by sophomore Jeremiah Washington set up Edwards’ 3-yard TD run. Four plays later, sophomore safety Dominic Martell returned an interception 20 yards for another touchdown.

The Mustangs converted two-point conversions after each touchdown and the game was tied at 23.

On the next possession, Wayne methodically marched 80 yards on 10 plays, culminating on a 9-yard TD run by Tavoris Wilkins (his third TD of the game) to regain the lead, 30-23, with 10:14 left.

But South answered with a gritty 65-yard drive, converting a fourth-down play from its own 43-yard line and two more third-down plays.

The second third-down conversion — quarterback Kaden De Genaro 14-yard TD pass to Joell Laldee — knotted the game at 30 with 4:24 to play.

Aided by a holding call, SEHS defense stopped Wayne on three plays on the next possession — the first punt for either team in 15 straight possessions — and the Mustangs took over at their own 34 with about 3½ minutes to go.

More Yellow Jacket penalties followed and the visitors finished with 17 flags for 158 yards. A facemask call after a Wayne defender pulled down running back JaKeim Leeks at the 50 led to a 15-yard walkoff and an unsportsmanlike penalty doubled the sentence.

Suddenly, Rickman, who booted a 50-yard field goal against Appling a week earlier, was within game-winning distance at the 20. South ran three safe plays, positioning the ball in the middle of the field before calling timeout with three seconds left.

“Our program is still building,” Rickman said. “We’re getting better and better. That’s what it’s all about. We finally faced somebody comparable to us and we showed them.”
Effingham County Falls 34-33 to Clarke Central in Playoffs
Effingham County football
Jmere Doe-Davis rushed 194 yards on 26 carries, but Effingham County fell 34-33 to Clarke Central, marking the Rebels’ fifth straight first-round playoff loss. (Mark Lastinger / Effingham Herald)
Donald Heath
Updated: Nov 15, 2025, 4:54 AM
Published: Nov 15, 2025, 4:35 AM

SPRINGFIELD, Ga. — Effingham County watched a 16-point second-half lead disintegrate in a heartbreaking 34-33 loss to Clarke Central in the first round of the Class 5A state tournament Friday night at The Griff.

The Gladiators’ Tristan Thomas hauled in a 55-yard touchdown pass with 3:04 remaining, and quarterback Kamron Lawrence followed with a two-point conversion run to end the Rebels’ season.

It marked the fifth straight first-round playoff exit for ECHS in the last five seasons.

But this one hurt more than most.

“It’s terrible. You don’t get this time in your life back,” senior linebacker Duff Davis said. “I didn’t know tonight would be the last time taking off the pads, but you have to cherish it and enjoy every moment you get a chance to play.”

The Rebels (8-3), the No. 2 seed from Region 1, had every reason to believe another game awaited them. Even after Clarke Central rallied to tie the game in the fourth quarter, ECHS surged back in front, 33-26, on Jmere Doe-Davis’ 9-yard touchdown run with 3:41 left.

Doe-Davis finished with 194 yards on 26 carries. He handled the ball 11 times on the Rebels’ 12-play, 89-yard go-ahead drive.

But 37 seconds later, ECHS was behind for good.

“It’s a team loss. We played our hearts out. We just didn’t get the outcome we wanted,” Doe-Davis said. “We just didn’t execute at the same level we did at the beginning of the game. We came out flat in the second half.”

Effingham County football
Effingham County’s Duff Davis (27) and Marshawn Monroe (95) chase Clarke Central quarterback Kamron Lawrence during the Rebels’ 34-33 first-round playoff loss Friday. “It’s terrible. You don’t get this time in your life back,” Davis said after the game. (Mark Lastinger / Effingham Herald)

Rebels dominate late first half

After taking a 7-3 lead early in the second quarter, the game quickly slipped away from the Gladiators. Doe-Davis and the Rebels pounded Clarke Central’s three-man front for 78 rushing yards on the next possession — all but one yard from Doe-Davis — setting up Jackson Wilhoite’s second field goal, a 29-yarder, to cut the deficit to 7-6.

ECHS appeared to force a punt from the Gladiators’ 23 with less than three minutes left in the half. Central showed a fake but called timeout.

The Gladiators returned with the same fake — and this time were stopped. Collin McIntosh was dropped for a three-yard loss, giving the Rebels the ball at the 20.

Two plays later, quarterback Tucker Perkins found Noah Reese for a 14-yard touchdown, and Wilhoite’s PAT pushed ECHS ahead 13-7.

Things only worsened for Clarke Central. Lawrence fumbled on the next possession, and linebacker John Baker recovered at the Central 29.

Six plays later, Jernard Albright scored on a 2-yard run out of the wildcat with eight seconds left in the half, giving the Rebels a 19-7 lead.

Effingham County football
Jernard Albright (7) scores on a 2-yard run out of the wildcat formation, capping a key drive that showcased Effingham County’s balanced rushing attack against Clarke Central. (Mark Lastinger / Effingham Herald)

Clarke Central mounts a furious comeback

Clarke Central opened the second-half scoring with a field goal, but ECHS responded with Perkins’ 19-yard touchdown pass to Malik Letman to build a 26-10 advantage.

Perkins completed 20 of 28 passes for 195 yards and two touchdowns.

But the Gladiators kept swinging. Two touchdown runs by Nuhsi Valenti and a pair of two-point conversions pulled Clarke Central even. The second conversion came on a halfback reverse and throwback to Lawrence to tie the game at 26.

“They made adjustments. We were ready for it, but we didn’t execute like we should have,” Davis said.

Effingham County football
Noah Reese dives into the end zone for a touchdown, finishing off a 14-yard connection from quarterback Tucker Perkins. (Mark Lastinger / Effingham Herald)