CANEY BAY — Bacon County quarterback Scottland Hennesy threw for a career-high 299 yards and four touchdowns leading the Red Raiders to a season- ending 41-15 victory here over Brantley County.
Hennesy’s 11 completions were to five different receivers. Santigo Bizzell caught four passes for 163 yards and three touchdowns covering 12, 56 and 52 yards. Isaiah Thomas had three catches for 98 yards including a 57-yard scoring strike.
The victory ended the Red Raiders’ (5-5 overall, 2-4 Region 1) three-game losing streak while the loss finished off a winless campaign for the Herons (010, 0-6), who will enter 2026 on an 11-game slide.
Bacon County was one of six region members to earn a spot in the 32-team Class A DI playoff field. The 21st-seed Red Raiders open Friday, November 14 at seventh-ranked Swainsboro (8-2), seeded 12th with GHSA giving playoff teams an open date.
Top-ranked region winner Worth County (10-0) is seeded third and will host 30th-seed McNair (37). Eighth-ranked region runner-up Fitzgerald (73), the ninth seed, is hosting 24th-seed ACE Charter (5-5).
Fifth-ranked Thomasville (7-3) is seeded 13th and will host 20th-seed Putnam County (5-5). Jeff Davis (7-3), who finished fourth in the region standings, is a 19th seed and will travel to 10th-ranked Bleckley County (8-2), seeded 14th.
Berrien (3-7), who placed sixth in the seventeam region, is seeded 31st and travels to sixthranked Lamar County (100), a No. 2 seed.
Bacon County scored on six of its nine possessions with drives of 60, 77, 82, 75, 90 and 57 yards. The Red Raiders racked up 488 yards of offense with 189 on the ground to go with the 299 through the air.
The Herons had a productive night on the ground finishing with 125 yards. They had 72 yards through the air with quarterback Kaden Hendrix completing 7-of-22 passes. He was intercepted on the first play of the game and late in the fourth quarter.
The offense scored on three consecutive possessions in the second period taking advantage of short fields. Brantley County’s touchdown drives covered 40 and 46 yards. A field goal just before halftime was set up by starting at the Red Raiders’ 48.
Head coach David Shores emptied the playbook starting with a fleaflicker pass on the first play of the game. Michael Dixon intercepted the pass setting up Bacon County at its own 40.
The Red Raiders needed nine plays and 3:44 of possession time to score with Hennessy connecting with Bizzell for 12 yards on a slant pattern. Isaiah Thomas added the PAT for a 7-0 lead with 7:56 on the first quarter clock.
Bacon County followed the Herons’ first punt of the night with a 77-yard scoring drive in six plays. Hennesy connected with Bizzell for the 56-yard score with 2:09 remaining in the opening stanza. Hennesy hooked up with Scooter Johnson on the two-point conversion pushing the lead out to 15-0.
The visitors, hit with a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty on the touchdown and a five-yard offsides penalty on the kickoff, booted the ball from their 20. Brantley County returned the ball to the Red Raiders’ 40.
The Herons needed eight plays to cover the distance in 4:43 of clock time. Facing fourth-andone at the Bacon County four, Mason Kicklighter took the direct snap after Hendrix went in motion and plowed his way into the end zone for the score. Aiden Kratzer’s PAT doinked left off the crossbar leaving the score at 156 with 9:26 remaining in the half.
Brantley County’s next offensive series began at the Red Raiders’ 46 following a three-and-out. Kicklighter ripped off runs of 10 and 12 yards to get the drive moving.
Saunders finished it with a 27-yard run two plays later closing the deficit to 15-12. Kratzer pulled the PAT left of the uprights leaving the Herons in a three-point hole with 5:20 on the clock.
Bacon County responded aided by two 15yard penalties against the Herons in a five-play, 82yard drive. Outside the two penalties covering 30 yards, Hennesy and Bizzell hooked up for a 43yard pass completion moving the ball to the Brantley County one.
Theron Moore scored on second and goal bulling his way across the goal line. The Thomas PAT sailed wide right leaving the score at 21-12 with 3:16 left in the first half.
The Herons’ next drive started at the Bacon County 48. They moved down to the Red Raiders’ 13 before stalling on a 22yard pass from Hendrix to Dennis Raulerson (two catches, 24 yards). The 30-yard field goal cleared the crossbar with 9.3 seconds on the clock slicing the lead to 21-15.
Bacon County scored on the opening possession of the second half with a seven-play, 75-yard march. Hennesy connected with Bizzell for 52 yards and the touchdown with 8:48 remaining in the third period. The pass for the two-point conversion failed leaving the score at 27-15.
Neither team threatened the rest of the quarter.
The Red Raiders moved 90 yards in nine plays on their first possession of the final period. Bacon County, after gaining nothing on the first snap, ripped off three consecutive 20-yard plays moving the ball to the Herons’ 30.
Two runs by Jamon Ellis advanced the ball to the Brantley County nine. After a five-yard penalty, the Red Raiders scored two plays later when Ellis darted 14 yards for the touchdown. Thomas doinked the PAT off the inside of the upright for a 34-15 advantage with 6:55 to play.
Bacon County scored its next touchdown after forcing a punt on the Herons’ ensuing possession. Hennesy and Thomas connected on a 57-yard pass play on first down. Thomas nailed the PAT for a 41-15 working margin with 5:18 remaining.
