5 takeaways from Lowndes' Winnersville Classic victory over rival Valdosta

The Vikings leaned on their run game, defense and sold out crowd to defeat the Wildcats on Friday night

Lowndes Vikings Football / Billy D. Photography

VALDOSTA, GEORGIA- In what was two years in the making for Lowndes' head coach Adam Carter and his staff, they notched what is now the signature win the Vikings have yearned for.

At Joe Wilson Field, also known as the 'Concrete Palace', Lowndes made a statement in front of a sold out crowd and pulled away with a 30-20 victory over rival Valdosta. The Vikings finish the regular season at 9-1 and the Wildcats end at 8-2 before next week's Class 6A.

High School On SI Georgia was on hand for the contest and gives five takeaways from the game:

1. Marvis Parrish's touchdown run heard round the town

Marvis Parrish/X

It would be Lowndes' running back Marvis Parrish putting the finishing touches on the Vikings' victory over their rivals with a touchdown run heard all throughout the 229. Parrish broke free on a 84-yard touchdown scamper, giving the Vikingsa 30-20 lead that they never looked back from. The senior finished the contest with 129 yards rushing on 15 carries, having a heavy hand in the Lowndes' effective ground game throughout the evening. Parrish was named the game's MVP by the Great American Rivalry Series after the contest for his performance.

2. Valdosta's offense just did not look like themselves

Valdosta quarterback Todd Robinson / Todd Robinson/X

Valdosta's hot start to the season has been derailed by what would look like the injury bug and you could tell quarterback Todd Robinson (Georgia commitment) wasn't at 100 percent on the night. Robinson (16-of-30, 176 yards) pushed through and completed five of his first six passes on the night, looking laser focused on the night. As the contest wore on, Robinson had a tough time evading defenders on the run and that hindered the Wildcats' offense a little bit on the night. If this Valdosta team can get healthy, the Wildcats could make another deep run in the postseason.

3. Can't forget about the play of Aalin Brown

Lowndes running back Aalim Brown is a candidate for South Georgia High School Football Player of the Week after rushing for 119 yards and two scores last week. / Lowndes Football

Another Lowndes' offensive player that had himself a huge night in the ground game was senior running back Aalim Brown, who pairs up with Parrish to present a dynamic duo out of the backfield. Brown ended the game rushing for a game-high 164 yards on 12 carries, scoring a touchdown early on. Though Parrish ended up winning the game's most valuable player award, the efforts of Brown cannot be overlooked.

4. Could we see a rematch between the rivals?

Valdosta takes on Colquitt County on Friday, Oct. 11, in a clash of South Georgia high school football titans. / Zach Edmondson

The two teams reside out of AAAAAA, Region 1 so the possibility of these two teams meeting up again is absolutely there. Problem is, can both teams make it through the playoffs in order for that to happen. With the way Lowndes is playing as of late, we could see Carter's bunch making a deep run this year. For Valdosta, it seems a little bit harder to see at this point. The Wildcats have lost two out of their last three contest and barely edged out Tift County. Like we aforementioned, if Valdosta can get healthy, watch out. Anything can happen in the playoffs.

5. Winnersville Classic vibes were unmatched

This is incredible.

South Georgia high school football at its finest. pic.twitter.com/AyFADB3Nf6

— Andy Villamarzo (@Andy_Villamarzo) November 1, 2024

Now, we've seen some tremendous high school atmospheres around the southeast, including Niceville over in the Florida Panhandle. Nothing compared to what was going on at the Concrete Palace on Friday night. A Sold out crown combined with the energy throughout the stadium reminded folks of how great this game was in the past. The previous couple of meetings to this year were big, but this time around with both clubs sitting at 8-1, the stakes were higher than ever before. Everything about the vibes made you understand that South Georgia high school football is just different.

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-- Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @sblivega