Lowndes (Georgia) football off to a hot start

The Vikings are 2-0 and match up against a quality Central Gwinnett team tonight in South Georgia

Lowndes' home field of Martin Stadium can be seen just off of Interstate 75 in Southern Georgia /

Lowndes head coach Adam Carter is no stranger when it comes to winning football. 

When Carter was hired back in December, 2022, expectations were obvious: Get the Vikings back into the state title conversation. 

The 2023 season came and went, with Lowndes being anything but a program in that aforementioned talk. 

Lowndes ended the campaign at 4-6, missing out on the postseason after starting the season 3-0, but finishing 1-6 the final seven games of the season. Now, they have a similar winning formula to start 2024, but there’s a different feel about the Vikings as they face Central Gwinnett (2-0) tonight at home. 

The Vikings’ two victories have come in romps over Jenkins (49-0) and Mt. Zion (62-0) to start the season, fueling a hot start once again in Year 2 of Carter. 

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Defensively, Lowndes (2-0) has been opportunistic in taking away the football, with the Vikings only yielding one touchdown and forcing six turnovers. They’ll face a Black Knights squad that’s been equally as stingy when it comes to allowing points themselves, as Central Gwinnett hasn’t allowed a single point through two games. 

Lowndes’ offense has received steady play under center from sophomore quarterback Jayce Johnson, who has been impressive through two starts. Johnson so far has completed 19-of-26 passes for 287 yards and four touchdowns. 

A staple of Carter’s offense from a year ago has always been running the football effectively and the Vikings have certainly done that well. Lowndes has seen 15 different players run the ball this season and a couple seniors are leading the way. 

Senior running backs Marvis Parrish and Aalim Brown are the team’s top rushers at 172 yards and 119, respectively. Johnson has added 71 himself and Desmond Frazier has tallied 94 yards on 12 attempts. 

Balance on the offensive side of the ball has been more evident this season, but Carter’s group now enters a treacherous part of the schedule starting with Central Gwinnett. After this game, things do not get any easier for the Vikings. 

Next week, Lowndes will welcome into town a team from the Sunshine State in the Manatee Hurricanes, led by former Florida Gators’ standout Jacquez Green. The Hurricanes will trot out Army commitment Andrew Heidel at quarterback, possibly posing the toughest threat to Lowndes’ secondary to date. 

The rest of the schedule is your typical run through the South Georgia gauntlet, with games against Colquitt County, Tift County, Camden Countt, Richmond Hill and ending the year with the rivalry game against Valdosta at home. 

There’s no doubt Lowndes can be a different team under Carter this time around, but they’ll need to prove it against quality opponents. That begins tonight against Central Gwinnett. 

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