ALBANY — South Effingham, a No. 4 seed that had to upset No. 1 Westside Macon last week just to secure the trip to Hugh Mills Stadium, beat Westover 41-28 on Friday in the Class AAAA state football playoffs.
The Mustangs (8-4) will move on and face Monroe Area next week.
Westover, which posted just its fifth winning season in school history this year and hosted a state playoff game for the first time, saw its year end at 8-4.
Josh Mercer rushed for 125 yards in the game, including three touchdowns, and caught a TD. The Mustangs also benefited from four Westover turnovers.
Westover fell behind 14-0 early. The Patriots fumbled on their first two series — once inside their own 1-yard line and once at midfield — and South Effingham made them pay with two quick TDs.
Cordaro Leverett scored on a 1-yard run, and Mercer scored from the 4.
The Patriots answered right back, first on a T.J. Cromer 1-yard QB sneak and then Cromer found Jackie Childs from 20 yards out to even the score.
Effingham answered with a 16-yard TD pass from Brandon James to Mercer before halftime to make it 21-14 at intermission.
South Effingham chewed up more than six minutes off the clock on its opening drive after the half and score in the third quarter, with Mercer scoring from the 8, but missed the PAT pass, and the score stood at 27-14.
Westover answered with a five-play, 60-yard drive, capped with a 3-yard TD run, but South Effingham broke the Patriots’ back with two long drives for TDs in the fourth quarter to seal it.
Corey Horne scored from the 2 to cap the first, and Mercer roared in from 35 yards out for the second.
Westover backup QB Ta’Keevian Harris came on and scored a meaningless TD with 56 seconds left for WHS.
Jeremiah Mercer had a 33-yard punt return for the Mustangs, and Conner Boyles blocked a punt.
South Effingham 14 7 6 14 — 41
Westover 0 14 7 7 — 28
SE—Cordaro Leverett 1 run (pass failed)
SE—Josh Mercer 4 run (Mercer run)
W—T.J. Cromer 3 run (Tanner Stump kick)
W—Cromer 20 pass to Jackie Childs (Stump kick)
S—Mercer 16 pass from Brandon James (Andrew Leahy kick)
S—Josh Mercer 8 run (pass failed)
W—D. Greene 3 run (Stumph kick)
S—Corey Horne 2 (Jeremiah Mercer pass from James)
S—Josh Mercer 35 run (kick failed)
W—Ta’Keevian Harris run (Stumph kick)