West Laurens Stuns Westside Augusta to Claim First Undefeated Season Ever and First Region Title Since 2019
Raiders dominate top-five showdown behind Ty Cummings’ monster performance, finishing 10-0 for the first time in program history to earn their fourth region title in program history
DEXTER, Georgia – (41NBC/WMGT) – In a battle of unbeaten teams with the Region 4-AAA championship on the line, West Laurens left no doubt. The Raiders stormed past Westside of Augusta 27-3 Friday night at Horseshoe Stadium, completing their first-ever 10-0 regular season and capturing their first region crown since 2019.
Behind senior running back Ty Cummings, the Raiders set the tone early. Just seven minutes into the game, Cummings, the classification’s top rusher, broke free for a 75-yard touchdown to give West Laurens a 7-0 lead. The Raiders’ defense held strong all night, forcing Westside to settle for a pair of early field goal attempts, one of which was blocked by Jaden Stanley.
Late in the first half, quarterback Cason Pollack connected with Juvon Hill on a deep strike down the right sideline, extending the Raiders’ lead to 13-3 after a missed PAT.
In the second half, the West Laurens offense continued to roll. Cummings added another long touchdown run – this time from 37 yards out – to push the lead to 20-3. By the fourth quarter, the Raiders had full control. After a botched snap on fourth down by the Patriots, Cummings ripped off a 64-yard run, surpassing 2,000 rushing yards on the season. Shannon Adkins capped the drive with a one-yard touchdown plunge to seal the win.
The victory also served as redemption for head coach Kip Burdette and the Raiders, who fell to Westside by three scores in last season’s meeting – the first between the two programs.
“It’s a gratifying night for sure,” Burdette said after the game. “This group of seniors, they’ve been through a lot, 1-9, 2-8 their freshman and sophomore years, but they never gave up. They never lost faith in the coaching staff or in each other. To see them finish 10-0, I’m just really proud of the kids and the coaches.”
West Laurens now turns its attention to the Class AAA state playoffs, riding the momentum of a perfect regular season and its fourth region championship in program history.
Burdette said he plans to take a short break before the postseason, spending Friday night as a fan watching his father coach Mary Persons, before getting back to work to keep the Raiders’ historic run going into the playoffs.
GHSA playoff standings will be released Sunday afternoon.
