Sports

AAA wrap: Calhoun's Riley finds a way ... again

By Stan Awtrey
Sept 5, 2015
Is there any moment too big for Calhoun’s Kaelan Riley? It certainly doesn’t appear to be after the senior quarterback led the No. 1-ranked Yellow Jackets to a 24-20 come-from-behind win over Carrollton on Friday night.
Riley rushed 14 times for 129 yards and scored on an 8-yard run. He completed 20 of 27 passes for 254 yards and two touchdowns, a 19-yarder to Ethan Woodward and a 14-yarder to Landon Rice for the game-winner with 4:26 left.
Riley has been a winner at every sport he’s played at the school. It looks like Mercer, which has a commitment from Riley to play football, has gotten itself a steal.

Three scores for Hardman: It wasn't quite as dramatic, but No. 4 Elbert County's 34-30 win over Stephens County was equally impressive for the people who packed the Granite Bowl. The Blue Devils were led by big-time recruit Mecole Hardman, as the quarterback rushed 15 times for 139 yards and scored three touchdowns and one two-point conversion.

Elbert County (2-0) isn’t a one-man show. La’kel Hood has proven to be a bullish, dependable runner; he scored a touchdown on a 1-yard run. Jason Bowman returned a kickoff 81 yards for the other score.
The Elbert County defense was stretched against the deeper Stephens County team, but dug deep in the fourth quarter. Nate Huff and A.J. Edwards each came up with sacks in the final minute to secure the win.

Allen to Maldonado proves big : No. 7 Hart County had more trouble than expected in its 38-25 win over pesky Franklin County. The Bulldogs (2-0) were sparked by the passing connection of quarterback Robert Allen Jr. to Zach Maldonado. They hooked up three times for touchdowns of 58, 55 and 43 yards.

Tray Clarke scored on a 2-yard run and P.J. Rucker blocked a punt, which was recovered and returned for a touchdown by Jalen Brown.

Jefferson, Wood roll again: Sophomore tailback Colby Wood had another big night for No. 5 Jefferson in a 35-0 win over North Hall. He rushed 13 times for 134 yards and two touchdowns, increasing his yardage total to 636 yards.

Quarterback Bryce Moore completed 7 of 12 passes for 127 yards and one touchdown and Darrian Hill rushed 16 times for 63 yards and two touchdowns.
The Dragons came up big on defense, too, limiting North Hall to 73 yards rushing and four first downs.

Peach rebounds with win: No. 9 Peach County enjoyed a good bounce-back week after an ugly loss to Warner Robins. The Trojans outslugged rival Perry 13-6, with the defense coming up with two big stops in the four quarter.

The Redding brothers made a difference for Peach County. Shamarcus Reddington had a momentum-changing interception and Otha Redding scored on a 3-yard run. James Jackson led Peach County with 62 yards rushing, but the game-winning score came on a 1-yard run by Antonio Gilbert.

Ugly loss for Washington County : No. 10 Washington County fumbled six times in a 38-14 loss to Mary Persons and has started the season 0-2 for the first time since 2007. Quarterback Houston Channell completed 13 of 28 passes for 211 yards, including a 19-yard touchdown to Markevese Latimer.  The Golden Hawks are likely to fall out of the rankings with the loss.

Who's coming in? With WACO and No. 8 Pierce County (a 41-40 loser to Bacon County) likely to leave the rankings, who are the most likely candidates to be included. Best bets are: Westside Macon (2-0), which crunched Harris County, 30-10; Central Carroll (2-0), which defeated BEST Academy, 33-12; Adairsville (2-0), which had the week off prior to its game with Ringgold; and West Hall (2-0), which clobbered Chestatee, 42-3.

Week 3 Game Recaps and Scores

About the Author

Stan Awtrey

More Stories