Here are a few of the highlights from Friday night:
Tattnall Square makes a statement. The best private school team in Class A might be a team that could not get out of the first round of the Georgia Independent Schools Association state playoffs last season. Tattnall Square of Macon, which began competing in the Georgia High Schools Association this season after competing in the GISA since 1971, moved to 6-0, 5-0 in Region 7, Division A, with a convincing 24-7 win over Bibb County rival Stratford Academy (3-3, 2-2). Just three weeks ago, Stratford came within seconds of upsetting top-ranked Aquinas, the defending Class A private champions. But Friday, the Eagles were dominated by the Trojans from the outset and Tattnall never looked back, jumping out to a 14-0 lead on two first-half touchdown runs by senior running back Jonathan Ward who finished with 104 yards on 18 carries, and scoring runs of 44 and 28 yards, according to the Macon Telegraph. Last season, Tattnall finished 8-3 and was upset in the first round of the GISA state playoffs. One of those regular season losses was at the hands of Stratford (14-13), which also is in its first season of competition in the GHSA after advancing to the title game of the GISA's largest classification last year.
No. 4 Calvary Day survives showdown of unbeaten teams. Calvary Day had been averaging just under 36 points per game and was undefeated going into Friday's battle with Savannah-area rival Savannah Christian, also unbeaten and ranked No. 7. But it was the defense that ruled the day and kept Calvary Day perfect (6-0, 3-0 in Region 3-Division A) as the Cavaliers hung on for a 7-3 win. Savannah Christian's only points of the night came in the first quarter on a 27-yard field goal by Logan Tovar, after the Raiders were held out of the end zone by Calvary Day, in spite of having a first-and-goal at the Cavalier 4-yard line. The Cavaliers scored the game's only touchdown on a 1-yard run by Robert Heyward in the third quarter, set up by a 44-yard punt return to the Raiders' 1-yard line by Jeremiah Mercer.
Fellowship Christian stuns Mt. Pisgah Christian. Fellowship Christian of Roswell came into Friday's game against Mt. Pisgah Christian with everything stacked against it. The Paladins had three losses to three teams with a combined record of 6-13, they had lost the last five meetings with Mt. Pisgah by an average score of 35-7, and they fell behind 14-0 in the first quarter on Friday. But Fellowship (3-3, 3-0 in Region 6, Division B) roared back, scoring 33 unanswered points, and the Paladins pulled one of the biggest upsets of the weekend, 33-28 over Mt. Pisgah (4-2, 2-1), which had won four straight after dropping its season opener.
In other games… No. 5 Hawkinsville (7-0, 5-0) tightened its grip on the Region 4 lead with a 28-13 win over Dooly County (4-2, 2-2) … Claxton (5-1, 3-0) kept pace with Calvary Day in the race for the lead in Region 3, Division A, with a 35-21 win over Jenkins County (4-2, 0-2) … On the other side of Region 3, Emanuel County Institute (5-1, 1-0) is now the front runner after downing Johnson County (3-4, 1-1), 32-27 … Eagle's Landing Christian Academy (1-6, 1-0) broke into the win column with a 49-20 victory over Strong Rock (3-3, 0-1) in the Region 5 opener for both schools.
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