Athens Academy keeps rolling
If you thought No. 1 (Private) Athens Academy’s roll to a third consecutive region title and possible second consecutive trip to the state finals would be slowed by the resurgent program at George Walton Academy, you thought wrong.
The Spartans (6-0, 2-0 in Region 9-Division A) led 28-0 at halftime on the way to a 38-7 beat down of the Bulldogs (5-2, 1-1). According to the Athens Banner Herald, Athens Academy got three touchdowns from junior QB/DB Palmer Bush (two passing, one running) and two from senior RB/DB Kurt Knisely en route to the win, which was also the 50th for Athens Academy coach Josh Alexander, who is 50-7 in four-plus seasons. He’s the seventh-fastest football coach in Georgia to win 50 games.
Knisely scored the Spartans’ first touchdown on a 1-yard run with 8:30 left in the first quarter. Three minutes later, Bush hit sophomore RB/DB Wally Terrell on a 4-yard touchdown pass to give Athens Academy a 14-0 lead. With 10:03 left in the second quarter, Knisely scored on a 4-yard run and Bush threw a 40-yard touchdown strike to senior ATH Kale Anderson to put the Spartans up 28-0 at the half. With 7:07 left in the third quarter, Bush scored on a 5-yard run and in the fourth quarter senior place-kicker James Williams kicked a field goal to complete the Spartans’ scoring.
Christian Heritage bounces back strong
No. 10 (Private) Christian Heritage rebounded from a tough loss to No. 4 (Private) Darlington last week (29-22) and exacted a bit of revenge with a 52-6 shellacking of Trion (5-2, 2-2 in Region 6-Division A).
Trion won last year’s contest, 26-7, in a game where a number of Christian Heritage’s key players were out with various injuries. But after a scoreless first quarter, the Lions stepped on the gas with three touchdowns in a three-minute span in the second. Sophomore QB Christian Thomas scored on a 16-yard touchdown run one minute into the period. Lion RB/LB Gage Leonard blocked a Trion punt on the Bulldogs’ ensuing possession, and senior RB/LB Ethan Smith recovered it in the end zone to push the lead to 14-0. Less than two minutes later, junior WR/DB Evan Lester made a one-handed catch of a pass from Thomas for a 40-yard touchdown and a 21-0 lead for Christian Heritage.
Trion scored just before halftime on a 4-yard run by Rob Brown, but missed the extra point, and the Lions put the game away for good with two more touchdowns in the third quarter – a 47-yard reception by Lester and a 3-yard run by Leonard.
Manchester wears down Pacelli
Coming off of a 44-0 blowout of Central-Talbotton, Manchester’s offense struggled to get going against Columbus-area rival Pacelli. The Blue Devils trailed 3-0 at halftime and led just 6-3 going into the fourth quarter. But Manchester pulled away in the fourth, fueled by its power running game, led by senior RB/LB Tylan Hollis’ 149 yards rushing on just 12 carries, including a touchdown. The Blue Devils completed just two passes in the game, but one was a 56-yard touchdown from QB Morgan Raymond to WR/DB Nick Foster.
