Class A Football: Landmark and ELCA fall; Mt. Paran rolls; Turner upsets Dooly; Walker's coach takes a shot?

GAC too much for ELCA

Nursing a bunch of injuries, including senior quarterback DJ Hammond's tweaked back, a shorthanded ELCA (1-2) eventually fell to Class AA No. 3 Greater Atlanta Christian (1-1), 33-3, in Norcross. The Chargers trailed just 14-0 at halftime but couldn't get their power running game going against a big and physical Spartan defense. Sophomore RB Josh Mays led the way with 70 yards on 15 carries.

Mt. Paran rolls

The Eagles got 177 yards rushing and three touchdowns from Taylor Trammell en route to a 42-18 thumping of Class AAA North Clayton. One of Trammell’s three scores came on a 23-yard pick six in the second quarter. QB Matthew Norton completed 5 of 6 passes for 103 yards and two touchdowns, and contributed 66 yards rushing.

A shot across the bow from Walker’s Matt Casper?

Walker (1-1) got a 6-yard touchdown run from Lawson Ashby early in the fourth quarter to take a 21-20 lead over King's Ridge (0-1), and then forced a Tiger fumble deep in Walker territory late in the game to seal a hard fought 21-20 win. Afterward, Wolverine head coach Matt Casper had this to say to the Marietta Daily Journal's Mason Wittner. Think he meant anything by this comment:

“What I’m most proud of is that we’re trying to do things the right way here (at Walker). We are working with the kids we have and we’re trying to make them the best possible football players they can be. So, to beat a team like (King’s Ridge) that has incredible athletes all over the field, is a great testament to our kids and the work they’ve put in.”

Turner blows out Dooly

Turner County snapped a three-game losing streak to Dooly County with an emphatic 50-6 win over the Bobcats. The Rebel victory should rank as one of the weekend's most surprising upsets, considering Turner is 14-18 over the last three seasons while Dooly is 27-11. According to those trusty Maxwell Projections, Dooly was supposed to win by three touchdowns. Missed it by that much.

A look ahead to next week

Eagle's Landing Christian (1-2) at Mt. Pisgah Christian (1-1).  ELCA will take a break from facing teams from larger classifications but will have to deal with a Patriot team that beat them 28-21 last season and is 21-6 since head coach Mike Forrester took over three years ago at the school in Johns Creek. Both squads will be looking to rebound from blowout losses to ranked Class AA schools. ELCA fell to Greater Atlanta Christian, 33-3, while Mt. Pisgah was beaten by Rabun County, 35-10.

Commerce (2-0) vs. Class AAA Jefferson (3-0). Commerce will look to end its two-game losing streak in one of the oldest rivalries in Georgia high school football. Commerce and Jefferson have faced each other every year, with the exception of 1950, since 1947. Commerce holds a commanding 42-22-5 lead in the series but the Tigers have lost seven of the last eight to the Dragons. Both teams are coming off of 35-0 shutout wins – Commerce over Hebron Christian of Dalton and Jefferson over North Hall.

Week 3 Game Recaps and Scores