The Berkmar Patriots won big on the road Friday night, snapping the program's 47-game losing streak with a 44-0 victory over Cross Keys. Led by first-year coach Willie Gary, Berkmar took a 14-0 lead thanks to four carries by Johnathan Wiley for 62 yards and two scores. Quarterback Donte Henry took over in the second quarter with a 33-yard completion to Dionte Evans in the endzone and a trip there himself on the following possession. The Patriots defense held Cross Keys to 28 total yards in the first half, and Henry added to Berkmar's 210 first-half yards two plays into the third with a 41-yard touchdown run and a 35-0 lead. Miles Bryant had a 65-yard rushing score of his own four minutes later, and Omar Contreras hit a 32-yard field goal for a 44-0 final.
CLASS AAAAAAA
Lambert 42, Chattahoochee 14
Host Lambert racked up 312 yards of offense in the first half and stormed to a 35-0 lead. Gailil Guillamue ran in two touchdowns and Peyton Rich threw touchdown passes to Braden Bamburowski and Zach Ogbogu, who also rushed for a 27-yard score in the first half action. Max Webb ran in a 1-yard Chattahoochee touchdown in the third quarter and Ogbogu pushed the lead back to 42-7 entering the final quarter with a 60-yard touchdown run. Chattahoochee’s Damon Stewart (46-yard touchdown run) provided the only points of the fourth quarter.
Mountain View 27, Hughes 7
Both teams had a quiet first quarter, resulting in a temporary quarterback change from Mountain View's Senior Quarterback Luke Hennebaul to Junior Garrett Spikes. Hennebaul returned to the game after missing only one drive, however, and began to gain his rhythm in the second. After Hughes struck in the second quarter with a long pass from Zadrien White to Nae'Saan Dickerson for a 39-yard touchdown, Hennebaul answered with a 91-yard touchdown pass to Senior receiver Tommy Stewart to tie the game at 7-7. Stewart scored again late in the third, snagging a 10-yard touchdown from Hennebaul to extend the Bear's lead to 14-7. The Bears defense did a great job of keeping the Panthers offense off the field for the remainder of the game, giving their offense great field positioning to set up Stewart's third touchdown of the night.
North Cobb 15, Etowah 13
North Cobb struck first against host Etowah early in the first quarter, gaining a quick lead of 8-0 after a touchdown from Senior Christian Singleton and a successful 2-point conversion. The Eagles responded by gaining great field positioning from a 32-yard kickoff return, but a high snap during their drive resulted in a Warriors fumble recovery on Etowah's 45-yard line. Etowah's Justin Sherrer came up big with an interception to set up a 53-yard field goal attempt, but the kick from Senior kicker Sean Hopper was no good. North Cobb's second score came in the second quarter after a stomping 55-yard run by Tommieo Walker out of the Warrior backfield. Etowah managed to mount a comeback with a pair of second-half touchdowns but failed to score on a two-point conversion.
Kennesaw Mountain 48, Paulding County 14
The Kennesaw Mountain Mustangs beat the Paulding County Patriots in a convincting 48-14 victory, due in part to a standout performance from Jarett Guest. Guest had his hand in the Mustangs' 21 first quarter points, with a 9 yard rush, a 3 yard rush, and a 19 yard pass to Rashaad Maynor. The Mustangs ended the second half with a 34-14 lead thanks to a 14 yard pass to Ryland Goede from Guest and a 1 yard rush by Keyon Brooks. The 3rd quarter saw another touchdown pass from Guest to Goede, and another touchdown from Brooks. Both teams went scoreless in the fourth.
Brookwood 45, Peachtree Ridge 14
The Brookwood Broncos bounced back after a loss in the season opener with a big victory over visiting Peachtree Ridge. The Broncos took 14-0 lead in the 1st quarter, adding a field goal in the second before the Lions got on the board. Peachtree Ridge scored two straight touchdowns to cut their deficit to 17-14 at half, but the Broncos opened up the 2nd half with another score to extend their lead to 24-14 after three quarters. Brookwood scored 21 points in the fourth to pull away with a blow out victory of 45-14 over the Lions. It was big night for the running back duo of Chris Carter and Eli Khol. The two exchanged back-and-forth scores giving Carter two touchdowns on the night while Khol picked up a third score in the 4th quarter. Quarterback Conner Chavis finished off the scoring on a QB keeper late in the game.
Mill Creek 49, Dacula 21
A quick touchdown by Chancellor Parker on Mill Creek's first drive and an interception return from R.J. Smith put the Hawks up 14-0 over visiting Dacula in the first. Dacula answered with a 79-yard touchdown catch to Deontaye Brown late in the first. Mill Creek’s offense found pay dirt twice more before the end of the first half, with Senior quarterback Baxley Harris connecting with Ziyad Wiley before rushing one in himself. Leading 28-7 coming into the third, Parker kept the scoring spree going with a 66-yard touchdown run to start the second half. Dacula found the end zone once more following a pass interference call, but could not surpass the hefty lead the Hawks had put in place.
Walton 29, Collins Hill 25
Walton struck first during their opening drive against Collins Hill with a pass from Senior quarterback Austin Kirksey to Senior wide receiver Kendall Alford. Near the end of the first, JaQuan Reece returned a kickoff to the end zone for an Eagles' touchdown, making it a 7-6 game. Walton came close to a last-second touchdown to end the first half, but Kirksey's pass was intercepted in the end zone to send the teams to their lockers. Collins Hill took 6 minutes off the clock on their second-half opening drive, capped off by a touchdown to take a 12-7 lead. The Eagle's defense came up big, recovering a fumble to set up a second third-quarter touchdown to extend their lead to 19-7. With 11:42 left in the game, Kirksey connected with Dominick Blaylock to score the Raiders first points since the first quarter. A quarterback sneak into the end zone from Kirksey followed by a successful 2-point conversion gave Walton a 22-19 lead with 8:16 left to play. With less than five minutes remaining, the Eagle's took the lead back, giving them a three-point lead with little time for Walton to recover. Kirksey was unphased by the diminishing game clock, passing from the pocket to his main target Blaylock for the game-winning touchdown.
Central Gwinnett 35, Lanier 7
Central Gwinnett won its first game of the season, defeating visiting Lanier 35-7 with a three-touchdown performance by Justin Wilkins and a near-shutout from the Black Knights defense. After a 6-minute grind down the field on the opening possession, Central Gwinnett settled for a 3-0 lead. A muffed punt by Lanier on the following possession put the ball back in the hands of quarterback Justin Fomby on Lanier's 15, who quickly found Kameron King for a 10-0 Black Knights lead. Lanier's only score of the night came on a short run by quarterback Zach Calzada, who was sacked six times and exited the game late in the third quarter after his second run-in with Aubrey Smith. Central Gwinnett scored the final 25 points, including three straight trips to the endzone by Wilkins — the second of which set up by Xavier Crosby's blocked punt — and a 12-yard run by Derrick Daniel for a 35-7 final.
North Forsyth 24, Gainesville 21
North Forsyth eked out a 24-21 victory, spoiling Gainesville's home opener with a go-ahead touchdown in the final seconds of the game. Senior running back Quintavious Hayes rushed 39-yards through several tacklers to give Gainesville a 7-0 lead, but North Forysth's senior Quarterback Carter Mullikin tied it up with 1:24 in the first with a 1-yard rushing score after a 33-yard completion to Junior receiver Nicky Dalmolin. A pair of missed field goals from both teams kept the game tied for most of the second until Gainesville Junior quarterback Walt Dixon connected with Justice Johnson for a 65-yard touchdown play. 40 and 30-yard field goals from Thor Billstrom cut into the Red Elephants lead, and the Raiders headed to the locker room trailing 14-13. A quiet third quarter was disrupted by Hayes, who found the end zone again after a burst up the middle from 17 yards out, extending Gainesville's lead to 21-13 to end the third. A 36-yard field goal from North Forsyth shortened the gap, but the 6:38 game clock left them little time to produce. Gainesville gained control of the ball with 2:12 left to play, but were forced to punt the ball to the Raiders. North Forsyth took full advantage of their last possession as Mullikin found Charlie Aiken up the middle for a 20-yard touchdown with 20.2 seconds left in the game to secure the win.
Roswell 42, Campbell 14
The Roswell offense came out hot through the first half of their matchup against Campbell, scoring 5 of their 6 touchdowns before the end of the second quarter. Senior running back Kamonty Jett found the end zone first after an explosive run out of the backfield. On the Hornets next drive, Senior Jeremy Slaughter took a carry and delivered it straight into the end zone to extend Roswell's lead to 14. Junior quarterback Ethan Roberts capped off the first quarter scoring spree with a pass to Junior receiver Jacob Jarrett. Roberts and Jarrett connected again for a score early in the second, followed by Campbell's first touchdown of the night to make it a 21-7 game. Roberts found Junior John Copenhaver later in the second, but the receiver fumbled the ball into the end zone. Luckily, Senior Tripp Cooper was there to secure the ball and the touchdown. Roberts and Jarrett made magic again in the third to finish off the Hornets scoring and give the receiver his third touchdown of the night.
CLASS AAAAAA
North Paulding 38, South Paulding 13
The North Paulding Wolfpack used a well-rounded offensive game to beat the South Paulding Spartans. The Wolfpack started strong with a 14-0 first-quarter lead, thanks to a touchdown catch by Luke Dabbelt from Ross Malgren, and a Spartan fumble that was recovered by North Paulding's Matthew Hoffman and returned to the endzone. North Paulding's Brock Travelstead completed three field goals in the second, and Jared Ray returned an 80-yard kickoff to the endzone following South Paulding's first touchdown. The Wolfpack went into the second half with a 31-13 edge. South Paulding went scoreless for the remainder of the game, and Kollin Etheridge scored North Paulding's final touchdown on a pass from Ross Malmgren in the third quarter.
CLASS AAAAA
Cass 19, Adairsville 10
Visiting Adairsville took a 7-0 lead off a 26-yard touchdown pass from Derrick Simmons to Malachi Gardner with 8:32 left in the opening quarter. Cass quarterback Rett Moore scored on a 1-yard run, but a failed PAT left the Colonels trailing until Moore’s second touchdown run, 5-yard keeper in the second quarter (and another failed conversion) grew a 12-7 lead. Adairsville’s Chris Rodriguez drilled a 38-yard field goal on the final play of the half to make it 12-10 and Moore iced the game with his third rushing touchdown on the first play of the final quarter from 1-yard out.
Buford 58, Jonesboro 7
Jonesboro returned an interception for a touchdown to take a surprising 7-0 lead over Buford, but it was all downhill the rest of the way for the visitors. Buford responded with three touchdowns on its next three possessions to seize control and lead 21-7 after the first quarter. The Wolves had it all wrapped up by halftime with a 45-7 advantage and they led by the eventual final score of 58-7 going into the fourth. Derrian Brown had 165 yards and three touchdowns by halftime, including a 60-yard scoring scamper. Kevonte Polk tacked on a nine-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, while Aaron McLaughlin led the way early with two first-quarter touchdown passes.
Warner Robins 50, Locust Grove 40
Warner Robins relied on four touchdown passes from Dylan Fromm as it moved past Locust Grove 50-40. Jahlen Rutherford also had four touchdowns with three rushing and one receiving score. Warner Robins struck first on a 59-yard pass from Fromm to Marcayll Jone and then added another 28-yard pass to push the lead to 13-0 with 6:20 left in the first quarter. Locust Grove answered back with a touchdown pass from R.J. McDaniel to Billy Ward to cut into the lead with 11:56 left in the half but by halftime, the Demons pushed the lead to 33-13 behind Fromm touchdown passes. Warner Robins pushed the lead to 40-13 with 10:58 left in the third, and McDaniel's touchdown run cut into the lead 40-20 with 5:48 left in the third before a Warner Robins field goal added to the deficit. With 4:14 left in the third, Ward caught a 24-yard pass to make it a 43-26 game. Warner Robins pushed the lead to 50-26 by the 6:49 mark, and Locust Grove cut the game to ten points with two late touchdowns, including an interception return by Jacob Camp.
CLASS AAAA
Woodward Academy 58, Grady 27
Woodward Academy closed out the first half with 42 unanswered points and took a 42-7 lead. Tahj Gary scored on runs of 54 and 1 yard and caught a 23-yard touchdown pass from Mike Wright. Wright also connected with Parker Kahlert (10 yards) through the air and added a 45-yard touchdown run. Cross Patton ran in the War Eagles’ other first-half touchdown on a 2-yard run with 18 seconds left in the first quarter. Grady opened the second half with an 80-yard touchdown pass and Woodward Academy backup quarterback Banks Snelling answered with a 65-yard touchdown pass to Ambe Cladwell to make it 49-13. The Woodward Academy defense registered a safety and Patton scored on a 24-yard run to push the lead to 58-13 entering the fourth quarter.
Callaway 35, Opelika (AL) 14
Callaway’s Tank Bigsby rushed for three second half touchdowns to pace the Cavaliers past visiting Opelika. Cade Blackmon found Jamius Mitchell for a 7-yard touchdown in the second quarter to give Opelika a 7-0 lead and Callaway’s Jacob Freeman evened it up 7-7 before the half with a 17-yard touchdown run. Bigsby got the scoring going in the second half with a 1-yard run, but Opelika’s Eric Watts tied it back at 14-14 with a 14-yard run 6:25 into the third frame. Bigsby answered with a 20-yard touchdown before the third quarter ended and then pushed the lead to 28-14 with 5:40 left in the final quarter with his third touchdown of the half, a 26-yard run. Teammate Markus Moran iced the game less than a minute later with an 88-yard interception return for a touchdown.
Marist 40, Lovett 20
Marist surged to a 33-0 halftime lead before a running clock in the fourth quarter ended the night quickly for visiting Lovett. Blaine McAllister tossed a pair of late touchdown passes to make the score look respectable for the Lions, but he was picked off three times earlier in the game. The War Eagles took control early by forcing Lovett into three turnovers on three consecutive possessions in the first quarter and they eventually led 40-6 going into the fourth. Marist was led by Lincoln Parker's three rushing touchdowns. The War Eagles featured a balanced attack that saw them rack up 197 yards through the air and 181 on the ground.
Sandy Creek 49, Whitewater 10
Visiting Sandy Creek outscored Whitewater 28-0 in the second half and limited the Wildcats offense to just three points in the game. Rashad Amos put Sandy Creek up 14-0 in the first quarter with back-to-back touchdown runs, but Whitewater’s Elijah Roland returned the latter’s kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown to cut the deficit to 14-7 entering the second quarter. Matt Williams hit Amos for an 11-yard Sandy Creek touchdown and Whitewater’s Evan Rogers added a field goal before the half to make it a 21-10. Sandy Creek’s Brian Branch returned the opening kickoff of the second half 75 yards for a touchdown and returned to the end zone minutes later on a 15-yard touchdown reception from Williams; Branch also had an interception in the game. Williams added a 13-yard rushing touchdown.
Troup 32, Ridgeland 0
Visiting Troup dominated the Panthers’ home opener and jumped out to a 15-0 halftime lead with Kobe Hudson touchdown passes to Jamari Thrash and Trea Mitchell. Hudson added a rushing touchdown early in the second half and a Heslyn Martinez field goal gave the Tigers a 25-0 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Tyree Carlisle iced the game with a 3-yard touchdown run in the final frame.
CLASS AAA
Pace Academy 17, Eagle's Landing Christian 16
Pace Academy snapped Eagle's Landing Christian's 37-game winning streak, handing the Chargers their first loss since September of 2015. The streak appeared safe early on, as the host Knights trailed 16-0 in the second quarter. The Chargers got off to a fast start with a safety on a blocked punt by Jack Buckley and two touchdown passes from Brayden Rush to Justin Robinson. Pace Academy got on the scoreboard on a field goal by Patrick Markwalter and picked up its first touchdown in the third quarter with a 35-yard run from Lawrence Jordan. Keashawn Perryman scored from four yards out late in the third and tacked on what proved to be the game-winning two-point conversion. Mbiti Williams iced it for the Knights by picking off the Chargers with two minutes remaining.
Sonoraville 21, Model 14
Sonoraville junior Case Collins rushed for three first-half touchdowns to put the host Phoenix up 21-0 at the break. Model’s Kwalic Dublin ran in a 30-yard touchdown in the third quarter and teammate Luke Hotzendorf cut the deficit to 21-14 with a 13-yard touchdown with 9:05 left in the fourth.
Westside-Macon 27, Harris County 24
Tyshaun Freeman rushed for 176 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries but none were more important than the game-winner in overtime on the road at Harris County. Westside-Macon faced a fourth-and-goal scenario after Harris County scored a field goal on the first possession of overtime when Westside-Macon coach Sheddrick 'Spoon' Risper elected to win the game rather than go for a game-tying field goal. The game was tied at seven after the first quarter before Westside took a 14-7 lead at the half and a 21-14 lead after three quarters. Harris County matched Westside's touchdown in the third and added another in the fourth while holding Westside scoreless to tie the game at the end of regulation. Seminole quarterback Vic Dixon was 12-of-24 passing for 185 yards and a touchdown.
CLASS AA
Bremen 41, Bowdon 7
Host Bremen cruised to a 41-7 lead at the half and let a running clock swiftly end its meeting with rival Bowdon. Quarterback Wade Cartwright threw all three of his touchdown passes to senior receiver Jason Houston and added a 60-yard touchdown run in the opening quarter. Brand Ivey and Jalen Dallas ran in Bremen’s other two scores and Bowdon got on the board with an 80-yard touchdown run by Trent Estes in the first quarter.
CLASS A
Mt. Vernon Presbyterian 41, Mt. Pisgah 21
Mt. Vernon senior running back Austin Douglas ran in three scores and caught a touchdown pass as the Mustangs outpaced visiting Mt. Pisgah in non-region action. Douglas got the Mustangs on the board first with a 31-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter and quarterback Blake Kytle found Justin Douglas for a 38-yard touchdown pass to push the lead to 13-0. Mt. Pisgah missed a 38-yard field goal attempt earlier in the second quarter and came up empty on its final drive of the half deep in Mustangs’ territory; John Watson intercepted Mt. Pisgah quarterback Connor Norwood at the 2-yard line and set up a 98-yard touchdown run by Austin Douglas with just 16 seconds left before the half to make it 20-0. Kytle opened the third quarter with a 38-yard touchdown pass to sophomore Andrew Douglas that extended the lead to 27-0, but Mt. Pisgah answered with consecutive touchdowns to close the gap to 27-14 entering the final quarter; Norwood ran in a 12-yard quarterback keeper and Chase Grande intercepted Kytle and returned it 68 yards for a score. Kytle connected with Austin Douglas for a 38-yard touchdown just nine seconds into the final quarter and Douglas added his fourth touchdown on a 7-yard run with 6:48 left to push the lead to 41-14. Norwood added the final points on a 1-yard run with 2:13 left.
Hebron Christian 38, Holy Innocents' 14
Hebron Christian reeled off 38 unanswered points to erase a 7-0 deficit and pull away from visiting Holy Innocents'. The Lions trailed by seven after one quarter but erupted in the second to take a 24-7 lead at halftime. It was all but over when the home team extended its advantage to 38-7 in the fourth before the Golden Bears got a late four-yard touchdown run by Hunter Hawk. Colten Gauthier led Hebron Christian with three touchdown passes--two into the hands of Will Warbington and a 14-yarder to Logan Johnson. Michael Moyers also returned a blocked punt for a touchdown to help the Lions' cause.
Prince Avenue Christian 30, Whitefield Academy 6
Prince Avenue Christian quarterback Brock Vandagriff connected with Mack Simmons for a second-quarter touchdown pass and opened the third quarter with a rushing touchdown to build a 14-0 lead. Caden Bush added a 26-yard field goal and Elijah Haynes returned an interception 40 yards for a touchdown to give the visiting Wolverines a 23-0 advantage entering the final quarter. Tyler Payne ran in Prince Avenue Christian’s final touchdown with 5:22 left before the WolfPack got on the board.
Mount Paran Christian 55, Our Lady of Mercy 7
Mount Paran Christian jumped all over visiting Our Lady of Mercy early and often to put the game away in the first half. The Eagles led 20-0 after one quarter and 42-0 at halftime before coasting to a routine win. They racked up 452 yards of total offense, and Niko Vangarelli rushed for two touchdowns and threw for a score. John Robert Sess found the endzone twice for Mount Paran Christian, once on the ground and also via a 19-yard reception. Jack Allen led the ground attack with 83 yards and a touchdown on eight carries. The Bobcats got an 80-yard scoring jaunt from Jake Stevens in the third quarter, but not before trailing 49-0.
Fellowship Christian 48, Pinecrest Academy 31
Fellowship Christian got a big win on the road at Pinecrest Academy in Cumming. The Paladins took a 7-0 lead on the opening drive, and Pinecrest answered just moments later. Fellowship scored two more times in the first quarter to make it a 21-6 game, but two Pinecrest touchdowns early in the second quarter cut the lead to 21-20 with 6:52 left in the first half. Fellowship added a touchdown with 3:22 in the half to push the lead to 27-20, and a field goal by Pinecrest made it a 27-23 game at halftime. Fellowship scored two touchdowns in the third quarter while holding Pinecrest scoreless, and added a score in the fourth for a 48-31 final.
North Cobb Christian 21, St. Francis 20
North Cobb Christian and St. Francis played a scoreless second half for the second consecutive year before the Eagles avenged their 7-0 loss in 2017 by prevailing in overtime. Following a 14-14 halftime deadlock, neither team could put up points in the third or fourth quarters. The Knights missed a field goal as time expired and they were victimized by special teams woes once again with a missed extra point after scoring an overtime touchdown. North Cobb Christian answered with a score of its own and a game-ending extra point. Ryan Pruitt scored two rushing touchdowns for the Eagles.
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