Shaw 21, Kendrick 14
How the game was won: Shaw held off a furious second half comeback to earn its first win of the season.
Top Performers: Shaw took an early 14-0 lead in the first quarter thanks to a Jalen Jackson 32-yard touchdown pass to Elish Ammi and a Nick Beason blocked punt return for a touchdown with 3:59 left in the first. Andrew Tillery tossed a touchdown to Ammi to go ahead 21-0 at the half. Kendrick got on the board with a 2-yard Adayus Robertson at the 3:16 mark of the third quarter. Javier Turner returned an interception 15 yards to bring Kendrick to within 21-14 with 5:59 remaining. The Cherokees got the ball back with 1:22 left, but were unable to find a game-tying score as AJ Jones forced a turnover on downs with a sack.
Landmark Christian 13, Stratford Academy 3
How the game was won: Landmark Christian earned a signature victory in a defensive struggle. Lofton Tidwell's touchdown run with 2:24 remaining stamped the War Eagle victory.
Top Performers: Lofton Tidwell broke off a 56-yard touchdown run give Landmark Christian a 7-0 lead at the half. Jake Jamison connected on a field goal for Stratford Academy to bring the score to 7-3 at the 3:25 mark of the third quarter. Tidwell's second long touchdown run of the game powered Landmark to the finish line.
Cartersville 56, Calhoun 0
How the game was won: Cartersville raced out to a 21-0 first quarter lead and outgained Calhoun 319 to 69 in the first half en route to a blowout road win.
Top Performers: Trey Creamer rushed for scores of 14, 13 and two yards in the first half. Trevor Lawrence ignited the onslaught with a 44-yard touchdown pass to Wake Forest-commit Avery Showell and found Showell again in the second quarter on a 6-yard strike. In the third quarter Lawrence hit Trase Fezzia on a 37-yard wide receiver screen touchdown pass and Creamer added a 4-yard score. 20 seconds following Creamer's score, Fezzia tacked on a 20-yard interception return.
Gainesville 21, Clarke Central 14
How the game was won: The Red Elephants got revenge for last year's stunning 44-7 loss to Clarke Central, riding DJ Irons' arm. His 1-yard touchdown pass to Brendon Goss with 6:02 left in the fourth quarter proved to be the deciding score.
Top Performers: Kadarius Smith scored on a 13-yard touchdown run to kick off the scoring after a scoreless first quarter for Gainesville. Irons tossed a 65-yard touchdown to Jim Barnett to take a 14-0 lead into the half. Jonathan Sewell raced in a 65-yard score for Clarke Central. Gainesville fumbled the ensuing kickoff which quickly set up a Jack Mangel touchdown pass to tie the game up at the 2:50 mark of the third quarter. On Clarke Central's final drive, Kris Montague came away with back-to-back sacks to thwart the Gladiators' last ditch efforts.
Dalton 10, Northwest Whitfield 3
How the game was won: After a scoreless first half of football, JP Tighe's 44-yard touchdown pass to Zeke Cobb in the third quarter provided all the offense the Catamounts would need to upend the Bruins.
Top Performers: Ivan Mora booted a 30-yard field goal with 1:01 left in the third quarter to give Dalton a 10-0 lead. JP Tighe orchestrated the only touchdown drive of the night for either side.
Prince Avenue 7, Athens Christian 0 OT
How the game was won: Four quarters weren't enough for this defensive struggle. After Thomas Huff punched in a touchdown run in overtime, it was only fitting that the Wolverine defense forced a fumble to clinch the victory.
Top Performers: Defenses for both teams dominated. Thomas Huff's touchdown was the deciding blow.
Peach County 20, Warner Robins 19
How the game was won:
Peach County kicker Mitchell Finneran nailed two second half field goals to help pull Peach County past Warner Robins. The Demons scored with seconds remaining but a botched snap and missed extra-point sealed the one-point loss.
Top Performers:
Peach County's Finneran scored field goals from 46 and 47 yards. Kearis Jackson scored on a rushing touchdown and passed a touchdown to Devontae Howard. Peach County's Jaquez Jackson added an interception. Warner Robins found scoring from Eli Mashburn field goals of 30 and 31 yards.
Rutland 13, Northeast 6
How the game was won:
Rutland took advantage of a strong defensive performance from Marcellus Bentley to hold Northeast scoreless in the first half. The Hurricanes added a second half touchdown to apply pressure and put away the game.
Top Performers:
Landon Miller led Rutland, offensively, scoring on runs of 32 and 25 yards. Marcellus Bentley anchored the defense with a fumble recovery, an interception and a blocked punt in the win. Northeast found scoring from Vincent McCarthy on a six-yard run.
Forsyth Central 31, River Ridge 21
How the game was won: Leading 17-14 at half, host Forsyth Central took a 24-14 lead on a 12-yard Sabrian Howard run. River Ridge pulled to within three points in the fourth quarter on a 20-yard touchdown pass from Jarrod Fletcher to Andrew Herring, but Howard put the game away with 1:16 left to play with an 11-yard rushing score.
Top performers: Howard rushed for four touchdowns, scoring from 50, four, 12 and 11 yards out. He finished with 182 yards rushing on 27 carries. Fletcher of River Ridge accounted for all three touchdowns, rushing for a six-yard score and returning a kickoff 98 yards in addition to his scoring pass in the fourth quarter. Christian Petino hit a 31-yard field goal to give Forsyth Central its 17-14 halftime lead and was perfect on extra points.
Alexander 31, Carver-Atlanta 26
How the game was won: A back and forth game saw Alexander surge ahead after trailing 20-17 in the third quarter. Daetrich Harrington rumbled for two touchdowns and 178 yards off 23 carries.
Top Performers: Harrington's 178 yards and two scores paced Alexander; he also returned a kick 90 yards for a touchdown. Mason Wood added on 50 yards on 13 carries while completing 11 of 16 passes for 187 yards and a score. Justin Hall caught three passes for 74 yards and a touchdown.
Northside-Warner Robins 28, Westside-Macon 14
How the game was won: Northside-Warner Robins outgained Westside-Macon 445-to-91 in total yardage, but trailed 14-6 at the half after a pair of defensive touchdowns gave the Seminoles their eight-point lead. The teams went scoreless in the third quarter until Northside’s Daniel Neal closed out the game with 22 unanswered points off his three fourth quarter touchdown runs.
Northside-Warner Robins 28, Westside-Macon 14
How the game was won: Northside-Warner Robins outgained Westside-Macon 445-to-91 in total yardage, but trailed 14-6 at the half after a pair of defensive touchdowns gave the Seminoles their eight-point lead. The teams went scoreless in the third quarter until Northside's Daniel Neal closed out the game with 22 unanswered points off his three fourth quarter touchdown runs.
Top Performers :Dual threat quarterback Tobias Oliver completed 10-of-18 passes for 107 yards and a touchdown, while rushing 108 yards off 17 carries. Jaylan Sandifer caught a 39-yard Northside touchdown and Neal recorded 21 carries for a game high 169 yards to go with his three game-winning touchdowns.
Thomson 42, Jefferson 20
How the game was won: In a Class AAAA top 10 showdown, Mike Thomas capitalized on an early Jefferson turnover and got Thomson on the board with a 3-yard touchdown run. Jefferson added a Hayden Kilgore 20-yard field goal with 9:08 left in the half, but less than a minute later, Bubba Murray scored a 12-yard touchdown to build a 14-13 Thomson lead entering the second half. Colby Wood scored Jefferson's first touchdown on a 1-yard run in the second quarter, but Thomas answered with his second rushing touchdown of the night to push the lead back to 21-10 entering the final frame. Kilgore booted a 36-yard field goal to open the fourth quarter, but Christian Tutt broke loose for a 95-yard kickoff return for a Thomson touchdown to make it 28-13. Zack Boobas ran in a 7-yard Jefferson touchdown to cut the deficit to 28-20 with 4:54 left but Thomson returned the onside kick attempt for a touchdown and Zack Johnson iced the game with a 50-yard fumble return touchdown with 2:23 left.
Top performers: Mike Thomson ran in two Thomson touchdowns added 21 non-offensive points in the victory.
Creekview 35, Cherokee 34
Ridgeland 40, Darlington 28
Houston County 30, Eagle’s Landing 14
North Paulding 22, East Paulding 21
Eastside 21, Alcovy 9
Chestatee 41, Flowery Branch 13
Carrollton 50, Riverdale 14
Spalding 22, Jonesboro 0
Etowah 21, Spartanburg, SC 14
Thomas County Central 23, Cairo 17
Valdosta at Wayne County
Woodstock 35, Sequoyah 21
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