After having mixed results against higher-class opponents during the early portion of the schedule, the top teams in Class AAA returned to their comfort zones Friday night and blew out region opponents.
How bad was it? Teams ranked in the top five only allowed three touchdowns ... and outscored opponents 210-21.
-- Top-ranked Calhoun jumped to a 22-0 lead against Ringgold in the first quarter and led 42-0 at the half. Zack Fuller rushed for two touchdowns; Jonkell Tolbert added one rushing touchdown, and Tripp Hoblitzell's 30-yard interception return highlighted the Yellow Jackets' defensive effort.
-- Second-ranked Cedar Grove shut out Lovett 45-0 in its Region 5 opener. The Saints got three rushing touchdowns from Chavon Wright and relied on a stifling defense to stop Lovett. Jadon Haselwood, a Georgia commitment, caught a touchdown pass from Kendall Boney to help lead the Saints to a 24-0 halftime lead.
-- Third-ranked Monroe Area put a 39-0 beat-down on Morgan County and took a big step toward a region title. Morgan County won the game last season.
-- No. 4 Peach County relied on four rushing touchdowns from Noah Whittington (52, 15, 3 and 1 yards) to blow past Kendrick 49-0. TiJah Woolfolk added a 4-yard touchdown run, and Terkel Jefferson caught two touchdown passes (60, 20 yards) from quarterback Jaydon Gibson.
-- It was a special night at Westminster for head coach Gerry Romberg, who won his 200th game. The Wildcats defeated Towers 35-14 after leading 28-0 at the half, 35-0 at the end of the third quarter.
Here's how the rest of the ranked teams fared:
1. (1 in previous week's rankings) Calhoun (5-0): Defeated Ringgold 42-7 in a Region 6 matchup.
2. (2) Cedar Grove (4-1): Shut out Lovett 45-0 in Region 5 opener.
3. (4) Monroe Area (5-0): Defeated Morgan County 39-0 in Region 8 opener.
4. (3) Peach County (3-2): Defeated Kendrick 49-0 in Region 4 opener.
5. (5) Westminster (3-2): Beat Towers 35-14 in Region 5 opener.
6. (6) Greater Atlanta Christian (3-2): Beat East Hall 51-20 in Region 7 opener.
7. (7) Benedictine (2-1): Shut out Savannah 67-0 injeffer Region 3 opener.
8. (9) Jefferson (4-1): Beat East Jackson 70-0 in Region 8 opener.
9. (8) Pace Academy (3-2): Defeated Redan 35-14 in Region 5 opener.
10. (10) Dawson County (5-0): Beat Lumpkin County 36-3 in Region 7 opener.
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