Round 1 Roundup

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Archer 56, Forsyth Central 0

Archer hosted Forsyth Central, who made their first playoff appearance since 2001, and welcomed them back with scores by six different Tigers. Archer started the game by scoring 21 unanswered in the first quarter, behind two Carter Peevy passing touchdowns. With a demanding lead, the Tigers found the end zone three more times in the second quarter for a 42-0 lead at half. Coming out with the big lead, Archer put the icing on the cake in 3rd quarter behind DJ Taylor’s 76-yard rushing touchdown—his second on the night.

North Gwinnett 49, Central Gwinnett 0

After securing a No. 1 seed, North Gwinnett hosted No. 4 Central Gwinnett. The Bulldogs wasted no time finding the end zone going up 7-0 on a Tyler Goodwin touchdown run. Still in the first quarter, North Gwinnett added on to the lead with a Devin Crosby rushing touchdown, making it 15-0. Looking to extend the lead in the second quarter, Crosby found the end zone once more for a 22-0 Bulldog lead. North Gwinnett’s DJ Martin threw for two passing touchdowns at the end of the half, putting this game essentially out of reach 36-0. With no chances of a comeback, the Bulldogs put the final dagger after Crosby broke loose for a 70-yard touchdown—his third on the night.

Walton 40, Camden County 20

Walton quarterback Austin Kirksey passed for 190 yards in the first half of Walton’s 40-20 win over visiting Camden County and three touchdowns, including a 10-yard play-action touchdown to 6-foot-6 tight end Luke Boyton, who was making his return from a broken arm in the season opener. Walton running back D.J. Soyoye had a touchdown and 125 rushing yards in the first half as the Raiders took a 28-14 lead. The lead grew to 40-14 before Camden County tacked on the only touchdown of the fourth quarter.

McEachern 48, Newnan 21

McEachern was first on the board with a 5-yard touchdown pass from Sophomore quarterback Carlos Del Rio to Jordan Simmons. Newnan struck back in the middle of the first when Sophomore quarterback Michael Maginnis connected with Senior Woody Waters for a 24-yard touchdown. The Indians retook the lead when Simmons rushed 10 yards into the end zone for his second score of the game. A pick-six by Junior Jacob Thomas followed by a 31-yard touchdown play gave Newnan a 21-14 lead in the third, but the Cougars soon succumbed to the explosive McEachern offense. Del Rio hit Dacari Collins on a 5-yard score, and soon after Senior Paris Brown rushed 2 yards into the end zone to give the Indians a 28-21 lead heading into the fourth. Simmons snagged his third score of the game early in the fourth off a 2-yard run. Del Rio hit Johmanuel Arnold for the quarterbacks third score of the game, and Christian Mason scampered into the end zone from 3 yards out to cap the Indians tremendous fourth-quarter performance. McEachern advances to the second round, where the Indians will face Colquitt County.

Class AAAAAA

Coffee 45, Stephenson 17

No. 1 Stephenson hosted No. 4 Coffee, but Coffee County didn’t waste any time showing that seeding isn’t everything. Josiah Killiebrew found the end zone twice to open up the lead at 14-0. Already up and looking to add on, the Trojans made it 21 unanswered first quarter points on a Maurice Turner touchdown. Looking to make an early comeback, Stephenson would cut into the lead after a Deshon Stoudemire 30-yard rushing touchdown, making it 21-10 Coffee. With the lead cut to 11, Coffee County scored 24 unanswered points in the second half to go up 45-10. Stephenson added a late touchdown, but Coffee advances to the second with a big 45-17 road win.

Lanier 20, Mays 12

Lanier chipped away at a first-quarter touchdown by Mays with a field goal from Senior Michael Decu, before Mays struck again at the end of the quarter with a second touchdown—but the 2-point conversion attempt failed. Lanier was kept out of the end zone for the entire first half, but a 40-yard field goal from Decu made it a one-possession game heading into the half. With 6:26 left in the third, Senior quarterback Zach Calzada kept the ball and rushed into the end zone to take a 13-12 lead. In the fourth, Calzada slung the rock to Junior receiver Cole Thornton to extend the lead and secure the win. Defensively, Nahil Perkins racked up two blocked punts while Demontae Lipscomb snagged an interception. The Longhorns advance to the second round where they’ll face off against Harrison.

Creekview 38, Pope 14

No. 1 Creekview battled No. 4 Pope at home in this 6A first round matchup. After Creekview took the opening kickoff down to the 5-yard line, Ethan Dirrim pounded it in for the early 7-0 lead. Then on their second possession of the game, the Grizzlies went up 14-0 on another Dirrim rushing touchdown. Later in the second quarter after a Creekview field goal, the Grizzlies made it a 24-0 lead at half time. After Pope went 3-and-out to start the third quarter, Dirrim broke loose for his third touchdown on the night—this one on a 41-yard rush. Creekview snagged an interception late in the third, leading to a Cade Radam 72-yard rushing touchdown, and a 38-0 lead.

Class AAAAA

Rome 62, Jackson 14

Jamious Griffin paced host Rome with four first-quarter touchdowns and and 231 rushing yards in the opening half. Quarterback Knox Kadum added an 18-yard touchdown early in the second quarter and Tre Lawrence rushed for two more scores to increase the lead to 48-0. Jackson fumbled the opening kickoff of the second half and Jamar Roberts returned it for another Rome touchdown. Jackson added two touchdowns in the running clock second half before Rome freshman Bryson Hill found the end zone with 6:21 left to make it 62-14.

New Hampstead 21, Starr’s Mill 10

The 4-5 New Hampstead Phoenix went on the road to battle the 7-3 Starr’s Mill Panthers and were looking to upset in this lopsided matchup. New Hampstead grabbed the early 7-0 lead on a Hunter Lawson 38-yard touchdown run. Starr’s Mill tied things up with 11:46 left in the first half after Ryan Smith recovered a fumble and took it 50 yards to the end zone. New Hampstead grabbed the lead again just before half with Deyandre Ruffin finding Sam Brown for the 15-yard touchdown pass. After a scoreless third quarter, Starr’s Mill cut into the lead early in the fourth on a Michael Lantz 25-yard field goal. New Hampstead denied any chance of a late Starr’s Mill comeback after a Donte Wallace 2-yard rushing touchdown in the final two minutes.

Bainbridge 40, Jones County 13

Host Bainbridge went behind 10-0 after a Hunter Costlow touchdown pass and 30-yard field goal by Jones County freshman Evan West. Sophomore Rashad Broadnax got the Bearcats on the board before the end of the first quarter, and fellow sophomore Caleb McDowell ran in the first of his three touchdowns to give Bainbridge its first lead (14-10) early in the second. Aaron Spivie ran in a reverse for a Bainbridge touchdown and West added 31-yard field goal to cut it back to 21-13 at the half. Quayde Hawkins got the second-half scoring going with a quarterback sneak, and McDowell made two more trips to the end zone to provide the final tally.

Kell 48, Carver-Atlanta 8

Ebony Jackson rushed for four touchdowns in the first half for host Kell. Jackson’s runs of 7, 39, 4 and 32 yards helped the Longhorns to a 30-0 halftime lead, as quarterback Evan Conley rushed for two-point conversions after Jackson’s third and fourth scores. Xavier Parris had a 60-yard rushing score and Logan Flesher made a 32-yard field goal in the third quarter, and Kell forced a safety in the fourth to go up 41-0. Bailey Avey had a 5-yard touchdown reception with five minutes remaining to cap Kell’s scoring.

Buford 35, Miller Grove 13

Derrian Brown rushed for touchdowns of 11 and 8 yards in the first quarter and finished with 16 carries for 111 yards for the host Wolves. Elijah Turner added a 6-yard rushing score in the first quarter, and Buford held a 21-0 halftime lead after a scoreless second. The Wolves got two touchdowns from Jamaal Singleton in the third quarter, on rushes of 23 and 5 yards, which brought the score to 35-0. Buford held Miller Grove to 91 total yards in the first half.

Class AAAA

Troup 42, Oconee County 28

Troup got the playoffs started early with a Thursday night victory over the visiting Warriors—giving the program its first 10-win season since 2003. Running back Tyree Carlisle rushed for a 4-yard touchdown, Kobe Hudson threw a 60-yard touchdown pass to Joko Willis and a King Mwikuta forced fumble was recovered by teammate Andy Boykin for a touchdown to give Troup a 21-14 halftime lead. Carlisle added a 17-yard touchdown run in the third quarter and Hudson connected with Trey Williams and found Willis for a 56-yard touchdown to increase the lead to 42-21 early in the final frame.

Pickens 42, White County 0

Undefeated Pickens dominated visiting White County and celebrated the first playoff win in program history. CJ Streicher rushed for a 9-yard touchdown and connected with Zach Goss for an 83-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter. Michael Burrell got on the board with an 8-yard touchdown run early in the second, and Brady Moore (29 yards) and Trevon Hawkins (1 yard) piled on touchdown runs to extend the halftime lead to 35-0. Jarod Whitmore provided the final touchdown on a 10-yard carry with 3:12 left in the third frame.

Marist 61, Heritage-Catoosa 20

Connor Cigelske accounted for Marist’s first five touchdowns as the home team cruised to a victory over Heritage-Catoosa. Cigelske had touchdown runs of 42, eight, and 67 yards while also throwing a pair of scoring strikes from 27 and 37 yards away to Kyle Hamilton. That paced the War Eagles to leads of 10-0 after one quarter and 34-0 at halftime. They led 41-0 before the Generals finally got on the scoreboard with a 56-yard touchdown pass from Nolan Letzgus to Clint Petteys. Letzgus also had an interception on defense. Matthew Dunmon added two touchdown runs for the War Eagles, whose defensive effort was headlined by interceptions courtesy of Tyler Hare, John Flor, and Joshua Moore.

Class AAA

Cedar Grove 49, Hart County 0

Five different players scored touchdowns for Cedar Grove, which had no trouble getting the best of visiting Hart County. The Saints seized a 21-0 advantage by the end of the first quarter and coasted from there, leading 35-0 at halftime and 42-0 going in the fourth. Austin Smith had two touchdown runs in the opening frame of play, including one from 23 yards out, after Chavon Wright got the scoring started with a 15-yard TD rush. Robert Jones II added two touchdown scampers, Mekhi Gilstrap scored on a 13-yarder, and Jadon Haselwood hauled in a 21-yard scoring strike.

Lovett 40, Morgan County 7

Blaine McAllister accounted for three total touchdowns as Lovett rolled over visiting Morgan County. McAllister had bookend touchdown runs to help the Lions start strong and finish the same way, while also throwing an 80-yard scoring strike to Nick Jackson. They also got touchdowns on the ground from Jackson and K.J. Wallace. Henry Beery made all five of his extra-point attempts and tacked on a 21-yard field goal in the third quarter. Morgan County got a touchdown pass from Trenton Folds and an interception by Seth Robertson, but it was nowhere near enough for the Bulldogs.

Monroe Area 38, Pace Academy 22

Monroe Area scored all five of its touchdowns on the ground to run over visiting Pace Academy. Chandler Byron found the endzone three times while breaking the school’s single-season rushing record for a quarterback. Jakia Thompson had two touchdowns for the Purple Hurricanes, who led 7-0 after 12 minutes and 28-0 at halftime. The Knights made a minor second-half charge with two touchdown runs by Jared Rayman and a 24-yarder to the house by Keashawn Perryman, but they never got closer than a 14-point margin. Perryman set up Rayman’s first score with an 80-yard kickoff return to begin the second half.

Westminster 35, Jefferson 7

Westminster reeled off 35 unanswered points following a quick 7-0 deficit to pick up a road win over Jefferson. Three first-half turnovers by Jefferson were the early difference, including a fumble that was returned 80 yards by Jake Jones to set up a score on a quarterback sneak by Parks Harber. The Wildcats led 28-7 at halftime thanks in part to a pair of scoring strikes thrown by Harber–one from 55 yards out to Luke Jannetta plus a 22-yarder to Nance Hill. Will Hallmark scored the final two touchdowns to put the game away for Westminster. The Dragons got their lone TD on a one-yard keeper by quarterback Colby Clark.

Calhoun 55, Fannin County 17

Calhoun earned a second-round berth against Lovett after taking a 35-0 lead by the end of the first quarter and a 49-3 lead at the half. Calhoun’s Zack Fuller scored on a 5-yard run just a minute into the game and added another touchdown with six minutes left in the first quarter. Payton Morrow scored on a 13-yard run set up by a Logan Parker interception. Clemson commit Davis Allen returned an interception 36 yards with four minutes left in the first quarter to push the lead to 28-0. Gavin Gray extended the lead with a 20-yard touchdown pass to Parker. Early in the second quarter, Fuller scored again—this time on a 56-yard run. Gray extended the lead in with under a minute left in the half on a 21-yard pass to Luke Moseley. Fannin County cut into the lead on a 40-yard pass (49-10) with 10 minutes left in the game but Calhoun responded with a long touchdown pass from Jake Morrow to Jerrian Hames a minute later. Fannin County scored the final touchdown on a run, and Sarah Sosebee’s PAT brought the game to its final tally.

Class AA

Fitzgerald 51, Harlem 14

Fitzgerald overwhelmed visiting Harlem with 606 total yards of offense. Quarterback Justin Reliford accounted for 75 yards on the ground and went an efficient 12-of-14 passing for 321 yards and four touchdowns. Damien Devine caught eight passes for 193 yards and three touchdowns, while adding 70 rushing yards off 10 carries and a pair of touchdowns. Harlem’s Cameron Garnett finished with 69 yards off six carries and rushed for both of the Bulldogs’ touchdowns.

Class A

Mount Vernon Presbyterian 41, Savannah Country Day 28

Mount Vernon hosted Savannah Country Day and made sure to put on a show. Mount Vernon scored 28 unanswered for a demanding lead. After a Savannah Country touchdown, Mount Vernon added another touchdown for a 34-7 lead. Savannah Country would cut the deficit just before half, making it 34-14 at half. Up by 20 and late in the third quarter, Mount Vernon extended the lead to 41-14. Looking to make a late comeback, Savannah County cut the lead to 41-28 in the fourth, but that ended up being all they could do. Mount Vernon advances with the 41-28 lead at home.

Wesleyan 10, Tattnall Square 8

No offensive points for either team in the second half allowed Wesleyan to hang on for a hard-fought victory over visiting Tattnall Square. Donald Conley got the scoring started for Wesleyan with a 35-yard touchdown run in the opening quarter. The Trojans answered with a six-yard score by Jamal Marshall before the Wolves tacked on a 48-yard field goal from Harrison Larner as time expired in the first half. Wesleyan appeared to seal the deal when it made a defensive stand at its own nine-yard line, turning over Tattnall Square on downs with 1:42 remaining. After a three-and-out near their own end zone, however, the Wolves took a safety on purpose rather than punting. An ensuing free kick prevented the Trojans from gaining favorable field position and they failed to engineer a potential game-winning drive.