Week 10 Friday Night Roundup

Class AAAAAAA

North Gwinnett 41, Duluth 0

North Gwinnett opened up a 35-0 first-quarter lead and cruised past the Wildcats to clinch its second-straight Region 6-AAAAAAA title. Javonni Cunningham returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown and rushed for a score later in the quarter. Tyler Goodson added two rushing touchdowns, and JR Martin threw a touchdown pass to Josh Downs. Kicker Cam Clark made a 42-yard field goal in the second quarter and a 37-yarder in the final frame.

Milton 30, Forsyth Central 3

Milton soundly beat Forsyth Central at home thanks to an incredible performance from quarterback Jordan Yates. Yates threw three touchdown passes—a 25-yarder to Dylan Leonard in the second, a 35-yarder to Joe Charleston in the third and another to Leonard in the fourth for 27 yards. Milton’s first-quarter points came off a safety at the 7:15 mark and a 9-yard run from Josh Edwards. Forsyth’s Central’s only points came from a field goal in the fourth quarter.

Westlake 47, Newnan 21

A pair of first-quarter rushing scores from Senior Darrell Nichols and Junior Markcus Johnson put the Lions up 13-0 after a failed 2-point conversion. Senior quarterback Jalyn Williams found Chase Lloyd for a 16-yard touchdown to give the Lions their third unanswered score on the quarter. Early in the second, Newnan’s Austin Payan found pay dirt after a 1-yard rush to put the Cougars on the board, but Westlake was quick to respond with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Senior quarterback Caleb Dixon to Lloyd for the Junior’s second score of the night. With under a minute left in the half, Williams rushed 13 yards into the end zone to give the Lions a 34-7 lead. After a scoreless third quarter, Williams struck again with a 13-yard touchdown to Senior Garrison Hand for his third touchdown pass of the night. Newnan found the board twice more in the fourth, but a 25-yard touchdown run by Sophomore Joseph Allen Jr. safely put the game away for the Lions.

McEachern 69, Kennesaw Mountain 38

Jordan Simmons scored four rushing touchdowns to lead host McEachern. Paris Brown also scored twice on the ground for the Indians and had a touchdown reception from Carlos Delrio-Wilson—who also scored on a quarterback sneak. McEachern got additional touchdowns from wide receiver Lawrence Shadd and off a blocked punt. The Indians led 54-31 at halftime. The win was McEachern head coach Kyle Hockman’s 100th at the school.

Norcross 48, Berkmar 0

Norcross was dominant on the road against Berkmar Friday night. Blue Devils running back Kameryn Jackson had three touchdowns on eight carries for 60 yards, and quarterback Louis Williams was a perfect 7-7 for 191 yards and two touchdowns. The first touchdown pass was a 57-yarder to WR Isaiah Wilson, who ended the night with two receptions for 93 yards. Williams’ second touchdown was a 3-yard pass caught by Christian Sims late in the first quarter. Sims had three catches for 75 yards on the night. Blue Devils DE Darryl Shankle returned a fumble for a touchdown for Norcross’ lone defensive score of the night, which came in the third quarter. Quarterback Teddy Gassert also connected with Antwan Allen for a 7-yard touchdown in the second quarter to bring the Blue Devils to 4-4 on the season.

Marietta 48, North Cobb 24

Marietta’s Harrison Bailey was quick to score two touchdowns in the first—a 60-yard bomb to Junior Taji Johnson and a 1-yard run. North Cobb failed to reach the end zone in the first but converted a 27-yard field goal to put them on the board. Bailey then racked up his second 1-yard rushing score of the quarter to extend the lead to 21-3. The Blue Devils gave up 15 unanswered points through the third quarter, but Bailey found Arik Gilbert on an 11-yard pass to get the offense back on track. Bailey continued to shine in the fourth with a 23-yard touchdown to Johnson for the pair’s second scoring play of the night and a 34-18 lead after a failed 2-point conversion. North Cobb found the end zone once more, but a pair of rushing scores from Junior Kimani Vidal firmly kept the Blue Devils in the lead.

South Forsyth 35, North Forsyth 34

The score was 24-14 in favor of the Raiders at the half, thanks to a field goal, a rushing touchdown from quarterback Carter Mullikin and two Mullikin touchdown passes—one to Bryson Trigg and another to Charlie Aiken. South Forsyth’s quarterback Drew Morris had an 80-yard run in the first, and South Forsyth’s Jordan Brunson had a 4-yard rush in the second. North Forsyth’s third-quarter scoring started with a field goal from Thor Billstrom at the 3:26 mark and Brunson scored off a 32-yard rush at 1:57. Another pass from Mullikin to Trigg with 0:21 to go in the frame put the score at 34-21 in favor of North Forsyth. Cameron Schurr and Brunson each had rushing touchdowns in the fourth, bringing the score to 35-34 with South Forsyth on top. North Forsyth went scoreless in the final quarter.

Grayson 57, Newton 14

Newton scored the first touchdown of the game before giving up 37 unanswered points to Grayson, who improved to 6-2 Friday night. Rams quarterback J’Kori Jones had 201 yards passing and threw four touchdowns to four different players in the first three quarters. The first was a 27-yard pass to Ryan King in the first quarter, followed by a 24-yard pass to Josh Stinson and a 19-yarder to Kenyon Jackson in the second. Jackson led the Rams with 89 receiving yards. Jonathan Halyard had an 18-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, while Phil Mafah led all rushers on the evening with 110 yards on the ground, including a 78-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. Zach Bush caught Jones’ final touchdown pass of the night, a 3-yarder in the third quarter. Rams quarterback CJ Dixon threw two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, and Grayson’s defense had a safety to start the third quarter as well.

Central Gwinnett 35, Meadowcreek 10

Meadowcreek took the lead with a 3-yard rushing score from Senior Desmon Jackson. Central Gwinnett’s Skylar Adams found Junior Justin Wilkins on a 21-yard pass in the second, but a missed extra point kept the Mustangs ahead by 1. Wilkins struck again later in the quarter with a 3-yard rushing touchdown to gain the lead, and a successful 2-point conversion made it a 14-7 game at the half. Meadowcreek’s David Alvarado drilled a 20-yard field goal with 5:59 left in the third, but the Mustangs would fail to score again. Adams hit Sophomore DaeDae Reynolds for a 67-yard touchdown to close out the third and threw two more to Senior Zion Mills in the fourth.

Tift County 21, Lowndes 17

Tift County quarterback Patrick Felton connected with receiver Tyler Ajiero three times on the evening, including the game-winning bomb with 2:45 left to move the Blue Devils past Lowndes on the road. Lowndes started the scoring on a 7-yard run from Jacarri Brown, and Felton’s 44-yarder to Ajiero pulled the game even at 7-7 with 1:58 left in the first quarter. Lowndes took the lead on a 23-yard pass from Joe Almond to Cornelius Wright in the second, and Ashton Musgrove’s 30-yard field goal put the Vikings up 17-7 in the third. The momentum shifted when Felton found Ajiero on the 51-yard pass with 2:55 left in the quarter. Lowndes could not mount a response, and—with 2:45 left in the game—Ajiero caught the ball and broke free for the 81-yard touchdown. Tift had 360 yards of offense with 281 passing yards. Ajiero finished with 203 yards on six catches for three touchdowns. Felton was 11-of-16 passing for 281 yards.

West Forsyth 31, Lambert Longhorns 16

West Forsyth scored two touchdowns in the opening frame, and Lambert’s Drew Dockter nailed a 46-yard field goal two minutes into the second quarter. West Forsyth answered with a field goal of its own, and—with 0:23 left in the half—returned a Lambert fumble to bring the score to 24-3. The Wolverines scored a touchdown in the third before Lambert scored twice in the fourth on a pass from Peyton Rich to Blake Nichols and a 41-yard rush by Jake Rising.

Archer 40, Rockdale County 20

Junior quarterback Carter Peevy threw a 68-yard bomb to Senior Semajé Banks, and a blocked kick by Senior Andrew Booth on Rockdale County’s first possession of the game set up a 7-yard Mikkael Reynolds rushing score. Banks scored again on the ground before intentional grounding by Rockdale’s quarterback gave Archer a 23-0 lead at the end of the first. Banks continued to shine in the second with a 12-yard score. A 20-yard field goal from Jacob Waters capped off the 33-0 run by the Tigers before Rockdale’s Justin Steele threw an 8-yard touchdown to Darren Stephens in the final minute of the half. Banks racked up his fourth touchdown of the night in the third for a 40-7 lead, and Stephens caught two more touchdowns for the Bulldogs in the final frame.

Wheeler 62, Campbell 56

Friday night’s game between Wheeler and Campbell was an instant classic. Wildcats quarterback C.J. Ogbonna threw four touchdowns, the defense had an interception return and special teams had two return touchdowns. Wheeler running back Jadarrius “JD” Thomas had two rushing touchdowns—including a 71-yarder—in addition to his 80-yard touchdown reception, and Ricky White caught two touchdowns on the evening. Both teams combined to score 16 total touchdowns on the night. Spartans RB Tavion Jackson scored five rushing touchdowns for an average of 43.8 yards apiece. In the end, however, it was a defensive stand by Wheeler—and lack of time—that ultimately prevented Campbell from tying the game.

Class AAAAAA

Allatoona 34, Osborne 0

Four different players scored touchdowns in Allatoona’s route of Osborne on Friday night. The Bucs first score came early in the first quarter when quarterback Dante Marshall connected with Dawson Coltran for a 25-yard touchdown pass. Osborne fumbled the ball on its first play, and Allatoona capitalized with a red zone touchdown run from Daniel Parsons just a few plays later. Allatoona then settled for two field goals, including a 42-yarder from Jude Kelley, for a 20-0 lead early in the 2nd. Later in the period, dual-threat wideout Elan Hall, who was in at quarterback, snagged a deflected ball out of the air and ran it in for a touchdown to give the Bucs a 27-0 lead by halftime. Allatoona’s final score of the night came on a short touchdown run from Devonte Bynum early in the 3rd quarter.

Northview 28, Alpharetta 26

Northview was down 9-0 at the half, but a strong second-half performance gave the Titans the win. After a scoreless first quarter, a field goal from Alpharetta’s William Ashe and a touchdown pass from Will Gerdes to Robbie Ruppel gave Alpharetta the edge to end the half. Northview scored the first touchdown of the third courtesy of a pass from Beau Lark to Jonathan Baker. Another field goal from Alpharetta’s Ashe and then another Northview touchdown pass from Lark to Travis Buchanan brought the score 14-12 in favor of Northview to end the frame. Two rushing touchdowns from Buchanan and a rushing touchdown from Alpharetta’s Kent Cherry brought the score 28-19 with eight minutes to go. The Raiders scored once more a minute later but weren’t able to overcome the two-point deficit.

Lanier 21, Apalachee 3

The Lanier defense blocked two punts and held Apalachee to a field goal on the night, and Longhorns quarterback Zach Calzada did the rest. He got things started with a 30-yard touchdown pass to Cole Thornton early in the first quarter. The Longhorns offense then capitalized on the two blocked punts with a Calzada quarterback sneak and a short touchdown pass from Calzada to Jahkai Richardson to secure the win.

Sequoyah 35, Sprayberry 28

Cole Jacobs scored three touchdowns for visiting Sequoyah, including one in the final two minutes of the game to give his team a 35-21 lead. Jacobs scored his first touchdown in the second quarter on an 87-yard reception from Sequoyah quarterback Collier Pecht, who also scored in the second quarter on a 1-yard run to give the Chiefs a 14-13 halftime lead. Jacobs extended the lead in the third quarter on a 36-yard run, and Colin Koprowski broke a 21-21 tie later in the quarter on a 2-yard run to give the Chiefs a 28-21 advantage. Jacobs gave Sequoyah its late 14-point lead with a 55-yard rushing score with 1:56 to play. Sprayberry made it a seven-point game on a touchdown run with 0:50 remaining, but Sequoyah recovered the ensuing onside kick and ran out the clock.

Pope 29, Cambridge 26

A 33-yard field goal from Garrett Tull and a touchdown pass from Joseph Stellmach to Zach Owens gave Pope a 10-0 lead in the first quarter. Cambridge scored two touchdowns in the second, while Stellmach had a 28-yard rushing touchdown. The extra point was no good, and Pope had a 16-14 lead at the half. Pope’s Kemper Hodges connected with Hunter Vandeusen in the third; again, the extra point was no good. Cambridge scored two touchdowns, but failed to convert for two points on both to lead 26-22 after three. Pope’s Hodges found Sammy Cohen for a touchdown in the fourth for the 29-26 final.

Class AAAAA

Rome 56, Hiram 0

Running back Jamious Griffin scored four times—on runs of 8, 7, 7 and 5 yards—for visiting Rome. The Wolves’ eight touchdowns all came on the ground, with seven of them coming in the first half before the team pulled its starters for the second half. Griffin scored twice in the first quarter in addition to a 60-yard Xavier Roberts touchdown run to give Rome a 21-0 lead after the opening period. Rome got a 31-yard scoring run from quarterback Knox Kadum followed by two more Griffin scores in the second, and Trey Lawrence closed out the half with a 3-yard touchdown rush. Lawrence capped the scoring late in the third quarter with a 7-yard rush.

Dutchtown 21, Stockbridge 14

Dutchtown took a 7-0 lead with 8:45 left in the first quarter on a 5-yard Kevon Glenn touchdown run and would never trail—defeating rival Stockbridge on the road, and improving to 8-0 for the first time in school history. Stockbridge tied it 7-7 following a blocked punt and Jevon McDonald’s touchdown pass to Isaiah Taylor. Chris Coneway put the Bulldogs back in front 14-7 with a second-quarter touchdown run, and McDonald found Kerick Reese late in the half even it back up 14-14. After a scoreless third quarter, Nate McCollum rumbled in the game-winning touchdown with from 38 yards out with 9:14 left. Corey Minner Jr. intercepted Stockbridge on the next possession.

Kell 63, Cass 3

Kell trailed 3-0 in the first quarter but controlled the game from there with five unanswered touchdowns on offense and a defensive score. Evan Conley threw four touchdown passes, including two to Cam Ball in the second quarter for the host Longhorns. Conley’s scoring passes to Ball went for 14 and 4 yards, and Conley hit Xavier Parris for a 24-yard TD in the second and Jaylon Brown for a 27-yarder in the third. B.J. Abson gave Kell its first points with a 3-yard run in the first quarter. Isaiah Cruz had a 3-yard touchdown run in the third, and Ty Barrett capped scoring with a 2-yard rushing score in the fourth. Backup quarterback Corbin Lafrance threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Jamal Hill in the fourth quarter. Defensive lineman Marcus Anderson had a fumble recovery for a touchdown.

Class AAAA

Salem 22, Woodward 14

Salem quarterback Daniel Scott threw two touchdown passes and the defense posted a first-half shutout before holding on to defeat host Woodward Academy. After Willis Sheppard III opened the scoring with a nine-yard run in the first quarter, Scott hit Sheppard for a 64-yard strike to give the Seminoles a 14-0 lead at halftime. Scott also tossed a one-yard touchdown pass to Lennox Bowie in the third quarter. Banks Snellings and Tahj Gary scored on the ground for the War Eagles, with Gary’s five-yard run pulling them within six points as 3:48 remained on the clock. Gary finished with 134 yards on 22 carries.

Troup 20, Cedartown 13

After a scoreless opening quarter at Callaway Stadium, Cedartown’s Kobe Pryor ran in a 48-yard touchdown run (failed PAT), and Troup’s Kobe Hudson rushed for a 10-yard score that put the Tigers up 7-6 at the break. Hudson added another 10-yard score with 3:46 left in the the third quarter, but Troup missed the PAT this time and the lead remained 13-6. Pryor rushed for his second score just over a minute later and the teams went into the fourth tied 13-13. Hudson found Joko Willis for a go-ahead 17-yard touchdown pass with 10:32 left and the Tigers (8-0) held on to keep their perfect season alive.

Cartersville 51, Chapel Hill 0

The Purple Hurricanes struck first near the ten-minute mark with a 4-yard rushing score from Senior running back Marcus Gary. With under a minute left in the first, Cartersville sophomore safety Evan Slocum snagged an interception and returned the ball 20 yards into the end zone. Junior quarterback Tee Webb turned it on in the second, tossing a 51-yard touchdown to Junior Marquail Coaxum and a pair of touchdowns to Sophomore Devonte Ross to go up 35-0 at the half. After a scoreless third, Quante’ Jennings Jr. rushed into the end zone twice to finish the offense’s prolific night. The Purple Hurricanes defense also racked up a safety late in the fourth.

Blessed Trinity 42, Chestatee 0

A 15-yard rushing touchdown from Sophomore Carson Harof ignited Blessed Trinity’s explosive first-quarter performance. Senior Jake Smith was next to reach the end zone on a 45-yard run. A second rushing score by Harof was followed by a 32-yard touchdown run by Sophomore Englan Williams to give the Titans their fourth rushing score of the first quarter. With just under ten minutes left in the first half, Sophomore Brendan Hunt found the end zone on a 2-yard run to cap off the scoring spree. Late in the third, an interception by Junior James Bryant was returned 95 yards for the Titans sixth unanswered score of the night.

Denmark 28, White County 27

White County quarterback J Ben Haynes put the Warriors up 14-0 with a 45-yard run in the first quarter, and a 2-yard touchdown reception from tailback Jay Lepkoske in the opening minute of the second. Devin Ducille got the Danes on the board with a 7-yard touchdown run and Matt Cassandra’s 1-yard touchdown run evened it 14-14 at the half. The score held until 10:27 in the final frame when White County’s Michael Mintz rushed for a 2-yard touchdown to put the Warriors back ahead 21-14. Denmark quarterback Ben Whitlock hit Ze’Vian Capers for an 81-yard touchdown run with 3:03 left to even it back up 21-21. White County answered with a 57-yard Haynes touchdown run, but missed the PAT with 1:49 left. Whitlock threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Nick Carozza with 17.6 left for the game-winner.

St. Pius X 52, Madison County 27

St. Pius X rolled to a 35-0 advantage early in the second quarter and never led by fewer than 25 points thereafter against Madison County. The visiting Golden Lions, who enjoyed a 45-14 cushion at halftime, got three touchdowns from Jason Jones in three different ways–a 19-yard blocked punt return, a 74-yard rush, and a 40-yard reception from Connor Egan. Colby Smith tried to keep the Red Raiders within striking distance, as he threw four touchdown passes. Traveon Latimore had a 66-yard touchdown catch for Madison County, Jaylen Sims hauled one in for a 63-yard score, and Kale Anderson was on the receiving end for two of Smith’s scoring strikes.

Pickens 31, Ridgeland 21

Host Pickens (9-0) outscored Ridgeland 21-7 in the final three quarters and secured the first region title in school history, while keeping its perfect season alive. The Dragons got on the board with a 30-yard double-pass touchdown from Michael Burrell to Brady Moore, but Ridgeland used a Jordan Blackwell touchdown run and a Tanner Hill 47-yard touchdown toss to Torrance Roberts to go up 14-7. Jose Sanchez tacked on a 21-yard field goal that cut the deficit to 14-10 before Robert Davis ran in a 7-yard touchdown that put Pickens out in front 17-14. C.J. Streicher completed a 78-yard touchdown pass to Kaleb Ray to give the Dragons a 24-14 halftime lead, and Davis provided Pickens’ final score in the third quarter with a 13-yard run to make it 31-14. Hill tossed an 82-yard touchdown to Stephon Walker with 4:34 left for the game’s final points.

Class AAA

Westminster 46, Redan 0

Westminster forced two turnovers in the opening quarter and led 18-0 after the first 12 minutes of play to take control against host Redan. The Wildcats led 32-0 at halftime and 39-0 going into the fourth quarter, eventually preserving the shutout by stopping the Raiders at the half-yard line as time expired. Parks Harber threw three touchdown passes, with two going to Luke Jannetta and the other from 27 yards away to John O. Izlar. Paul Weathington contributed a 13-yard score on the ground and Will Hallmark returned a punt for a touchdown.

Monroe Area 35, Jefferson 21

Chandler Byron rushed for three touchdowns and completed a touchdown pass to Emmanuel Okwudili in the first half to put the Purple Hurricanes up 28-7. Jefferson’s Paxton Corkery capped off a 16-play Jefferson drive with a 1-yard touchdown run in the third quarter to bring it within 28-14, but Byron returned to the end zone with his fourth rushing touchdown two minutes later to put Monroe Area up 35-14. Jefferson’s Carter Stephenson connected with Garmon Randolph from 17 yards out for the Dragons’ first score, and his 1-yard touchdown with 6:01 left provided the game’s final points. The win improves Monroe Area to 9-0 and clinches the Region 8-AAA title.

Calhoun 56, Coahulla Creek 13

Top-ranked and defending-champion Calhoun moved ever closer to another 6-AAA title after taking a 21-0 lead over Coahulla Creek after the first quarter. Zack Fuller started the scoring early on a 4-yard touchdown and added a 2-yard touchdown run with five minutes left in the first. Quarterback Gavin Gray led the next drive, connecting to Luke Moseley for a long gain before finding Bralin Barton on a 16-yard pass to give Calhoun a 21-0 lead. The Yellow Jackets added three more touchdowns to push the lead to 42-0 at the half, scoring all three of their touchdowns in the final two minutes of the second quarter—a diving score from Gray, a pass to Clemson-commit Brannon Spector and a 14-yard pass from Gray to Fuller. Jake Morrow passed to Julian Ipac in the third quarter, and Dawson Mashburn’s short run with 8 minutes left in the game provided insurance.

Greater Atlanta Christian 45, Cherokee Bluff 7

Six different players scored touchdowns in Greater Atlanta Christian’s 45-7 romp over host Cherokee Bluff, clinching the Region 7-AAA title for the Spartans. They led 28-0 after one quarter and 42-0 at halftime before the Bears got on the scoreboard in the third with a four-yard touchdown pass from Connor Boyd to Justin Murphy. Montae Bailey, Jake Hicks, Brooks Miller, Tyler Bride, Ty James, and Jeffrey Blake scored for Greater Atlanta Christian. Hicks hauled in a 27-yard scoring strike from Josh Rose, while Miller had a three-yard touchdown reception from Jackson Hardy.

Class AA

Heard County 13, Callaway 10

Callaway broke open a scoreless game in the third quarter with a 4-yard Cartavious Bigsby touchdown run. The visiting Cavaliers tacked on a 42-yard Hunter Williamson field goal to build the lead to 10-0 with 8:10 left in the game. Heard County quarterback Alijah Huzzie threw the first of his two late touchdown passes with 4:30 left, and completed the comeback with a 27-yard game-winner to Quincy Shepherd with just two seconds left.

Class A

Mount Paran Christian 28, St. Francis 7

Niko Vangarelli threw a pair of touchdowns passes and rushed for one score to lead Mount Paran Christian past visiting St. Francis. It was just a 7-0 game at halftime, but Vangarelli started to break things open with his second scoring strike to John Robert Sess in the third quarter and a 15-yard run to the endzone early in the fourth. Cameron Ealey’s six-yard rushing touchdown gave the Eagles a 28-0 advantage. The Knights finally got on the scoreboard with 1:40 remaining when Isaiah Wadsworth returned his second interception of the night 21 yards for a touchdown. Matthew Moore and Jake Wilson had interceptions for Mount Paran Christian.

Hebron Christian 17, Riverside Military 7

Hebron Christian held Riverside Military scoreless after the Eagles took a 7-0 lead in the first minute of the game. Hebron answered with a rushing touchdown with five minutes left in the first quarter to tie it up, and took the lead on a 28-yard field goal by Aidan Meek following a fumble recovery by Justin Peavy. Hebron extended the lead after halftime on a 7-yard pass from Colten Gauthier to Ethan Burroughs.

Savannah Christian 23, Savannah Country Day 7

Savannah Christian utilized stifling defense to hold the Hornets scoreless in the first half while building a 13-0 lead. Jacob Jablonski got scoring started on a rushing touchdown, but a failed PAT put Savannah Christian up 6-0. Nate Moon extended the lead to 13-0 with a short run with 8 minutes left before halftime. With less than a minute remaining in the third quarter, the Hornets scored on a rushing touchdown and the PAT cut the lead to 13-7. The Raiders extended the lead to 16-7 on a 30-yard field goal from Noah Chumley and then an interception returned for a touchdown by Moon with two minutes left in the game insured victory.