Harrison Bailey accounted for all seven touchdowns and found tight end Arik Gilbert for three scores as Marietta defeated host North Paulding 49-21 in the teams’ Region 3-AAAAAAA opener that left both teams with a record of 5-1.
The Blue Devils held a 28-14 lead at halftime. Bailey hit Gilbert for a 17-yard touchdown to open the scoring, then Bailey had a 1-yard touchdown run to give Marietta 14-7 lead. North Paulding tied the game at 14-14 halfway through the second quarter, but Marietta had two long touchdown passes to close the half; Bailey found Kimani Vidal for a 59-yard touchdown on a screen pass, then he hit Gilbert for a 92-yard touchdown pass.
In the third quarter, Bailey completed another long touchdown pass with a 50-yard completion to Taji Johnson, and he found Gilbert again for a 22-yard score. Bailey threw his final touchdown of the night several minutes into the fourth quarter, a 10-yard pass to Ricky White to make it 49-14 Marietta.
On defense for Marietta, Rashad Torrence had a fumble recovery and Devion Hall had an interception.
Class AAAAAAA
Mountain View 35, Discovery 0
The Bears picked up a win on Thursday with a shutout over region opponent Discovery. After a scoreless first quarter, senior quarterback Garrett Spikes rushed 1 yard into the end zone on the first play of the second quarter to give the Bears the lead. With less than 2 minutes remaining in the half, junior Nathan Payne threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Lamarcus Brand, and Nyquel Austin added a 2-point conversion run to put Mountain View up 15-0. A late field goal before the first half closed gave the Bears an 18-0 advantage, and the first-half narrative carried through the final two frames. Senior Jason Russell broke free for a 21-yard rushing touchdown in the third, and Enoch Walters followed in the fourth with a 37-yard rushing score to put the game away.
Etowah 28, Woodstock 21
The Etowah Eagles overcame a 14-7 halftime deficit with 21 unanswered points and stopped visiting Woodstock on 4th-and-6 on a potential game-tying drive to seal the comeback victory in Friday’s Region 4-AAAAAAA matchup. Woodstock quarterback Walker Ormsby found De’Andre Turner for the first touchdown of the game, which Etowah’s Dalton Miller answered with a 20-yard completion to Jackson Manns for a 7-7 tie heading into the second quarter. V’ontae Hampton reclaimed the lead for the Wolverines before the break with a 57-yard touchdown run. After Remington Adams’ 3-yard rushing score tied it back up, Miller and Brock Rechsteiner connected on a pass the latter ran for 30 yards and Etowah’s first lead (21-14) of the game. Another 30-yard touchdown, this time from Klivert Many, put the Eagles up 28-14 before Hampton’s second trip to the end zone made it a one-possession game. The Wolverines’ defense stood strong on the following Eagles’ drive, and Ormsby (30-of-44 for 221 yards) led Woodstock deep into Etowah territory before the Eagles’ defense came up with the stop. Miller finished the game 15-of-25 for 196 yards and two touchdowns.
North Forsyth 29, Forsyth Central 28 (2OT)
The North Forsyth Raiders and Forsyth Central Bulldogs played a classic at Central Friday night. The Bulldogs took a 14-0 lead early in the game before a 70-yard touchdown pass from Raiders quarterback Brady Meitz to Nicky Dalmolin resulted in a 14-7 score at halftime. North Forsyth intercepted the ball early in the final period, which enabled Meitz to connect with Dalmolin on 4th down from the 3-yard line to tie the game. Central Forsyth turned the ball over in North Forsyth territory in the final seconds of the fourth quarter, but the Raiders missed a game-winning field goal at the end of regulation. North Forsyth scored first in the first overtime and second in the second overtime to bookend two Central touchdowns, and the Raiders ultimately won the game on a gamble; Patrick Corrigan ran in both the touchdown and the successful two-point conversion attempt.
Walton 45, Lassiter 17
The Walton Raiders’ win came on the back of a quick start from senior running back Kendall Stokes. His three first-quarter rushing touchdowns put the Raiders ahead early with Lassiter only managing to score a field goal through the first half. Both teams went scoreless in the second quarter, but Stokes returned to the field in the third ready to build on his earlier success. He broke off for a 27-yard rushing score—the longest scoring play of the game—before ending his scoring spree in the fourth with another 1-yard rushing touchdown. Junior kicker Conor Cummins added a 43-yard field goal in the fourth, and junior running back Kenny Djaha scored Walton’s last points with a 6-yard rushing touchdown. Stokes ended the game with five touchdowns.
South Forsyth 42, Lambert 17
South Forsyth got things started with a rushing touchdown from Tre Green and a completed two-point conversion with 4:53 to go in the first. Kojo Antwi put Lambert on the board a minute later, and the War Eagles’ Cameron Schurr found Davin McGlockton in the second to give South Forsyth a 15-7 lead at the half. Lambert began the quarter with a field goal from Alex Marshall, but another touchdown from Green and a touchdown by Schurr gave South Forsyth an 18-point lead going into the fourth quarter. McGlockton scored the War Eagles’ first touchdown of the fourth, and a touchdown by Lambert’s Braden Bamburowski made it a 35-17 game. Tre Green scored South Forsyth’s final touchdown.
Grayson 45, Shiloh 7
Grayson led just 14-7 halfway through the second quarter before running away from Shiloh to pick up the road win. The Rams got on the board first with a C.J. Dixon touchdown pass to Ryan King. Grayson took a 14-0 lead in the second quarter on a rushing touchdown by Lafayette Gurvin Jr. before Shiloh pulled within a touchdown, but Dixon hit Jaden Smith for touchdowns of 35 and 13 yards in the second quarter—with a Shiloh safety in between—to make it 30-7 Grayson. Darius Daniels returned an interception for a touchdown for Grayson, and Gurvin converted the two-point try to give the Rams a 38-7 halftime lead. Jonathan Maisonave capped the scoring with an 11-yard rush in the fourth quarter.
North Cobb 40, Kennesaw Mountain 0
North Cobb scored early and often on the road against Kennesaw Mountain Friday night. Warriors quarterback Trevor Lovett threw for two touchdowns in the first quarter while Cam Cunningham ran for another. Lovett then scored a long rushing touchdown late in the first half. North Cobb’s defense opened the second half with a scoop-and-score, and the offense added another rushing touchdown inside the final two minutes of the game for an exclamation mark on the victory.
Class AAAAAA
Johns Creek 38, Pope 0
The Gladiators successfully shut out Pope with a stifling defense and huge performances by senior quarterback Ben Whitlock and receivers Dalton Pearson and Justin Campbell. Whitlock connected with Pearson early in the first on a 37-yard touchdown pass, and he found him again later in the quarter on a 62-yard sling that took Pearson into the end zone again. In the second quarter, junior John Stegenga snagged an interception on the Pope goal line to set up a 9-yard touchdown pass from Whitlock to Campbell for a 21-0 Gladiators lead heading into the half. A 28-yard field goal by senior Caleb Adegboyega gave Johns Creek another 3 points in the third, and Whitlock was able to add two more scores in the fourth, connecting with Garrett Gauthreaux and Campbell once again for two touchdowns. Whitlock ended the game with five touchdowns through the air.
Chattahoochee 48, Centennial 28
The visiting Chattahoochee Cougars beat the Centennial Knights behind a four-touchdown performance from quarterback Jaylen Smith. Smith found Jordan Palmer halfway through the first quarter for the first Chattahoochee touchdown, and a field goal from Cougars’ kicker Ian Ortloff gave Chattahoochee a 9-0 lead three minutes later. Centennial scored its first touchdown of the night on a pass from Zaire Goff late in the opening frame, but another Smith-to-Palmer touchdown on the following drive gave Chattahoochee a 16-7 lead. The second quarter began with a Knights touchdown pass from Goff to Julian Nixon, before Smith’s third touchdown pass to Jahmal Smith and Ortloff’s second field goal gave Chattahoochee a 26-14 lead at the half. The Cougars added an 11-yard rushing touchdown by Tyran McCoy and another touchdown by Palmer off a pass from Smith to lead 40-14 going into the fourth quarter. Centennial’s final touchdown came courtesy of a pass from Jett Miller to Jaden Lewis, which Jahmal Smith answered with one last Chattahoochee score. The Cougars completed the two-point conversion for the 48-28 final.
Dalton 62, South Cobb 7
Dalton senior running back Jahmyr Gibbs rushed for five touchdowns in the Catamounts’ home win. Gibbs gave Dalton a 6-0 lead with a 7-yard score in the first quarter, then rushed for three touchdowns in the second, all within two and a half minutes. He scored on a 3-yard run at the 3:04 mark, a 27-yard run at the 1:57 mark and a 6-yard run with 28 seconds remaining in the half to give Dalton a 34-0 lead at the break. Gibbs added his longest touchdown, a 65-yarder, at 7:05 in the third quarter. Dalton also got two rushing scores from Maurice Howard, a 17-yarder in the third quarter and a 2-yard run in the fourth. The Catamounts had an interception return for a touchdown in the second quarter, and Will Blanchard had a 58-yard punt return for a score in the third for Dalton.
Sequoyah 13, River Ridge 0
Both Sequoyah and River Ridge had their fair share of mistakes in the Region 6-AAAAAA matchup, but a stifling defensive performance gave the Chiefs their first shutout of the season and a 13-0 win on the road. Sequoyah had its first of three lost fumbles on the opening drive of a scoreless first quarter and another in second, but Jayden Mitchell stripped River Ridge’s Aidan Ali in Chiefs territory after he caught a pass from quarterback Chase Begin and returned it 70 yards for a 6-0 lead (the extra point was no good). River Ridge pinned Sequoyah at its own 5-yard line, where the third Chiefs fumble resulted in 1st-and-goal for the Knights. Sequoyah’s defense forced a turnover on downs, even with an extra try afforded by a penalty on the Chiefs, and Colin Koprowski found Myles McGee for the night’s lone offensive touchdown early in the fourth quarter. Jack Blackmon intercepted Begin on the following possession to secure the win.
Class AAAAA
Buford 31, Cedar Shoals 13
The Wolves picked up their seventh win of the season after soundly defeating Cedar Shoals. Buford was first on the board following a 77-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Jarvis Evans to sophomore Jake Pope early in the first. Senior kicker Hayden Olsen knocked through a 44-yard field goal to increase the lead, and senior Elijah Turner rushed in a 1-yard touchdown to end the first-quarter scoring spree for the Wolves. Buford continued to put points on the board in the second as Ashton Daniels rushed 11 yards into the end zone, but the Wolves’ 24-point lead shrank following a rushing score from Cedar Shoals’ AJ Williams to close out the half. Up 24-7 in the third, Turner found the end zone once again for the Wolves, giving the senior his second score of the night and putting the game out of reach for Cedar Shoals.
Kell 39, Villa Rica 9
Kell led 19-9 at halftime before a three-touchdown third quarter put the game away for the visiting Longhorns. David Mbadinga rushed for two touchdowns, of 6 yards and 60 yards, and Jamal Hill scored on receptions of 25 and 35 yards, both from quarterback Corbin LaFrance. LaFrance also rushed for a 2-yard touchdown to cap the scoring in the third quarter. Vincent Dinkins returned a fumble for a touchdown on the first drive of the second half.
Carrollton 47, Woodland-Cartersville 0
Quarterback Myles Morris passed for three touchdowns and the Trojan running game added three more scores to move Carrollton past Woodland. Morris connected with Mecose Todd (45 yards), Terrell Carmichael (34 yards) and Steven Slappey (4 yards) for touchdowns, and Todd added a 9-yard touchdown run. Carmichael’s 72-yard punt return put Carrollton up 27-0 early in the second quarter. Nick Tuggle scored on a 2-yard touchdown and Brandon Williams added a short touchdown run with a minute left in the game. Morris was 8-of-9 passing for 148 yards and three touchdowns. Todd finished with six carries for 66 yards and a touchdown. Carrollton outgained Woodland 357-47 with 190 rushing yards and 167 passing yards.
Rome 45, East Paulding 0
Rome found the end zone twice in each of the first three quarters and booted through a 37-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to close out its 45-0 road win. Tim Jones returned an interception 45 yards for the Wolves’ first touchdown and Ahijah Blackwell made it a 14-0 game at the end of the opening quarter with a 3-yard rushing touchdown. EJ Burkes scored on runs of 60 and 13 yards in the second quarter to push the lead to 28-0 at the half, and Blackwell scored his second (61 yards) and third touchdown of the game (5 yards) in the third frame to give Rome a 42-0 lead.
Jones County 27, Dutchtown 22
The Region 4-AAAAA rivals each entered the game with flawless 6-0 records, but the Jones County Greyhounds were able to leave with a road victory. Dutchtown got off to a fast start, taking a 14-0 lead just five seconds into the second quarter after an Arendez Fedd touchdown pass to Gerrod Nicholson and a 1-yard rushing touchdown by Nate McCollum. The Bulldogs defense held Jones County in check until a botched punt return gifted the Greyhounds the ball at the Dutchtown 11-yard line early in the second quarter. Jones County quarterback Hunter Costlow capitalized on the turnover and completed the first of his three touchdown passes to Maleek Wooten. The duo’s second connection game in the final minutes of the first half and tied it at 14-14, but Dutchtown regained a 16-14 edge at the half following a late safety. Costlow’s 18-yard touchdown pass to Wooten early in the third quarter gave Jones County its first lead of the game (21-16). The Bulldogs answered with a 6-yard touchdown pass from Fedd to Cameron Bryant with 2:24 and a failed 2-point conversion attempt kept Dutchtown’s lead at 22-21 heading into the fourth quarter. Costlow connected with Jontavias Robertson with 6:40 left for a game-winning 20-yard touchdown.
Starr’s Mill 42, Whitewater 3
Starr’s Mill defended home field, trouncing the Whitewater Wildcats behind a strong defensive effort and a 28-point second quarter. Starr’s Mill’s Ben Bodne scored three touchdowns, the second of which kicked off the second-quarter onslaught. Quarterback Hunter Lawson scored on a 41-yard run, Kalen Sims added a 36-yard rushing score, and Bodne’s third touchdown of the night put Starr’s Mill up 35-0 at the break. After a scoreless third quarter, Brandon Mathis gave Starr’s Mill its final touchdown. Whitewater’s only points came off a field goal in the fourth.
Class AAAA
Woodward Academy 49, Eastside 7
Visiting Woodward Academy got five total touchdowns from quarterback Mike Wright, who threw for four scores and rushed for one. Wright hit Ambe Caldwell for two touchdowns, both 6-yard passes in the second quarter, and also found Hunter Sellers for a 33-yard touchdown in the first and Alan Wright for a 5-yard touchdown in the second. Wright rushed for a 3-yard score in the third quarter. Damari Alston scored the first and last touchdowns of the game, a 4-yard rush in the first quarter and a 12-yard run with 6:44 remaining in the fourth. Wright was 15-of-20 passing for 292 yards, Caldwell caught four passes for 123 yards and Alston rushed 14 times for 97 yards.
Marist 45, Stone Mountain 7
Marist surged to leads of 21-0 after one quarter, 42-0 at halftime, and 45-0 going into the fourth for a routine road win over West Hall. Connor Cigelske threw three touchdown passes, including two in the first quarter to Derek McDonald and Mitch Owen. Lincoln Parker added a pair of touchdown runs for the War Eagles, while Hayden Richardson also scored on the ground. Ryan MacGinnitie wrapped up Marist’s scoring with a field goal in the third quarter. West Hall finally got on the scoreboard with nine minutes remaining when Solomon Riley delivered a 3-yard touchdown run.
Oconee County 21, St. Pius 7
Oconee County trailed 7-0 after one quarter but took control the rest of the way to overcome visiting St. Pius X. The Warriors tied it with a scoop-and-score off a blocked punt early in the second quarter, leaving the score at 7-7 heading into halftime. Max Johnson threw a touchdown pass to Liam Lewis early in the third quarter to put Oconee County ahead for good. Johnson scored on a quarterback sneak with 4:16 left in the fourth to complete a game-clinching drive that ate up almost eight minutes off the clock.
Class AAA
Westminster 36, Pace Academy 21
Westminster clawed back from a 14-3 deficit to run away from visiting Pace Academy. The Wildcats trailed 21-17 at the intermission before outscoring the Knights 19-0 in the second half. Will Hallmark led the charge with a 5-yard touchdown run and scoring strikes to Jennings McGill and Wicker Croft. Alex Bacchetta went 5-for-5 on field-goal attempts for the Wildcats, including two from more than 40 yards away. Pace Academy got a pair of touchdown runs by Justin Johnson and a 40-yard touchdown pass from Evan Smith-Rooks to Mbiti Williams.
Lovett 46, Stone Mountain 32
Blaine McAllister threw three touchdown passes and Michael Hollingsworth rushed for two scores as Lovett took care of visiting Stone Mountain. McAllister connected with Mike Valls, Charlie Hoke and Logan Givens all in the first quarter en route to a quick 28-6 lead. Stone Mountain briefly pulled to within 31-20 after trailing 31-6 at halftime, but the margin never got closer than 11 points. Shaheim Bailey accounted for all five of the Pirates’ touchdowns, three through the air and two on the ground. Henry Beery was the star on special teams for the Lions, kicking a 36-yard field goal and also returning a kick 65 yards for a touchdown.
Calhoun 39, Adairsville 14
Jake Morrow’s touchdown pass to Ethan Crump with a minute left in the third quarter put Calhoun up 39-7 and kept Adairsville at bay. It was the second 30-yard touchdown pass from Morrow to Crump on the evening. The first came early in the second and put Calhoun up 9-0 after an Eduardo Fajardo field goal in the first quarter. Jerrian Hames scored on a 6-yard touchdown run later in the quarter, and Cole Speer fielded a punt and returned it 75 yards for a touchdown to give Calhoun a 23-7 lead with two minutes remaining in the half. Hames’ 11-yard touchdown run with three minutes left in the third quarter gave Calhoun a 31-7 lead.
Jefferson 28, Hart County 23
The visiting Jefferson Dragons struck first in their win over Hart County with a rushing touchdown from Jordan Perry. Malachi Thomas tied it up for the Bulldogs early in the second, but another touchdown from Perry put the Dragons back on top. A field goal from the Bulldog’s Tucker Kim cut into Jefferson’s lead for a 14-10 score at the break. Jefferson’s Colby Clark opened the second half with a trip to the end zone on 4th-and-goal. Luke Lee added a touchdown for Hart County, and Jefferson took a 21-16 lead into the final frame. Colby Clark’s second score put Jefferson up 28-16 with 9:43 left in the game, and Lee’s touchdown completion to Cane Berrong brought the final to 28-23.
Class AA
Vidalia 35, Jeff Davis 17
Vidalia’s sophomore quarterback Bryce Davis scored on touchdown runs of 75, 26 and 76 yards in the first quarter to put the visiting Indians up 20-3. Davis connected with Jaedyn Stanley for a 36-yard touchdown pass to increase the lead to 28-3 at the half before accounting for his fifth touchdown after the break. Davis finished the game with 252 rushing yards off just 12 carries, and Stanley added 115 rushing yards in addition to his touchdown grab.
Class A
Fellowship Christian 48, St. Francis 21
Fellowship Christian compiled 503 total yards of offense, including 441 rushing yards, and improved to 6-0 overall with a 48-21 road win over the Knights. Murphy Reeves took 20 carries for a game-high 198 rushing yards and four touchdowns. Josh Cole rushed for a touchdown and 138 yards on nine carries, Jayven Hall added 10 carries for 53 yards and a touchdown, and Eli Hildenbrandt had 26 yards and a rushing score off of his seven carries.
Athens Academy 38, George Walton 6
Top-ranked Athens Academy jumped out to a 28-0 halftime lead and closed out George Walton Academy at home, giving fifth-year head coach Josh Alexander his 50th all-time victory. Kurt Knisely rushed for two touchdowns in the first half, and quarterback Palmer Bush threw touchdown passes to Willy Terrell and Kale Anderson to push the lead to 28-0. Bush scored a 5-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter, and Jake Williams added a Spartans field goal to make it 38-0.
Wesleyan 52, Mt. Vernon Presbyterian 30
Wesleyan held off host Mt. Vernon Presbyterian in a high-scoring game, with the Wolves leading 35-14 at halftime and maintaining at least a two-score advantage for the rest of the game. Wesleyan’s J.C. French rushed for two 1-yard touchdowns and threw two long touchdown passes to Micah Smith—both in the second quarter—of 75 and 38 yards. Mt. Vernon scored two touchdowns in the third quarter to pull within 35-24, but a 35-yard fourth-quarter field goal from Javy Martinez and French’s second touchdown run put Wesleyan back up by 22 points and sealed the win. J.D. Chipman scored Wesleyan’s first touchdown on a 73-yard run, and Will Tucker provided the Wolves’ final score on a 4-yard run. For Mt. Vernon, quarterback Blake Kytle found Andrew Douglas for two touchdowns.
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