Here’s a quick look at what went down this busy weekend:
No. 3 Commerce goes down
One of the classification's undefeated teams and title contenders, Commerce, was beaten Friday night by Riverside Military Academy, 20-19. Commerce head coach Michael Brown expressed concern about the Eagles prior to the game, calling them "without a doubt the most athletic team in our region (Region 8)," and he was right. Led by one of the most underrated athletes in the state, senior LB/WR Khalid Duke (6-4, 210), RMA also features seniors QB/ATH Isaac Teasley (returning state champion in the 400 meters, third in the 200 meters), DE/TE Wookdong Kim (pre-season all-state selection by Recruit Georgia) and sophomore DB/WR Cam'ron Dabney. The RMA win has produced a three-way tie for first in sub-region A of Region 8, as Commerce, Hebron Christian and now RMA are all 3-1. After the tie-breaker is sorted out, we'll let you know which team will be in the region title game next week against No. 2 Athens Academy.
Athens Academy, Aquinas, Fellowship Christian escape
Speaking of the Spartans, they were among three ranked teams who staved off upset bids. No. 2 Athens Academy led Hebron Christian 22-7 entering the fourth quarter but had to hang on to win 22-20. James Williams kicked three field goals (32, 37, 30 yards) and Len'Neth Whitehead rushed for two touchdowns (one and 61 yards) for the Spartans, while Lion QB Colten Gautier and WR Jeffrey Saturday connected on scoring passes of 81, 15 and 40 yards for the Lions. Meanwhile, No. 4 Fellowship Christian (9-0, 7-0 in Region 6-Division B) edged Whitefield Academy (5-2, 6-3) 42-20, and No. 10 Aquinas (8-1, 5-1 in Region 7-Division B) hung on to down Warren County (2-4, 4-5) 39-36. The Irish haven't lost to the Eagles since 2011.
Prince Avenue, George Walton slug it out
No. 3 Prince Avenue Christian and No. 5 George Walton Academy staged an epic contest Friday night, with PAC (8-1, 3-1 in Region 8 South) prevailing 28-25, due largely to the efforts of sophomore quarterback Brock Vandagriff. He threw a 62-yard touchdown pass to Mack Simmons in the first quarter, scored on a five-yard run and threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Elijah Hynes in the second quarter, and provided the winning margin with a three-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
NCC takes another step
The historic season for North Cobb Christian continued Friday with another win over a ranked opponent. This time the Eagles (8-1, 5-1 in Region 6-Division A) knocked off No. 9 Darlington 35-21 in Rome. Earlier this season, NCC beat Trion, also ranked No. 9 at the time, 28-7. Against Darlington, the Eagles rushed for over 200 yards, most of it by Ryan Pruitt and Timothy Walker, who combined for 180 yards. Pruitt also scored on runs of three, seven and 22 yards, Walker had a six-yarder and Sharnard Banks added a 46-yard touchdown run to cap the Eagles' scoring.
About the Author
