Friday recap: Central Carrolton wins 2nd-highest scoring GHSA game in 100 years

Central of Carrollton and Houston County chased a single-game state scoring record, Prince Avenue Christian made a bid for a No. 1 ranking. and Lee County and Gainesville affirmed their places in the Top 10 on Friday night in the fourth full week of the football season.

Jackson County, Thomasville, Wesleyan and Fellowship Christian boosted their esteem with victories over highly regarded foes.

Central, an unranked Class 5A team, beat 6A’s No. 9 team, Houston County, 73-66, scoring the game’s 19th touchdown in the first overtime.

The 139 points are the second-most for a GHSA game in the past 100 years, according to the Georgia High School Football Historians Association.

The record of 153 was set in a 2016 playoff game when Lowndes beat Hillgrove 92-61. Houston County’s 66 points are the second-most points for a losing team. Collins Hill beat South Cobb 70-68 in a 2004 playoff game.

The previous highest-scoring game this season also involved Central, as the Lions lost to East Paulding 56-49 last week in a game in which Central quarterback JR Harris passed for 614 yards.

Prince Avenue Christian, ranked No. 3 in the Private division, beat No. 2 Greater Atlanta Christian 38-15.

Prince Avenue is a three-time former champion that spent the first six weeks at No. 1 last season before losing to eventual champion Hebron Christian in the quarterfinals.

The No. 1 Private team, Calvary Day, lost to Ambassador Christian of North Carolina 28-14. Ambassador, a Charlotte-area team, is 4-0 and ranked No. 42 among North Carolina schools by MaxPreps.

Lee County, No. 2 in Class 6A, beat Colquitt County 48-30. Colquitt is unranked with a 2-2 record but remains a valued belt notch as the Packers entered 13-1 all-time against Lee County and beat Lee 43-36 last season.

Gainesville, No. 8 in 6A, got its first win of the season with a 20-10 victory over another formerly ranked 7A team, McEachern. Gainesville, ranked No. 2 in preseason, has lost against top-50 nationally ranked Buford and East St. Louis, Illinois.

Jackson County, the No. 6 team in 6A, beat 5A’s No. 4, North Oconee, 20-14. North Oconee had been 40-0 against Northeast Georgia opponents since 2021.

Thomasville, the No. 8 team in Class 2A, beat No. 2 Worth County of 3A 30-16. Worth County had won 17 straight games and beat Thomasville in overtime last season.

Wesleyan and Fellowship are unranked teams that beat Top 10 teams in the Private division.