Top-ranked Marist, Jefferson and Benedictine were all in action this week and represented the classification well after 4A went 7-20 Week 1. Bainbridge, which is also highly ranked in the classification lost 31-16 to powerhouse Coffee, but what is worth pointing out is how dominant Marist, Jefferson and Benedictine proved to be this week. The trio combined for a 157-14 scoring advantage.
Marist 43, Holy Innocents' 0
Junior quarterback Hayden Richardson rushed for two touchdowns and threw for a touchdown and a two-point conversion to give Marist a home shutout win. Richardson rushed for touchdowns of 23 and 9 yards in the first quarter and found Wright Formisano on a two-point conversion to give the War Eagles a 15-0 lead. Junior running back Andrew Mannelly added two rushing scores in the second quarter to give Marist a 29-0 halftime lead, and Richardson threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Derek McDonald to make it 36-0 in the third quarter.
Benedictine 49, Effingham County 7
Evan Scarbrough opened the scoring with an interception and 40-yard touchdown return less than two minutes into the game to give visiting Benedictine a 7-0 lead. Effingham responded with a 14-yard touchdown pass from Zach Garcia to Keion Wallace with 3:17 left in the first quarter before the Cadets poured on 42 unanswered points. After Effingham County’s touchdown, Benedictine’s LeShon Brooks scored a 66-yard touchdown run on the following play to reclaim a 14-7 lead. Junior Holden Geriner added a 4-yard touchdown run with 9:52 left in the second quarter and the Cadets went into the locker room with a 21-7 lead after holding Effingham County to just 63 total yards of offense in the half. The third quarter was dominated by Geriner and wide receiver Trent Broadnax, who connected for touchdown passes from 14, 5 and 55 yards. Benedictine’s Justin Thomas also scored on a 2-yard touchdown run in the third quarter to help build the lead to 49-7.
Jefferson 61, Central Gwinnett 7
Jefferson rushed for 526 yards on 35 carries, led by touchdowns of 71, 65 and 20 yards from Malaki Starks to cruise to victory over Central Gwinnett. The Dragons only passed once in the game. Michael Sheehan added two rushing touchdowns, and Kolton Jones (59 yards), Kam Robinson (18 yards), Reese Johnson (5 yards) and Carter Stephenson (4 yards) each scored as well. Central Gwinnett’s lone touchdown came on a 14-yard pass from Justin Johnson to Mekhi Mews.
