Here are a few key results from Week 8.
Prince Avenue dominates Athens Academy in 1 vs. 2 showdown. Prince Avenue Christian head coach Greg Vandagriff said it best after his team routed then-private No. 1 Athens Academy: “We got after them.”
After a scoreless first half, Vandagriff’s son, senior QB Brock, lived up to his billing as one of the top high school players in the nation. The UGA commit was just four-of-14 passing for 25 yards and an interception in the first half, but after a bit of a talking-to by dad, he turned it around after halftime. Vandagriff finished 13-for-24 with 201 yards and three touchdowns along with 40 yards rushing and a touchdown, in the Wolverines' 41-7 win, which snapped a four-game losing streak to the Spartans.
The win vaulted Prince Avenue (6-1, 1-0 in Region 8) into first place in the region and into the top spot in the private school rankings. Athens Academy (6-1, 0-1) fell to No. 3, behind five-time defending state champion Eagle’s Landing Christian (3-3), which had an off week due the Chargers' non-region game at Pace Academy being cancelled.
Dublin holds on to edge Wilcox County. After falling behind 6-0 early, public No. 5 Dublin built a two-touchdown lead and then hung on to knock off No. 9 Wilcox County, 35-28. After Patriot senior QB/LB Martez Thrower’s 3-yard touchdown run, one of three he had in the game, put Wilcox ahead 6-0, the Fighting Irish scored 21-unanswered points and never looked back. Freshman QB Deago Jackson had two touchdown passes and sophomore Jaquarius Evans' interception late sealed the deal. Thrower’s other scoring runs were for 11 and 14 yards.
Trinity, North Cobb Christian get back on track. After suffering big losses last time they played, private No. 8 NCC and No. 9 Trinity got back in the win column. NCC was dominated by No. 3 Fellowship Christian, 27-0, two weeks ago, but on Friday the Eagles' explosive wing-T offense was back on display in a 35-20 home win over Bowdon. Senior RB Caleb Cannon finished with 136 yards on just eight carries, and two touchdowns, while backup senior QB Walker Ormsby completed four-of-six passes for 122 yards and two touchdowns (80 and 35 yards), both to Isaiah Williams. Ormsby came in for senior Luke Brock, who suffered an injury as he scored on a 53-yard run on the game’s first play from scrimmage. Bowdon junior Gage Stephens finishes with 184 yards on 18 carries and two touchdowns. Meanwhile, on the other side of Cobb County in Mableton, Trinity led from start to finish and managed to hold off a late charge from the Wolfpack. The Lions built a 13-6 lead by halftime thanks to field goals of 38 and 37 yards by Noah Maupin and a 2-yard touchdown run from Jimbo Batchelor. They extended their lead to 20-6 in the third quarter on a 55-yard scoring strike from Henry Brodnax to Danny Baird. Whitefield Academy pulled to within 20-12 on a 62-yard touchdown run by running back Myles Redding, his second score of the night. The Wolfpack appeared to have a chance at a tie in the fourth quarter when Eric Little ran one into the end zone from 70 yards out, but it was negated by a penalty, and the Lions' defense stopped two Whitefield drives late.
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