At nearly 10 yards per carry, Justin Williams has rushed for 518 yards in three games this season. If that’s not enough to impress college football coaches, maybe this will.
“I coached Trey Sermon at Sprayberry,” said Billy Shackelford, now Williams’ coach at East Paulding. “This kid is better than Trey as a junior. He’s legitimately a stud.”
Sermon is the Ohio State running back who rushed for more than 2,000 yards in his time at Oklahoma before transferring. Williams will need to develop further to match Sermon’s progression, but Shackelford can’t be more pleased with what he’s got right now.
“He’s a 200-pound back that runs with speed and power, and those combinations are extremely dangerous,” Shackelford said. “He’s developing into his body, and you’re seeing him make open-field moves. Now he’s blossoming into a workhorse, the kind of guy you can feed 15-20 times a game.”
Williams rushed for 249 yards and scored five touchdowns in 41-28 victory over Hiram on Friday. East Paulding is 3-0 for the first time since 2012.
Top five
*Benedictine OLB Holden Sapp had six sacks for 32 yards in losses in a 49-35 victory over North Oconee.
*Blessed Trinity RB Justice Haynes rushed for 250 yards and four touchdowns on 21 carries in a 54-32 victory over Kell. Haynes also caught a 35-yard TD pass.
*East Paulding RB Justin Williams rushed for 249 yards and four touchdowns on 22 carries, had three receptions for 83 yards and scored touchdowns on plays of 80, 67, 67, 40 and 9 yards in a 41-28 victory over Hiram.
*Ware County QB Thomas Castellanos was 15-of-22 passing for 308 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for 92 yards and a touchdown in a 45-12 victory over Thomson.
*Worth County WR/DB Tayshaun Shipp had 215 receiving yards and scored touchdowns of 99 and 80 yards in a 30-20 victory over Rutland. He also had three tackles, one for a loss, and intercepted a pass. Shipp has gone for more than 100 yards receiving in all four of his team’s games.
Best of the rest
*Bacon County QB Mason Mikell was 8-of-9 passing for 171 yards and two touchdowns in a 42-0 victory over Brantley County. He also scored two touchdowns.
*Bleckley County RB Chuckie Stephens rushed for 135 yards on 26 carries and scored on a 1-yard run to break a 14-14 tie in the fourth quarter of a 21-14 victory over Vidalia.
*Bradwell Institute DE Tyler Jones had four tackles for losses and forced a fumble in a 10-6 weather-shortened loss to Liberty County.
*Brunswick RB Khamori “Ree” Simmons rushed for 184 yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries in a 41-12 victory over Northeast.
*Callaway RB/LB LaQuize Gilbert rushed for 92 yards and three touchdowns and had a team-leading 12 tackles in a 35-0 victory over Douglass.
*Centennial WR Drake Mason had six receptions for 128 yards and a touchdown and returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown in a 35-32 loss to Peachtree Ridge.
*Central Gwinnett WR Mekhi Mews had 362 all-purpose yards, including 218 yards receiving on eight receptions, in a 52-27 loss to South Forsyth. Mews scored on a pass reception and kickoff return.
*Central (Carrollton) RB Narada Levett rushed for 154 yards and a touchdown and scored the winning conversion in a 29-28 victory over Whitewater.
*Chestatee DL Jeronimo Marin had seven solo tackles, four tackles for losses and four assists and forced a fumble in a 14-8 loss to West Hall.
*Christian Heritage RB/LB Evan Lester, normally a receiver, rushed for 170 yards on 20 carries, had three receptions for 32 yards, made five tackles and recovered a fumble in a 39-7 victory over Heritage of Ringgold. Lester also averaged 45 yards on two punts.
*Columbus WR Vaudree' Bedford had six receptions for 168 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 50 yards and a touchdown on four carries in a 39-32 loss to LaGrange.
*Dade County QB/FS MaKinley Everett was 28-of-39 passing for 298 yards and five touchdowns in a 39-34 loss to Trion. He had six tackles on defense.
*East Hall QB Clete Cooper was 17-of-25 passing for 318 yards and three touchdowns in a 41-3 victory over Johnson of Gainesville.
*Eastside PK Jaydon Fain kicked a 36-yard field goal as time expired in a 34-31 victory over Newton County rival Alcovy.
*Fannin County WR Jalen Ingram had three receptions for 102 yards and two touchdowns and scored a conversion in a 48-0 victory over Southeast Whitfield.
*Forsyth Central FS Caydin Mowen had two tackles for losses, two interceptions and three pass breakups in a 42-14 victory over Cambridge. He also had three receptions for first downs.
*Greenbrier DL Beau Shugarts nine tackles, four for losses, two sacks and four pancake blocks in a 38-3 victory over Grovetown.
*Habersham Central QB Joshua Pickett rushed for 213 yards and two touchdowns and passed for 158 yards in a 28-21 loss to White County.
*Heard County QB Maurice Fench rushed for 67 yards and three touchdowns on eight carries and was 7-of-13 passing for 103 yards in a 35-30 victory over Darlington.
*LaFayette QB Jaylon Ramsey, playing only the first half, rushed for 175 yards on seven carries and scored on runs of 49, 69 and 11 yards in a 43-7 victory over Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe. He also was 6-of-9 passing for 46 yards and a touchdown.
*LaGrange LB Jarno Huzzie had 13 tackles, two tackles for losses and two sacks in a 39-32 victory over Columbus.
*Lincoln County WR/FS Caleb Willis threw a 61-yard pass off a reverse that set up the winning touchdown, which he caught two plays later, in a 13-7 victory over Laney. He intercepted a pass with a minute left to seal the win.
*Long County LB Bryant Bleyman had seven tackles, two for losses, a sack and two QB hits in a 16-3 loss to Butler.
*Macon County DT Pier Barron had five tackles for losses and forced two fumbles in a 38-0 victory over Marion County.
*Manchester QB Cam Long was 14-of-18 passing for 155 yards and four touchdowns in a 62-8 victory over Central of Talbotton.
*North Murray QB Seth Griffin was 12-of-15 passing for 157 yards with TD passes of 17 and 11 yards in a 62-49 victory over Ringgold. He rushed for 58 yards and scored three touchdowns.
*North Oconee WR Khalil Barnes had seven receptions for 163 yards and two touchdowns in a 49-35 loss to Benedictine.
*Northgate sophomore QB James Paige rushed for 171 yards on 12 carries, scored on a 95-yad run, and was 9-of-13 passing for 108 yards in a 24-7 victory over Villa Rica.
*Pickens RB Jarod Whitmore rushed for 175 yards and a touchdown on 33 carries in a 10-0 victory over Coosa.
*Prince Avenue Christian WR/RET Landon Owens had 246 all-purpose yards, including a 94-yard kickoff return, in a 35-25 victory over Holy Innocents'.
*Putnam County RB Cedrion Brundage rushed for 238 yards on 15 carries and scored four touchdowns in a 45-0 victory over Social Circle.
*Roswell WR Michael Fitzgerald had nine receptions for 155 yards and a touchdown in a 41-14 victory over North Paulding.
*Rutland RB Jessie Phelps rushed for 307 yards and two touchdowns on 36 carries in a 30-20 loss to Worth County.
*Savannah Christian WR/DB George Futch had three receptions for 86 yards and a touchdown, made five tackles and returned an interception 100 yards for a touchdown in a 52-13 loss to John Milledge Academy.
*South Paulding DE/LB C.J. Nunnally had nine tackles, three for losses, and 2.5 sacks in a 28-14 victory over Chapel Hill.
*South Atlanta RB Keywon Brown rushed for 166 yards and one touchdown on 16 carries in a 20-19 victory over Washington.
*St. Pius LB/FB Shug Bentley had 13 tackles and scored a touchdown in a 25-3 victory over Cedar Shoals.
*Temple RB Phillip Johnson rushed for 218 yards and two touchdowns in a 17-14 loss to Cass.
*Thomson WR Ashton Perry had six receptions for 175 yards and a touchdown in a 42-12 loss to Ware County.
*Towns County RB Kyle Oakes rushed for 152 yards and two touchdowns in a 21-20 loss to Mount Zion (Carroll).
*Upson-Lee RB De’Travious Mathis rushed for 200 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries in a 35-27 victory over McIntosh.
*Washington-Wilkes WR/DB Justin Meyers had four receptions for 167 yards and two touchdowns in a 34-0 victory over Warren County.
*Wesleyan RB Griffin Caldwell rushed for 201 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries in a 28-0 victory over Loganville Christian.
*West Forsyth RB/P Daba Fofana rushed for 119 yards and a touchdown on 31 carries in a 24-21 victory over Walton. He punted five times for a 43.2 average. Fofana has gone over 100 yards rushing in all three games.
*Westlake QB R.J. Johnson was 22-of-37 passing for 328 yards and a touchdown in a 21-7 victory over Johns Creek.
Lines of distinction
*Commerce’s offensive line of right tackle Bo Childers, right guard Payton Freeman, center Lambdin Hardy, left guard Mason Gaddis, left tackle William Suber and tight ends David King and Wesley Stilley opened holes for a school-record 568 yards rushing in a 55-28 victory over Elbert County. Four backs had more than 100 yards rushing. They were Dreylan Martin (20 carries, 188 yards), Trey Huff (18-131), Sammy Brown (11-122) and Tyelon Brock (8-106).
*Creekside’s offensive line of Jalil Muhammad (Florida International commit), Jordan Davis (South Carolina commit), Rayhiem Rowe (Southern Illinois commit), Ledell Finister and freshman Caleb Holmes helped Kamari Davis rush for 215 yards on 29 carries in a 21-18 loss to Cartersville. Creekside had more than 300 yards rushing.
*Forsyth Central’s offensive line of Cole McGlumphy, Luke Sacchetti, Robbie Watson, Logan Andrews, Sully Eash, Dylan Snyder and Luke Gwinner paved the way for 308 rushing yards in a 42-14 victory over Cambridge.
*Gilmer’s offensive line of Cameron Weaver, Tyler Gatlin, Braden Jenkins, Dawson Stephens, Hershel Defoor, Tony Olea, Will Bradburn and Dylan Shope supported Kobe Stonecipher’s 288 yards rushing in a 28-19 victory over East Jackson. Gilmer rushed for 420 yards and four touchdowns as a team.
*Haralson County’s offensive line of Jonah Sanders, Isaiah Reed, Colton Sanders, Eli Salmon, Caden Mullins, Kyler Warren and Jared Rodriquez cleared the path for 350 yards of rushing for the fourth consecutive game in a 49-7 victory over Model. Haralson is 4-0.
*Lanier County’s offensive line of Kelvin Gaines, Darreun Henry, Kai Rodgers, Shane Daniels, Demarcus Eubanks, and Tykerion Powell paved the way for 337 yards rushing in a 44-8 victory over Brookwood School. Jaylon Calhoun rushed for 156 yards and one touchdown on 17 carries. Lanier County is 3-0 for the first time in school history.
*McIntosh County Academy’s offensive line of Peyton Waters, RayJon West, Lake Linton, Zay Lawton, Daniel Rush, and Ryan Burkhart launched Trenton Johnson to 296 yards rushing and three touchdowns in a 29-21 victory over 10th-ranked Charlton County. MCA rushed for 449 yards on just 49 carries, an average of 9.2 yards per carry. Trenton Johnson had 30 carries for 296 yards and three touchdowns.
*Rabun County’s offensive line of Nolan Crane, Chris Thompson, Clayton Dixon, Bear Old and Will McCraw helped the Tigers put up 520 total yards – 252 passing, 268 rushing - with only two negative-yardage plays in a 48-34 victory over Bremen. Lang Windham had 123 yards rushing, 111 receiving.
*Sprayberry’s offensive line of seniors Amaurae Moore, David Evbomenya and Maxie Cobb and sophomores Fernando Baker and Troy Beverley, along with junior tight end Danilo Frederic, dominated the trenches as the Yellow Jackets rushed for 378 yards and put up 523 yards of total offense in a 51-20 victory over Kennesaw Mountain. The unit allowed no sacks.
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