A team needs play-makers to win its second consecutive region title, and Brunswick has Terry Mitchell.
The junior wide receiver – listed at 5 feet, 8 inches and 150 pounds – scored on a 53-yard reception and a 73-yard punt return in the first half as Brunswick took a 20-6 lead over Effingham County in the game that decided the Region 2-6A championship.
In the fourth quarter with Effingham County within 24-19 and Brunswick facing a fourth-and-7, Mitchell caught a 21-yard pass from J.R. Elkins to the Effingham 5-yard line, setting up the Pirates’ final score. Brunswick won 30-27.
“He runs very good routes, and he has the ability to make big plays at any time,” Brunswick coach Garrett Grady said. “He is electric with the football in his hands and can make defenders miss.” (See Mitchell’s touchdowns here.)
Top five
*Brunswick WR Terry Mitchell had 10 receptions for 170 yards and returned a punt 73 yards for a touchdown in a 30-27 victory over Effingham County. The game decided the Region 2-6A championship.
*John Milledge Academy QB Briggs Eady rushed for 156 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries, was 8-of-14 passing for 133 yards and two touchdowns, scored a two-point conversion, made five tackles, one for a loss, and intercepted a pass to clinch a 28-21 victory over Tattnall Square. John Milledge tied Buford’s state record with its 47th consecutive victory.
*Kendrick RB Salathia Sampson scored nine touchdowns – the most in a GHSA game in 74 years – in a 70-0 victory over Jordan. Sampson rushed for 205 yards and eight touchdowns on nine carries and scored on a 40-yard reception. The single-game record of 10 touchdowns was set in 1948 by Calhoun’s Kenneth Moore.
*Peachtree Ridge RB/DB Jordan Ghant rushed for 304 yards and five touchdowns on 14 carries, made seven tackles at safety and had 52 return yards in a 48-47 victory over Duluth. The game decided the final playoff berth in Region 7-7A.
*Swainsboro’s Demello Jones had 21 carries for 241 yards and two touchdowns, two receptions for 39 yards and two touchdowns, two tackles, two assists, two pass breakups and an interception in a 28-7 victory over Dublin. The game decided the Region 2-A Division I championship.
Best of the rest
*Allatoona DE Mekhi Buchanan had five solo tackles, one assist, one tackle for a loss, one sack and an interception returned for a touchdown in a 31-0 victory over River Ridge.
*Athens Christian WR Jalen Jackson had four receptions for 176 yards and three touchdowns in a 32-21 victory over Mount de Sales.
*Bainbridge WR Antavious Murphy had nine receptions for 174 yards and two touchdowns in a 53-20 victory over Cairo.
*Baldwin RB Micah Welch rushed for 286 yards and four touchdowns on 29 carries in a 47-14 victory over Griffin.
*Bowdon RB T.J. Harvison rushed for 258 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries and had 53 yards and a touchdown receiving in a 42-13 victory over Mount Zion of Carroll County.
*Bremen RB Trent McPherson rushed for 294 yards and four touchdowns on 36 carries in a 41-7 victory over Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe.
*Bryan County DB Tanner Ennis had nine solo tackles, five assists and three tackles for losses, caught a 39-yard TD pass and ran a kickoff for a touchdown in a 40-19 victory over Claxton.
*Buford WR/DB K.J. Bolden returned the opening kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown, caught two passes for 94 yards and a touchdown and had three solo tackles, two tackles for losses and an assist in a 49-7 victory over Central Gwinnett.
*Campbell QB Luke Marble rushed for 105 yards and two touchdowns and passed for 204 yards in a 56-14 loss to Westlake.
*Cedar Grove DL Chase Kerns had three sacks, four tackles for losses and two forced fumbles in a 21-2 victory over Carver of Atlanta.
*Central (Carrollton) RB Jonaz Walton rushed for 204 yards and three touchdowns on 30 carries in a 35-23 victory over Heritage of Ringgold.
*Central Gwinnett RB Carmello Jeffrey rushed for 210 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries in a 49-7 loss to Buford.
*Chamblee LB Miller Meeks had six solo tackles, four sacks and four tackles for losses in a 42-18 victory over Lithonia.
*Charlton County QB Jaylen King rushed for 101 yards on 12 carries and was 5-of-5 passing for 155 yards and two touchdowns in a 55-28 victory over Lanier County.
*Cherokee DB Ryane Martin had 10 solo tackles, one tackle for a loss, a pass breakup and an interception returned 66 yards for a touchdown in a 30-14 victory over Kennesaw Mountain that decided the final playoff berth in Region 3-7A.
*Clarke Central TE Jamarion Davis had five receptions for 118 yards and two touchdowns, one a 48-yarder with two seconds left, in a 37-36 victory over Winder-Barrow.
*Coahulla Creek QB Kace Kinnamon was 30-of-48 passing for 288 yards and two touchdowns in a 48-33 loss to Adairsville.
*Cook RB Keshun McKever rushed for 249 yards and three touchdowns on 48 carries in a 36-12 victory over Worth County.
*Dacula LB Chuma Okoye had seven solo tackles, six assists, one pass breakup, two QB hurries, two tackles for losses, a forced fumble and recovery, an interception and a touchdown in a 48-9 victory over Collins Hill.
*Darlington RB/DB D’Marion Floyd rushed for 175 yards and three touchdowns on 17 carries, recovered a kickoff and forced a fumble in a 44-13 victory over Trion.
*East Paulding RB Javen Parker rushed for 202 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries in a 48-28 loss to Alexander.
*Flowery Branch QB Josh Oliver was 9-of-12 passing for 150 yards and three touchdowns in a 46-0 victory over Heritage of Conyers.
*Hebron Christian QB Gavin Hall rushed for 276 yards and three touchdowns on 30 carries and passed for 102 yards and a touchdown in a 25-21 victory over Stephens County.
*Houston County WR Ryan Taleb rushed for 199 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries and had five catches for 62 yards and two touchdowns in a 70-21 victory over Veterans.
*Hughes QB Prentiss “Air” Noland was 16-of-26 passing for 410 yards and five touchdowns in a 56-23 victory over Paulding County.
*Jasper County RB Kaidon Whidby had 118 total yards on eight touches, caught a 22-yard TD pass and scored three two-point conversions in a 32-14 victory over Southwest.
*Johnson County RB Germivy Tucker rushed for 244 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries in a 51-8 victory over Hancock Central. Tucker broke Herschel Walker’s school career rushing record of 6,137. Tucker has 6,140.
*Lamar County RB/LB C.J. Allen rushed for 155 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries and had six solo tackles in a 42-0 victory over Heard County.
*Landmark Christian DB/WR Gideon Cruver had 17 tackles and a 14-yard TD reception, and he averaged 41 yards on punts in a 27-14 loss to Callaway.
*Lanier County WR/DB B.J. Jones had 109 total yards on five touches, five tackles and two forced fumbles, both returned for touchdowns, in a 55-28 loss to Charlton County.
*Loganville Christian freshman RB C.J. Dockery rushed for 134 yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries in a 52-34 loss to Lakeview Academy.
*Lovejoy RB Trevon Kinchen rushed for 335 yards and three touchdowns on 27 carries and had 45 receiving yards in a 42-18 victory over Jonesboro.
*Madison County QB Camden Smith rushed for 268 yards and four touchdowns on 12 carries and passed for 40 yards and a touchdown in a 42-7 victory over East Hall.
*McIntosh DE Uche Iloh had 11 tackles and two sacks and a fourth-down tackle at the goal line in a 21-17 victory over Harris County.
*Miller Grove RB Ta’Jon Corbitt rushed for 192 yards and two touchdowns on 36 carries in a 24-7 victory over Westminster.
*Monroe Area FS Blake Raffield had nine tackles, two pass breakups, an interception and a 99-yard fumble return for a touchdown in a 49-14 victory over Hart County.
*North Cobb LB Andrew Trelles had seven tackles, a tackle for a loss and a sack in a 35-0 victory over Osborne.
*North Gwinnett QB Ryan Hall rushed for 146 yards and two touchdowns and was 6-of-14 passing for 135 yards in a 35-27 victory over Norcross.
*Northeast RB Nick Woodford rushed for 254 yards and four touchdowns in a 51-13 victory over Rutland and finished first in GHSA rushing for the regular season with 2,262 yards unofficially.
*Peach County WR/DB Isaiah Mitchell had two receptions for 76 yards and a touchdown and returned an interception 72 yards for a touchdown in a 49-14 victory over Jackson.
*Prince Avenue WR/DB Bailey Stockton had seven receptions for 161 yards and two touchdowns, five tackles and a blocked field goal in a 48-21 victory over Social Circle.
*Savannah Christian DL Elijah Griffin had six tackles for losses, 3.5 sacks, a blocked punt and a blocked field goal in a 40-6 victory over Liberty County.
*Social Circle WR Dashon Hyman had 10 receptions for 114 yards and a touchdown in a 48-21 loss to Prince Avenue Christian.
*South Forsyth FS James Margiotta had 10 tackles and two pass breakups and returned an interception 67 yards for a touchdown in a 24-7 victory over West Forsyth.
*St. Francis QB Jaiden Jenkins was 18-of-22 passing for 247 yards and two touchdowns in a 42-13 victory over Mount Vernon.
*Toombs County RB/LB Tank Morris had 13 tackles and rushed for 45 yards and a touchdown on nine carries in a 34-0 victory over Vidalia.
*Trinity Christian QB Henry Brodnax was 22-of-29 passing for 416 yards and five touchdowns in a 47-13 victory over Fayette County.
*Walton DB Matt Traynor had eight solo tackles, three assists, three tackles for losses, one pass breakup and 140 return yards, including a 78-yard touchdown, in a 49-10 victory over Wheeler.
*Westlake WR/CB Avieon Terrell returned the opening kickoff 73 yards for a touchdown, caught a 48-yard TD pass and intercepted a pass in a 56-14 victory over Campbell.
*Westside (Macon) WR Lavontae “Simba” Wiley had five receptions for 104 yards and a touchdown as time expired to send the game into overtime in a 34-33 victory over Howard.
*White County RB Ryan Fowler rushed for 188 yards and four touchdowns and caught two passes for 59 yards and a touchdown in a 38-35 victory over Gilmer.
*Whitewater DT Stephen Johnson had 14 tackles, one sack, two tackles for losses and a forced fumble in a 14-6 victory over Starr’s Mill.
*Wilcox County RB Day Day Lawson rushed for 204 yards and four touchdowns on 13 carries in a 52-27 victory over Wheeler County.
*Woodward Academy QB Griffin Marshall was 12-of-16 passing for 279 yards and touchdowns to four receivers in a 42-6 victory over Forest Park.
Lines of distinction
*Adairsville’s offensive line of James Foster, Mason Tordrup, Bobby Campbell, Luke Altizer, Seth Sellers and Jarrett Scott opened up holes for three 100-yard rushers – Ethan Blome (216), Chris Roper (154) and Jonathan Gough (107) – and 514 rushing yards as a team (597 total yards) in a 48-33 victory over Coahulla Creek.
*Centennial’s offensive line of Daniel Calhoun, Paul Bowling, Luke Stevens, Solomon Cox and Timmy Robert opened holes for 314 rushing yards, 202 from Johnsley Barbas, in a 45-19 victory over Greater Atlanta Christian.
*Fannin County’s offensive line of Nate Maloof, Joe Annis, Jacob Dye, Taylor Collis, Jeremy Tammen, Logan Long, and Case Holloway led the way for 189 yards passing and 357 yards rushing in a 49-21 victory over Haralson County. Bryson Holloway rushed for 285 yards and five touchdowns.
*Fellowship Christian’s offensive line of Josh Petty, Caleb Silvers, Hudson Pizza, Evan Hildebrandt and Caden Coffin paved the way for 346 yards rushing on 36 attempts in a 35-14 victory over Union County. Freshman RB C.J. Givers rushed for 200 yards.
*Glynn Academy’s offensive line of seniors Eddie Jackson and John McCleod and juniors Jack Hunt, Kazaih Alston and Max Poisky led RB Greg Peacock to 266 yards rushing and three touchdowns in a 42-20 victory over Lakeside of Evans.
*LaGrange’s offensive line of Jycel Mosley, Clanton Reisinger, Jayden White, K.T. Owens, Kelijah Parks and Jaden Ligon and tight end J’Arthur Dunn controlled the trenches in a 38-34 victory over previously unbeaten Troup in a must-win game for the Grangers to make the playoffs. LaGrange ran 41 plays for 370 yards, rushing for 286 yards and four touchdowns. RB A.J. Tucker (138 yards) and QB Jaylan Brown (108) each had more than 100 yards rushing.
*Long County’s offensive line of tight ends Mareon Montgomery and E.J. Portela, tackles Ho’O Naki and Tanner Benton, guards Devin Williams and Jacob Hewitt and center Wyatt Walters blocked for 264 rushing yards and 185 passing yards in a 38-14 victory over Johnson of Savannah. The game decided the final playoff qualifier in Region 3-3A.
*Metter’s offensive line of Standley Washington, T.J. Spann, Kanirion Jenkins, Jeremiah Byrd, J.J. Fields and Broc Altman paved the way for 391 rushing yards on 37 carries in a 44-0 victory over Screven County in a game that decided the Region 3-A Division I championship.
*Parkview’s offensive line of Jordan Floyd, Cortez Smith, Josh Haynes, Aaron Robinson, Anthony Arrington, Michael Moore, Mysean Nesbitt and Ira Singleton paved the way for 477 total yards – 224 rushing, 253 passing – in a 28-21 victory over Grayson. Khyair Spain rushed 26 times for 222 yards and a touchdown and finished with 1,958 rushing yards in the regular season, the most in Class 7A.
*Putnam County’s offensive line of Mark Watkins, Johnny Bishop, Steven Grant, Tyler Dennis, Dylan Leggett, Landon James and Tra Smith paved the way to 361 yards rushing and two 100-yard rushers – Jalon Kilgore (197) and Tamarion Peters (109) – in a 26-13 victory over Washington County.
*Sprayberry’s offensive line of Fernando Baker, Ahmari Wright, Brady “Beef” Gillen, Max Wenger and Troy Beverly and tight end Aiden Lynch paved the way for two 100-yard rushers – Jermaine Kenty (125) and Ben Nordstrom (102) – in a 56-7 victory over Pope. Sprayberry rushed for 386 yards on 26 carries for a 14.8-yard average and seven touchdowns.
*Stephenson’s offensive line of Bryce Favors, O’Shea Stroman, Marcus Andrews, Brandon Perkins and Matthew Rowland paved the way for two 100-yard rushers – Devin Ingram (141) and Cheik Keita (107) – in a 42-13 victory over Southwest DeKalb.
*Stratford Academy’s offensive line of Lock McMahon, Griffin Moore, Kjell Stevenson, West Kovacs and Grant Matson with tight ends Cal Hatcher and Hampton Yarbrough created space for Keondre Glover’s 355 rushing yards in a 49-40 victory over First Presbyterian. Stratford’s wing-T offense churned out 481 rushing yards on 36 carries.
*Turner County’s offensive line of De’Montrez Mayes, Cameron Parker, Mitchell Phillips, Jacob Wilson, Corey Jordan and Aaron Walker made running room for Zavaad Bynum’s 290 rushing yards and five touchdowns in a 53-29 victory over Atkinson County. Turner County finished with 424 rushing yards on 25 carries.
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