Opening week was tough for ranked team in Class 5A. Five members of the AJC’s top 10 lost their season openers, although each was beaten by an opponent from a higher classification.
No. 1 Gators take opener: Defending state champion and No. 1-ranked Ware County picked up an impressive 20-17 win over Class 2A No. 2 Appling County. Junior R.J. Boyd, who picked up his first DI offer from Indiana last week, had nine carries for 128 yards and two touchdowns. Ahman Smith had strip sack that Nick Simmons returned for a touchdown, Demarcus Snow forced four fumbles and E.J. Mathusla intercepted a pass. Ware County has won 15 straight games.
Creekside flashes its all-around game: The No. 2-ranked Seminoles did it with offense, defense and special teams in their 35-23 win over Kennesaw Mountain. Kevon Gray had a 24-yard scoop and score to get it started and Vinson Berry threw a 40-yard touchdown to Shane Kelly and Roderick McCrary, running from the wildcat, scored on an 11-yard run. The Seminoles led 21-7 at half and put it away with two scores in the second half – a 57-yard pass to Kelly and a 71-yard run by Travis Terrell Jr.
Here come the Dragons: Jefferson jumped into the rankings at No. 6 after it beat Class 6A Alpharetta 34-24. Sammy Brown ran 19 times for 90 yards and four touchdowns and had eight tackles. Quarterback Gavin Markey threw for 100 yards and ran for a touchdown. On defense, Rett Hemphill had 14 total tackles (13 solo), with three tackles for loss, two sacks, one pass defended and recovered fumble.
A Tucker-iffic performance: One of the regions considered to be the most up for grabs is Region 4. But after the first week of non-region competition, it looks like Tucker is ready to take a step forward. The Tigers won their season opener 35-7 over Miller Grove and appear ready to join Chamblee and Decatur in a run for the title.
The Tigers put up 21 points in the second quarter to break the game open. Jordan McCoy scored five touchdowns for Tucker and ran 16 times for 172 yards. Hasaan Sykes caught a 67-yard touchdown from Jamr Graham and had a 36-yard pick-six and Izayah Horsham added 67 yards rushing and one touchdown. Graham completed 10 of 19 passes for 221 yards.
Tucker is now 10-0 all-time against Miller Grove.
New QB keeps Chamblee moving: The Chamblee Bulldogs lost all-state quarterback Fabian Walker, but appears to have found a legit replacement in Ashton Bolston. He threw for 131 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 150 yards and a touchdown in a 35-29 win over South Cobb. Larry Harris had 212 yards in kickoff returns, including a 98-yarder for a touchdown, a 14-yard touchdown reception and had 12 tackles. Defensive end Brodney Taylor led the Bulldogs on defense with 14 total tackles (11 solo), two tackles for loss and a fumble recovery.
McIntosh prevails in “Fight for 54″ rivalry: McIntosh trailed 18-0 and came back to beat rival Fayette County 37-24. The Chiefs overcame four fumbles thanks to 354 yards of total offense, 298 of that coming on the ground. Brandan Ridley ran 13 times for 121 yards and one touchdown and Aaron Ajie scored on a 65-yard run. Quarterback Elliott Sturbaum completed 16 of 26 passes for 189 yards and one touchdown, that on an 18-yard toss to Landon Dolhancyk. Arthur Richez kicked all four extra points and converted field goals of 25, 40 and 35 yards. McIntosh has won three straight and five of its last six games against Fayette County.
Rolling the dice: Dutchtown scored a late touchdown against Class 3A No. 1 Cedar Grove and opted to play for the win. The two-point conversion pass went incomplete and the Saints held on for a 34-33 win. Despite the setback, the Bulldogs showed the rest of the classification that they’re for real.
GAC lone winner in Region 6: The Greater Atlanta Christian Spartans rolled to a 39-14 win over Meadowcreek to prevent the entire Region 6 league from being winless on the opening week of the season. Jack Stanton threw three touchdown passes, two to G.L. Tiberia and one to Hunter Bryant, and ran for a touchdown. Tiberia also ran for a touchdown and helped the Spartans avenge last year’s loss to the Mustangs.
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