Reigning Region 5 Class 5A champion Creekside kicked off its season with a 35-23 victory over Kennesaw Mountain in the Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Classic, building a cushion with a 21-0 run over the second and third quarters and holding on through the fourth quarter.
The two programs traded defensive scores in the opening quarter — a 26-yard scoop-and-score from Kevon Gray for Creekside and Tysen Price’s 33-yard pick-six for Kennesaw Mountain — before the Seminole offense found its rhythm. Senior quarterback Vinson Berry connected with Shane Kelley for touchdowns of 40 yards and 57 yards, bookending a 12-yard rushing score from Roderick McCrary and giving Creekside a 28-7 edge early in the second half. A 26-yard completion from Tyson Harmon to Kobe Lewis gave the Mustang offense its first touchdown of the day shortly after, but Travis Terrell’s 71-yard trip to the end zone again made it a three-score game.
The Mustangs made another push in the fourth when Michael Bell took a pass 60 yards for a final Kennesaw Mountain score. The ensuing onside kick was unsuccessful, however, and Terrell batted down Harmon’s fourth-down pass to end the following Mustang drive as well. Christian Winston’s sack put the ball back in Harmon’s hands one last time, but after an apparent interception from Terrell was called back for DPI, Fenix Harper’s pick sealed the win for the Seminoles.
Head coach Maurice Dixon praised his players’ performance following an offseason he says was all about “consistency,” and issued a warning regarding his star RB/CB, who finished the game with 203 all-purpose yards (including 167 yards on 18 carries) and three solo tackles:
“I think Travis Terrell is the best player in 5A, and he’s going to prove it every Friday.” He’ll get another opportunity to do so next week when he and his teammates face St Peter’s Prep out of Jersey City.
Rome 34, Cass 0
Reece Fountain was 19-of-24 passing for 202 yards and three touchdowns to lead host Rome past Cass 34-0 in the nightcap game of the Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Classic at Rome’s historic Barron Stadium.
“That was a great start,” said head coach John Reid. “I think we wore them out a little bit, some of those guys played both sides of the ball so they didn’t have as much quickness in the second half as in the first. I think we pursued well and just continued to get after it.”
Fountain passed to three different receivers for touchdowns – DeKaylon Daniel, Toot Stallings and Jarvious McDearmont.
“I just think there’s so much to take from it,” Reid said.
Stallings caught a 21-yard pass with 6:31 in the first quarter, McDearmont caught a 5-yard pass with 11:16 left in the first half and Daniel caught a 17-yard touchdown pass with 9:10 in the third quarter. On the ground, the Wolves were led by Chance Arthur, who had 22 carries for 106 yards and a touchdown. McDearmont added 66 yards and one touchdown run on 16 carries.
“We had to keep finding a way to run the football,” Reid said. “So we tried a different combination of blocking. What we were trying coming in wasn’t as good as what we adjusted to.”
Follow the link to see Todd Holcomb’s Friday night wrap or see the other recaps below and the Thursday night recaps at the bottom of the file.
Class 7A
Lambert 42, Sequoyah 28
A back-and-forth opener saw Lambert and visiting Sequoyah tied at 28-28 heading into the final frame, but quarterback Marshall Coleman found Christian Smith for a touchdown with 5:35 remaining, and Ethan Terry sealed the win with a trip to the end zone after the Chiefs turned the ball over deep in their own territory on their final drive. Coleman finished the game with three touchdown passes (all to Smith) and a rushing score, and Harrison Richards accounted for the remaining Longhorn touchdown with a pick-six in the second quarter.
Wheeler 34, Centennial 14
Wheeler dominated 5A Centennial’s defense on the ground, leading 21-0 at the break and surviving several second-half miscues to maintain control. Josiah Allen finished with 83 yards on 19 carries for a trio of touchdowns, and Kentrell Brown added 96 yards on six touches. The Wildcats also got 90 rushing yards and a pair of rushing scores from quarterback Marcus Romain.
Massillon Washington (OH) 28, Valdosta 17
The Wildcats traveled to Canton, OH for their season opener and built a 14-0 first-quarter lead before the host Tigers closed the game on a 28-3 run. Valdosta quarterback Todd Robinson found Eli Lewis and Prince Jean in the opening frame for 16 and 61 yards, respectively, but the final three quarters belonged to Massillon. Senior DaOne Owens finished with 13 carries for 241 yards and two touchdowns in his debut for the Tigers, and Dorian Pringle added 65 rushing yards and two scores to go with 7 tackles (2 TFL) and a sack.
Forsyth Central 31, Chattahoochee 28
The Bulldogs built a big lead early with a trio of consecutive first-quarter scores, and Lucas Haynie’s interception in the game’s final moments ended Chattahoochee’s comeback attempt to secure the win in head coach Chad Pickett’s debut for Forsyth Central. The Cougars got the first of three touchdown passes from Luke Priester to DJ Avery to put Chattahoochee on the board before Drew Reid found Cade Haertel for a 65-yard touchdown and Jayce Todaro added a pair of scores from 27 and 36 yards out. Priester connected with Avery again in the second, but Brayden Ratner’s 40-yard field goal made it a two-possession game. Miles Brown’s 11-yard rushing score cut the Cougars’ deficit to 24-21, and Priester and Avery’s final touchdown following Cade Haertel’s 6-yard score (set up by his brother Max’s return to the Chattahoochee 5-yard line) provided the game’s final points before Haynie ended it with the pick.
South Gwinnett 42, Pebblebrook 27
The visiting Comets built a 28-0 first-half lead with a 64-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Jared Echols to Anthony Carter Jr, a pair of rushing scores from Jayshawn Appling and a 13-yard touchdown run from Xavier Butler before Pebblebrook quarterback MySonne Pickens put the Falcons on the board with an 80-yard scoring strike to Walter Willis Jr just before the break. Pickens connected with Preston Wooten for 61 yards in the third quarter and Luis Aquino found the end zone twice to make it a one-score game (35-27), but Echols ran it in from 17 yards out in the fourth for the game’s final points.
In other 7A games -- Osborne took a 35-0 lead over host Woodstock (Class 6A) before the break and came away with a 56-7 road win. The Cardinals will host Chattahoochee for their home opener next week. … Peachtree Ridge quarterback Darnell Kelly had a trio of touchdown passes in the first three quarters of the Lions’ Week 1 matchup with Seckinger (4A), which they won by a margin of 42-7. … Richmond Hill came away with a 34-7road win over Class 6A’s Effingham County and will host Ware County next week in the Wildcats’ home opener. … Duluth handled business at home against visiting M. L. King (5A), winning 44-21. The Wildcats will host Jackson County (6A) next week. … North Paulding built a28-17 lead over host Allatoona (6A) in the first half, then held on through a scoreless second half to secure the win. … Jadan Baugh had a pair of touchdowns for Class 2A’s Columbia, which led Camden County at halftime, but the Wildcats ultimately avenged last year’s 13-10 loss to the Eagles with a 23-12 victory. … Central Gwinnett led host Discovery 14-0 when the game was temporarily stopped at halftime due to an incident in the stands. Play was later resumed, and the Black Knights picked up where they left off in the 44-0 rout. … Harrison led host South Paulding 13-0 heading into the final frame and added afield goal after the Spartans got on the board to reclaim a two-possession lead. … Visiting Mountain View led 38-0 at halftime and51-0 at the start of the fourth en route to a 58-7 victory over host Shiloh (6A).
Class 6A
Blessed Trinity 17, Calhoun 7
Blessed Trinity got a home win over Class 5A Calhoun, leading 7-0 at halftime after a 1-yard quarterback sneak from Brooks Goodman at the 9:50 mark of the first quarter. Calhoun tied the game at 7-7 late in the third quarter, but Goodman found Quinn Davis on an 18-yardtouchdown pass at the 8:57 mark of the fourth quarter and then the Titans got a 40-yard field goal from Noah Goddard with 4:26 remaining for the game’s final points.
Lee County 26, Warner Robins 19
Lee County running back Ousmane Kromah rushed for touchdowns of 37 and 25 yards in the fourth quarter for the final two scores of the game as the Trojans defeated Class 5A No. 3 Warner Robins at home. Lee County, ranked No. 5 in Class 6A, also got a 17-yard rushing score from Devin Collier in the first quarter, and Jeffery Anderson had an 11-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter to pull the Trojans to within two points, 16-14.
Gainesville 34, Marist 26
No. 2 Gainesville scored twice in the final minute of the first half to take control of the game against No. 9 Marist in a Class 6A non-region matchup. The host Red Elephants trailed 18-14 in the second quarter before Travien Watson rushed for a 4-yard touchdown to give Gainesville a 21-18 lead. Then on the ensuing kickoff, Gainesville’s Zarion Harvey returned a fumble for a touchdown to give the Red Elephants a 28-18 lead at halftime. Gainesville quarterback Baxter Wright threw two touchdowns, both to Eric Hart, of 10 and 18 yards. Gavin Hall also had a 38-yard rushing touchdown for Gainesville.
Langston Hughes 39, Carrollton 34
Defending Class 6A champion and preseason No. 1 Langston Hughes defeated Class 7A No. 2 Carrollton on the road as Prentiss “Air” Noland, an Ohio State commit, threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Jovanni McGee with just over a minute remaining to give the Panthers the lead. After a long return on the ensuing kickoff, Carrollton had the ball at the Hughes 3-yard line with six seconds remaining but was stopped at the 1 yardline as time expired. Noland threw for two touchdowns, and Hughes running backs Justice Savage and Dorian Page each rushed for two touchdowns.
In other 6A games -- Jackson County defeated Class 3A Dawson County at home 16-0 thanks to a 10-yard touchdown run from M.J. Spurlin, a 32-yard field goal from Brice Rogers and a final touchdown with 26 seconds remaining. ... Lanier defeated a Class 7A opponent, South Forsyth, with a 37-20 home win.
Class 5A
In other 5A games -- Charles Johnson tallied two rushing touchdowns to lead Ware County over Appling County 20-17. The Ware County defense scored on a fumble recovery in the third quarter. … Freshman running back Camauri Berry scored his first career touchdown late in the third quarter to lead Spalding over Eagles’ Landing 41-14. … Ola quarterback Jake Holmes threw two touchdown passes in the first half to help the Mustangs beat Griffin 31-0. Ola also got production from running back Nigel Newkirk who scored on a 13-yard run. … Chamblee rallied past South Cobb to earn a 35-29 victory. The Bulldogs trailed 17-14 at halftime. …Ethan Long threw three touchdown passes to lead Dalton over North Murray 35-14. Andy Gutierrez recorded a pick-six in the win.
Class 4A
Benedictine 42, Jenkins 0
Benedictine enjoyed a 42-0 lead over host Jenkins through three quarters, at which point the game was declared over due to unruliness in the crowd. Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools stated, “SCCPSS seeks to ensure a safe, orderly environment at all events that involve students, staff and families and does not condone disruptive behavior that compromises safety.” The Cadets expanded their 7-0 first-quarter advantage to 35-0 by halftime.
Howard 42, Southwest 6
Howard intercepted Southwest four times, twice by freshman TaShawn Poole, on the way to a commanding road victory. Ethan Ellington scored two touchdowns and Cam Taylor rushed for one in addition to throwing a scoring strike to Nate Campbell. Jacolbie Allen also added a touchdown for the Huskies, who led just 7-6 after one quarter but broke the game open with a 28-6 lead at halftime.
Burke County 14, Thomson 13
Thomson struck first on a 9-yard run from Anthony Jeffrey with 42 seconds left in the first quarter, but a blocked point-after try proved costly for the visiting Bulldogs. Burke County got on the board with a 71-yard touchdown pass by Sean Vandiver with two minutes left in the first half to lead 7-6. The Bears blocked a punt with less than a minute left in the first half and on the ensuing possession, A’merre Williams gave the Bears a 14-6 lead on a 1-yard run. Thomson scored on a 6-yard run with less than a minute left in the game but the failed 2-point conversion secured the victory for Burke.
Wayne County 49, Bradwell Institute 20
Matt Fuller rushed 13 times for 282 yards and four touchdowns as Wayne County overwhelmed visiting Bradwell Institute. Quez Shaw also had a big night for the Yellow Jackets, rushing for 138 yards and two scores. For Bradwell Institute, Christopher Garrett threw for 256 yards with a pair of touchdown passes to Bryant Thomas. Wade Cobb tacked on a 17-yard touchdown run for the Tigers. The game was tied 7-7 after one quarter before Wayne County surged to a 35-13 lead by halftime.
Baldwin 34, Peach County 13
Baldwin traveled to Peach County and the Braves’ Colorado-commit running back Micah Welch figured he would run a little. He opened the game capping an 8-minute drive with a touchdown run to give the Braves a 6-0 lead after the missed point-after try. Welch scored on a run with 5:42 left in the second quarter to extend the margin to 13-0. The Baldwin defense forced an interception with 27 seconds left in the first half and returned it for a touchdown to lead 20-0. Peach County got on the board on a 1-yard run from Dwayne Coleman but any chance for a comeback was thwarted when Welch returned the ensuing kickoff 89 yards or a touchdown to give Baldwin a 27-7 lead.
Westminster 41, Lovett 15
Lovett raced out to an 8-0 lead after the first possession of this rivalry game, but host Westminster reeled off the next 41 points in a row on the way to a dominant win. The Wildcats answered Lovett’s score with an opening-possession touchdown of their own, after which an interception by Houston Gragnani set up a 28-yard touchdown run by Wade Penn. That gave the ‘Cats a 14-8 first-quarter lead and they never trailed the rest of the way. Westminster also got two touchdowns from Jake Persons and one each by Fain Barton and Michael Buhay. Carson Wilkie added two field goals for the Wildcats, whose 41 points were a record in “the Battle of Buckhead.”
In other 4A games -- Southeast Bulloch went on the road and shut out Liberty County 21-0. The Yellow Jackets steadily pulled away with one touchdown in each of the first three quarters. All three were scored on the ground by Will Nelson--from four yards, one yard and 12 yards out. ... Troup County raced to 24-0 lead by halftime and scored the first 31 points of the game on the way to a 31-7 defeat of visiting Harris County. Taeo Todd threw a touchdown pass to Noah Dixon and wrapped up his team’s scoring on the first possession of the second half with a keeper from 15 yards out. ... Drew Ledbetter broke a tie with a five-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to lead Cedartown past Rockmart 13-12. Rockmart had a chance to win it on the final play of the game but a field-goal attempt fell short. ... Tanner Marsh accounted for five total touchdowns--three rushing and two passing--as North Hall overwhelmed White County 49-27. For White County, Tripp Nix had two touchdown runs and tossed a scoring strike to John Phillips.
Class 3A
Pickens 38, Sonoraville 21
A 1-yard run from Miguel Salto put Pickens up 7-0 with eight minutes left in the first quarter. Jaxon Pate passed to Keegan Townsend for a 69-yard touchdown to tie the game at 7 for Sonoraville. Pickens retook the lead on an 18-yard pass from Sam Streicher to Salto and expanded the lead to 21-7 on a 1-yard run from Canaan Denson. Sonoraville back Ty Brown scored on a 2-yard run with two minutes left in the first half to cut into the lead. Streicher passed to Hayden Jones for a 19-yard touchdown with six minutes left in the third quarter to put Pickens up 28-14. Sonoraville got within a score after a 5-yard touchdown pass from Pate to Langston Butler, but Pickens expanded the margin on a 40-yard fumble recovery returned for a touchdown from Jacob Watkins. A 27-yard field goal from Charlie Gibbons brought the score to its final tally.
Bremen 2, Heard County 0
Merrick Folsom scored on a 1-yard run with six minutes left in the first quarter to give Bremen a lead it wouldn’t relinquish. The Blue Devils scored on another run with 5 minutes left in the first quarter and expanded the lead to 21-0 on a run with 11 minutes left in the first half. A 50-yard field goal with two minutes left in the third quarter brought the score to its final tally.
Calvary Day 49, Islands 8
Calvary Day led 21-0 after the first quarter and 35-0 at the half in a romp of Islands. The Cavaliers scored a touchdown in each the third and fourth quarters to extend the lead and put the game away.
Class 2A
Jeff Davis 23, Charlton County 20
Elijah Benjamin scored on a 27-yard rush late in the fourth quarter and then ran for the two-point conversion to give Jeff Davis the go-ahead touchdown over Class A Division II Charlton County on the road. Jeff Davis opened the scoring with a safety in the first quarter and took a 9-6 lead at halftime after a 4-yard touchdown rush from Latrell Sellers with less than a minute to play before half. Charlton County took a 14-9 lead in the third quarter after a long fumble return for a touchdown, but Jeff Davis answered with a 15-yard touchdown run from Britt Metts early in the fourth quarter to give the Yellow Jackets a 15-14 lead.
Mt. Paran Christian 29, Midtown 26
Host Mt. Paran Christian got a game-tying field goal against Class 5A Midtown from George Childs as the fourth quarter ended and won the game 29-26 with a 32-yard Childs field goal in overtime. Childs made three field goals, and Mt. Paran also scored touchdowns on a kickoff return and an interception return. Mt. Paran quarterback Andrew Overton had a touchdown pass.
In other 2A games -- No. 1 Fitzgerald defeated Class A Division I No. 3 Irwin County on the road, 28-0. ... No. 9 Cook also shut out a Class A Division 1 opponent by the score of 28-0, defeating Pelham on the road. ... Host Walker defeated Class 5A Cross Keys 43-0 to get the win in new head coach T.J. Anderson’s first game.
Class A Division I
Elbert County 24, Hart County 14
Hart County led 7-0 on a 25-yard run from Nori Moore with 10 minutes left in the first quarter but Elbert responded with a 10-yard pass from Jayvyn Hickman to Eli Harris to tie the game. The Blue Devils went up 10-7 on a 25-yard field goal from Brandon Horne and extended the lead on a 12-yard touchdown run from Jacari Barnett. Barnett scored again with nine minutes left in the game to extend the margin to 24-7. Hart scored on a touchdown pass with seven minutes left but could not mount a comeback.
Mount Vernon 23, Wesleyan 21
Mount Vernon overcame a 14-3 deficit at halftime to earn victory over Class 3A Wesleyan in the season opener.
Class A Division II
McIntosh County Academy 26, Johnson-Savannah 0
The Buccaneers forced two safeties and led 4-0 after the first quarter in a shutout of the Atomsmashers.
Recaps from Thursday
Class 6A
Lakeside-DeKalb 26, Berkmar 6
Lakeside’s 5-foot-10, 190-pound senior running back Jean-luc Noison scored on a 20-yard touchdown run from with one minute left in the first half to give the Vikings the lead. Lakeside’s defense forced a fumble with less than a minute left in the half and took a 10-0 lead on a 39-yard field goal from Jay Hanson. Noison scored on a 79-yard run with 11 minutes left in the third quarter to give Lakeside a 17-0 lead following Hanson’s point-after try. Junior Kyle Davis, the Vikings’ 6-foot, 185-pound quarterback, scored a short touchdown run with four minutes left in the game and the Lakeside defense brought the game to its final tally with a safety on the ensuing Berkmar possession.
Class 4A
Druid Hills 26, KIPP 7
Trailing 7-6 after the first quarter and 7-6 at halftime, the Red Devils scored 20 points in the fourth quarter to pull away from KIPP.
Class 3A
Carver-Atlanta 28, LaGrange 12
Nursing a 14-12 lead at halftime, Class 3A No. 3 Carver-Atlanta put the game away with two turnovers returned for touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Calik Hill returned a fumble 99 yards for a touchdown to expand Carver’s lead and Joshua Stone, an Arkansas State-commit, returned an interception 40 yards for a touchdown to put the game away.
Class 2A
Union County 50, Fannin County 12
Union County led 14-6 after the first quarter, 28-6 at halftime and 42-6 entering the fourth quarter in a romp of Fannin County.
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