The tenth-ranked Grayson Rams pulled away from host Archer early with an efficient and opportunistic performance in all phases of the game, securing the chance to play for the Region 4 title next week at Parkview with the 41-14 victory.
“The score doesn’t necessarily tell the story of the game,” cautioned first-year head coach Santavious Bryant. “Every year, this game is going to be a battle.”
Despite accumulating eight first downs in the opening half to Grayson’s three, the Tigers found themselves in a 28-7 hole at the break thanks largely to a trio of turnovers and Grayson consistently capitalizing on friendly field position. Senior TE and UCF-commit Kylan Fox hauled in a pair of first-half touchdowns, including a 63-yarder, and Dylan Elder also finished with two scores (82 yards, 10 yards), the latter of which was set up by Kel Ikpechukwu’s recovery of a ball punched out of the Archer runner’s arms by Tyler Atkinson. Additionally, John Cineas found the end zone following Jaylen Bell’s first-quarter interception and Elijah Miller provided the final points of the game in the fourth.
The Rams improved to 7-2 with the win and will be seeking their 12th region title in 16 years next week against the 7-2 Panthers.
“That’s something we’ve been for all offseason,” Coach Bryant asserted. “It’s one of our main goals, winning the region, so it gave us a chance for us to come out here and control our own destiny.”
The AJC has writers at Peachtree Ridge vs. Norcross and Osborne vs. Walton. Follow the link to Todd Holcomb’s Friday Night Wrap and take a look at the recaps from Thursday at the bottom of the file.
*This file will be updated throughout the evening and early morning with more roundups so check back!
Friday Recaps below.
Class 7A
Marietta 36, Harrison 28
Marietta has won three games this season, but two of them have come against Region 3 opponents. The Blue Devils built a 28-10 first-half lead against host Harrison, then held on through a fourth-quarter Hoya rally to secure the win. Harrison has now lost three of four after starting 6-0 to finish the regular season 7-3 overall and 1-3 in region play.
Mill Creek 41, Dacula 0
The top-ranked Hawks held a narrow 3-0 advantage at the break before pulling away with a dominant second-half performance to improve to 9-0. Brady Lane had a pair of field goals in the win, and Mill Creek got two third-quarter touchdowns from Cam Robinson, along with scores from Justin Content, Daniel Smith and Malachi Miller.
Duluth 29, Meadowcreek 21
Meadowcreek knotted the score at 14-14 against visiting Duluth with a pair of touchdowns in the final three minutes of the opening half, then again at 21-21 in the third, but the Wildcats got a rushing touchdown from Craig Killings midway through the fourth, followed by an interception by the Duluth defense to put the game away.
Wheeler 36, Kennesaw Mountain 29
Wheeler trailed 29-22 in the final five minutes against host Kennesaw Mountain before getting a pair of late touchdowns to improve to 3-1 in Region 5. Mustangs quarterback Tyson Harmon and Melvin Emioma each scored twice in the loss, while the Wildcats got two touchdowns apiece from Marcus Romain and Javon Broussard, along with a touchdown reception by Josiah Allen. Wheeler will host Walton next week to close out its regular season, and the 1-8 Mustangs will host Cherokee.
Parkview 43, Brookwood 24
No. 9-ranked Parkview trailed host Brookwood 17-14 late in the opening half before closing out the Region 4 matchup on a 29-7 run to secure the victory. Quarterback Jaiden Jenkins finished the game with a trio of rushing scores and a passing touchdown to Michael Matthews, and Ellis Appling and Carson Wilson found the end zone as well for the Panthers.
In other Class 7A games -- Third-ranked Colquitt County secured its seventh Region 1 title in the past decade with a 44-28 win over visiting Valdosta, which closes the regular season 3-1 in region play. … Lowndes is still searching for its first region win of the season following a 37-14 loss to host Richmond Hill and will have one last opportunity next week against Camden County. … Fifth-ranked Carrollton has won its fourth Region 2 title in five years with a 63-7 rout of host Campbell. The Trojans’ lone loss of the season came in Week 1 against Class 6A’s Hughes. … No. 8-ranked Westlake handed East Coweta its third loss in four weeks after the Indians started the season 5-0. The 7-2 Lions will close out their regular season next week at Campbell. … North Paulding rebounded from last week’s loss to Region 3 champion McEachern with a 47-21 victory over visiting Hillgrove to improve to 2-1 in region play. … After losing a close one to Walton, North Cobb has now won three straight Region 5 matchups, the most recent a 41-20 result against host Cherokee. … After getting their five-game win streak snapped two weeks ago against Milton, the West Forsyth Wolverines responded with an emphatic 37-7 win over host Forsyth Central. … Milton got its fourth Region 6 win of the year, leading visiting Denmark 28-0 at the break en route to a 48-0 shutout. … North Gwinnett is now 4-1 in Region 7 following a 62-0 rout of visiting Discovery. The Bulldogs will host Norcross last week for their final regular-season game. … Fourth-ranked Buford put up 30 points in the opening frame against host Mountain View before closing out the 51-0 victory. The Wolves are now 3-1 in Region 8, with their lone loss coming against top-ranked Mill Creek. … Collins Hill got its second Region 8 win of the season, a 35-0 shutout of Central Gwinnett, and will host Dacula for the final game of the season.
Class 6A
Blessed Trinity 27, Alpharetta 21
After giving up an 84-yard touchdown pass to trail 14-10 midway through the second, Blessed Trinity scored 17 unanswered points to pull away from visiting Alpharetta and improve to 4-1 in Region 6 play. The Titans got a pair of touchdown passes from quarterback Brooks Goodman in the second quarter to take and then reclaim the lead, and a field goal and rushing score in the third — the latter of which was set up by Reginald Johnson II’s interception — gave them a two-score edge heading into the final frame.
Lanier 30, Shiloh 28
The Longhorns closed out their regular season with four straight Region 8 victories, the last of which came on the road against Shiloh. Lanier led by 16-6 after the opening frame and held a 23-6 advantage at the break before Shiloh got back-to-back scores to trail by three. The Longhorns added another touchdown before the fourth, and the Generals found the end zone a final time with four minutes remaining, but Lanier’s defense held strong to secure the win. Lanier finishes the season 8-2 overall.
Thomas County Central 31, Lee County 24
Sophomores Jalen Johnson and Tre’von Pringle connected for the game-winning touchdown midway through the fourth, securing a second-straight Region 1 Title for the No. 2-ranked Yellow Jackets with the victory over fourth-ranked Lee County. TCC. took a 10-0 advantage in the first with a field goal and Trey Brenton touchdown before Lee County got back-to-back scores. Johnson found Abe Smith just before the break to reclaim the lead, and another Yellow Jacket TD brought the score to 24-14 heading into the final frame. The Trojans added a field goal and touchdown to knot the game with 7:36 remaining before the go-ahead score from the Yellow Jackets, and the potential game-tying touchdown for Lee County was called back for holding, resulting in a turnover on downs.
In other Class 6A games -- In Region 1, No. 9-ranked Houston County defeated host Tift County by a margin of 26-14 and will host Veterans next week following the Warhawks’ 29-0 loss to Northside-Warner Robins this week. … Brunswick improved to 4-1 in Region 2 with its dominant 35-7 victory over visiting Evans and will close out its regular season next week against Effingham County (6-3, 5-0). The Rebels will be riding a five-game win streak entering the matchup after a narrow 36-31 victory against Lakeside-Evans this week. … Also in Region 2, South Effingham defeated visiting Grovetown to improve to 6-3 overall and 2-3 in region play. … Region 3 saw a trio of shutouts this week, with Lovejoy beating Forest Park 49-0, Morrow handing Rockdale County a 28-0 loss and No. 10-ranked Woodward Academy defeating Mundy’s Mill by a margin of 38-0. … Dunwoody improved to 8-1 overall with a 32-18 win over Riverwood and 3-1 in Region 4 play. … Elsewhere in Region 4, No. 7-ranked Marist and North Atlanta each shut out their opponents; the War Eagles defeated St. Piux X 17-0 and the Warriors put up 49 point against South Cobb. … All three Region 5 results were lopsided, with third-ranked Douglas County winning 41-7 against Newnan, No. 5 Hughes defeating South Paulding 42-10 and Paulding County shutting out Alexander 42-0. … No. 6 Rome secured its third consecutive Region 6 title with a 55-19 rout of host Creekview. Also in Region 6, River Ridge pulled out a narrow 27-24 victory over Etowah, while Sequoyah defeated Allatoona 35-17 for the Chiefs’ fourth region win of the season. … In Region 7, Sprayberry put up a season-high 53 points against visiting Lassiter and will host Pope next week. The Greyhounds will be coming off a 38-0 shutout of visiting Johns Creek, which finishes the year 1-9. … Top-ranked Gainesville secured its second-straight Region 8 Title with a 41-14 victory against North Forsyth. … Habersham Central snapped a two-game losing streak in Region 8 play with an emphatic 42-15 win over host Apalachee and will travel to Shiloh for the Raiders’ final game of the regular season.
Class 5A
Cass 52, Calhoun 29
Cass shocked No. 10 Calhoun in a home blowout win that moved the Colonels into the fourth seed in Region 7 and knocked the Yellow Jackets out of the playoffs. Cass moved to 5-5, 2-3 in the region, and Calhoun fell to 6-4 and 2-3. Cass quarterback Brodie McWhorter threw touchdowns of 9 and 4 yards to Sacovie White and rushed for touchdowns of 18 yards and 1 yard. Braylon Hill rushed for touchdowns of 26 and 18 yards for Cass, and Ja’Kai Baldwin had a 50-yard interception return for a touchdown for the Colonels.
Coffee 56, Greenbrier 7
No. 1 Coffee moved to 9-0 and 4-0 in Region 1 with its home win over Greenbrier, which fell to 0-9 and 0-4. Trojans quarterback Maurice Hansley threw touchdown passes of 20 and 10 yards, both to Patrick McCall, and rushed for an 8-yard touchdown. Running back Fred Brown rushed for scores of 16 and 13 yards. After Coffee pulled its starters, Zean Preston (12 yards) and Travis Adams (5 yards) rushed for touchdowns and Trey Ross threw a 16-yard touchdown to Terrell Mitchell. Next Friday Coffee travels to Ware County, ranked No. 5 and 4-0 in the region, with the region championship at stake.
Ware County 50, Statesboro 0
No. 5 Ware County shut out Statesboro at home to improve to 7-2 and 4-0 in Region 1. Gators quarterback Luke Hooks threw touchdown passes of 22 yards to Cole Cox and 9 yards to Jasper Bolds in the first quarter and 32 yards to Quintin Orange in the second quarter. Orange also rushed for a two-point conversion after the touchdown pass to Bolds. In the second quarter, Dae’Jeaun Dennis rushed for a 42-yard touchdown and R.J. Boyd had a 2-yard touchdown run to give Ware County a 36-0 halftime lead. Late in the fourth quarter, backup quarterback Slade Sweat rushed for a touchdown and Franklin Pinkney recovered a Statesboro fumble in the end zone for a score. Statesboro fell to 2-7 and 1-3 in the region.
Jefferson 42, Heritage-Conyers 0
Running back Sammy Brown scored four touchdowns for No. 3 Jefferson in its home win. Brown scored touchdowns from 15 yards, 5 yards, 5 yards and 1 yard. Quarterback Gavin Markey had a 1-yard scoring rush, and Mickell Pittman rushed for a 2-yard score. The Dragons improved to 9-0 and 5-0 in Region 8. Next Friday Jefferson travels to Eastside, also 5-0 in region, with the winner taking the region title. Heritage-Conyers dropped to 3-6 and 1-4.
Cartersville 42, Dalton 21
Dalton led host Cartersville 21-7 in the second quarter, but the Purple Hurricanes dominated from there with 35 straight points to win the Region 7 title. Cartersville improved to 10-0 and 5-0 in the league, and Dalton fell to 7-3 and 3-2 to move to the third seed. Khristian Lando scored Cartersville’s first touchdown on a rush in the first quarter and ran for three more touchdowns in the third quarter. Canes quarterback Nate Russell threw a touchdown pass to Brady Marchese in the second quarter, and Turner Abernathy returned an interception for a touchdown in the third quarter.
In other Class 5A games -- No. 2 Creekside defeated Tri-Cities 64-6 at home to clinch the Region 5 title. Creekside moved to 8-1 and 6-0 in the region, and Tri-Cities fell to 2-7 and 0-6. ... No. 6 Kell clinched the Region 6 title with a 57-24 road win over North Springs. The Longhorns improved to 8-1 and 5-0 in the region, and North Springs fell to 2-7 and 1-4.
Class 4A
Spalding 31, Perry 22
Host Spalding, ranked No. 5, defeated No. 4 Perry in a wild finish at Griffin Memorial Stadium, moving to 10-0 and 6-0 in Region 2 to clinch the league title. Perry fell to 7-2 and 4-1 and moved to second place. Spalding trailed 22-19 with 1:51 remaining after Perry running back Ahmad Gordon rushed for a 14-yard touchdown and quarterback Cullen McDaniel rushed for the two-point conversion. But Dwight Terrell scored his second touchdown from 4 yards out to give Spalding a 25-22 lead with 1:15 remaining, and the Jaguars sealed the win with a 41-yard interception return for a score from Zykeim Barham on a Perry fourth down. Spalding’s Robert Henderson scored the first half’s only points on a 6-yard touchdown rush. Terrell scored from 6 yards out early in the fourth quarter and Cur’Tavian Clark had a 24-yard scoring rush later in the fourth to give Spalding a 19-14 lead.
Central-Carroll 42, Northwest Whitfield 20
Visiting Central-Carroll, ranked No. 6, moved to 9-0 and 4-0 in Region 7 with its win over Northwest Whitfield. Zyleigh Person had two punt returns for touchdowns for Central, the first a 34-yard return in the first quarter and the second a 46-yard return in the second quarter to give the Lions a 21-0 lead at halftime. Central quarterback J.R. Harris scrambled out of the pocket and ran for a 50-yard touchdown in the third quarter to give the Lions a 28-0 lead. Three other players rushed for touchdowns for the Lions: Jonaz Walton (35 yards), Zaylend Person (14 yards) and Ty Brewer (11 yards). Northwest Whitfield fell to 6-3 and 2-2 in the region. Next Friday Central travels to Heritage-Catoosa, which is 3-1 in the region after defeating Sonoraville.
Bainbridge 42, Hardaway 0
No. 3 Bainbridge won on the road at Hardaway, improving to 7-2 and 3-0 in Region 1. The Bearcats got a touchdown return from Keenan Phillips on the opening kickoff, and Phillips also scored on rushes of 24 yards and 1 yard. Bainbridge quarterback Cam Sanders threw a 28-yard touchdown to Antavious Murphy and a 23-yard touchdown to Darius Mills and also rushed for an 11-yard score. With the win, Bainbridge moved into a tie with Cairo atop the region, and the Bearcats host Cairo next Friday for the region championship. Hardaway finished its season 0-10.
In other Class 4A games -- No. 2 North Oconee remained undefeated after a 70-15 win over East Hall on the road. The Titans moved to 9-0 and 7-0 in Region 8 with the region title already in hand. East Hall fell to 2-7 and 1-6. ... No. 8 Stockbridge wrapped up the Region 5 title with a 31-7 home win over Pace Academy. Stockbridge moved to 7-2 and 6-0 in the region with the win, and Pace Academy fell to 4-5 and 3-3.
Class 3A
Lumpkin County 34, Dawson County 23
The Indians clinched the program’s first-ever region title and earned the first win in Dawsonville since 1998 and, for the first time in school history, the Lumpkin has nine wins in the regular season. The Indians won the first eight games under head coach Don Thompkins in 1967 but lost the final two games of the regular season that year to miss the playoffs. Lumpkin led 17-10 at the half. Cal Faulkner scored on runs of 12 and eight yards and passed to Harper Davenport (8 yards) and Faulkner passed to Harper Davenport (8 yards) and Nolan Matthews (39 yards) for touchdowns. Mason Sullens scored on a 59-yard run and Will Staples kicked two field goals – including a 30-yarder with 1:13 left in the game – for Lumpkin.
Savannah Christian 56, Groves 0
The Raiders led 35-0 after the first quarter and 49-0 at the half in a romp of Groves. Kenry Wall scored on a 10-yard run and a 35-yard punt return. Zo Smalls scored on runs of 15 and five yards. Jamari Ivory scored on a run of five yards. Jaden Miles scored on a 6-yard run and Blaise Thomas passed to David Bucey (44 yards) and Smalls (52 yards) for touchdowns.
Adairsville 28, Bremen 21
Adairsville trailed 14-7 at the half but outclassed the Blue Devils 21-7 in the third quarter to take the lead for good. Jamarian Pullum scored on a 6-yard run to open the scoring. Trailing 14-7, Jonathan Gough passed 98 yards to Braxton Elrod with 10 minutes left in the third quarter to tie the game. With three minutes left in the third quarter, Gough found Elrod again, this time on a 93-yarder, to expand the lead. Pullum scored on a 35-yard run to bring the score to its final tally.
Stephens County 17, Oconee County 14
No. 2-ranked Stephens County outlasted an unranked but upset-minded Oconee County to remain atop the Region 8 standings and keep its undefeated season alive. Stephens took a 3-0 lead with a 32-yard field goal early in the game and a 10-0 lead on a run with eight minutes left in the first half. Oconee County scored on a run with seven minutes left before halftime to cut into the deficit. The Warriors took a 14-10 lead on a run with three minutes left in the third quarter but with two minutes left in the game, Stephens County scored on a 40-yard pass to take the lead for good.
Gordon Lee 20, Ridgeland 9
Layne Vaughn scored twice on short runs to lead Gordon Lee. Brayden Stoker’s 43-yard run with eight minutes left in the game put Gordon Lee up 20-9. Te’Sean Choice scored on a short run and Bryan Ojeda kicked a 28-yard field goal for Ridgeland.
Liberty County 43, Beach 21
Liberty County led 13-7 after the first quarter and 26-14 at the half but scored two unanswered touchdowns in the third quarter to pull away.
Class 2A
Thomson 62, Glenn Hills 8
Jahkiaus Jones was efficient yet effective in the Bulldogs rout of the Spartans. His 133.0 QB rating consisted of 8-14 passing for 147 yards and two passing touchdowns, while his backfield saw four different ball carriers—Lane, Brinson, Flats, and Jeffery—each score a rushing touchdown. Jeffery and Lane were the recipients of Jones’ passing scores.
Union County 35, Athens Academy 21
Union County lead 21-7 at halftime. The Panthers’ Cade Dockery intercepted the ball on Athens Academy’s opening drive of the second half and returned it to Spartans’ 40-yard line. From there, Caiden Tanner found Tyler Grasty for a 32-yard touchdown pass and a 28-7 lead. After Athens Academy was stopped on downs, Union County’s Braylen Rader broke free for a 30-yard touchdown run midway through the third. Unfortunately for Athens Academy, holding Union County scoreless in the final period while adding two touchdowns of their own wasn’t enough to mount any sort of real comeback.
North Cobb Christian 24, B.E.S.T. Academy 0
After being held scoreless in the first, North Cobb erupted for 17 points in the second quarter thanks to a short Michai Rowe touchdown run and a 23-yard TD reception for Will Hewitt. Cooper Bazarsky scored the game’s only other touchdown on a 44-yard run with three minutes left in the fourth quarter.
Callaway 51, McNair 12
Callaway had multiple reasons to celebrate Friday night. Not only was it homecoming, but the Cavs also won their second consecutive Region 5-AA championship too (and in dominant fashion at that). Callaway star QB Deshun Coleman kept the ball himself for a 67-yard rushing touchdown on the Cavs’ second play from scrimmage. After the Cavs defense made a red-zone stand, the offense went 87 yards down the field, capping the drive with a short Tyren Buggs rushing touchdown, which was his first of two on the evening. Zai Hart scored two touchdowns on Callaway’s next two possessions followed by scores from Treyonn Tucker and Cam Tucker giving Callaway a 42-0 lead at halftime. Buggs scored his second touchdown of the game early in the third quarter, and a Callaway field goal late was the only action from the fourth.
Laney 27, Putnam County 6
Laney accumulated a 19-0 lead at halftime courtesy of three Carl Homes touchdowns—two coming on the ground and one in the air. Putnam County got on the scoreboard late in the third, but a failed 2-point attempt stifled any momentum they were able to generate. It wasn’t long after that when Wildcats QB Javaris Harris scored a backbreaking rushing touchdown and then subsequently finding Carl Holmes for a 2-point conversion to put the game out of reach at 27-6 before the fourth quarter started.
Appling County 31, Tattnall County 0
Pirates running back Jamarion Williams had two short rushing touchdowns in the second quarter and added another one from 45 yards out midway through the fourth. In between those scores, Edward Williams added a rushing touchdown of his own and Pirates kicker Alan Ramirez contributed a 38-yard field goal as well.
Toombs County 48, Windsor Forest 0
One minute into the game, Bulldogs RB Dabvn Wadley scored a 63-yard rushing touchdown. It didn’t take long for Toombs QB TJ Stanley to add a short rushing touchdown and eventually a 59-yard touchdown pass to Lagonza Hayward—both plays sandwiched a short Alex Scott rushing touchdown for the Dogs. Wadley scored a second touchdown in the closing seconds of the first quarter to put Toombs ahead 38-0; that one came off a fumble recovery while playing his other role of MLB. Stanley added a second goal line score early in the second quarter to give the Bulldogs a 45-0 lead before halftime.
Northeast 49, Jordan 0
Northeast QB Reginald Glover opened the game with a quick 24-yard touchdown strike to Javion Dooley. Northeast quickly followed that up with a rushing touchdown, then added a scoop-and-score at the start of the second quarter. What ensued for the Raiders (in order) was a successful 2-point attempt, punt return touchdown, a Tailen Sampson rushing touchdown, and another Reginald Glover touchdown pass (this one to TJ Wright) to give the home team a 42-0 lead at halftime. Backup QB Lewis Cheney’s touchdown pass to Kenadre Jackson early in the fourth quarter was the only scoring play of the second half.
Class A Division I
Commerce 23, Rabun County 17 OT
A 5-yard touchdown run from Jaiden Daniels in overtime secured the victory and Region 8 title for Commerce. Trailing 3-0 entering the second quarter, Daniels scored on a 3-yard run to overtake Rabun with 11 minutes left in the first half. Rabun responded on a 40-yard pass from sophomore Ty Truelove to Jake Payne to retake the lead 10-7. Truelove passed to Reid Giles with one minute left in the first half on a 40-yard pass to give Rabun a 17-10 lead. Daniels scored on a 35-yard run with seconds left in the first half to tied the game at 17 where it would remain for the rest of regulation.
Elbert County 42, Athens Christian 0
Elbert led 21-0 after the first quarter and 28-0 at the half in a romp of the Eagles. Elbert finished 2-1 in Region 8 and takes the No. 2-seed from the league into the playoffs.
Dublin 63, East Laurens 0
Kameron Hampton (25 yards, 19 yards, two yards), Xavier Bostic (24 yards), Willie Batts (58 yards) and Malachi O’Neal (57 yards) scored on runs for Dublin. Micah O’Neal passed 36 yards to Demari Foster and 20-yards to Cornelius Rozier for touchdowns. Foster added a 43-yard touchdown run for Dublin.
Trion 55, Armuchee 7
From Jeff Gable: The No. 3-ranked Trion Bulldogs cruised to a 48–0 halftime lead on the way to a dominating 55-7 win over Armuchee in Region 7-A Division 1 action. The Bulldogs (9-0, 5-0) scored on their first seven drives of the game, including touchdown drives of 79, 49, 91, and 51 yards. Tailback Toby Maddux had 15 carries for 124 yards and three touchdowns, all in the first half. Quarterback Kade Smith was 8-of-10 passing for 154 yards and three touchdowns, and he added 35 yards and another TD on the ground. Trion outgained Armuchee 383 to 126 in the game. The Indians fell to 4-5 and 2-3, but can still make the state playoffs with a win over Dade County next week. Trion will host Darlington next week, with the winner claiming the region title.
Lamar County 43, Crawford County 0
Kenyae Barnes had seven carries for 37 yards and two touchdowns to lead a group of five players with touchdown runs for the Trojans. Jordan Glover, Caleb Laster, Ty Head and Zyquavious Hughley each scored one touchdown run.
Class A Division II
Clinch County 31, Charlton County 6
Leading 6-0, Aaron Bryant passed to Jeremy Bell for a 68-yard touchdown to extend the lead. Emari Williams cut into the lead for Charlton on a short run just before halftime. Clinch scored a 36-yard field goal with less than a minute before halftime to extend the lead to 17-6. Bryant scored on a 3-yard run to expand the lead in the third quarter and Jeremy Bell’s 3-yard run with five minutes left in the game put it out of reach.
Schley County 36, Marion County 0
Sophomore Blake Wheldon was 10-of-12 passing for 106 yards and two touchdowns and senior Jay Kanazawa was 12-of-16 passing for 145 yards and one touchdown to lead the Wildcats past Marion County.
Dooly County 21, Telfair County 16
Trailing 13-0 after a 5-yard run from Telfair’s Jackie Wilcox, Dooly got into the game on a 95-yard pass from Antwan Clayton to Jalen King with five minutes left in the first half. Clayton’s 1-yard run with four minutes left in the third quarter tied the game at 13 after a missed point-after try. Telfair took the lead on a 16-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter but Clayton passed to Jalen Hall on a 50-yarder to secure the victory with eight minutes left in the game. Clayton passed to JD Davis on the ensuing 2-point conversion attempt to cap scoring.
Lincoln County 27, Warren County 0
Leading 7-0, Semaj Jenkins scored on an 8-yard run to extend the Lincoln County lead. His 5-yard run with three minutes left in the first half expanded the margin. Mekhi Wade passed to RJ Crite with seven minutes left in the third quarter on a 4-yard touchdown to bring the score to its final tally.
Christian Heritage 35, Mount Zion-Carroll 28 OT
Two overtime-touchdowns from Carter Triplett proved the difference for the Lions against Mount Zion. Trailing 28-21, Triplett scored on a short run to tie the game after Carson Russell’s point after try. Triplett’s 14-yard pass to Charlie Idom sealed the victory.
Washington-Wilkes 41, Towns County 14
Washington-Wilkes led 27-0 after the first quarter and 34-0 at the half in a romp of Towns County to move to 3-1 in the Region 8 standings.
Wilkinson County 14, Hancock Central 6
Trailing 6-0 entering the fourth quarter, Wilkinson County scored two unanswered touchdowns to overcome the deficit and put the game away.
Recaps from Thursday
Class 7A
South Gwinnett 31, Newton 28
Jared Echols was 13-of-21 passing for 230 yards and a touchdown to lead South Gwinnett past Newton. Three players – Jayshawn Appling, Anthony Carter and Eric Ramey III – each had one touchdown run. AJ Pigford had South Gwinnett’s lone touchdown reception. Newton quarterback Deron Benson was 14-of-19 passing for 241 yards and three touchdowns.
Lambert 49, South Forsyth
Lambert led 21-0 after the first quarter and 21-7 at the half before expanding the margin to 42-7 entering the fourth quarter.
Class 6A
From Mark Brock: Senior Luke Cole and his defensive line teammates played a big role in leading the Dunwoody Wildcats to a 32-18 Region 4-6A high school football victory over the Riverwood Raiders on Senior Night/Homecoming at North DeKalb Stadium on Thursday night to clinch their first state playoff berth in 14 seasons. The group teamed up for six plays of allowing 0 or negative yards including three sacks (1 safety), numerus quarterback hurries, recovered a fumble and blocked two Riverwood extra point attempts.
“Those guys fought their tails off all night,” said Dunwoody head football coach Mike Nash. “I’m proud of the whole team accomplishing something we had set as a goal, and we still have more in front of us.”
The fumble recovery by Rhett Hesprich stopped Riverwood’s opening drive of the game at the Dunwoody 32 and a sack by Noble Butler forced a punt late in the first quarter to set up the first score of the night. Dunwoody (8-1, 3-1) drove to the Riverwood 17, but a pair of penalties forced the Wildcats to settle for a 34-yard field goal by Christian Lee early in the second quarter. The kick gave Dunwoody the 3-0 lead with 10:30 to play in the first half. Riverwood (3-6, 1-3) took the lead with 7:11 to play I the second period as Jackson Davis (17 of 30, 235 yards, 3 TDs) connected down the seam with Jim Fluker on a 26-yard touchdown pass.
Butler broke through to block the PAT to keep the margin at 6-3. The Wildcats went to the run game on the ensuing drive giving Caden Celestine (12 carries, 40 yards, 1 TD) four consecutive carries (24 yards total) as he moved Dunwoody to the Raiders’ 40 yards. Fellow running back Malachi Crenshaw (14 carries, 108 yards, 1 TD) finished it off as he broke free up the middle and raced 40 yards into the end zone to give Dunwoody the lead for good. Lee’s PAT was good to make it a 10-6 advantage for the Wildcats with 5:28 left in the half. Dunwoody’s defense forced a Riverwood punt the Wildcats got the ball back with 2:50 left in the half but were facing 87 yards of real state.
A big fourth down and four at the Riverwood 30 went in favor of the Wildcats as Matt Pearch’s pass was tipped by his intended receiver and a defender and Max Quartararo gathered in for an eight-yard gain and first down. A Christian Lee 34-yard field goal with 7.6 seconds to play in the half sent the Wildcats into halftime up 13-6. Cole was named Homecoming King at the half and came out playing hard in the third quarter. He had a sack for a three-yard loss after Riverwood recovered a fumble on the second half kickoff at the Wildcat 23-yard line. It helped put the Raiders in a fourth and 18 situation.
Davis dropped a nice pass into the side of the end zone to Devyn Gipson who got his foot in for the touchdown catch. Cole then blocked the PAT to allow Dunwoody to keep a 13-12 lead with 9:15 left in the period. Dunwoody came right back as a 36-yard pass play from Pearch to Quartararo set up a three-yard touchdown run by Celestine to push the lead out to 20-12 with Lee’s PAT. Riverwood came right back and with 5:41 left in the quarter Davis threw down the left sideline to Gipson as the two connected for their second touchdown of the period, this time 52 yards, to pull Riverwood within 20-18. An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty pushed the Raiders back to the 18 for their two-point attempt. A pass from Davis to KJ McRae came up short as a pair of Dunwoody defenders pushed McRae out well short of the goal line. The Wildcats answered right back as Pearch (18 of 30, 178 yards, 1 TD) threw up a 50-50 ball down the right sideline to Porter Allison who went up to take the ball away from a defender and turned to the end zone. The Riverwood defender grabbed on, but Allison fell into the end zone for the touchdown. Lee’s PAT made it 27-18 in favor of the Wildcats with 11:13 remaining in the game. Facing fourth and 23 from their own five-yard line the Raiders decided to go for the first down. Davis dropped back into the end zone where Luke Phillips forced him from the pocket and into the arms of Cole and Butler who took him down for the safety. Dunwoody went up 29-18 with just 9:17 to play. Dunwoody was forced to punt, and the defense came up big again as Reid Neel broke up a pass on third and 13.
On fourth down Cole and Griffin Couch put the pressure on Davis to force an incompletion to get the ball back at the Riverwood 33. The Wildcats would settle for a 37-yard field goal by Lee to make it a 32-18 lead. Riverwood was marching at the Dunwoody 35 when Harrison Martin stepped in front of a deep pass near the goal line and intercepted to complete the win. The win clinched the No. 3 seed out of Region 4-6A for the Wildcats and they can improve to a two-seed with an upset of highly regarded North Atlanta in a road game next week. The region will face Region 1-6A in the opening round of the playoffs.
Class 5A
Tucker 55, Lithonia 6
Jamar Graham was 13-of-22 passing for 201 yards and two touchdowns while Jordan McCoy had 11 carries for 95 yards and two touchdowns to lead Tucker. Graham passed to Elijah Ffrench and Christian Whitmore for touchdowns. Ta’Corey Carroll added one touchdown run for Tucker.
Class 4A
Benedictine 57, Islands 0
Luke Kromenhoek passed to Rasean Matthews for touchdowns of 25 and 17 yards to lead Benedictine past Islands. Stephen Cannon passed to La’Don Bryant (42 yards), Micah Williams (30 yards) and Robert Leonard (38 yards) for touchdowns. Barry Greene added a 38-yard touchdown run and Na’Seir Samuel added a short touchdown run.
Stephenson 21, Holy Innocents’ 14
Stephenson scored two unanswered touchdowns in the second quarter to take a 21-7 halftime lead against Holy Innocents’ and held on for victory.
From Mark Brock: Playing for a home playoff game, the Stephenson Jaguars hosted Holy Innocent’s in a crucial game at Hallford Stadium on Thursday night and came away with a 21-14 win. Stephenson (7-2, 3-1) scored early in the fourth quarter as talented senior running back Devin Ingram scored 20th rushing touchdown (also has two kickoff returns for scores) of the season with an explosive 60-yard run to the end zone. Anthony Zelaya hit the PAT to make it 7-0. The score remained 7-0 until Holy Innocent’s (7-2, 2-2) knotted the game at 7-all with 8:30 to play in the half. Stephenson went on to take a 21-7 lead into half as Ingram added a 10-yard touchdown (Zelaya PAT) and Andrew Perry went 20 yards for another score. Holy Innocent’s pulled within 21-14 with 2:48 left in the third quarter. The Golden Bears controlled the football in the second half allowing the Jaguars just one possession in the final two quarters. The Stephenson defense stepped on the last play of the game forcing an incomplete pass on fourth and goal from the Jaguar 10-yard line. A Stephenson win over rival Southwest DeKalb next week and a loss by Hapeville to either Miller Grove (Friday) or Holy Innocent’s (next week) would give the Jaguars their first region title since 2019.
Class 3A
Harlem 42, Salem 6
Ethan Evangelista was 5-of-5 passing for 109 yards and three touchdowns while Giovanni Arroyo was 4-of-7 passing for 69 yards and a touchdown to lead Harlem. Cayman Davis and Jayden Futrell each had one touchdown reception.
Class 2A
Southwest-Macon 52, ACE Charter 51
Sophomore quarterback Chase Dupree was 27-of-44 passing for 415 yards and seven touchdowns to lead the Patriots past ACE. Carmelo Mays had 10 receptions for 216 yards and four touchdowns, Steve Robinson had 11 catches for 86 yards and two touchdowns and Malik Sands added one touchdown reception.
Model 34, Gordon Central 0
From Jeff Gable: The Model Blue Devils secured the No. 3 seed in Region 7-AA with a shutout win Thursday on senior night, rolling past Gordon Central 34-0. Model (6-3, 4-2) will be off next Friday and will await their state playoff opponent from Region 6-AA in two weeks. The Blue Devils got two touchdown passes from quarterback Jake Sanders, a 35-yarder to Jeremias Heard and a 36-yarder to Jeremiah Gamble. Sanders added a 69-yard touchdown run, and Gamble scored on a 50-yard TD run. Riley Chapman added a 9-yard touchdown run right before the half to make it 34-0 at the break. It was a scoreless second half as the teams played with a running clock. Gordon Central fell to 0-9 on the year and 0-5 in the region. The Warriors losing streak is now at 30 games, dating back to 2020.
Redan 59, Landmark Christian 0
From Mark Brock: It was a historic night on Senior Night at Adams Stadium as the Redan Raiders broke 16-year playoff drought by defeating Landmark 59-0 on Thursday night Adams Stadium to claim a state playoff berth. The Raider (4-6, 3-3) defense held Landmark (0-9, 0-6) to just one first down in the game and running backs Jackie Bowdry and Tyheim Behling teamed up for three touchdowns and 237 yards rushing in the win. Bowdry finished the night with 150 yards on the ground including touchdown runs of 60 and 50 yards. Behling finished with 87 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. Place kicker Louis Maciel finished the night going eight-for-eight on PATS and connecting on a 37-yard field goal. In other Thursday night games in DeKalb, Southwest DeKalb (2-7, 0-3) fell 19-37 to Westminster (6-3, 3-1) in Region 6-4A action at Godfrey Stadium and Tucker (6-3, 4-0) remained at the top of the Region 4-5A standings with a 55-0 win over the Lithonia Bulldogs (1-8, 0-4) at Avondale Stadium.
Spencer 43, Central-Macon 0
Greenwave QB Gary Gaither’s poised and confident play lifted his team to a dominant 43-0 victory. Gaither’s pass to Demarcus Horne on the opening possession led to a quick and easy goal line score for Spencer. Gaither passed to Caylen Brunson to cap another drive midway through the game, which enabled Spencer to cruise to a shutout win and a second consecutive Region 2-AA title thanks to Southwest’s upset of ACE Charter.
Rockmart 48, Fannin County 14
Rockmart led 14-7 after the first quarter and 20-7 at the half before scoring four touchdowns in the third quarter to pull away.
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