A week after fourth-ranked Cartersville came back from a 17-0 deficit to win its Region 7 opener against Calhoun, sophomore Reed Ezell came down with a game-sealing interception in overtime to quash Cass’s hopes of defeating the Purple Hurricanes for the first time since 2007.
After a missed field goal attempt at the end of regulation, the Colonels entered overtime without star running back — and cornerback, punter and holder — Devin Henderson, who left the game with a leg injury at the 2:36 mark of the fourth quarter after providing both touchdowns for Cass. For Cartersville, Richard Houston scored in the second, and sophomore quarterback Nate Russell connected with junior A’darrian Taylor-Wilson for a third-quarter touchdown and the game-winner.
The AJC has writers at Chamblee vs. Tucker, Walton at North Cobb and East Jackson at Fellowship Christian. See Todd Holcomb’s Friday Night Wrap by following the link or check the Friday recaps below. The recaps from Thursday are at the bottom of the file.
Class 7A
Camden County 35, Richmond Hill 33
The Camden County Wildcats trailed 27-14 in the fourth quarter before a trio of touchdowns — and a failed two-point conversion by visiting Richmond Hill following a last-minute score — gave the home team a 35-33 victory in the Region 1 opener. Lakendrick Gibbs had touchdown runs of 28 and 69 yards in the first and third quarters, and DJ Moring provided the go-ahead touchdown from 39 yards out. Nick Bliss scored in the game’s final minute for Richmond Hill before the failed game-tying two-point attempt.
Valdosta 37, Lowndes 27
Valdosta followed up a disappointing loss two weeks ago to McEachern with a comeback victory over visiting Lowndes in the Region 1 opener between the Wildcats and Vikings. Lowndes took a 13-point lead midway through the third quarter before Valdosta closed out the game with 23 unanswered points. The Wildcats will continue region play next week at Richmond Hill.
Carrollton 56, East Coweta 24
After a scoreless opening frame, No. 6-ranked Carrollton seized control of its Region 2 opener against host East Coweta with a five-touchdown second quarter. Sophomore quarterback Juju Lewis threw four touchdown passes during the period, the first of which went to TE Jordan White to cap off a 17-play, 80-yard drive. Lewis also connected with Kiyun Cofer and Ryan Mosley for scores before finding White once again, and Duke-commit Montreze Smith’s strip-sack and scoop-and-score put the visitors ahead 35-10 at the break.
Westlake 42, Pebblebrook 7
No. 9-ranked Westlake handled business at home, handing visiting Pebblebrook its fourth-straight loss to kick off Region 2 play. The Falcons will look to get their season back on track against Carrollton next week in their second-straight matchup with a ranked opponent, while the Lions (6-1, 1-0) will travel to Carrollton in two weeks following their bye.
Marietta 17, Hillgrove 7
Marietta snapped a four-game losing streak with a 17-7 Region 3 victory over host Hillgrove in which the Blue Devils never trailed. The visitors were first on the board in the second quarter with Carson Snipes’ field goal, and Jaleel Smith found Noah Brown with a 10-yarder for a 9-0 (the PAT was blocked). Kadden Breazeale scored from six yards out for the Hawks in the third quarter, but a touchdown and successful two-point conversion for Marietta early in the fourth put the game away.
McEachern 24, Harrison 21
The McEachern Indians got their third-straight win (following and 0-4 start) in the Region 3 opener at Hillgrove. Hoyas quarterback Braylan Ford connected with Brady Kluse for a long touchdown to knot the game at 7-7 in the third, and Jayreon Campbell’s 30-yard rushing score for McEachern and a Hillgrove touchdown via Xavier Hill’s run brought the score to 14-14 entering the fourth. Campbell scored again for McEachern, and Jonathan Rodriguez capitalized on Ivan Kynes’ fumble recovery with a 46-yard field goal for a two-score lead before Ford and Kluse connected for one last Hoya touchdown.
Wheeler 36, Cherokee 19
The Wheeler Wildcats built a 29-3 lead with just over five minutes remaining, then added one last touchdown after host Cherokee cut the lead to 10 points to improve to 5-1 on the season. Wheeler will continue Region 5 play next week when it hosts North Cobb, and the Warriors will try to snap a three-game losing streak at Osborne.
Osborne 35, Kennesaw Mountain 3
Osborne’s perfect season continued with a comfortable 35-3 victory over host Kennesaw Mountain in the Region 5 matchup. The Cardinals have now outscored their opponents by a margin of 231-36 this season and will look to improve to 7-0 next week when they host Cherokee.
Lambert 40, Forsyth Central 3
Lambert improved to 6-0 on the season with a 40-3 victory over Region 6 foe Forsyth Central. The Longhorns held a modest 5-0 lead after the opening frame and 12-3 edge at the break before outscoring the Bulldogs 28-0 in the second half and will continue region play next week against West Forsyth.
Milton 31, South Forsyth 0
Milton got its season back on track following a loss to North Cobb two weeks ago with an emphatic 31-0 Region 6 win over visiting South Forsyth. The Eagles led 3-0 after the first and 17-0 at halftime, and Amauri Anderson provided the game’s final points midway through the fourth with a 9-yard run. Milton will travel to Forsyth Central next week.
West Forsyth 21, Denmark 7
The Wolverines got their fourth-straight win in Friday’s Region 6 opener against visiting Denmark. Quarterback Max Walraven put West Forsyth on the board with a touchdown pass to Hunter Green, then gave the Wolverines a 14-7 advantage in the third with a 59-yard keeper. Foster Orris added the final points on a run for West Forsyth, which will travel to undefeated Lambert next week.
Class 6A
Jackson County 36, Shiloh 7
The Jackson County Panthers hosted Region 8 rival Shiloh Friday night and came away with a 36-7 victory to improve to 4-4 overall and 2-2 in region play. Jackson County will have its bye to prepare for a trip to Lanier in two weeks, while Shiloh will travel to top-ranked Gainesville following its bye.
Rome 56, Sequoyah 3
After falling behind 3-0 to host Sequoyah, No. 7-ranked Rome put up 56 unanswered points in the final three quarters to close the Region 6 matchup. Reece Fountain scored on the ground and connected with DK Daniel for a 37-yard touchdown pass, Nic Hester found Chance Arthur for a 22-yard scoring strike, and the Wolves got a pair of touchdowns each from Javarius McDearmont and Joseph Butts and one from Jeremy Ragland.
Creekview 48, River Ridge 34
The Creekview Grizzlies extended their win streak to four games and improved to 3-0 in Region 6 with a comfortable 48-34 victory over visiting River Ridge. Quarterback Austin Guest had four touchdowns in the first half — three on the ground and one through the air — for the Grizzlies, who will host Sequoyah next week.
Blessed Trinity 43, Pope 10
Blessed Trinity improved to 2-1 in Region 7 with an emphatic win over host Pope, which is still looking for its first victory of the season. The Titans led 27-3 at the break, then added a safety in the third quarter and a Dylan Torrico rushing score and Ryder Register pick-six in the fourth.
Roswell 84, Lassiter 6
The ninth-ranked Hornets built a 70-0 lead over visiting Lassiter before the break, then coasted to an 84-6 win to improve to 6-1 on the season and 3-0 in Region 7 play. The Hornets have won their six games by a margin of 332-46 and will host a winless Pope team next week.
Houston County 42, Northside-Warner Robins 14
The sixth-ranked Bears got their first Region 1 win of the season with an emphatic 42-14 victory over Northside. Quarterback AJ Hill threw touchdown passes to Ricky Johnson (47 yards) and Recordo Tarver (42 yards), and Houston County got a pair of rushing scores from Ryan Taleb, plus one from 29 yards out by Amir Thomas and a 5-yarder by Christian Stokes.
Newnan 34, Alexander 10
The Cougars improved to 3-4 overall and 2-2 in Region 5 with a comfortable 35-10 victory over host Alexander, which has now lost five straight games. Newnan will have its bye week to prepare for fifth-ranked Hughes.
Hughes 54, East Paulding 29
Fifth-ranked Hughes improved to 3-1 in Region 5 with a strong showing against host East Paulding. Quarterback Prentiss “Air” Nolan threw a touchdown pass to Dazjohn Gibson (34 yards) and a pair of scoring strikes to Chi McGee (36 and 23 yards) and also scored on a 24-yard scramble. Additionally, Justus Savage scored twice on the ground, and Tre Page and Carsyn Baker contributed rushing scores as well.
Lee County 56, Veterans 16
Fourth-ranked Lee County improved to 2-0 in Region 1 play following a 56-16 win over visiting Veterans. The Trojans got a rushing score from Devin Collier and a blocked punt return for a touchdown in the opening frame, and quarterback Weston Bryan connected with Jeffery Anderson and Ousmane Kromah for touchdown completions in the second and third quarters. Kromah scored on the ground as well, as did Jeremiah Jackson, and Bryan added a 19-yard score on a keeper. In the fourth, Canton Williams scored from 25 yards out.
Thomas County Central 56, Tift County 0
The second-ranked Yellow Jackets have outscored their Region 1 opponents by a combined margin of 108-0 to improve to 7-0 on the season. Against Tift County, Trey Brenton found the end zone three times by the 3:25 mark of the opening frame. Jaylen Johnson and Ahmad Ponder added rushing scores in the second, and Dee Reddick put TCC up 42-0 before the break with a punt return for a touchdown. Johnson connected with Malachi Thomas for a touchdown in the third quarter, and Kobe Carnage took a screen pass 28 yards for the final points of the game in the fourth.
Glynn Academy 35, South Effingham 0
The Glynn Academy Terrors bounced back from last week’s region loss at Effingham County with a comfortable 35-0 homecoming win over South Effingham. The Terrors improve to 5-2 overall and 2-1 in Region 2 with the victory and will travel to Grovetown next week.
Effingham County 35, Grovetown 32
Effingham County got its third-straight Region 2 victory of the season Friday night with a narrow 35-32 win over host Grovetown. The Rebels will travel to Evans next week to face a Knights team fresh off its bye, while Grovetown — which has now lost its past three games — will host Glynn Academy.
Brunswick 46, Lakeside-Evans 22
The Brunswick Pirates have won back-to-back games for the first time this season, most recently a 46-22 victory over host Lakeside, and are now 4-2 overall and 2-1 in Region 2. Quarterback Grant Moore threw touchdown passes to TJ Mitchell (40 yards), Heze Kent (14 yards) and Daron Monroe (34 yards). Monroe also connected with Kent for a 42-yarder, and Jarrod Elkins added a 55-yard touchdown pass to Mitchell to his 7-yard rushing score. McClain Fineran’s 20-yard field goal provided the game’s final points.
Lovejoy 42, Alcovy 0
Lovejoy improved to 4-3 overall and 2-2 in Region 3 with a 42-0 rout of visiting Alcovy. The Wildcats took a 14-0 lead in the opening frame before adding another four touchdowns in the second quarter for a 42-0 halftime lead that stood through the remainder of the game. Lovejoy will have its bye week to prepare for Morrow, while Alcovy will see Forest Park in two weeks.
Jonesboro 20, Morrow 7
The Jonesboro Cardinals got their season back on track with a 20-7 win over Morrow to improve to 5-2 overall and 3-1 in Region 3. Jonesboro got its first loss in region play last week against Mundy’s Mill and will have two weeks to get ready to host Woodward Academy. With the loss, Morrow has now dropped six straight games.
North Atlanta 37, Riverwood 21
North Atlanta’s perfect season is still alive following a 37-21 win over host Riverwood. The Warriors are now 2-0 in Region 4, and will continue region play in two weeks following their bye with a matchup against No. 8-ranked Marist.
Class 5A
Calhoun 56, Hiram 35
No. 8 Calhoun knocked off unbeaten Hiram, ranked No. 5, on the road in a Region 7 matchup. Calhoun’s Trey Townsend rushed for a touchdown and threw four touchdown passes, three to Emaree Winston. Townsend’s second scoring pass to Winston, a 30-yarder, gave Calhoun a 41-28 lead in the third quarter. Jacob Shuler’s fumble return for a touchdown on Hiram’s ensuing possession, followed by a successful two-point conversion on a Winston rush, put the Yellow Jackets ahead 49-28 late in the third. A 12-yard Townsend-to-Winston touchdown in the fourth quarter capped the scoring. Townsend had scoring passes of 48 yards to Winston and 47 yards to Caden Williams in the first quarter and had a 1-yard QB sneak in the second. Williams also had a 1-yard rushing score, and Carlos Lopez made field goals of 45 and 35 yards for Calhoun, which improved to 5-2 and 1-1 in the region. Hiram fell to 6-1 and 1-1.
Dalton 42, Woodland-Cartersville 7
Dalton got three touchdown passes from Ethan Long, two to Bubba Tanner and one to Jeffson Locke, to defeat Woodland-Cartersville on the road and improve to 5-2 and 1-1 in Region 7. Dalton running back Adriel Hernandez rushed for two touchdowns, and Adrian Gongora rushed for a score and had an interception on defense. Dalton led 28-7 at halftime over Woodland, which fell to 2-5 and 0-2 in the region.
Northgate 56, McIntosh 21
Northgate led 29-15 at halftime and went on to win its first game in Region 3. Evan Garrett scored on two rushing touchdowns in the third quarter, while Paul Walthall and Braylen Hopkins scored on rushing TDs in the fourth. The game was tied at 15 in the second quarter after Brandan Ridley scored on a three-yard run, and the team completed a two-point conversion.
Cambridge 17, Centennial 13
Cambridge held on at Centennial after leading 17-0 at halftime. The Bears (4-3, 2-1 in Region 6) got first-half touchdowns from Tyler Blalock and James Joel and a field goal from Bennett Noone. Centennial fell to 1-6 and 1-2 in the region.
In other 5A games -- No. 1 Coffee won its Region 1 opener 62-6 at home over Bradwell Institute to move to 6-0. Bradwell fell to 2-4 and 0-1 in the region. ... No. 10 Ola suffered its second-straight defeat, this time at home to Jones County, 48-17. Jones County, which improved to 5-2 and 3-0 in Region 2, led 31-3 at halftime over Ola, which fell to 4-2 and 0-2 in the region. ... Flowery Branch improved to 4-3 and 2-1 in Region 8 with a 48-0 home win over Winder-Barrow, which fell to 4-3 and 1-2. ... Arabia Mountain won at Decatur, 25-12, to move to 2-0 in Region 4, tied with Tucker for the region lead after the Tigers defeated Chamblee on Friday night. Arabia Mountain moved to 6-1 overall, and Decatur fell to 2-5 and 0-2.
Class 4A
Benedictine 38, Burke County 30
No. 1 Benedictine held off a rally from host Burke County, ranked No. 5, to remain unbeaten at 7-0 and 2-0 in Region 3. Burke County fell to 6-1 and 1-1 in region. Benedictine held a 31-7 halftime lead after RaSean Matthews rushed for two first-quarter touchdowns and Luke Kromenhoek threw a touchdown and rushed for a score in the second quarter. Connor Ferguson added a field goal in the first quarter for the Cadets. Burke County fought back and trailed by just eight points twice in the fourth quarter, 31-23 and 38-30. Kromenhoek’s second touchdown pass put Benedictine ahead 38-23.
Perry 41, Griffin 7
No. 4 Perry got two touchdown rushes from Ahmad Gordon in the first quarter and defeated Region 2 foe Griffin to improve to 6-1 and 3-0 in the region. Corrion Daniels also rushed for two touchdowns for the Panthers, and Quentin Askin, usually a lineman, had a short rush for a score. Quarterback Cullen McDaniel, who relieved starter Colter Ginn after the game was in hand, threw a touchdown pass to Kory Pettigrew.
Stephenson 20, Westminster 13
Visiting Stephenson mounted a second-half comeback after trailing 13-0 at halftime to improve to 5-2 and 1-1 in Region 6. The Jaguars scored their first touchdown at the 9:28 mark of the third quarter on a 45-yard touchdown pass from Marte Barton to Romando Craddock and trailed 13-6 after an unsuccessful two-point-conversion attempt. Stephenson’s Devin Ingram scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, the first coming on a 7-yard run and the second coming on a 63-yard run with 1:48 remaining. Ingram finished with 18 carries for 157 yards rushing. On Westminster’s final possession, the Wildcats (4-3, 1-1) moved the ball to the Stephenson 7-yard line with seven seconds remaining, but Collin Seals came up with the interception in the end zone with two seconds remaining to seal the win for Stephenson.
Cedartown 47, Heritage-Catoosa 35
Cedartown led 34-7 at halftime and by as many as 30 points in the second half to pick up the home win and improve to 4-3, 1-1 in Region 7. Bulldogs quarterback Drew Ledbetter threw three touchdown passes, all to Demarcus Gardner in the first half of 77, 58 and 40 yards. Michael Gibbons Jr. rushed for touchdowns of 37 and 6 yards and Jaquaveon Price had a 25-yard touchdown rush for Cedartown. Junior Castanon and Braden Broster made second-half field goals for the Bulldogs. Heritage-Catoosa fell to 4-3 and 1-1 in the region.
Cherokee Bluff 10, East Forsyth 3
Host Cherokee Bluff gave East Forsyth its first loss, leading 3-0 at halftime and 10-0 until the 4:33 mark of the fourth quarter when East Forsyth’s Daniel Nerey made a field goal. The Bears had a late interception to seal the win. Cherokee Bluff improved to 3-4 and 3-2 in Region 8, while East Forsyth fell to 5-1 and 3-1 in the region. Cherokee Bluff got a Michael Arbour field goal in the first quarter and a Conner Hulsey rushing touchdown late in the third to take its 10-0 lead.
Holy Innocents’ 47, Miller Grove 7
Host Miller Grove scored on the first play of the game, but Holy Innocents’ dominated from there at North DeKalb Stadium to improve to 6-1 and 1-1 in Region 6. Miller Grove fell to 5-2 and 1-1 in the region. Zach Jackson rushed for touchdowns of 80 and 75 yards for the Golden Bears in the first quarter and scored his third touchdown on a 23-yard rush in the third quarter. Quarterback Connor White threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Jackson Phoenix midway through the second quarter to give Holy Innocents’ a 31-7 lead at halftime. Nick Morgan also had an 18-yard touchdown rush in the second quarter and Jamie Savula had a 67-yard touchdown rush in the fourth to cap the scoring. Graham Forgey made field goals of 33 and 30 yards.
Class 3A
Savannah Christian 42, Johnson-Savannah 6
Savannah Christian led 14-0 after the first quarter and added four unanswered touchdowns before halftime to expand the margin and secure victory. Zo Smalls scored on runs of 30, 13 and four yards Kenry Wall added a 10-yard touchdown run and Jamari McIvory had a 15-yard touchdown run. Blaise Thomas passed to McIvory for a 30-yard touchdown.
Lumpkin County 56, Gilmer 3
Lumpkin County is one victory away from tying the program-best start of 8-0 in 1967 under head coach Don Thompkins after moving past Gilmer. The Indians led 7-3 entering the second quarter but scored four unanswered touchdowns to lead 35-3 at the half.
Hart County 27, Oconee County 16
Trailing 6-0 entering the second quarter, Hart County took a 10-8 lead at the half and outscored No. 10 Oconee County 17-8 in the second half to secure the upset victory. Nori Moore scored on a 42-yard run to take the lead for Hart with seven minutes remaining in the first half. Jashon Gaines intercepted the ball and returned it 85 yards for a touchdown with six minutes left in the third quarter to put Hart up 17-8. The Bulldogs defense got another interception returned for a touchdown with eight minutes left in the game to expand the lead to 24-8. A 25-yard field goal from Axsel Fajardo put Hart up 27-8 with four minutes left in the game.
Carver-Columbus 28, Thomasville 14
Carver enjoyed a 14-0 lead after the first quarter and expanded the lead to 22-0 at the half before weathering a late charge from Thomasville in the second half. Carver took the 14-0 lead with 3:22 left in the first quarter on an 80-yard pass and scored on a short run to expand the lead just before halftime.
Carver, A.L. 13, Cedar Grove 9
A touchdown pass with less than a minute left in the game gave Alabama’s Carver the victory. Cedar Grove led 2-0 after a safety in the first quarter and expanded the lead to 9-0 at the half but could manage no more offensive production while Carver scored on a 22-yard pass from Terrell Russell Jr. to TK Norman to get on the board.
Mary Persons 49, Jackson 0
Duke Watson scored on runs of 27, nine, seven, seven, five and two yards to lead Mary Persons past Jackson. Najeh Reese scored on a 5-yard run for the Bulldogs.
Monroe Area 17, Hebron Christian 14 OT
A field goal in overtime proved the difference for Monroe Area in a Region 8 game. The Purple Hurricanes moved to 1-1 in the league after the victory.
In other Class 3A games – Carver-Atlanta moved past Mundy’s Mill 28-0 to move to 2-4 on the season before entering Region 5 play next week against Sandy Creek. … Calvary Day beat Groves 64-0 in a Region 3 game to move to 4-0 in the league. … Stephens led 14-0 after the first quarter and 42-7 at the half in a 52-7 romp of Franklin County.
Class 2A
Model 28, Fannin County 27
Model withstood a frantic Fannin County rally to pull out a 28-27 road win. Model drove to the Fannin County 32 yard line but turned it over on downs with just under two minutes left. Fannin County then drove the field and scored a touchdown on a 26-yard run with 13 seconds left. The Rebels tried to go for the 2-point conversion and the win, but Model’s defense deflected the pass attempt to preserve the one-point win. Model led 28-7 after a Gage McWhorter 2-yard TD run with 9:10 left to play, but the Rebels rallied for two scores, a Lawson Sullivan 12-yard touchdown run and a Carson Callahan 10-yard TD run, to make it 28-21 with just over three minutes left. Model built their big lead on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Jake Sanders to Amir Pinkard and two TD runs from Sanders, one from 65 yards out and one from 1 yard out.
Thomson 62, Butler 6
Thomson led 21-0 after the first quarter and 56-0 at the half in a romp of Butler. The Bulldogs moved to 6-1 overall with the victory and will travel to Washington County after a bye next week.
Athens Academy 51, Providence Christian 19
The Spartans led 14-0 after the first quarter and expanded the lead to 41-12 at the half to overwhelm Providence. Jamari Welch scored on a 41-yard run and a three-yard run. Jeremiah Wingfield scored on runs of 11 and two yards and Bryan McClendon passed to Robert Beckum for a five-yard touchdown.
Sumter County 45, Berrien 14
Sumter County led 24-14 at halftime and went on to earn its first Region 1 victory of the year. The visiting Panthers allowed just 90 total yards in the second half, and Ja’kory Wise scored two rushing touchdowns in the third quarter. Sumter County jumped to a 7-0 lead in just seconds in the first quarter on a 73-yard touchdown pass.
Eagle’s Landing Christian 20, Redan 7
Eagle’s Landing Christian scored on a 15-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter and a 60-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to improve to 2-0 in Region 5. The host Chargers led 6-0 at halftime after scoring on a 45-yard touchdown pass early in the second quarter. Redan scored on a five-yard run midway through the third to tie the game at six.
Toombs County 31, Appling County 28
Braylen Dietrich kicked a 32-yard field goal to give Toombs County the win over Appling County and improve to 7-0 on the year. The visiting Bulldogs jumped to a 17-7 lead at halftime. T.J. Stanley threw for two touchdowns and ran for one for Toombs County. Appling County tallied four rushing touchdowns, and two of them came from Jamarion Williams in the second half.
Fitzgerald 42, Worth County 20
Fitzgerald pulled away from Worth County after leading 21-14 at halftime. After scoring a touchdown and getting a two-point conversion in the third quarter, the host Purple Hurricanes added two more TDs in the fourth quarter to win its second game in Region 1 play.
Washington County 21, Westside-Augusta 13
Washington County scored on a long touchdown run early in the third to earn its second victory in Region 4 play. The visiting Golden Hawks led 14-13 at halftime. They were down 13-7 before scoring on a TD run with 1:08 remaining in the first half.
Jeff Davis 17, Dodge County 14
Jeff Davis rallied to beat Dodge County after trailing 7-3 at halftime. The visiting Yellow Jackets scored 14 unanswered points in the third quarter and held off a rally from Dodge County in the fourth. Jeff Davis has won its second game in Region 1 play.
Laney 48, Josey 0
Laney scored 26 points in the second quarter en route to its fourth victory of the season. The visiting Wildcats recorded four rushing touchdowns and three passing touchdowns and led 41-0 at halftime. Laney has a 3-1 record in Region 4 play.
North Murray 56, Gordon Central 7
Judson Petty scored four touchdowns in the first quarter to lead North Murray to its fifth victory of the year. The visiting Mountaineers scored all 56 points in the first half. Petty scored on two rushing TDs, a receiving TD and an interception that was returned for a score. He also tallied a fumble recovery in the second quarter.
In other 2A games - Rockmart jumped to a 34-0 lead at halftime against Haralson County and went to win 48-6 and remain undefeated in Region 7 play. … North Cobb Christian defeated KIPP Atlanta Charter 29-10 after trailing 10-8 in the second quarter… Oglethorpe County jumped to a 29-0 lead at halftime to take down Athens Christian 56-0.
Class A Division I
Bleckley County 42, Dublin 28
After a scoreless first quarter, Bleckley took a 14-7 lead at the half after a 34-yard run from Joshua Stanley and a 1-yard run from Kam’ryn Everett. Kameron Hampton scored on a 64-yard touchdown run to get Dublin on the board. Micah O’Neal tied the game on a 34-yard touchdown run with 10 minutes left in the third quarter but Everett passed to Marcus Newson to give the Royals the 21-14 lead. Newson passed to Markeze Brown on a 15-yarder to extend the lead. Hampton scored on a nine-yard run with 10 minutes left in the game but Stanley added a 2-yard touchdown run and O’Neal scored on a 1-yard run to put the game away for Bleckley.
Trion 49, Coosa 6
Trion led 14-0 after the first quarter and 28-0 at the half in a romp of Coosa. Trion led 49-6 entering the fourth quarter.
Swainsboro 54, Jefferson County 7
Qindarius Brown passed to Jordan Williams for a touchdown and scored on a 3-yard run. Demello Jones scored on runs of 95 and 1-yard. Williams added touchdown runs of 48-yard and 11 yards. Ja’Bios Smith scored on an 11-yard run and Bryson Tarver added a 1-yard touchdown run for Swainsboro.
Bacon County 9, Johnson County 0
Bacon County scored on a run with five minutes left in the third quarter to take the lead. The Raiders added a field goal with 11 minutes left in the game to secure the victory.
Bryan County 21, Metter 20
Bryan County did all of its scoring in the first half to lead 21-7 before holding on for victory over Metter. Metter scored on a 3-yard pass from Mike Ricks to Elijah Dickerson with less than a minute left, but a failed point-after try gave the victory to Bryan County.
Darlington 35, Chattooga 0
Darlington led 14-0 after the first quarter, 21-0 at the half and 35-0 entering the fourth quarter in a romp of Chattooga. The Tigers moved to 3-0 in Region 7 play following the victory.
Class A Division II
Christian Heritage 42, Mt. Pisgah Christian 10
Christian Heritage led 21-10 after the first quarter and scored two unanswered touchdowns in the third quarter to expand the margin to 35-10, putting the game away.
Aquinas 40, Towns County 6
Jim Franklin passed to Mekhi Quiller for a 68-yard touchdown, Jack Rhodes on a 55-yard touchdown and Brandon Ross for 32-yard and 14-yard touchdowns. Zyaire Douglas scored on a 1-yard run and Christian Kates added an 8-yard touchdown run for Aquinas.
Early County 29, Randolph-Clay 14
Early County led 8-0 after the first quarter and 16-8 at the half before outscoring Randolph-Clay 13-6 in the fourth quarter to put the game away. The victory moved the Bobcats to a 5-0 record in Region 1 play and Randolph-Clay to 2-1 in the league.
In other Class A games -- Bremen moved to 3-0 in Region 6 play after moving past LaFayette 34-28. … Rabun County beat St. Francis 49-13 and will open Region 8 play against Elbert County next week. … Heard County moved to 1-0 in Region 4 play after moving past Crawford County 56-22. … Oglethorpe County moved past Athens Christian 56-0 and will open Region 5 play against top-ranked Prince Avenue Christian next week. …
Recaps from Thursday
Class 6A
Lanier 27, North Forsyth 21
Lanier led 20-7 after the first quarter and 27-14 at the half before outlasting a fourth-quarter comeback attempt from North Forsyth to secure the victory.
Class 5A
Loganville 51, Clarke Central 50
Sophomore quarterback Brody Hannah was chasing history in Thursday’s victory against Clarke Central. He was 36-of-62 passing for 553 yards and seven touchdowns to lead Loganville to a thrilling one-point victory over Clarke Central. The effort is fifth all-time in GHSA history ahead of Lassiter’s Hutson Mason, who passed for 552 yards against South Gwinnett in 2009. Junior Ahmed Souare had 14 receptions for 290 yards and four touchdowns. Joseph Barnes made 12 receptions for 146 yards and two touchdowns and Jamin Marshall had a 29-yard touchdown reception.
Class 4A
Bainbridge 41, Westover 14
Bainbridge led 14-0 after the first quarter and 27-0 at the half in a romp of Westover. Cam Sanders passed to Camryn Scott (27 yards), Antavious Murphy (26 yards) for touchdowns. Murphy scored on a run of 36 yards and Keenan Phillips scored on runs of 35 and 10 yards.
Troup County 45, Riverdale 0
Logan Sinkfield passed to Noah Dixon (30, 15 yards) and Ben Taylor (14 yards) for touchdowns and rushed for a 22-yard touchdown. Ashton Williams added a 34-yard touchdown run and Dixon scored on a 5-yard run.
Stone Mountain 14, Clarkston 8
From Mark Brock: Stone Mountain picked up their first win of the season in a 14-8 overtime thriller over Clarkston. The Pirates were trailing 8-0 to the Angoras at the half and came out in the third quarter to tie the game on a 65-yard touchdown pass from Andrew Davis that was tipped and receiver Nate Simmons hauled in and raced the final 30 yards into the end zone. Davis then connected with Jerod Wilson for the two-point conversion to tie the game at 8-8. The two teams battled to a scoreless fourth quarter as a last second field goal for the win by the Pirates was just short to send the game into overtime. Stone Mountain scored on a flare pass from Davis to Da’shon Harris to take the lead 14-8 with Clarkston’s turn in overtime coming up. Clarkston came up short as the Pirates stopped the Angoras on four downs to preserve the victory.
Druid Hills 27, Midtown 0
Druid Hills put up a shutout at Adams Stadium on Thursday night in a 27-0 win over Midtown to gave the program its 250th victory (250-476-23). Kai Robinson threw touchdown passes of 60 yards to Reese Patterson and 15 yards to Bre’lon Cade to fuel the win. Jaden George ran for a pair of touchdowns to aid the cause. The shutout was the just the third in the past five seasons for the Red Devils. Druid Hills has not won more than four games in a season since a back-to-back 6-4 marks in 1992-93. This is the 11th time since 1993 the team has achieved four wins.
Northwest Whitfield 37, Southeast Whitfield 0
Northwest led 20-0 after the first quarter and extended the lead to 37-0 in the third quarter to put the game away.
Hampton 41, Mt. Zion
Hampton led 7-0 after the first quarter and 20-0 at the half. The Hornets extended the lead to 34-0 with two unanswered touchdowns in the third quarter to put the game away.
Class 3A
Savannah Country Day 38, Liberty County 14
The Hornets led 14-0 after the first quarter and 21-0 at the half. Nursing a 24-14 lead entering the fourth quarter, Savannah Country Day scored two unanswered touchdowns to put the game away.
Class 2A
Vidalia 29, Tattnall County 7
The Indians led 8-0 after the first quarter and scored three unanswered touchdowns in the second quarter to lead 29-0 at the half. Jackson Berry (1-yard) scored on a run and passed to Antonio Barren on a 45-yard touchdown to give Vidalia a 15-0 lead. Barron scored on a run late in the first half to cap scoring for Vidalia.
Northeast-Macon 42, Kendrick 6
Reginald Glover passed to Kavon Conciauro on a 21-yard touchdown and converted the 2-point conversion to put Northeast up 8-0. Glover passed to TJ Wright on a 9-yard touchdown but a failed 2-point conversion gave Northeast a 14-0 lead. Glover passed to Christyn Clark to expand the margin and Ezekiel Hicks scored an 8-yard run to put the Raiders up 28-0. Zahkie Denson scored on 25-yard run before halftime to extend the lead. Lewis Cheney passed to Conciauro with two minutes left in the third quarter to cap scoring for Northeast.
Columbia 64, Landmark Christian 7
From Mark Brock: Senior athlete Jadan Baugh scored five times for Columbia. Baugh ran for four touchdowns and returned a punt for his fifth of the night as the Eagles ran away from Landmark and bounced back from a heartbreaking 33-29 loss to Callaway last week where they had two touchdowns called back due to penalty. Four other Eagles got in on the scoring including quarterback Rashad Silver who ran for one touchdown and threw for another to go with receiving touchdowns by Jaleel Baugh and Cain Jefferson. Nishan Hillman ran for another score while quarterback Cameron Graves threw a pair of touchdown passes in the game.
McNair 34, Towers 20
From Mark Brock: McNair enjoyed a 20-0 lead on the way to a 34-20 Region 5-2A win at Homecoming against Tower. Mustang quarterback Jeremy Victor passed to receiver George Nagbe on a third and goal at the Towers eight-yard line for a touchdown to put McNair (4-3, 2-1) up 6-0 with 2:38 left in the first quarter. Nagbe held onto the football at the goal line despite being hit by Towers defensive back Jaylen Robinson. The two-point pass attempt went incomplete. A punt snap over the head of Towers punter Jacquez Harris in the end zone gave McNair a safety and an 8-0 lead with 37.8 seconds to play. The first play following the kick McNair went up 14-0 as Sadarian Williams broke through the line and ran 26 yards into the end zone with 33.8 seconds to play in the opening period. The 2-point conversion was no good. A personal foul on the Titans set the Mustangs up at the Towers 25 yard line and three plays later Williams got loose for a 13-yard touchdown run to up the margin to 20-0. Towers would answer on its next drive as running back Tyler Phillips broke away on a 28-yard run down to the McNair 18. Following an offensive pass interference call, Towers quarterback Nate Griffin threw over the middle to receiver Jekerean West for what would be a 28-yard touchdown pass play to put the Titans on the board with 4:22 left in the first half. The Titans stopped a Mustangs’ drive with 3:25 to play as Tramon Wooten picked off a pass. Towers drove out to the 50 keyed by a 24-yard run by Neroy Tugwell but came up two yards short on fourth down to give McNair another shot before the half. McNair got runs of 17 and 16 yards by Williams and were at the Towers 20 when time ran out in the half. Towers was driving to open the second half when McNair recovered a fumble at its own 33 and marched 67 yards in 11 plays to extend the lead to 28-6. A deep throw down the right sideline from Victor was caught over the shoulder by Carlos Lemons down to the Towers five-yard line. Four plays later Williams got into the end zone for the third time as he ran it in on fourth and goal at the Titans’ eight-yard line. Victor connected with Louis Stodghill on the two-point conversion to make it 28-6 with 2:54 left in the third. Towers took the kick and drove down to the McNair eight yard line but Nagbe jumped in front of a pass and returned it to the Towers 27. Two plays later West picked up a fumble and returned it to the Towers 42 yard line to stop the Mustangs. The Titans went on to close the gap to 28-14 as Marquavious Smith tossed a 31-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Jaylen Robinson just outside the end zone to convert a fourth and four into a score. Tyler Phillips ran in the two-point conversion to cut the lead in half with 8:15 to play. McNair recovered the onside kick attempt by Towers at the Mustangs’ 49 yard line and with the aid of a late hit on the sidelines drove for a touchdown with Victor going the final yard into the end zone with 5:16 to play. The two-point try was no good and McNair led 34-14. Towers answered again following a kickoff out of bounds to drive 45 yards for another score. Smith connected with West for a 20-yard gain to the McNair two. Then on first and goal following a false start Smith found West for the seven-yard scoring toss with 2:14 remaining to close the gap to 34-20. McNair ran out the final 2:14 as Williams picked up a first down. Williams finished the night with 31 carries for 149 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Mustangs and George Nagbe had five receptions for 77 yards and a touchdown to go with an interception on defense. Jeremy Victor ran for 31 yards and touchdown while passing (16-8-1) for 117 yards and another touchdown. Jekerean West finished the night with six receptions for 96 yards and two touchdowns to lead Towers. Marquavious Smith hit on seven of 10 passes for 92 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
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