After a first half dominated by stingy defense, no. 7-ranked Lambert pulled away from host West Forsyth by capitalizing on a pair of third-quarter fumble recoveries by Carson Knowles and Finn Braeuer, improving to 7-0 for the first time in program history with the 20-3 win. The victory was also the first over the Wolverines since 2016 for the Longhorns, who are now 2-0 in Region 6-7A play under first-year head coach Marc Beach.
The game was knotted at 3-3 following a defensive battle throughout the first two quarters during which Lambert’s offense was limited to 63 yards on 20 plays and West Forsyth’s compiled 100 yards on 28 plays. The Longhorns got on the board first via Ryan Degyansky’s field goal midway through the opening frame, and Niko Nunez sent a 31-yarder through the uprights with just over three minutes remaining in the half.
Knowles and Braeuer recovered fumbles on back-to-back Wolverine drives in the third quarter, the former setting up a 14-yard touchdown pass from James Tyre to Mike Giampapa and the latter preceding a 31-yard field goal from Degyansky for a 13-3 edge. West Forsyth’s Grey Brockman intercepted Tyre early in the fourth, but the ensuing possession ended in a missed field goal attempt. Later in the quarter, the Wolverines appeared to stop Lambert on third down before a facemask penalty kept the drive alive, and Ethan Terry sealed the win with 2:35 on the clock with a 5-yard trip to the end zone.
West Forsyth (3-4, 0-2) will try to get its first region win next week at Milton, while the undefeated Longhorns host Denmark in Week 10.
The AJC has writers at Mill Creek at Buford, Marietta at McEachern, Collins Hill at Mountain View, Cambridge at Kell and Athens Academy at Fellowship Christian. Follow the link to Todd Holcomb’s Friday Night Wrap or go here to see the full scoreboard powered by Score Atlanta.
See the full roundups below.
Class 7A
Cherokee 29, Osborne 25
Cherokee overcame a late Osborne rally to emerge victorious and pick up its second win of the season. Down 29-7 with just three minutes left in the game, Osborne blocked a Warriors’ punt and Aidan Williams fell on the ball in the end zone. Cherokee then recovered the onside kick, but a forced fumble by Osborne was returned 34 yards by Ian Williams to the end zone to make it a 29-19 game with 41 seconds left. The Cardinals then recovered the ensuing onside kick and capitalized with a 34-yard touchdown pass from Edward Burr to Joshua Horton. The comeback would end there though as Cherokee recovered the final onside kick. The Warriors’ offense was fueled by sophomore quarterback Tanner Savasir, who had two passing touchdowns, an 11-yard strike to Gracen Sexton and a 31-yard pass to Pops Jameson. Zi Johnson and Daniel Young reached the end zone of the ground, and defensively, Javon Hobson forced a safety.
Harrison 24, North Paulding 21
Braylan Ford threw his second touchdown pass to Amari Watson in the fourth quarter to put visiting Harrison ahead 24-14, and despite a late touchdown from North Paulding, the Hoyas held on for the road win. Ford also threw a touchdown pass to Brady Kluse, and Harrison’s Rudolph Gleason opened the scoring in the first quarter with a field goal.
Walton 42, Kennesaw Mountain 14
Walton rebounded from last week’s loss to North Cobb with an emphatic 42-14 win over Kennesaw Mountain, handing the Mustangs their first loss of the season. Ethan Stannard intercepted Kennesaw Mountain quarterback Cayman Prangley on the opening drive of the game to set up a quick score from Austin Williams for the early Walton lead. In the second, Makari Bodiford added a pair of touchdown runs (3 and 60 yards), and QB Jeremy Hecklinski ran one in as well. Prangley was intercepted again by Braylen Stokes before the break, but he responded with a touchdown pass to Earl Kyle in the third. Walton added scores on a 40-yarder from Hecklinski to Wyatt Sonderman and a 20-yard run from Bodiford before Prangley’s 5-yard touchdown run in the game’s final moments.
Brookwood 31, Newton 23
Brookwood got its third-straight win and improved to 2-0 in Region 4 with a road victory over Newton. The Broncos built a 21-0 lead by the 10:18 mark of the second quarter with a pair of touchdown passes from Dylan Lonergan to Bryce Dopson (65 and 43 yards) in addition to a scoop-and-score by the defense. Jamarcus Presley put Newton on the board shortly after, but a 71-yard rushing score from Lonergan and a 36-yard field goal gave Brookwood a 31-7 edge at the break. The Rams cut into the Broncos’ lead with touchdown runs from Justin Benton and Deion Lewis and a safety on a blocked punt, but Brookwood remained comfortably ahead.
Dacula 21, Central Gwinnett 7
Dacula got its first region win of the season — and second overall — with a 21-7 victory over visiting Central Gwinnett. Jayden Bethea and Samuel Alvarenga both scored on the ground in the opening frame, the second touchdown coming shortly after Deshun Tisdale’s recovery of a Black Knight fumble. The 14-0 lead stood until Garrison Cantrell connected with Alvarenga in the fourth quarter for another Falcons score, and Carmello Jeffrey ran it in from 42 yards out to prevent the shutout.
Milton 38, Forsyth Central 0
Milton improved to 2-0 in Region 6 play with a 38-0 rout of visiting Forsyth Central behind a four-touchdown performance by Scott Moskowitz. The senior running back finished the night with 173 yards on 18 carries and had two first-half scores and another pair of touchdowns in the third quarter. Milton also got a scoop-and-score from Rob Billings in the third, and Felipe Mota set a new Milton record in the first half of the game with a 52-yard field goal.
North Gwinnett 35, Peachtree Ridge 7
Visiting North Gwinnett picked up two safeties in the first quarter to lead 4-0 and cruised from there to a 35-7 win. Hunt Walker found Grant Godfrey for a 10-yard touchdown pass for North Gwinnett’s first touchdown, and the Bulldogs led 21-0 at halftime following a 25-yard field goal from Constantine Dallis and an interception return for a touchdown by Chandler Jordan. In the third quarter, Erik Ronning had a 15-yard rushing touchdown and Julian Walters had a 5-yard rushing touchdown for North Gwinnett.
Colquitt County 49, Camden County 21
No. 2 ranked Colquitt County jumped out to a 35-7 halftime lead and improved to 7-0 and 1-0 in Region 1 in convincing fashion. The Packers extended their 14-7 first quarter lead with a 21-point effort in the second quarter and got a 5-yard touchdown pass from Neko Fann to Jy’Qwayvin Hudson, a 40yard A’Marius Pace rushing score and a 1-yard Fann to Landon Griffin touchdown pass in the final seconds before the break.
Parkview 33, Archer 7
Visiting Parkview got touchdown rushes of 80, 65 and 45 yards from junior running back Khyair Spain. The Panthers improved to 6-1 overall and 2-0 in Region 4-7A
North Cobb 45, Wheeler 14
Senior running back Ben Hall had two touchdown rushes for host North Cobb, which improved to 5-2 overall and 2-0 in Region 5-7A. Sophomore quarterback Nick Grimstead also had a touchdown rush, and Caleb Jenkins returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown for the Warriors.
East Coweta 44, Campbell 7
Christian Langford threw touchdown passes to Keelan Kornegay, Colt Cortez and Brady Tillman for East Coweta in its road win over Campbell. East Coweta also got a rushing touchdown from Dionte Jones, and the Indians blocked a punt and recovered it in the end zone for a touchdown. East Coweta improved to 5-3 and 1-1 in Region 2.
South Forsyth 10, Denmark 3
South Forsyth got a field goal in the fourth quarter from Tyler Simpson to go up 10-3, and the visitors held on after a desperation deep pass from Denmark fell short of the end zone on the last play of the game. Ty Watkins threw a first-quarter touchdown pass to Chris Nelson for the War Eagles, and Denmark’s Hamilton DiBoyan made a third-quarter field goal.
Meadowcreek 35, Discovery 14
The Mustangs were up 21-7 at the half, and never let go of the lead as they cruised to their fifth win of the season. Fueling the Meadowcreek offense were senior running back Jordan Louie, who had a 65-yard touchdown rush, and senior wide receiver Keshaun Singleton, who caught two touchdown passes. Senior quarterback Cameron Ellis also reached the end zone with his legs, and senior Andre Craig hauled in a receiving touchdown in the win.
Carrollton 42, Pebblebrook 12
Quarterback Julian Lewis passed to Seth Childers (30 yards), Caleb Odom (11 yards), Kiyun Cofer (65 yards) and Dylan Bishop (27 yards) for touchdowns in the victory. Bryce Hicks scored on runs of six and four yards.
Class 6A
Marist 43, South Cobb 7
Marist racked up 250 rushing yards as a team to overwhelm visiting South Cobb. Jordan Mallett led the charge on the ground, as he opened the scoring with a 26-yard touchdown run and also found the end zone later in the first half via a reception from Eli Clarkson. Jack Euart also hauled in a touchdown pass from Clarkson, helping the War Eagles surge to a 36-0 halftime advantage. South Cobb’s lone score came on a 79-yard strike from Cameron Brown to Javon Richardson.
Sequoyah 7, Creekview 3
The Chiefs bounced back after last week’s loss to Rome with a close victory over the Grizzlies. The lone score of the first half in this defensive showcase was a 33-yard field goal by Creekview. After a scoreless third, freshman quarterback Kolby Martin scampered 16 yards into the end zone following a blocked punt by senior Ty Moores for the game-winner.
Gainesville 34, Habersham Central 0
Quarterback Baxter Wright passed to Sky Niblett for a 7-yard touchdown pass with 10:13 left in the second quarter and the Red Elephants never looked back. Wright passed to Darius Cannon on a 48-yard touchdown pass to push the lead. Wright’s 39-yard pass to Tre Reece expanded the lead to 21-0 at the half. His second pass to Cannon, this time on a 5-yarder, put Gainesville up 27-0. Naim Cheeks brought the score to its final tally on a 65-yard run.
In other 6A games -- Alpharetta quarterback Ben Guthrie passed for seven touchdowns in the Raiders’ 70-21 road win, and backup QB Landon Walker passed for two more. ... Host Glynn Academy got a touchdown rush and four touchdown passes from Tyler Devlin, including two to David Prince, to defeat Grovetown 46-13. Greg Peacock returned two kickoffs for a touchdown and had a receiving touchdown. ... Brooks Goodman had a rushing touchdown, two passing touchdowns and a touchdown catch for host Blessed Trinity, which won 44-7 over Johns Creek. Zyon McKenzie had a receiving and rushing touchdown and threw the pass to Goodman for his score. ... Jalen Woods threw three touchdown passes, and both Myles Graham and Ben Grice had one rushing and one receiving touchdown for host Woodward Academy, which won 56-7 over Rockdale County.
Class 5A
Dalton 31, Cass 28
Cass went up 14-0 in the first, but a kickoff returned for a touchdown by Luke Blanchard made it a one-score game at the end of the quarter. Dalton tied the game heading into the half, and a 70-yard interception returned for a touchdown by Cass gave the Colonels a 21-14 lead late in the third. Dalton’s Adriel Hernandez found the end zone to tie the game later in the quarter, and the Catamounts took their first lead of the game in the fourth when Ethan Long connected with Tyson Greenwade who hurdled into the end zone for the 15-yard score. Cass managed to tie the game up before Adrian Gongora drilled the 27-yard game-winning field goal.
Calhoun 49, Woodland-Cartersville 0
Quarterback Andrew Purdy (1 yard, 1 yard), Corbin Fuller (2 yards) and Dustin Kerns (1 yard) scored on touchdown runs to lead the Yellow Jackets. Purdy passed to Emaree Winston (7 yards) and Cam Curtis (6 yards) for touchdowns. Porter Law scored on a 1-yard fumble returned for a touchdown. Carlos Lopez was 7-of-7 on point after tries for Calhoun.
Jones County 24, Dutchtown 7
Jones County served Dutchtown its first loss of the season and improved to 3-1 in Region 2 with its road win over the No. 3 ranked Bulldogs. Javion Clark got the Greyhounds on the board with an interception touchdown return and Omarion Tucker added a rushing score to put Jones County up 14-0. Dutchtown’s Jamal Bing answered on the Bullodgs’ next possession with a 60-yard rushing touchdown and the 14-7 score held heading into the second half. Jones County extended the lead to its final tally with an 86-yard touchdown pass from Judd Anderson to Geo Wade and a field goal.
Greater Atlanta Christian 41, North Springs 7
All six of Greater Atlanta Christian’s touchdowns came on passes by Jack Stanton, resulting in a rout of visiting North Springs. Stanton threw three touchdown passes apiece to both Aidan McKinnie and Braylen Burgess. All three of McKinnie’s touchdown receptions came from at least 40 yards out, while Burgess hauled in a 42-yarder for a score. Greater Atlanta Christian rolled to a 27-0 advantage by halftime and led by the final 41-7 margin going into the fourth quarter.
Cartersville 44, Hiram 26
The No. 7-ranked Purple Hurricanes briefly trailed host Hiram in the third quarter before seizing momentum and closing the Region 7 matchup with 23 unanswered points. Quarterback Paul Gamble connected with Collin Fletcher for a 21-yard touchdown pass in addition to a pair of rushing scores (7 and 27 yards) to lead the Cartersville offense, which finished the night with 549 total yards of offense (364 rushing, 185 passing). Malachi Jeffries (2 and 18 yards) and Luke McBride (4 yards) accounted for the remaining three Cartersville touchdowns, and Ryan Johnson contributed a 30-yard field goal that made it a two-score game in the fourth. On defense, the Canes got interceptions from Romo Pace and Braylon Inman, and Ahmari Thomas and Jaden Cureton had fumble recoveries.
McIntosh 58, Drew 21
Marcus Malone Jr. led McIntosh with four touchdown runs and an 85-yard return on a blocked field goal. Tate Morris threw a touchdown pass to Theo Elwell, Jake Barber added a rushing score in the third quarter and Arthur Richez’s 23-yard field goal put the Chiefs up 58-14 with 10:30 left in the final frame.
In other 5A games -- Ola running back Joel Jones registered a 47-yard and 61-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to lead the Mustangs over Eagles Landing. …Northside (Col.) running back Malachi Hosley tallied 259 total yards and three touchdown touchdowns to help the Patriots improve to 7-1 on the year. …Ware County jumped to a 34-0 lead at halftime against Bradwell Institute to remain undefeated on the year. …Marcus Malone Jr. scored five touchdowns to lead McIntosh over Drew.
Class 4A
Westminster 20, Hapeville Charter 7
John Collier threw a 55-yard touchdown pass to Henry Chartrand on the first play from scrimmage in the second half to help Westminster pull away from visiting Hapeville Charter. The Wildcats led 7-0 at halftime following an 11-yard touchdown scamper by Wade Penn. Hapeville Charter got to within 14-7 on its lone score of the night via a quarterback sneak by Sedrick Hill early in the fourth quarter, but a pair of field goals from Westminster’s Josh Brockman put the game out of reach.
Perry 35, Baldwin 0
No. 3 ranked Perry picked up its seventh-straight win and improved to 7-1 with a convincing road win over the host Braves. Senior quarterback Armor Gordon finished with 230 passing yards off 21-of-33 passing and added 66 rushing yards on the ground. Demetrious Carter finished with 142 yards off 24 carries.
North Oconee 48, East Forsyth 0
No. 2 ranked North Oconee stormed to a 48-0 halftime lead and improved to 7-0 to remain at the top of the Region 8 standings with a 5-0 region start. The Titans have outscored the region 277-26 heading into their final three regular season contests (Walnut Grove, East Hall, Cherokee Bluff). Quarterback Max Wilson rushed for three touchdowns in the opening quarter to put North Oconee up 21-0 and the second quarter saw Khalil Barnes and Dominic Elder Jr. rush for scores to build the lead to 35-0. Barnes’ added a tipped pass reception that he took into the endzone for a touchdown and he hauled in another Wilson touchdown pass with just 11.8 left to give the Titans the 48-0 lead at the break.
In other 4A games -- In Region 1, Hardaway opened the week with a 15-14 win over Westover to improve to 1-1 in the region and No. 7 ranked Bainbridge scored a 42-6 win over Shaw to improve to 2-0 in the region with Cairo—which was off on its bye. In Region 2, No. 3 ranked Perry remains alone at the top of the standings at 7-1 and 4-0 after a 35-0 win over Baldwin and Spalding bounced back from last week’s loss to Howard with a 33-24 win over West Laurens. In Region 3, No. 5 Benedictine topped Southeast Bulloch 52-7, No. 6 Burke County bounced back from its loss to Benedictine last week with a 63-0 win over Islands and No. 9 Wayne County held off New Hampstead 31-24 in overtime. All eight teams in Region 8 were off this week and in Region 6, Stephenson maintained its grip on the standings with a 55-20 win over Miller Grove, Holy Innocents’ held off Southwest DeKalb 36-34 and Westminster topped Hapeville Charter 20-7. Region 7 was off this week and in Region 8, Cherokee Bluff suffered another tough loss in a 28-25 defeat to Walnut Grove and No. 2 ranked North Oconee improved to 5-0 in the region with a 48-0 win over East Forsyth.
Class 3A
Dawson County 31, Wesleyan 24
Davis Glass broke a 24-24 tie with a quarterback sneak inside four minutes remaining as Dawson County picked up a dramatic road win over Wesleyan. The Tigers had been leading 14-0 late in the first half only to see the Wolves go on a 24-3 run. Dawson County twice tied the game early in the fourth quarter, first at 17-17 on a field goal by Dominic LeBlanc and then at 24-24 on a 73-yard touchdown pass from Glass to LeBlanc. The Tigers’ opening score also came on a pass from Glass to LeBlanc early in the second quarter and that was soon followed by a Kade Moledor touchdown plunge from one yard out.
Sandy Creek 22, Carver-Atlanta 12
No. 4-ranked Sandy Creek moved to 1-0 in Region 5-3A by upending No. 2-ranked Carver on the road.
In other 3A games – Top-ranked Cedar Grove defeated Douglass 42-0 to open Region 5-3A play Wednesday. The Saints led 21-0 after the first quarter in the romp. … Thomasville led 21-0 after the first quarter and 42-0 at the half in a 56-6 victory over Columbus. … Peach County defeated Mary Persons 35-18 to move to 1-0 in Region 2-3A. … Salem trailed 6-0 after the first quarter but scored 14 unanswered points to lead 14-6 entering the fourth quarter before holding on for a 24-12 victory over Cross Creek. … Harlem took a 14-0 lead after the first quarter on the way to a 30-0 Region 4-3A victory over Richmond Academy. … Upson-Lee led 14-7 after the first quarter and 28-14 at the half on the way to a 42-21 victory over Jackson. … White County led 28-0 at the end of the first quarter as it moved to 1-2 in Region 7-3A after beating West Hall 56-14. …
Class 2A
Callaway 57, Towers 6
Callaway improved to 3-0 in Region 5A and 4-3 overall to set up a big matchup next week against ELCA. The Cavs jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter with a Deshun Coleman touchdown pass to Exavious Reed and rushing scores from Qua Whitfield and Coleman. A safety, Jordan King rushing score Coleman’s second touchdown run of the first half grew the lead to 37-0. King returned to the endzone on the second play of the third quarter to push the lead to 51-0 and freshman Blake Harrington capped the scoring with a rushing touchdown midway through the final frame.
Thomson 15, Laney 14
Thomson and Laney resumed their prior Sept. 16 meeting with 6:28 left in the third quarter nearly a month later after the game was abruptly stopped due to gunfire that occurred adjacent to the stadium. Neither team was able to score and as a result, Laney falls to 6-1 and remains one-victory short from the program’s 400th all-time victory. Thomson improves to 6-1 with the win and is 4-0 in the Region 4-2A standings.
Class A Division I
Dublin 21, Dooly County 6
No. 10 ranked Dublin scored 21 unanswered points to defeat Class A Division II No. 7 ranked Dooly County and snap the Bobcats’ 4-game win-streak. Kameron Hampton gave the Fighting Irish a 7-6 lead midway through the second quarter on a 5-yard rushing score and returned to the endzone early in the fourth quarter on a 35-yard run before Micah O’Neal’s 1-yard touchdown run capped the scoring.
Class A Division II
McIntosh County Academy 21, Montgomery County 0
McIntosh County Academy (7-1) followed last week’s 27-21 quadruple overtime victory over Jenkins County with a road shutout to pick up its sixth-straight win and improve to 2-0 in Region 3. Jareese Campbell got the Buccaneers on the board midway through the second quarter with a 1-yard rushing score and Jaylyn Ellison made it a 14-0 game at the half with his 60-yard fumble recovery touchdown. Campbell returned to the endzone on a 2-yard carry late in the third quarter for the final margin.
In other Class A games -- Social Circle led 14-0 after the first quarter on the way to a 28-14 victory over Mount Paran. Logan Cross passed to DaShon Hyman, Mason Moore and Jameccus Hardge for touchdowns. Hyman scored on a 70-yard run for Social Circle. ... Screven County did all its scoring before the half in a 19-0 victory against Bryan County. ... Division I No. 4 Brooks County defeated Division II No. 1 Early County 34-7 in an inter-division game. ...
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