Cedar Grove forces three safeties against Redan; Friday night recap
It doesn't happen often in high school games, but Cedar Grove made it happen Friday night.
The second-ranked Saints forced three safeties while defeating Redan 52-0 -- one on a running play from the Redan 4-yard line; one on a bad punt snap from the Redan 19-yard line, and one was a sack in the end zone from the Redan 5-yard line.
It's not certain whether a record was set, but it's certainly an unusual statistic.
Cedar Grove Austin Smith passed for three touchdowns – to Rashad Jordan and Montre Monfort, both for five-yards, and to Janiran Bonner (47-yards). Robert Jones III set the tone for the Saints with a 91-yard rushing touchdown in the first quarter following Dante Walker's safety. Kendall Boney, who rushed for a 22-yard touchdown, also found Bonner on a touchdown pass (28-yards). Darron Sims and Jordan forced the other two safties.
In other games on Friday:
-- Third-ranked Monroe Area took a 28-0 lead at the end of the first quarter and defeated East Jackson 62-0 in a Region 8 game. Monroe Area pushed the lead to 42-0 at the half.
-- Sixth-ranked Greater Atlanta Christian moved past North Hall 21-0. The Spartans took a 7-0 lead following Josh Rose's 15-yard pass to Jake Floyd in the first quarter. Rose found Ty James on a 25-yard pass to give GAC a 14-0 lead just before the half. Montae Bailey's two-yard rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter provided a 21-0 cushion.
-- The Peach County-Pike County game was called after a scary moment midway through the third quarter, when a Pike player was injured and taken away in an ambulance. According to a post on the Peach County High School Facebook page, Pike County player Dylan Thomas had surgery last night to relieve pressure on his brain and is recovering.
When the seriousness of the injury was realized, both teams came together on the Pike sideline and knelt in prayer. The game was called with 2:47 left in the quarter with Peach County leading 42-6.
-- Ninth-ranked Pace Academy handed Stone Mountain a 61-18 beatdown in a Region 5 matchup. The Knights were led by a four-touchdown performance from quarterback Jared Rayman who passed for two touchdowns and rushed for two more. Pace took a 27-0 lead after the first quarter.
Here's a snapshot of how the other top 10 teams fared:
1. (1 last week) Calhoun (5-0, 3-0): Off this week; will travel to Adairsville on Friday.
2. (2) Cedar Grove (5-1, 2-0): Defeated Redan (0-6) 52-0 in a Region 5 game.
3. (4) Monroe Area (6-0, 2-0): Beat East Jackson (1-5) 62-0 in a Region 8 game.
4. (3) Peach County (4-2, 2-0): Moved past Pike County (4-1) 42-6 in a Region 4 game.
5. (5) Westminster (3-2, 1-0): Off this week; will face No. 9 Pace Academy (3-2) on Friday.
6. (6) Greater Atlanta Christian (4-2, 2-0): Defeated North Hall (5-1) 21-0 in a Region 7 game.
7. (7) Benedictine (3-1, 2-0): Facing Johnson-Savannah (1-2) on Saturday following a delay on Thursday.
8. (8) Jefferson (5-1, 2-0): Defeated Franklin County (1-4) 17-10 in its Region 8 opener.
9. (9) Pace Academy (4-2, 2-0): Beat Stone Mountain (0-5) 61-18 in a Region 5 game.
10. (10) Dawson County (6-0, 2-0): Moved past East Hall (1-5) 64-0 in a Region 7 game.
