The Hebron Christian Lions kicked off the 2024 season with an emphatic 48-0 victory over Therrell, getting a trio of first-half touchdown runs from Devon Caldwell, a kicking clinic from Cam Eblen and a Stroud Morris interception returned for a touchdown at Burlingame Field on Day 3 of the Corky Kell-Dave Hunter Classic at Hebron.
“Our strategy going into the game was, let’s wear them down,” shared third-year Hebron head coach Jonathan Gess. “Let’s not play kids both ways. Just kind of run the ball. Pound the ball. And we’ll see how it opens.”
The payoff came in the form of a pair of third-quarter touchdown passes from senior quarterback Thomas Stallworth to Jarvis Mathurin and KJ Thomas that put the game away before Morris provided the final points with his interception return later in the frame. Eblen connected on two field goals and kept field position in Hebron Christian’s favor all night, earning high praise from Gess afterward.
“One shoutout goes to our kicker. He had four touchbacks, and he had 13 points. Four touchbacks are pretty much unheard of in high school football,” he said.
Gess cited “busted coverages” and “some silly stuff” from last week’s scrimmage as inspiration to play a much cleaner game this week, especially on defense
“We’re gonna play Cover 3, and we’re not gonna mess up,” he said of their mindset heading into the opener. “We’re gonna execute and play fast and get after it. And that’s what they did, and that’s who we are.”
“Defense is about running to the ball and executing,” he continued, “But offense, you grow as the season goes on. Who you are and your identity. So that’s what we’re working on this week.”
He’ll have a chance to evaluate that growth when the Lions travel to Fellowship Christian next weekend.
Around the northern part of the state, storms impacted games in various ways including cancellations and postponements. Northwest Georgia was first impacted around the time of kickoff before the inclement weather made its way on a southeasterly direction, cancelling/postponing numerous games including the Cass/Callaway Corky Kell + Dave Hunter game to be held at Rome’s Barron Stadium.
That game, like most postponed Friday, will play Saturday.
-- In other weather-related postponements -- Whitfield and Murray County had five games moved to Saturday. Coahulla Creek’s home opener against Northwest Whitfield was moved to 11 a.m. on Saturday, Gordon Central at Southeast Whitfield and Towns County at Murray County were both pushed to Saturday at noon. Dalton and North Murray will play at Harmon Field at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Christian Heritage and Heritage-Catoosa pushed their kickoff to 7 p.m. on Saturday.
The AJC had writers at Milton vs. Buford, Norcross vs. Lanier and Gainesville vs. Marietta. See Todd Holcomb’s Friday Night Wrap or catch the recaps of the games which were completed Thursday and Friday below.
Class 6A
Carrollton 24, Woodward Academy 14
Woodward Academy took a 7-0 lead on a 22-yard pass from Landon Walker to Blake Stewart early in the game. Julian Lewis passed to Peyton Zachary on a 19-yard touchdown to tie the game with one minute left in the first quarter. Lewis passed to Zachary again with seconds remaining in the first quarter to give the Trojans a 14-7 lead. Lewis passed 33 yards to Ryan Mosley to put Carrollton up 21-7 with nine minutes left in the first half. Walker passed to Josiah Abdullah with one minute left in the first half to cut into the lead 21-14. Carrollton capped scoring on a nine-yard field goal from Landon Varegas-Jasso with three minutes left in the game.
Mill Creek 56, Lambert 26
Class 6A No. 7 Mill Creek, of Region 8-6A, defeated Lambert, of Region 6-6A, on the road, turning a 20-12 in the first quarter into a 42-12 advantage with four minutes remaining in the third. Hawks quarterback Shane Throgmartin threw three touchdown passes, all in the first half, to Divine Morgan, Miles Gindlesperger and Luke Metz. Mill Creek’s Daniel Smith rushed for two touchdowns in the second half, and Gabe Hatchell-Van Drie and Jacob Blevins also rushed for second-half scores for the Hawks. Connor Faber had a fumble recovery for Mill Creek to put the Hawks ahead 7-0 in the first quarter.
Camden County 51, Brunswick 41
Trailing Brunswick 14-3 in the first half, Camden County put together a 27-0 run to claim control in first-year coach Travis Roland’s first game with the Wildcats. Georgia commit Elyiss Williams had a trio of touchdowns in the 51-41 victory. Camden County will now face four straight opponents out of Florida before a showdown with Valdosta in late September.
Valdosta 65, Tucker 19
Fourth-year head coach Shelton Felton’s squad led visiting Tucker 28-13 at halftime before riding a 37-point second half showing to a 65-19 Valdosta victory. The Wildcats will remain at home in Week 2, hosting Class 4A Mundy’s Mill, while the Tigers will try for a better outcome against Chamblee.
North Paulding 17, Parkview 6
North Paulding led host Parkview by a double-digit margin with 10 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter when the game was called due to inclement weather. Parkview got field goals from Richard Barker in both the first and second quarters to take a 6-0 advantage, but the Panthers could not muster up any additional offense the rest of the way.
North Cobb 49, Archer 21
Visiting North Cobb, of Region 5-5A, defeated Archer, of Region 4-5A, 49-21 in a game that was called midway through the fourth quarter due to weather. Senior quarterback Nick Grimstead rushed for three touchdowns and junior running back Arquevious Echols rushed for two scores for North Cobb. The Warriors led 28-21 at halftime but had extended their lead to 49-21 at the end of the third quarter.
South Forsyth 14, South Cobb 0 (PPD in 2nd Quarter)
South Forsyth quarterback Will Watkins connected with Harrison Spencer for a 59-yard touchdown to put the War Eagles up 7-0 and Kingston Herrod ran in a 9-yard score to push the lead to 14-0. The game was paused with 1:15 left in the first half and will be resumed at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday at East Forsyth High School.
Central Gwinnett 29, Meadowcreek 0
Central Gwinnett won big on Friday night at home against visiting Meadowcreek and former Black Knights Coach Todd Wofford, shutting out the Mustangs by a margin of 29-0. The Black Knights will play at home in Week 2 as well, hosting Class 3A Stone Mountain.
Class 5A
McIntosh 56, Fayette County 0
Visiting McIntosh won its fourth-straight matchup against rival Fayette County and went into the half with a 48-0 lead. Brandan Ridley rushed for two touchdowns in the first quarter and Eli Strader ran in a quarterback sneak that gave the Chiefs a 21-0 lead. Chase Cromartie connected with Yuri Ajie, Ridley and tight end Hollis Davidson for touchdowns and also rushed for a 12-yard score to cap a four-touchdown second quarter to extend the lead to 48-0. Freshman Julian Love capped the scoring with a fourth quarter rushing touchdown and McIntosh converted the two-point try.
Morrow 27, Forest Park 24 (Thursday)
Cobey Thompkins will sleep well tonight after kicking a game-winning 23-yard field goal to lift Morrow past Forest Park. The Mustangs outlasted a 21-point second-half from Forest Park to secure the victory. Morrow led 7-0 after the first quarter and 18-3 at the half before weathering a 14-6 Forest Park advantage in the third quarter. Entering the fourth quarter leading 24-17, Forest Park tied the game at 24 with an interception returned for a touchdown from Charles Jones with four minutes left in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Cobey Thompkins connected on a long pass to Chad Rafe to begin Morrow’s march to victory. Quadarius Person’s long run with two minutes remaining moved the ball to the 32-yard line and another run from Person set up the game-winning kick.
Arabia Mountain 61, Alcovy 33 (Thursday)
Arabia scored 41 unanswered points after trailing 6-0 with five minutes left in the first quarter and began the stretch with a kickoff return after Alcovy’s first touchdown.
Creekview 17, Calhoun 10
Creekview led 10-0 in the second quarter before Calhoun’s Hunter White scored on a 24-yard to cut the lead to three. The host Grizzlies answered that score when Austin Guest tallied a four-yard touchdown run before the half. Calhoun cut Creekview’s lead the seven when Carlos Lopez kicked a 24-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter. But the visiting Yellow Jackets could not get any closer as Creekview ran out the clock with the rushing attack of Guest and Mason Munn.
Roswell 21, Peachtree Ridge 6
Roswell scraped past host Peachtree Ridge in a game that saw all of its points scored in the first half. The Hornets surged to a 14-0 lead thanks to a rushing touchdown by Synkwan Smith and a 10-yard scoring strike from Trey Smith to Hiram Zamora. Peachtree Ridge closed the game when Darnell Kelly connected with Tyrese Parkes from 33 yards out, but Roswell answered with a three-yard TD run by Trey Smith.
Coffee 59, Bainbridge 6
Coffee jumped to a 14-0 lead over Bainbridge in the second quarter before having a halftime lead of 35-0. Bainbridge didn’t score until the fourth quarter when Curtis Hollingsworth threw a 60-yard touchdown pass. Coffee, the defending 5A state champions, have won three of the last four matchups against Bainbridge.
Lassiter 35, Midtown 30
The Trojans hung on to defeat visiting Midtown 35-30 after letting the Grey Knights make a game of it late. Lassiter had an 11-point advantage and the ball in the red zone late in the fourth frame before fumbling, and a touchdown and successful two-point conversion brought Midtown within five. The Trojans recovered the ensuing onside kick, but the Grey Knight defense forced a three-and-out with 15 seconds to go for one last shot at a comeback that ultimately came up short.
Class 4A
North Oconee 21, Oconee County 10
Region 8-4A No. 6 North Oconee defeated Region 8-3A Oconee County on the road in the Hog Mountain Bowl, getting a short Justin Curtis rushing score in the fourth quarter to go up 21-3. Oconee County rushed for a touchdown with seconds remaining for the final points. Landon Roldan and Maddox Brice rushed for touchdowns for the Titans in the second quarter to give North Oconee a 14-3 lead at halftime.
New Hampstead 56, South Effingham 35 (Thursday)
New Hampstead enjoyed a 21-0 lead after the first quarter and a 30-0 lead at half as it moved past South Effingham. The Mustangs got back into the game and trailed 42-20 entering the fourth quarter. South Effingham cut into the lead with a 15-14 effort in the fourth quarter but ran out of time.
Marist 23, Jefferson 7
Marist took a 3-0 lead on a 38-yard field goal from Drew Linnihan in the second quarter to lead 3-0 at the half. Jefferson took the lead on a 24-yard pass from Colton Grant to RJ Hinton but could not manage the Marist defense. Marist retook the 10-7 lead on a 19-yard run from quarterback Jack Euart with five minutes left in the third quarter before a rain delay. Marist expanded the lead on a short run from Chris Heartell in the fourth quarter and then after a Jefferson fumble, Marist capped scoring on a 2-yard run from Trace Gaines.
Cartersville 40, Columbia 0 (Thursday)
Region 7-AAAA Cartersville, preseason No. 4 in its class, shut out Region 6-AA Columbia at home, as quarterback Nate Russell threw touchdown passes to Jamauri Brice and A’darrian Taylor-Wilson. Russell also rushed for a touchdown for the Purple Hurricanes, as did his teammates Baylon Long, Tyon Coe and Tripp Chatmon. Cartersville led 19-0 after the first quarter and 33-0 at halftime.
Burke County 44, Richmond Academy 9
Burke County scored the first 30 points of the game and rolled to a victory over visiting Richmond Academy. A’merre Williams scored four touchdowns in the opening half to lead the Bears, who also got a scoring strike from Sean Vandiver to Kel’von Scott. Richmond Academy’s lone highlight came in the form of an 85-yard touchdown pass from Chase Caldwell to Lothan McBride in the second quarter.
New Hampstead 56, South Effingham 35
New Hampstead quarterback Ra’Shawn Truell went 10-of-12 passing for 166 yards and two touchdowns to help the Phoenix build a 30-0 halftime lead and rested in the second half. Kamari Maxwell hauled in seven receptions for 117 yards and a touchdown and also ran for a 37-yard score on his only carry of the night. Head coach Kyle Hockman’s nephew Ben Hockman also hauled in a 14-yard touchdown from Truell and junior Khamari Smart found the endzone twice on big runs of 48 and 60 yards.
Cambridge 34, Pope 10
The Cambridge Bears coasted to a comfortable 34-10 advantage over host Pope in the opening half before lightning paused the game at the break. Following a lengthy delay, the game was called, sealing first-year head coach Tyler Jones’ first victory at the helm of the Cambridge football program. The Bears will host Johns Creek next week for their home opener.
Pace Academy 10, Chamblee 9
In the first-ever meeting between the schools, Pace Academy’s Roan Dutta booted a 26-yard game-winning field goal with under a minute left to give the Knights their 10-9 victory. Pace Academy’s touchdown came with just 23 seconds left in the first half on a clutch 22-yard touchdown pass from Brayden Doss to Cooper Williams.
Blessed Trinity 24, St. Pius X 0
Blessed Trinity dominated in all three phases of the game to overwhelming visiting St. Pius X. It was 3-0 at halftime thanks to a 21-yard field goal by Will Mayer before the Titans opened things up later in the game. Ahmontae Pitts delivered a pair of touchdown runs, including one from 72 yards out that punctuated the night’s scoring. Blessed Trinity also got a 29-yard blocked punt return for a score by D.J. Jacobs.
Class 3A
Adairsville 28, Allatoona 27 (Thursday)
In a non-region game between host Adairsville of Region 7-AAA and Allatoona of Region 7-AAAA, Adairsville running back Tamarius Wilkey threw a 24-yard touchdown to Xavious Nalls on a trick play to give the Tigers a 28-21 fourth-quarter lead. Allatoona answered with a short rushing touchdown with less than a minute to play, but the Buccaneers missed the extra point to give Adairsville the one-point win.
Cherokee Bluff 31, Lumpkin County 20
Nolan Matthews returned a kickoff for a touchdown for the second time of the night for visiting Lumpkin County before Landon Kemp returned the favor, taking one back for the host Bears to seal the 31-20 Cherokee Bluff victory. The Bears got a first-quarter touchdown run from Connor Griffin and a quarterback sneak from Brooks Brien in the final moments of the first half to lead 17-14 at the break, and Jackson Pirkle scored from 43 yards out in the third. Additionally, Garrett Hyder contributed a 31-yard field goal that gave the Bears their first lead of the night in the second.
Peach County 40, Northeast 21
Peach County opened a 40-7 halftime lead before Northeast used a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns to shrink the margin and closed out the first day of the First Annual Gridiron Classic at Fort Valley State.
Sandy Creek 20, East Coweta 7
Sandy Creek trailed 7-6 after the first quarter but held East Coweta scoreless in the final three quarters of play while scoring two touchdowns in the third quarter to secure the victory.
North Clayton 36, McDonough 35 (OT)
North Clayton hosted McDonough on Thursday night at Tara Stadium, coming away with a hard-fought 36-35 overtime victory over the Class 4A Warhawks in the season opener. The Eagles and longtime head coach Cap Burnett will face off against Drew in Week 2.
Calvary Day 27, Beach 0
Host Calvary Day built a 27-0 halftime lead, and the game was called during a halftime fight that broke out in the stands.
Class 2A
Morgan County 48, Warren County 16
Morgan County quarterback Davis Strickland opened the scoring with a 57-yard touchdown pass to Jaylen Elder and the Bulldogs answered a Warren County touchdown with an Alex Corrias goal-line touchdown run to build a 20-8 lead in the first quarter. Strickland and Elder connected for their second touchdowns of the first half and the Bulldogs grew their lead to 48-16 in the third to force a running clock.
Ringgold 23, Dade County 13 (Thursday)
Ringgold led 10-0 after the first quarter and 13-6 at the half. Dade County cut into the lead and trailed 16-13 entering the fourth quarter. A touchdown in the fourth quarter lifted Ringgold to victory.
North Cobb Christian 14, Providence Christian 0
North Cobb Christian led visiting Providence Christian by two touchdowns when the game was cancelled due to inclement weather. The Eagles got a scoring strike from Teddy Jarrard to Brodie Archer and a touchdown run by Denim Stevens, both in the first quarter. As for the Storm, they were stuck with negative-5 yards from scrimmage when storms halted play.
Class A Division I
Thomasville 35, Brooks County 12
Thomasville’s Cam Hill iced the game with a 52-yard touchdown run with 2:44 left and the Bulldogs celebrated their first road win in the “War on 84″ since the 2017 season. Ant Anderson’s 66-yard touchdown run gave the Bulldogs a 28-12 lead midway through the final frame immediately after Brooks County cut the deficit to 21-12.
Athens Academy 45, Aquinas 22
Aquinas jumped to a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter when Jim Franklin threw a touchdown pass to Jack Rhodes. But Athens Academy answered with a 67-yard touchdown play to tie the game, and the Spartans never looked back. Athens Academy led 25-14 at halftime and scored two more touchdowns in the third quarter to take a 38-14 lead.
Class A Division II
Fellowship Christian 36, Bowdon 35
The Bowdon Red Devils took the lead on a pair of fourth quarter touchdown runs and a successful two-point conversion, all from Joshawia Davis, before Fellowship Christian seized it back as time expired for a 36-35 victory. The back-and-forth affair was knotted 21-21 at the break after Charles Maxell III threw a touchdown pass for Bowdon to end a 21-0 Fellowship scoring run. Facing a 35-28 deficit with under two minutes to go, junior quarterback Jonathan Granby led the Paladins down the field before throwing a 20-yard touchdown to set up the game-winning two-point run.
Clinch County 36, Bacon County 21
Clinch County rehired five-time state champion head coach Jim Dickerson this offseason and celebrated his return to the helm with a 36-21 win. The Panthers led 21-14 at the half and racked up 370 yards of offense to Bacon County’s 141 total yards.
McIntosh County Academy 22, Islands 0
Sixth-year head coach Bradley Warren and the Buccaneers started their 2024 campaign with a comfortable 22-0 win over Class 3A Islands on Friday night. McIntosh County Academy will host Charlton County next week for its home opener.
