Landmark Christian 21, Wesleyan 17
How the game was won: Wesleyan opened up a 17-7 lead in the third quarter, but Landmark got a long rushing score in the third and the only touchdown of the fourth to hold on for the road win and move to 8-0.
Top performers: Dalton Colburn had a rushing TD from near midfield to pull Landmark to within three points in the third quarter, and quarterback Joey Blount had a QB sneak to pull ahead. Blount also threw a long touchdown pass to Nicolas Toomer, who helped seal the victory on defense when he intercepted a Wesleyan pass near the goal line with two minutes to play to stop the potential game-winning drive. Lofton Tidwell, who broke 100 yards rushing, helped Landmark run out the clock after the interception.
Grayson 34, Newton 0
How the game was won: Grayson led 13-0 at halftime but put the game away in the second half. Grayson held Newton to minus-29 rushing yards on 23 attempts and 59 yards total.
Top performers: Kurt Taylor paced Grayson with 117 yards on 18 rushes with one touchdown and had two receptions for 42 yards and a score. Chase Brice was 8-of-16 passing for 108 and two TDs, with the other going to Elijah Shah. Jamyest Williams also had a rushing score. Will Van Pamelen was 2-of-3 on field goals. Camron Thompson rushed seven times for 74 yards.
Mill Creek 35, Mountain View 23
How the game was won: Battling injuries to key playmakers, Mill Creek leaned on its defense for two long pick-sixes to help hold off a hard charging Mountain View team which turned a 28-3 second quarter deficit into a 28-23 game in the third and fourth quarter. Anthony Presto’s 41-yard run with 1:30 left in regulation gave the Hawks the cushion they needed to secure their third straight region title.
Top Performers: Mill Creek racked up 212 yards rushing keyed by Joe Thomas’ 55 yards and a touchdown and Anthony Preston’s 128 yards off 18 carries including his game-clinching 41-yarder. The Hawks led 28-3 in the second quarter after Cameron Turley hit Jack Plummer on a 10-yard touchdown pass and both Victor Hayward and Jonathan Gipson returned interceptions for touchdowns, Hayward racing 44 yards and Gipson dashing 64. Matt Edwards rallied the Bears however, connecting with Dhante Hill on a 27-yard pass and tossing a 50-yard Hail Mary as time expired in the second quarter to Malachi Carter to draw within 28-17 with all the momentum and the second half kick coming their way. Mountain View found pay dirt on another Edwards touchdown pass, this time from 29 yards, but the two-point conversion went awry.
Greater Atlanta Christian 42, North Hall 14
How the game was won: Greater Atlanta Christian quarterback Davis Mills tossed three of his six touchdown passes to wide receiver Harrison Sloan. The visiting Spartans led 21-0 before North Hall got on the board with a 5-yard touchdown run by Jack Brown with 1:10 left in the half. Mills found Jake Floyd with 12 seconds left in the half for a 19-yard touchdown to push the lead back to three touchdowns (28-7) at intermission. The Spartans led by as much as 42-7 before Caleb Shoemaker tallied the final score with a 46-yard North Hall touchdown run in the final two minutes.
Top performers: Stanford-commit Davis Mills threw three touchdown passes to Harrison Sloan and connected with Max Burke (22 yards), Jake Floyd (19 yards) and Trent Fowler (16 yards) to fuel his six-touchdown performance.
Lanier 45, Apalachee 9
Archer 35, Rockdale County 0
Buford 38, Walnut Grove 6
Central Gwinnett 56, Meadowcreek 0
Lithia Springs 14, Decatur 7
Dacula 9, Habersham Central 0
Hebron Christian 34, Lakeview Academy 14