The stakes get higher as the season gets deeper into region play, and there were some barnburners and upsets from Friday night. Check out our 40-plus recaps below the links to the AJC’s game writeups.
AJC FEATURED GAMES
Brookwood 30, Parkview 17; Mountain View 20, Mill Creek 17; Westlake 27, Newnan 0; Walton 42, Lassiter 19; Marist 25, Blessed Trinity 24; St. Pius 43, Jefferson 29; Mary Persons 28, West Laurens 9; Lovett 21, Westminster 14
CLASS AAAAAAA
Campbell 35, Wheeler 23
The home team Spartans got the first of two Coby Deprill touchdowns in the first half and held a 21-16 halftime lead. Wheeler held a brief third-quarter lead at 23-21, but Campbell scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns, the first of which a Tavion Jackson run from 30 yards out. Late in the game, senior running back Kaleb Bailey converted a third-and-1 to seal the victory, and the second of Campbell’s fourth-quarter scores was a 27-yard run with just over a minute left in the game.
Duluth 28, Discovery 14
The Duluth Wildcats took an early lead on the road against the Discovery Titans and held on for a 28-14 victory. Quarterback Jalil El-Amin threw touchdown passes to both William Huzzie and Travion Hampton in the first quarter. Kevon Rouse’s touchdown run in the second quarter put the Wildcats ahead 21-0, and El-Amin rushed for another score before the half. Discovery managed to score in the third and fourth quarters while holding Duluth scoreless in the second half, but Duluth held on for the win.
Etowah 28, Roswell 21
Roswell climbed back from a 14-0 lead that Etowah built in the first quarter to tie it 14-14 at the half, but Etowah quarterback Patrick Ferris capped off a two-touchdown performance and Jake Weitkamp (1 yard) and Nick Maddox III (3 yards) each ran in scores to keep the Eagles in front.
Grayson 41, Newton 16
Grayson quarterback D.J. Irons rushed 16 times for 184 yards and two touchdowns and was 10-of-17 passing for 162 yards, three touchdowns and an interception in his team’s road game at Sharp Stadium in Covington. Jaquavius Lane had five receptions for 118 yards and two touchdowns, and Javian Boykin had a receiving touchdown as well. Will Van Pamelen was 2-of-2 on field-goal attempts, hitting from 46 and 25 yards.
Hillgrove 52, Kennesaw Mountain 27
Hunter Arters threw two touchdown passes in the first half and Jalen Jackson and Tre Walker rushed for Hillgrove touchdowns to put the visiting Hawks up 28-13 at the half. Hillgrove grew the lead quickly to 42-13 in the second half with a pair of Trevor Smith rushing touchdowns and Luis Garcia-Cano added a field goal with 9:50 left in the fourth quarter before Kennesaw Mountain answered the 29-0 scoring burst. Caleb Pierce ran in Hillgrove’s final touchdown from 1 yard out.
Lowndes 52, Camden County 10
Lowndes quarterback Michael Barrett accounted for five Vikings touchdowns on the road. The first was a 71-yard touchdown pass to Travis Tisdale. Barrett then followed it up with two more first-quarter touchdown passes of 24 and 43 yards, respectively, to Tayvonn Kyle. Early in the second quarter, Tisdale scored once more, this time on a 37-yard touchdown run. Barrett ran for a 35-yard touchdown late in the second quarter and then a 20-yard touchdown early in the third. J.D. Lee scored the final touchdown for Lowndes on an 8-yard run.
Meadowcreek 41, Central Gwinnett 34
The Meadowcreek Mustangs trailed at the half but completed a 41-34 comeback victory on the road for their first victory over the Central Gwinnett Black Knights (who were 17-0 in previous meetings) and a spot in the playoffs. Jarren Williams had three touchdown passes in the first half to give Central Gwinnett a 21-14 lead, but Meadowcreek’s impressive performance on offense in the second half left the score tied at 34-34 midway through the fourth quarter. Chauncey Williams ran in a 2-yard touchdown for his fourth of the night and a 41-34 final. Qu’Vella Calhoun and Quincy Bonner were responsible for the Mustangs’ two other touchdowns.
Milton 17, Forsyth Central 0
Hayden Hairston kicked a 32-yard field goal with 10:36 remaining in the fourth quarter, giving Milton a 3-0 lead. With 5:53 left in the game, Milton’s quarterback Jordan Yates ran for a 91-yard touchdown. Milton’s running back Solomon Vanhorse scored on a 5-yard touchdown run with 3:40 to go. Yates was 8-of-15 passing for 67 yards and one interception. Vanhorse had 159 yards on 23 carries.
Norcross 45, Berkmar 0
Visiting Norcross took a 21-0 lead in the first quarter with Louis Williams touchdown passes to Isaiah McKoy and Ricky Holloman Jr. and a 20-yard run by Clay Harris. Williams found Grant Johnson on the first Blue Devils drive of the second quarter for a 28-0 lead at the half. Jaquez McWilliams followed Cole Hanna’s 30-yard field goal with a 20-yard interception return early in the third, and Kameryn Jackson ran it in on the Blue Devils’ next possession. Norcross is now 4-4 on the season.
North Cobb 7, Marietta 0
In the second quarter, Marietta blocked North Cobb’s field-goal attempt. Marietta scored two touchdowns, but both calls were reversed due to holding penalties against the Blue Devils. With 9:21 left in the fourth quarter, the Warriors scored the game-winning touchdown when Marcus Davis threw to freshman Trevor Lovett on a 35-yard touchdown pass, giving Lovett his first career touchdown.
South Forsyth 47, North Forysth 10
South Forsyth returned three of its four interceptions for touchdowns, including a 27-yard return by Landon Sims that put the War Eagles up 6-0 in the first quarter. Jake Wilson intercepted North Forsyth later in the quarter to set up a Jared Honey touchdown run, and then Cal Morris rushed for a touchdown to increase the lead to 20-0. Wilson returned his second interception 88 yards for a touchdown, and then Honey ran in his second touchdown from 36 yards out to make it a 33-10 game at the end of the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, Drew Morris threw a touchdown pass to Honey and then returned an interception 32 yards for the game’s final score.
West Forysth 28, Lambert 24
The opening kickoff return was fumbled by West Forsyth and recovered by the visiting Longhorns, which set up the first of two rushing scores in the first half for running back Marcus Chatelain. Before the half, the Wolverines got their first points with a touchdown pass from senior quarterback Zach Burns to Bryce Jones. Chatelain continued his strong performance with a 44-yard rushing touchdown to begin the second half. However, West Forsyth responded with a 69-yard screen pass to Cade Vela to keep the Wolverines in striking distance. Lambert held a 24-14 lead entering the fourth quarter, but a second Jones touchdown catch and rushing score out of the Wildcat formation by Ben Bresnahan was enough to give West Forsyth the win.
CLASS AAAAAA
Alexander 40, Creekside 20
Alexander senior quarterback Mason Wood threw for 207 yards and four touchdowns on 11-of-19 passing while also running for one score on the road against Creekside. The first touchdown was a 6-yard pass to Michiah Randolph in the first quarter. Wood then ran for a 46-yard touchdown on the Cougars’ next possession. Later in the second, Wood threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Joel Phillips and then another one to Randolph, this time for a 47-yard score. Bryson Irby ran 25 yards for a Cougars touchdown in the third. Alexander’s only scoring play in the fourth came on a 45-yard touchdown pass from Wood to Ryan Shepherd.
Allatoona 10, Sequoyah 7
The Allatoona Buccaneers ground out a 10-7 victory at home in a defensive battle against the visiting Sequoyah Chiefs. Trailing 7-0 at the half, the Buccaneers defense opened the third quarter with an impressive stand to force a punt and stuffed Sequoyah’s fourth-down attempt on the following possession. Daniel Parsons tied it at 7-7 for Allatoona with a 16-yard touchdown run, and the defense held strong in the fourth quarter. Rett Russell broke up a Sequoyah pass and the Buccaneers moved down the field quickly on their next possession on a long pass from Dante Marshall to Jonathan Walk to Sequoyah’s 18-yard line. Skyler Davis kicked a field goal for a 10-7 Allatoona lead, and the defense held with two sacks on Sequoyah’s final drive.
Alpharetta 14, Cambridge 6
After a scoreless first quarter, Cambridge placekicker Victor Valentine scored the Bears’ only points with field goals of 42 and 23 yards. The host Raiders would respond with a 6-yard touchdown run by Nolan Edmonds that was preceded by a 40-yard pass from senior quarterback Matthew Downing to Edmonds. The Raiders led 7-6 at half, and Downing would connect on another deep ball but this time to receiver Marcus Hill. This completion led to another rushing score by Edmonds to give Alpharetta a 14-6 lead. A comeback attempt by Cambridge was ended by the Raiders’ secondary as it broke up a pass late to seal the win.
Centennial 45, Dunwoody 7
Centennial picked up a comfortable road win behind two passing touchdowns from Max Brosmer, one to Jacob Albright and one to Blane Mason, as well as rushing touchdowns from Emeka Nwanze and Brosmer. Michael Garrison added to the first-half lead with an interception return for a touchdown. The Knights closed out the first half with a field goal from Nicky Solomon. Jayden Young finished off the scoring for the Knights with a rushing touchdown in the third.
Coffee 14, Northside-Warner Robins 12
A failed 2-point conversion after a fourth-quarter touchdown was the difference as Coffee weathered Northside’s final rally. Coffee did all of its scoring in the first quarter and then held on. Quarterback Wade Sumner connected with Dalrone Donaldson on a 6-yard pass for a score and added a rushing touchdown. The Eagles used a pair of field goals in the first half to pull within eight points at the half (14-6).
Dacula 35, Habersham Central 28
The visiting Dacula Falcons scored on their second possession of the game to get an early 7-0 lead. Tre McMillan had a 44-yard touchdown run to extend the lead to 14-0, closing out the first quarter. Habersham Central capitalized on a Dacula fumble to score a touchdown shortly after. Another McMillan touchdown run put the Falcons up 21-7 before the half. Dacula quarterback Shayne Buckingham scored on a keeper in the third quarter. A Habersham touchdown cut Dacula’s lead to 28-21, but a Dacula touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter put the Falcons up 14 points.
Lovejoy 41, M.L. King 21
Lovejoy picked up a 20-point victory at Hallford Stadium in DeKalb County behind a big night from running back Zion Custis. Custis finished with 200 rushing yards and five touchdowns for the Wildcats.
Northgate 21, Tri-Cities 20
A Northgate safety that followed a Nick Carter touchdown run gave the host Vikings a 9-7 lead at the half. Tri-Cities gained a 14-9 lead in the third quarter, but Nick Carter answered and a failed 2-point conversion kept Northgate’s lead at 15-14. Northgate quarterback Kyle McLaren increased the lead to 21-14 with a goal-line rushing touchdown, but Tri-Cities answered. With the score 21-20 in Northgate’s favor, Tri-Cities went for a 2-point conversion and the win. The Bulldogs threw a jump ball to their 6-foot-5 receiver Tarez Huddleston, but Northgate’s David Flowers was there to deflect the pass and seal the victory.
Sprayberry 17, River Ridge 14
Visiting Sprayberry opened the game with a kick return touchdown by junior Justin Jones and tacked on a field goal later in the first quarter to take a 10-0 halftime lead. In the third quarter, a rushing touchdown from Darnell Mundon would put the Yellow Jackets up 17-0. However, host River Ridge would respond with 8:49 left in the fourth quarter with the first of a pair of touchdowns to put the game within a field goal’s reach. With 1:23 left in the game, Yellow Jackets safety Zack Heib had an interception to seal his team’s victory. Junior Lu Cosmo had 17 tackles.
CLASS AAAAA
Buford 49, Walnut Grove 0
Anthony Grant rushed 14 times for 157 and three touchdowns, of 45, 18 and 3 yards. Derrian Brown had 13 rushes for 121 yards and a 4-yard touchdown. A.J. Hendricks had a 22-yard interception return for a score, and defensive end Jalen Anderson recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown. Backup quarterback Will Westmoreland threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to Jamal Singleton. Buford led just 14-0 at halftime but held Walnut Grove to 107 total yards, 98 rushing and 9 passing.
East Paulding 30, Hiram 27
In the final seconds of the game, East Paulding stopped a toss sweep at the corner of the pylon on the 1-yard line. East Paulding running back Tyrell Robinson scored three rushing touchdowns in the game. Despite the loss, Hiram wide receiver Antrone Crumpton had a big night with four catches for 158 yards and a touchdown and a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. East Paulding’s defense held Hiram’s star running back Marcel Murray to 12 carries for 58 yards and one rushing touchdown.
Flowery Branch 32, Clarke Central 20
Malik Damons had three touchdown runs, one from 5 yards out and another from 1 yard out. Flowery Branch’s Jacob Reid added a defensive touchdown on a fumble return to help the Falcons take an 18-14 lead at halftime. Flowery Branch’s Malik Drayton notched the Falcons’ first score of the game on a 1-yard touchdown run. Flowery Branch secured a home playoff game as a result of its victory.
Harris County 35, Veterans 7
A.K. Wortham put visiting Harris County up 14-0 with two first-quarter rushing touchdowns, and then Cal’Von Harris broke the game open with his 60-yard punt return touchdown midway through the second quarter. Davion Mahone found Jason Whearley for a 13-yard touchdown later in the final minute of the first half and hit Hunter Carter for a 6-yard touchdown with 5:38 left in the third quarter to put the Tigers up 35-0.
Morrow 14, Fayette County 7
Morrow’s first touchdown came on a touchdown reception midway through the first quarter. With seven minutes left in the second quarter, Morrow completed a 78-yard pass for a touchdown to stretch the lead to 14-0. Fayette County answered with a 60-yard run from Jalil Dabney to put the score at 14-7 as Morrow held on for the win.
Paulding County 38, Cass 20
Paulding County quarterback Brantley Mauldin threw four of his five touchdown passes in the first half as the Patriots jumped out to a 31-0 lead. Rhett Moore of Cass responded with touchdown passes to Tavares Varnum and Evan Hinton that pulled the Colonels within 31-14 entering the fourth quarter, but Mauldin put the game away with a 33-yard touchdown pass to Anderson. Trailing 38-14 in the fourth, Moore found Cameron Gonyea for a 19-yard touchdown to bring the game to its final tally.
Stockbridge 35, Hampton 0
Stockbridge quarterback Gabriel McKenzie was 6-of-6 passing for 108 yards with six carries for 44 yards. In the first quarter, Tigers wide receiver Marquez Ezzard had 73 yards on four catches with three touchdowns. McKenzie connected with Jalen Taylor on a 25-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter. Stockbridge scored its final points in the third quarter, when backup quarterback Deveone Quinn threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Jaylen Lowe.
CLASS AAAA
Cairo 39, Westover 6
Visiting Cairo led 17-0 at the half and 39-0 at the end of the third quarter before Westover scored with a running clock in the final frame. The Syrupmakers scored on a 33-yard Noah Jones field goal and a 26-yard interception return touchdown by Jamel Chin to take a 9-0 lead with 3:09 left in the first quarter. Jamarcus Vicks scored a 1-yard touchdown in the second quarter and Jarior Carter opened the second half with an 82-yard kickoff return touchdown to grow a 25-0 lead. Cairo quarterback Robert Matthew Peters threw a touchdown pass to Marquii Lovejoy on Cairo’s next possession and rushed for a touchdown with 2:01 left in the third quarter to make it 39-0.
Cartersville 62, Chapel Hill 0
Top-ranked Cartersville led 49-0 at the half and cruised to its 39th-consecutive victory on a record-breaking night at Chapel Hill. Entering the game, quarterback Trevor Lawrence needed just 105 passing yards to break Deshaun Watson’s career state record for yardage. He eclipsed Watson with a 24-yard touchdown pass to E.J. Turner late in the first quarter and then rested in the second half after completing 17 of 23 passes for 283 yards and four touchdowns. Lawrence found Turner a second time with 3:15 left in the half to make it 49-0. J’Kobe Orr and Rico Frye, who rushed for touchdowns of 59 and 71 yards in the second quarter, hauled in Lawrence’s other two touchdown passes. Kaleb Chatmon (10 yards) and freshman Harrison Allen (26 yards) ran in second-half touchdowns.
Henry County 38, Druid Hills 21
A 21-game losing streak was finally snapped by the Henry County Warhawks as quarterback Jaylon West threw for almost 300 yards and four touchdowns. The Warhawks scored their first touchdown on a 30-yard reception by Ivan Snipes from Jaylon West that capped an 80-yard, eight-play drive. Henry County’s defense had many big plays, including one in the first half when it forced a Druid Hills fumble that set up West’s second passing touchdown of the night. Druid Hills was outgained 221 to 120 yards in the first half with Henry County leading 24-7. Both teams would score a pair of touchdowns each in the second half, but the Warhawks held on to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Sandy Creek 41, LaGrange 0
Sandy Creek opened up with a 65-yard touchdown pass from Matthew Williams to Amin Shaheed with 6:51 to play in the first quarter and would immediately score on a 17-yard interception return by sophomore Brian Branch. Running back Rashad Amos added a third touchdown, on a 1-yard score, to increase the visitors’ lead to 21-0 at halftime. In the second half, Amos had a 5-yard touchdown run and senior tailback Jordan Clark scored a pair of rushing touchdowns as well, from 12 and 5 yards out.
Woodward Academy 57, Luella 22
Woodward Academy built a 21-0 lead with two Tahj Gary touchdown runs and a 52-yard touchdown pass from Christian Wylder to Gary with 52 seconds left in the opening quarter. Luella’s Dejon Conway returned the ensuing kickoff for a 95-yard touchdown 14 seconds later to make it 21-7. The War Eagles added 5-yard touchdown runs by Kimani Vidal and Cross Patton in the second quarter to grow the lead to 35-7 at the half. Jalen Campbell gave Luella its first offensive touchdown of the night on a 47-yard completion to Conway, but Woodward answered with a safety and a 15-yard touchdown pass from Mike Wright to Jacorri Turner to take a 43-15 lead. Conway reached the end zone on his second 95-yard kickoff return touchdown of the game with 42 seconds left in the third quarter before Woodward’s Vidal scored on fourth-quarter touchdown runs of 15 and 45 yards, respectively.
CLASS AAA
Calhoun 41, Sonoraville 3
Visiting Calhoun outgained Sonoraville 480-105 in total yardage and did all its scoring in the first three quarters. Quarterback Gavin Gray completed 19 of 23 passes for 353 yards and four touchdowns, and teammate Zack Fuller rushed for two scores and a team-high 71 yards off 11 carries.
Greater Atlanta Christian 56, North Hall 6
The Spartans led 42-0 at the half in a dominant Region 7-AAA win. Clemson commitment and AJC Super 11 selection Kyler McMichael had touchdowns from 20, 19 and 6 yards. Alex Boglin (4 yards), Trey Morrison (28 yards), Montae Bailey (20 yards) and Tyler Bride (25 yards) each added one rushing touchdown. Quarterback Josh Rose found Kyle Ellis on a 20-yard touchdown pass.
Pace Academy 33, McNair 9
Pace Academy beat McNair by 24 points after leading 10-3 at halftime. Gabe Wright put the Knights on the board first with a rushing touchdown, and a Jack Ferguson field goal put them up seven points at halftime. In the second half, the Knights broke away with another field goal from Ferguson and another rushing touchdown from Wright, followed by a Realus George rushing touchdown. Jared Rayman closed out the game with a passing touchdown to Ryan Mazur.
CLASS AA
Hapeville Charter 35, Douglass 0
Another strong performance from the defense complemented a barrage of scoring plays for Hapeville Charter in its home win over Douglass at Banneker. Hapeville Charter QB Hajj-Malik Williams started the game with a 65-yard touchdown pass to Rory Starkey. One of Kivante Johnson’s explosive punt returns gave the Hornets another touchdown, and wide receiver Tyleek Collins added a touchdown run in the first half as well. Williams ran for a short touchdown, and Marcus Carroll scored the Hornets’ final touchdown.
CLASS A
Aquinas 24, Washington-Wilkes 8
After a scoreless first quarter, Aquinas running back Joseph Douglas rushed for touchdowns in each of the next three quarters and Crimmins Hankinson added a 29-yard field goal with just 33 seconds left in the first half. Donovan Anthony got Washington-Wilkes within 17-8 with 9:05 left in the final quarter after a 3-yard touchdown run and a completion to Brock Jackson on the 2-point conversion. Washington-Wilkes regained possession and drove all the way down to the Aquinas 2-yard line before turning it over on downs. Aquinas scored two plays later after a 70-yard run John Paul run and a 28-yard Douglas touchdown run with 3:11 left.
Commerce 38, Towns County 14
Khyree Ware had two first-quarter scores, the first on a pass from Nate Ray and the second on a fumble recovery to give host Commerce a 14-0 lead. Nick Patrick scored Commerce’s next three touchdowns on the ground to increase the lead to 35-0. Zach Davenport provided Towns County with a 49-yard touchdown run and 27-yard touchdown reception from Trent Bradshaw, and Eryck Diaz kicked a 32-yard field goal in the fourth quarter for Commerce’s final points. The No. 6-ranked Tigers have a chance to become the 15th team in Georgia high school football history with 600 wins when they host No. 5 Athens Academy next week.
Eagle’s Landing Christian 54, Strong Rock Christian 0
Keaton Mitchell and Brayden Rush led the visiting Chargers in rushing and passing, respectively, as Mitchell rushed nine times for 112 yards and three touchdowns and Rush was 5-of-9 passing for 83 yards and two scores). Justin Menard rushed for 67 rush and had 17 yards receiving, and Austin Reed was 6-of-8 on PATs. Johnathan Youngblood returned an 18-yard blocked punt for the Chargers.
Irwin County 52, Wilcox County 3
D.J. Lundy rushed 13 times for 74 yards and three touchdowns, all in the first half, and Steven Thomas added 6 rushes for 74 yards and two scores for visiting Irwin County. Jamorri Colson had an 86-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, and Davion Pollard had a 48-yard interception return for a score. Irwin County held Wilcox County to 122 total yards, 10 in the second half, while gaining 370 total yards with 11 different ball-carriers.
Landmark Christian 0, Wesleyan 72
Wesleyan had a 30-yard touchdown pass on the first play from seniors Banks Ramsey to Zach Peterson. After a 19-yard rushing score from Garrett Hangartner, Wesleyan was up 17-0 in the first quarter. Before halftime, Ramsey threw four more touchdown passes, three of which went to receiver Billy Stepp, who had over 100 yards receiving. The fourth was caught by senior receiver Stewart Stamper. The home team Wolves had a 45-0 lead at half.
Mt. Pisgah 38, Fellowship Christian 37
Mt. Pisgah led 21-3 to start the game. Fellowship Christian cut the lead to seven, making the score 24-17 at the half, after Mt. Pisgah hit a field goal with 18 seconds left in the second quarter. With 52 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Mt. Pisgah blocked Fellowship’s go-ahead field-goal attempt, which would have put the Paladins up by two points in a 38-37 game. With 33 seconds remaining, Mt. Pisgah quarterback Jacob Cendoya ran 72 yards for the touchdown to put the Patriots up 45-37. Cendoya accounted for a total of six touchdowns in the game.
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