Week 10 Friday Night Roundups

The AJC has writers at: Marietta 35, Harrison 12, Brookwood 35, Grayson 14, Milton 44, Roswell 34, Marist 64, Stephenson 12 and Riverwood 40, Cambridge 33.

Follow the link to the PREP SCOREBOARD or see Todd Holcomb’s Friday Night Wrap.

Here are the rest of the Friday Night Roundups.

Class 7A

Walton 45, North Paulding 14

Jeremy Hecklinski threw three touchdown passes and Zak Rozsman threw two for visiting Walton, which led 21-0 at the end of the first quarter and 31-7 at halftime. In the first quarter, Hecklinski threw a 33-yard touchdown to Mustafa Hefner and an 82-yard score to Marcus Allen, the latter on a 3rd-and-21 play. Hecklinski threw his third touchdown to Nate Lyons on a 25-yard pass early in the second half. Rozsman threw a 39-yard touchdown to Allen with 45 seconds remaining in the first half and found Hunter Teal for a 22-yard score on a 4th-and-3 in the fourth quarter. Walton’s Sutton Smith rushed for a 2-yard score in the first quarter, and Lucien Michelin made a 22-yard field goal in the second quarter.

Marietta 35, Harrison 12

Marietta fell behind 12-0 early in the second quarter after fumbling in its own end zone for a safety and giving up a touchdown pass and a field goal, but the visiting Blue Devils dominated from that point, taking a 14-12 lead by halftime and pulling away in the second half. Marietta quarterback Tyler Hughes threw three touchdowns, finding tight end Cameron Overton in the second and third quarters and running back Melvin Alexander in the third quarter. Alexander also rushed for touchdowns in the second quarter and late in the fourth quarter.

Norcross 45, Duluth 7

Norcross’ defense finally gave up a touchdown for the first time since Sept. 3, but the Blue Devils still dominated in all three phases of the game to handle visiting Duluth. They posted a shutout until three minutes remained in the contest and also blocked two punts. Quarterback A.J. Watkins led the offense with two touchdown passes and also two scores on the ground. Backup Javan Brown added a touchdown run to make it 45-0 midway through the fourth quarter before Duluth got on the scoreboard with a TD pass from Lonnie Ratliff IV to Evan Thomas.

Pebblebrook 31, Newnan 28

Senior kicker John Diaz made a 32-yard field goal as time expired and host Pebblebrook remains undefeated at 8-0-1. Dwight Phillips Jr. put Pebblebrook ahead 28-21 with a third-quarter touchdown run, but Newnan quarterback James Paige threw a 5-yard touchdown to Justyn Reid to tie the game with 15 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. Newnan’s ensuing onside kick was recovered by Pebblebrook, and after one rushing play and a Newnan personal foul for a late hit, Diaz made the game-winning field goal. Pebblebrook quarterback Qamar Grant threw a touchdown to Phillips in the first quarter and a touchdown to Damion Thompson late in the second quarter to give the Falcons a 21-14 lead at halftime. Paige also threw a touchdown pass to Jakob Perry in the third quarter to tie the game at 21-21 and rushed for a touchdown in the first quarter. Pebblebrook avenged last year’s loss to Newnan—who was also undefeated at the time—by the same score, 31-28.

Collins Hill 28, Mountain View 0

Collins Hill quarterback Sam Horn threw two touchdown passes for the No. 1 Eagles, who improved to 9-0 with the home win. Horn found wide receiver Ethan Davis for a 16-yard touchdown in the second quarter to put the Eagles ahead 10-0. He threw a 4-yard touchdown to running back Spenser Anderson in the third quarter, then Davis rushed for a two-point conversion for the game’s final points. Anderson also rushed for a 4-yard touchdown late in the second quarter to give Collins Hill a 17-0 halftime lead. Isaac Bonacci made a 24-yard field goal in the first quarter, set up by an interception by Jaylon Harris, and made a 32-yard field goal in the third quarter.

West Forsyth 40, Gainesville 7

West Forsyth defended home field against Gainesville with stingy defense and a stellar, five-touchdown performance by quarterback Keegan Stover. Kevin Petraglia’s field goal put the Wolverines on the board in the first quarter, and Stover connected twice with Lincoln Nelson in the second for a 17-0 West Forsyth lead at the break. Stover connected with Oscar Delp, Cooper Johnson and Ryder Stewart in the second half, and Gainesville’s only touchdown came in the final frame.

Denmark 17, South Forsyth 14

The visiting Denmark Great Danes came away with a narrow 17-14 victory over the South Forsyth War Eagles. A field goal in the first quarter by Trey Glymph put Denmark up 3-0, but the War Eagles took a 7-3 edge to end the half with a rushing touchdown by Gavin Morris. Denmark went up 17-7 after the third quarter with two touchdown passes by Jacob Nelson—the first to Lane Grayson and the second to Lake Thoman. South Forsyth’s Ty Watkins scored in the fourth to bring the War Eagles within three with 2:30 left in the game but ended up falling short of the comeback.

North Gwinnett 34, Peachtree Ridge 7

The North Gwinnett Bulldogs got their first Region 8 win of the season—and snapped a three-game losing streak—with an emphatic 34-7 victory over host Peachtree Ridge. Marcus McFarlane set the tone with a quick 76-yard run to put the Bulldogs on the board, and quarterback Ethan Washington threw touchdown passes to Dylan Gary (40 yards) and Kenan Holmes for a 21-0 edge at the end of the opening frame. The defense came up with a pair of fumble recoveries in the first quarter and an interception in the second before Daniel Smith added a pair of field goals to give North Gwinnett a 27-0 advantage heading into the second half.

Class 6A

River Ridge 16, Sequoyah 14

River Ridge came away with the win after holding on through a late-game comeback attempt by Sequoyah. Santo Lozano completed a field goal for River Ridge in the second quarter, scoring the only points for either team in the first half. A touchdown by Jackson Head in the third gave River Ridge a 10-0 advantage before Sequoyah scored late in the quarter to get within a field goal. Sequoyah then scored again in the fourth to take a 14-10 lead, but Head was able to score again for River Ridge and give the Knights the narrow win.

Allatoona 23, Kell 12

Allatoona held a 10-0 lead at halftime thanks to a first-quarter field goal by Gray Kelly and a rushing score by Marcus Taylor in the second. Cody Kin had two touchdowns for the night, including a 76-yard rush in the third and a 5-yard rush in the fourth. The Buccaneers were up 23-0 before Kell scored its only two touchdowns in the final frame, and they improve to 4-1 in Region 6 play with their fourth-straight victory.

Buford 56, Lanier 0

Buford succeeded in all three phases of the game to cruise past visiting Lanier. A dominant defensive effort saw the Wolves hold the Longhorns to just 17 yards of total offense and two first downs. On special teams, Malik Spencer returned a punt for a touchdown. Dylan Wittke led the offensive charge by throwing for 137 yards and two scores—one to Isaiah Bond from 69 yards out and another for five yards to Jordan Allen. Buford also got touchdown runs by Tobi Olawole, Victor Venn, Eli Parks and Christian Butler, while Ashton Daniels tossed a 12-yard scoring strike to Zack Salo. The Wolves led 21-0 after the first quarter, 42-0 at halftime, and 49-0 going into the fourth.

Rome 16, Alexander 6

Rome’s Bryson Hill rushed for a 72-yard touchdown in the first quarter to give the visiting Wolves an early lead, and the 7-0 score held until early in the fourth quarter. With 11:42 remaining, a bad Alexander punt snap resulted in a safety and a 9-0 Rome lead. Hill scored again with 2:07 left, this time on a 19-yard run, and Alexander quarterback Jared Echols threw a 68-yard touchdown pass with 1:48 remaining to cap the scoring.

Class 5A

Clarke Central 27, Loganville 24

Clarke Central climbed back from a 10-0 deficit and improved to 6-0 in Region 8 with a road win over the Red Devils. Kendrick Curry rushed for a touchdown to make it 10-7 at the end of the opening quarter and Eli Warrington rushed for a score to put Clarke Central up 14-10 at the half. Loganville scored on its opening drive of the second half to go up 17-14, but Warrington hauled in a 37-yard touchdown and teammate Jadayvion Adkins added a rushing score to give Clarke Central a 27-17 lead with 7:18 left in the game. Loganville cut the deficit to 27-24 with 5:45 left, but the Gladiators were able to close out the victory.

St. Pius X 46, M.L. King 13

Luke Jacobellis and Alex Possert each rushed for two touchdowns as St. Pius X took care of visiting M.L. King. Although the Golden Lions surged to a 22-0 lead after one quarter, M.L. King did not immediately go away. The Lions scored two answered touchdowns to cut their deficit to 22-13 before St. Pius X added a Jack Galvez 40-yard field goal just prior to halftime. St. Pius X assumed complete control with touchdown runs by Jacobellis and Shug Bentley in the third quarter. Possert, who capped off the scoring with a 25-yard run in the fourth, also tossed a touchdown pass to James Kirkland.

Cartersville 49, Woodland 7

A potent first-half offensive attack and stifling defense throughout gave the visiting Cartersville Hurricanes a dominant win over the Woodland Wildcats. Three touchdown passes by Cartersville’s Jake Parker and rushing touchdowns by Amari White and Khristian Lando made it a 35-0 game to end the first. Paul Gamble connected with Kendric Price for a 53-yard touchdown, and a rushing score by Dorian Randle gave the Hurricanes a 49-0 halftime lead. Brandon Montes scored for Woodland in the final minutes of the game to avoid the shutout.

Class 4A

North Oconee 42, Cedar Shoals 7

Cedar Shoals got on the board in the final moments of the first half to make it a one-possession game, but No. 10-ranked North Oconee responded with 28 unanswered points to close out its fifth region win of the season. Dominic Elder Jr rushed for three touchdowns, including back-to-back scores in the fourth quarter, and quarterback Max Wilson threw touchdown passes to Khalil Barnes (27 yards) and KJ Moon (8 yards). Mack Brice provided the final points of the night for the Titans, who will enter next week’s Week 10 showdown with top-ranked Jefferson on a five-game win streak.

Jefferson 41, Chestatee 7

A five-touchdown opening frame put top-ranked Jefferson firmly in control of host Chestatee, and the Dragons improved to a perfect 8-0 on the season and 4-0 in Region 8 play with the victory. Junior Tre Reece was first in the end zone, and following a fumble recovery by Malaki Starks and the Dragons defense and a rushing score by Reese Johnson, Reece ran in his second touchdown—this time from 58 yards out. Jordan Perry and Isaiah Copeland each scored as well before the quarter came to an end, and Kadin Bailey took a toss sweep 28 yards to the end zone early in the second to become the fifth Dragon with a touchdown in the game.

Benedictine 70, New Hampstead 28

No. 3-ranked Benedictine built a commanding 42-7 first-half lead against visiting New Hampstead with the stellar play of some familiar names before coasting to its seventh-straight victory. Justin Thomas finished the half with 122 yards on seven carries and a trio of touchdowns, senior quarterback (and Auburn commit) Holden Geriner went 7-of-9 for 159 yards and connected with Luke Kromenhoek and Za’Quan Bryan, and Bryan added a 24-yard touchdown run as well. The Cadets will close out their season at home next week against Region 3 foe Islands.

Class 3A

Monroe Area 17, Oconee County 14

No. 7-ranked Monroe Area was playing for head coach Kevin Reach — who was unable to attend the game due to a family emergency — as it defeated No. 2 Oconee County on the road. Monroe Area got an 8-yard touchdown reception from David Lalain, a 2-yard touchdown run from Alan Jones and a field goal by Ricky Valdivanos to cap a 65-yard drive for the victory.

Carver-Atlanta 36, Sandy Creek 29

Jarveous Brown scored on a receiving and a rushing touchdown to help lead unranked Carver over No. 4 Sandy Creek. Deandre Buchannon, Quintavious Davis and Tobias Robinson each had a touchdown reception in the upset 5-3A victory.

Cherokee Bluff 21, Dawson County 14

Jayquan Smith ran for two touchdowns to help lead Cherokee Bluff past Dawson. Smith finished with 28 carries for 201 yards and touchdown runs of 82 and 1 yards. Sebastian Irons passed to Marlion Jackson for Cherokee Bluff. Dawson County got scoring on a touchdown pass from Zach Hotlzclaw to Bailey Dameron and a 10-yard touchdown run from Conley Dyer. Cherokee Bluff’s defense had three interceptions to help keep Dawson at bay.

North Murray 55, Murray County 20

North Murray quarterback Seth Griffin threw seven touchdown passes; three to Judson Petty, two to Jadyn Rice and one to Liam Rogers and Kaden Myers. Logan Gray also returned a fumble for a touchdown for the Mountaineers. Murray County trailed 35-0, but was able to spark a run that cut the deficit to 35-20 early in the third quarter. Quarterback Justice Knotts threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to Taylor Carrell and after a successful onside kick the duo connected for a second touchdown just before the half. Early in the third quarter, Knotts ran in a 15-yard score, but North Murray closed out the victory with 20 unanswered points.

Cedar Grove 42, Westminster 10

Cedar Grove reeled off 35 unanswered points after trailing 3-0 in the second quarter to pick up a road win over Westminster. The Saints got all six of their touchdowns from six different scorers. EJ Colson put his team on the board with a 15-yard scoring strike to Barry Jackson and Jamar Graham capped off the scoring with an 80-yard heave to Trevon Ferrell. Graham also tossed a touchdown pass to Janiran Bonner. Bo Walker and Rashod Dubinion scored on the ground for Cedar Grove, while Cameron Jackson recovered a fumble and returned it 10 yards to the end zone. Westminster’s 3-0 lead came on a field goal from Josh Brockman that was set up by a Denton Shamburger interception. Fain Barton provided the lone Wildcat touchdown with a 25-yard scamper in the fourth quarter.

Hart County 9, Stephens County 7

Hart County used a 7-yard touchdown run by Nori Moore and a 30-yard field goal by Jeremiah Jones to go up 9-7 at the half. Stephens County’s lone touchdown was set up by an interception early in the second quarter.

Class 2A

Pepperell 28 Model 22

Pepperell rallied back from a 15-0 deficit to lead Model 21-15 early in the fourth quarter. Model reclaimed a 22-21 lead with 8:05 left in the game on a 10-yard touchdown run by Dillon Silver. The Dragons answered and capped a scoring drive with a 31-yard DJ Rogers touchdown run with 5:03 left. Pepperell’s Gage Owens helped seal the victory with a late interception and the Dragons kneeled out the final seconds.

Lovett 16, Columbia 0

Lovett survived a defensive battle to shut out Columbia, treating the Homecoming crowd to a hard-fought victory. The Lions got a second-quarter field goal by Conner Deviney for the game’s only points through three quarters, and the first touchdown of the game came on a blocked punt in the fourth. Dylan Mayers returned the ball to the end zone to give Lovett a 10-0 advantage with five minutes remaining, and a touchdown run by Henry Stimmel with 1:39 put the game out of Columbia’s reach.

Thomasville 15, Fitzgerald 8

No. 3 ranked Thomasville answered an early 8-0 lead by No. 2 ranked Fitzgerald to clinch the Region 1-2A title at home. Malik Harper scored on a 3-yard carry to cut the lead to 8-7 at the half and then Shannon White threw a touchdown pass to DJ Thurman to put Thomasville up 15-8 heading into the final quarter. Evan Wynn came up with a late interception and Thomasville closed the game out with three-straight sacks.

Class A Private

Trinity Christian 55, Brookstone 14

No. 1 ranked Trinity Christian improved its record to 8-0 and picked up a region win over visiting Brookstone. Dominick Cosper rushed for three touchdowns in the first half (20, 25, 45 yards) and quarterback David Dallas threw touchdown passes to Aaron Gates, Bryce Wilcox and Josh Dallas to put the Lions ahead comfortably 41-0 in the third quarter.

Athens Academy 30, Athens Christian 14

Athens Academy’s Jessie Hawkins eclipsed 1,000 yards on the season in the first half and finished the night with two rushing touchdowns and a pair of 2-point conversions. Quarterback Sam Bush ran in a 7-yard touchdown that put the Spartans up 22-7 at the half and answered an Athens Christian touchdown drive with a 1-yard score to mark the final tally.

First Presbyterian Day 42, Deerfield-Windsor 7

Griffin Green helped lead First Presbyterian Day to a 35-0 lead with three rushing touchdowns. Jakhari Williams also fueled the Vikings’ with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Jackson Moore and his 18-yard touchdown reception from Coleman Cauley—who also had an interception and fumble recovery in the first half. William West also tabbed an interception in the first half and that helped set up Green’s second touchdown that put the Vikings up 28-0 at the break. Green’s third score pushed the lead to 35-0 and then Lucas Buckner connected with Carter Hays for a 43-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to make it 42-0 before Deerfield-Windsor got on the board.

Class A Public

Irwin County 36, Charlton County 7

No. 1 ranked Irwin County took a 22-7 lead at the half before closing out its fifth-straight victory. The Indians scored on rushing touchdowns by Shane Marshall and DJ Lundy and a Cody Soliday touchdown pass to Malachi Hadden to build the 22-7 lead. Lundy—who also scored on a 2-point conversion added his second rushing touchdown in the second half and Marcus Edwards also rushed for a touchdown to mark the final tally.

Here are the Thursday recaps below

6A

Pope 25, Sprayberry 7

Sprayberry got on the board late in the third quarter to make it a one-possession game, but the Pope Greyhounds scored the final 12 points of the night to earn the win. A first-quarter field goal by Brock Standfest and Patrick Lowe’s 5-yard pass to Sosuke Watanabe in the final moments of the first half gave Pope a 10-0 advantage at the break, and Standfest added another field goal in the third. After Sprayberry cut the deficit to 13-7, Phil Sims Jr responded with a 3-yard touchdown run. Sims scored again on the following drive—this time off a pass from Lowe—and Bo Hosack recovered a Sprayberry fumble to seal the victory.

Tucker 55, Morrow 0

Tucker clinched a playoff berth with a 55-0 rout of Region 4 rival Morrow. Quarterback Amir Streeter put the Tigers on the board with a 13-yard run late in the first quarter before he connected with Barry Manning (50 yards) and Corey Pendergrass for a pair of touchdown passes in the second and third quarters, respectively. Pendergrass, Josh Morgan and Anthony Ammons (41 yards) added rushing scores, and Manning (40 yards) and Ammons (35 yards) contributed pick-sixes on defense as well.

4A

Heritage-Catoosa 31, Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe 0

Heritage bounced back from last week’s loss to Northwest Whitfield with an emphatic 31-0 victory over Lakeview. The first shutout performance of the season by the Generals defense also featured a 25-yard pick-six from Max Owens for the first points of the game. Kaden Swope connected witty Payton Newman for a touchdown before the end of the opening frame, and Paxton McCrary added a 40-yard rushing score in the second. JD Black’s 92-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to open the third quarter gave the Generals a 28-0 advantage before Anderson Britton capped the scoring with a 32-yard field goal.

Fayette County 66, Mt Zion-Jonesboro 6

Fayette County improved to 6-1 in Region 5 play with a dominant 66-6 road win over Mt Zion-Jonesboro. The Tigers built a 25-0 lead just 15 minutes into the game with a trio of touchdown runs by Javon Graham and a 21-yard rushing score from Canaan Johnson. Nick Taylor connected with Keion Bryant midway through the second before a 12-yard run from Kai Jett and another Bryant touchdown extended the Fayette County lead to 46-0 at the break. The second half began with a 53-yard rushing score by Marcus Collins on the first play from scrimmage, and Taylor and Austin Jones each found the end zone before the game ended as well.

Carver-Columbus 60, Columbus 6

Carver built a 54-6 lead before the break and finished with a season-high 60 points against host Columbus to earn its seventh-straight win. The No. 7-ranked Tigers improve to 6-0 in Region 2 play with the victory and will close out the season next week against Hardaway.

3A

Southeast Bulloch 32, Beach 0

Southeast Bulloch extended its win streak to three games with a 32-0 victory over Beach. A pair of touchdown runs by Khristian Clark and another from Tyler Griffin gave the Yellow Jackets a 21-0 at the break, and AJ Johnson contributed a rushing score midway through the third. It was the third shutout of the season for the Southeast Bulloch defense, which forced a pair of safeties early in the third quarter.