No. 9-ranked Calhoun got its season back on track with a 40-18 victory over Class 3A’s Carver-Atlanta Friday night in the Great Atlanta Bash, pulling away from the No. 3-ranked Panthers with key plays on both sides of the ball.
After forcing a Calhoun three-and-out on the opening drive, Carver was first on the board with a touchdown pass from senior quarterback Adam Sheely to Taurin Kemp. Calhoun responded with a 22-yard connection between Trey Townsend and Emaree Winston for a 7-6 lead, which the Yellow Jackets grew early in the second quarter with Caden Williams’ 46-yard touchdown run following Bryant Arnold’s interception off a tipped Sheely pass. Lataious Stepp Jr’s 81-yard rushing score provided an answer for Carver shortly after, but Calhoun quickly added touchdowns on a Townsend keeper and a pick-six from Arnold for a 28-12 edge.
Just before the break, Stepp seemed poised to score again when he took a direct snap on a fake punt nearly the full length of the field, but junior Kameron Penny chased him down to tackle him out of bounds at the 1-yard line with an expired clock to keep all the momentum with Calhoun.
The Yellow Jackets maintained control in the second half, getting a blocked punt and recovery from Sager Quinn and Montaze Byrd, respectively; a field goal, another Townsend-to-Winston touchdown connection on the final play of the third, then a safety early in the fourth. Stepp found the end zone once more for Carver with three minutes remaining to bring the score to its final tally.
Calhoun will host Creekview next week in its home opener.
The AJC will have writers at Kell vs. Allatoona, Brookwood vs. Walton and Norcross vs. Mill Creek. Follow the link to see Todd Holcomb’s Friday Night Wrap or see the Friday recaps below and Thursday recaps at the bottom of the file.
Class 7A
Harrison 6, South Forsyth 3
Visiting Harrison improved to 2-0 on the season with a narrow 6-3 victory over South Forsyth. A pair of field goals from Hoyas kicker Simon Zeidan had Harrison out in front before the War Eagles drove all the way down to the 8-yard line for 1st-and-goal with 0:16 still on the clock. Cade Aycock’s pass was picked off by Jowell Combay, however, to seal the win for Harrison.
Marietta 20, West Forsyth 19 (OT)
The host Blue Devils came out on top of a dramatic overtime matchup with West Forsyth to get their first victory of the season — and become the first program in Cobb County to reach 600 wins. Marietta elected to go for it on 4th-and-goal from two yards out late in regulation with a 13-13 tie on the board, but the Wolverine defense kept the Blue Devils out of the end zone. With less than a minute remaining, quarterback Max Walraven broke free for a 49-yard run, then followed up Foster Orris’ 9-yard gain with a 10-yard pass to Orris at the Marietta 29-yard line. Alex Whiteside intercepted Walraven on the next play, however, and the game went into overtime. McCravy and Brandon Rosado connected on the first play for a Marietta touchdown, and after converting on 4th-and-3, West Forsyth answered with an Orris score. The Wolverines went for the win, and the two-point conversion was no good.
Peachtree Ridge 44, Lanier 36
Host Peachtree Ridge and Class 6A’s Lanier traded touchdowns throughout a back-and-forth opening half before the Lions took over in the third and fourth quarters. With the game knotted at 21-21, Peachtree Ridge blocked Lanier’s field goal attempt to start the second half, then added a touchdown and a field goal to take a 10-point lead. The Lions grew their lead to 44-21 in the fourth with sophomore quarterback Darnell Kelly’s touchdown pass to Myles Abernathy and a interception returned for a touchdown from Taysean Wilson before Lanier added a pair of late scores.
Lambert 48, Dawson County 18
The visiting Longhorns trailed Class 3A’s Dawson County 8-7 in the second but reclaimed the lead with a quick score after blocking a Tiger field goal. Dawson County managed to march down the field for another field goal attempt — this one a success — in the final seconds of the first half. The Tigers were outscored 34-7 in the second half, however, and Lambert improved to 2-0 with the 48-18 victory.
Carrollton 49, South Paulding 0
The No. 5-ranked Trojans got their first win of the season in a 49-0 rout of visiting South Paulding out of Class 6A. Quarterback Julian Lewis had a pair of touchdown passes in both the first and second quarters, and Kimauri Farmer added two rushing scores for a 42-0 advantage at the break. Messiah Satterwhite found the end zone in the fourth for the game’s final points.
Colquitt County 47, Stockbridge 27
The second-ranked Packers briefly trailed in the opening frame of their Week 2 matchup with Stockbridge before scoring 24 unanswered points en route to a 47-27 victory. Quarterback Neko Fann and Ny’Quavion Carr connected for four touchdowns, including three in the first half, and Colquitt County also got a pair of field goals from Brett Fitzgerald and rushing scores from Dennis Ramsey and Day’Shawn Brown.
In other Class 7A Games – Valdosta held a narrow 23-20 lead when host Cook got a fourth-quarter interception, but the Wildcats quickly scored on a fumble recovery to make it a two-possession game before winning 37-20. … East Coweta took an emphatic 28-0 lead over Class 6A’s Newnan just before the break when QB Cohen Peeples found freshman Waltet Maestre. The Indians ultimately defeated the Cougars 35-6. … No. 7-ranked Parkview led visiting Shiloh (Class 6A) 39-0 at halftime en route to a 60-0 win to improve to 2-0. The Panthers face their first Class 7A opponent of the season next week when they host North Gwinnett. … Jeff Phillips got his first win as head coach of Campbell — a 26-15 victory over Kennesaw Mountain — thanks in part to a ground game led by Brayden Hayden and Jalen Shelton, who combined for 124 yards on 30 carries to keep the Mustangs offense off the field. … North Gwinnett led visiting Archer 28-3 heading into the final frame before closing out the 28-16 victory to improve to 1-1. … Newton won its ninth-straight game against host Alcovy by a margin of 54-20, the largest in the history of the programs’ rivalry. … With Mallard Creek driving and top-ranked Buford holding a narrow 10-7 edge, UGA-commit Jadon Perlotte picked off the host team’s quarterback and returned it to the 5-yard line to secure the Wolves win in North Carolina.
Class 6A
Roswell 71, Centennial 7
The Hornets jumped on Centennial early, scoring 36 points in the first quarter en route to their second win of the year. K.J. Smith threw two touchdown passes in the second quarter to give the Hornets the 50-7 lead at halftime. Sykwan Smith scored on a 7-yard run late in the third quarter, and Kaiden Perry recorded two rushing touchdowns in the fourth. Centennial’s only score came in the second quarter when Hunter Campbell threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Myson Cooper.
Gainesville, 34, Mountain View 21
Zion Ferguson returned an interception for a touchdown late in the second quarter to give Gainesville the 14-7 lead over Mountain View. The Red Elephants pulled away from Mountain View when Gavin Hall scored two rushing touchdowns in the third quarter. After a rushing TD by Mountain View early in the fourth quarter, Gainesville answered when Mikel Stephen scored a rushing touchdown to increase its lead by 20.
Rome, 56, Lithonia 8
The Wolves scored 49 of their 56 points in the first half to earn a big win over Lithonia. Reece Fountain scored on a 20-yard and threw for two touchdown passes in the first quarter. Joe Wilkinson intercepted a pass in the second quarter which was returned for a 92-yard touchdown. Tinerious Stallings had a touchdown reception in the first quarter and a 48-yard punt return for a touchdown in the second quarter. Moss Tant threw for two touchdowns in the win.
Thomas County Central 45, Thomasville 7
The Yellow Jackets jumped to a 31-7 lead over Thomasville in the first half and were led by Jaylen Johnson who threw for two touchdowns and rushed for one. Trey Benton recorded two rushing touchdowns, and Tre’von Pringle caught two touchdown passes in the win. Thomasville’s only score came in the second quarter when Cam Hill threw a 65-yard touchdown pass to Cole Shaw.
Langston Hughes 40, McEachern 9
Langston Hughes scored 40 unanswered points to earn a win over 7A McEachern. The rushing attack was strong for the Panthers as Justin Savage rushed for 123 yards, Dorian Page tallied 122 yards and Terquavious Brown notched 50 yards and a touchdown. Paige had the impact play of the game when he scored on a 98-yard kick return to give the Panthers the 14-9 lead at halftime. Air Noland threw for 155 yards and a touchdown in the win.
In other Class 6A games – Marist jumped to a 35-7 lead in the first half to earn a 41-14 victory over Pike Road (Ala.). The War Eagles had an interception return for a touchdown in the first quarter. … Glynn Academy scored the go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter to earn a 14-6 win over McIntosh County Academy. … Antwan Hill Jr. threw the go-ahead touchdown pass to Ricky Johnson to give Houston County the 42-35 win over Perry. The game was tied 21-21 with 7:44 remaining in the fourth quarter. … Lee County led Hapeville 42-0 at halftime and earned a 51-14 win. Ousmane Kromah posted three rushing touchdowns for the Trojans.
Class 5A
Clarke Central 38, Oconee County 31
No. 10 Clarke Central hung on at home in a back-and-forth game against Class 3A Oconee County. On its final drive, Oconee County advanced the ball inside the Clarke Central 10-yard line with under a minute to play, but Clarke County forced an incomplete pass on fourth down from the 17 and then took a knee to run out the clock. Clarke Central took a 38-21 lead in the fourth quarter after Corey Watkins Jr. had a 1-yard touchdown rush, his second short touchdown run of the game, before Oconee County rallied with 10 straight points. Also for the Gladiators, Kendrick Curry had a 30-yard touchdown rush; Chase Berrong threw a 37-yard touchdown pass to Jaylen Jackson; and Bartez Gillespie Jr. had a 64-yard punt return for a score. Cooper Evans added a 32-yard field goal in the second quarter to give Clarke Central a 24-14 lead at halftime.
Greater Atlanta Christian 36, Lovett 13
Greater Atlanta Christian took a quick 14-0 advantage thanks to a pair of first-quarter touchdown runs by Gianlucca Tiberia, and the visitors never looked back throughout a road victory over Lovett. The Spartans led 23-7 at halftime and 29-13 going into the fourth quarter before a Gold Chyrack scoring scamper put the game away. Greater Atlanta Christian also got a 72-yard touchdown pass from Jack Stanton to Xavier Daisy in addition to three field goals by Brandon Beckham.
Cartersville 24, Jonesboro 13
Visiting Jonesboro got two defensive scores in the second half to cut the Cartersville lead from 21-0 to 21-13, but Ryan Johnson’s fourth-quarter field goal kept the Purple Hurricanes on top. No. 5 Cartersville was ahead of Class 6A Jonesboro 14-0 in the first quarter after quarterback Nate Russell threw touchdowns to Kendrick Price and Jamauri Brice. Baylon Long had a short rushing touchdown in the third quarter to bring the score to 21-0.
Cambridge 24, Denmark 17
Host Cambridge came back from a 17-3 deficit in the third quarter to defeat Class 7A Denmark. Cambridge got three rushing touchdowns in the second half from Tyler Blalock, the last of which was a 12-yard score late in the fourth quarter to break a 17-17 tie. Leo Attard made a field goal right before halftime to pull the Bears to within 10-3.
Ware County 28, Richmond Hill 7
No. 1 Ware County won at Class 7A Richmond Hill as the Gators pulled away with two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Keondre Standley had a fumble return for a touchdown and Dae’Jeaun Dennis had a short touchdown rush in the fourth to help Ware County seal the win. In the first quarter, Ware County quarterback Luke Hooks found Quintin Orange for a 43-yard touchdown pass and R.J. Boyd had an 11-yard TD rush.
In other Class 5A games – No. 7 Jones County defeated Class 7A Dacula at home 37-19 as Greyhounds quarterback Judd Anderson threw four touchdown passes and rushed for two scores.
Class 4A
Northwest Whitfield 42, Coahulla Creek 7
Northwest Whitfield used a dominant second quarter to beat visiting Coahulla Creek. Chase Ward gave Coahulla Creek an early 7-0 lead with a touchdown run, but it was all Northwest Whitfield the rest of the way. Caden Ramsey scored the Bruins’ first touchdown and then intercepted a pass on the ensuing drive that led to a scoring strike from Gavin Nuckolls to Hudson Gray. Nuckolls finished with 263 passing yards and four touchdowns — a pair to Gray and one apiece to Austin Cooley and Breckin Sirmans. Northwest Whitfield’s Mason Mays capped off the scoring with more than nine minutes remaining in the third quarter with a TD run from three yards out.
Pace Academy 33, Westminster 31
Maddox Crawford scored on a 2-yard quarterback keeper with 43 seconds remaining to lead Pace Academy past Westminster in a back-and-forth thriller. The Knights led 21-7 in the first quarter before Westminster quarterback Michael Buhay led a charge by the visitors. Buhay had two touchdown runs — one from 60 yards out — and threw a 55-yard scoring strike to Brand Morgan. The Wildcats took a 28-27 lead in the third quarter on a touchdown run by Wade Penn before extending their advantage to 31-27 in the fourth thanks to a 49-yard field goal from Will Simpson. However, the Knights responded with a winning drive that culminated in Crawford’s touchdown. Pace Academy also got TDs from Zach Logan, Cooper Williams, Terrence Kiel and Jordan Burns.
Stephenson 54, Riverdale 0
Visiting Stephenson built a 22-0 lead by the end of the first quarter before extending the margin to 30-0 at halftime and 46-0 going into the fourth. Jayden Johnson and Devin Ingram rushed for touchdowns in support of a dominant defensive performance. In addition to allowing no points, Stephenson scored twice on defense. Jackson Cole returned one of his two fumble recoveries to the end zone and Destin Davies returned an interception 38 yards for a touchdown.
Cairo 35, Monroe 21
The Syrupmakers took control early, building a 35-0 halftime lead before cruising to victory at the expense of host Monroe. Cairo led 20-0 by the end of the first quarter thanks to touchdown runs by Juderek Gee-Simmons and K.J. Spence in addition to an 18-yard scoring strike from Gee-Simmons to Jeremiah Williams. Gee-Simmons also threw a 43-yard touchdown pass to Corey Baker, while the Syrupmakers tacked on a touchdown run by Eric Swatts. The Golden Tornadoes cut their deficit to 35-21 with six minutes remaining in the game but could not get any closer.
In other Class 4A games – Benedictine went on the road to Charlotte, N.C. and defeated Chambers 42-9. The Cadets got two scoring strikes from Luke Kromenhoek to La’Don Bryant. They led 21-6 after one quarter, 28-9 at halftime and 35-9 going into the fourth. … Wayne County shut out visiting Brooks County 14-0, which was the score at halftime. Matthew Fuller ran for touchdowns of 82 yards and 73 yards to provide for all of the Yellow Jackets’ scoring. … Holy Innocents’ scored the first 28 points of the game to overwhelm visiting Riverwood 35-14. The Bears got touchdowns from Zach Jackson and Nicholas Morgan. For Riverwood, Jackson Davis rushed for a 40-yard TD and also tossed a 30-yard scoring strike to Devyn Gipson.
Adairsville 21, Cherokee Bluff 7
Leading 7-0, Ethan Blome scored on a 2-yard run with two minutes left in the first quarter to give Adairsville a 14-0 lead. Jonathan Gough scored on a 5-yard with eight minutes left in the third quarter to expand the margin. Kaden Thompson scored on a 2-yard run with three minutes left in the third quarter to cut into the lead for Cherokee Bluff but the Bears ran out of time.
Lumpkin County 44, Union County 27
Senior running back Mason Sullens rushed for four touchdowns – including a 55-yarder with 1:35 left in the game — to lead Lumpkin past Union County. Lumpkin was nursing a 24-20 lead with 6:49 left in the game before taking control in the fourth quarter.
In other 3A games – Carver-Columbus defeated Spencer 21-0, leading 8-0 at the end of the first quarter and 14-0 at the half. … Long County led 22-0 at the half in a 38-0 victory over Tattnall County. … No. 7 Stephens County led 14-0 at the half in a 35-0 romp of Class A Division I No. 3 Rabun County. … Sandy Creek led 28-0 at the half on the way to a 41-7 victory over Greenwood. … Upson County outscored Lamar County 24-0 in the second quarter to build a lead that Lamar County could not overcome on the way to a 38-7 victory. … Dougherty led 20-0 at the half in a romp of Randolph-Clay. The Trojans added two touchdowns in the third quarter to put the game away. …
Class 2A
Callaway 27, Cedartown 10
No. 4 Callaway defeated Class 4A No. 9 Cedartown at home as DeShun Coleman threw an 80-yard touchdown on the Cavaliers’ first offensive play of the game and rushed for two second-half touchdowns to seal the win. Coleman found Cam Tucker for the 80-yard score in the first quarter to tie the game 7-7, though Cedartown held a 10-7 lead at halftime. Callaway’s backup quarterback Blake Harrington threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Treyonn Tucker in the third quarter to give the Cavaliers a 13-8 lead, and Coleman had 7-yard touchdowns in both the third and fourth quarters.
Rockmart 24, Cass 23
No. 8 Rockmart outlasted Class 5A Cass at home 24-23 after a late Cass two-point conversion attempt failed. Nahzir Turner had a 12-yard touchdown rush to give Rockmart a 10-0 lead, and Brent Washington had touchdown runs of 1 and 12 yards, the second of which gave Rockmart a 24-17 lead late in the fourth quarter. Cass threw a touchdown pass with under a minute to play before the failed two-point conversion attempt.
Appling County 54, Aiken (S.C.) 13
No. 2 Appling County cruised to a home win against Aiken of South Carolina. Appling County’s Jamarion Williams rushed for touchdowns of 73 and 17 yards, and Trent Griner had a 3-yard touchdown rush. Appling County quarterback Dayson Griffis threw a 54-yard touchdown pass to Camden Hickox and a 3-yard touchdown pass to Nehemiah Howard, and the Pirates got a late 81-yard touchdown pass from Collin Ewaldsen to Kemoni Ryals. Appling County also had two interception returns for touchdowns, a 57-yard return by Edward Williams and a 27-yard return by Mikel Crayton.
Pierce County 41, Jeff Davis 0
No. 6 Pierce County shut out Jeff Davis at home in a Class 2A non-region matchup. Pierce County got two touchdown passes from Caden McGatha — one for 12 yards to Joe Drew and one for 10 yards to Carson Sloan — and McGatha also rushed for a 7-yard score. Jaeveon Williams had a 21-yard touchdown rush for the Bears and Marquez Leggett added a 16-yard scoring run. The Bears scored their final touchdown on a 30-yard fumble return by Jones Herrin after Wade DiBiase knocked the ball loose from the Jeff Davis running back.
In other Class 2A games – Toombs County traveled to Class A Division 2 Wheeler County and took a 49-6 win as Hayden Roy rushed for four touchdowns, Keshon Deloach scored on a 32-yard interception return and T.J. Stanley threw for a touchdown and rushed for a score.
Class A Division I
Prince Avenue Christian 42, Nashville Christian 0
Georgia Tech-commit quarterback Aaron Philo passed for three touchdowns and rushed for two to lead the Wolverines past Nashville Christian. After facing out-of-state opponents on the road in the first two weeks of the season, Prince Avenue will play Athens Academy at home on Friday.
Metter 17, Emanuel County Institute 10
Corey Donaldson returned a fumble 85-yards for a touchdown with six minutes left in the third quarter to put Metter up 17-0 before the Tigers held on through the final minutes. Fidel Esquival kicked a 23-yard field goal to put Metter up with two minutes left in the first quarter. Rodrigus Kelley caught a 13-yard touchdown pass to give Metter a 10-0 lead with nine minutes left in the first half. Emanuel converted a 31-yard touchdown run with two minutes left in the third quarter and a 34-yard field goal in the fourth quarter but couldn’t manage to overcome the deficit.
Class A Division II
Portal 44, Twiggs County 0
Portal led 15-0 after the first quarter and 38-0 at the half on the way to a 44-0 victory over Twiggs County at home. Samari McBride scored on a 20-yard touchdown run. Chase Smith added a 5-yard touchdown run. Elijah Coleman scored a 5-yard touchdown run. Coleman also passed to Amir Jackson (2pt conversion) and Charles McNeal (9-yard touchdown pass). Jackson added a 58-yard touchdown run. Brian McQueen passed for a touchdown to Coleman (60 yards) to put the game away.
In other Class A games – Temple led 7-0 after the first quarter and 14-7 at the half before expanding the margin with a 13-0 effort in the third quarter to beat Christian Heritage 41-13. … St. Francis led 15-0 at halftime on the way to a 42-7 victory over Landmark Christian. … Bleckley built a 21-7 lead after the first quarter before holding on for a 34-20 victory over Wilcox County. … Lake Oconee Academy led 20-0 at halftime in a rout of Towns County. … Bacon County led 16-7 after the first quarter before expanding the margin to a 30-7 victory over Screven County..
Recaps from Thursday
Class 4A
Troup County 50, Hardaway 0
Senior Taeo Todd had seven carries for 69 yards and three touchdowns and was 5-for-5 passing for 91 yards and two touchdowns to lead Troup past Hardaway. Senior Logan Sinkfield and junior Jaquaveon Kennedy each scored on a run for the Tigers. Sinkfield had three carries for 69 yards and a touchdown while Tyreon Smith had one carry for a touchdown.
Howard 56, Central-Macon 0
Sophomore Terrence Brown and seniors Cam Taylor and Tybien Smith each scored a rushing touchdown to lead Howard past local-rival Central-Macon. Jaiden Lucas and Jaylon Johnson, both juniors, and freshman Jaylen Brown each caught a touchdown pass. Taylor was 2-for-3 passing for 23 yards and two touchdowns while Deon Williams was 3-for-5 passing for 22 yards and one touchdown.
Class 3A
Savannah Christian 56, Islands 14
Junior Zo Smalls had six carries for 87 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Raiders past Islands. Sophomore Blaise Thomas and junior Kenry Wall each scored a rushing touchdown. Thomas was 6-for-6 passing for 113 yards and two touchdowns, one each to Wall and Jamari McIvory. Jayden Sutton and Devon Deleon each scored on runs for Islands.
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