Woodward Academy pulled away from Region 4-5A rival Decatur in the third quarter of the Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame Game, securing an 11th region title in 13 years with the 42-14 victory over the host Bulldogs. The result marked a sixth-straight win for the War Eagles (6-3, 6-0), and the first loss of the season for Decatur (8-1, 5-1).
Woodward took control early, getting on the board on the first play of the game with a 99-yard kickoff return touchdown by Josiah Abdullah, and Blake Stewart Jr. blocked Decatur’s opening-drive field goal try shortly after.
“I was nervous about this game,” shared long-time head coach John Hunt after the win. “They’re so big up front and they’re such a physical team. We’re getting the ball first and I’m like ‘Man, why can’t we just return it for a touchdown and take a little pressure off?’ And I’ll be danged if Josiah didn’t do it.”
The War Eagles punted on the following possession but forced a turnover on downs for the Bulldogs in their own territory moments later.
Decatur got revenge with a blocked field goal of its own late in the first. The Bulldogs were once again unable to move downfield, however, and War Eagles quarterback Landon Walker grew the lead to 14-0 with a rushing score early in the second.
The Bulldogs finally found some success later in the frame with Darius White’s touchdown run on fourth-and-goal, but Jerome Bettis Jr took a reception 20 yards to the end zone to start the second half, then set up a Walker-to-Stewart score on the next drive with a jaunt down to the 10-yard line.
“We preach resiliency,” said Hunt. “We’re so young. Last year we had 22 seniors. Now we have nine. So we’re playing a bunch of young guys, especially up front. And when we’re playing a really good team like that, I get nervous about that, but our young guys are just resilient and just kept fighting.”
Decatur got a bit of a spark moments into the final frame with Kaleb Lanier’s 53-yard touchdown reception before Tyree Myrick returned an interception for another War Eagle score. Joshua Isom then sealed the Woodward win with one last touchdown.
“Early on, going 0-3, that was rough,” recalled Hunt. “But we preached every week getting a little bit better, regardless of who we’re playing.”
His squad will have one last chance to improve in their regular-season finale against Lakeside. Decatur, meanwhile travels to Tri-Cities.
The AJC has writers at Gainesville at Roswell, Norcross at North Gwinnett and Hillgrove at Harrison. Follow the link to Todd Holcomb’s Friday Night Wrap or see the Friday recaps directly below. The Thursday recaps are at the bottom of the file.
Friday games
Class 6A
North Atlanta 28, West Forsyth 24
North Atlanta shocked visiting West Forsyth with two touchdowns in the final minute at Eddie Henderson Stadium to overtake and surpass the Wolverines. West Forsyth (6-3, 3-2 Region 6-6A) got a field goal from Asher Mote to take a 24-14 lead with 2:05 remaining, but a Henry Debardeleben touchdown rush, his second of the game, with 41 seconds remaining pulled North Atlanta (8-1, 6-0 Region 6-6A) to within three points. The Warriors then recovered the onside kick, and on the first play of the drive North Atlanta’s Ian Reynolds found Josh McCullough for a touchdown to take the lead with 28 seconds left. West Forsyth had the ball inside the North Atlanta 20-yard line on its final possession but fell short. Reynolds found Cameron Lanier for a touchdown with six minutes remaining in the game to make it a 21-14 contest.
Forsyth Central 34, South Forsyth 21
Forsyth Central (3-6, 2-4 Region 6-6A) took a 21-0 lead at South Forsyth (2-7, 0-6 Region 6-6A) in the second quarter and held at least a two-touchdown lead for the rest of the game. The Bulldogs got a rushing touchdown and an interception return for a score from Max Haertel, and Jordan Huggins rushed for two scores for Forsyth Central. Hunter Holland-Stuhler had a long touchdown rush as well for Forsyth Central.
Colquitt County 51, Camden County 41
The 10th-ranked Packers trailed host Camden County 35-34 entering the fourth quarter of a back-and-forth affair before taking control with a field goal and a pair of touchdowns. The Wildcats found the end zone once more in the final minute of the game, but the two-point conversion that would have made it a one-score game to set up a last-chance onside kick was unsuccessful.
McEachern 58, South Cobb 0
McEachern (5-4, 4-2) running back Jayreon Campbell took 13 carries for 131 yards and scored five touchdowns to lead the Indians past host South Cobb and assure McEachern the No. 3 seed in Region 3-6A. Zakir Abul-Salaam returned a fumble 33 yards for a touchdown with 16 seconds left in the first half to give McEachern a 42-0 lead at the break.
Valdosta 14, Tift County 7
No. 9 Valdosta (8-1, 3-1 Region 1-6A) avoided a home upset at the hands of Tift County (2-7, 0-4 Region 1-6A). The Wildcats jumped out to a 14-0 first-quarter lead. Tift County scored its touchdown in the fourth quarter, but Valdosta held on to set up a crucial regular-season finale next week at Lowndes. Both teams are 3-1 in region play and in a three-way tie currently for first place with Colquitt County.
Douglas County 42, Chapel Hill 0
The fourth-ranked Tigers remain undefeated in Region 2 play following a decisive 42-0 rout of host Chapel Hill. Douglas County is now 8-1 on the year and will be playing for a second-straight region title next week at top-ranked Carrollton.
Brookwood 43, Duluth 36
Trailing visiting Duluth 33-21 in the fourth quarter, the Brookwood Broncos took the lead with a 35-yard Brayden Tyson touchdown and Josh Burrell’s rushing score and successful two-point conversion. Duluth knotted the game with a field goal shortly after, but Tyson broke free for a score from 80 yards out in the final minute, and Caitlyn Soroka sent the game’s final point through the uprights.
Campbell 20, Osborne 6
Henry Pullen caught a touchdown and rushed for a score to lead visiting Campbell (6-3, 3-3) past Osborne and give the program its first winning season since 2007 under second-year head coach Jeff Phillips. The Spartans scored on their opening drive with David Lemire finding Pullen for a 45-yard touchdown. Marlon May added an 8-yard score early in the second quarter to push the lead to 13-0. Pullman’s 4-yard touchdown gave Campbell a 20-0 lead heading into the fourth quarter and Osborne broke the scoring drought with a fumble recovery that was returned for a 20-yard Cardinals touchdown.
Lambert 48, Denmark 20
Lambert senior Cam Bland accounted for five touchdowns to lead the visiting Longhorns. Bland rushed for touchdowns of 12, 34 and 26 yards and also hauled in touchdown passes of 16 and 81 yards from quarterback Ethan Daughtery. Carter Chung returned an interception for a Lambert touchdown in the final minute to seal the 48-20 victory.
In other Class 6A games – Central Gwinnett (4-5, 1-4) snapped a four-game losing streak and got its first Region 8 win of the year with a 41-0 shutout of Discovery. … Peachtree Ridge finally got on the board in the third quarter of its road matchup with Parkview on a pick-six and added a pair of fourth-quarter scores en route to a 21-12 Region 7 win. … North Cobb clinched its fourth region title in five seasons with a 43-0 win over host Etowah. … McEachern recovered from last week’s loss to Hillgrove with a 58-0 rout of host South Cobb to improve to 5-4 and 4-2 in Region 3 play. … Campbell evened its record against Region 3 opponents to 3-3 in 2024 with a 20-6 win at Osborne. … Quarterback Deron Benson threw five touchdown passes in Newton’s 43-7 victory against host Rockdale County. … Berkmar’s seven-game losing streak came to an end with a 33-18 win against visiting Meadowcreek, which is still winless on the year.
Class 5A
Seckinger 66, Chattahoochee 27
Seckinger (6-3, 2-3 Region 7-5A) scored on every possession, rushing for nine touchdowns at Chattahoochee (4-5, 0-5 Region 7-5A). The Jaguars got three rushing touchdowns from Jaimen Williams, who rushed 17 times for 276 yards. Harrison Robinson (14 rushes, 118 yards) rushed for two touchdowns, and Sterling Carter (11 rushes, 108 yards) rushed for one score. Damarion Sims, Bryce Gindlesperger and Antonio Neal rushed for a touchdown each, and Nick Bernal made a 20-yard field goal for Seckinger. The Jaguars gained 668 yards on 56 rushes.
Clarke Central 48, Alcovy 3
Hezekiah Millender threw four touchdown passes in the first half to lead Clarke Central over Alcovy in a Region 8-5A contest. Corey Watkins Jr. scored two rushing touchdowns in the first quarter, and Clarke Central led 41-0 at halftime. The Gladiator’s final touchdown came in the third quarter when Xayvian Berry scored on an 18-yard run. Clarke Central improves to 5-0 in region play, and Alcovy falls to 1-4.
Thomas County Central 41, Houston County 31
No. 3 Thomas County Central (8-1, 3-1 Region 2-5A) won a back-and-forth game at No. 10 Houston County (6-3, 2-2 Region 2-5A), opening up a 38-24 lead in the fourth quarter and holding on from there. Jaylen Johnson threw three touchdowns for the Yellow Jackets, finding Eathan Rehberg, J.B. Watkins and Rodney Dunbar for scores. Deuce Lawrence also had a touchdown rush for Thomas County Central, which trailed 24-21 at halftime. Drew Reneau made two second-half field goals, the first to tie the game at 24-24 and the second to give the Yellow Jackets their final points of the game with two minutes remaining.
Sequoyah 56, Pope 28
Sequoyah (8-1, 5-1) racked up 272 passing yards and 195 yards on the ground (467 total yards) and produced six touchdowns to cruise past host Pope. Kolby Martin found Brooks Darling for a 56-yard Chiefs touchdown just 20 seconds into the game. Darling finished with 106 yards and two touchdowns off three receptions. Martin finished 11-of-13 passing for all 272 yards and three touchdowns—two to Martin and one to William Rajecki—who also led Sequoyah with 102 rushing yards and three touchdowns off 18 carries.
In other Class 5A games — No. 2 Lee County (9-0, 4-0 Region 2-5A) ran past Northside-Warner Robins (2-7, 0-4 Region 2-5A) 55-7 on the road at McConnell-Talbert Stadium. … No. 4 Hughes (8-1, 6-0 Region 3-5A) continued its run of blowouts in region play, defeating Morrow (2-6, 1-4 Region 3-5A) 66-0. The Panthers have only given up 27 total points in six region wins and have scored at least 46 in each of those victories. … No. 6 Coffee (8-1, 3-1 Region 2-5A) was a 41-7 home winner over Veterans (0-9, 0-4 Region 2-5A). Coffee travels to No. 3 Thomas County Central, also 3-1 in region play and tied with the Trojans for second place, in next week’s regular-season finale. … No. 9 Rome (6-2, 6-0 Region 5-5A) won 35-7 over New Manchester (7-2, 4-2 Region 5-5A) at home.
Class 4A
Cartersville 45, Hiram 43
Cartersville needed a last-second field goal to close out a perfect 10-0 season and clinch the Region 7-4A title. Hiram led 21-14 at the half after completing a hail mary as time expired. Cartersville opened the second half with three-straight touchdowns to take a 35-21 lead with 2:40 left in the third. Hiram brought the game within seven points and then capitalized on an interception to steal a possession and even the game 35-35 with 5:02 left. Cartersville regained a 42-35 lead, but Hiram answered and used a successful two-point conversion to go up 43-42 with 2:07 left. Cartersville drove within field goal range and kicked the game-winner as time expired.
Kell 28, Cambridge 14
Kell (6-4, 2-2) outscored Cambridge (8-1, 2-1) 21-7 in the second half to serve the Bears their first loss of the season. After rushing for six touchdowns last week (31-326-6), Kell’s Quinterrius Moonie Gipson dazzled again with 225 yards and four touchdowns off 28 carries. Defensively, Kell limited Cambridge to just 149 total yards of offense, including minus-25 yards rushing.
Cass 32, Allatoona 17
With its playoff hopes on the line, Cass defeated Allatoona 32-17. Cass started scoring early in the first quarter to take a 7-0 lead. The Colonels’ defense added to the lead with a safety two minutes before the end of the quarter. Late in the second, they scored again on a 14-yard pass to extend the lead to 16-0. Allatoona cut into the lead with a 50-yard field goal just before halftime, making it 16-3. The Cass defense added another safety, and on the ensuing kickoff, the Colonels returned it 70 yards for a touchdown, extending their lead to 25-3. Near the end of the third quarter, Allatoona narrowed the gap with a rushing touchdown, bringing the score to 25-10. Cass answered with a rushing touchdown early in the fourth quarter to go up 32-10. Allatoona added a final touchdown with less than four minutes remaining, to reach the final score of 32-17.
Blessed Trinity 41, Centennial 3
Third-ranked Blessed Trinity improved to 7-1 on the season and 3-0 in Region 6 with an emphatic victory over visiting Centennial. The Titans got a trio of touchdowns from Ahmontae Pitts in the first half, then added a 45-yard field goal by Noah Godhard, a touchdown pass from Brooks Goodman to Andrew Cochran, and a quarterback strip sack and fumble returned for a touchdown by DJ Jacobs for the game’s final points at the end of the third quarter.
Pace Academy 42, Forest Park 0
Pace Academy (4-5, 3-3 Region 4-4A) handled Forest Park (1-7, 0-5 Region 4-4A) at home at the Riverview Sports Complex, leading 35-0 at halftime. In the first half, Cooper Williams rushed for touchdowns of 73 and 8 yards, Ricky Washington rushed for touchdowns of 37 and 26 yards and Jalen Smith rushed for a 9-yard score. The Knights capped the scoring in the third quarter with an interception return for a touchdown.
North Oconee 63, Flowery Branch 7
North Oconee clinched the Region 8 championship and improved to 9-0. Senior Landon Roldan scored a 67-yard touchdown from Harrison Faulkner on the first play of the game and he had three catches for 163 yards and three touchdowns on his first three touches. Faulkner finished with five touchdown passes and also rushed for a 54-yard score. He found Patrick Elliott and Dallas Dickerson for his other two passing touchdowns. Braxton Goolsby and sophomore quarterback Will Richardson rushed for touchdowns and Dickerson also added an interception he returned for a touchdown.
Perry 31, Benedictine 27
No. 8 ranked Perry clinched the Region 1 title on the road in its first-ever meeting with No. 10 Benedictine. Decorrion Daniels put the Panthers up 7-0 with a 6-yard touchdown run and the teams traded field goals to keep Perry up 10-3. Running back Ahmad Gordon grew Perry’s lead to 17-3 with a touchdown run, but Benedictine cut the deficit to 17-13 at the half with a touchdown pass from sophomore Omari Burse to Eron Mallard and Connor Ferguson’s second field goal. Burse hit tight end John Lilly for a Cadets touchdown to give Benedictine its first lead of the game at 20-17. Perry’s Ashon Ashley used a 60-yard interception touchdown return to put the Panthers back up 24-20 midway through the third quarter. Burse found Stanley Smart Jr. for a 56-yard touchdown to give Benedictine a 27-24 lead, but Daniels returned the ensuing kickoff 90 yards for a Perry touchdown to make it 31-27 before the Panthers sealed the victory with a scoreless final frame.
Ware County 24, Warner Robins 21
Host Ware County, ranked No. 9 in Class 4A, held on against Warner Robins in a game the Gators led 21-7 at halftime. Ware County (4-4, 2-1 Region 1-4A) allowed two Warner Robins touchdowns inside of five minutes in the fourth quarter but got a 30-yard field goal from William Bates to hold off the Demons (6-3, 2-2 Region 1-4A). Ware County recovered the onside kick after Warner Robins’ final touchdown with a minute and a half remaining and ran out the clock from there. Jamir Boyd (25 yards) and Tayshaun Franklin (10 yards) rushed for first-half touchdowns, and Luke Hooks found Cole Cox for a 17-yard touchdown pass to give the Gators their 21-7 halftime lead.
In other Class 4A games — No. 2 Marist defeated Lithonia 49-6 and has allowed an average of 1.5 points over the last four games. … No. 5 Cedartown got back to its winning ways in its regular season finale with a 52-point win over Woodland-Cartersville. … No. 7 Creekside won its third consecutive region title after a 42-6 win over Maynard Jackson. … Unranked Drew defeated MLK 37-14. … Unranked New Hampstead picked up its first region win of the season in a 40-7 win over Wayne County. … Unranked Stockbridge shut out ELCA in a 65-0 win. … Unranked Jonesboro has a chance at a region championship in Region 3-4A after a 41-7 win over Northside-Columbus. … Unranked Tucker rallied in the final minute to knock off St. Pius X 28-26 and has a potential chance for a region championship against Marist. … Unranked Ola picked up its third consecutive victory in a 42-10 victory over Hampton. … Unranked Central-Carrollton produced its first shutout of the season over Griffin in a 33-point victory. … In a defensive battle, Southeast Whitfield defeated Towns County 7-3. … After losing five of its first six games, unranked Locust Grove won its third straight game over Union Grove in a 45-34 win. … Unranked Harris County secured a playoff spot on Friday after its 41-0 win over Mundy’s Mill. … Unranked Jones County shut out Eagles Landing 42-0 at home. … Unranked Madison County defeated Walnut Grove 21-6.
Class 3A
Mary Persons 37, Sandy Creek 29
Mary Persons pulled off arguably the biggest upset in the state Friday after moving past top-ranked and previously undefeated Sandy Creek (8-1, 6-1) at home and a – while leading 34-21 — a 26-yard field goal from Ryan Bankston with seven minutes left in the game put the game out of reach. The Bulldogs (2-7, 2-5) trailed 7-0 after a touchdown run from Amari Latimer and cut into the lead with a field goal late in the first quarter. Nic Arnold put Mary Persons ahead on a short run early in the second quarter and a point-after try from Ryan Bankston gave the Bulldogs a 10-7 lead. Latimer scored on another short run to put the top-ranked Patriots ahead 13-0 after a missed point-after try with six minutes left in the first half. Mary Persons responded with a 60-yard touchdown run on the ensuring drive to retake the 17-13 lead. Mac Nelson passed 29 yards to Caden Lavinka with one minute left in the first half to push the lead to 24-13, forced Sandy Creek to a four-and-out, and extended the lead to 27-13 with a field goal. Nelson’s 10-yard pass to Lavinka extended the margin to 34-13 after the Bankston point-after try. Sandy Creek cut into the deficit on a 31-yard pass early in the fourth quarter but could not thwart the upset and scored with two minutes left in the game on a short pass.
Adairsville 28, Gilmer 0
Adairsville quarterback Ethan Long threw touchdown passes to Xavious Nails and Barrett Fuller in the first half to give the Tigers a 14-0 lead. Long’s third touchdown pass was a 27-yard strike to Tre Winters—who iced the game with an interception return for a touchdown that gave the host Tigers a 28-0 lead.
Jefferson 35, Cherokee Bluff 7
Jefferson, ranked No. 4, took a 4-0 lead in the Region 8 standings after outclassing No. 3-ranked and previously undefeated Cherokee Bluff. The Dragons will play at Oconee County (3-1) next week to help further determine the region’s playoff pecking order.
Whitewater 30, Fayette County 10
Parker Morr scored on touchdown rushes of 25 and 15 yards as Whitewater (4-5, 4-3 Region 2-3A) defeated Fayette County (1-8, 1-6 Region 2-3A) at home. Gino Jean-Paul scored on a 42-yard run, and Blake Battle rushed for a 3-yard score for Whitewater. The Wildcats also converted two two-point conversions and led 30-0 until late in the third quarter when Fayette County made a field goal.
Pickens 28, Greater Atlanta Christian 25
Carson Mitton answered a Greater Atlanta Christian field goal with a 12-yard touchdown run to give Pickens a 7-3 lead at the end of the first quarter. GAC regained the lead with a 5-yard Denzell Watkins touchdown run and went into the half up 10-7. Pickens scored back-to-back touchdowns in the third quarter to build a 21-10 lead. The Spartans answered with a CJ Ohubunwa touchdown run and two-point conversion and a Watkins touchdown pass to Jaden Henry to take a 24-21 advantage. Pickens capped its game-winning scoring drive with an 8-yard touchdown run with just 20 seconds left.
Peach County 48, Cairo 17
Peach County led 20-17 at the half before holding No. 7 Cairo scoreless in the second half in a key Region 1 victory. Peach led 13-0 after the first quarter before being outscored 17-7 in the second quarter. The Trojans are at the top of the league standings at 4-0 while Cairo falls to 3-1.
In other 3A games – Calhoun’s 38-0 victory against Heritage-Catoosa secured the Region 7 title for the Yellow Jackets (6-3, 5-0), who will play at LaFayette (0-9, 0-5). … Oconee County led 14-0 at the half and tacked on six points in the fourth quarter to move past Monroe Area in Region 8 play. The Warriors (5-4, 3-1) are tied with Cherokee Bluff (8-1, 3-1) in the league standings and will host Jefferson next week. …
Class 2A
Stephens County 37, Hart County 34
Stephens County rode a 17-point first quarter to victory and turned down a Hart County comeback as the Indians escaped with a 37-34 victory. After going down early in the first quarter 17-0, Hart County’s Kurston Curry found Isaac Durrett for a 21-yard touchdown strike to cut the lead to 10 points by halftime. With over six minutes left in the third, Pierce Mewborn found the endzone from 20-yards out to cut the Stephens County lead to just three points. The Indians scored 13 points unanswered to make the score 30-14 by the end of the third. In the fourth quarter Hart County added six points to cut the lead to 10 points before a 74-yard touchdown pass from Curry to Trae Martin brought the Indians lead back to three points. A 10-yard Stephens County touchdown brought the lead back up to 10 points before a Curry five-yard touchdown rush with 50 seconds left in the game cut the lead back down to three.
North Murray 40, Coahulla Creek 15
North Murray improves to 6-3 on the season as they took down Coahulla Creek 40-15. After scoring 15 points in the first quarter, the Colts were shut out in the rest of the game as the North Murray offense began to find its groove. North Murray scored 33 points unanswered after the first quarter. The Mountaineers scored 20 in the second, six in the third and seven in the fourth as they earn their fifth region-win of the season. North Murray improves to 11-0 all-time against Coahulla Creek.
Hebron Christian 38, Franklin County 21
The Hebron Christian Lions improved to 8-1 this season as they took down Franklin County, 38-21, knocking them to 3-6 on the season and still winless in region play. The Lions held an early 10-3 lead after the first quarter before a Devon Caldwell rushing touchdown brought the Hebron Christian lead to 17-3. The Lions led 31-9 at the break following two more scores from the Lions to close the half. After a Franklin County touchdown, the Lions led 31-15 to end the third quarter with both teams finding the endzone in the fourth as Hebron Christian earned its eighth win on the season after defeating Franklin County. The Lions were all over the stat sheet tonight in their victory including 158 yards and two touchdowns for Caldwell, 98 yards and two touchdowns on four catches or Jarvis Mathurin while also accounting for 163 return yards and a touchdown on special teams to account for three touchdowns on the night. The Lions offense totaled 327 yards of total offense while its defense did its job with Sichan John with 12 tackles including two tackles for loss and Carrington Coombs adding seven tackles with a tackle for loss and a sack on the night.
Westside-Macon 57, Rutland 18
Head coach Sheddrick ‘Spoon’ Risper has coached at Westside-Macon since 2009, spending his entire 16-year head coaching career leading the Seminoles. And after upending Rutland, Risper is tied for the most victories in Macon-Bibb County school district with 114. Westside is 2-2 in Region 2-2A play and is on the playoff bubble at the No. 4 spot in the league standings.
In other Class 2A games – Carver-Columbus defeated Jordan 66-6 to improve to 6-0 in Region 1-2A. ….Sumter County took down Hardaway 30-0 to improve its record to 8-1. …Morgan County jumped to a 20-0 lead over Pike County in the first quarter en route to a 41-5 victory. …Callaway led Jackson 39-14 at halftime and went on to win 45-14. …Burke County earned a 56-10 victory over Butler after leading 43-0 at the half. …Rockmart led Murray County 44-0 at halftime, earning its seventh win of the year with a 72-0 victory.
Class A Division I
Fellowship Christian 42, Wesleyan 17
Fellowship Christian running back CJ Givers led the Paladins to their first-ever win over Wesleyan in four tries with a brilliant four-touchdown performance. Wesleyan quarterback Ben Brown found Wes Vail for a 27-yard touchdown to give the Wolves a 7-0 lead after the first quarter. Givers tied it up 7-7 with a 33-yard touchdown run midway through the second quarter. After forcing a three-and-out and getting a nice punt return by UNC-commit Evan Haynes, Givers cashed in a 7-yard touchdown to put the Paladins up 14-7 at the half. Haynes returned the opening kickoff of the second half for a touchdown to increase Fellowship’s lead to 21-7. Brown found Georgia Tech-commit and tight end Connor Rush for a 32-yard touchdown to bring the Wolves within 21-14 with 9:08 left in the third quarter. Wesleyan failed a surprise onside kick and Fellowship Christian quarterback Jonathan Granby finished the scoring drive with a 7-yard touchdown run to push the lead to 28-14. That margin held heading into the fourth quarter before Givers broke free for a 19-yard touchdown run—his third of the game. Fellowship Christian intercepted Brown on the next possession and Givers iced the game with a 73-yard touchdown run to make it 42-14 with 8:55 left. Wesleyan added a late field goal for the final margin.
ACE Charter 29, Bleckley County 28 (OT)
Ace Hatcher scored on a rushing touchdown and completed a two-point conversion to lead ACE Charter over Bleckley County in overtime. Bleckley County jumped to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and had a 14-7 lead at halftime. ACE Charter tied the game at 14 in the third quarter when Hatcher completed a 61-yard TD pass to Clay Pinholster. Bleckley scored later in the third, but Hatcher answered with a 20-yard rushing touchdown early in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 21. Bleckley took the lead at the start of overtime when Joshua Stanley scored on a 9-yard run.
Savannah Christian 48, Swainsboro 12
Savannah Christian scored early and often in the Raiders’ 48-12 win over Swainsboro. On the opening kickoff, Kenry Wall took the ball 80 yards for a touchdown. The Tigers quickly answered with a 64-yard touchdown run by Ja’Bois Smith, cutting the lead to 7-6. The Raiders then scored the next 41 points in the half, including four passing touchdowns from Baise Thomas to Kenry Wall. The second half was quiet for both teams, with the only points coming from a 40-yard rushing touchdown by Marco Danford with seven minutes left in the third quarter. This win set up next week’s matchup with Toombs County as the region championship for Region 3-A Division I.
Athens Academy 34, Rabun County 28
Quarterback Hampton Johnson threw three touchdown passes to Keyon Standifer (60, 19, 58 yards) and two to KJ Whitehead (61, 9) to lead the host Spartans past Rabun County and clinch Region 8-DI with a perfect 10-0 regular season. Standifer also had an interception to close the first half that kept Athens Academy in front 21-14 at the break.
Fitzgerald 25, Bacon County 3
The Fitzgerald Purple Hurricanes improved to 6-2 on the season after holding Bacon County to a field goal. Fitzgerald took a 17-0 lead into the half as its defense continued to stall the Bacon County offense. A Fitzgerald touchdown and a Bacon County field goal concluded the scoring for the game in the second half. The three points the Red Raiders scored tonight were the lowest in a game this season, with it being their only game this season being held under double-digit points. Fitzgerald improves to 16-1 all-time against Bacon County and 4-1 in region play.
Commerce 27, Banks County 10
Commerce kicker Adam Calderon hit a pair of field goals to put the Tigers up 6-0 and Jacari Huff ran in a 15-yard touchdown to increase the lead to 14-0. Banks County answered with a touchdown and late field goal to make it 14-10 at the half and that margin held until the fourth quarter. Jaiden Daniels rushed for a touchdown with 2:52 left in the fourth to put Commerce up 20-10 and then sophomore Ty Sorrells iced the game with a 55-yard interception returned for a touchdown.
Temple 51, Darlington 7
Temple (7-2, 4-1) made history Friday night—defeating Darlington for the first time in school history, setting a school record for wins in a season and securing home field in the playoffs for the first time. Temple jumped out to a 24-0 lead after the first quarter and took a 44-7 lead into the half before closing out the victory with a running clock. The Tigers will be the No. 2 seed behind top seed Heard County and will close out the regular season next Friday at Model.
Heard County 38, Model 26
In the first-ever matchup between the programs, Heard County defeated Model 38-26 to improve to 7-2 on the season. The Braves forced a fumble on the opening kickoff and returned it to the end zone to take a 7-0 lead only 14 seconds into the game. After leading 7-6 at the end of the first quarter, Heard County’s Ethan Tisdale scrambled into the endzone from 17-yards out to take a 14-6 lead. After the Braves blocked a punt, Tisdale capitalized with a six-yard rushing score to add to the Heard County lead, making 21-6 into the half. After a Heard County field goal and a Model score, Tisdale found the end zone for the third time, this time from two yards out to take a 31-12 lead. Following another Braves touchdown, Model was able to score two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter, but the comeback-bid wasn’t enough as the Braves remained undefeated in region play on the season.
Northeast 40, Dodge County 19
Sixth-ranked Dodge County suffered its first loss of the season at the hands of eighth-ranked Northeast to drop to 8-1 and 7-1 in region play. Senior running back Nick Woodford had four touchdowns for the host Raiders, who improved to 7-2 with the win and will close out their season at East Laurens next week.
In other Class A Division I games – Dublin used a huge first half to beat Central-Macon 69-0. The Fighting Irish scored 62 points in the first half, setting up a region title matchup next week against Dodge County.
In other Class A Division I games — Worth County scored a 62-17 win over Jeff Davis and remains in a three-way tie at the top of Region 1 with Thomasville and Fitzgerald. … Northeast served Dodge County its first loss of the season ahead of Dodge County’s trip to No. 2 ranked Dublin next week. Savannah Christian cruised past Swainsboro 48-12 and Toombs County defeated Vidalia 51-6. These victories set up a rare No. 1 versus No. 1 between region opponents (a first of its kind) as Class A-3A Private No. 1 Savannah Christian hosts Class A-Div. 1 No. 1 ranked Toombs County next Friday for the Region 3 title. …Fannin County moved one step closer to clinching the Region 7 title with its win over Christian Heritage and can shore up the top seed next week at Gordon Lee—following the Trojans’ win over Coosa.
Class A Division II
Wilcox County 28, Wheeler County 0
Wilcox County’s Myles Davis rushed for a 5-yard touchdown in the final minute of the half to give the visiting Patriots a 13-0 lead. Davis returned to the endzone midway through the third quarter and Melvin McAdoo added a two-point conversion to push the lead to 21-0. McAdoo iced the game with a 10-yard touchdown run to open the final frame.
Brooks County 49, Charlton County 8
After starting the season 2-3, Brooks County has won four consecutive games and against Charlton County, Brooks led 35-2 at halftime. The Trojans gave up their second-fewest points of the season in their 41-point victory. In the winning streak, the Trojans eclipsed 40 points. The Trojans have scored 40 points four times this season and have found their groove offensively. Brooks County will play for a region championship next week against Irwin County.
Thursday games
Class 5A
East Paulding 31, South Paulding 28
Senior quarterback Chantz Bouknight was 11-of-17 passing for 146 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 22 yards and a touchdown to lead East Paulding past South Paulding. Senior Javen Parker led rushers with 18 carries for 125 yards and a touchdown. Senior Brian Allen had five catches for 97 yards and a touchdown. Senior Landon Shaffer was 4-for-4 on point-after tries and 1-for-1 on field goals. Emery Giles returned a fumble for a touchdown to lead the East Paulding defense.
Shiloh 29, Lakeside-DeKalb 21
Senior Marlin Mathis had 22 carries for 303 yards and three touchdowns to pace Shiloh. Senior quarterback Ricky Simmons had one touchdown pass to senior Landon Dean.
Class 4A
Eastside 62, Cedar Shoals 10
Eastside rushed for seven touchdowns from six different players to move past Cedar Shoals. Junior Myles Sims had two touchdown runs while junior Tyler Solomon, sophomore Cameron Griffieth, freshman Josh Barr, sophomore Amond Sands and senior Jayden Barr each had one touchdown run. Junior quarterback Payton Shaw was 11-of-13 passing for 175 yards and a touchdown to senior Michael Kenon Jr.
Southwest DeKalb 55, Northview 8
Braylon Carter passed for four touchdowns and ran for another to lead the Panthers past Northview. Samuel Turner caught two touchdown receptions while Tamir Rudolph and Ramique Thomas each had one touchdown reception. Kingston Lobdell and Bryce Smith each had one touchdown run for Southwest DeKalb and Rudolph tacked on a kickoff returned for a touchdown in the romp.
Class 3A
Cedar Grove 44, Riverdale 0
Zsewaun Smith, who ran for five touchdowns last week, added 250 rushing yards and three touchdowns to lead Cedar Grove past Riverdale. Josiah Moore passed for touchdowns to Smith and Cleve Sutherland. Amon Martin scored on a touchdown run for the Saints.
Troup 37, Spalding 14
Junior Garrison Edwards had two carries for 77 yards and two touchdowns to lead Troup past Spalding. Juniors Trenton Hodo and Monty Heard each had one rushing touchdown for Troup.
Class A Division I
McNair 27, Towers 18
McNair rushed for nearly 300 yards and four touchdowns to move past Towers in a Region 4 game. Anterrion Theodore had 10 carries for 129 yards and a touchdown. Jeremy Victor added 73 rushing yards with two touchdowns.
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