Friday football roundup

Grayson came back to beat Hughes in a Class AAAAA ranked showdown while Allatoona beat North Paulding. See the below recaps for these summaries and more.

Class AAAAAA

Central Gwinnett 21, Mundy’s Mill 8: Central Gwinnett defended its home turf behind a big game from wide receiver Major Bellamy. Mundy’s Mill couldn’t stop Central Gwinnett’s passing attack as quarterback Eric Forrest was 10-for-12 for 96 yards and a rushing score in the first half for Central Gwinnett. A 70-yard pass to Bellamy put the Black Knights up 14-8 in the third. Bellamy and Forrest hooked up one more time to make it 21-8. Bellamy had nine catches for 200 yards and two touchdowns.

Chattahoochee 20, North Forsyth 17: David Nicoletta threw first-half touchdown passes of 21 and 73 yards to Isaac Kinsey as visiting Chattahoochee held off North Forsyth. The Cougars still found themselves tied at 17-17 in the final minute before Andrew Gray booted a game-winning field goal from 45 yards away. North Forsyth tried to answer, but a last-second field goal fell short.

Dacula 28, Mill Creek 21: Dacula won a back-and-forth affair with host Mill Creek by scoring all four of its touchdowns on the ground. The Hawks answered each of visiting Dacula’s touchdowns with touchdowns of their own, but the Falcons’ fourth score proved to be the game-winner after a 21-21 tie. Dacula got scoring jaunts from C.J. Mayes, Kelan Fraise, Kevin Ficklin and quarterback Giovanni Lugo. For Mill Creek, Daniel David completed 10 of 19 passes for 124 yards and rushed eight times for 86 yards and a touchdown.

Druid Hills 45, Clarkston 7: Hasaan Enis and Trevino Huff ran in a pair of Druid Hills touchdowns and Equavius Huff added to the first-half scoring flurry with an interception return for a touchdown to give the visiting Red Devils a commanding 33-0 lead. Keon Carter ran for a touchdown and Harrison Aiken threw a touchdown pass to Dajour Maddox to extend Druid Hills’ lead to 45-0 entering the final quarter.

East Coweta 24, Harrison 7: East Coweta traveled to Harrison and was led by quarterback Will LaGuardia, who tossed a 3-yard pass to E.J. Ransom to start the scoring. Alex Branch plowed in the second score of the game from one yard out. East Coweta outgained Harrison 201 to 64 in the first half. Harrison scored after an East Coweta fumble. The Indians iced the game after a Lernilous Newsom 14-yard touchdown run.

Grayson 26, Hughes 16: Grayson erased a 16-7 second-half deficit to overcome host Langston Hughes in a non-region Class AAAAAA showdown. The Rams got off to an inauspicious start when a snap over the punter’s head led to first-quarter touchdown for Langston Hughes.

The Rams got on the scoreboard seconds before halftime when an Ernest Tiller interception set up a touchdown pass from Chase Brice to Hunter Schuessler. Grayson’s deficit ballooned to 16-9 when the Panthers scored on an 80-yard pass to begin the second half.

From there, however, it was all Grayson. The Rams found the endzone on a deflected pass from Brice to DeShaun Warren in the third quarter and running back Cameryn Brent took over in the fourth to account for the contest’s last two touchdowns.

Lowndes 50, Drew 14: Host Lowndes took a 43-0 lead at the half. Running back Dezmon Copeland led the Vikings with 146 yards on 11 carries with three scores. Lowndes rushed for 313 yards and passed for 74 yards. Drew quarterback Joseph Newman threw for 186 yards on 10 of 19 passing but also had two interceptions. The Titans had four total turnovers.

Marietta 37, Newnan 14: The visiting Blue Devils outscored Newnan 35-7 in the second half. Kirvonte Benson rushed for a 54-yard touchdown and Malik Marshall gave Marietta a 14-7 lead on a 35-yard touchdown reception from Brenton Martin. Kendrick Knight recovered a Newnan fumble to extend Marietta’s lead to 21-7 and the Blue Devils added a safety on an arrant Newnan snap and Benson’s second touchdown run before Martin’s 5-yard scamper made it 27-7.

Milton 26, Norcross 0: Micco Brisker rushed for 149 yards and two touchdowns (27, 42) and the Milton defense held visiting Norcross to 94 total yards and six first downs. Linebacker Quarte Sapp had two interceptions, including one he returned 21 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter. Milton quarterback Austin McLeod was 5-for-10 passing for 83 yards, 68 of those went to Obe Fortune. Ethan Suda added a 29-yard field goal in the third quarter.

North Cobb 27, Cartersville 26: Tyler Queen rushed for one touchdown and threw for another as host North Cobb battled past Cartersville. The Warriors trailed 14-0 and 20-10 but eventually tied the game at 20-20 heading into halftime. Once again trailing in the second half, this time 26-20, Queen hit Billy Nichols for what proved to be the winning touchdown prior to a scoreless fourth quarter. North Cobb also got a touchdown run from Elijah Hairston.

Northview 41, Habersham Central 0: D.J. Pearson threw for five touchdown passes, more than enough for host Northview. Ricci Nuckles hauled in three of the scoring strikes, while Jair Anderson and Nathan Phillips each had one touchdown reception apiece. Josh Moran added a touchdown run for the Titans.

Peachtree Ridge 41, Parkview 24: Peachtree Ridge scored 35 unanswered points following an early 7-0 deficit to cruise past Parkview, whose two first-half turnovers each led to Lions’ touchdowns. The visiting Lions got six total touchdowns from quarterback Chance Thrasher, five through the air and one on the ground courtesy of a 50-yard run. Thrasher threw three scoring strikes to Tyler Campbell and one each to Malik Murray and Malik Robinson.

Pebblebrook 13, Osborne 0: Pebblebrook got a punt return touchdown from senior Hakeem Bailey in the second quarter to go up 13-0. Pebblebrook opened scoring in the first quarter with an 8-yard touchdown pass from Jakobe Burke to tight end Quantavious Arnold. The Falcons’ defense caused two turnovers, both fumbles.

Rockdale County 58, Meadowcreek 0: Rockdale County used a balanced attack to attain a shutout victory at home. The Bulldogs had over 200 yards rushing and over 100 yards passing as the offense was too much for Meadowcreek to handle. TJ Warren had a touchdown through the air and also a kick return for touchdown. He almost had a punt return touchdown, but it was wiped away due to clipping. Devin Williams added two rushing touchdowns to help carry the Bulldogs. Keijne Thomas also got into the endzone on a rushing touchdown.

Shiloh 14, Westlake 7: Cameron Stewart caught a 7-yard touchdown pass with 8:23 left in the opening quarter to give visiting Shiloh a 7-0 lead. Charles Shavers extended the lead with a 10-yard touchdown run. After a scoreless second and third quarter, Westlake quarterback Julian Jones ran in a 51-yard touchdown with 2:11 left in the game to cut it to 14-7, and after a Shiloh punt, Westlake stalled on its final drive.

Tift County 31, Luella 0: The Lions and Blue Devils met on the gridiron for the first time and host Tift County jumped to a 17-0 halftime lead before securing its first shutout since Sept. 14, 2012. Tift County quarterback Tajhea Chambers ran in his first touchdown in the first half and added touchdown runs in both quarters of the second half to extend the lead to 31-0.

Walton 59, Lassiter 19: Walton quarterback Josh White rushed for three touchdowns and passed for one to Sam Letton, and host Lassiter committed 10 turnovers to Walton’s none. K.K. Brooks and Bre’Yon Allen rushed for touchdowns of 26 and 49 yards, respectively. Walton jumped out to a 28-7 lead after the first quarter thanks to two interception returns for touchdowns from linebackers Joey Goodman and Garrett Eldred.

Woodstock 21, Wheeler 3: The host Wolverines scored on their opening drive with a 10-yard touchdown run by Josh Loud to gain a early 7-0 lead. Wheeler responded on defense by forcing a Woodstock turnover and kicking a field goal, which cut the deficit to 7-3. However, the Wolverines pulled away in the second half with a 30-yard touchdown reception by Reagan Amos along with a score by Justin Agner.

Class AAAAA

Alexander 41, Paulding County 31: Dionte Ruffin found Dustin Gore for a 65-yard touchdown and a 2-yard Paulding County touchdown run extended the host Patriots’ lead to 13-0. Alexander answered with a 20-yard Isaac Zico rushing touchdown to close the opening quarter. An 87-yard kickoff return by Zico for a touchdown and a pair of Andrew Chandler field goals gave Alexander a 20-19 edge heading into the half. The teams traded touchdowns to open the second half, but a failed Paulding County two-point conversion left Alexander’s lead at 27-25. Thomas Sieh rushed for an 11-yard touchdown that allowed Paulding County to reclaim the lead at 31-27, but Baylor Whitfield found Leon Agee for an Alexander touchdown to give the Cougars a 34-31 lead with just over eight minutes remaining. Alexander’s Jordan Pounds iced the game with a 50-yard interception return for a touchdown.

Allatoona 56, North Paulding 35: Allen Johnson recovered a North Paulding fumble for a touchdown to give host Allatoona a 14-7 lead. Russell Haliman rushed for an Allatoona touchdown to make it 21-7 and also had a 60-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 28-28. Haliman’s third touchdown gave Allatoona a 49-35 lead and Bryan Dallas’ third trip to the end zone were the game’s final points.

Carver-Atlanta 16, Grady 12: Carver-Atlanta held on in a tight game on its home turf thanks to the defense. Aaron Williams flew around the field collecting double-digit tackles and Bryce Wilson grabbed an interception. Emmett Grier tacked on a big safety against Grady. Greggory Peyton rushed for over a hundred yards and tacked on a touchdown during the defensive battle.

Dunwoody 19, Chamblee 12: Dunwoody improved to 2-0 with a win over Chamblee. Running backs Daniel Hinton and Tyler Scales combined for 204 rushing yards on 34 carries in two touchdowns. The host Wildcats led 13-6 in the third quarter, but Chamblee gained momentum with a punt return touchdown to cut the deficit to 13-12. A Dunwoody touchdown in the fourth quarter, along with an interception at the end of the game, sealed the victory.

Forsyth Central 36, Woodland-Bartow 14: Forsyth Central got on the board with a safety, a 6-yard Shaun Diebel touchdown run and a 23-yard touchdown pass from Trey Abercrombie to Patrick Little with 33 seconds left before the half. The visiting Bulldogs led 16-7 at halftime. Sabrian Howard scored on 2- and 38-yard touchdown runs in the third quarter and Diebel capped off the scoring with his second rushing touchdown in the final quarter.

River Ridge 15, North Atlanta 0: Marcus Spears threw two touchdown passes for visiting River Ridge, one for 96 yards to Michael Lewis in the fourth quarter. Spears also hit Jarrod Fletcher, who had two interceptions on defense, for a touchdown in the third quarter. River Ridge led at halftime 2-0 after a North Atlanta safety on a bad punt snap.

Riverwood 31, Creekview 10: Mekhi Richardson returned a kickoff for a touchdown for visiting Riverwood, and quarterback Brennen Suttle had a quarterback sneak for a score. Khai Anderson had a 2-yard rushing touchdown and an interception on defense. Riverwood receiver Marvin Kinsey covered a fumble by teammate Reggie Prince in the end zone for a touchdown, and Skyler de Groot capped the scoring with a 42-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.

Salem 19, Heritage-Conyers, 14: Home Salem started the game with a 68-yard touchdown reception by Tristin Hernandez. Christian Reid answered with a quick touchdown run to tie the game for visiting Heritage. Salem led Heritage 13-7 at the half. Anthony Stanley scored a touchdown to put Heritage up by one in the fourth quarter. Salem forced a fumble late in the fourth to seal the win in a battle of Rockdale County programs.

South Paulding 34, Villa Rica 31 (OT): In one of the most thrilling games of the Night, South Paulding rallied from down 24-10 to knock off visiting Villa Rica in overtime. Villa Rica led 24-10 at the half, but 14 unanswered second half points got the Spartans back in the game. With under four minutes to go, Villa Rica regained the lead 31-24. On a late drive with under two minutes to go, penalties proved costly for the visiting Wildcats. South Paulding QB Jake Oglesby scrambled and got hit late going out of bounds costing the Villa Rica defense 15 yards. Another personal foul occurred against the Wildcats as a scrum started along the sidelines and put the Spartans in scoring position at the 15. Oglesby then found receiver LJ Pope who managed to break two tackles before getting wrestled down at the goal line. Oglesby was able to sneak the ball in tying the game at 31 and sending it to overtime. In overtime, quarterback Noah Smith received a bad snap and lost three yards. A couple of overthrows later and a missed field goal let South Paulding get the ball back and end it. Noah Smith was 13-of-26 passing for 200 yards, connecting with his favorite target Chris Ballinger four times for 103 yards. Marquis McPhal added on 65 yards on 16 carries.

Class AAAA

Eagle’s Landing 41, Southwest Macon 7: Three Antonio Gibson touchdowns and a 50-yard touchdown reception from Tyler Heflin to Brandon Clark gave host Eagle’s Landing a commanding 27-0 first-quarter lead. Gibson’s first two touchdowns were receptions of 42 and 24 yards off passes from George McDonald. Gibson’s third touchdown was scored as the junior recovered an Eagle’s Landing fumble, scooped it and ran it into the endzone from 26 yards out. Aaron Dore rushed for touchdowns in the second and third quarter to extend the Golden Eagles’ lead to 41-0 entering the fourth quarter. Defensively, Emmett Sherrod intercepted a pass and Andy Constant, Phillip Temple and Malik Marlin each recorded a pair of sacks.

Griffin 36, Burke County 22: Anforne Stround found Keyston Fuller for a 78-yard touchdown pass on the first play of scrimmage to spark visiting Griffin to its 17th consecutive win. A Jamarcus Hixon field goal extended Griffin’s lead to 17-6 and Griffin answered a Keenan Parker quarterback sneak with the next 19 points to make it 36-14 lead. Burke County’s Jocquez Habersham’s 4-yard touchdown run with 4:34 left in the fourth quarter cut the deficit to the game’s final score.

Whitewater 31, Banneker 20: Whitewater defeated visiting Banneker behind quarterback Jay Ashley and the Wildcats’ rushing attack. Ashley hit on 9 of 14 passes totaling 118 yards and three touchdowns. Christian Wafford carried the ball 14 times for 51 yards and a touchdown. Ian McIntyre rushed the ball for 90 yards on just seven carries.

Woodward Academy 42, St. Pius X 21: Elijah Holyfield rushed 19 times for 156 yards and touchdown runs of 3 and 39 yards in host Woodward Academy’s win. Jes Sutherland threw for 116 yards and two touchdowns, a 12-yard pass to Jacob Robertson and a 17-yard pass to Marcus Hyatt to make the score 42-7 with 9:10 left to play. Mack Green scored two first-quarter touchdowns from close to give Woodward a 14-7 lead.

Class AAA

Blessed Trinity 35, Creekview 14: Milton Shelton accounted for 135 of Blessed Trinity’s 229 rushing yards and ran in a pair of touchdowns to pace the visiting Titans. Junior quarterback Conor Davis finished 15-of-24 passing for 189 yards and found Pat Jasinski for a touchdown pass. Blessed Trinity led 28-7 at the half and touchdown runs from Cam Nolan and Garrett Dupuis helped the Titans overcome three missed field goals.

Calhoun 34, Carrollton 6: Host Calhoun took a 14-3 lead in the first quarter on two Kaelin Riley 2-yard touchdown runs. Olico Dennis added another Yellow Jackets’ score on a 3-yard run in the second quarter and Calhoun led 20-3 at halftime. Austin Bennett returned an interception 65 yards for a score in the third and Bennett capped the scoring in the final period on a 9-yard run. Calhoun totaled 263 rushing yards and held Carrollton to 30 yards on the ground. Riley led Calhoun with 111 rushing yards.

Douglass 47, Cross Keys 2: Sophomore quarterback Johnny Ford had a monster first half for the visiting Douglass, passing for five touchdowns while rushing for another as the Astros led 41-0 at halftime. Cross Keys was held to minus-20 yards rushing, much due to Douglass’ Saddarius Jenkins who totaled three sacks, two forced fumbles and eight tackles. Astros’ receiver Tralik Cofield caught four passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns.

Westminster 14, Laney 6: Quarterback Rankin Woley rushed for an 11-yard touchdown in the third quarter to cap scoring in Westminster’s road win. Woley had 33 yards rushing, and Isaiah Malcome rushed 15 times for 85 yards to lead the team. Westminster scored in the first quarter when defensive lineman Hal Silcox recovered a Laney fumble in the end zone. The Wildcats recovered three fumbles total.

Class AA

Greater Atlanta Christian 23, Eagle’s Landing Christian 16: Eagle’s Landing Christian took a 16-15 lead with four minutes remaining but visiting Greater Atlanta Christian went on an 80-yard drive and scored the game-winner with 58 seconds left. Davis Mills tossed a 19-yard touchdown pass to Darius Slayton for the Spartans’ clinching touchdown. Eagle’s Landing Christian got scoring runs from Cameron Stewart and Nick Dawson in addition to an Alex Usry field goal.

Jeff Davis, 34 North Cobb Christian, 7: Visiting Jeff Davis turned to leading rusher Wenner Rodriguez who would have 13 carries for 208 yards and four touchdowns. Rodriquez had a long of 71 from the line of scrimmage. Jaylene Kirby had five carries for 65 yards and a long of 51 yards for a touchdown. Wyatt Montgomery also added six carries for 44 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Jordan Beverly had three carries for seven yards and went 0-for-3 passing.

Class A

Mt. Pisgah 27, Rabun County 9: Aaron Winchester completed 14 of 17 passes for 152 yards and two touchdowns and also rushed for 117 yards as Mt. Pisgah cruised past host Rabun County. Winchester tossed scoring strikes to Justin Gilvin from 10 yards out and to Oz Dixon from 25 yards. The Patriots also got field goals of 38 and 27 yards from Chase Clark. Ben Miller had 157 all-purpose yards and a three-yard touchdown run for Mt. Pisgah.

Whitefield Academy 49, Providence Academy 0: Whitefield overwhelmed the visiting Storm behind a dominating defense and great rushing attack. Providence Academy was held to just 114 yards of total offense while Whitefield collected 291 yards, 268 via the ground. Sky Dupree carried 12 times for 118 yards and two touchdowns. Jordon Edge added 81 yards and a touchdown. The third head of the three-headed rushing attack was anchored by Nile Ball who gained 67 yards on just six carries and collected a 25-yard rushing touchdown in the process. Ball also brought a 49-yard punt return to the house. Providence got the majority of its offense through the air from Jeremy Hardnett, who passed for 68