Friday football roundup

In a crucial Region 7-AAAAA battle, Kell quarterback Cameron Rosendahl found Ivan Walls for a 40-yard game-winning touchdown pass as time expired to give the host Longhorns a dramatic 28-27 win. Brian Moore rushed for a pair of first-half touchdowns and Cambridge took a 14-13 lead at the break. Hunter Smith extended the Bears’ lead to 21-16 with a touchdown grab, but Kell answered with Josh Blancato’s 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. The Longhorns then took a 22-21 lead after a failed 2-point conversion. John Hurst hauled in a Cambridge touchdown pass to reclaim a 27-22 lead and the Bears failed on the 2-point conversion. Itabari Mason and Rosendahl each rushed for Kell touchdowns in the first half.

See recaps of several other important high school football games below. Please note that we will be updating this post throughout the evening.

AAAAAA

Alpharetta 52, Habersham Central 3: Austin King tossed a 43-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Kopec before finding Lem Cobbs on a 15-yard touchdown pass that gave host Alpharetta a 14-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. King added three more touchdown passes in the second quarter with a 6-yard completion to Darryl Bivens and a 28-yard touchdown throw to Rustin Sutter. Miles Smith corralled a 67-yard touchdown pass and Ryan Kopec booted a 21-yard field goal to give the Raiders a 38-0 lead at the half.  Alpharetta took a 52-0 lead on a 72-yard direct snap rushing touchdown from Sutter.

Archer 42, Parkview 7: Archer picked up its first win of the season in convincing fashion by overwhelming host Parkview. Kyle Davis caught two touchdown passes of more than 60 yards apiece from quarterback Gabe Tiller. Dylan Singleton got the Tigers off to a fast start by rushing for both of his touchdowns in the first quarter en route to a 14-0 lead. Tiller also threw scoring strikes to Jamyest Williams and Aramis Bryant.

Centennial 31, Johns Creek 28: Centennial scored four touchdowns of more than 50 yards including James Kelley’s 93-yard kickoff return, Aaron Turk’s 63-yard reception on a screen pass, quarterback Luther Martinez’s 65-yard run and Casen Conway’s 53-yard run. Brock Wendt added a 33-yard field goal for the visiting Knights, who also got interceptions from defensive backs Jordyn Coleman and Torre Hutchins.

Cherokee 62, Pope 32: A Vance Taylor rushing touchdown and a Spencer Ashley to Andrew Harris touchdown pass gave visiting Cherokee a 14-3 lead. Ashley found Dionte Baker twice for touchdowns in the second quarter and Cherokee opened the half with an onside kick and an Andrew Harris touchdown run. Ashley found Harris again for a 72-yard touchdown that made it a 54-32 Warriors’ lead and Harris iced the game with a 91-yard interception return for a touchdown.

Collins Hill 49, Meadowcreek 7: Collins Hill scored 42 unanswered points to break a 7-7 tie at the end of the first quarter. Jordan Bertrand rushed for each of his two touchdowns in the second quarter and Monty Horn threw both of his touchdown passes in a dominant second quarter that saw the host Eagles outscore their opponents 28-0. With the game in hand, Collins Hill wrapped up the scoring in the third quarter when Blake Randall tossed a touchdown to Codi Russell and Chris Evans ran in a score from 29 yards away.

Dacula 28, Shiloh 6: Quarterback Wesley Whitehead had a 1-yard sneak for a touchdown and threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to fullback Bijan Sirleaf for the visiting Falcons. Sirleaf also had a 2-yard rushing score and Kelan Fraise gave Dacula a 21-6 halftime lead with a kickoff return for a score after Shiloh scored its only points.

Grayson 36, Berkmar 12: Grayson did all of its scoring in the first half and took a 36-0 advantage into the intermission. The visiting Rams led 7-0 after one quarter thanks to a 1-yard touchdown run by Chase Brice. They broke things open in the second, when Cameryn Brent ran in touchdowns of one and 13 yards. Grayson also got scores from Cedric Asseh on an 11-yard reception and from Andrew Hayes on a 50-yard run.

Milton 56, Lassiter 0: Milton racked up 373 passing yards and 127 on the ground for 500 yards of total offense in a dominant shutout of visiting Lassiter. Micco Brisker rushed for 113 yards and three touchdowns, while Chris Turner gained 121 rushing yards and scored twice for the Eagles. Austin McCloud completed nine of 12 passes for 127 yards and one touchdown. Milton led 14-0 after one quarter, 28-0 at the half and 49-0 going into the fourth.

Norcross 38, Duluth 0: Three quarterbacks accounted for touchdowns for Norcross, as Jacob Gassert (10-yard run), Baron Radcliff (16-yard run) and Griffin Barker (8-yard pass to Jared Simpkins) scored for the host Blue Devils, who led 21-0 at halftime. Running backs Jamir Billings and Dominic Sims each added rushing touchdowns. Blake Bingham made a 40-yard field goal, and Norcross recovered three Duluth fumbles.

North Gwinnett 51, Mill Creek 41: North Gwinnett won this high-scoring Region 7 affair behind quarterback John Urzua’s 370 passing yards and four touchdowns (on just 14 of 20 passing). Mill Creek quarterback Daniel David rushed for 193 yards and four scores while Jonathan Hawkins totaled 207 yards on the ground with two touchdowns. The game was back-and-forth throughout, but the visiting Bulldogs took the lead for good when Urzua hit Kyler Knudsen on a 68-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter. Josh Imatorbhebhe caught a  29-yard pass later in the fourth to clinch the win for North Gwinnett.

Peachtree Ridge 49, Mountain View 6: Lions quarterback Chance Thrasher was 20-of-33 passing for 238 yards and five touchdowns. Tyler Campbell and Connor Heyward each had two touchdown receptions for visiting Peachtree Ridge, and Malik Robinson also caught a touchdown pass. Naceem Antenor (65 yards rushing) and Malik Staples (72 yards rushing) ran for scores for the Lions and Chad Clay had an interception just before halftime that was returned for a touchdown, but called back due to an inadvertent whistle.

South Cobb 42, Newnan 39: Marquis Hill gave host Newnan a 13-6 lead with a 95-yard touchdown run at the end of the first quarter. South Cobb reclaimed a 20-13 lead in the second quarter and quarterback Kylil Carter rushed for a 41-yard touchdown in the final minute of the half to make it 27-19. Frankie Williams scored a 45-yard Newnan touchdown that tied the game at 27-27 and Chancellor Johnson ran in his first of two touchdowns that gave Newnan a 33-27 lead. South Cobb used a 66-yard touchdown pass from Carter to Dorquincy Jordan to claim a 34-33 lead, but Johnson’s second rushing score put it back in the Cougars’ favor at 39-34. Michael Lapeyrolerie ran in the game-winning touchdown for South Cobb with 3:19 remaining that gave the Eagles a 42-39 lead.

South Gwinnett 44, Brookwood 14: Josh Shim passed for two touchdowns and both Christian Malloy and Antonio Woods rushed for two scores apiece as host South Gwinnett rolled over Brookwood. Shim connected with B.J. Johnson and Elijah Shah to get the Comets off to a fast 14-0 start. They extended the lead to 28-0 in the second quarter on runs by Malloy and Woods. An eventual 24-yard field goal by South Gwinnett’s Roberto Lindsay made the score 38-7 in the fourth quarter. Malloy finished with 122 yards on nine carries while Shim completed 12 of 22 passes for 138 yards.

Walton 17, Wheeler 10: Wheeler’s Tabius Padgett returned the opening kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown before visiting Walton recovered. The Raiders answered on K.K. Brooks’ 55-yard scoring jaunt in the first quarter. Brooks finished with 219 yards on 31 carries. Josh White threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Sam Letton in the third quarter to put Walton ahead 17-10. Wheeler got within four points on a field goal with fewer than seven minutes remaining before Walton’s John Randall booted a 25-yarder for the final margin.

Westlake 42, Pebblebrook 3: Nigel Warrior scooped up a Pebblebrook fumble and returned it 36 yards for a touchdown to give host Westlake a 7-0 lead. Dakota Rocker found Jamauri Elliott on a 35-yard touchdown pass to give the Lions a 14-3 lead and then Westlake running back Jorden Thomas scored the next three touchdowns and extended the lead to 35-3. The game’s final touchdown came on a 5-yard run from Justin Broughton.

Woodstock 47, Etowah 44: Reagan Amos caught a 15-yard touchdown pass from Justin Agner in the second overtime to end a thriller. The Wolverines gave up a late 38-31 fourth-quarter lead and were held to a field goal on their first overtime possession but stayed alive by forcing Etowah to kick a field goal of its own. Agner finished with three touchdown passes, having previously connected with Jerrail McMickens from 18 yards. McMickens also had a 39-yard touchdown run.

AAAAA

Creekview 35, Cass 25: Creekview built a 21-19 lead going into the half after running back B.J Smith scored on runs of 15 and 4 yards. Host Cass gained its first lead of the game when the Generals punched it into the endzone to make the score 25-21 after a failed 2-point conversion. Smith took over in the fourth quarter when he ran for two more touchdowns, including one from 80 yards, for four total scores along with 215 rushing yards. Creekview quarterback Kyle Wilkie passed for an 81-yard touchdown to Dawson Ewers for the opening score on the first drive of the game.

East Paulding 31, New Manchester 28: Host New Manchester roared back from a 24-0 deficit, but could not catch visiting East Paulding. The Raiders were able to capitalize on a fumbled kickoff and gained a quick 7-0 lead. New Manchester fumbled later and the Raiders made a 26-yard field goal. Running back Tae Ray then scored twice to extend the lead to 24-0. Jaguars quarterback Tabashi Thomas found Tyler Simmons on a 55-yard score and then hooked up with Tyrone Scott from 18 yards out to tack on two late scores before the half making it 24-14. Thomas found Scott once again, this time in the third quarter for a 70-yard strike. Halfway through the third quarter Omahri Jarrett returned a punt 75 yards to complete a streak of 28 unanswered points to take the lead. Ray quickly struck again for his third score of the game on a 70-yard run to give East Paulding the lead 31-28 with 2:39 remaining in the third. The Raiders stopped the Jags late in the fourth quarter on fourth down.

Northside-Warner Robins 55, Greenbrier 0: Willie Jordan scored three touchdowns to help the Eagles rebound after last week’s upset loss to Jones County. Jordan opened the scoring with a 79-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Tobias Oliver and scored on runs of 4 and 37 yards. Sixth ranked Northside also got touchdowns from T.J. Anderson on a 4-yard run, Juman Weaver with a 42-yard from Oliver, Desean Dinkins on a 74-yard run, Treyvon Willis on a 19-yard run and Tanner Smith on a 27-yard run. The Eagles scored 35 points in the second quarter.

Paulding County 35, Villa Rica 7: Visiting Villa Rica took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter, but 35 unanswered points (21 in the fourth quarter) propelled Paulding County to a win. Noah Smith found Yassar El-Amin for an 11-yard touchdown pass to take the early lead. The Wildcats could only muster 154 total yards compared to 464 from Paulding County. Marquis Tre’von Lewis scored two touchdowns from under center for the Patriots. Antonio Gandy-Golden had over 100 yards receiving while the Patriots recorded 315 yards passing.

River Ridge 21, Woodland-Bartow 15: River Ridge knocked off visiting Woodland-Bartow with a late 5-yard rushing touchdown by Michael Lewis. Jarrod Fletcher bolted for a 51-yard score for the Knights and teammate Tremain Carr added a touchdown run late in the third quarter. Senior linebacker Liam McGuinness made a key interception to seal the victory for the Knights.

Sprayberry 45, North Atlanta 7: Trey Sermon scored three touchdowns for visiting Sprayberry. Quarterback Andrew Pereira had a 65-yard touchdown pass to Jontae Williams and also rushed for a 6-yard score. Bryan Williams opened Sprayberry’s scoring with a 45-yard fumble return for a touchdown in the first quarter. Sprayberry led 17-0 at halftime.

AAAA

Columbia 41, Lithonia 7: Host Columbia triumphed over Lithonia at Hallford Stadium with a second-half offensive explosion. Columbia took a 7-0 lead with seven minutes left in the first half on an 18-yard pass and catch from Andre Brown to William Tomlin. Brown padded the Eagles’ lead with a 3-yard run in the third quarter to make it 13-0. Eagles running back Mike Scott delivered the knock-out blow with a 64-yard touchdown run and an 85-yard interception return in the fourth quarter to seal the victory.

Fayette County 33, Cedartown 14: Malek Bowe scored three touchdowns on the ground as host Fayette County defeated Cedartown. Bowe struck first on a 10-yard score to move ahead 7-0. Cedartown scored from two yards out with a second left in the first half to go into the break trailing 14-7. Montrell Kelley ran for a 22-yard score to go ahead 20-7. Bowe scored from a yard out to make it 26-14, then iced the game in the fourth with another rushing touchdown.

Locust Grove 30, Walnut Grove 9: The host Wildcats scored on their opening drive when quarterback Cameron Maddox completed a 14-yard pass to tight end Aubry Payne for a 6-0 lead. Maddox tossed two more passing scores of 60 and 62 yards both to wide receiver Champ Leddon in the first half as Locust Grove built the lead to 23-2 going into halftime. Walnut Grove punched in a 2-yard run for the score to cut the deficit to 23-9, but running back Demontea Smith would wrap the game up with a 27-yard touchdown run, as he totaled 77 yards on 10 carries. Leddon caught five passes for 147 yards and two touchdowns.

Marist 60, Redan 0: Marist romped to a 30-0 lead after one period and extended it to 47-0 by halftime. The host War Eagles benefitted from two first-quarter scores each by Spencer Taylor and Griffin King. Quarterback Sam Phelts threw for 120 yards and two scores, all of it in the first half. Marist rushed for 285 yards, including a game-high by Ian Gipson, who ironically did not score. Redan managed just 89 total yards.

Woodward Academy 27, Eagle’s Landing Christian 7: Jes Sutherland completed 10 of 14 passes for 114 yards and two touchdowns to lead visiting Woodward past Eagle’s Landing Christian. Elijah Holyfield hauled in a 34-yard scoring strike in the first quarter and the score stayed 7-0 until the third quarter when Stephen Elliot caught a touchdown pass to make it 14-0. Holyfield, who had 21 carries for 100 yards, and Mack Green added fourth-quarter scoring runs for the War Eagles. Woodward led 21-0 until the Chargers scored with seven minutes left.

AAA

North Clayton 7, McNair 6: Visitng North Clayton scored first on a 50-yard touchdown run by Darius Mitchell in the second quarter. That lead would hold but was threatened late in the fourth quarter when the Eagles were pinned on their own 4-yard line after a McNair punt. A halfback toss was dropped by Mitchell and recovered by McNair in the endzone for a touchdown to make the score 7-6. However, the extra point to tie the game for McNair was missed. The Mustangs eventually drove deep into North Clayton territory and looked to gain the lead until an interception by linebacker Christian Cedres with a few seconds left preserved the victory for North Clayton.

Washington 28, Decatur 21: Quarterback DeMarcus Walker ran for touchdown runs of 55 and 20 yards, and also threw the game-winning 31-yard touchdown pass off a flea-flicker trick play to Marquez Thompson in the fourth quarter. Linebacker Sparrow Duncan intercepted a pass on Decatur’s last drive to give visiting Washington the win. Running back Kenny McCurty started the scoring for Washington with a 2-yard touchdown run.

Westminster 41, Therrell 7: Westminster jumped out to a 24-0 lead after one period and led 31-7 at the half. The host Wildcats held Therrell to 106 yards of total offense and forced two turnovers. Running back Ian Ude rushed for 105 yards on 10 carries for the Wildcats and Zay Malcome ran for touchdowns of 63 and 8. Westminster finished with 328 total yards including 256 on the ground. Rankin Wooley rushed for scores of 2 and 17 yards.

AA

Greater Atlanta Christian 58, B.E.S.T. Academy 28: Quarterback Davis Mills rushed for a 12-yard touchdown and was 8-for-16 passing for three touchdowns in the Spartans’ road win. Running back Micah Abernathy rushed seven times for 86 yards and touchdowns of 40 and 35 yards, and Darius Slayton caught touchdown passes of 15 and 29 yards. Safety Berkley Boglin had a 45-yard interception return for a touchdown and Paul Carothers added a 45-yard rushing score for the Spartans.

Hapeville Charter 37, Holy Innocents’ 29: Owen Clark threw touchdown passes to Jaquez Ezzard, Kaylen Nelson and Datraun Poole to lead the host Hornets. Safety LeAnthony Williams started the scoring for Hapeville with an interception return for a touchdown, and the Hornets got another defensive touchdown when linebacker Victor Wilkins returned a fumble for a touchdown.

Lamar County 45, Alcovy 0 : Lamar County fullback Juan Tucker rushed for touchdowns of 5, 3 and 20 yards to lead the Trojans over Alcovy. Quarterback L.J. Smith added a 2-yard rushing touchdown. Smith, who went 1-for-4 passing, also completed a 15-yard touchdown pass to Micah Banks. Lamar County’s Andruw O’Neal scored on a 15-yard run.

Lovett 42, K.I.P.P. Academy 6: Lovett quarterback Willie Candler completed seven of 10 passes for 109 yards and three touchdowns. Will Geraghty caught two of the touchdown passes while Murphy Lee caught one and ran for another. The visiting Lions rushed for 265 yards, including 84 by Lee and 62 by Nolan Edmonds, who also rushed for a touchdown. Lovett led 28-0 at the half. K.I.P.P. Academy scored late in the third on a 21-yard pass from Erickie Godfrey to David Strong.

Wesleyan 23, Pace Academy 17: Wesleyan forced a fumble on Pace Academy’s second play of overtime and Jordan Argilagos promptly scored on a 2-yard touchdown run as visiting Wesleyan survived a thriller. John Morris forced the final fumble, which was recovered by Kevin Stipe for Wesleyan’s fifth takeaway of the game. Morris also had a fumble recovery of his own in addition to an interception. The Wolves also got touchdowns from Cedric Lynch on a quarterback keeper and Cole Brown on a 33-yard scoring strike from Banks Ramsey.

A

Our Lady of Mercy 56, Terrell County 22: The visiting Bobcats rolled behind Jameson Vest, Lawrence Tillman and the rest of the Our Lady of Mercy rushing attack. Two late scores in the first quarter ballooned a 7-6 lead into a 21-6 lead heading into the second. The Bobcats continued the fast pace going into the half up 35-14. Terrell County’s last score came with 10 minutes remaining in the third quarter.

Prince Avenue Christian 23, Hebron Christian 20: Host Hebron Christian fell to Prince Avenue Christian in a game that was within seven points all night. After a 7-7 first quarter, Prince Avenue Christian moved ahead on a Tyson Herron touchdown pass to running back Matthew Hill with 8:50 remaining in the first half. The teams went into the half knotted up at 14. Hebron Christian scored with 10 minutes remaining, but had an extra point blocked to make the score 20-13. Jonah Doster scored on a rushing touchdown to go ahead 21-20, and a safety with 37 seconds left secured the victory for the Wolverines.