The playoffs are taking shape around the state, and several metro Atlanta school earned their way in tonight. Alpharetta and Grayson each clinched their respective divisions Friday night, while Westminster won its way into a region play-in game by defeating rival Lovett.
In Region 7-AAAAA tilt, No. 8 North Gwinnett won its eighth game in a row by defeating Duluth 44-14. The Bulldogs sprinted to a 20-7 half-time edge and extended the lead to 34-7 by the end of the third quarter.
Running backs Donnie Miles and Joe Jones each ran for two touchdowns, while quarterback Scotty Hosch rushed for a 31-yard touchdown. The Bulldogs improved to 8-1 and 6-0 in region play to remain tied with Peachtree Ridge, which beat Mill Creek.
Class AAAAA
Alpharetta 32, Centennial 26: The Raiders overcame a 26-9 halftime deficit to comeback and beat visiting Centennial. Jalen Simmons scored two touchdowns; his final touchdown came with 46 seconds remaining in the game to give Alpharetta their first lead and the eventual win.
Central Gwinnett 33, Shiloh 26: Emmanuel Westmoreland threw three touchdowns for Central Gwinnett, including the one to Daniel Lewis that broke open a fourth-quarter tie. Malachi Jones caught a pair of touchdowns and George Morris rushed for two scores to lead the visiting Black Knights.
Grayson 14, Brookwood 7 (Story from AJC report) : In a defensive struggle for the Region 8-AAAAA championship Friday night, Grayson got precisely the defensive play it needed — just in time.
Kasey Gaines intercepted a pass and returned it 15 yards for the winning touchdown with 27 seconds left to lift the Rams over visiting Brookwood, 14-7. The interception occurred when Broncos quarterback Zack Moon was flushed from the pocket and attempted a shovel pass near the sideline.
The Rams’ third win in their last four tries against the Broncos gave them a third region championship in the last four years and relegated defending state champion Brookwood likely to the third playoff seed in region, behind Dacula. Still, the unbeaten Rams, ranked No. 2 in Georgia and No. 5 by USA Today, haven’t lost a regular-season home game since 2006 and continue to allow opponents only a touchdown a game.
“Winning is winning,” Grayson coach Mickey Conn said of now five of the teams’ last six meetings being determined by 10 or fewer points. “I feel we’re where we need to be. I feel good about this program.”
Brookwood tied 7-7 when Moon passed 21 yards to Michael Gouge with 4:43 left in the third quarter. The Broncos had opportunity to add to that after holding special-purpose running back Robert Nkemdiche’s attempt on fourth-and-1 at Grayson’s 37-yard line with 5:28 to play, but wound up punting. The Broncos also missed an opportunity with 59 seconds left in the third quarter, when Brandon Morrow’s 39-yard field goal attempt sailed wide.
It was the defensive struggle many anticipated, not unlike Brookwood’s 10-0 win last season, when the Broncos limited the Rams to just 89 yards of offense. This time, offense was similarly hard to come by, particularly during intermittent rain, as Grayson (9-0, 7-0) gained just 223 and Brookwood (6-3, 5-2) only 184.
Grayson had the ball nearly three times longer than Brookwood in the first half, but had only a 7-0 lead to show for it. Nkemdiche capped the Rams’ opening 14-play drive with a 7-yard touchdown run with 4:18 left in the first quarter. Grayson nearly scored again as the half ended, but couldn’t get off a 23-yard field goal attempt as the half expired.
“(Grayson wins) the right way,” Brookwood coach Mark Crews said. “They play great defense and keep away with the football.”
Hillgrove 35, Kennesaw Mountain 0: Running back Kenyan Drake had 15 carries for 186 and two touchdowns for the visiting Hawks. Quarterback Elijah Ironside completed three passes, two of which were touchdowns. Hillgrove’s defense held the Mustangs to minus-8 yards in the first half.
Lassiter 30, Woodstock 10: The visiting Trojans defeated Woodstock as Niles Clark and Matt Glattstein returned kickoffs of 75 yards and 50 yards, respectively. Quarterback Eddie Printz added 89 yards passing with a touchdown.
M.L. King 20, East Coweta 7: The visiting Lions took a 13-7 halftime lead and kept it for the remainder of the game. Quarterback Garrett Schrepfer scored on a rushing touchdown for the lone Indians score.
McEachern 31, Harrison 14: The visiting Indians led 21-7 at the half, then scored 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Trent Thompson threw for two touchdowns and rushed for one. Harrison was led by quarterback Clay Chastain’s 197 yards passing.
Milton 30, North Forsyth 14: The Eagles led 16-7 at halftime and pulled away from the visiting Raiders in the end. Trayvon Paulk rushed 21 times for 187 yards and two touchdowns. Colin McElroy finished 5-of-9 for 98 yards and threw a 58-yard touchdown pass.
Mountain View 48, Meadowcreek 7: The Bears had no trouble at home leading 34-7 at halftime. Marvin Elam carried 12 times for 130 yards and two touchdowns while Eddie West ran 17 times for 111 yards and two touchdowns. Quarterback Chris Bartlett finished 7-of-10 for 151 yards and two touchdowns.
Newton 23, Langston Hughes 3: The Rams used offense, defense and special teams to defeat host Hughes. Javonte Williams ran for two scores, Nick Hardeman recovered a fumble in the end zone for the defense and Tyrique Brown forced a safety on a failed punt attempt by Hughes.
Norcross 42, Collins Hill 21: The Blue Devils fought back after trailing 21-7 in the second quarter. Alvin Kamara carried 16 times for 138 yards and two touchdowns. Joseph Tolbert finished 12-of-15 for 196 yards and three touchdowns, two caught by J.T. Tolbert.
Peachtree Ridge 35, Mill Creek 20: The visiting Lions held a 14-7 lead at halftime. Peachtree Ridge’s Billy Best finished 9-of-18 for 122 yards and two touchdowns, while Alex Gray returned a fumble 55 yards for a touchdown. Mill Creek’s John Russ carried 21 times for 162 yards and two touchdowns.
Stephenson 35, Newnan 13: Stephenson moved to 9-0 behind two rushing touchdowns each from Mike Davis and T.J. Moon and one from Justin Holman. The Jaguars will meet undefeated M.L. King next week to determine the Region 2-AAAAA champion.
Westlake 33, Luella 15: Westlake won the battle of Lions by scoring all of its points in the first half. The hosts led 33-7 at the break thanks to a pair of touchdown rushes from Charles Purnell.
Class AAAA
Carver-Atlanta 74, Lakeside-DeKalb 13: The Panthers clawed the visiting Vikings in a lopsided affair. Defensive end James Gray scored three defensive touchdowns – two interception returns and a fumble recovery. Dericko Smith caught 200 yards receiving with an 85-yard reception while Derrick Johnson scored two rushing touchdowns.
Chapel Hill 20, South Paulding 14: Allen Davis had an interception return for a touchdown and quarterback Quartez Walker ran in a 2-yard score as visiting Chapel Hill clinched the sub-region 5S-AAAA title and playoff spot. Blake Butler added two field goals.
Clarke Central 44, Rockdale County 0: Quenshaun Watson and Jalani Payne each ran for two touchdowns to lead Clarke Central. The visiting Gladiators also got a 16-yard scoring pass from Cameron Johnson to Torey Gartrell in addition to three Noah Welch field goals.
Douglas County 22, Paulding County 0: The host Tigers started the game with a safety. Running back John Willis scored a touchdown on the ensuing possession and Douglas County pitched a shutout for the first time this season.
East Paulding 35, Osborne 7: Kamani Thomas had rushing touchdowns of 55, 10 and 3 yards in the first quarter, and Andrej Suttles scored on a 55-yard punt return and a 48-yard reverse in the second quarter to help the visiting Raiders improve to 8-1.
Griffin 41, Ola 7: Jaquez Parks went threw for 217 yards and two touchdowns in the first half for Griffin. Malik Miller scored on a 4-yard rush and 5-yard reception for the hosts.
Harris County 28, Starr’s Mill 21: Quarterback JaQuon Marshall rushed for three touchdowns in the second half including the game-winner with under a minute left for the host Tigers. Panthers running back John Smith rushed for 115 yards and three touchdowns.
Johns Creek 24, Northwest Whitfield 18: Johns Creek used a balanced attack to defeat the visiting Bruins. Running back Chase Solomon rushed for 124 yards and caught a 21-yard touchdown reception. Quarterback Skye Overton added 58 yards on the ground and two touchdowns for the Gladiators.
Jonesboro 30, Morrow 0: The visiting Cardinals used a big night from Cedric Nettles to improve to 8-1. Nettles threw for more than 300 yards and three touchdowns to three different receivers and also returned a punt for a touchdown in the win.
Kell 48, Sprayberry 28: The Longhorns led their northeast Cobb neighbor 35-0 at the half. Chris Gaines rushed for 180 yards and two touchdowns to pace Kell’s ground attack. The Longhorns ran for 300 yards in the game.
Lovejoy 24, Creekside 0: Undefeated Lovejoy opened up a game that was tied 0-0 at the half. The host Wildcats posted their seventh shutout in nine games. Travis Custis rushed 31 times for 269 yards and three touchdowns, while Veion Robinson added a quarterback sack for a safety.
North Clayton 42, Forest Park 7: The Eagles had no problems at home and led 20-7 at halftime over the Panthers. Chris Weems, LaDarius Mathis and Dennis Johnson all scored rushing touchdowns. Aaron Atwater added a fumble recovery for the defense.
Villa Rica 33, Lithia Springs 12: B.J. McCoy ran for 125 yards, and scored touchdowns of one, two and eight yards for the visiting Wildcats in a 33-12 victory. Malik El-Amin ran in an 8-yard touchdown.
Class AAA
Allatoona 42, Gilmer 14: Miles Jones’ 222-yard outburst helped the visitors to victory. Jones scored on runs of 10 and 80 yards in the first half. T.J. Herron and Robert Johnson also rushed for touchdowns.
Eastside 39, Eagles Landing 0: The host Eagles picked off Golden Eagles quarterback Bradley Dewberry in the first quarter and returned it for a touchdown and it was all Eastside from that point. Dewberry completed six passes all to Bill Teknipp, who had 80 yards receiving.
Flowery Branch 54, Salem 8: Quarterback Kanler Coker got things started early for the host Falcons with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Chris Dilidili. Running back Casey Osborne then added a 5-yard touchdown run, as Flowery Branch rolled over the Seminoles.
Henry County 7, Drew 0: The host Warhawks won a defensive stalemate over Drew. The game was tied at the halftime before Chris Moody scored the only touchdown on a 63-yard quarterback scramble in the third quarter.
Sandy Creek 31, Fayette County 0: Demaury Kitt scored on a 60-yard catch and 77-yard punt return to give the visiting Patriots a 14-0 halftime lead. Eric Sweeney and Delvin Weems each added touchdowns in the second half.
St. Pius 7, Washington 0: St. Pius came out on top after halting a Washington drive at the 10-yard line with three minutes remaining. The visiting Golden Lions got 83 rushing yards and a 10-yard, second-quarter touchdown from Ryan Braswell.
Stone Mountain 21, Arabia Mountain 0: The host Pirates used a tandem approach to the running game to control the clock and shutout Arabia Mountain. Frezarius Scott scored twice on 158 yards rushing, and William Parker added another touchdown and 150 yards on the ground.
Woodward Academy 21, Columbia 20: The host War Eagles stormed back from a 14-7 halftime deficit to upend Columbia. The War Eagles needed a defensive stand on their own 11 to preserve the lead. Terrance Phillips finished with 170 yards rushing and two touchdowns for Woodward Academy.
Class AA
Blessed Trinity 28, South Atlanta 8: The host Titans took advantage of the sloppy weather by rushing for 257 yards. Jordan Denson rushed for 90 yards and two touchdowns while Sam Roberts added 98 yards and a score. The defense also forced four turnovers.
Decatur 46, Clarkston 7: Freshman halfback Tommy Renfroe rushed eight times for 104 yards and a touchdown for the host Bulldogs. Sophomore quarterback Vito Antinozzi was 7-for-9 for 161 yards and three touchdowns. Terryon Robinson also scored on a 72-yard punt return for Decatur.
Westminster 21, Lovett 2: Harrison Butker kicked two field goals for Westminster, including a 50-yarder in the first quarter. The host Wildcats also recorded a safety via intentional grounding in the end zone and got second-half touchdown runs from Danny Catan and Shelton Collier.
Class A
Darlington 54, Walker 12: Spencer Jones rushed for three touchdowns and also scored on a 45-yard interception return to lead Darlington. Brad Butler threw a pair of touchdowns for the visiting Tigers, a 46-yarder to Cedric Spivey and a 72-yarder to Nigel Matthews.
Eagle’s Landing Christian 72, Southwest Atlanta Christian 14: John Tatum rushed for 230 yards and two touchdowns and Dalton Etheridge also scored twice on the ground for Eagle’s Landing Christian. Aaron Spratlin threw a touchdown pass to Scott Barlow as the visiting Chargers raced to a 48-14 halftime lead.
Holy Innocents’ 35, King’s Ridge Christian 21: Quarterback John Galloway led the Bears to a road win over King’s Ridge with equal parts pass and run. Galloway threw for 92 yards and rushed for another 110 yards.
Mount Paran 42, Mt. Zion-Carroll 7: The visiting Eagles amassed 354 total yards on offense. Running back Thomas Jay scored three times, twice on the ground and once through the air from quarterback Ian Berryman, who also added a rushing score.
Our Lady of Mercy 45, Whitefield Academy 0: The Bobcats shutdown host Whitefield Academy behind the play of Adam Rose. Defensively, Rose intercepted two passes for touchdowns and rushed for three more on offense.
Pace Academy 27, Fellowship Christian 13: Kameron Uter had two touchdowns, one receiving and one on a kickoff return, to help the Knights past visiting Fellowship Christian. Robert Jones and Kevin Johnson also had rushing touchdowns for Pace.
Wesleyan 38, Mount Pisgah Christian 0: Wesleyan wideout Rodney Morris scored on a fumble recovery in the end zone and on a 32-yard scoring strike from Will Anderson. Eric Sunderman booted three field goals for the visiting Wolves, while Anderson found Zander Yost with a 64-yard touchdown pass.
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