AJC FEATURED GAMES
Archer 6, Grayson 3; South Forsyth 21, Milton 13; Marietta 28, Hillgrove 17; Collins Hill 29, Mountain View 21; Tucker 36, Lovejoy 7; Stephenson 21, Drew 17; Alpharetta 36, Johns Creek 17; Woodward Academy 28, Eastside 21; Stratford 28, First Presbyterian 7
CLASS AAAAAAA
Brookwood 52, Central Gwinnett 28
Central Gwinnett held an early lead, but the Brookwood Broncos took over for the final three quarters and defeated the Black Knights at home. Quarterback Angelo DiSpigna threw the first of his three touchdown passes to Cameron Barrington (28 yards) to tie it at 7-7 midway through the first quarter and his second to Matthew Hill (20 yards) to answer Jarren Williams’ QB keeper and tie it 14-14 on the opening drive of the second quarter. He found Chris Cotter for 17 yards to cap off an 80-yard drive and give the Broncos a 21-14 lead heading into the half. Dante Black dominated the rest of the game, rushing for four touchdowns in the third and fourth quarters to give Brookwood the win. The Broncos had 562 yards of total offense, the bulk of which came from DiSpigna (11-of-13, 236 yards), Black (32 carries, 217 yards) and Hill (six receptions, 143 yards).
Colquitt County 27, Camden County 6
Host Camden County blocked a 14-yard Packers field-goal attempt, keeping the first half scoreless. Colquitt County scored on its opening drive of the second half after Ty Leggett rushed for a 51-yard touchdown. A field goal by the Packers extended their lead to 10-0, but a 2-yard touchdown rush by Camden County’s Jalen Davis kept the game close. Camden County failed to score again and allowed two more rushing touchdowns along with a school record-breaking 52-yard field goal by Ryan Fitzgerald.
East Coweta 49, Wheeler 14
Christian Reid threw for 345 yards and rushed for 190 yards for visiting East Coweta. Braden Carey had three receptions for 119 yards and one touchdown, while playing a part in four Wheeler turnovers. Dantarius Chunn had two interceptions. East Coweta led at halftime 35-7.
Lassiter 27, Woodstock 16
In the first quarter, Lassiter quarterback Bradley Riopelle scored on a 25-yard touchdown run, giving the Trojans an early 7-0 lead. In the second quarter, Riopelle threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Austin Coyne, but the Trojans missed the extra point. Early in the fourth, Riopelle had a 14-yard touchdown run, making the score 20-16 Trojans. With four minutes left, Lassiter’s Miles Williams scored on a 1-yard touchdown run, ensuring a Trojans win.
Lowndes 51, Tift County 38
Lowndes won a crucial Region 1-AAAAAAA road game against the Tift County Blue Devils after trailing at the half. Rashod Bateman had a huge game for Tift County (11 catches, 275 yards and four touchdowns) catching 61- and 60-yard passes from Griffin Collier (17-of-29, 317 yards) in the first quarter. Quarterback Michael Barrett (10-of-17, 157 yards and 24 carries, 124 yards) ran it in for Lowndes’ first score and Travis Tisdale took over from there. He scored on the first plays of both the second and third quarters on 3- and 44-yard runs, along with another second-quarter touchdown set up by his own 67-yard punt return. Barrett threw to Teagan Murdaugh in the third for a 38-28 lead, but Tift County tied it on consecutive scoring drives to start the fourth. Gary Osby ran it in for a 45-38 lead, and Stewart Fred’s 39-yard interception return brought the final to 51-38.
McEachern 57, Kennesaw Mountain 14
McEachern dominated from start to finish in a home victory over Kennesaw Mountain. The Indians led 15-0 after one quarter and 36-0 at halftime en route to scoring the game’s first 43 points. Kennesaw Mountain got on the scoreboard in the third but still trailed 57-7 going into the fourth. Isaiah Lee had two touchdown runs for McEachern, while Jordon Simmons and Paris Brown also found the end zone.
Mill Creek 45, Peachtree Ridge 14
Mill Creek quarterback Brady Longenecker rushed for 64 yards and two touchdowns and completed nine of 12 passes for 177 yards and three touchdowns to lead the visiting Hawks. Matt Campbell kicked two Mill Creek field goals, including a 51-yarder that gave the Hawks a 45-7 lead. Rafael Morales ran in a 31-yard Mill Creek touchdown and finished with 58 rushing yards on eight carries. Mill Creek junior Caden Cullins threw a 47-yard touchdown pass to Andrew Johns.
Newnan 30, Campbell 16
The Campbell Spartans held a 6-3 lead after the first quarter, but Newnan quarterback Bryant Walker threw two touchdown passes to Woody Waters and P.J. Harris for the visiting Cougars, and senior Mautavier Parks rushed for a touchdown in the second quarter to take a 23-9 halftime lead. Freshman running back Bryson Moss scored Newnan’s final touchdown in the third quarter, and Cougars defensive backs Trey Bridges and Tristan Escoe both had interceptions to put the game out of reach for the host Spartans.
Norcross 41, Lakeside-DeKalb 6
The Norcross Blue Devils blew open their 7-0 first-quarter lead (Clay Harris 16-yard touchdown run) during a huge second quarter to take a 31-0 halftime lead over Lakeside-DeKalb on their way to a big win on the road. Jake Camarda opened the second quarter with a 42-yard field goal before Louis Williams connected with Rekevian Mathis on a 78-yard pass. Clay Harris scored for the second time with a minute left in the half, but the Blue Devils got a fumble recovery to set up another Williams rushing touchdown. Dohnte Meyers scored on a 26-yard run in the third, and Cole Hannah’s 28-yard field goal brought the final to 41-6.
North Forsyth 45, Lambert 21
A 35-yard touchdown pass from Peyton Rich to Drew Dockter put the Longhorns on the scoreboard first. Shortly after, the Raiders tied the game with an 80-yard touchdown run by Bryson Trigg. Lambert went up 14-7 at the end of the first, but the lead was short-lived. Quarterback Tristan Howard connected with Charlie Aiken on a 50-yard touchdown pass to start a scoring barrage for North Forsyth. Trigg rushed for a 72-yard touchdown on his way to 232 rushing yards. Howard went on to throw three more touchdown passes, all of which were hauled in by receiver Cedric Touchstone, who ended the night with 10 receptions for 105 yards and three scores.
North Gwinnett 52, Duluth 0
Devin Crosby got host North Gwinnett on the board with a first-quarter touchdown run, and Bulldogs quarterback Jimmy Urzua piled on three passing touchdowns and a rushing score before the half to make it a 35-0 game. Crosby ran in his second touchdown in the third quarter before a Lance Jackson touchdown run and 25-yard Cameron Clark field goal in the final frame.
North Paulding 24, North Cobb 17
North Paulding lost the turnover margin 4-1 but kept the North Cobb offense out of the end zone and produced three rushing touchdowns to clinch the home victory. Lucas Mays and Luke Dabbelt ran in North Paulding’s first two touchdowns, and Brock Travelstead kicked a 33-yard field goal in the third quarter. North Cobb was able to make it a 17-17 game in the third quarter, however, with a field goal, a fumble return touchdown and a punt return touchdown. Tyler Bird scored the game-winning touchdown with nine minutes left in the fourth quarter.
South Gwinnett 19, Rockdale County 14
Early in the first quarter, South Gwinnett running back Amin Hall scored on a 25-yard touchdown run, giving the Comets a 7-0 lead. Moments later, South Gwinnett quarterback Trevon Woodson had a 30-yard touchdown run, making the score 13-0 after the Comets missed the extra point. South Gwinnett’s Dawson Newman kicked a 41-yard field goal in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, Newman kicked a 36-yard field goal, helping the Comets pull away with a win.
Walton 42, Roswell 21
After a competitive first quarter, the score was tied between the Raiders and Hornets at 14 apiece, but the visiting Raiders would begin to pull away as they scored two more touchdowns in the second quarter and added to their 28-14 halftime lead with two more scores in the second half. Raider quarterback Austin Kirksey completed 16 of 20 pass attempts and threw for 235 yards with touchdowns to Kendall Alford and Chandler Smith. Running back D.J. Soyoye rushed for 191 yards on 27 attempts and averaged 7.0 yards per carry for the undefeated Raiders.
Westlake 21, Pebblebrook 14 (OT)
The Westlake Falcons came from behind in an overtime thriller to defeat Pebblebrook 21-14 on their home field. After going scoreless in the first half, Daryn Nichols broke through several tackles on an inside run in the third quarter to get the Falcons on the scoreboard and cut into Pebblebrook’s 14-0 lead. Still trailing 14-7, quarterback Caleb Dixon found Jalen Simmons on a 14-yard scoring pass with under three minutes to play and ultimately force overtime. Westlake was on offense first, and Gino Appleberry Jr. had a 15-yard rushing touchdown on the first play of overtime. The Lions held Pebblebrook on its overtime possession to win the game.
CLASS AAAAAA
Allatoona 37, Sprayberry 15
Four minutes into the game, Allatoona’s Skyler Davis kicked a 21-yard field goal, giving the Buccaneers a 3-0 lead. Minutes later, Allatoona’s Mario Gambaccini had a 32-yard touchdown run, making the score 10-0. With five minutes left in the first quarter, Alatoona’s Lj Moore scored a 6-yard rushing touchdown. Seven seconds into the second quarter, Allatoona’s running back Daniel Parsons scored from 8 yards out, making the score 24-6. Parsons scored again, with 35 seconds to go in the second quarter. The Buccaneers’ Brandon Nash scored Allatoona’s final touchdown in the third quarter.
Cambridge 17, Northview 10
The Cambridge Bears took a 7-0 lead on their opening drive with a 39-yard run by Alex McCree. After a muffed punt by the Titans, Victor Valentine kicked a 28-yard field goal to give Cambridge a 10-3 lead. Northview tied the game at 10-10 going into the half. Evan Kuykendall scored the winning touchdown at the 8:49 mark of the third quarter. The Bears held the lead thanks to an interception with 1:42 left to play.
Centennial 45, North Atlanta 0
Max Brosmer and Blane Mason connected for three touchdowns. Brosmer was 19-of-23 for 395 yards and five touchdowns. Mason had four catches for 151 yards and three touchdowns. Julian Nixon had three catches for 101 yards and one touchdown, and Jacob Albright had seven catches for 61 yards and two touchdowns. Emeka Nwanze had 15 carries for 72 yards for the Knights. Brosmer connected with Mason and Albright in the first quarter. Nixon lined up at QB and threw for a touchdown to Albright in the second, while Nixon added a touchdown catch of his own in the quarter. The Knights took a 31-0 lead into the half. Brosmer and Mason for two of their three scores in the second half.
Dacula 28, Gainesville 0
Dacula held a 14-0 halftime lead, including a 6-yard touchdown run by quarterback Shayne Buckingham and an 84-yard touchdown run by Jalen Perry, who had 154 yards rushing at the half. With 2:04 left in the 3rd quarter, Perry ran for a 73-yard touchdown, extending the lead to 21-0. Linebacker Chris Smith had two fumble recoveries, the second one setting up a 1-yard touchdown run by Buckingham with 7:02 left in the fourth quarter.
Harrison 42, South Cobb 13
After a tight first quarter, the Harrison Hoyas shut out South Cobb for the rest of the game and turned a 14-13 lead into a 42-13 victory on the road. Justin Fields, who committed to UGA last week, was 18-of-25 for 247 yards and two touchdowns. Dawson Brown was Fields’ target on both passes and finished with 45 yards on four catches, and Steven Peterson had 10 receptions for 173 yards. Fields also carried the ball 10 times for 42 yards and three scores, and Micah Davis accounted for the remaining touchdown with a kickoff return.
Lanier 25, Habersham Central 21
Lanier ended its opening drive of the game with a 35-yard touchdown run from Kevonte Polk, missing the extra point. Lanier defensive lineman Jason Wallace intercepted a pass on a fourth-down attempt from Habersham and ran it back 60 yards for a touchdown to narrow Habersham’s lead to 14-13 at halftime. Lanier took an 18-14 lead late in the third after a 14-yard touchdown run from Taj Barnes and then used a 13-yard run from Larry Harper late in the fourth to give Lanier its final score of the night for the 25-21 home victory.
Hughes 26, Alexander 20 (2OT)
Two field goals by Alexander were the only scoring plays in a quiet first half. Hughes running back T.J. Portress answered in the third quarter with a 45-yard rushing touchdown to give the Panthers the lead. Alexander was quick to regain the lead but couldn’t hold onto it. Caleb Vaughan found the end zone after a 1-yard rush to make it a 13-13 game in the fourth. With under a minute to play, Alexander was set to make the game-winning field goal, but Aaron Finch blocked the kick to send the game into overtime. Both teams managed to score touchdowns with extra points in the first overtime, but a 5-yard rushing touchdown by Caleb Vaughan, his third of the game, was the winning score in the second OT.
Lee County 16, Northside-Warner Robins 13 (OT)
Lee County’s David Beaver hit a 27-yard field goal in the first quarter, giving the Trojans a 3-0 lead. In the third quarter, Lee County quarterback Jase Orndorff connected on a 70-yard touchdown pass to Ty Terrell to set up a Trojans touchdown, making the score 10-7. With a minute left in the fourth quarter, Northside-Warner Robins kicked a 60-yard field goal, forcing overtime. Northside-Warner Robins scored another field goal in overtime, but Orndorff threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Joshua Asbury, giving the Trojans the win.
New Manchester 20, South Paulding 6
Visiting New Manchester led the entire game as senior A.J. Taylor scored twice, one each in the first and third quarters, to increase his touchdown total on the season to 12. Taylor rushed for nearly 200 yards. Junior placekicker Alex Murillo made both of his field-goal attempts to keep the Jaguars ahead. Head coach Myron Terry said he was proud of the team’s effort on the defensive side of the ball as senior linebackers Quincy Watson and Devonte Sellers recorded 11 tackles and a sack and eight tackles with a sack, respectively.
CLASS AAAAA
Arabia Mountain 24, Columbia 14
Early in the second quarter, Arabia Mountain’s Joshua Campbell connected with Tyler Suber for a 71-yard touchdown pass, giving the Rams an 8-0 lead after a 2-point conversion. Later in the second quarter, Suber threw to Bryson Williams for a 7-yard touchdown pass, increasing the lead 14-0. The Rams’ Malcolm Grinnell kicked a 25-yard field-goal to give giving Arabia Mountain a 17-0 lead in the third. With a minute left to play, Arabia Mountain’s Justin Nelson scored on a 21-yard touchdown run, sealing the victory.
Banneker 43, Decatur 0
The home shutout victory over Decatur moved Banneker to 6-1. Jashari Anderson scored the Trojans’ first points on a 35-yard rushing touchdown late in the first. A fumble recovery by the Trojans led to a 20-yard touchdown pass from Dionte Bonneau to Donya Williams. Banneker grabbed an interception, positioning Gary Benton Jr. to rush the ball 15 yards for a score. Bonneau capped the scoring in the first half with a 20-yard rushing touchdown. Bonneau scored again on a 50-yard rushing touchdown late in the third. The Trojans defense had three interceptions and a fumble recovery.
Buford 56, Cedar Shoals 0
Anthony Grant rushed for touchdowns of 8, 1 and 7 yards, one in each of the first three quarters, to help Buford shut out Cedar Shoals at home. The Wolves scored four touchdowns in the second quarter for a 35-0 halftime lead. Aaron McLaughlin was 11-of-14 passing for 181 yards and two touchdowns, a 24-yard pass to Tyler Gillis and a 10-yard pass to Isaiah Isaac. He also rushed for a 39-yard touchdown. Derrian Brown led the Wolves with 93 yards rushing to go with a 48-yard touchdown run. Clayton Nelson scored Buford’s final touchdown, a 6-yard pass from backup quarterback Will Westmoreland.
Dutchtown 17, Woodland-Stockbridge 7
Ocean Curvin’s 23-yard field goal put host Dutchtown up 3-0 at the half. Woodland-Stockbridge took a 7-3 lead with 6:02 left in the third quarter on a 5-yard touchdown run by Kareem Rogers. Dutchtown quarterback Arendez Fedd scored on a quarterback keeper two minutes later to put the Bulldogs up 10-7 and then secured the victory with a 3-yard touchdown run with 13 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
Grady 30, North Springs 26
In Grady’s first win of the season, Craig Philpot scored two rushing touchdowns and Quillian Felton scored on a fake field goal pass. Freshman Jordan Jones had one rushing touchdown, and Zaire Thornton caught a pass for a 2-point conversion.
Hiram 41, Carrollton 14
Marcel Murray rushed 15 times for 176 yards and four touchdowns in an upset win for host Hiram, which improved to 3-5 and handed Carrollton just its second loss of the season. Hiram quarterback Nathan Presnell was 11-of-24 for 191 yards and two touchdowns. One of Presnell’s touchdowns went to Antrone Crumpton, who caught five passes for 99 yards and the score.
Kell 38, Villa Rica 11
Host Villa Rica scored the initial touchdown and 2-point conversion, but the second quarter belonged to the Longhorns as they scored three touchdowns. Quarterback Evan Conley threw two of the scores to Josiah Futral and Michael Luckie, and Futral scored a rushing touchdown just before halftime to make the score 21-11. In the third quarter, the Longhorns added to their lead with a rushing score on a zone read play with Blake Simpson and a 41-yard field goal completed by Logan Flesher. Futral put the game away in the fourth with his third touchdown of the night.
Rome 49, Cass 0
Rome’s Jamious Griffin and Jalynn Sikes led the rushing attack with five rushing touchdowns between the two. Griffin had scoring runs of 18, 16 and 5 yards. Sikes scored on runs of 42 and 10 yards. Sevie Andrews also scored on a 27-yard run. Quarterback Knox Kadum completed a 31-yard pass to Rodney Sullivan for a touchdown.
Starr’s Mill 36, McIntosh 35
McIntosh took a 7-0 lead on a Bradley Ector touchdown run, and Starr’s Mill answered with a Karsen Kalen touchdown run and a successful 2-point conversion that proved to be the difference in a game that would trade touchdowns four more times. Ector put McIntosh back up 14-8 with his second touchdown run of the first half and then Mitch Prowant gave Starr’s Mill a 15-14 lead with a 52-yard run. McIntosh’s Dane Kinamon found Jacob Woods for a 23-yard touchdown, and the Panthers answered with a 10-yard Nick Brown touchdown run that put Starr’s Mill back up by 1-point (22-21). McIntosh answered on the final play of the first half on a 36-yard Ector touchdown run. Khalen Sims opened the second half with a 29-yard touchdown run to put Starr’s Mill back up 29-28, then Ector scored a fourth rushing touchdown to make it a 35-29 McIntosh lead with 2:23 left in the third quarter. Joey DeLuca ran in a 32-yard Starr’s Mill touchdown a minute and a half later, which proved to be the game-winner after a scoreless fourth quarter and a missed 32-yard McIntosh field goal with 1:08 left.
CLASS AAAA
Blessed Trinity 41, Chestatee 14
Blessed Trinity scored all five of its touchdowns on the ground, cruising to a road win over Chestatee. Steele Chambers got the scoring started with a 60-yard rush before adding another one from 45 yards out in the second quarter. Elijah Green, Quinton Reese and Ryan Dupont also scored for the Titans, who led 14-0 after one quarter, 38-7 at halftime and 41-7 heading into the fourth. Blessed Trinity’s Ethan Chauvin kicked field goals of 36 and 33 yards. Storm Yarbrough scored each of the War Eagles’ touchdowns.
Cairo 24, Carver-Columbus 13
Robert Matthew Peters ran in a 40-yard touchdown and found Marquis Lovejoy for a 10-yard Cairo touchdown with just 10 seconds left in the half to give the visiting Syrupmakers a 14-13 lead. In the second half, Cairo took control with a 3-yard Jamarcus Vicks touchdown run in the third quarter and a Noah Jones 29-yard field goal with 4:47 left in the fourth. Carver’s Justin Swain and Khiari McCoy each rushed for touchdowns.
Cartersville 63, Sandy Creek 0
Host Cartersville’s offense outgained Sandy Creek 409-73 yards in the first half and built a 56-0 lead before freshman running back Harrison Allen capped the scoring with a late 31-yard touchdown run. In the first half, Terry Berdin ran in Cartersville’s first touchdown, quarterback Trevor Lawrence completed 15 of 19 passes for 285 yards and four touchdowns and running back Rico Frye scored three 1-yard touchdown runs.
Jefferson 41, North Oconee 0
Bryce Moore threw three touchdown passes in the first three quarters as Jefferson exploded for a 37-0 lead. Colby Wood caught Moore’s second touchdown pass and ran in a 5-yard touchdown in the opening quarter. Zach Corbin and Justin Cole caught Moore’s other two touchdown passes, Hayden Kilgore kicked a 25-yard field goal, Donsha Gaither ran in a 7-yard touchdown and Colby Clark ran in a 2-yard touchdown with 3:28 left for the final tally.
Marist 41, West Hall 6
Marist was held scoreless in the first quarter but picked up the pace thereafter to roll over visiting West Hall. Ellis Pearson rushed for two touchdowns, both from 1 yard out in the second and third quarters. Charlie Addicks got the scoring started for the War Eagles with a 4-yard run, while Dean Johnson and Lincoln Parker also scored. Chase Abshier found Kyle Hamilton for a 17-yard scoring pass, making the score 28-0 in the third. West Hall, which got a 15-yard touchdown pass from Michael Thompson to Quentin Smith, gained only 184 total yards to Marist’s 399.
North Clayton 15, Luella 14
The teams played to a 0-0 halftime score, but the second half was kicked off with a Isiah Bell interception, which halted a North Clayton drive that made it to the red zone. This interception set up a 95-yard touchdown run from D.J. Conway and a successful 2-point conversion for Luella. Senior Brian Brown had a 48-yard touchdown run, and a 2-point conversion tied the game at 8-8. After fumbling the kickoff return, North Clayton recovered the ball and Bell soon after scored on a 5-yard rush to put the Eagles up 15-8. Conway returned the following kickoff for a touchdown, but this time the 2-point attempt failed, leaving Luella behind at 15-14. Late in the fourth quarter, senior safety Marquise McGill picked off a Luella pass attempt to seal the win for North Clayton. Brown also had an interception in the second quarter.
Salem 40, Henry County 25
Jesse Carter rushed for 168 yards and two touchdowns, one for 45 yards and one for 5 yards. Omarius Burnam rushed for 127 yards and three touchdowns, from 25, 35 and 45 yards. Tyler Smith had 100 receiving yards and one touchdown catch for 75 yards. Henry County struck first scoring on the opening kickoff, but Salem would take a 20-19 lead into halftime.
St. Pius 41, Oconee County 13
Connor Egan scored two touchdowns for the Golden Lions, rushing for 76 yards. The offense ran for a total of 384 yards and converted seven of 11 third downs. Michael Benefield, Scott Braswell and Jason Jones each scored touchdowns for St. Pius.
Troup 38, LaGrange 0
Kobe Hudson provided the only points of the first half with an 80-yard interception return for a touchdown that put visiting Troup up 7-0. The Tigers blew the game open in the third quarter with 5-yard touchdown runs by Jackson Smith and Jackson Davis and a Montez Crowe touchdown pass to Hudson.
CLASS AAA
Greater Atlanta Christian 61, Lumpkin County 14
Greater Atlanta Christian’s big-play ability was too much for host Lumpkin County. Six of the Spartans’ nine touchdowns came on plays of 20 yards or more. Kyler McMichael got the scoring started with a 27-yard run, and he added a 7-yard touchdown in the second quarter on a night during which he was able to share plenty of the workload. Montae Bailey had a pair of 80-yard touchdown runs in the second half for Greater Atlanta Christian, which led 21-0 after one quarter, 41-0 at halftime and 54-0 going into the fourth.
Lovett 44, Redan 13
Blaine McAllister completed all 11 of his pass attempts for 182 yards and three touchdowns to pace visiting Lovett past Redan. McAllister also led the Lions ground attack, rushing for 43 yards and two scores on six quarterback keepers. K.J. Wallace, Peyton Ringer, Nick Jackson and Hank Toomey had touchdown catches for Lovett, Toomey’s on a 15-yard strike from Lance Beck. The Lions were in control the whole game, leading 14-0 after one quarter, 37-0 at halftime and 44-0 going into the fourth.
Westminster 33, McNair 0
Miles Davis rushed for two touchdowns and Ward Croft threw a pair of touchdown passes as Westminster coasted past visiting McNair. Both of Davis’ scores came in the first quarter, giving the Wildcats a commanding lead. They extended the lead to 30-0 by halftime after Ward found Peter York with two second-quarter touchdown passes, one from 18 yards out and the second from 7 yards. Charlie Ham kicked a 26-yard field goal in the second quarter and added one from 50 yards in the third quarter.
CLASS AA
Thomasville 38, Early County 10
Charlie Thomas (9 yards), Trey Tillman (4), Tan Galin (3) and Malek Miller (7) rushed for Thomasville touchdowns as the host Bulldogs comfortably improved to 7-0. Thomasville’s Kevon Shy scored on a 55-yard punt return touchdown in the second quarter, and teammate Karl Blackmore kicked a 35-yard field goal in the third quarter that put the Bulldogs up 24-10.
CLASS A
Aquinas 52, Greene County 0
Joseph Douglas ran in all five of Aquinas’ offensive touchdowns. Crimmins Hankinson kicked a 36-yard field goal that put the host Irish up 35-0 at the end of the third quarter, and junior Charlie David blocked a Greene County punt and returned it for a touchdown that gave the Irish a 19-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Fellowship Christian 41, Pinecrest Academy 0
Cam Cochran and James Milhollin each scored two touchdowns for the Paladins. Cochran scored on runs of 13 and 4 yards, and Milhollin had a 37-yard rushing touchdown and caught a 17-yard scoring pass from Brooks Bryant. Freshman Lawson Haigler had a 71-yard rushing touchdown, and senior Merrick Haigler scored on a 15-yard run. Visiting Fellowship Christian got the win after dropping its first three region games.
Mt. Paran Christian 38, Whitefield Academy 7
Whitefield Academy struck first halfway through the first quarter with a 5-yard rushing touchdown from Bryce Davis. Mt. Paran answered back in the second after quarterback Niko Vangarelli connected with Kellum Rowan for a 27-yard score. With five minutes left in the half, Mt. Paran running back Nathaniel Raeder rushed 52 yards for a score to make it 14-7 at the half. Mt. Paran maintained its lead the rest of the game, scoring twice more on the ground. Vangarelli hit Rowan for 29 yards for their second touchdown.
North Cobb Christian 27, Christian Heritage 7
K.P. Pierre rushed for 127 yards and two touchdowns to lead host North Cobb Christian. Quarterback Jake Watson supported the Pierre-led ground game with a 55-yard rushing touchdown and 88 total rushing yards. Watson also accounted for 94 passing yards and connected with Timothy Walker for an 8-yard touchdown pass. Christian Heritage quarterback Matthew Neff passed for 98 yards and threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Christian Koneman.
Prince Avenue Christian 22, Hebron Christian 17
Host Prince Avenue Christian led 22-10 heading into the fourth quarter but needed a stop as time expired to clinch victory and improve to 8-0. Hebron Christian made it a 22-17 game with 47 seconds left and then recovered its onside kick to set up a potential game-winning drive. The Lions reached the Prince Avenue 36-yard line with .03 seconds left, but the final deep pass attempt fell incomplete. Prince Avenue was led by quarterback Grant Roland and wide receiver Christian Parrish; the duo connected for a 68-yard passing touchdown for the Wolverines’ first touchdown and extended the lead to 22-10 with 20 seconds left in the third quarter on a 64-yard completion. J.J. Hudson ran in a 4-yard touchdown, and Sam Wessinger and Daniel Parrish combined for a Prince Avenue safety in the second quarter.
St. Francis 34, King’s Ridge 14
Sean Paradise and Pop Jones of St. Francis both scored two touchdowns each. Paradise scored his team’s first touchdown in the second quarter to tie the game before the half. Quarterback Sam Hines connected with Jones for a 55-yard touchdown for the first play of the second half. King’s Ridge regained the lead, but Hines scored again to make it 19-14. Soon after, Jones added an 83-yard touchdown catch. After a safety forced by the Knights, Paradise finished the game with his second touchdown for 65 yards.
Towns County 28, Athens Christian 27
Towns County quarterback Zack Davenport ran in a 1-yard touchdown in the first half and then threw a pair of fourth-quarter touchdown passes to lead the Indians back from a 27-14 deficit. Alan Gillis ran in a 3-yard touchdown to put Towns County up 14-7 before Athens Christian used three straight touchdowns to take a 27-14 lead into the final frame. This is Towns County’s first victory over Athens Christian in 12 tries.