In GHSA semifinals action, Class A-Private No. 1 ELCA was upset by Calvary Day, Carrollton outlasted Marist in multiple overtime periods for the second year in a row and Lovett and Washington County rolled into their respective state finals. See recaps and more below and also follow the links to games covered by AJC.com.
AAAA
Carrollton 46, Marist 44 (4 OTs): Carrollton held Marist on a 2-point try in the fourth overtime period to win. War Eagles quarterback Chase Martenson scored on a 9-yard run to give Marist a chance to tie. Jarvis Terrell gave Carrollton its lead at 46-38 following a touchdown run and 2-point conversion run. Terrell finished with three touchdowns runs, including an 80-yarder that gave the visiting Trojans a 15-7 halftime lead.
Griffin 25, Wayne County 20: Griffin scored 19 unanswered points following a 14-6 halftime deficit to overcome Wayne County. The visiting Yellow Jackets went ahead with a touchdown pass from Malique Jackson to A.J. McGill and a scoring run by Anfernee Jordan. Griffin responded when Anforne Stroud returned an interception for a touchdown before Jaquez Parks sealed the deal for the Bears thanks to a 2-yard scoring run and a touchdown pass to Trey Willis.
AAA
Washington County 37, Ringgold 0: Washington County scored all 37 points in the first half before coasting through the fourth quarter with a running clock. Melvin Hill scored four touchdowns for the host Golden Hawks, including one on a 99-yard punt return late in the second quarter. Hill opened the scoring with a 59-yard run and plunged in from two yards with 16 seconds left in the first half. D.J. Sanders hauled in a 68-yard touchdown pass from A.J. Gray.
AA
Lovett 35, Brooks County 12: Lovett dominated Brooks County 35-12 in a weather-delayed Class AA semifinal in Buckhead. Grant Haley ran for three touchdowns and 120 yards for the host Lions. Lovett’s defense held Brooks County to 76 yards rushing and intercepted Trojans quarterback Malkom Parrish twice.
Willie Candler hit Jack McGranahan on a 13-yard pass in the first quarter to give Lovett an early 7-0 lead. Haley scored twice in the second and Lovett led 21-0. Ijohn Parrish hit his brother, Malkom, on a 61-yard pass to get Brooks County on the board just before the half.
Haley and Murphy Lee each scored for Lovett in the third quarter to hand the Lions a commanding 35-6 lead.
The game was halted for 30 minutes in the second half due to stormy weather.
Lamar County 10, Benedictine 7: Tyler Scandrett kicked a 24-yard field goal as time expired to send Lamar County past Benedictine. The host Trojans trailed 7-0 at halftime but scored 10 unanswered points in the final 15 minutes. Benedictine opened the scoring late in the second quarter on a 5-yard touchdown run by J.J. Gaines. Lamar County finally answered late in the third quarter when Lance Austin hit Ray Lions with a 17-yard scoring strike on a fake field goal.
A
Aquinas 17, Mt. Pisgah 16: Liam Welch threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to John Morris with 16 seconds left to lead Aquinas over Mt. Pisgah. The visiting Fightin’ Irish also got a 1-yard scoring run from Ruben Garnett and a 44-yard field goal by Justin Thompson. For Mt. Pisgah, Browning Dunn rushed 13 times for 144 yards and a touchdown. Aaron Winchester had a 16-yard scoring run to put Mt. Pisgah ahead 16-10 with five minutes remaining.
Calvary Day 35, Eagle’s Landing Christian 34 (OT): Calvary Day exploded to a 21-0 in the first half and held on to win in overtime when Eagle’s Landing Christian quarterback Jordan Long was stopped short on a 2-point conversion. It is the Chargers’ first loss to a Class A foe since the 2011 semifinals when Landmark Christian beat them 14-7.
Calvary Day’s Michael Peterson had four touchdown passes, two of which were caught by Jordan Walker. The Cavaliers’ winning touchdown came on a 1-yard run by Cameron Heyward in overtime.
The host Chargers got on the board with 32.8 seconds left in the second quarter to cut the lead to 21-7 when Long ran one yard for a touchdown. Long ran for a 6-yard score early in the third quarter to make it 21-14, then Lane Timpson ran for an 8-yard touchdown to make it 21-20. Davis Carrandi caught a 77-yard touchdown pass from Long to help tie the score at 28. Long ran for two scores and threw for two more.
Charlton County 34, Irwin County 33: After scoring a touchdown on a 3-yard run by Antuane Merritt with four seconds left in the game to make the score 34-33, Eric Contreras’ PAT attempt was blocked by Charlton County. Charlton was led by sophomore running back Andrew Lee, who had 24 carries for 228 yards and scored four touchdowns. Charlton had 289 total yards.
Irwin was led by Merritt, 21 carries for 158 yards, and Robert Moore, 19 carries for 107 yards.
Irwin County had 360 total yards.
Marion County 40, Hawkinsville 7: Marion County avenged its only loss of the season, a 14-10 setback at Hawkinsville on Nov. 1. The Eagles had home-field advantage this time around and took control right away by racing to a 26-0 lead in the second quarter. Lorenzo Smothers scored three touchdowns, including a 44-yard interception return and an 82-yard run. Corey Johnson also returned a fumble 73 yards for a touchdown for Marion County.
Ricky Dimon and Stephen Black contributed to this report.
AJC STORIES ON OTHER GAMES:
Norcross 14, Colquitt County 9
North Gwinnett 27, McEachern 21
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