The AJC has writers covering numerous games across the state Friday including Cass vs. Kennesaw Mountain in the Corky Kell Classic at Rome’s Barron Stadium as well as Buford vs. Thompson (Ala.), South Paulding at Harrison, North Cobb at Westlake and North Oconee at Oconee County.
On Wednesday, Adam Krohn covered Corky Kell’s opening night where Kell beat Cherokee Bluff and Parkview defeated Johns Creek. Score Atlanta covered the Corky Kell games Thursday, where West Forsyth and North Atlanta picked up victories and Friday’s Corky Kell games Pisgah against Fellowship Christian and Rome against Creekside.
See the roundups from this week below.
Class 7A
Meadowcreek 34, Greater Atlanta Christian 12
Host Meadowcreek led 21-6 at halftime after three first-half touchdown passes from Cameron Ellis, with two scores going to Andre Craig and one going to Anteaus Stokes. Greater Atlanta Christian scored a touchdown halfway through the third quarter to cut the score to 21-12, but Meadowcreek running back Jordan Louie rushed for a touchdown late in the third and another one with 5:20 remaining in the fourth to seal the win for the Mustangs.
North Paulding 35, Allatoona 13
The North Paulding Wolfpack hosted Allatoona in their season opener and put together a 35-13 victory over the visiting Buccaneers out of Class 6A. The home team took a 21-0 lead with a trio of first-quarter touchdowns before Allatoona got on the board in the second frame. The Wolfpack offense answered both this and the Buccaneers’ third-quarter score with touchdowns of their own, however, to maintain a comfortable lead throughout the matchup.
Forsyth Central 44, Chattahoochee 21
Junior Jayce Todaro put together a four-touchdown performance on the ground for visiting Forsyth Central — including a 60-yarder — in the first nine and a half minutes of the season to propel the Bulldogs to a big victory over host Chattahoochee. Todaro’s rushing scores came at the 8:30, 6:32, 5:39 and 2:33 marks of the opening frame, and Justin Taylor and Jon Clapper added a 3-yard touchdown run and a 27-yard field goal respectively in the second quarter. Chattahoochee’s Darian Long returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown in the final moments of the half for a 37-14 score at the break.
Newton 20, Hapeville Charter 19 (Thursday)
Hapeville Charter took a 13-0 first-quarter lead after a kickoff return for a touchdown and a rushing score, and Newton’s Riley Scruggs threw a touchdown pass to Keon Davis to make the score 13-7 at halftime. The score remained 13-7 early in the fourth quarter when Scruggs threw a touchdown pass to Marquavious Brown to give Newton a 14-13 lead, and then Scruggs found Marcus Calwise to give the Rams a 20-13 lead. Hapeville Charter scored a late touchdown but the two-point conversion attempt, which would have given Hapeville a one-point lead, failed.
South Forsyth 28, Lanier 0
Quarterback Ty Watkins threw three touchdown passes and South Forsyth’s defense forced five turnovers in the War Eagles’ home shutout. Watkins threw two touchdown passes to James Margiotta and one to Dash Moore, and South Forsyth’s Brady Fogarty recovered a Lanier fumble in the end zone for the game’s final touchdown in the third quarter.
Class 6A
Etowah 25, Lassiter 14
Sophomore athlete Xavier Mahoney and junior running back Reece Wehr rushed for a combined 229 yards to lead Etowah to its first win of the 2022 season. Mahoney had 102 rushing yards in the second half, including a 3-yard touchdown run. He also threw a 31-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter and finished the night with 127 rushing yards and 44 passing yards. The Eagles registered 328 yards of total offense but only had 97 yards in the first half. Lassiter was led by senior quarterback Bryson Harrison, who rushed for 108 rushing yards in the first half with an 80-yard touchdown.
Gainesville 34, Marist 23
Gainesville held off a late charge by Marist to pick up a hard-fought road win. The Red Elephants scored on the opening possession of the game and led 20-0 after the first quarter. Their advantage was still 20 points (27-7) at halftime before the War Eagles got back in the game with touchdown runs by Jackson Hughes and DJ Mazzone. A 36-yard field goal from Harrison Feldman brought Marist within 27-23 at the 7:00 mark of the fourth quarter and the home team even got the ball back with a chance to take the lead. However, Gainesville’s defense came up with a big stop and Naim Cheeks tacked on clinching insurance points via a touchdown run with 2:05 remaining.
Roswell 35, Denmark 10
Dylan Williams helped Roswell pull away from a back-and-forth matchup with visiting Denmark by hauling in a KJ Smith pass in the back corner of the end zone late in the third quarter — the first of three straight touchdowns with which the Hornets finished their home opener. The two teams began the game with each player holding up five fingers in honor of Roswell quarterback Robbie Roper, who tragically passed away shortly after the end of the 2021 season. Following the touching tribute, a Chris Elko rushing score and Smith’s pass to Ethan Nation for a 54-yard touchdown run up the sideline bookended a Denmark touchdown for a 14-7 halftime margin. Denmark closed the gap with a Shaun Alie field goal (set up by William Hodges’ fumble recovery) before Roswell’s 21-0 closing run.
Woodward Academy 37, Trinity Christian 19
Jalen Woods, Myles Graham and Ben Grice led visiting Woodward Academy to a win over Trinity Christian. Woods completed 15 of 21 passes for 294 yards and two touchdowns. Grice was Woods’ favorite target, making seven catches for 159 yards and a score, and Graham racked up 135 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries. Trinity Christian took a brief 7-0 lead, but Woodward Academy stormed ahead 14-10 by the end of the first quarter before leading 27-17 at halftime and by the final 37-19 margin going into the fourth quarter. For the Lions, Henry Broadnax launched 45-yard touchdown passes to both Kaden Hansen and Austin Morrow.
Class 5A
Flowery Branch 39, Decatur 38
Flowery Branch scored last in a back-and-forth battle with host Decatur for a Week One win in Coach Jason Tester’s debut. The Falcons held a 23-14 lead at halftime before Decatur opened an eventful third quarter with a score. Flowery Branch quickly answered to reclaim a two-possession advantage (30-21), but the Bulldogs again closed the gap and then took the lead with another touchdown and a field goal. Decatur’s 31-30 edge stood until the 4:30 mark of the final frame, when the Falcons added a go-ahead field goal of their own, but the Bulldogs went out in front again with a touchdown with 2:20 remaining. Flowery Branch’s game-winner came inside the last minute for a score of 39-38, which became final when a wild Decatur touchdown on the last play of the game was negated by a penalty.
Cartersville 35, Cherokee 0
The Cartersville Purple Hurricanes opened their season with a 35-0 road rout of host Cherokee out of Class 7A. Senior quarterback Paul Gamble threw touchdown passes to Collin Fletcher (8 yards) and Jalen Scott (15 yards) in the first half and a third to Romo Pace (46 yards) in the second, and senior running back Malachi Jefferies added a pair of rushing scores. Fletcher also contributed an interception on defense for the Hurricanes, who led 28-0 at halftime.
Cambridge 28, Creekview 0
Senior running back Christian Isibor scored three touchdowns for host Cambridge in the Bears’ season opener against Creekview. Isibor rushed for a 4-yard touchdown in the first quarter on the game’s opening drive, and Cambridge held a 7-0 lead at halftime. Isibor scored on a 7-yard rush in the third quarter and then rushed for a 35-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter to put the Bears ahead 21-0 before Preston Clemmer threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Connor Harris to cap the scoring with 2:02 remaining.
McIntosh 20, Fayette County 7
The McIntosh offense found a burst of success in the third quarter of the Chiefs’ home opener against visiting Fayette County, scoring a trio of touchdowns in the second half of the frame en route to a 20-7 victory. Senior quarterback Tate Morris connected with Marcus Malone for 14 yards to put McIntosh on the board following two and a half scoreless quarters. Malone found the end zone again moments later after an Andy Elwell interception for the Chiefs defense, and Morris broke free for a 39-yard touchdown on 4th-and-1 on the next McIntosh drive.
Dalton 49, Northwest Murray 27
Dalton’s Tyson Greenwade ran in all six of the host Catamounts’ offensive touchdowns. North Murray answered Greenwade’s first touchdown run (48 yards) with a 6-yard rushing score by quarterback Seth Griffin, but Dalton’s Luke Blanchard returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown to grow the lead to 14-6 with 6:29 left in the first half. Greenwade added two more touchdown runs before the half and put Dalton up 28-13 following a Griffin touchdown pass to Judson Petty. Greenwade’s fourth touchdown run came on a 50-yard carry midway through the third quarter and his fifth touchdown run extended the lead to 42-13. Griffin chipped into the lead with his second rushing touchdown and then found Petty for the duo’s second touchdown connection to cut it to 42-27 and Greenwade’s final score came with just six seconds left.
Eastside 21, Luella 14
Host Eastside converted a fake punt on a 4th-and-10 with a D’Von Duplessis first down and set up a 24-yard touchdown run by Jaquez Cobb to take a 7-0 lead in the second quarter. Luella answered with a 75-yard touchdown pass, but the PAT was blocked and the Eagles maintained a 7-6 lead. Cobb later fumbled at the 1-yard line before the half and Eastside took its 1-point lead into the break. Eastside pulled away in the third quarter with a Bailey Benson interception returned for a touchdown and an 88-yard rushing score by Kenai Grier to push the lead to 21-6. Luella took advantage of an Eastside turnover and ran in a 12-yard score that was followed by a successful two-point conversion before the Eagles were able to close out the victory.
Clarke Central 40, Cedar Shoals 0 (Thursday)
Host Clarke Central got three rushing touchdowns from quarterback Lucian Anderson III to defeat its Athens rival in the Classic City Championship. Anderson scored on a 9-yard run in the first quarter and a 4-yard run in the second, and his 30-yard run in the third quarter put the Gladiators ahead 21-0.
Class 4A
Cedartown 27, Rockmart 14
Senior running back Harlem Diamond returned an onside kick for a touchdown in the fourth quarter to give Cedartown a victory in its season opener. Diamond also scored on a 19-yard touchdown run in the second quarter that gave the Bulldogs a 14-7 lead. Before halftime, Cedartown jumped to a 20-7 lead when senior quarterback Reece Tanner scored on a 9-yard scramble. Rockmart got on the board first after scoring on a kickoff return in the opening quarter.
Benedictine 45, Jenkins 0
Benedictine led 31-0 after the first quarter on its way to a win at Memorial Stadium in Savannah. Quarterback Luke Kromenhoek threw four touchdown passes and rushed for a score. Kromenhoek threw two touchdowns to Za’Quan Bryan, one to Thomas Blackshear and one to Ack Edwards, and he added a QB sneak for a touchdown to cap the scoring in the second quarter. The game was called with 2:10 remaining in the first half due to an incident involving fans in the stands.
Westminster 14, Lovett 0
Westminster used a dominant defensive effort to pull off a road win over rival Lovett. Carson Wilkie gave the Wildcats a 3-0 lead in the first quarter with a 24-yard field goal, which was the same margin they took into halftime. Josh Brockman added a second field goal for the visitors, giving them a 6-0 advantage going into the fourth quarter. Running back Quinton Ezzard put the game away with five minutes remaining when he took a direct snap and ran it in for a touchdown from 11 yards out. Westminster tacked on a two-point conversion via a pass from John Collier to Brand Morgan.
Westside-Macon 39, Central-Macon 12
Kadiphius Iverson scored on a 13-yard run and Jesse Bell caught a 15-yard pass for a touchdown for Westside.
Pace Academy 20, Holy Innocents’ 17
Pace Academy kicker Doan Rutta gave the visiting Knights a 3-0 halftime lead with a 30-yard field goal and sealed the victory with a 24-yard kick with two seconds left. Holy Innocents’ went up 7-3 in the third quarter on a Stephen Jones touchdown run, but Pace Academy quarterback Connor Phelan answered with a touchdown pass to Terence Kiel and the Knights pulled out the victory in their Class 4A debut.
LaGrange 49, Smiths Station (Ala.) 20 (Thursday)
Visiting LaGrange led 21-13 at halftime after A.J. Tucker’s two first-half touchdown runs and one touchdown rush from fellow tailback Malachi Fannin-Render, who also ran for a touchdown in the third quarter. Grangers quarterback Jaylan Brown also rushed for two touchdowns, and running back Jonathan Keys had one rushing score.
Class 3A
Wesleyan 31, Mount Vernon 7
Leading 7-0, Wesleyan kicker David Camargo kicked a 29-yard field goal. Shepard Jones caught a 51-yard touchdown pass from Ben Brown to give Wesleyan a 17-0 lead. Brown passed to Will Tucker on a 10-yard pass to give the Wolves a 24-0 lead. Brown’s 25-yard pass to Reed Purcell to push the lead to 31-0. Mount Vernon scored on a 10-yard rushing touchdown with under a minute left in the game.
Liberty County 33, Southeast Bulloch 29 (Thursday)
Carlos Singleton threw a 27-yard jump-ball touchdown to Ron Golden with seven seconds remaining to give visiting Liberty County the win. In the first quarter, Singleton threw a 50-yard touchdown pass to Jamar Joseph, who also returned a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown. In the second quarter for Liberty County, Markel Adside had a 27-yard interception return and James Summersett had a 20-yard fumble return for a touchdown after he ripped the ball away from a Southeast Bulloch ball-carrier. Liberty County led 20-13 at halftime.
Class 2A
ACE Charter 70, Crawford County 53
ACE Charter outlasted local-rival Crawford County after leading 15-6 after the first quarter and 42-26 at the half. Brothers Sam and Brice Whitley combined for five touchdowns in the victory. Brice caught touchdown passes of 53, 15 and three yards and Sam caught passes of 33 and 15 yards for scores.
Josey 22, Savannah 16 OT
Josey trailed 8-0 entering the second quarter but tied the game entering the half. Both teams scored a touchdown and a two-point conversion in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 16 and force overtime. A touchdown run in overtime proved to be the difference for Josey.
ELCA 50, Brentwood, TN 49 OT
Eagle’s Landing Christian outlasted Tennessee Class II-AAA No. 7 Brentwood in an overtime thriller capped by a Brandon Hood 6-yard rushing touchdown and a walk-off two-point conversion. The Chargers led 21-14 at the end of the first quarter, 28-21 at the half and 35-28 entering the fourth quarter.
Class A Division I
Commerce 21, Southside Christian (S.C.) 17
Commerce traveled to South Carolina to defeat two-time defending Class A champion Southside Christian, which had won 22 straight games. Sophomore running back Jaiden Daniels scored all three touchdowns on the ground for the Tigers. Southside led 7-0 after the first quarter and the game was tied 14-14 at halftime before Southside took a 17-14 lead on a field goal at the 8:47 mark of the fourth quarter. Daniels scored the go-ahead touchdown with 3:49 remaining.
Trion 45, Gordon Lee 19
Visiting Trion built a 24-7 halftime lead and cruised into the fourth quarter with a 31-13 lead. Senior running back Logan Eller rushed in his fifth touchdown in the final frame to secure the Bulldogs’ 45-19 victory.
Armuchee 10, Gordon Central 6
Host Armuchee took a 10-0 lead following a 26-yard field goal by Grayson Perry late in the first quarter and a 5-yard touchdown pass from Chandler DeSanto to Jacob Seagraves. Gordon Central got on the board just before the half with a 69-yard touchdown reception by Jayden Sibley before the Indians closed out the victory.
Class A Division II
Charlton County 20, Jeff Davis 14 OT
A short touchdown run from Jaylen Lilley in overtime lifted Charlton County past Jeff Davis. Charlton went up 7-0 on a 14-yard run from Lilley. Jeff Davis scored on a 20-yard run from Terence Clemons to tied the game. Gavin Coleman put Jeff Davis up 14-0 on a short touchdown run. Charlton scored on a 16-yard touchdown pass to Jaylen King to tie the game at 14.
Early County 52, Miller County 14
The Bobcats led 27-0 after the first quarter and 39-14 entering the half in a romp of Miller County.
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