No. 2-ranked Lee County seemed poised to improve to 3-0 in Region 1-6A play with a 20-0 fourth-quarter advantage over Northside-Warner Robins, but the opportunistic Eagles stormed back with 23 unanswered points — including a 40-yard game-winning scoop-and-score by Ja’Marian Lawson in the game’s final moments — for a wild comeback victory on the road.
The Trojan defense forced a pair of fumbles and intercepted Northside twice in the first half, but Lee County only managed to turn those four turnovers into one score: a 2-yard touchdown run from Noah Anderson. Anderson added an 18-yard trip to the end zone in the third following yet another Northside turnover, and Weston Bryan connected with Jevell Fugerson for a 60-yard touchdown and a 20-0 Trojan lead.
Ashton Paredes finally put Northside on the board in the final frame with a 30-yard field goal, and quarterback Don Hudson found Duke McClinton for a 12-yarder following Isaiah Harvey’s fumble recovery to further cut into the Lee County lead. With just over five minutes remaining, the Eagles attempted and recovered an onside kick, and Hudson threw another touchdown pass — this time to D’Shawn Hooten — to make it a three-point game with 3:17 remaining. Lee County got the ball back to try to hold on for the win, but Lawson’s fumble recovery touchdown completed the unlikely comeback.
Both Northside and Lee County will be at home next week, with the Eagles hosting Veterans and Thomas County Central traveling to Lee County.
The AJC has writers at North Cobb at Kennesaw Mountain, Brookwood at Grayson, Valdosta at Camden, Sprayberry at Roswell and Kell at Greater Atlanta Christian. Follow the link to see the full Prep Scoreboard powered by Score Atlanta or see Todd Holcomb’s Friday Night Wrap here.
See the Friday night roundups below
Class 7A
North Paulding 14, McEachern 7
North Paulding’s two second-quarter touchdowns were just enough, as McEachern scored a fourth-quarter touchdown and had a chance to tie but lost a fumble on its final possession. Boone Anderson threw a touchdown pass to Calvin Scott for the visiting Wolfpack, and Tayo Ogunlade took a direct snap and scored on a short touchdown run to give North Paulding a 14-0 halftime lead. Keyon Almond threw a touchdown pass to R.J. Echols for McEachern.
Harrison 37, Hillgrove 15
Braylan Ford threw a trio of third-quarter touchdown passes to Brady Kluse, helping Harrison pull away from visiting Hillgrove. Harrison held a tenuous 14-8 lead at halftime before Ford connected with Kluse on scoring strikes of 40, 32 and 39 yards. Ford also tossed a 30-yard touchdown pass to Reggie Brigman in the first quarter before Liam Gray returned an interception for a touchdown to give the Hoyas a 14-2 lead in the second quarter. Hillgrove got a pair of touchdown passes from Toryn Wilkins and also picked up a safety on a botched punt snap by Harrison.
Newton 20, Parkview 18
Newton stopped Parkview on a two-point conversion with five seconds left in the game to hold on for a dramatic road victory. After trailing 20-3 going into the fourth quarter, Parkview got a touchdown run from Khyair Spain and a field goal by Carlos Munoz to get within 20-12. Colin Houck threw a touchdown pass to Jalyn Crawford in the final seconds before the two-point try was stopped just short of the goal line. For Newton, Marcus Calwise tossed scoring strikes to Gabriel Williams and Deion Lewis to go along with a 72-yard touchdown scamper by Zion Johnson.
Mill Creek 54, Collins Hill 0
Hayden Clark threw two touchdown passes to Brendan Jenkins and rushed for a touchdown in Mill Creek’s home win. Caleb Downs opened the scoring with a touchdown rush in the first quarter and had an interception return for a touchdown in the second quarter. The Hawks also had two touchdowns on special teams and a safety. Jaiden Patterson returned a kickoff for a score, Makhail Wood returned a punt for a score and Nick Maxey made a tackle in the Collins Hill end zone for a safety. Brady Lane capped the scoring with a fourth-quarter field goal.
Archer 28, South Gwinnett 27
Archer trailed 27-7 at the break before outscoring the visiting Comets 21-0 in its first region win of the season. Quarterback Justin Johnson connected with Jonathan Stafford Jr for a 28-yard touchdown and William Wallace for a 9-yarder in the third frame, with the latter score following Vandale Nute’s interception for the Tiger defense, and Emmanuel McRae’s 7-yard rushing score in the fourth provided the game’s final points. Archer (2-6, 1-2) travels to Grayson next week, and the Comets will host Newton.
Lambert 39, Denmark 31
Denmark closed the first half with 16 straight points to take a 23-14 lead over No. 7-ranked Lambert, but quarterback James Tyre took control in the final two frames to keep the Longhorns’ undefeated season alive. Joseph Tripp put Lambert on the board in the first minute of the game with a pick-six, and Ethan Terry and Brandon Jones connected for a touchdown and a 14-7 lead early in the second before Denmark found its groove. Tyre responded quickly in the third with a rushing score, and after Christian Smith’s interception on defense, Tyre threw a touchdown pass to Jones and a successful 2-point completion to Luke Logan to take a 29-23 lead. Following another Lambert interception and Ryan Degyansky’s 43-yard field goal, Tyre took another trip to the end zone for a 39-23 advantage, and Denmark added one last score in the game’s final moments.
Walton 41, Cherokee 3
Host Walton scored three touchdowns in the first quarter and three in the second to lead 41-0 at halftime. Jeremy Hecklinski threw four touchdown passes, including two to Ayden Jackson for 42 and 34 yards. Hecklinski also found Wyatt Sonderman for a 6-yard touchdown and Cameran Loyd for a 14-yard score. The Raiders got a 19-yard rushing touchdown from Makari Bodiford and a 5-yard rushing touchdown from Austin Williams.
Carrollton 28, Westlake 19
Despite an interception returned for a touchdown by Westlake’s CJ Ghee to give the Lions a 7-0 lead, Carrollton wasted little time in its response. Quarterback Julian Lewis passed to Caleb Odom on a 40-yard touchdown to tie the game and Bryce Hicks put the Trojans up 14-7 on a 9-yard run. Hicks scored again early in the second quarter to give Carrollton a 21-7 lead. Jai’den Thomas scored on a 3-yard run to cut into the lead 21-13 for Westlake. The Lions scored on a 65-yard pass from RJ Johnson to Zion Williams but the 2-point conversion failed, leaving Westlake trailing 21-19. Hicks scored on a 4-yard run with three minutes left in the third quarter to put the game away.
In other 7A games – Second-ranked Colquitt County’s perfect season is still alive following an emphatic 42-14 home victory over visiting Lowndes. The Packers move to the top of the Region 1 standings with the win after Valdosta’s loss to Camden County, and they’ll face the 8-1 Wildcats next week. … Mountain View secured a playoff berth with a 20-6 win over Central Gwinnett. This is good news for the Bears, who will close out their season hosting top-ranked Buford and third-ranked Mill Creek. … Duluth got a second-straight win and its first region victory of the season, defeating Berkmar 50-13. The Wildcats got a trio of first-half touchdown passes from quarterback David Jamieson — two 25-yarders to Tavion Jackson and another to Anthony Miller — and a rushing score and 70-yard kickoff return for a touchdown from River Thompson-Brown and AJ Holman respectively for a 37-7 edge at the break.. … Peachtree Ridge defeated Discovery 17-14 to improve to 2-2 in Region 7. Khaleed Latimore’s interception set up James Lemon’s 10-yard touchdown run to put the Lions up by two scores late in the fourth quarter. … Pebblebrook got its first Region 2 win of the year with a 41-0 rout of host Campbell. The Falcons led 28-0 at halftime and put up the remainder of their points in the third quarter, and they will close out their season in two weeks at East Coweta.
Class 6A
St. Pius X 41, Riverwood 14
St. Pius X scored the first 19 points of the game and cruised past visiting Riverwood. The Golden Lions led 19-8 at halftime and extended their advantage to 34-8 by the end of the third quarter. Liam Whitlock set the tone early for St. Pius X with a 17-yard touchdown run and Charles Weick also had a 57-yard touchdown scamper in the first quarter.
Allatoona 21, Etowah 16
Allatoona trailed 10-7 on the road at halftime before seizing momentum, coming away with a second-straight Region 6 win with the 21-16 victory over Etowah. Tyler McGuire provided the lone first-half touchdown for the Buccaneers on a 6-yard QB sneak midway through the second quarter for a shortlived 7-3 lead, but Etowah quickly reclaimed it. Allatoona’s defense came up with two fumble recoveries in the third quarter, the latter of which led to a 25-yard touchdown run by Saadiq Teel. Jayden Ponder’s 4-yard rushing score gave the Buccaneers a 21-10 edge, and Etowah added one last touchdown with 0:22 on the clock for the game’s final margin.
Gainesville 34, Shiloh 7
Gainesville running back Naim Cheeks scored three rushing touchdowns in the Red Elephants’ road win. Quarterback Baxter Wright had two touchdown passes, including a 53-yard strike to Darius Cannon to put Gainesville ahead 14-0 at the end of the first quarter. Wright’s second touchdown pass went to Tre Reece for 28 yards in the fourth quarter and capped the scoring. Cheeks rushed for touchdowns of 10, 4 and 2 yards.
Rome 56, River Ridge 7
Rome quarterback Reece Fountain threw four touchdown passes, including two to D.K. Daniel in the first half for 32 and 9 yards, and rushed for a 16-yard score in the third quarter for the visiting Wolves. Fountain also threw a 68-yard touchdown to Will Bray and a 21-yard score to Martel Hight. Chance Arthur (26 yards), Javarius McDearmont (1 yard) and Chris Smith (4 yards) had rushing touchdowns for Rome.
Thomas County Central 42, Houston County 21
No. 8 ranked Thomas County Central took the sole lead in the Region 1-6A standings after Lee County’s loss to Northside-Warner Robins and its victory over visiting Houston County that improved its record to 8-0 overall. The Yellow Jackets led 14-0 at the half following a pair of Samuel Brown touchdown runs and big gains by teammate Ricky Fulton. Houston County opened the second half with back-to-back touchdowns to tie it up 14-14 midway through the third quarter and grabbed a 21-14 lead with just a minute left in the frame. Brown tied it with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Malachi Thomas to spark what turned into 28 unanswered points for Thomas County Central with a trio of rushing scores coming in the fourth quarter.
Woodward Academy 49, Jonesboro 14
Jalen Woods was 11-of-15 passing for 190 yards and three touchdowns and ran for one touchdown in the romp of Jonesboro. Woods passed to Ben Grice (5 yards), Cameron Thompson (22 yards) and Josiah Abdullah (8 yards) for scores. River Hanson scored on a 48-yard fumble recovery. Grice added a 35-yard punt returned for a touchdown for Woodward.
North Forsyth 24, Habersham Central 14
North Forsyth forced a three-and-out on Habersham Central’s opening drive and marched down the field to set up a Karson McBrayer 2-yard touchdown run. Habersham came up short on a 13-play drive with a missed 25-yard field goal and then the Raiders extended the lead to 10-0 with 1:42 left in the half on a 31-yard Adrain Droze field goal. North Forsyth’s 10-poin lead looked safe heading into the half, but JD Galligan’s interception was negated on a roughing the passer penalty and Habersham scored a 3-yard Carson Parker to Zeke Whittington touchdown pass just before the half to make it 10-7. North Forsyth responded with a 26-yard West Roberts touchdown pass to Logan Curry and senior Caleb Bowen added a 4-yard touchdown run with 7:45 left in the fourth that pushed the lead to 24-7. Habersham’s final touchdown came on a 2-yard Parker keeper with 4:26 left and the Raiders recovered the onside kick and successfully ran out the clock. With the victory, North Forsyth has achieved three-straight winning seasons for the first time since 1999-01 and will face undefeated Gainesville next Friday with a chance to win its first region title since 2001.
Creekview 38, Woodstock 0
Creekview rebounded from back-to-back region losses with a 38-0 rout of winless Woodstock. Senior running back Isaac Hubert scored from 67 yards out on the first play of the game and added another pair of touchdown runs from 3 and 47 yards out before halftime. The Grizzlies also got a rushing score from Mason Munn in the second quarter and a first-quarter touchdown completion from Austin Guest to Marco Siegwald, and the game’s final points came on a fourth-quarter field goal.
No. 1 ranked Hughes improved to 8-0 overall and 5-0 in Region 5-6A over visiting Newnan. The Panthers have now outscored their five region opponents 253-10. Prentiss ‘Air’ Noland connected with Jaden ‘AJ’ Barnes (18 yards) and found Jelani ‘Tank’ Thurman for two second half touchdowns (5, 2). Jediyah ‘JD’ Willoughby (10) Jakail Middlebrooks (5) and Justus Savage (4) each rushed for touchdowns.
In other Class 6A games – Thomas County Central scored 28 unanswered points to overcome a 21-14 third-quarter deficit and beat Houston County 42-28. Samuel Brown rushed for two scores and also threw touchdown passes to Malachi Smith and Trey Brenton. … Kody Arnold kicked a 43-yard field goal with 34 seconds left to propel Glynn Academy past Evans 25-22. Evans led 22-8 late in the third quarter before Glynn Academy tied the game on touchdowns by Jayden Ellis and Greg Peacock. … Dunwoody’s first four touchdowns came on runs by Porter Ledoyen before Jordan Wade tacked on a 53-yard scamper late in the fourth quarter to help the Wildcats pull away from South Cobb 38-24. Cameron Brown rushed for two touchdowns and Javon Richardson added one to lead South Cobb. … Tyjay Reid returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown to set the tone for Alcovy, which defeated Forest Park 29-16. Ashton Evans led Alcovy on both sides of the ball. He rushed for a touchdown, threw a 35-yard scoring strike to Bernard Johnson, and came up with a sack in the endzone for a safety. … Patrick Lowe threw four touchdown passes to lead Pope past Lassiter 26-23. The Greyhounds trailed 17-7 late in the second quarter before reeling off the game’s next 19 points to take control. … Isaac Hubert ran for a 67-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage as Creekview rolled over Woodstock 38-0. The Grizzlies led 21-0 by the end of the first quarter and 35-0 at halftime.
Class 5A
Cambridge 51, Northview 7
No. 8-ranked Cambridge improved to 5-0 in Region 6 play with an emphatic 51-7 victory over Northview. The Bears began the opening frame with Ian Chaffin’s 80-yard kick return for a touchdown and a 28-yard scoop-and-score from Ben Ridenour. After a pair of rushing touchdowns by the offense, Walker Hicks added a 45-yard pick-six for a 35-0 first-quarter lead.
Calhoun 28, Dalton 13
Calhoun’s Caden Williams scored three touchdowns to lead the Yellow Jackets past the Catamounts. Williams scored on a short run to give the Yellow Jackets the 7-0 lead. Dalton Parker McClurg passed to Warner Ross (40 yards) to tie the game at 7. Williams scored on a 3-yard run to put Calhoun on top 14-0 with 10 minute before halftime. The Yellow Jackets went up 21-7 on a 1-yard run from Trey Townshend. Dalton back Tyson Greenwade scored on a 1-yard run late in the third quarter but the Catamounts could not convert the point-after try. Williams’ final touchdown run brought the score to its final tally.
Jefferson 42, Loganville 6
Sammy Brown scored all six of Jefferson’s touchdowns during a dominant win over visiting Loganville. Brown hauled in a 30-yard scoring strike from Max Aldridge in the first quarter and then rushed for five touchdowns thereafter. His scores came from 1, 34, 17, 58 and 97 yards out. The Dragons led 7-0 after one quarter and 35-0 at halftime before Loganville finally got on the scoreboard in the third quarter. Brown’s 97-yard jaunt accounted for the final 42-6 margin prior to a scoreless fourth.
In other 5A games – Ware County quarterback Niko Smith connected with Jarvis Hayes for three of his five touchdown passes, and the Gators shut out Greenbrier at home, 44-0. … Clarke Central defeated Eastside 28-27 at home in overtime. Eastside first scored a touchdown and extra point in the only overtime period, but Clarke Central won the game with a touchdown pass and two-point rush on its possession. … Host Cass outlasted Hiram 26-21 as Brody McWhorter threw two touchdown passes to Devin Henderson, who also had an interception and a two-point conversion rush. McWhorter and Kevin Henderson had touchdown rushes. … Chase Reese rushed for a touchdown and threw touchdown passes to Aamir Quick and Isiah Canion to lead Warner Robins past Eagle’s Landing at home, 49-18.
Class 4A
Troup 49, Fayette County 21
No. 4 ranked Troup cruised past host Fayette County to improve to 8-0 overall and 5-0 in Region 4—giving the Tigers an opportunity to clinch the program’s first region title since 1987 next week against Trinity Christian. The Tigers jumped out to a 30-0 halftime lead and were led by quarterback Taeo Todd, who finished with two touchdown passes to Qua Moss and three touchdown runs.
North Oconee 44, Walnut Grove 0
No. 2 North Oconee clinched back-to-back Region 8 championships and improved to 8-0 with a 44-0 victory over host Walnut Grove. Quarterback Max Wilson threw three touchdown passes and running back Khalil Barnes accounted for a touchdown reception and two rushing scores. The Titans have outscored their six region opponents 311-26.
Lovett 44, Mt. Zion-Jonesboro 0
Preston Lusink threw two touchdown passes and rushed for another score as visiting Lovett shut out Mt. Zion-Jonesboro. Lusink connected with Kalil Townes and Dylan Mayers, who both accounted for two touchdowns. Townes also ran for a five-yard touchdown and Mayers tossed a scoring strike of his own to Michael Mitchell. The Lions led 14-0 after one quarter, 30-0 at halftime and 37-0 going into the fourth quarter.
Cedartown 48, Sonoraville 0
No. 1 ranked Cedartown gained just eight yards in the first quarter, but the defense got them on the board with Demarcus Gardner’s 90-yard interception touchdown return. Gardner’s big play sparked Cedartown and the Bulldogs went on to out-gain the Phoenix 494-to-109 in total yards. Quarterback Reece Tanner found Harlem Diamond for a 34-yard passing touchdown and Diamond returned to the endzone with a 27-yard touchdown run. Mikey Esquivel and Juelz Davis also rushed for Cedartown touchdowns in the second half.
In other 4A games – In Region 1, Cairo stamped its sixth-straight win in a 28-2 home game against Westover and Shaw earned its first region victory with a 21-7 win over Hardaway. No. 7 Bainbridge was off on its bye and will visit Cairo in two weeks for the Region championship. In Region 2, Spalding picked up a 39-18 win over Westside-Macon on Thursday to set up a region championship game with No. 3 ranked Perry in its season finale. Perry was off on its bye this week, Griffin produced a 35-16 win over Howard Baldwin came up with a 42-21 win over West Laurens. No. 5 ranked Benedictine defeated No. 9 Wayne County 31-10 to take sole position at the top of the Region 3 standings and New Hampstead handled business in a 35-7 win over Islands after falling last week to Wayne County. Region 4 experienced another wild week with Troup dominating Fayette County 49-21, LaGrange serving Trinity Christian’s its first region defeat 28-10, Starr’s Mill defeating Riverdale 41-19 and Whitewater furthering the logjam for the four playoff berths with its 64-0 win over Whitewater on Thursday. As it currently stands, Troup is leading at 5-0 in the region, Trinity Christian moves to 4-1 and LaGrange, Starr’s Mill and Whitewater all stand at 3-2. …Region 5’s Hampton moved closer to securing a playoff spot with a 41-0 win over McDonough, Lovett cruised past Mt. Zion-Jonesboro 44-0, Pace Academy joined Lovett at 4-1 with a 35-21 win over Luella and region front-runner Stockbridge improved to 5-0 in region play with a 43-14 victory over Woodland-Stockbridge. There were no region games played in Region 6 this week, but both teams in action scored wins with Druid Hills topping Johnson-Gainesville 56-15 and Clarkston defeating Midtown 29-6. In Region 7, No. 1 ranked Cedartown toppled Sonoraville 48-0 to improve to 8-0, Heritage-Catoosa survived a wild 40-36 game with Northwest Whitfield and Central-Carroll cruised past Southeast Whitfield 51-6. Finally, North Oconee clinched the Region 8 championship on Friday with its 44-0 win over Walnut Grove. Madison County came up with a 42-34 win over East Forsyth on Thursday and Cherokee Bluff earned a must-win 34-20 triumph over East Hall.
Class 3A
Cedar Grove 49, Sandy Creek 34
Ej Colson passed for six touchdowns and rushed for one to lead top-ranked Cedar Grove past No. 3 Sandy Creek.Colson passed to Barry Jackson (3), Ricky Lee (2) and Devin Carter (1) for touchdowns. He ran in from 11 yards for a score. Cedar Grove trailed 12-0 early after a 35-yard pass from Kaleb Cost to Cameron Watts and a 8-yard touchdown pass from Geimere Latimer to Watts. Latimer passed to Keyshon Kenny on a 75-yard pass to cut into the Cedar Grove lead 28-18 and the ensuing 2-point conversion got the Patriots back into the game. But Colson’s touchdown run expanded the lead to 34-20 and put back Cedar Grove in control.
Adairsville 42, Gordon Lee 28
Adairsville outscored Gordon Lee 14-0 in the fourth quarter and improved to 7-1 and 5-0 in Region 6-3A. Running back Chris Roper ran in all six of the Tigers’ touchdowns.
Coahulla Creek 14, Bremen 10
Coahulla Creek trailed Bremen 10-7 heading into the fourth quarter and got the game-winning touchdown on a Kace Kinnamon touchdown pass to Manny Dominguez with eight minutes left in the game. The Colts program launched when the school opened in 2012 and this year’s 6-2 team has achieved a landmark by producing the first winning season in school history. Coahulla Creek closes out the season on the road against LaFayette and Adairsville with the chance to clinch its first-ever postseason berth.
In other 3A games — Carver-Atlanta picked up a key Region 5-3A win against Douglass 75-10 and will face top-ranked Cedar Grove next week for a chance to mix up the region standings. … No 2-ranked Calvary Day beat Savannah Country Day 56-13 to move to 5-0 in Region 3-3A play. … Stephens County moved to 3-0 in Region 8-3A after beating Hart County 30-14. …
Class 2A
Callaway 49, ELCA 20
No. 10 Callaway (5-3) picked up its fifth-straight victory and improved to 4-0 in Region 3-2A with a dominant night against No. 7 ranked ELCA. Senior Qua Whitfield led the Cavaliers with six touchdown runs. Karmelo Burton came up with an interception in the third quarter to preserve Callaway’s 28-13 lead.
In other 2A games – Worth County jumped to a 33-0 lead at halftime against Jeff Davis to improve its record to 7-1. …Central (Macon) scored 49 points against Jordan in the first half to win its second game of the season. …North Murray wide receiver Judson Petty scored on a 47-yard run and 47-yard reception in the first half to lead the visiting Mountaineers over Model. …Athens Academy scored 35 points against Banks County in the first quarter to win its seventh game of the year.
Class A Division I
Trion 42, Pepperell 14
Trion jumped out to a 42-0 lead before closing out host Pepperell and improving to 4-0 in Region 7 and 7-1 overall. The Bulldogs will host Armuchee next week before taking on Darlington for the region title. Toby Maddux put Trion up 14-0 with two touchdown runs (55, 48 yards) and Logan Eller added a 3-yard touchdown run and passing touchdowns to Garrett Mahan and Ethan Willingham.
Class A Division II
Christian Heritage 56, Asheville Christian Academy (NC) 6
Christian Heritage rebounded from last week’s 42-21 loss to No. 3 ranked Bowdon and scored a 50-point win over the host Lions. Christian Heritage—also the Lions—reside in a 3-team Region 7 and will close out the season next Friday at Mt. Zion-Carroll. The Lions opened up a 21-point lead in the first quarter and tacked on four more scores before the half to build a 49-0 lead. Eli Thomason accounted for two rushing scores in the first quarter and Carter Triplett completed a 35-yard touchdown pass. Thomason added another pair of touchdown runs in the second quarter and Jaylon Gay also ran in a pair of touchdowns before Evan Hood’s fourth quarter touchdown run marked the final tally.
In other Class A games – Social Circle moved to 6-2 and 1-0 in Region 5-Division I after beating Jasper County 30-0. … Rabun County led 14-0 after the first quarter and 35-0 at the half in a romp of Athens Christian. Rabun moved to 9-0 overall and 2-0 in Region 8-Division I. … McIntosh County Academy defeated Emanuel County Institute 28-21 after trailing 7-0 entering the second quarter. The Buccaneers moved to 3-0 in Region 3-Division II after the victory. …
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