Mill Creek trailed early following a pair of first-quarter Norcross touchdowns—both of which came off turnovers by the Hawks—before pouring in 41 unanswered points in its Week 2 home opener. Quarterback Michael Clark led Mill Creek deep into Blue Devil territory, but Norcross was first on the board with a scoop-and-score from Jonathan Mathis and again after a touchdown run by Tad Logan Jr. Joseph Robinson II answered with a rushing score of his own for the Hawks, however, and Trace Butcher’s field goal cut the Norcross lead to 13-10 by halftime.
Clark’s first touchdown pass of the night gave Mill Creek its first lead early in the third, and Jayvon Henderson put the ball right back in his quarterback’s hands with the first of his three interceptions in two minutes. The Hawks capitalized with a touchdown run from Caleb Downs, and Mill Creek’s lead expanded to 31-13 moments later when Henderson came up with a 40-yard pick-six. The scoring frenzy stalled when the Hawks failed to put up points following Henderson’s third interception, but Butcher added another field goal late in the third for a 34-13 advantage heading into the final frame. A touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Trajen Greco brought the score to its final tally.
Here is the FOOTBALL SCOREBOARD powered by Score Atlanta. Follow the link to Todd Holcomb’s Friday Night Wrap.
See the rest of the recaps below.
Class 7A
Roswell 40, Centennial 14
Visiting Roswell improved to 2-0 as quarterback Robbie Roper threw for five touchdowns—including two to Ethan Crite—against Centennial. Roper’s big night brings his season total to 11 touchdown passes following a six-TD outing in Week 1.
Harrison 19, North Forsyth 6
Harrison quarterback Jake Walling threw two second-half touchdowns to lead the Hoyas to a home win. Walling completed a touchdown pass to Nick Charles in the third quarter to give Harrison a 12-6 lead and found Garrett Pate for a score in the fourth quarter. A.J. Daniels gave the Hoyas a 3-0 lead with a 39-yard field goal in the first quarter, and Harrison blocked a North Forsyth punt in the second quarter that resulted in a safety, giving Harrison a 5-0 lead.
Parkview 37, Mountain View 24
Colin Houck threw three touchdown passes and rushed for another score as visiting Parkview had too much offensive firepower for Mountain View. The Houck-to-Zion Taylor connection opened the scoring with a 26-yard touchdown in the first quarter and iced the game with a 52-yard pass-and-catch late in the fourth. In between, Houck tossed a 9-yard touchdown pass to Jalyn Crawford and scored on a 10-yard keeper to make it 30-17 in the third. The Panthers were also aided by a 73-yard touchdown jaunt by Jordan McCoy that gave them a 13-3 lead through one quarter. Mountain View got a trio of scoring strikes off the arm of Mason Kidd, who found Sean Reese twice and Mekei Williams once.
Grayson 21, McEachern 7
Grayson quarterback JoJo Stone gave the host Rams a 7-0 lead in the first quarter on a 1-yard touchdown run, and Joe Taylor Jr. rushed for a 14-yard touchdown later in the quarter to put Grayson ahead 14-0—a score that stood until the fourth quarter. Grayson extended its lead to 21-0 in the fourth on a 2-yard Stone rushing score. McEachern scored late when quarterback Bryce Archie rushed for a touchdown.
Cherokee 26, Sequoyah 25
Cherokee quarterback AJ Swann and fellow senior Adarrius Harshaw accounted for all four touchdowns in the Warriors’ narrow 26-25 win over host Sequoyah to improve to 2-0 on the year. The Chiefs found the end zone on their opening drive of the night before Harshaw scored on a reverse to knot the game at 6-6. Matthew Traynor put Sequoyah back on top with a scoring strike to Peyton Lucas, and the Warriors responded with a drive ending in Swann diving over his line to tie it back up. Swann’s next touchdown came midway through the third, and it was also the 50th through the air of his career. Harshaw came down with the go-ahead score, and the pair connected again on the next drive for a 26-13 lead before the Warriors defense held on to seal the win.
Hoover (AL) 35, Alpharetta 7
Hoover quarterback Bennett Meredith threw four touchdown passes to spoil Alpharetta’s trip to Alabama. Meredith and the Buccaneers jumped all over the Raiders right from the start with a pair of first-quarter scoring strikes to K.J. Law and Sky Niblett. Both Law and Niblett finished with two touchdown receptions apiece. Ahmari Williams broke the game open when he turned a 21-0 halftime lead into a 28-0 advantage by returning the second-half kickoff 99 yards to the end zone. After conceding 35 unanswered points, Alpharetta finally got on the scoreboard midway through the fourth quarter on a 22-yard touchdown pass from Ben Guthrie to Garrett Young.
Class 6A
River Ridge 49, Woodstock 14
A 28-point first quarter from River Ridge set the tone early for the Knights in an emphatic win over Woodstock. Senior Amehre Morrison began the scoring spree with a 52-yard rushing touchdown. A fumble recovery set up the Knights’ second score, a 33-yard touchdown catch by Ethan Hand. Morrison reached the end zone again off a 5-yard rush, and the final score of the quarter came off Brandon Burdettea’s scoop-and-score off a forced fumble by Brian Bradley. River Ridge added one last score in the first half—a 17-yard touchdown pass from Carson Lathem to Morrison for his third score of the night—and Gabe Bolden scored River Ridge’s last points of the game off a 5-yard touchdown run.
Gainesville 44, Chattahoochee 0
The Red Elephants rebounded after a Week 1 loss to Johns Creek with a commanding shutout victory over Chattahoochee. Junior running back Naim Cheeks was electric for Gainesville, reaching the end zone three times in just the first quarter, and Baxter Wright added a touchdown pass to DJ Miller to mount a 30-0 lead heading into the second. After a second lightning delay in as many weeks, Gainesville picked up where it left off with a 32-yard touchdown pass from Wright to JQ Drinkard. The Red Elephants’ final score of the game came from a 51-yard punt return by Dre Raven late in the second to put the game out of reach for the Cougars.
Westlake 31, Colquitt County 24
The Westlake Lions served Colquitt County its first home loss since the Packers 38-35 loss to Tift County in 2017. Junior Quarterback RJ Johnson finished the game going 21-of-29 passing for 236 yards and a rushing score. Other contributors on offense were Senior Joshua Taylor and Junior Jai’Den Thomas, who each had a touchdown run. On defense, senior defensive back Christian Peterson recorded a forced fumble and a fumble recovery that he returned for a score.
Buford 16, Clarke Central 3
Buford safety Jake Pope had a 63-yard interception return for a touchdown on the final play of the game to seal the road win for the Wolves. Buford took a 10-3 lead on an Alejandro Mata field goal with 16 seconds remaining before Clarke Central’s final possession. C.J. Clinkscales gave Buford a 7-0 lead with a 5-yard touchdown run at the nine-minute mark of the second quarter, and Clarke Central scored its first and only points when Cooper Evans made a 33-yard field goal midway through the third quarter.
Carrollton 41, Johns Creek 28
Carrollton got three total touchdowns from quarterback M.J. Morris—two passing and one receiving—to lead the host Trojans. Morris found Terrell Carmichael for a 65-yard touchdown in the second quarter to give Carrollton a 14-7 lead, and wide receiver Takare Lipscomb found Morris for a 36-yard touchdown later in the quarter to make the score 20-7. Carmichael also had a 45-yard punt return for a touchdown to give Carrollton a 27-7 lead in the second quarter, and Morris threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to Lipscomb to give the Trojans a 41-14 lead in the third quarter. Also for the Trojans, Kelvin Hill scored the first points of the game in the first quarter on a 3-yard touchdown run, and Jaylen Marsh had a 22-yard fumble return for a score in the third quarter.
Kennesaw Mountain 41, Discovery 12
Kennesaw Mountain scored just 20 seconds into the game with a 12-yard Jah Welch touchdown and added rushing scores by Cayman Prangley and Jailen Taylor to take a 21-0 lead into the second quarter. Chance Arthur blocked a Discovery punt and teammate Hayden McDougald recovered it for a Mustangs touchdown to grow the lead to 28-0 left in the half. The Titans got on the board to cut the deficit to 28-6, but Welch returned to the end zone with a 16-yard touchdown and Tyson Harman found Savion Riley for a 19-yard touchdown to put the Mustangs up 41-6 with 3:52 left in the third quarter to force a running clock in the final frame.
Class 5A
Decatur 13, Wesleyan 6
A single touchdown was enough for host Decatur to scrape past Wesleyan in a defensive battle. The two sides traded field goals most of the way, and Marquis Hood’s nine-yard touchdown run in the second quarter proved to be the difference for the Bulldogs. Wesleyan put up the first points thanks to Brooks Sturgeon’s 50-yard boot five minutes into the game, but Decatur answered with Hood’s score plus a 32-yard field goal by Isaac Kone on the final play of the first half. Hood made it 13-3 in the third quarter before Sturgeon pulled the Wolves within a score (13-6) with four minutes remaining, but the visitors’ drive in the final minute stalled at midfield.
Cartersville 38, West Forsyth 31
Senior quarterback Jake Parker got things rolling early for the Purple Hurricanes with a 44-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter. West Forsyth tied the game in the second with a 19-yard touchdown pass from Keegan Stover to Oscar Delp, but Cartersville regained the lead with a 37-yard field goal from Jesus Gutierrez heading into the half. Midway through the third, the Wolverines took their first lead of the game with a 2-yard rushing score from Peyton Streko. The Purple Hurricanes responded with a 34-yard touchdown catch by Collin Fletcher, and just a minute later the Wolverines answered back with a 19-yard touchdown rush by Ryder Stewart to go up 21-17. The back-and-forth continued through the third with West Forsyth leading 28-24 heading into the fourth, but a pair of touchdowns from Malachi Jeffries secured the win for the Purple Hurricanes.
Jackson County 26, East Jackson 0
Jackson County took a 7-0 lead into the half following a 7-yard touchdown run by Tre Ranson. MJ Spurlin added a pair of Panthers touchdown runs in the third quarter to grow the lead to 19-0 and Isaiah Maxey capped the scoring with a 1-yard rushing touchdown with 3:55 left.
Woodward Academy 27, Hapeville Charter 0
CJ Burton caught a 33-yard touchdown pass and returned a fumble 20 yards for a score to lead Woodward Academy past visiting Hapeville Charter. Following a scoreless first quarter, the War Eagles took control with Burton’s reception from Jalen Woods in addition to a 22-yard field goal by Lee Johnson en route to a 10-0 halftime advantage. A Damari Alston six-yard touchdown run contributed to a 24-0 lead through three quarters before Johnson capped off the scoring with a 43-yard field goal. Woods completed 12 of 18 passes for 108 yards, while Burton finished with 55 yards on four catches.
McCallie (TN) 38, Calhoun 20
McCallie led 24-0 at the half before weathering a Calhoun charge in the second half to take the victory. Xavier Gaillardetz had a trio of scores for McCallie, and teammate Tario Price added a pair as well. Quin Smith, Peyton Law and TJ Usher scored touchdowns for Calhoun.
St. Pius X 21, Westminster 14
St. Pius X scored 21 unanswered points to erase a 7-0 halftime deficit before holding off a late charge by host Westminster. Jack Tchienchou did it all for the Golden Lions, with a 32-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter and an interception that set up Shug Bentley’s go-ahead run from one yard out early in the fourth. St. Pius X quarterback Alex Possert accounted for two scores, including a 61-yard scamper midway through the fourth. For Westminster, John Collier tossed scoring strikes to Holden Staes and Henry Chartrand. Trailing by seven, the Wildcats regained possession shortly after Chartrand scored but the Golden Lions forced a turnover on downs at midfield with one minute left.
Class 4A
Stephenson 22, Southwest DeKalb 13
North Oconee 31, Ola 20
Host North Oconee outscored Ola 21-0 in the second quarter to take a 24-6 lead into the second half. The Titans took their first lead of the night on Holland Purser’s 68-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Louden Schnake. Mack Brice hauled in a 17-yard touchdown and Cole Davidson caught a 5-yard touchdown to build the 24-6 advantage. Ola cut into the lead with a 74-yard touchdown pass midway through the third quarter and the Titans responded with a massive scoring drive that ended with a 1-yard Dominic Elder touchdown run in the opening minute of the final quarter to put North Oconee up 31-13. Ola found the end zone with less than three minutes to play and then North Oconee recovered the attempted onside kick and eventually sealed the victory with a Brett Biga interception.
Pickens 37, Commerce 8
Pickens opened its season with a convincing 37-8 victory and celebrated what was first-year head coach Grant Myers’ first career win. Kadyn Hampton rushed for three touchdowns and Sammy Streicher threw two touchdown passes to Devin Hand. The Dragons also scored on a 41-yard field goal by Jose Sanchez that put Pickens up 16-0 at the half.
Jefferson 42, Central Gwinnett 7
Jefferson got an 80-yard touchdown run from Sammy Brown on its first offensive snap against Central Gwinnett, and Brown picked up where he left off following a brief lightning delay with another trip to the end zone on the second Dragons drive. The Jefferson lead grew to 28-0 at the start of the second with rushing scores from Malaki Starks (50 yards) and Kadin Bailey (35 yards) before Spencer Neese’s pick-six gave the Dragons the 35-0 advantage they took into the second half. Sophomore Zay Minish provided the final points of the night for Jefferson in the third quarter.
Christopher Columbus (FL) 42, Benedictine 27
Fernando Mendoza (Columbus’ 6-foot-5, 208-pound Yale-commit quarterback) was 14-of-18 for 154 yards and four touchdowns in the first half while leading the Explorers to a 28-7 halftime lead in a rout of Benedictine. Benedictine quarterback Holden Geriner was 25-of-38 passing for 221 yards and three touchdowns with one interception in the loss. Za’Quan Bryan had six catches for 56 yards and one touchdown and senior Justin Thomas made a 26-yard touchdown reception for the Cadets.
Class 3A
Stephens County 42, North Hall 0
Stephens County overcame a sluggish start with a 4-yard touchdown run by Ben Stowe and a 63-yard touchdown pass from Stowe to Cam Lacey to make it 14-0 early in the second quarter. Vadole Fleming recovered a mishandled North Hall punt in the end zone to grow the lead to 21-0 and Stowe connected with Corey Ritchie on a 46-yard pass to set up a 1-yard TJ Everett touchdown run to make it 28-0. North Hall missed a 50-yard field goal attempt right before the half and Stephens County opened the third quarter with an 80-yard scoring drive that was capped with a Stowe touchdown pass to Kelton Cade. North Hall was forced to punt on its next possession and Everett found the end zone on a 33-yard carry to give Stephens County a 42-0 lead with 2:57 left in the third quarter.
Coahulla Creek 38, Southeast Whitfield 7
Coahulla Creek’s win marked the first time in the program’s 10-year history that the Mustangs have achieved consecutive victories and their 2-0 record matches their highest single season win total. Payton Gordon rushed in a 49-yard touchdown just minutes into the action and Kace Kinnamon scored on a quarterback keeper to push the lead to 14-0 with 1:20 left in the opening quarter. Tyler Locklear helped the Colts’ maintain their lead with a pair of touchdown runs and Logan Folwer kicked a 42-yard field goal as time expired in the first half. Kinnamon also found Aiden Patterson for a 2-yard passing touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Lovett 16, Greater Atlanta Christian 12
Lovett evened its record at 1-1 with a 16-12 win over Class 3A GAC in its home opener. Lovett led 10-6 at the half, and Josh Sharpe’s touchdown pass to Josh Williamson in the final minute put the Class 2A Lions ahead of GAC for good.
Class 2A
Fitzgerald 18, Irwin County 15 OT
Fitzgerald led 7-6 at the half despite being outgained by visiting Irwin County 193-1 in first half yardage. The Purple Hurricanes got their points off a 73-yard fumble recovery touchdown and Irwin County’s touchdown was a 1-yard Cody Soliday touchdown run. Irwin County went up 12-7 in the third quarter on a 6-yard touchdown pass from Soliday to Malachi Hadden and added a field goal to increase the lead to 15-7 with 5:34 left in the game. Fitzgerald answered with a 23-yard touchdown run and converted the game-tying two-point conversion to force overtime. Irwin County came up empty on the first possession of overtime following two unsportsmanlike penalties and Fitzgerald closed out the victory with a game-winning field goal.
Heard County 26, Pepperrell 10
Pepperrell took an early lead with a 27-yard field goal before host Heard County answered with a 2-yard Michael Whitten touchdown run. The Dragons regained the lead with a 54-yard touchdown pass from Matthew Waddell to DJ Rogers, but Heard County closed out the victory with 19 unanswered points. Maurice French’s 1-yard score put the Braves up 14-10 and Isaiah O’Neal iced the victory with a pair of touchdown runs.
Model 10, LaFayette 6
The Model Blue Devils relied on their defense throughout the night to pick up their first win of the year, beating the visiting LaFayette Ramblers 10-6 on Friday night. The Ramblers (0–1) got on the board first, capping off an 82-yard drive with Jacob Brown’s 33-yard field goal with 5:40 to go in the first quarter. Halfway through the second quarter, Model (1-1) got on the board with a special teams play. Punting from his own end zone, LaFayette’s Nick Adams had his kick blocked by Model’s Daniel Jolly and Brant Pace. The ball bounced out of the end zone for a safety, and Model trailed 3-2. In the final minute of the second quarter, the Blue Devils finished off a 42-yard scoring drive when Jermaine Campbell hit Amir Pinkard for a 16-yard touchdown pass. Dillon Silver’s 2-point conversion pass to Jolly was good, and Model took a 10-3 lead into halftime. The only scoring of the second half came on a 39-yard Brown field goal that brought LaFayette to within 10-6. However, the Model defense slammed the door on the Ramblers the rest of the night. LaFayette’s last five drives of the game ended on a punt, a missed field goal, and three interceptions on the final three drives, one by Rylee Kines and two by Cade Espy. The final play of the game saw Espy pick off LaFayette’s last-gasp 23-yard pass in the end zone as time expired.
Class A Private
Tattnall Square 28, Hawkinsville 0
Host Tattnall Square grabbed a 7-0 lead with a touchdown pass from senior Clay Rowland to tight end Griffin Hardy and the duo connected again late in the opening quarter to grow the lead to 14-0. The Trojans pushed the lead to 21-0 at the half and took a 28-0 lead into the final frame before closing out the shutout.
Class A Public
Trion 48, Coosa 13
Trion stormed to a 42-0 halftime lead over visiting Coosa before closing out a dominant season opening victory. Rob Brown put the Bulldogs on the board with a 2-yard touchdown run. Coosa fumbled the ensuing kickoff and Brown returned to the end zone from 6-yards out to increase the lead to 14-0. Trion’s final points in the first half came with a Cole Cavin interception that was returned for a touchdown. Trion closed out the third quarter with a 48-7 lead before a running clock in the final frame.
Loading ...
