Walton outclassed the Broncos 34-20 in a rematch of its 52-35 quarterfinal victory last season—jumping out to a 27-14 halftime lead and capitalizing on two turnovers and its deep cast of offensive playmakers.
Brookwood quarterback and Alabama-commit Dylan Lonergan ran in a 17-yard touchdown to put the Broncos up 7-0, but Walton’s junior quarterback Jeremy Hecklinski answered with a 21-yard strike to Cameran Loyd to begin his exceptional three-touchdown performance in the first half. Brookwood reclaimed the lead at 14-7 and maintained it following an 8-yard touchdown run by Walton’s Makari Bodiford and a failed PAT that brought the Raiders within 14-13.
A pooch kick on the ensuing kickoff was recovered by Walton and Hecklinski found Ayden Jackson for a touchdown on the next play to go up 20-14. The Broncos fumbled on their next possession and Hecklinski found Loyd for a 17-yard touchdown to give Walton its 27-14 halftime edge. Bodiford capped his two touchdown performance with a rushing score in the second half to grow the lead to 34-14 before the Broncos tacked on a late score for the final margin. Walton improves to 1-1 after a 47-41 loss to Mill Creek in last week’s Corky Kell Classic and will have a bye week before it hosts Pope on Sept. 9 for the Raiders’ home opener.
Hecklinski has already amassed seven touchdown passes through Walton’s first two games, Bodiford has four rushing scores, Loyd has four touchdown receptions and Jackson has three.
The AJC has writers at Hughes at McEachern, South Gwinnett at Meadowcreek, Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy at Blessed Trinity and Columbia at Woodland-Stockbridge Friday.
In the Great Atlanta Bash, North Atlanta moved to 2-0 with a 50-6 victory over Drew, following up its victory over North Forsyth in the Corky Kell Classic. The Warriors went ahead early when Trey Lennon rushed 13 yards into the endzone. Drew would keep the game close after KD Davis scored off a fumble recovery, but the rest of the game belonged to the Warriors. Later in the first, DeShawn Merritt scored on 2nd-and-goal before Lennon used his legs to score a 19-yard touchdown near the end of the first. In the second quarter, sophomore quarterback Ian Reynolds scored a rushing touchdown. Senior Hunter Davis continued to showcase the North Atlanta run-game as he ran into the end zone before Lennon scored his third touchdown of the night on a 4th-and-third play to increase the lead to 43-6 heading into the half. Junior Kaiden Hambrick ended the North Atlanta scoring spree in the third with a 5-yard rushing touchdown. The Great Atlanta Bash will continue with a triple-header beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday broadcast on PeachtreeTV.
See the Friday recaps below. Recaps from Thursday games are at the bottom of this file.
Class 7A
North Gwinnett 21, Archer 19
Archer missed a long field-goal attempt as time expired to fall to visiting North Gwinnett. North Gwinnett took a 21-10 lead in the third quarter after quarterback Ryan Hall threw a touchdown pass to Marek Briley. Hall also caught a touchdown pass on a trick play late in the first half to give the Bulldogs a 14-10 halftime lead. North Gwinnett’s Julian Walters tied the game at 7-7 with a touchdown rush in the first quarter.
Grayson 44, Eagle’s Landing 10
Host Grayson led 37-0 at halftime and improved to 2-0. Jeff Davis threw three touchdown passes for the Rams and Rayne Fry had one touchdown pass. Two of Davis’s scoring strikes went to Caden High. Joe Taylor and Amari Alston also rushed for touchdowns for Grayson.
Denmark 17, Cambridge 15
Denmark got its first win of the season in a dramatic home opener against visiting Cambridge. The Danes held a narrow 6-0 advantage following a pair of field goals by Hamilton Diboyan in the second and third quarters before Cambridge took the lead when Will Taylor recovered a blocked Denmark punt and returned it for a touchdown with 2:32 left in the third. The Danes quickly answered, however, with a rushing score by senior Amon Williams and a successful two-point conversion to take a 14-7 edge into the final frame. The Bears once again reclaimed the lead with just over two minutes remaining via quarterback Preston Clemmer’s touchdown pass to Jack Marlow and a two-point conversion, but senior Kohl Yearwood led the Danes offense into field goal range and Diboyan’s game-winner went through the uprights as time expired.
Hillgrove 10, Creekview 6
Hillgrove held on for the home win after trailing 6-0 in the first quarter. The Hawks pulled to within 6-3 in the second quarter on a Zach Wieder field goal, and they took the lead later in the quarter on a Toryn Wilkins touchdown pass to Caleb Humphries.
Parkview 20, Shiloh 8
Colin Houck threw two touchdown passes as Parkview led from start to finish in a road win over Shiloh. Hock connected with Zachariah Hill from five yards out during the first quarter before giving the Panthers a 17-0 advantage in the second quarter with a 21-yard strike to Mike Matthews. Parkview also got a pair of field goals from Carlos Munoz, the latter of which was a 42-yarder in the fourth quarter. The Panthers led 7-0 after one quarter and 17-0 both at halftime and going into the fourth before the Generals briefly pulled to within 17-8.
Mill Creek 49, Norcross 17
Hayden Clark threw three touchdown passes, all in the first half, as Mill Creek pulled away from host Norcross in a game that was close early. Mill Creek led just 21-17 in the second quarter after Clark’s touchdown passes to Makhail Wood, Kyne Pinckney and Cam Robinson, but Caleb Downs had an interception return for a touchdown late in the first half to put the Hawks ahead 28-17 at halftime. Robinson and Downs both added touchdown rushes in the second half, and Kevin Mitchell rushed for Mill Creek’s final touchdown.
Carrollton 28, South Paulding 21
A touchdown pass from Julian Lewis to Bryce Hicks lifted Carrollton past South Paulding. The Trojans overcame a 15-7 deficit entering the second quarter by outsourcing the Spartans 14-0 in the second quarter to take control of the game. Myles Butler put the Trojans up 7-0 on a 23-yard pass to Takare Lipscomb early in the first quarter. South Paulding responded with a 55-yard touchdown run and took an 8-7 lead following a two-point conversion and took a 15-7 lead on a touchdown pass late in the first quarter. Bryce Hicks scored on a 25-yard touchdown run and Julian Lewis caught a touchdown pass to give the Trojans a 21-15 lead just before halftime. South Paulding tied the game with a touchdown pass with six minutes left in the third quarter before Carrollton’s game-winning score.
Buford 56, Mallard Creek (N.C.) 7
Justice Haynes scored three touchdowns for host Buford, which led 42-0 at halftime. Haynes caught a 35-yard touchdown pass from Dylan Wittke in the first quarter and rushed for a 1-yard score in the second and a 7-yard score in the third. He finished with 73 yards rushing on 10 attempts. Wittke was 6-of-7 passing for 138 yards and two touchdowns, with his other scoring pass going to Trelain Maddox for 22 yards. Wittke also rushed for a 10-yard touchdown. Backup quarterback Tristan Gabrels was 7-of-9 passing for 93 yards and a 30-yard touchdown pass to Justin Baker, who also rushed for a 4-yard score. Gabrels had a 1-yard touchdown rush in the third quarter to cap the Wolves’ scoring.
Lambert 49, Dawson County 6
Lambert quarterback James Tyre found Brandon Jones for an 80-yard touchdown pass on the first play from scrimmage to put the host Longhorns up 7-0 Cam Bland tacked on a 45-yard rushing score to make it a 14-0 game at the end of the first quarter. Tyre connected with Jones for two more scores—a 73-yard touchdown in the final minute of the first half and a 76-yard touchdown midway through the third quarter. Tyre finished with four touchdown passes, including his 39-yard strike to Carter Chung in the second quarter. Lambert’s Ethan Terry followed the Chung touchdown reception with a 39-yard touchdown run to put the Longhorns up 28-0 and then Dawson County’s Don LeBlanc got the Tigers on the board with a 21-yard field goal. Jones’ touchdown made it a 35-3 Lambert lead at the half and Tommy Lafayette added a 77-yard rushing score before Jones’ capped his three-touchdown performance to push the lead to 49-3. Dawson County faced a running clock in the fourth quarter and LeBlanc added a 34-yard field goal for the final margin.
Kennesaw Mountain 45, Campbell 14
Kennesaw Mountain coasted to a 45-14 victory over visiting Campbell behind a five-touchdown performance by senior quarterback Cayman Prangley. Prangley threw touchdown passes to Tyshon Jenkins (32 yards) and Cayden Lee (4 yards) in the opening frame and another to Daniel Karanja (22 yards) in the fourth and added rushing scores in the first and second quarters as well. The Mustangs also got a 40-yard field goal from Ty Roldan and a scoop-and-score by Ethan Voltaire before the break for a 38-7 halftime lead, and both Jaylen Mason and Michal Bell had interceptions on defense.
Class 6A
Rome 49, Lithonia 0
Host Rome jumped out to a 35-0 halftime lead following a 26-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Reece Fountain to Martel Hight, touchdown runs by Chancer Arthur and Javarious McDearmount and a 28-yard interception return for a touchdown by Jaedon Harmon. Fountain added a 57-yard touchdown pass to Will Bray to push the lead to 42-0 and Chris Smith capped the scoring with a 15-yard touchdown run.
North Forsyth 35, Forsyth Central 7
After a narrow loss to North Atlanta last week, North Forsyth bounced back strong with a commanding victory over Forsyth Central. The Raiders first scored when senior Collin Miller capped a 75-yard drive with a 6-yard touchdown rush in the first, his fourth score of the season. In the second quarter and beyond it was the West Roberts show, as the senior quarterback passed to Karson McBrayer on a 70-yard screen touchdown before a fumble recovery by Zach Shirley set up a 20-yard touchdown pass from Roberts to Aiden Ruckh to put the Raiders up 21-7. Roberts would find Ruckh again in the third before throwing his fourth touchdown of the game to Shirley.
Habersham Central 42, White County 28
Habersham Central trailed 13-0 following a 7-yard Ryan Fowler touchdown run and Caysen Duval’s 78-yard punt return touchdown. Blandon Grizzle answered with a 3-yard and 9-yard touchdown run to put the Raiders up 14-13 and the teams traded touchdowns to go into the half tied 21-21. White County’s Noah Williams ran in a 10-yard score and Cam Wilson added the successful two-point conversion and Habersham Central quarterback Cooper Smith hit Canon Wilbanks for a 66-yard touchdown with 2:09 left in the half. Glizzle rushed in a 1-yard touchdown midway through the third quarter to put the Raiders back up 28-21, but White County tied it back up 28-28 with a 22-yard touchdown run by Tripp Nix with 1:28 left in the third quarter. Habersham Central pulled away with the fourth quarter with a 54-yard rushing score by Grizzle—his fourth of the game—and a 34-yard touchdown pass from Smith to Wilbanks.
Marist 33, Pike Road (AL) 23
Visiting Marist jumped out to a 20-7 lead with a Channing Henderson 37-yard touchdown run and Ian White touchdown pass to tight end Ripp Perez and an interception returned for a touchdown with 1:02 left in the first half. Joseph Pizzo ran in a Marist touchdown and the War Eagles returned a fumble for a touchdown to push the lead to 33-7. Pike Road scored with 2:20 left in the third quarter and brought the game to 33-23 late in the fourth, but Marist recovered the attempted onside kick and ran out the clock.
Northside-Warner Robins 35, Peach County 7
Northside outclassed Peach County in all facets in its 35-7 victory at home and Damien Dee’s 94-yard touchdown run with 11 minute left put the game out of reach. Ethan Riley put the Eagles up 7-0 on a 3-yard touchdown run. Dee scored on a 6-yard run early in the second quarter to put Northside up 14-0. Peach County responded with a touchdown pass from Colter Ginn to cut into the lead. Northside extended the lead on a 7-yard touchdown run from Michael McClendon. Jamari Shines put the game out of reach with an interception returned 28 yards for a touchdown with four minutes left in the third quarter.
Brunswick 16, Camden County 10
Host Brunswick capitalized on a fumbled punt return and scored on a Jayden Drayton handoff to take a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter. Camden County later added a 35-yard field goal before the half to cut the deficit to 7-3. Brunswick turned it over on downs late in the third quarter and Camden County broke loose for a 37-yard touchdown run to take a 10-7 lead. The Pirates tied it up on the first play of the fourth quarter with McClain Fineran’s 37-yard field goal and after forcing a three-and-out, scored a 45-yard Drayton touchdown with 9:13 left to take a 16-10 lead.
Class 5A
Flowery Branch 9, St. Pius X 0
Flowery Branch set the tone right away with a successful onside kick on the first play of the game, ultimately getting the best of a defensive struggle against visiting St. Pius X. The Falcons turned their onside kick into three points with a 47-yard field goal by Marco Velasquez. That would ultimately be all the scoring they needed, but Myles Ivey added a 9-yard touchdown run later in the first quarter for the game’s final points.
Kell 21, Allatoona 9
The Kell Longhorns got a win in their home opener against visiting Allatoona to improve to 2-0 on the season. After a scoreless opening frame, quarterback Bryce Clavon found the end zone to put Kell on the board and connected with Peyton Zachary for another touchdown. Nelson Wogihren extended the lead with a scoop-and-score in the third quarter before Allatoona quarterback added a fourth-quarter touchdown for the 21-9 final.
Greater Atlanta Christian 23, Lovett 19
Jack Stanton threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Xavier Daisy with eight seconds left in the game to propel Greater Atlanta Christian past visiting Lovett. After the Lions erased deficits on three different occasions to tie the score, they finally took their first lead at 19-16 on a field goal by Conner Deviney with 2:27 remaining. They appeared to ice the game with an interception by Talen Frett, but the Spartan defense managed to give the ball back to the offense one more time to set the stage for Stanton-to-Daisy heroics. Stanton tossed three scoring strikes in total, with two going into Daisy’s hands and the other to Braylen Burgess.
Decatur 30, Wesleyan 28
Isaac Kone kicked an 18-yard field goal with 11 seconds left in the game to give visiting Decatur a victory over Wesleyan. The Bulldogs trailed 21-14 after three quarters, setting the stage for a dramatic fourth. They tied it on a touchdown pass from Harrison Hannah to Tre’vyon Webb before taking the lead on a Hannah-to-Kenric Lanier connection. Wesleyan regained the upper hand at 28-27 on a touchdown run by Townes Hardy with fewer than five minutes remaining. Decatur promptly marched down the field and used up nearly all of the clock, leading to Kone’s game-winner. The Bulldogs also got touchdowns from Kedric Lackey and Malachi Miller, while Wesleyan’s offense was paced by a trio of scoring strikes from Ben Brown to Jamie Tremble.
Cartersville 38, Jonesboro 16
Cartersville improved to 2-0 on the season with a comfortable victory over Jonesboro in the Purple Hurricanes’ home opener, building a 31-0 lead by the break to trigger a running clock in the second half. Jesus Gutierrez provided the only points of the opening frame with a 22-yard field goal before quarterback Paul Gamble got his offense rolling in the second quarter. Gamble threw touchdown passes to Jamauri Brice (13 yards), Romo Pace (52 yards) and Collin Fletcher (32 yards), in addition to finding the end zone himself on a 2-yard run. Luke McBridge added a 3-yard touchdown run in the third for the Canes’ final points.
Jefferson 56, Wren SC 28
Jefferson began its scoring spree against visiting Wren by forcing a three-and-out which led to a 55-yard drive capped with a Sammy Brown touchdown. Later in the first, Max Aldridge passed to Elijah Dewitt to increase the Dragons’ lead. Dewitt followed his score by making an interception to help set up a second Brown touchdown to put Jefferson up 21-0 in the second quarter. Aldridge then passed to Dewitt on a 67-yard touchdown pass before Vermarion Davis ran in the Dragons’ fifth score of the game. Brown rushed in another touchdown before the half, and then opened the second half with a 64-yard rushing touchdown, his fourth of the game. Shontez Porter found the end zone later in the third for the Dragons’ final score of the game.
McCallie, TN 17, Woodward Academy 13
Jay St. Hilaire passed for two touchdowns to lead McCallie past Woodward. St. Hilaire passed to Nolan Seargan and Mathieu Herbert for touchdowns. For Woodward, Hudson Hanges made field goals of 42 and 21 yards and Myles Graham scored on a 5-yard touchdown run.
Class 4A
Christopher Columbus (F.L.) 41, Benedictine 15
Benedictine’s Luke Kromenhoek and Zayquan Bryan connected for a first-quarter touchdown to tie the game against Christopher Columbus before the host Explorers pulled away on a 28-2 run. Columbus quarterback Alberto Mendoza threw touchdown passes to Jose Leon and Ahmere Foster in the opening frame, and Sed Irvin Jr added rushing scores in the second and third quarters. Leon found the end zone again in the fourth, and after a Na’Seir Samuel touchdown for Benedictine, Speedy Bandy provided the final points of the game on the ground.
Cedartown 47, Callaway 7
Cedartown was 0-2 all-time against Callaway before Friday’s dominant 47-7 victory in their first meeting since the 2015 season. The Bulldogs had six different players rush for touchdowns and quarterback Reece Tanner connected with Harlem Diamond for a 56-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter. Taidji Neal (1-yard), Tae Harris (38), Patrick Gardner (2), Xavier Hargrove (5), Isaiah Johnson (6) and Jaquaveon Price (30) provided Cedartown’s six touchdown runs and put the Bulldogs up 47-0 before Jaquavious Whitfield scored a 3-yard Callaway touchdown with two minutes left to put the Cavaliers on the board.
Pace Academy 21, Westminster 19
Pace Academy survived a back-and-forth thriller on the road to pick up its first-ever victory over Westminster. The visiting Knights led 6-3 at halftime before a wild third quarter ensued. They extended their advantage to 12-3 on a 52-yard touchdown pass from Conner Phelan to Cooper Williams, but Westminster stormed ahead 16-12 on a 70-yard strike from John Collier to Henry Chartrand and a 1-yard run by Quinton Ezzard. Pace Academy promptly answered with a 4-yard touchdown run by George Little late in the third quarter. The Wildcats pulled to within 21-19 on a fourth-quarter field goal from Josh Brockman, but their final drive that initially had them in range for a potential game-winning field goal eventually went backward and the Knights held on for the win.
Class 3A
Lumpkin County 28, Union County 6
Visiting Lumpkin County jumped out to a 21-0 halftime lead and closed out the victory to improve to 2-0 for the first time since 2011. Quarterback Cooper Scott threw touchdown passes to Cal Faulkner and Harper Davenport and also rushed for a score in the second half. The Indians also got a 5-yard rushing touchdown by Mason Sullens. Union County got on the board with 40 seconds left in the first half for its only points of the game.
Oconee County 33, Clarke Central 9
Host Oconee County opened up a 20-0 halftime lead and outgained the Gladiators 249-to-66 in yardage through the first two quarters. Whit Weeks capped a 13-play, 80-yard drive with a 4-yard rushing score, Mac Ricks added a 1-yard touchdown and Weeks added an 8-yard score to fuel the Warriors 20-0 lead. Clarke Central’s Lucian Anderson rushed in an 18-yard score in the third quarter to get the Gladiators on the board, but Weeks returned the ensuing kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown to put Oconee County up 26-7. Clarke Central added a safety on a botched snap that went out of the endzone on an Oconee County punt attempt and then CJ Jones rushed in a 1-yard touchdown with 10:20 left for the final margin.
Monroe Area 58, Cedar Shoals 13
The visiting Purple Hurricanes opened up a 35-7 halftime lead with a 42-yard touchdown pass from Jeremiah Anderson to his brother Jeremy. The lead grew to 21-0 after back-to-back blocked punts that were returned for scores and Anderson scrambled for a 14-yard touchdown run. Cedar Shoals scored to cut the deficit to 28-7, but Darrion Manuel found the endzone on a 1-yard carry with 46 seconds left in the half to grow Monroe Area’s lead to 35-7. Cedar Shoals opened the second half with a 95-yard kickoff return touchdown before Monroe Area closed out the victory with 23 unanswered points—touchdown runs by Alan Jones, Jitt Car and Semion Hodge and a botched snap that resulted in a safety.
Class 2A
Athens Academy 23, Mobile Christian (AL) 7
Host Athens Academy built a 20-0 halftime lead with a 54-yard touchdown run by Jeremiah Wingfield and touchdown passes from Sam Bush to Noah Prior (61 yards) and Preston Darden (11). The Spartans failed a 2-point conversion attempt after the Darden touchdown and then Parker McCleary recovered a Mobile Christian before the half to preserve the lead. Mobile Christian connected on a 49-yard touchdown pass to open the second half and then Zac Chapeau capped the scoring with a 24-yard field goal with 6:03 left to give Athens Academy the 23-7 victory.
Class A Division I
Murphy (NC) 15, Commerce 14
Host Commerce led the 10-time NCHSAA State Champion Murphy Bulldogs 7-0 in the first half following a 5-yard touchdown run by sophomore fullback Tysean Wiggins. Murphy took the lead on a Hunter Stalcup touchdown run and successful two-point conversion to go up 8-7 heading into the final frame. Commerce scored on a 5-yard touchdown run by sophomore Jaiden Daniels early in the fourth quarter to push the Tigers ahead 14-8, but Stalcup returned to the endzone for a second time with 7:48 left for the game-winning score.
Class A Division II
Christian Heritage 21, Temple 6
Visiting Christian Heritage jumped out to a 7-0 lead and never trailed. Temple’s Cam Vaughn rushed for a 2-yard score late in the first quarter, but the Tigers missed the PAT and Christian Heritage took its 7-6 edge into the second half. Eli Thomason capped the Lions’ first possession in the second half with a 40-yard touchdown to grow the lead to 14-6 and then hauled in a 35-yard touchdown pass from Carter Triplett to open the final frame to make it 21-6.
See the Thursday game recaps below.
Class 7A
Berkmar 21, Clarkston 12
Berkmar won its first football game since Oct. 23, 2020 after beating Clarkston Thursday. That’s a span of 13 games. The Patriots suffered four winless seasons from 2014 to 2017 before finishing 3-7 in 2018.
Class 6A
Glynn Academy 22, McIntosh County Academy 12
Tyler Delvin passed to David Prince for a 39-yard touchdown to put Glynn up 8-0 after Ryan Scheuneman scored the two-point conversion. McIntosh County Academy scored on a 79-yard fumble recovery to the 1-yard line where JaReese Campbell scored on a short run, however MCA failed on a two-point conversion to trail 8-6. Glynn Academy scored on a five-play drive featuring a 26-yard pass from Delvin to Greg Peacock to get to the 2-yard and a short touchdown run from Peacock to lead 15-6 before halftime. Another short touchdown run from Peacock put the Red Terrors up 22-6 with 10 minutes left in the third quarter. The Buccaneers cut into the lead 22-12 on a short touchdown run from Campbell early in the fourth quarter but McIntosh County Academy could not manage any more offensive production.
Class 4A
Druid Hills 21, McNair 20
Druid Hills scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to end a 19-game losing streak after trailing 14-0 at the half. Zeke Nisharamna made an interception late in the game to secure the victory. A shovel pass from Jacquez McCullers to Nisharamna was the game-winner. McNair took a 7-0 lead on a 90-yard kickoff return by Malachi Jackson. Jeremy Victor passed to Jackson just before halftime to give McNair a 14-0 lead. Druid Hills got on the board with a 14-yard touchdown run from Jacquez McCullers. Jackson returned another kickoff for a touchdown to put McNair up 20-7. Cullers passed to Bre’Lon Cade in the left corner of the endzone to cut into the lead, 20-14 for Druid Hills.
Troup County 49, Hardaway 21
Troup County led 22-0 after the first quarter and 36-14 at the half as it defeated Hardaway.
Shaw 48, Kendrick 8
Shaw led Kendrick 8-0 after the first quarter and 21-0 at the half in a romp of Kendrick.
Class 2A
Redan 34, Stone Mountain 6
Xavian Green scored early and often for Redan to lead the Raiders past Stone Mountain. The senior running back had a passing, rushing, receiving and punt return touchdown. Quarterback Dameon Jones, a 5-foot-10 sophomore, passed for two touchdowns and rushed for one for Redan.
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