Kennesaw Mountain capitalized on a North Paulding misstep to set up Ty Roldan’s game-winning field goal for a wild road victory and a 3-0 start to the season. The Week 3 matchup was tightly contested throughout, with a pair of Roldan field goals cutting the Wolfpack lead to 30-27 early in the fourth. North Paulding quarterback Boone Anderson scrambled for an 18-yard score on 3rd-and-15 with less than five minutes remaining to reclaim a two-possession lead before Mustangs QB Cayman Prangley’s keeper made it a 36-34 game at the 3:04 mark. The onside kick attempt was recovered by the Wolfpack, who shortly after went for it on 4th-and-1 at the Mustang 40-yard line. The ball was fumbled, however, and recovered by the Mustangs, who quickly marched downfield with a pair of long Prangley passes to Cayden Lee and Jailen Taylor to get into field goal range. Prangley finished the night with three touchdown passes — two to Lee in the first quarter and a 52-yarder to Taylor in the second — and a rushing score, and Roldan was 3-of-3 on field goals and 4-of-4 on PATs.
The AJC has writers at Cartersville at Allatoona, North Cobb at Buford, Alpharetta at Cambridge and Cedar Grove at Westlake. Follow the link to see Todd Holcomb’s Friday Night Wrap.
See the full roundup file below.
Class 7A
Mill Creek 33, Archer 0
Cam Robinson rushed for touchdowns of 33 and 7 yards as Mill Creek shut out Archer on the road. Mill Creek quarterback Hayden Clark threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Makhail Wood, and Caleb Downs had a 15-yard touchdown rush for Mill Creek, which led 30-0 at halftime.
Lambert 27, Mountain View 13
Lambert got three touchdowns from Tommy Lafayette in its home win. Lafayette tied the score at 6-6 in the first quarter on a kickoff return for a touchdown and had a 1-yard rush on a direct snap in the second quarter to put the Longhorns ahead 20-6, which would be the halftime score. Mountain View scored on a touchdown pass to cut the Lambert score to 20-13 in the third quarter, but quarterback James Tyre threw a 49-yard touchdown pass to Lafayette later in the quarter to cap the scoring. Tyre also threw a 27-yard score to Luke Logan in the second quarter.
Collins Hill 16, Brookwood 13
The sixth-ranked Eagles shut down visiting Brookwood’s offense in the second half, allowing senior quarterback Michael Sheehan to lead the successful Collins Hill comeback. The Broncos took a 13-0 first-half lead on a touchdown completion from Dylan Lonergan to Lee Niles and a Lonergan sneak before Sheehan finally put the Eagles on the board late in the second quarter with a pass to Jayden Davis. Ethan Campbell put the ball back in Sheehan’s hands early in the second half with an interception, and Sheehan connected with Isaiah Richardson with 3:22 left in the third to take a 14-13 lead. Dion Crawford snuffed out the following Brookwood drive with a sack for a turnover on downs, and after Sheehan was also sacked with less than five minutes to play, Luke Thomas came up with a fumble recovery on the ensuing punt to keep Collins Hill in control.
Carrollton 23, Rome 6
Julian Lewis passed to Andrew Albertus for a 10-yard touchdown to open scoring with 8 minutes left in the first quarter and Carrollton never looked back. The Trojans went up 13-0 on a 14-yard pass from Lewis to Takare Lipscomb with two minutes left in the first quarter. Rome scored its only point on a touchdown pass late in the first quarter but could manage no more offensive production. Carrollton pushed the lead to 16-6 with a field goal late in the third quarter and a Bryce Hicks rushing touchdown with a minute left in the game put it away.
Winter Park (FL) 31, North Gwinnett 19
The Winter Park Wildcats handed North Gwinnett its first loss of the season, thanks to a trio of fourth-quarter touchdowns. The host Bulldogs took a 13-10 lead early in the final frame before the Wildcat offense found its groove and pulled away from 10th-ranked North Gwinnett. Quarterback Aidan Warner finished with three touchdown passes and one rushing score for Winter Park, which improves to 2-0 on the season. The Bulldogs will look to rebound next week against visiting Parkview.
Class 6A
North Forsyth 28, West Forsyth 24
Mason Lawson’s go-ahead pick-six completed the North Forsyth comeback after the Raiders found themselves trailing visiting West Forsyth 24-7 in the third quarter. North Forsyth was first on the board with Michael Okland’s touchdown reception, but the Wolverines added a field goal and touchdown for a 10-7 advantage at the break. West Forsyth capitalized on a pair of North Forsyth turnovers to extend its lead before Collin Miller scored from six yards out and Logan Curry hauled in a 63-yard touchdown pass to trail by a field goal heading into the final frame. Lawson provided the final points of the game with his interception return for the Raiders, who have now beaten rival West Forsyth three years in a row.
Langston Hughes 62, Mays 12
Quarterback Prentiss Noland threw three touchdowns — including two to Jaden Barnes — and rushed for a score to lead host Hughes, which led 35-0 at halftime. Noland’s touchdowns to Barnes went for 55 and 42 yards, and his third scoring pass went to Jediyah Willoughby for 53 yards. Noland also rushed for a 5-yard touchdown. Justus Savage had touchdown runs of 32 and 6 yards for Hughes, and Qwantavious Wiggins (8 yards) and Terquavious Brown (25 yards) had rushing touchdowns in the fourth quarter.
Roswell 24, Marietta 20
With visiting Roswell ahead just 17-14 late in the fourth quarter, Hornets quarterback K.J. Smith threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Nykahi Davenport with 2:13 remaining to for a 10-point lead. Marietta scored a quick touchdown and regained possession with a chance to win the game, but the Blue Devils offense stalled. Smith tied the game at 7-7 with under a minute remaining in the first half on a 6-yard touchdown pass to Dylan Williams, although Marietta scored on a deep pass into the end zone from Chase McCravy to Nakari Ashley as time expired in the half to regain the lead 14-7. Roswell’s Brett Gonda made a 30-yard field goal midway through the third quarter to cut the Marietta lead to 14-10, and Jayven Hall had a 23-yard interception return for a touchdown with two seconds remaining in the third quarter to give the Hornets the lead.
Class 5A
Cambridge 43, Alpharetta 38
Cambridge came out on top of a back-and-forth battle with visiting Alpharetta to improve to 2-1 on the season. Quarterback Preston Clemmer’s keeper put the Bears ahead 14-7 in the opening frame before a trio of touchdowns in the second gave Alpharetta a 28-14 advantage at the break. Cambridge tied it up with Christian Isibor’s 47-yard run and a 97-yarder from Clemmer, but the Raiders added a field goal for a 31-28 edge heading into the fourth. Isibor’s second touchdown (40 yards) and Will Petit’s scoop-and-score (and a successful two-point conversion) gave the Bears a two-possession lead with 1:24 remaining, and Alpharetta’s onside kick following Ben Guthrie’s 22-yard touchdown pass to Ethan Barbour was recovered by Cambridge to seal the win.
Calhoun 26, Creekview 21
Calhoun led 10-6 after the first quarter but trailed 21-17 entering halftime before holding Creekview scoreless in the second half to overcome the deficit and secure the victory. Calhoun led 3-0 before a 3-yard rushing touchdown from Creekview got the Grizzlies into the game. Calhoun retook the leado n a 62-yard pass from Trey Townshend to Caden Williams late in the first quarter. Creekview completed a 53-yard touchdown pass early in the second quarter to retake the lead 13-10. Creekview extended the lead on a 50-yard touchdown run and the ensuing two-point conversion made it a 21-10 advantage. Townshend passed to Jax Bishop on a 65-yard touchdown to cut the lead to 21-17. Townshend’s short run with six minutes left in the third quarter gave the Yellow Jackets a 23-21 lead. With six minutes left in the game, Carlos Lopez kicked a 33-yard field goal to secure the victory.
Class 4A
Pace Academy 31, Greater Atlanta Christian 0
Terrence Kiel scored all three of his touchdowns in the first quarter, giving visiting Pace Academy a 21-0 halftime lead. Kiel took the opening kickoff 71 yards for a touchdown, caught a short pass from quarterback Conner Phelan and raced to a 63-yard touchdown, and took a handoff from Phelan for an 11-yard touchdown rush. Phelan added a 1-yard QB sneak for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Andrew Swann made a 36-yard field goal for Pace in the third quarter.
Benedictine 28, Westminster 0
Benedictine took a commanding lead over visiting Westminster — despite having a pair of first-half touchdowns called back on penalties — and the Cadets’ 28-0 lead was called final after 30 minutes of waiting for the weather to cooperate. Quarterback Luke Kromenhoek found Thomas Blackshear in the opening frame for a 15–yard touchdown and found the end zone himself on the following Benedictine drive for a 14-0 lead, and Za’Quan Bryan (2 yards) and Na’Seir Samuel (70 yards) added rushing scores in the third.
Troup 23, Callaway 14
Troup led visiting Callaway 3-0 after the first quarter and fell behind 7-3 midway through the second period after a Deshun Coleman touchdown run. Qua Moss returned the ensuing kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown to put the Tigers back up 9-7 and then quarterback Taeo Todd completed a jump pass to Qua Birdsong with 15 seconds left in the half to give Troup a 16-7 lead. Callaway used a Jordan King touchdown run late in the third quarter and trailed 16-14 heading into the final frame. A Troup fumble gave Callaway the football at its own 20-yard line with 9:58 left, but the Troup defense got the stop and Todd executed another red zone jump pass that went to Elijah Mathis with 5:37 left to grow the lead to 23-14.
Sonoraville 27, Dalton 21
Sonoraville’s Jaxon Pate threw a 69-yard touchdown pass to Zach Lyles on the first play from scrimmage and the Phoenix overcame a three-touchdown effort by Dalton running back Tyson Greenwade to close out the victory. Greenwade gave Dalton a 7-6 lead with his first touchdown run, but Sonoraville regained the lead minutes later with a Ty Brown fumble recovery and touchdown return. The team’s traded touchdowns before the half with Greenwade’s second touchdown and a 5-yard run by Pate that gave Sonoraville a 20-14 edge. Lyles escaped for a 38-yard touchdown run with 10 minutes left to push Sonoraville’s lead to 27-14 before Greenwade’s third touchdown run.
Cedartown 35, Sequoyah 0
No. 3 ranked Cedartown cruised to a 21-0 halftime lead with three Patrick Gardner touchdown runs (3, 3, 6 yards). The Bulldogs completed the shutout and added to the lead with a pair of Harlem Diamond touchdown runs in the second half (2, 3). The Bulldogs improve to 3-0 and have tallied 13 total rushing scores so far this season.
Northwest Whitfield 30, Ringgold 17
The host Bruins opened up a 16-0 lead early in the second quarter with a field goal and touchdown passes from Owen Brooks to Hudson Gray and Braxton Floyd. Ringgold answered and sparked a wild finish to the half. Quarterback Ross Norman found Ty Gilbert for a 22-yard touchdown with about a minute left in the half and then Ringgold forced a three-and-out to set up the duo for another touchdown with just nine seconds left to cut the deficit to 16-14. Northwest Whitfield, however, returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown and went to the locker room with a 23-14 lead. Northwest’s final touchdown came on a 29-yard touchdown from Brooks to Floyd before Ringgold tacked on a field goal late for the final tally.
Class 3A
Oconee County 20, Putnam County 0
A touchdown run from CJ Jones gave Oconee County a 20-0 lead with a minute left in the game to give the Warriors a shutout victory. Whit Weeks scored on a 2-yard run to give Oconee County the 7-0 lead. Bo Gaines put the Warriors up 10-0 with a 43-yard field goal with four minutes left in the second quarter. Gaines put Oconee County up 13-0 on a 24-yard field goal at the end of the first half.
White County 34, Chestatee 7
Host White County improved to 2-1 under first-year head coach Chad Bennett and jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter. Tripp Nix ran in two of his three touchdowns (10, 43 yards) and teammate Noel Lammers ran for an 8-yard score before a scoreless second quarter. White County’s Hayden Vadegriff connected on a 35-yard field goal to push the lead to 24-0 before Nix completed the hat-trick on a 2-yard carry to push the lead to 31-0. Vandegriff split the uprights on a 34-yard field goal to open the fourth quarter and Chestatee got on the board with 6:37 left with a 53-yard touchdown run by Adriel Vargas for the final margin.
Lumpkin County 48, Franklin County 0
Lumpkin County burst to a 41-0 halftime lead at The Burial Grounds Stadium and forced a running clock for the entire second half. Copper Scott rushed for three first-half scores, Mason Sullens ran in two touchdowns and Will Wood scored on a fumble recovery touchdown. Wood capped the scoring in the third quarter on a 53-yard rushing touchdown for his second trip to the end zone. The Indians improved to 3-0 under their first-year head coach Heath Webb and celebrated the program’s first such start since the 2003 season.
Class 2A
Model 17, Woodland-Cartersville 14 OT
A 26-yard field goal in overtime from kicker Daniel Veillon gave Model the victory. The kick followed a defensive stop highlighted by an interception from Dillion Silver. Model went up on a 2-yard run from Chase Carson and a 26-yard run from Jeremiah Gamble.
North Murray 56, Ridgeland 19
Visiting North Murray took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter with a 2-yard touchdown run by Skyler Williams. Ridgeland’s Ethan Waters answered with a rushing score to tie it 7-7 and North Murray reclaimed a 21-7 lead with a Seth Griffin 2-yard touchdown run and 9-yard Judson Petty touchdown that came with just 16 seconds left in the half. The Panthers managed to score at the buzzer with a Waters touchdown pass to cut it to 21-13 before the Mountaineers exploded with four third quarter touchdowns to jump ahead 49-19. Pett scored his second and third touchdowns of the night in the third quarter, Jadyn Rice found the end zone on a short carry and Griffin connected with Williams for a 30-yard touchdown. Waters added his second touchdown pass to bring Ridgeland within 49-19 at the end of the third quarter and Griffin iced the game with a 1-yard touchdown with eight minutes left, his second touchdown run of the game.
Class A Division I
Darlington 36, Christian Heritage 14
The Tigers extended their winning streak to three with the win over Christian Heritage. Darlington struck early in the first with a pair of touchdowns from D’Marion Floyd. Christian Heritage cut into the lead with a late second-quarter touchdown, a 50-yard touchdown pass from Carter Triplett to Eli Thomason, but the Tigers struck back when Floyd went 93 yards for a touchdown late in the third to go up 20-7. Triplett brought the game within one score with a 3-yard touchdown to Thomason — their second of the game — but Darlington struck again with a 60-yard touchdown by Eli Thompson. Floyd scored once more in the fourth from 44 yards out to put the game away for the Tigers.
Coosa 33, Gordon Central 14
Coosa’s Harley Brock gave the visiting Eagles a 6-0 lead with an 83-yard punt return touchdown and DJ Hames added a 35-yard touchdown run to push the lead to 14-0 after the first quarter. Coosa’s Jyshughn Turner found the endzone on a 24-yard carry before host Gordon Central got on the board midway through the second quarter with Peyton Wilson’s touchdown—making it a 19-7 defecit. Coosa’s Josh Dixon connected with Lamarion Millsap with just 37 seconds left in the half on a 21-yard touchdown and Gordon Central’s Peyton Wilson found Braxton Carnes for a 30-yard touchdown before the buzzer to make it a 26-14 Coosa lead at the half. The pace settled down in a scoreless third quarter and then Hames returned to the end zone for his second rushing score to push the lead to 33-14.
Prince Avenue Christian 48, Athens Academy 14
Visiting Prince Avenue Christian erased a 14-0 deficit with 48 unanswered points that was fueled by quarterback Aaron Philo’s six touchdown passes and third quarter touchdown run. The Spartans built their early lead with a Tre Hawkins 4-yard touchdown run and a 44-yard touchdown pass from Sam Bush to Preston Darden. Philo tied it up with back-to-back touchdown passes to Josh Britt and also tossed touchdown passes to Ethan Christian for two scores, Nick Hurley on a tipped pass touchdown in the third quarter and Bailey Stockton for the final points of the game.
Class A Division II
Bowdon 35, Bremen 0
Bowdon hoisted the Sewell Cup with a convincing 35-0 shutout road win over rival Bremen. The Red Devils extended their lead to 14-0 before the half with a 1-yard rushing score by Jordan Beasley and grew the lead to 35-0 in the third quarter to force a running clock. Quarterback Robert McNeal ran in a 5-yard touchdown, Dylan Akins scored on a 40-yard carry and McNeal capped the scoring with a touchdown pass to Kaiden Prothro.