It’s cliché to say that a football game was a ‘tale of two halves’ but in the case of Parkview’s 48-21 victory over North Gwinnett, the old adage held true.
The Panthers trailed 14-3 in the first quarter before rallying back to take control of the game and late-game defense was the key. Zelus Hicks put the game out of reach with two minutes remaining on an interception returned 99 yards for a touchdown to give Parkview a 41-21 lead. On the next North Gwinnett possession, Parkview safety Terrence Curtis returned an interception 30 yards for a touchdown to bring the score to its final tally.
Parkview began its comeback on a 15-yard touchdown pass from Colin Houck to Mike Matthews to cut into the lead 14-10 with seven minutes left before halftime. Houck passed to Mysean Nesbitt with 5 minutes left before halftime to give Parkview the 17-14 lead. Kyhair Spain gave the Panthers a 24-14 lead on a 22-yard touchdown run with three minutes before half. Carlos Munoz kicked a 51-yard field goal with one minute left in the third quarter to give the Panthers a 27-14 lead. Houck passed to Matthews on a 28-yard touchdown pass to put Parkview up 34-14. Kayden McDonald scored a 3-yard touchdown run with six minutes left in the game to cut into the lead 34-21.
North Gwinnett opened scoring on a 13-yard touchdown run from Ryan Hall with 3 minutes left in the first quarter. The Bulldogs pushed the lead to 14-3 after a 6-yard touchdown run from Kaden McDaniel early in the second quarter.
The AJC has writers at Roswell at Milton, Cedar Grove at Collins Hill and Lakeside-DeKalb at Osborne. Follow the link to see Todd Holcomb’s Friday Night Wrap.
See the Friday roundups below. The Thursday roundups are at the bottom of the file.
Class 7A
Walton 49, Pope 0
Walton shut out Pope at home thanks to three touchdown passes from Jeremy Hecklinski, as the Raiders quarterback found Wyatt Sonderman, Hunter Teal and Ayden Jackson for long scores. Makari Bodiford scored two rushing touchdowns for Walton, and Wendell Gregory had an interception for a touchdown for the Raiders.
Denmark 25, Harrison 21
Harrison maintained momentum throughout the first half, with the Hoyas quickly going up 14-3 after a Denmark field goal, followed by a touchdown pass from junior quarterback Braylan Ford to Brady Kluse. From then on, it was Denmark’s game. The Danes scored three consecutive touchdowns, including the go-ahead rushing score by Dee Crayton to complete the comeback.
Grayson 51, Spartanburg (S.C.) 24
Joe Taylor Jr. and Amari Alston each rushed for two touchdowns for the host Rams, who led 31-0 at the end of the first quarter and 38-7 at halftime. After a 28-yard pass from Jeff Davis to JoJo Stone to open the scoring, Taylor and Alston scored on runs of 41 and 35 yards, respectively, in the opening quarter. Jalen Smith’s interception return for a touchdown and Jimmy Gonzalez’s field goal gave the Rams their 31-0 lead at the end of the first. Grayson’s Darren Coleman returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter to give the Rams a 44-10 lead.
Norcross 39, Archer 24
Host Norcross led 22-7 after the first quarter after tackling Archer in its own end zone for a safety and getting two rushing touchdowns Nakai Poole and one from Michael Ammons. Norcross used a Zion Taylor touchdown run, a Drew Duva field goal and a 30-yard A.J. Watkins pass to Poole in the second quarter to take a 39-7 halftime lead. Archer scored twice in the third quarter and once in the fourth to cut the lead.
West Forsyth 42, Cambridge 35
West Forsyth came out on top of a back-and-forth brawl with visiting Cambridge that featured five ties and five touchdowns from Wolverine running back Peyton Streko. The senior, who finished the game with over 350 yards from scrimmage, put the home team on the board first with a 5-yard score before Christian Isibor answered from 44-yards out for Cambridge. Streko broke free for a 78-yarder in the second, and again, Cambridge tied it up with Preston Clemmer’s 8-yard completion to Jack Marlow. Wolverine quarterback Jack Tomlinson found the end zone in the third quarter, as did Marlow, for a 21-21 tie heading into the fourth. Streko added a trio of touchdowns in the final frame — including one from 62 yards out — to keep West Forsyth out front, despite a pair of touchdown passes from Clemmer to Will Taylor.
Carrollton 52, Villa Rica 0
Carrollton led 7-0 after the first quarter but pushed the lead to 31-0 at the half to put the game out of reach of Villa Rica. Bryce Hicks scored a 2-yard rushing touchdown to open scoring. Jacob Russell kicked a 28-yard field goal to give the Trojans a 10-0 lead. CJ Gamble put Carrollton up 17-0 on a 45-yard punt returned for a touchdown. Julian Lewis passed to Takare Lipscomb for a 60-yard touchdown. Hicks put Carrollton up 31-0 on a 2-yard touchdown run just before the half. Lewis passed to Lipscomb again for a 30-yard touchdown with 10 minutes left in the third quarter. On the next possession, Lewis passed to Caleb Odom for a touchdown. A 3-yard touchdown run from Jamun Evans brought the score to its final tally.
North Cobb 35, Marietta 21
Host North Cobb overcame a 14-6 deficit to Marietta in the third quarter to win at home. Nick Grimstead threw a touchdown pass to Branch Bennett for the Warriors, as senior star quarterback Malachi Singleton was out with a foot injury. David Mbadinga scored three rushing touchdowns for North Cobb. David Eziomune rushed for a touchdown in the fourth quarter for North Cobb to seal the win.
East Coweta 23, Sandy Creek 20 OT
The Patriots were quick to go up 14-0 in the first, but East Coweta fired back when Christian Langford tossed a 34-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-19 late in the first. The Indians tied the game in the second when Trey Bowles followed up a 55-yard rush with a 2-yard touchdown. A 40-yard field goal gave the Indians a 17-14 lead heading into the half. Sandy Creek regained the lead off an interception returned for a touchdown late in the third, but a missed extra point kept the game at 20-17. With nine minutes left in the game, the Indians tied the game at 20-20 with a field goal to force overtime. The Indians would kick a field goal on their overtime possession, and when Sandy Creek lined up to take the tying field goal, senior Kaleb Harris rushed the edge and blocked the kick for the victory.
In other Class 7A games – Camden County led 14-0 after the first quarter and 35-0 at the half in 45-0 romp of BEST Academy. … Osborne took a 20-0 lead after the first quarter and a 48-0 lead at the half to beat Lakeside-DeKalb 55-0. … Peachtree Ridge led 14-7 after the first quarter and 21-14 at the half in its 35-21 victory over Winder-Barrow. The Bulldoggs tied the game at 21 in the third quarter but Peachtree Ridge scored two unanswered touchdowns in the fourth quarter to put the game away. …
Class 6A
Creekview 35, North Forsyth 7
The Grizzlies’ scoring spree against North Forsyth began early in the first quarter when sophomore quarterback Austin Guest hit Michael Roach for a 24-yard touchdown. Creekview struck again when Guest found Cal Schubert on a 4th-and-5 play to increase the lead to 14-0. Senior Isaac Hubert was next to reach the end zone off an 8-yard rush before Guest ran one in himself on a 5-yard scamper. North Forsyth scored on its first possession of the second half — an 8-yard touchdown pass from West Roberts to Logan Curry — but the Grizzlies held the Raiders scoreless for the remainder of the game. Hubert scored the final touchdown of the game in the fourth from one yard out.
Allatoona 31, Hillgrove 9
Allatoona got its first win of the season in a 31-9 victory over visiting Hillgrove. The Buccaneers offense got off to a rocky start, with their first two drives ending in a fumble and a blocked punt for a Hillgrove safety. Gray Kelley got Allatoona on the board moments into the second quarter, however, with a 14-yard field goal, and Tyler McGuire capitalized on AJ Fitts’ interception on the ensuing Hillgrove drive with a 6-yard quarterback sneak for a 10-2 advantage. Jayden Ponder broke free for a 41-yard touchdown run less than a minute into the second half and added an 80-yard score early in the fourth after Hillgrove got within a possession (17-9) before Saadiq Teel and Aidan Guilbeau connected for a 3-yard touchdown to ice the game.
Gainesville 43, Clarke Central 20
Gainesville improved to 4-0 on the season with an emphatic win over visiting Clarke Central behind a five-touchdown performance by quarterback Baxter Wright. The junior connected with Tre Reece and Sky Niblett in the second quarter for a 17-3 advantage at the break, then threw touchdown passes to Niblett, Reece and Naim Cheeks in the third to extend the Red Elephants’ lead to 36-3. Clarke Central got a kick return touchdown from Jordan Dunn late in the third, and Lucian Anderson III scored the game’s final points on the ground following Kylan Hall’s touchdown run for Gainesville.
Blessed Trinity 14, St. Pius X 7
St. Pius X drove to the Blessed Trinity 10-yard line with under a minute to play, but the Titans defense forced a turnover on downs to seal the win. Host Blessed Trinity led 7-0 at halftime after Brooks Goodman threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Zyon McKenzie-Walker, set up by a blocked punt by Luke Ferguson that gave the Titans a short field. On the first play from scrimmage in the third quarter, Blessed Trinity’s John Winter recovered a St. Pius fumble at the BT 20-yard line. Kieran Davis capped the short drive with a 6-yard touchdown run. Jack Tchienchou of St. Pius rushed for a 73-yard touchdown later in the third quarter.
Woodward Academy 28, Marist 21
Woodward Academy erased a brief 7-0 deficit and eventually held off Marist for a 28-21 home victory on Friday night. Jalen Woods, Lucas Farrington and Ben Grice were too much for the visiting War Eagles to handle. Woods completed 17 of 21 passes for 241 yards and one touchdown pass to Grice in the third quarter for a 21-7 advantage. Grice finished with seven receptions for 121 yards. Farrington rushed 18 times for 142 yards and two scores. His first touchdown tied things up at 7-7 late in the first quarter and a 15-yard scamper into the end zone with 7:37 left in the game put the host War Eagles up 28-14. Marist answered with a touchdown of its own with 3:43 remaining, when Jack Euart found Eli Clarkson with a 19-yard strike to make it a one-possession game, but the visitors could get no closer. Clarkson also put the first points on the board by hauling in a 26-yard pass from Ian White. A one-yard run courtesy of Joseph Pizzo accounted for Marist’s second touchdown, which narrowed Woodward’s third-quarter lead to 21-14. The visiting War Eagles kept themselves in the game with a goal-line stand late in the second quarter when Woodward had a chance to go up by two scores. Instead, it was a narrow 14-7 margin at halftime. However, each time Marist mounted a charge in the second half, Woods, Farrington and Grice were able to respond.
Rome 30, Pebblebrook 28
Reece Fountain’s 22-yard touchdown pass to Will Bray with :38 seconds left in the game, coupled with the ensuing defensive stop, pushed the Wolves past Pebblebrook. Entering the fourth quarter, Rome held a 17-7 lead before weathering a 21-point effort from Pebblebrook in the final quarter to hold on for victory. After Pebblebrook returned a fumble for a touchdown to lead 7-0, Jaedon Harmon got Rome on the board with a 3-yard touchdown run. Diego Cordon put the Wolves up 10-7 on a 25-yard field goal with seven minutes left in the third quarter. With five minutes left in the third quarter, Harmon scored on a 1-yard run to give the Wolves a 17-7 lead. Pebblebrook cut into the lead on a 71-yard touchdown pass from Johnny Jason to Xavier Bell. A 58-yard touchdown pass from Fountain to DeKaylon Daniel put Rome up 24-14. Pebblebrook cut into the lead 24-21 on a touchdown run and took the 28-24 lead on a 40-yard pass from Qamar Grant to Dezmond Randolph with three minutes left in the game before Fountain’s heroics in the final seconds.
North Atlanta 27, River Ridge 13
North Atlanta’s Trey Lennon had a hand in four touchdowns to lead the Warriors to 4-0 after beating River Ridge. North Atlanta responded to a River Ridge touchdown with Lennon’s fourth score of the night to take the game to its final tally with nine minutes left. Cornerback Carl Murray anchored the Warrior defense with three interceptions on the night.
In other Class 6A games – Sequoyah defeated Cherokee 30-14 and after trailing 7-3 entering the third quarter, the Chiefs outscored Cherokee 20-7 in the quarter to take the lead. … Houston County outscored Locust Grove 41-0 in the first quarter in a romp of the Wildcats. … Brunswick trailed 3-0 at halftime before outsourcing the Bulldogs 20-0 in the second half to take the victory. …
Class 5A
Ware County 14, Benedictine 10
Ware County improved to 3-0 on the season with a hard-fought win over visiting Benedictine featuring key plays on both sides of the ball. The Gators got on the board with 4:15 left in the first half on RJ Boyd’s 2-yard run for a 7-7 tie at the break which stood until the fourth quarter. Ware County’s Javonni Miller intercepted Benedictine at the 37-yard line, and the Gators capitalized with a 3-yard score by CJ Johnson with 8:46 remaining for a 14-7 lead. The Ware County defense forced Benedictine to settle for a field goal on its following possession, and the Cadets’ final two drives ended in a 4th-down sack and a fumble recovery by Isaiah Perry to seal the 14-10 win.
Greater Atlanta Christian 36, Decatur 9
Jack Stanton accounted for all five of Greater Atlanta Christian’s touchdowns during an emphatic road win over Decatur. The Spartans were already in control by halftime with a 22-9 lead, as Stanton threw two touchdown passes to Xavier Daisy and also scored on a quarterback keeper. Their other first-half points came when Decatur snapped the ball over the punter’s head and out of the end zone. Scoring strikes to Gabe Daniels and Gianlucca Tiberia quickly put the game out of reach in the second half. The Spartans’ defensive dominance was paced by Harrison Voelzke’s two interceptions.
Kell 40, Sprayberry 35
Bryce Clavon rushed for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter to give visiting Kell its 40-35 lead, and the Longhorn defense stopped Sprayberry’s final play from the Kell 6-yard line as the game clock expired. Clavon finished with two touchdown rushes and two touchdown passes for the Longhorns.
In other Class 5A games – Central-Carroll broke open a 14-14 tie with a 20-0 second-quarter run en route to a 61-40 victory over visiting McIntosh. … First-year head coach Darrell Howard has the Midtown Grey Knights above .500 for the first time since 2016 following a 14-13 win against visiting Northview. … For Northside-Columbus, both Ashton Wilson (20-yard blocked punt return, 23-yard run) and Malachi Hosley (runs of 7 and 5 yards) had a pair of first-half scores against Shaw in the Patriots’ 29-0 road win. … Cartersville (4-0) got its second shutout of the season with a 42-0 rout of the Columbia Eagles. … Northgate rebounded from a 21-10 first-quarter defect to defeat visiting Griffin 33-28 for the Vikings’ first win of the season. … Donovan Jones scored a 20-yard touchdown run to lead Dacula past Tucker 20-0. …
Class 4A
Lovett 30, Pace Academy 20
After a scoreless first quarter, Lovett was first on the board with a Conner Deviney field goal in the second. Then the Lions’ Hayden Bernard blocked a Pace Academy punt, which was scooped up by junior Dylan Mayers and returned into the end zone to increase the lead. Pace Academy made it a 10-7 game heading into the half, but the Lions came out strong in the third when Kalil Townes found the end zone to go up 17-7. Pace Academy mounted a third-quarter comeback with back-to-back scores, but a pair of fourth-quarter field goals from Deviney and a pick-six by Bernard secured the win for the Lions.
Northwest Whitfield 35, North Murray 14
Visiting Northwest Whitfield rallied back from a 14-0 deficit in the second quarter with 35 unanswered points. North Murray’s early lead came on a 1-yard Skyler Williams rushing score and a 5-yard quarterback keeper by Seth Griffin. The Bruins’ cut the lead to 14-7 at the half with a 1-yard touchdown run by Owen Booker and then evened it up 14-14 with a Booker 5-yard score to Hudson Gray early in the third. On the next snap following Gray’s touchdown reception, the junior intercepted Griffin and returned it for a touchdown that put Northwest Whitfield up 21-14. Brooker added an 8-yard touchdown pass to Dominique Johnson in the fourth quarter before Caden Ramsey iced the victory with his late rushing score.
Cairo 31, Godby (FL) 12
Cairo jumped out to a 19-0 lead before closing out the visiting Cougars with a huge night by kicker Landon Vickers. Brandon Robinson ran in a 5-yard touchdown and Amarion Byrden scored on a 50-yard run before Vickers made the first of his four field goals. His 33-yard and 34-yarder put the Syrupmakers up 19-0 with 9:03 left in the half. Godby cut the deficit to 19-6 with a 33-yard touchdown pass and Cairo fumbled at the 30-yard line—denying Vickers the opportunity to pad the lead before the break. Cairo, however, struck early out of the locker room as Robinson connected with Justin Bryant for an 80-yard touchdown on the first play of the second half. Vickers kept Cairo ahead and iced the game with a 37 and 43-yard field goal that gave Cairo a 31-12 lead with 5:12 left in the final frame.
Walnut Grove 38, North Hall 20
Walnut Grove improved to 3-0 and opened up its Region 8 slate with a road win over the Trojans. Emadd Howard capped a 73-yard scoring drive with a 2-yard touchdown run to put Walnut Grove up 7-0 and quarterback Ashton Adams padded the lead with a 61-yard run to put the Warriors up 14-0 at the end of the opening quarter. Howard added a 53-yard touchdown run in the second quarter before North Hall answered with a Tanner Marsh touchdown run before the half and a Tate Ruth rushing score in the third quarter to cut the deficit to 21-13. Adams responded with a 24-yard touchdown pass to Avery Shnier and a 78-yard touchdown run to put Walnut Grove up 35-13 heading into the fourth quarter. Walnut Grove kicker Brendan Hamrick connected on a 38-yard field goal before North Hall’s Marsh found Ryals Puryear for a 46-yard score with 3:15 left for the final tally.
Sonoraville 28, LaFayette 17
LaFayette opened up an early 7-0 lead with a 15-yard touchdown run by Zach Barrett before Sonoraville responded in the second quarter to take a 14-7 halftime lead. Quarterback Jaxon Pate connected with Zach Lyles for a 64-yard score and then found Brant Bryant for a 22-yard touchdown to give the Phoenix the advantage. Bryant grew the lead to 21-7 with a 25-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, but LaFayette answered on a 3-yard Khalas Finley touchdown run to make it 21-14 heading into the final frame. Pate capped his three-touchdown night with a 70-yard touchdown pass to Keegan Townsend to push Sonoraville’s lead to 28-16 and the final points came midway through the fourth quarter on a 34-yard field goal by LaFayette’s Jacob Brown.
Cedartown 21, Calhoun 7
Cedartown held Calhoun scoreless for the first three quarters and led 7-0 at the half on the way to victory. Reece Tanner passed to Drew Ledbetter on a 79-yard touchdown to put Cedartown up 7-0. A 3-yard rushing touchdown from Patrick Gardner put Cedartown up 14-0. Calhoun scored on a 23-yard touchdown pass from Trey Townshend to Caden Williams but Cedartown pushed the lead to its final tally on a 17-yard pass from Turner to Harlem Diamond with two minutes left in the game.
In other Class 4A games – Bainbridge took a 3-0 halftime lead after a 32-yard field goal and rallied back from a 7-3 third quarter deficit with 21 unanswered to defeat visiting Thomasville 24-7. The Bearcats and Cairo were the lone Region 1 teams to get victories this week, as Hardaway dropped Thursday’s Newnan matchup 49-7, Shaw succumbed to Northside-Columbus 29-0 and Westover fell short to Monroe 12-7. … The Howard Huskies are 3-0 for the first time since 2015 after scoring a gutsy 16-7 road win over Class 5A Harris County. Howard broke the 7-7 tie with a blocked punt that was recovered for the touchdown and later tacked on a safety. Howard will face Pike County next week before opening up Region 2 against No. 5 ranked Perry—which followed up last week’s win over Jones County with a 37-6 home win over Veterans. Howard remains unbeaten in Region 2 with Westside-Macon (4-0), which cruised past Rutland 51-7. …Baldwin earned its first win of the season at Washington County (35-28), Spalding fell 21-14 to Class 5A Dutchtown, West Laurens got shutout 28-0 by undefeated Veterans and Griffin dropped to 0-4 with a tough 33-28 loss to Northgate. …In Region 3, No. 1 ranked Benedictine was able to defeat Ware County 49-42 last season, but fell 14-10 tonight—resulting in the Cadets’ first in-state loss since 2020. No. 10 ranked Burke County validated its place in the Class 4A polls by moving to 3-0 with a strong 50-14 win over Evans, New Hampstead improved to 4-0 with a 42-0 win over Florida’s South Lake High School. Also in Region 3, Islands (0-4) and Southeast Bulloch (0-3) remain winless after losses to Windsor Forest (14-10) and Effingham County (42-7), respectively. … Riverdale improved to 2-2 with a 42-6 home victory over Drew and North Clayton dropped to 1-3 after a 39-0 loss to Chattahoochee County. LaGrange was the only other Region 4 team that played this week and scored a 42-7 win over Upson-Lee on Thursday. In Region 5, Hampton earned a 41-7 win over Woodland-Stockbridge, Stockbridge defeated Luella 47-0, McDonough defeated Mt. Zion-Jonesboro 49-0 and Lovett served Pace Academy a 30-20 defeat in their region openers. … Region 6 went 1-7 this week with Clarkston earning the lone victory (32-0 over Cross Keys). In Region 7, No. 3 ranked Cedartown improved to 4-0 with a big 21-7 win over Calhoun and Heritage-Catoosa and Northwest Whitfield also reached the 4-0 milestone with wins over Ridgeland (35-7) and North Murray (35-17), respectively. …Region 8 began its region schedule with three matchups and saw Chestatee top East Hall 44-12, Cherokee Bluff hold off Madison County 20-19 and Walnut Grove defeat North Hall 38-20.
Class 3A
Oconee County 9, Jefferson 7
Senior kicker Bo Gaines was the hero of the game for Oconee County, accounting for all nine points in the Warriors’ tightly contested Week 4 matchup with visiting Jefferson. His first two field goals bookended the game’s lone touchdown, a 30-yard rushing score from Sammy Brown, for a 7-6 Dragons lead that stood until Gaines’ game-winner with 7:40 left in the final frame.
Lumpkin County 27, Temple 20
Lumpkin County clung to a 27-20 halftime lead and sealed the game with 2:45 left as Temple turned it over on downs. The win improves the Indians record to 4-0 for the first time since the 1988 season and they head into a well-earned bye week. Mason Sullens opened the scoring with a 3-yard touchdown run and quarterback Cooper Scott led Lumpkin County added touchdown passes to sophomore Cal Faulkner (45 yards) and senior Caleb Norrell (9) before his rushing score that put the Indians up 27-12 with 1:49 left in the half. Temple scored with :27 left on the clock and converted the 2-point try, before falling short in the scoreless second half.
In other Class 3A games – Amarion Scott led Johnson-Savannah over Brantley County 21-19 after scoring on an 11-yard run late in the third quarter. …Morgan County suffered its first loss of the year, falling to Hebron Christian 35-28, and it was the first time the Bulldogs failed to score at least 42 points this season. …Harlem jumped to a 21-0 lead against Midland Valley in the third quarter to earn its third win of the year.
Class 2A
Callaway 21, Heard County 7
Callaway led 7-0 at the half and 21-0 early in the fourth quarter before clinching its fourth-straight victory over Heard County in the Pulpwood Classic. The Cavaliers’ first touchdown came on a short pass from DeShun Coleman to Exavious Reed late in the first quarter that required Reed to reverse field and break several tackles to put Callaway on the board. Quay Whitfield powered his way into the endzone for a 12-yard score with 7:04 left in the third quarter to push the lead to 14-0 and Jordan King took the first play of the final frame into the endzone for a 1-yard touchdown to give the Cavs a 21-0 edge.
Athens Academy 36, Mt. Pisgah 22
Athens Academy jumped out to a 22-0 halftime lead and closed out the host Patriots in a rematch of last year’s 27-21 victory over Mt. Pisgah in the opening round of the state playoffs. Quarterback Sam Bush opened the scoring with a 27-yard touchdown run that was followed with a 2-yard Jessie Hawkins III rushing score and a 38-yard interception return touchdown by Preston Darden and a successful two-point conversion. Mt. Pisgah scored through the air early in the third quarter, but Bush answered with a 41-yard touchdown run to push the Spartans’ lead to 29-7. Mt. Pisgah found the endzone again through the air before the end of the third quarter and converted the two-point conversion to make it a 29-15 game, but Bush hit Noah Prior early in the final frame from 31 yards out to give Athens Academy a comfortable 36-15 lead. Mt. Pisgah answered with a 13-yard touchdown pass with 10:45 left before the Spartans were able to close out the victory.
In other Class 2A games – Providence Christian shut out Riverside Military on the road 52-0 as Ben Klassen threw three touchdown passes. … Worth County shut out Central-Macon through three quarters at home, 25-0, before winning 32-7. … Jojo Haynes rushed for two touchdowns and J.D. Davis rushed for two scores with a touchdown pass as visiting Rockmart raced past Dalton, 63-42. … Host Callaway defeated Heard County 21-7 as Quay Whitfield and Jordan King scored rushing touchdowns and Exavious Reed caught a touchdown pass from DeShun Coleman.
Class A Division I
Prince Avenue Christian 29, Monroe Area 20
Prince Avenue Christian forced some timely turnovers in the second half to hold off visiting Monroe Area. With Monroe Area trailing just 15-13 midway through the fourth quarter, Brody Healan picked off a pass at the 1-yard line. Prince Avenue Christian promptly engineered a 99-yard drive, culminating with a 6-yard touchdown run by Keon Rogers. After Monroe Area returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown, the Wolverines again had an answer. A 40-yard scoring strike from Aaron Philo to Josh Britt made it a two-possession game and the Wolverines put it away by recovering a fumble on their own 4-yard line. Both Rogers and Philo accounted for two touchdowns, with Rogers’ first one going to Bailey Stockton.
Trion 57, Gordon Central 0
Trion improved to 3-0 with an emphatic 57-0 win over visiting Gordon Central in the Bulldogs’ home opener Nathan Willingham hauled in two touchdown receptions, Logan Eller and Logan Stokes each hauled in touchdown receptions and Eller and Liam Benefield both rushed for first half touchdowns to build Trion’s 43-0 lead. Crawford Lee extended the lead to 50-0 with a 7-yard touchdown run in the third quarter and the Bulldogs’ final score came late in the fourth quarter during the running clock. Trion has outscored its opponents 147-26 over the course of its 3-0 start.
Class A Division II
Washington Wilkes 14, Georgia Military 2
Host Washington-Wilkes improved to 3-0 and has allowed just one touchdown through its first three games—amounting to an 83-9 scoring advantage over East Laurens (28-7), Glenn Hills (41-) and the Bulldogs. The Tigers opened up an 8-0 lead in the first quarter with a 65-yard punt return touchdown and successful 2-point conversion by Joseph Meyers. Washington-Wilkes padded the lead early in the third quarter with a 4-minute, 64-yard scoring drive capped with a 6-yard touchdown and the final points came with just minutes left when a blocked punt turned into a safety.
Thursday game recaps below.
Class 6A
Newnan 49, Hardaway 7
Senior quarterback James Paige passed for two touchdowns and rushed for one to lead Newnan in a romp of Hardaway. Paige was 10-of-17 passing for 189 yards with touchdown passes to Justyn Reid and Jaquan Kirkland. Nolen Huey, Quentavious Berry and Jeb Baggett each scored rushing touchdowns. Ethan Devers was 6-of-6 on point after tries for Newnan.
Class 3A
Coahulla Creek 35, Chattooga 0
Coahulla Creek led 14-0 at the end of the first quarter and 21-0 at the half on the way to victory against the Indians and Payton Gordon led the way. The senior back had 21 carries for 105 yards and three touchdowns in the victory. Senior quarterback Kace Kinnamon was 9-of-12 passing for 207 yards and touchdowns to Tyson King and Nate Tilly. Logan Fowler was 5-of-5 on point after tries for the Colts.
Class 2A
Josey 34, Glenn Hills 0
Josey led 6-0 at the end of the first quarter but pushed the lead to 27-0 at the half against the Spartans. Jaylin Prince, Altravion Simpkins and Kylin Skeens scored rushing touchdowns for Josey.
Class A Division I
St. Francis 35, Fellowship Christian 28
St. Francis advanced to 3-0 after beating Fellowship Christian on a game-winning touchdown pass from Jaiden Jenkins to Roman Stamps with :45 left in the game.