The second-ranked Cartersville Hurricanes (Region 7-4A) led comfortably throughout their Week 4 matchup with longtime rival Calhoun (Region 7-3A), riding another explosive performance on offense and another stingy defensive performance to a 35-13 victory over the 10th-ranked Yellow Jackets.
“We had a great atmosphere here tonight,” said sixth-year Cartersville head coach Conor Foster of host Calhoun, against whom the Purple Hurricanes improved to 33-7-1 all-time with the win. “Just a great high school football game between two quality programs.”
An early defensive battle gave way to a 14-0 second-quarter scoring run in under three minutes of play when Cartersville bookended a recovered Calhoun fumble on a kickoff return with touchdown runs from Jacaiden Leonard (30 yards) and Baylon Long (14 yards) — the former of which was set up by a long completion from Nate Russell to A’darrian Taylor-Wilson to convert on 3rd-and-18.
Calhoun made it on the board with a 39-yard field goal from Carlos Lopez as the half came to a close, but was forced to punt on its opening drive of the second half after Xavier Parker’s first-down tackle for a loss put the Yellow Jackets behind the sticks. Russell grew Cartersville’s lead to 21-3 shortly after on a 9-yard run, then to 28-6 with 1:53 left in the third on a 90-yard touchdown completion to Brady Marchese.
“We’ve been playing ball together since pre-k,” explained Marchese after receiving the Robbie Hunter MVP award, “so we’ve always had a connection.”
Calhoun got its first touchdown of the night early in the fourth on a 30-yard connection from Trace Hawkins to Justin Beasley, thanks to a couple of large gains by freshman Isaiah Nalls on the drive, and the Yellow Jackets caught a break when a 70-yard Marchese score was called back for offensive pass interference.
Sophomore Grayson Villar’s sack ended the following Calhoun drive, however, and Andrew Purdy’s keeper provided the game’s final points.
Cartersville kicks off region play next week at home against Dalton. Calhoun (1-2), meanwhile, will face undefeated Cambridge on the road in Week 5.
The AJC has writers at Marietta at Hillgrove, North Gwinnett at Mill Creek and Buford at Roswell. Follow the link to Todd Holcomb’s Friday Night Highlights or see the Thursday and Friday recaps below.
See the Friday recaps below and check out the Thursday game recaps at the bottom of the file.
Class 6A
Carrollton 63, Lithia Springs 0
The top-ranked Trojans led 35-0 after the opening frame and 56-0 at the break before coasting to a 63-0 win over visiting Lithia Springs out of Class 5A. Junior quarterback and USC commit Julian “JuJu” Lewis watched the second half from the sidelines after completing 12 of 14 first-half passes for 282 yards and six touchdowns.
Norcross 41, Walton 14
Norcross stunned the host Raiders with three interception touchdown returns in the first half and a 67-yard touchdown run by Kobe Robinson to take a 27-0 lead. The Blue Devils added a fumble recovery touchdown in the second half and Robinson returned to the end zone with a five-yard score. The Blue Devils’ defense produced four of their six total touchdowns and the offense operated with a running clock in the fourth quarter to close out the win and serve Walton back-to-back losses for the first time since 2020.
North Cobb 43, Cass 14
Host Cass (3-1) fumbled the opening kickoff and North Cobb (4-0) quickly capitalized two plays later to take a 7-0 lead. The Colonels’ responded with an Ian Williams interception returned for a touchdown, but the Warriors regained the lead with a touchdown and missed extra point. The Warriors added three more touchdowns in the second quarter to take a commanding 33-7 lead. Cass was held to just one first down in the first half. North Cobb added a 42-yard field goal in the third quarter and answered a Cass touchdown midway through the fourth quarter with their sixth touchdown of the game.
Lowndes 30, Manatee (FL) 15
The Vikings have already matched last year’s win total under second-year head coach Adam Carter, improving to 4-0 on the season with a 30-15 upset over Florida powerhouse Manatee. Lowndes led 15-0 at the break and by as much as 30-7 in the fourth before a late Manatee score. The Vikings will face Kell next week, then will have their bye week to prepare for their region opener at Colquitt County.
Valdosta 35, Jesuit (FL) 28
Valdosta (4-0) took a 21-14 lead into the half of its border battle with Jesuit (FL), before the host Tigers tied it up with eight minutes left in the third quarter on a 1-yard touchdown run that followed a key fourth down conversion. The Wildcats regained the lead on a long scoring drive that put Valdosta up 28-21 with 2:50 left in the third. Valdosta increased the lead to 35-21 with 7:15 left in the fourth quarter and held on for victory following a Jesuit touchdown pass that closed the game to 35-28 with 3:34 left.
Grayson 28, Mallard Creek (NC) 14
Travis Burgess led Grayson with two first-quarter touchdown passes to Aiden Taylor and Anthony Davis and Elijah Miller tacked on two touchdowns in the second quarter to help Grayson (3-1) build a 28-7 lead. The Rams were held scoreless in the second half and had just three total first downs as Mallard Creek cut the deficit to two scores.
East Coweta 30, Lovejoy 6
East Coweta evened its record at 2-2 with a 30-6 win over visiting Lovejoy (1-2) from Class 5A. Quarterback Cohen Peeples had a 34-yard touchdown pass to Jayson Stegall and another score on the ground to go with Ricky Howell’s 24-yard run, giving the Indians a 21-0 edge at the break, and Aaron McWilliams added field goals from 44, 38 and 24 yards out in the second half.
North Paulding 39, South Paulding 14
North Paulding improved to 13-0 all-time against South Paulding with its 39-14 road win. The Wolfpack are 3-1 and will visit undefeated North Cobb (4-0) next Friday for its Region 5-6A opener.
Camden County 62, Ribault (FL) 6
Camden County led 49-6 at halftime to take down Ribault (Fla.). Parks Riendeau threw two touchdown passes and ran for one in the victory, and both TD passes went to Elyiss Williams. Jordan Hardy, Julien Dailey and William Smith scored rushing touchdowns, and the special teams were big as David Coleman Jr. returned a punt for a score in the second quarter. The Wildcats have scored 50 or more points in all four games this season.
Collins Hill 27, Parkview 10
Collins Hill (4-0) took a 7-0 lead on a Javyon Hatch fumble recovery touchdown and Parkview answered with a field goal. The Eagles increased the lead to 14-3 with a Daverin Geralds touchdown run and then a Katrell Webb interception set up a Makyree Cross touchdown pass to Alijah Patillo before the break to put Collins Hill up 20-3 at the half. Parkview’s Brian Stokes cut the deficit to 20-10 with a third quarter touchdown run and Maddox Henderson iced the game with a 40-yard touchdown run with 4:44 left in the fourth quarter for the final tally. Parkview dropped to 0-3 for the first time since the 2013 season.
Richmond Hill 47, New Hampstead 28
Joshua Ulrich-Troupe rushed for a career-high 258 yards and four touchdowns to lead Richmond Hill over New Hampstead. His teammate, Caleb Easterling, also ran the ball well, totaling 80 yards and one touchdown on two carries. Richmond Hill led 27-14 at halftime and then had a 41-21 lead in the fourth quarter. New Hampstead’s Ra’Shawn Truell had a big night, throwing for 313 yards and three touchdowns in the loss.
East Paulding 38, Hiram 27
For the first time since 2020, East Paulding advances to 3-0 with a 38-27 win over Hiram. East Paulding scored first, taking a 7-0 lead with 8 minutes left in the first quarter and added a field goal before the end of the quarter, going into the second up 10-0. Hiram quickly answered back, scoring two quick touchdowns in the first five minutes of the quarter to go up 13-10. The Hornets added another touchdown with four minutes to go in the half. East Paulding scored a quick touchdown with two minutes remaining in the half. The Raiders then took the lead with under two minutes left in the half with another touchdown, going into the break ahead 24-20. The third quarter was a defensive battle until the final two minutes when Hiram regained the lead with a touchdown. East Paulding answered almost immediately with a touchdown to end the quarter up 31-27. With a minute to go in the fourth, the Raiders put the game away with a final touchdown, winning 38-27.
Class 5A
Creekview 63, Lassiter 20
In the teams’ Region 6-5A opener, visiting Creekview (3-1) pulled away from Lassiter (2-2), turning a two-score game at the end of the first half into a comfortable victory after scoring four straight touchdowns. Creekview quarterback Austin Guest threw for three touchdowns and rushed for three. Guest found Jackson Stanley for a 5-yard touchdown for the last points of the first half, giving the Grizzlies a 42-20 lead at halftime, then hit Stanley on a 38-yard touchdown to open the scoring in the second half. Austin Penrod caught Guest’s first touchdown pass, a 22-yard strike in the second quarter, and had a 2-yard touchdown rush to cap the scoring late in the third. Guest’s touchdown rushes were from 23 yards, 6 yards and 1 yard. Mason Munn (41 yards) and Tristan McWilliams (2 yards) also rushed for touchdowns for the Grizzlies.
Warner Robins 54, Houston County 44
Warner Robins ended Houston County’s two game winning streak in the middle Georgia rivalry after scoring the third most points in the series in their 10-point win. The rivals combined for 98 points and there were five lead changes in the fourth quarter before Warner Robins scored 14 unanswered. Skyler Williams had two rushing touchdowns and Aydan Howard put the game out of reach with his 13-yard touchdown. Warner Robins now leads the series 18-8 after the win against the Bears.
Pope 34, Sprayberry 23
Pope (2-2) served Sprayberry (3-1) its first loss of the season in both team’s Region 6-5A opener. The Greyhounds ended the third quarter with a narrow 21-16 lead and added a touchdown and 34-yard field goal with 5:03 left to push the advantage to 31-16 before the Yellow Jackets’ final score. Pope clinched the victory with a sack.
Sequoyah 50, Riverwood 7
Kolby Martin threw four touchdown passes to lead Sequoyah over Riverwood in a Region 6 contest. Three of Martin’s TD passes came in the first quarter and the fourth came in the third quarter when he threw a 65-yard pass to Noah Givens, who also caught a 24-yard TD pass in the first. Will Rajecki scored two touchdowns rushing TDs and Ean Marria scored one for the Chiefs. Sequoyah led 36-7 at halftime.
Brunswick 42, Effingham County 20
The Brunswick Pirates improved to 2-1 on the young season as they took down the Effingham County 42-20, knocking the Rebels down to 0-3. The Pirates get revenge on last season’s meeting against the Rebels after Effingham County escaped with a 31-28 victory a year ago. Brunswick opened tonight’s scoring and didn’t look back on their way to routing the Rebels, holding Effingham County to just six first half points while scoring 21 of its own. The Pirates tallied on 21 more points in the second half while holding the Rebels to two touchdowns.
Thomas County Central 48 Thomasville 10
Thomas County Central used a second-half shutout to advance 4-0 and hand Thomasville its first loss of the season. The defending state champions scored 14 unanswered points in the 3rd quarter to take full control of the game after having a 24-10 lead at halftime. Christian Lawrence scored two touchdowns on the night including the opening touchdown of the game. Senior defensive back Aacoyah Rawls had an interception returned for a touchdown and senior running back AJ Rawls had two rushing touchdowns on Friday. The Yellow Jackets have now won three consecutive games all by double-digits and lead the series 29-28.
Lakeside-Evans 21, Evans 0
Lakeside-Evans stunned host Evans on the road to pick up a major Region 1-5A victory and improve to 3-0. Ty Jones gave Lakeside a 21-0 lead with a 70-yard punt return touchdown to open the fourth quarter. After a scoreless first quarter, Lakeside took a 7-0 lead with a goal-line touchdown run and increased the lead to 14-0 with a Mi’keal Grissom 88-yard touchdown reception that came on a quick screen.
Class 4A
North Oconee 36, Clarke Central 13
Host North Oconee was led by UGA-commit Landon Roldan’s five-touchdown night as the Titans improved to 3-0. North Oconee took a 29-0 lead early in the third quarter that was built on three Harrison Faulkner touchdown passes to Roland, a successful two-point conversion on the Titans’ first score of the game and a five-yard touchdown run by Roldan. The Titans’ first touchdown came after a fumble recovery by Logan Phelps and a 99-yard drive after a blocked field goal was capped by Roland’s five-yard plunge. Roldan added his fifth touchdown of the game and second rushing score in the fourth quarter from five yards out. The senior finished with 185 yards and three receiving touchdowns on seven catches, two rushing scores off his two carries and had a forced fumble on defense.
Harris County 27, Dougherty 6
Leading 7-0 at the end of the first quarter, Bishop Adams scored on a 5-yard run to expand the margin. Ian Poague returned a fumble 12-yards to put Harris County up 21-0 after Anthony Shelnutt’s point-after try. Adams added a 4-yard touchdown run to give Harris County a 27-0 lead. Jamarious Lewis passed 88 yards to Braylen Still for Dougherty but the game was out of reach.
Locust Grove 28, Eagles Landing Christian 14
Locust Grove secured its first win of the season, 28-14, over Eagle’s Landing Christian. The first quarter saw both defenses dominate, with neither team scoring until five minutes into the second quarter when ELCA scored the first touchdown of the game. Locust Grove quickly answered, scoring a touchdown just four minutes later. The Wildcats added another score with less than a minute left in the half, giving Locust Grove a 14-7 halftime lead. ELCA tied the game in the third quarter, scoring a touchdown with five minutes remaining. Locust Grove responded less than two minutes later with a touchdown to regain the lead. With 10 minutes left in the game, Locust Grove scored the final touchdown, securing a 28-14 victory.
East Forsyth 34, Chestatee 7
East Forsyth, of Region 8-4A, improved to 4-0 with its home win over Chestatee (1-2), of Region 6-3A. The Broncos trailed 7-0 early before quarterback Brock Szakacs tied the game in the first quarter with a 36-yard rushing score. Szakacs threw a 35-yard touchdown to Andrew Frank in the second quarter, and Jony Aguilera field goals of 35 and 24 yards in the second gave East Forsyth a 20-7 halftime lead. In the third quarter for the Broncos, Gus Martin had an 8-yard touchdown rush and D.J. Haskell had a 5-yard touchdown rush.
Cedartown 42, Pepperell 0
Region 7-4A Cedartown remained undefeated at 4-0 with a road shutout of Region 6-A Division I Pepperell. Tae Harris rushed for two first-half touchdowns for the Bulldogs, and Demarcus Gardner and Isaiah Johnson added scoring rushes to give Cedartown a 28-0 lead at halftime. Juelz Davis rushed for a third-quarter touchdown, and a safety and Jakoby Dorsey touchdown run in the fourth quarter capped the scoring. Pepperell fell to 0-4.
Westminster 34, Greater Atlanta Christian 13
Host Westminster closed out the Spartans with 27 unanswered points after trailing 13-7 early in the first quarter. Senior quarterback and three-sport athlete Michael Buhay finished with four touchdown passes and a 6-yard touchdown run to lead the Wildcats. The Spartans dropped to 3-0 for the first time since 2021 and will open Region 6-3A play next Friday at Lumpkin County. Westminster will host Gilmer next Friday.
Adairsville 44, Woodland-Cartersville 14
Visiting Adairsville, of Region 7-3A, did all of its scoring in the first half against Woodland-Cartersville, of Region 7-4A, leading 44-0 at halftime. Weston Crisp took the opening kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown for Adairsville, and the Tigers led 28-0 at the end of the first quarter after two rushing touchdowns from Jamarian Pullum and a touchdown pass from Ethan Long to Xavious Nalls. Pullum scored twice more in the second quarter, catching a touchdown from Long and rushing for another score. Adairsville improved to 3-1, and Woodland fell to 1-2.
Cambridge 35, Denmark 34 OT
In a battle of 3-0 against 0-3, the Cambridge Bears survived an overtime scare against Denmark as they defeated the Danes 35-34 as the Bears went for two in overtime to seal the victory. Cambridge opened the scoring with the only touchdown of the first quarter to take an early 7-0 lead. The Danes followed it up with a field goal which was quickly answered with a 41-yard touchdown pass from Weston Taylor to give the Bears a 14-3 lead. Two minutes later, Denmark answered with a 90-yard fake punt, catching the Bears off-guard for the score to cut the lead to 14-10. After a Denmark field goal, Cambridge took a 14-13 lead into the half. The Bears opened the second half scoring off a blocked punt to give them a 20-13 lead after the missed two-point conversion. Cambridge’s Tyler Blalock followed up the blocked punt with a one-yard score to add to the Bears lead, 27-13– but the Danes were not done yet. Denmark’s Noah Laban scored a 10-yard rushing touchdown followed by a Matthew Baer 11-yard score late in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 27-27 heading into overtime. The Danes had the first possession of overtime and were able to capitalize following another Baer touchdown to take the 34-27 lead. With their backs against the ropes down by seven in overtime, Taylor found Craig Dandridge for a 15-yard touchdown to cut the lead to one with an extra point pending. Cambridge first year head coach, Tyler Jones, made the call in overtime for his Bears to line up for two which proved to be successful as Taylor scored the two-point conversion giving the Bears the victory.
Eastside 34, Archer 16
Eastside improved to 4-0 after handing Archer its fourth loss of the season, defeating the Tigers 34-16. The Eagles began the scoring when Michael Kenon Jr. caught a 75-yard touchdown to take the early 7-0 lead. After a Tigers three-and-out, Eastside’s Payton Shaw found Xavier Joseph for another Eagles touchdown, giving them a 14-0 first quarter lead. Archer found its answer with quarterback-keeper from Jordan Do cutting the Eastside lead to 14-7 in the second quarter. After a punt from each team, Eastside’s Georgia Tech-commit Jayden Barr added six-more to the Eagles total with a touchdown, catching the direct snap from 10-yards out to extend the Eagles lead to 20-7 after the missed extra point, taking the 13-point lead into the half. The Tigers opened up the second half scoring with a field goal but the Eagles were relentless, answering with a 20-yard touchdown from running back Tyler Solomon. Archer’s Colby Alexander answered with a touchdown of his own late in the third quarter, cutting the lead to 27-16. Alexander’s touchdown was the last points of the night for the Tigers as Eastside’s Barr put the nail in the coffin to seal the victory 34-16.
Class 3A
Oconee County 45, Loganville 7
Tyler Garrett ran in a 21-yard score on the first play of the fourth quarter to give the host Warriors a 45-0 lead and Oconee County (1-3) celebrated homecoming with its first win of the year, while Loganville fell to 0-4. Garrett also rushed for a touchdown in the first quarter and sophomore teammate Darius Darden finished with three rushing touchdowns. A Bo Boykin 38-yard field goal put Oconee County up 31-0 and Conner Jackson scored on an interception return touchdown that made it 38-0 before Garrett’s 21-yard touchdown to start the fourth.
Jefferson 45, Stephens County 28
Jefferson’s 21-point third quarter propelled the Dragons to a 3-1 start as they handed Stephens County their first loss of the season. Stephens County opened the game with a 14-point lead before Jefferson cut the deficit to 14-10 at the half. The Dragons’ offense got it going with Gavin Markey scoring two of three touchdowns in the third quarter. Markey made a memorable play escaping pressure and making a throw on the run to WR Rhett Hemphill for the score. Hemphill had three touchdowns (one rushing, two receiving). One of his best plays came on a 68-yard touchdown catch where he outran the defense and helped seal the win. Markey finished with two touchdowns and Mach Gaddis had a 50-yard interception return for a touchdown. Jefferson has now scored 40+ points in back-to-back games and has won three consecutive games.
Upson-Lee 16, Spalding 13
Upson-Lee’s Nicholas Wells found Bentavious Reviere for a game-winning touchdown pass with four minutes left to give the Knights the road win over rival Spalding in their Region 2-3A opener.
Lumpkin County 49, Dunwoody 35
A big first half led Lumpkin County to a 49-35 victory over Dunwoody in Dahlonega. The Indians started out hot, scoring 35 first-half points while holding Dunwoody to only six points in the first half. The Wildcats cut Lumpkin County’s lead to 21 by the end of the third quarter. Dunwoody continued to chip away at the lead, scoring twice in the final four minutes, but ran out of time, losing 49-35. Lumpkin County quarterback Cal Faulkner had a big game with four total touchdowns, including a 72-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter. Along with Faulkner, Lumpkin County running back Nolan Mathews scored three first-half touchdowns. Next week, the Indians will host GAC, while Dunwoody will play Tri-Cities.
North Hall 35, East Hall 16
North Hall extended its winning streak over county rival East Hall to 15-straight, beating the Vikings 35-16. North Hall started the scoring with a 14-yard pass from Smith McGarvey to Ty Kemp. The Vikings answered with a 10-yard pass from Jamarcus Harrison to Chasen Jones. East Hall took the lead on a Harrison rushing touchdown but missed the PAT. Parker Carlton gave the Trojans the lead halfway through the first quarter with a four-yard touchdown run. Ty Kemp caught his second touchdown of the day to extend North Hall’s lead. East Hall ended the half with a field goal to cut the lead to 21-16. The third quarter was scoreless before North Hall took control of the game in the fourth. Carlton scored another touchdown on a seven-yard run, while Cole Cable scored the final touchdown of the game with an eight-yard rush.
Class 2A
Appling County 32, Swainsboro 12
Appling County moved to 2-1 after defeating Swainsboro 32-12. The Pirates’ win marks the first time they have beaten the Tigers since 2002. Swainsboro won the last matchup in 2003, 21-10. Appling County now leads the all-time series, 6-3. Dereon Hood got the scoring started for the Pirates with a one-yard rushing touchdown midway through the first quarter. The Pirates defense played their part, forcing a safety in the second quarter. Late in the second, Appling County quarterback Harrison Hickox found Kemoni Ryals to add to the Pirates lead making it 16-0. A field goal before the half continued the Pirates hot start, scoring 19 first half points while shutting out Swainsboro in the first two quarters. Appling County’s Jaiden Knight scored a 23-yard rushing touchdown late in the third quarter and followed it with another rushing touchdown to take a 32-0 lead in the fourth quarter. The Tigers were able to score 12 fourth quarter points thanks to two unanswered Shannon Benjamin touchdowns.
Morgan County 35, Greene County 13
Morgan County handed Greene County its first loss of the season and led 21-0 after the first quarter, putting the game out of reach. Leading 7-0, Davis Strickland passed to Christian Monfort on a 27-yard touchdown to expand the lead. Strickland passed again for a touchdown to expand the margin late in the first quarter. Monfort’s 1-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter gave the Bulldogs a 28-7 lead. Greene County cut into the deficit on a 19-yard run from quarterback Landon Garretson but Morgan responded with a 14-yard touchdown pass from Strickland to Drew Ainslie to secure the victory.
Callaway 36, Cook 23
Callaway outscored Cook 21-9 in the second half to celebrate its first win of the season. Cook tied the game 7-7 with a kickoff return touchdown, but Callaway’s Bryceton Sanders answered by taking the subsequent kickoff in for a touchdown to give the Cavs a 14-7 lead. Cook tied it up 14-14 at the half and Sanders hauled in a 45-yard touchdown pass from Blake Harrington with 6:10 left to give Callaway a 28-23 lead before the host Cavs iced the game.
Rockmart 23, Ringgold 20
Rockmart’s Riley Gober kicked the game-winning 25-yard field goal to lift Rockmart past Ringold to give the Yellow Jackets the team’s first win of the season. Gobert kicked three field goals on the night. Senior wide receiver Tristan Anderson added two touchdowns Ringgold fought back in the second half after trailing 13-0. Kishaun Taylor scored three touchdowns on the night for Ringgold — a 70-yard touchdown reception, a 43-yard touchdown reception, and a 31-yard touchdown reception. The 31-yard touchdown score tied the game for Ringgold. The Yellow Jackets pieced together one final drive and got into field goal rang, setting up Gober’s heroics.
Class A Division I
Dodge County 33, ACE Charter 28
No. 7 ranked Dodge County held on for a 33-28 win over ACE Charter and improved to 3-0 in Region 2 play. First-year head coach Phillip Brown maintained his flawless start and all three of Dodge County’s wins have come in region play due to the 11-team Region 2. ACE Charter falls to 2-1 overall and 2-1 in region play. Next week, Dodge County will host Vidalia in its only non-region game of the season. ACE Charter led 21-13 midway through the second quarter and 21-20 at the half. ACE Charter athlete Brice Whitley scored a 90-yard kickoff returned for a touchdown for the Gryphons.
Rabun County 35, Dalton 13
Host Rabun County, ranked No. 10 in Class A Division I, took down Class 4A Dalton thanks to four rushing touchdowns from running back Reid Giles. Fellow Wildcats running back Lake Evans also rushed for a score. Rabun County improved to 2-1, and Dalton fell to 0-4.
Dublin 49, Washington County 0
Dublin scored 28 points in the first quarter en route to a 49-0 victory over Washington County. Micah O’Neal had a big night for the Fighting Irish, throwing two touchdown passes and rushing for one in the first half. O’Neal also had a 68-punt return for a TD in the second quarter to give Dublin the 42-0 lead at halftime. The Fighting Irish have scored at least 40 or more points in all four games this season.
Toombs County 33, Rome 29
No. 1 Toombs County went on the road and defeated Rome in one of the biggest upsets of the season. Coming into the game, the Bulldogs were a 28-point underdog. Toombs County led the entire way fueled by quarterback TJ Stanley’s three touchdowns. Tennessee-commit Lagonza Hayward added a 12-yard touchdown reception and continued his impressive start to the season. Rome made it interesting in the second half and after trailing 27-9, the Wolves scored 14 unanswered points to cut the lead to 27-23 with 5:25 left in the game. Toombs County running back Dabyn Wadley had a 48-yard touchdown run that sealed the deal giving the Bulldogs a double-digit lead with less than three minutes left. Rome’s Jaedon Harmon had two rushing touchdowns on the evening, one from two yards and the other from four yards out. Wide receiver Timerious Stallings also had a receiving touchdown for the Wolves. Toombs County has started 3-0 for the second consecutive year under head coach Buddy Martin.
Commerce 28, Madison County 12
Visiting Commerce improved to 2-2 and defeated Madison County for the 10th-straight time and served the Red Raiders (2-1) their first loss of the season. The Tigers were led by a three-touchdown performance from Jacari Huff—who finished with 52 yards off 14 carries. Teammate Jaiden Daniels took six carries for 71 yards and a touchdown and fullback Tysean Wiggins racked up a team-high 115 yards off 15 carries. Defensively, senior defensive tackle Jermiah Mintz tallied 12 total tackles, six tackles for loss and one fumble recovery.
Bremen 31, McNair 14
Bremen rebounded from last week’s loss of starting quarterback Carson Kimball to a spinal injury and picked up an emotional 31-14 home win over Region 4′s McNair to improve to 2-1. The Blue Devils will take on Region 8’s Rabun County next Friday night in their final non-region game.
Wesleyan 40, B.E.S.T. Academy 0
Wesleyan, ranked No. 10 in Class 3A-A Private, met B.E.S.T. Academy in a non-region private-public matchup of teams from Region 5-A Division I. Quarterback Ben Brown threw five touchdown passes for the host Wolves, finding five different receivers: Connor Roush, Grayson McCollum, Alex Moran, Carter Hayes and Ryley Webb. Maddox Gartland also rushed for a touchdown for Wesleyan. The Wolves improved to 3-1, and B.E.S.T. fell to 3-1.
Armuchee 46, Southeast Whitfield 13
Visiting Armuchee got four touchdown passes from Blaine Ragland and moved to 3-0. Ragland threw two touchdown passes to Will Pethel and one each to Evan Hayes and Caleb Fellows. Jakson Hightower rushed for two touchdowns for Armuchee, of Region 7-A Division I, and Julian Alvarez made a first-quarter field goal. Southeast Whitfield, of Region 7-4A, fell to 0-4.
Class A Division II
Trion 22, Model 12
Eighth-ranked Trion overcame a 12-0 halftime deficit to defeat Model after three first-half turnovers helped build the Blue Devils’ lead. Trion scored on a 5-yard run from Kade Smith and after an interception on defense, a 1-yard run by Christian Henderson and a 2-point conversion pass from Henderson to Smith put the Bulldogs up 15-12. Smith scored on a 1-yard run in the fourth quarter to expand the margin.
Telfair County 12, Lanier County 7
The Trojans evened their record at 2-2 with a hard-fought victory over the host Bulldogs. After trailing 7-6 for most of the game, Telfair County took the lead late in the third with a rushing score (the two-point conversion was no good). Lanier County seemed poised to reclaim control in the fourth, driving to the red zone before getting intercepted. The Bulldogs returned the favor with a pick of their own on the following Trojan possession, but one last interception from Telfair County in the game’s final minute sealed the 12-7 win.
In other Friday games – Class 2A Thomson defeated Class 6A Grovetown 20-13 marking the fifth-straight victory and improved to 2-2, while Grovetown dropped to 0-4 for the first time in the school’s 16-year history. … Class 2A Lovett beat Pace 34-7 and improved to 4-0 for the first time since its 2013 state championship campaign, while host Pace Academy dropped to 1-2. The Lions led 14-0 until Pace Academy’s five-yard touchdown run with eight minutes left in the third quarter. Lovett answered by outscoring Pace Academy 20-0 in the final frame. … Class A Division II Brooks County improved to 2-1 after defeating the Worth County Rams, 26-7. With the loss tonight the Rams fall back to .500 on the season with their record now sitting at 2-2 after a loss to Irwin County in the second game and the loss to Brooks. … Class 3A White County earned its first win of the season, defeating East Jackson 55-27 in Cleveland. … Class 2A Spencer moved to 2-2 after a 29-15 victory over Griffin, sending the Bears to 0-3 on the season. … Class 4A Jackson-Atlanta led Redan 27-0 at halftime and 33-7 at the end of the non-region contest to improve to 3-0 on the season. …Class A Division 1 Coosa’s Jy Turner completed 13 16 passes to lead the Eagles over Ridgeland 28-6. …Class A Division II Early County lead Schley County 26-0 at the break and 32-6 at the end of the contest to win its first game of the year. …Class 2A North Cobb Christian defeated Sonoraville 24-17 to improve to 4-0 on the season. …Class A Division II Screven County led Claxton 36-0 at halftime and 36-12 at the end of the non-region contest to improve to 2-0 on the year. Class A Division I Whitefield Academy defeated Social Circle 35-14 after leading 28-7 at halftime. … Ola defeated Jones County 7-3 in a defensive battle after trailing 3-0 early in the game. Ola improved to 4-0 and Jones County fell to 3-1. … Whitewater scored 28 unanswered points after trailing 10-0 early in the second quarter and defeated Troup County 28-10. … No. 4 Manchester moves to 2-1 after a 42-6 victory over Macon County. … Hampton defeated McDonough 45-13 and moved to .500. The Hornets are seeking their first winning season in program history. … Kell defeated Cobb County rival Wheeler 31-13 and scored 21 unanswered points to finish the game. … Lambert captured their first win of the season in a high-scoring affair against Cherokee. The Longhorns won 49-41. … In a Class 6A non-region game, Etowah (1-3) of Region 5 picked up its first win of the season, 24-22, at home against Region 2 Chapel Hill, which fell to 1-2. … In the teams’ first Region 1-5A contest, Glynn Academy (2-1) got a 57-12 home win over Bradwell Institute (1-2) thanks to a 37-point second quarter. … Class 2A No. 5 Burke County (3-1) hosted Region 8-A Division II Warren County (2-2) and earned a 50-12 win.
Thursday Games
Class 4A
Bartram Trail (FL) 43, Ware County 42 OT
Bartram Trail completed a 2-point conversion in the first overtime period to secure the victory over Ware County (2-2). Bartram led 21-0 after the first quarter but Ware tied the game at 21 at the half. Both teams scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to enter overtime tied at 35. Junior Jamir Boyd made 31 carries for 186 yards and three touchdowns for Ware County. Ware quarterback Luke Hooks was 6-of-14 passing for 83 yards and a touchdown. Junior Tayshaun Franklin had 20 carries for 98 yards and a touchdown for the Gators.
Southwest DeKalb 70, Clarkston 0
The Panthers secured the program’s first victory over Clarkston since 1979, and the romp began with a 90-yard kickoff returned for a touchdown from Jordan Christie. Braylon Carter was 5-for-5 passing for 124 yards and four touchdowns, all in the first half, to lead Southwest DeKalb.
Class A Division I
Savannah Christian 44, Oceanside Collegiate (SC) 20
Zo Smalls had 38 carries for 214 yards and four touchdowns while Kenry Wall added four carries for 31 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Raiders. Wall added two interceptions and Isaiah Redmond had one interception. Kicker Christian Johns was 5-of-6 on PATs and 1-for-1 on field goals.
Temple 34, South Atlanta 21
Sophomore Serjoe Jones had 13 carries for 112 yards and three touchdowns and senior CJ Gray had 23 carries for 177 yards and two touchdowns to lead Temple past South Atlanta. Temple led 21-14 after the first quarter.
Class A Division II
Bowdon 56, Westside-Macon 27
Top-ranked Bowdon led 7-0 after the first quarter and 28-14 at the half before expanding the lead comfortably in the second half to pull away. Quarterback Charles Maxell III passed to Kaiden Prothro for touchdowns of 32, 20, 19 and eight yards and added a 15-yard touchdown run. Mason Daniel scored on a 60-yard run for Bowdon and Joshawia Davis scored on runs of 59 and eight yards.
In other Thursday games – Class A Division II Clinch County moved to 4-0 after moving past Berrien 35-13. … Class A Division I East Laurens had little trouble moving to 2-2 with a 49-0 victory over Central-Macon. … Class 3A LaGrange moved to 2-2 with a 41-7 victory over Class 3A-1A Private Trinity Christian and led 14-7 after the first quarter and 28-7 at the half. … Class 6A Tift County moved to 2-2 after moving past Bainbridge 17-14 while outlasting a 14-3 second-half from Bainbridge. … Class 3A Beach’s extra-point in overtime proved to be the difference in its 22-21 victory over Windsor Forest. … Class A Division I Northeast-Macon moved to 3-1 with a 47-0 victory over Jefferson County. …
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