After taking control with a 17-0 effort in the second quarter, No. 2-ranked Buford survived a near-meltdown in the second half of a turnover-riddled matchup with No. 3-ranked Douglas County to close out the 31-14 road victory.
“That was old-school Buford football tonight,” sixth-year head coach Bryant Appling said after the game.
The Wolves were first on the board, capitalizing on a muffed Tigers punt with a 40-yard touchdown from Justin Baker on the second play from scrimmage. Douglas County answered with a 44-yard strike from DJ Bourdeaux to Aaron Gregory, then took a 14-7 lead when Karson Kindred caught a Buford pass that bounced off the back of teammate Jamar Owens and returned it for a touchdown.
Baker tied the game with his second score early in the second frame, and after the teams traded turnovers — Owens got an interception off a Buford double pass, and Nicco Maggio recovered Bourdeaux’s fumble — Dayton Raiola’s quarterback keeper and JD Gregory’s 42-yard field goal as time expired gave the Wolves a 24-14 edge at the break.
“We turned the ball over, but we keep creating turnovers,” praised Coach Appling. “We’ve done a great job of that the last two weeks and that’s been the big difference.”
Buford appeared ready to put the game away in the third, eating up nearly 10 minutes of clock while driving deep into Douglas County territory. Kindred’s big hit on Raiola put the ball on the ground for Jalen Ray to recover, however, and a pair of penalties on Jax Pope gave the Tigers momentum in Buford territory at the start of the fourth.
The turnovers kept coming in the final frame though, and Buford’s Kenyon Rivera picked off James Johnson for the seventh of the game. Shortly after, Steven Jones recovered a Buford fumble, but Maggio intercepted Douglas County on the next play. Raiola then found Jordan Allen for a stunning toe-dragging touchdown in the corner of the end zone to seal the win.
“Kids are different,” Coach Appling chuckled. “I love them. They try to be resilient. They’re not resilient all the time, but I’ll just keep fighting with them and keep trying to grow ‘em up. Because if they do that now, they’re different.”
Buford (3-1) will kick off region play next week at Discovery, and Douglas County (4-1) will have its bye week to recover before taking on Columbia.
The AJC has writers at Pebblebrook at Harrison, Valdosta at South Gwinnett and Chattahoochee at Centennial. See Todd Holcomb’s Friday Night Highlights or check out the Friday recaps below. The recaps from Thursday are at the bottom of the file.
Friday Recaps
Class 6A
Lambert 13, West Forsyth 0
Lambert stifled host West Forsyth to reclaim the annual “Wolverhorn Trophy” and avenge last year’s 10-0 loss with a 13-0 victory. The Longhorns took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter on a 60-yard touchdown run by Cam Bland and added a field goal to make it 10-0 at the half. The Longhorns stopped West Forsyth’s first possession of the second half and added another field goal for the final tally.
Walton 43, Wheeler 21
Walton won at Wheeler for its 14th-straight victory in the rivalry series, in the first Region 5-6A game for both teams. The Raiders (3-2, 1-0 Region 5-6A) got three touchdown passes from Kaeden Gilstrap, two to Alex Ward and one to Christian Ward. Lucas Farrington rushed for two touchdowns for the Raiders and Noriega Thompson rushed for one score. Wheeler dropped to 0-5, 0-1 in region play.
Lowndes 35, Kell 13
Host Lowndes took a 21-0 lead before Kell answered to cut the deficit to 21-13 at the break. Aalim Brown rushed for a 45-yard touchdown and Jayce Johnson added a 61-yard touchdown pass to Aidan Sefa. Marvis Parish connected with Jaylin Carter for a 60-yard strike to put the Vikings up 21-0 and Lowndes answered Kell by outscoring the Longhorns 14-0 in the second half.
Parkview 32, Berkmar 9
In their first meeting since 2019, Parkview defeated Berkmar 32-9, earning the program’s first win of the season, knocking the Patriots to 1-3 through the first four weeks. The Panthers victory was sparked by a 18-point first half, holding Berkmar to three points. Berkmar got on the board first with a field goal before Parkview scored a quick 12 points unanswered thanks to scores from Ellis Appling rushing score and Jason Brown’s 15-yard touchdown reception from Cooper Frank. After they missed a two-point conversion. Another Appling touchdown gave the Panthers a 18-3 lead into the half. After a 33-yard touchdown from Berkmar to cut the Panthers lead to nine points after the failed two-point conversion, Parkview found the endzone once again with another passing touchdown from 18-yards out from Frank to Brant Williams out added seven points on the board to make the score 25-9. The Panthers capped off the night with a 27-yard rushing touchdown from Kevin Caldwell to seal the victory over Berkmar as the Panthers were victorious for the first time this season. Appling had a very impressive night as he finished with 196 yards on the ground on 24 carries. Frank finished with 140 yards through the air with two passing touchdowns.
Denmark 32, Alpharetta 16
Matthew Baer threw two touchdown passes and Noah LaBan scored on two rushing TDs to lead Denmark over Alpharetta. The visiting Danes got the scoring started early in the first quarter when Baer threw a 37-yard touchdown pass to Hester Brendan. Baer’s second TD came in late in the second quarter when he found Dylan Brozena on a slant route. Denmark led 20-0 at halftime and increased the lead at the start of the second half when Logan Haas returned a kick for a touchdown. LaBan scored his first TD early in the second quarter and his second late in the third.
Peachtree Ridge 71, Meadowcreek 0
Peachtree Ridge scored a 71-0 home win over Meadowcreek to open Region 7-6A and set a school-record for most points scored in a game. Junior quarterback Darnell Kelley finished 9-of-10 passing for 121 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for two touchdowns. The Lions improved to 2-2, while Meadowcreek fell to 0-4. The previous scoring record was also against the Mustangs (a 70-0 victory in 2014).
McEachern 32, Campbell 0
McEachern junior cornerback Jaidan James returned his two interceptions for 40 and 42-yard touchdowns to fuel the Indians’ 32-0 win over Campbell. Quarterback Zah’lyn Bell found Cameron Brown for a 46-yard touchdown and rushed for a 3-yard touchdown and Jayreon Campbell rushed for a touchdown in the first half.
North Cobb 42, North Paulding 18
The Warriors improved to 5-0 on the season and 1-0 in Region 5 play with an emphatic victory over visiting North Paulding. Nick Grimstead threw a trio of touchdown passes in the win — two to Steele Ingram and one to Sebastian Easley — and Zach Belyeu and Arquevious Echols added rushing scores. Additionally, Aziz Helm returned an interception for the remaining North Cobb touchdown.
Camden County 47, Spruce Creek 20
Camden County put together another dominant offensive performance and opened the game with 27 unanswered points. The Wildcats held a 41-12 lead going into the fourth quarter en route to a wire-to-wire victory. Camden County has won every game by double digits this season and has scored 45 points in every game played. Their new-look offense under head coach Travis Noland has been explosive leading the Wildcats to a 5-0 record. It is the first 5-0 start for Camden County since 2019.
Carrollton 45, Gainesville 16
Carrollton running back Kimauri Farmer got the Trojans on the board with a short touchdown run. Gainesville got on the board with a field goal, but the Trojans returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown and quarterback Julian Lewis found Ryan Mosley for a 32-yard touchdown pass with 54 seconds left to make it 21-3 at the break. Gainesville was stopped on a fourth and goal, but Carrollton’s punt was blocked, and the Red Elephants scored to make it a 21-10 game. From there, Lewis added a 30-yard touchdown pass with 1:44 left in the third and Shamar Arnoux forced a shanked punt to set up a Trojans score to make it 42-10 with 8:35 left.
North Gwinnett 36, Brookwood 10
North Gwinnett’s Tommy Lafayette rushed for a pair of touchdowns and the Bulldogs outscored visiting Brookwood 19-0 in the second half after building a 17-10 lead.
Class 5A
Creekview 45, Riverwood 7
Creekview jumped to a 21-0 lead on Riverwood in the first quarter en route to its fourth win of the year. After a Riverwood score early in the second quarter, the Grizzlies answered when Nathan Agyemang scored on a five-yard run to increase the lead to 28-7. Peyton Robertson kicked a six-yard field goal late in the second to give Creekview the 31-7 lead at halftime. Agyemang scored again in the third quarter via a 37-yard TD reception from Austin Guest. The Grizzlies added one final TD in the fourth quarter when Manson Munn scored on a one-yard run.
Habersham Central 56, Loganville 21
Habersham Central played spoiler, defeating Loganville 56-21 in new coach Stephen Smith’s first game as the Red Devils’ head coach. The Raiders dominated from the opening kickoff, scoring 14 points in the first quarter and then adding to their lead on the first play of the second quarter with a 1-yard Antonio Cantrell touchdown run. Donnie Warren scored on a 40-yard run, and quarterback Pairs Wilbanks threw a touchdown pass to Zeke Whittington just before the half to go ahead 35-0. Loganville got on the board with 8:33 left in the third quarter on a 1-yard rush. The Raiders answered as Wilbanks found Whittington again to extend the lead to 42-7. Loganville quarterback Brody Hannah connected with Tyler Breedlove to cut the lead to 42-14, but Cantrell scored another touchdown to put the game away. Both teams added a touchdown in the fourth quarter to cap scoring.
Sprayberry 31, Sequoyah 17
Sprayberry handed Region 6-5A rival Sequoyah its first loss, defeating the No. 9 Chiefs at home. Sequoyah led 10-9 at halftime after Sprayberry kicker Liam Dingle made three first-half field goals, but the Yellow Jackets (4-1, 1-1 Region 6) took a 17-10 lead on a touchdown rush by running back Ian Hulbert in the third quarter. Sprayberry quarterback Jaden Duckett rushed for a score in the fourth quarter to break a 17-17 tie, and Hulbert scored again later in the quarter to seal the win. Sequoyah fell to 4-1, 1-1 in region play.
Dutchtown 21, Lovejoy 20
Michael Johnson connected with Jamarion McKinney for the go-ahead score with 2:00 left and senior Sebastian Fernandez’s PAT made it 21-14. Lovejoy scored late and was stopped on a two-point attempt to give Dutchdown the thrilling 21-20 victory. Lovejoy trailed 7-6 at the half and took a 14-7 lead with 7:08 left in the fourth quarter on a 2-yard touchdown run. Dutchtown tied it up with 4:11 left on a Johnson touchdown pass to senior Larry Hudson.
Rome 27, East Paulding 7
Host Rome opened up a 27-0 halftime lead in its Region 5 opener against East Paulding. Aiden McPherson found JJ Winson for a 22-yard touchdown and Jaedon Harman added an 8-yard and 1-yard touchdown to put the Wolves up 21-0. Alex Vazquez-Fonseca connected on a 44-yard field goal and a 22-yarder at the end of the half to make it 27-0. East Paulding’s touchdown came on a Bode Spence touchdown pass to Cam Jones in the final frame.
Thomas County Central 63, Bainbridge 7
Thomas County Central, the No. 4 team in Class 5A, had little trouble in its 63-7 victory over Bainbridge to stay undefeated on the season. The Yellow Jackets got on the board with a Christian Lawrence 32-yard touchdown to take a 7-0 lead. Gary Pringle then caught a 31-yard touchdown from Jaylen Johnson to extend the Thomas County Central lead to 14-0. Bainbridge followed up the 14-0 score with a kickoff return for a touchdown to add seven points of their own to cut the lead to 14-7. A Johnson rushing touchdown bright back the Yellow Jacket lead to 21-7 before the Johnson-to-Pringle connection proved to be true once again, taking a 28-7 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Yellow Jackets scored first in the second as well with a rushing touchdown from Deuce Lawrence, taking an early 28-point lead making the score 35-7 in the second quarter. With six minutes left in the first half, Thomas County Central’s AJ Clark scored a four-yard rush to make it 42-7. The two teams agreed to a running clock in the second half as the Yellow Jackets continued to pour it on with second half touchdowns from Kobe Carnage, Lawrence’s second, and Evan Martin to route Bainbridge 63-7 to earn their fourth win of the season.
River Ridge 45, Pope 3
Host River Ridge led 28-3 at halftime after Knights quarterback Ethan Spector threw four touchdown passes, two to Grant Hollier. Spector also found Camden Cox and Sam Vincent for scores, and Vincent also contributed on defense with two interceptions, returning one for a touchdown in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, River Ridge’s Gracen VanGilder made a field goal and backup quarterback Hunter Lockerman rushed for a touchdown. River Ridge improved to 4-1, 2-0 in Region 6-5A, and Pope fell to 2-3, 1-1 in region play.
Houston County 42, Tift County 19
Antwann Hill Jr. threw three touchdown passes and scored on a quarterback keeper to lead visiting Houston Country over Tift County. Hill connected on a pair of scoring strikes with MJ Mathis and found Isaiah Mitchell in the endzone. The Bears got two touchdown runs from Austin Stinson, as well. For Tift County, Kamari Holloman scored once on the ground and hauled in a touchdown pass from Tanner Fechner. Damieon Dixon also ran one in for the Blue Devils. Houston County led 7-6 after one quarter, 21-6 at halftime and 35-6 going into the fourth.
Milton 28, Blessed Trinity 14
Blessed Trinity held Milton scoreless until the second quarter when the No. 1 ranked Eagles took a 7-0 lead. The Titans produced an interception that was returned 66 yards to set up Blessed Trinity for a 4-yard touchdown run midway through the second quarter. Milton regained the lead on a 35-yard touchdown pass from Luke Nickel to CJ Wiley in the final minute of the half. Nickel increased the lead to 21-7 in the third quarter with his second touchdown pass, but Blessed Trinity answered with a 7-yard touchdown run to make it 21-14 heading into the fourth. Nickel completed a touchdown pass to Ethan Barbour with 9:40 left to put Milton up 28-14. Blessed Trinity had possessions with 6:12 left and again with 3:24 left after forcing a fumble, but could not shrink the margin.
Glynn Academy 21, Statesboro 20
Statesboro led 6-0 at the half with a 25-yard Beckham Jarrad to Josh Brockett touchdown pass and Glynn Academy’s offense stalled after losing a pair of fumbles. Glynn Academy scored 21-straight points to build a 21-6 lead early in the fourth quarter. Statesboro scored on a 2-yard run by Ty Chambers to cut the deficit to 21-14 with 6:33 left and had an opportunity to tie it up after scoring with 9 seconds left, but the point after hit the upright and the Red Devils walked away with the road victory.
Class 4A
Perry 38, Veterans 0
Perry raced to a 35-0 halftime lead and did all of its scoring in the first three quarters en route to a road shutout of Veterans. The Panthers got two rushing touchdowns from both Ahmad Gordon and Diamante’ Ridley, while JD Arnett tossed a 17-yard scoring strike to Decorrion Daniels late in the second quarter. Carson Camp added a 20-yard field goal to put the exclamation point on Perry’s commanding win.
Cambridge 31, Calhoun 19
Cambridge grew a 24-12 lead early in the fourth quarter with a rushing score from quarterback Weston Taylor. The Bears were also fueled by touchdown runs from Tyler Blalock and Brooks Malone in the first half and a field goal by Leo Attard. An interception by Cameron Parodi set up Blalock’s second touchdown run to give the Bears a 31-12 lead before a late Calhoun score.
Cartersville 43, Dalton 13
Cartersville, the No. 2-ranked team in Class 4A, outscored Dalton 23-0 in the first half and didn’t look back. Tyron Coe and Nate Russell scored rushing touchdowns in the first quarter, and Russell threw a TD pass to Jamauri Brice in the second. The second half was no different as Russell threw a 10-yard TD pass to Cayden Aleman, and Coe scored on a 77-yard run in the third quarter. Cartersville’s final touchdown came in the fourth quarter when Kaden Baldwin scored on an interception return.
Coffee 27, Gadsden Co (FL) 14
Tyrese Woodgett’s three touchdowns led Coffee past Gadsden County (FL). Woodgett was difficult to slow down and had a big night. He had touchdowns of 52, 28, and 80 yards. After trailing 7-3 at halftime, Coffee outscored Gadsden County 24-7 in the second half. Woodgett’s 28-yard receiving touchdown gave Coffee their first lead of the game, and the Trojans held a 10-7 lead. The 80-yard rushing touchdown gave Coffee a much-needed ten-point lead in the fourth quarter after Gadsden County reduced the deficit to three points. Senior kicker Jonah Saylor hit a 24-yard field goal late in the 4th quarter to seal the game for the Trojans. Woodgett now has nine rushing touchdowns on the season and got his first receiving touchdown of the season on Friday night. The Trojans are now 4-0 against Florida teams dating back to 2022. They’ve defeated St. Augustine, Bolless, Columbia County, and Gadsden County. Coffee is off to its second consecutive 4-0 start and won its first state championship in school history in 2023.
Ola 48, Eagle’s Landing 7
Ola outscored Eagle’s Landing 35-0 in the second half and improved to 5-0 for the first time in school history with a 48-7 victory under first-year head coach Dustin Adkins. Eagle’s Landing scored the first touchdown that Ola has surrendered this season and the Mustangs allowed just 3.2 ppg this season. Ola improved to 4-0 in Region 2.
North Oconee 35, Jefferson 0
Host North Oconee built a dominant 28-0 halftime lead. In the first quarter, Justin Curtis and Maddox Brice each rushed in 1-yard scores and UGA-commit Landon Roldan scored on a 35-yard interception return for a touchdown. Roldan added a 3-yard rushing score in the second quarter out of the wildcat. Quarterback Harrison Faulkner found Khamari Brooks for a 9-yard touchdown in the third quarter to force a running clock.
Westminster 35, Gilmer 15
Westminster dominated in all three phases of the game to pick up a victory over visiting Gilmer. The Wildcats got an 89-yard kick return for a touchdown by Mason Theis, a 22-yard interception return to the house by Henry Deriso and three total touchdowns accounted for by quarterback Michael Buhay. Westminster led 21-0 at halftime thanks to a touchdown run by Buhay, who also tossed scoring strikes to Theis and Chase Marable. Gilmer pulled to within 28-15 after three quarters courtesy of a 65-yard touchdown pass from Issac Rellinger to Rhett McGregor and a keeper by Rellinger, but Westminster answered both times. Deriso’s pick-six with 11 minutes left all but iced it for the Wildcats.
Class 3A
Greater Atlanta Christian 19, Lumpkin County 13
Greater Atlanta Christian used three rushing touchdowns from three different players in the second half to overcome a 13-0 halftime deficit against host Lumpkin County. Maceo Woodward scored from 20 yards out before Dre Quinn tied the game at 13-13 going in the fourth quarter with an eight-yard scamper. Micah Pryor delivered the game-winner from the six-yard line with a little more than a minute remaining. Lumpkin County managed to reach the opponent’s 37-yard line with the clock winding down but eventually turned the ball over on downs.
Sandy Creek 31, Upson-Lee 0
Class 3A No. 1 Sandy Creek shut out Region 2-3A opponent Upson-Lee at home, powered by quarterback Caleb Hill’s three touchdown passes. Hill’s first two touchdowns went to Dalen Penson, for 55 and 12 yards, and his final touchdown pass went to Amari Latimer from 51 yards. Latimer also scored twice on the ground, from 35 yards and 9 yards. Sandy Creek improved to 4-0, 2-0 in Region 2, while Upson-Lee fell to 2-2 and 1-1 in region play.
Oconee County 35, Stephens County 10
Oconee County improved to 2-3 on the season with a 35-10 victory over the third-ranked Stephens County Indians out of Class 2A. Both teams will have their byes in Week 6 to prepare for their region openers two weekends from now, with Oconee County kicking off region play against undefeated Cherokee Bluff and the Indians traveling to Franklin County for their Region 8 opener.
Monroe Area 14, Walnut Grove 10
A 46-yard pass from Forrest Ross to Kenzi Battle proved the deciding play to lead the Purple Hurricanes past Walnut Grove. Monroe Area trailed 10-7 at the end of the first quarter but held Walnut Grove scoreless in the final three quarters to secure the victory. Zack McDaniel kicked a 23-yard field goal to put Walnut Grove ahead first and a 5-yard run from Hudson Fowler extended the lead. Jitt Carr scored on an 80-yard run to cut into the deficit for Monroe Area.
Cherokee Bluff 42, Banks County 0
Cherokee Bluff scored 20 first-half points on their way to routing Banks County. The scoring began with a 40-yard touchdown reception from Brooks Brien to Kaden Thompson to take a 7-0 lead. Brien scored on a five-yard run to extend the Bears’ lead to 14-0. After forcing a Banks County punt, Brien found Thompson once again for a touchdown, this time from 38-yards to take a 20-0 lead after the missed two-point conversion. The Bears opened the second half with a 60-yard pick-six from Landon Kemp to take a 27-0 lead early in the third quarter. The Bears defense continued its stout performance with a safety in the third quarter, adding two more to its lead. With around six minutes left in the third, Jackson Pirkle extended the Bears lead to 36-0 with an 11-yard touchdown. Back-to-back Garrett Hyder field goals extended the lead to 42-0 ended the scoring as the Bears get their first shutout victory of the season.
Savannah Christian 28, Fellowship Christian 7
Savannah Christian, ranked No. 1 in Class 3A-A Private, traveled to Fellowship Christian, ranked No. 4 in 3A-A Private, and got the non-region win. The Raiders got two 1-yard touchdown rushes from quarterback Blaise Thomas, both in the first half, to help Savannah Christian (5-0) to a 21-7 halftime lead. Zo Smalls also rushed for a 2-yard touchdown in the first quarter for the Raiders out of Region 3-A Division I. After a scoreless third quarter, Savannah Christian’s Kenry Wall had a 2-yard rushing score in the fourth. Fellowship Christian (2-2), of Region 5-A Division I, got a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown from C.J. Givers.
Troup County 24, Mary Persons 17
Mary Persons led 10-0 after the first quarter but Troup rallied to tie the game at 10-10 at the half. Troup took a 17-10 lead at the end of the first quarter and extended the margin to 24-17 with a fourth-quarter touchdown. Troup moved to 2-2 overall and 1-1 in Region 2-3A. Mary Persons fell to 3-1 and 1-1 in Region 2 play.
Long County 22, Liberty County 14
Liberty County led early on a 22-yard pass from Jah’barri Felix to Aaron Brown.Long County scored on a short run from Jaeson Carryl but missed the 2-point conversion attempt to keep the game tied at 6-6. Long County took a 14-6 lead after a touchdown run and 2-point conversion with three minutes left in the first half. A 6-yard run from Long County extended the lead to 22-6 with nine minutes left in the game, putting it out of reach.
Class 2A
Burke County 14, Northside-Warner Robins 6
Fifth-ranked Burke County improved to 4-1 with a hard-fought home win over Class 5A’s Northside-Warner Robins. Following Cody Nelson’s field goal for the visiting Eagles, Sean Vandiver threw a long touchdown pass and A’merre Williams added a 10-yard rushing score for a 14-3 Bears lead. Ronquavian Gray picked off Northside in the third quarter, and after a missed Burke County field goal in the fourth, Nelson cut the deficit to one score with another kick through the uprights. The ensuing onside kick was recovered by Burke County, however, to secure the victory.
Pierce County 48, New Hampstead 7
The top-ranked Bears led 28-7 at the break of their matchup with Class 4A’s New Hampstead before coasting to a 48-7 victory over the visiting Phoenix (2-3). Pierce County’s defense has given up just 21 points through five weeks of play.
North Murray 40, Murray County 14
North Murray scored first on Hudson Hulett’s 9-yard rushing touchdown. Murray County answered with a 22-yard passing touchdown, taking a 7-6 lead. Hulett scored again on a 12-yard rush at the end of the half, giving North Murray a 14-7 lead. Myers extended the lead with a 1-yard rush for the Mountaineers. Connor Ponders added a 39-yard rushing touchdown to extend the lead to 26-7. A 33-yard rushing touchdown put North Murray up 33-7 with 7:20 left in the game. Both teams scored in the final minute to reach the final score of 40-14.
North Cobb Christian 41, Ringgold 39 (6OT)
Class 3A-A Private No. 8 North Cobb Christian (5-0) won a six-overtime thriller over Class 2A No. 10 Ringgold (3-1) at home, 41-39. The Eagles ended the game in the second possession of the sixth overtime after Teddy Jarrard found D.J. Huggins for the two-point-conversion pass (starting with the third overtime, teams alternate two-point-conversion tries). Ringgold hit a field goal with less than a minute remaining in regulation to send the game into overtime tied 31-31.
Morgan County 41, Cedar Shoals 19
The second-ranked Bulldogs built a 41-6 halftime lead en route to a 41-19 victory over host Cedar Shoals (Region 8-4A) to improve to 5-0 on the season. Quarterback Davis Strickland connected with Jaylen Elder for a score on the opening drive, and Elder added two more touchdowns before the break. The Jaguars (0-4) have now lost three in a row to ranked opponents and will try to get their season on track in their region opener next week against Walnut Grove. Morgan County, meanwhile, will kick off region play against Westside-Macon after its bye next weekend.
Prince Avenue Christian 55, Johns Creek 7
Prince Avenue Christian was too much for Johns Creek as the Wolverines dominated the Gladiators 55-7 and Andrew Beard, who had five touchdowns, led the way.
Class A Division I
Chattooga 56, Gordon Central 6
Chattooga running back Zayden Cook entered Week 5 as the state’s leading rusher and surpassed 1,000 yards on the season with a 7-yard touchdown run that gave the Indians a 49-6 lead with 1:05 left in the third. Chattooga’s Quarry Gibson scored first to put the Indians on the board and added a 64-yard touchdown run to push the lead to 14-0. Gibson found Matthew Bryant for a 20-yard touchdown and the lead grew to 28-0 on a 3-yard touchdown run by Cook. Gibson added his second touchdown pass of the half to increase the lead to 35-0 and Chattooga scored on a blocked punt to increase the lead to 42-0 before the host Warriors got on the board. Cook’s 7-yard touchdown run pushed the lead to 49-6 to force a running clock in the fourth. The Indians are 4-0 for the first time since 2009.
Darlington 27, Whitefield Academy 20
Darlington (2-2) outlasted Whitefield Academy (2-2) at home in a non-region matchup. Darlington, of Region 5-A Division I, fell behind 13-0 in the first quarter but recovered quickly to take a 20-13 lead at halftime. Tigers quarterback Sammy Kunczewski rushed for a 28-yard touchdown in the first quarter, and Myles Twyman gave Darlington a 14-13 lead early in the second quarter on an 11-yard rush. Jayce Donaldson had a long interception return for a touchdown to give Darlington its seven-point lead at the half. Whitefield Academy tied the game late in the third quarter, but Kunczewski rushed for a 3-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter and had the game-sealing interception on defense, deep in Tigers territory with under a minute to play.
Rabun County 24, Bremen 21
No. 6-ranked Rabun County won the team’s third game of the season, defeating No. 8 Bremen in a narrow 24-21 victory. The scoring began with under three minutes left in the first quarter as Rabun County struck first with a Noah English rushing touchdown to take the early 7-0 lead. The Wildcats took a 14-0 lead into the second quarter where they were answered with a Bremen touchdown to cut the lead back to seven points with around five minutes left in the first half. Rabun County knocked through a field goal to take a 17-7 lead into the half. The Blue Devils answered Rabun County’s strong first half but came out hot to start the second half, scoring 14 unanswered to take a 21-17 lead with around five minutes left in the third quarter. With a little under four minutes left in the game, the Wildcats found the end zone for their first points of the second half thanks to a rushing touchdown from Lake Evans. The victory against Bremen gives the Wildcats a two-game win streak after last week’s win against Dalton and a three-game win streak against Bremen in their first matchup since 2020.
Class A Division II
Clinch County 28, Mitchell County 8
Clinch County used 20 unanswered points after the first quarter to improve to 5-0 and held visiting Mitchell County to just 46 total yards in the second half. Aaron Bryant provided the go-ahead touchdown early in the third quarter and Eli Beard added a 15-yard touchdown run to push the lead to 21-8 heading into the final frame.
Pelham 9, Seminole County 6
Pelham (1-3) defeated No. 7 ranked Seminole County (3-1) 9-6 in its Region 1-AII opener and served the Indians their first loss of the year.
In other games – Unranked Class 4A Drew shut out Midtown in their 19-0 victory. Drew is off to their best start in program history starting 4-0 for the first time ever. The Titans started their first season as a program in 2009. … Unranked Class 4A St. Pius X defeated Druid Hill 55-13 and are off to a 3-1 start for the first time since 2020. … No. 3 Class 5A Hughes got back to their winning ways after a dominating 47-point victory against Banneker. Friday marked the third time the Panthers have scored more than 50 points in a game and hit their season high for 2024 scoring 53 in the win. Hughes will host Dutchtown next Friday Night. … Class 3A LaGrange defeated Fayette County 42-3 to move to 2-3 on the season and 2-1 in Region 2-3A. … Class A Division II Irwin County led Dooly County 42-7 at halftime and went on to win 55-7. …Class 4A Cass led Hiram 21-14 at the half and held on to win 41-27. … Class A Division I Carter Triplett threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Charlie Idom late in the fourth quarter to lead Christian Heritage over Dade County 38-26. … River Ridge improved to 4-1 and 2-0 in Region 6-5A after its 45-3 home defeat of Pope, which fell to 2-3 and 1-1 in region play. … Roswell (3-1), ranked No. 7 in Class 5A, outlasted Class 6A Westlake (2-3) at home in a game where Westlake trailed 28-7 but came back to tie the game at 28-28 and 35-35 before falling late. … Class 4A No. 7 Cedartown (5-0, 1-0 Region 7-4A) defeated Allatoona (2-3, 0-1) in each team’s first region game.
Thursday Recaps
Class 5A
Lakeside-DeKalb 51, Arabia Mountain 50
It was a rainy night at Godfrey Stadium when Lakeside’s Jayson Michel deflected a desperation pass on fourth-down to secure the high-scoring victory over Arabia Mountain. Vikings quarterback Kyle Davis had 22 carries for 144 yards and three touchdowns and was 20-of-27 passing for 279 yards and four touchdowns in the victory. Canon Davis made 10 catches for 107 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Vikings’ receiver’s stall.
Class 4A
Tucker 49, Clarkston 0
Sophomore quarterback Jace Norman was 10-of-16 passing for 191 yards and three touchdowns to lead Tucker past Clarkston. Norman threw two touchdown passes to senior E. Grant Ffrench and one to sophomore Tajuan Kirk. Ffrench added a punt returned for a touchdown for Tucker. On the ground for Tucker, senior Izayah Horsham, sophomore Christian Copeland and freshman Quaneskia Smith each had one touchdown run. Ffrench was 5-of-5 on point-after tries while Lance Harrell and William Soliz each kicked one PAT.
Class 2A
Thomson 56, Swainsboro 7
Jaris Sinkfield had an absolute evening for Thomson. The junior athlete scored on a touchdown run, a touchdown reception, an interception returned for a touchdown and a punt returned 60 yards for a touchdown to account for 24 of the 56 points for the Bulldogs. Junior quarterback Markevion Jonbes was 4-of-5 passing for 95 yards and a touchdown, to Sinkfield. Senior Anthony Jeffrey had 13 carries for 131 yards and three touchdowns while Sinkfield had four carries for 62 yards and a score. Sophomore kicker Sam Anderson was 8-for-8 on point-after tries.
Miller Grove 50, Stone Mountain 14
Miller Grove had little issues in its 50-14 non-region victory over Stone Mountain at Hallford Stadium. Quarterback Thomas Winston passed for three touchdowns and Na’Shaun Porter ran for over 100 yards and two touchdowns. Amed Jatta converted a 42-yard field goal for the Wolverines.
Class A Division I
Gordon Lee 42, Armuchee 0
Gordon Lee got touchdown runs from three players in a romp of Armuchee to move to 3-1 on the season. Logan Price, Peyton Grove and Layne Vaughn each scored a rushing touchdown while Landon Norton had one reception for 59 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Dustin Day was 6-of-10 passing for 100 yards and a touchdown.
Mount Paran 42, Cherokee Christian 14
The Eagles rushed for 462 yards and six touchdowns on the evening to move past Cherokee Chrisitan. Senior Andrew Overton led with 13 carries for 197 yards and two touchdowns, sophomore Gavin Steele had 11 carries for 101 yards and a touchdowns and sophomore Christian Holmes, sophomore Easton George and senior Sam Westbrook each had one touchdown run.
Class A Division II
Lincoln County 31, Elbert County 28
Lincoln County outlasted Elbert to move to 4-0 on the season and a two-touchdown effort from sophomore Jonathan Norman helped the cause. Norman had nine carries for 92 yards and two scores while junior Kelby Glaze made 13 carries for 71 yards and a touchdown. Freshman quarterback Drew Huff was 5-of-8 passing for 118 yards and a touchdown to senior Christian Harris. Junior kicker Fortson Partridge was 4-for-4 on point-after tries and made one field goal in one attempt for Lincoln County.
McIntosh County Academy 48, Claxton 6
Senior quarterback Nehemiah West was 8-of-11 passing for 110 yards and two touchdowns to help lead McIntosh County Academy past Claxton. West passed to senior receiver Craig Battle – who had five receptions for 82 yards—on each of the touchdowns. Earnest McIntosh had 21 carries for 147 yards and two touchdowns while West added nine carries for 59 yards and a touchdown. Freshman Blake McMahan had one rushing touchdown for MCA.
In other Thursday games – After trailing 6-0 following the first quarter and 12-7 at the half, Wilcox County held Turner County scoreless in the second half to secure the victory and move to 2-2 on the season. …
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