After a tightly contested start to their Class AAAAAAA match-up with visiting Hillgrove, the South Forsyth War Eagles were first on the board with a 63-yard pass from quarterback Joe Slott to Colby Cruz. That lead didn’t last long, however, and a three-touchdown second quarter—including two in the final 2:38—gave the Hawks the momentum they needed to coast to a 42-19 road win.
Slott was intercepted on South Forsyth’s opening drive, but the War Eagles defense held strong and forced a 43-yard field goal attempt that missed the mark. South Forsyth was unable to capitalize on Josh Green’s interception later in the opening frame, and the turnover on downs closed a scoreless first quarter. The War Eagles defense stepped up again to open the second, with Gavin Morris’ strip sack of Hillgrove quarterback Matthew McCravy leading to Slott’s touchdown completion to Cruz, and South Forsyth’s strong start continued with an interception by Cruz after a touchdown by Hillgrove’s Trevarus Walker on the kickoff return was called back.
The Hawks defense stood strong this time, and McCravy found Victor Aliu with 7:08 remaining in the half to tie it up. Hillgrove then took advantage of a short South Forsyth punt with a touchdown from Walker that stuck with 2:38 on the clock. South Forsyth’s offense seemed poised to even the score again, but a penalty on fourth down forced a 43-yard field goal attempt that was blocked (and returned) by Reuben Lowery for a 21-7 Hillgrove lead at the break.
Walker’s 70-yard punt return following a three-and-out for South Forsyth widened the gap before the War Eagles finally scored again with a run by Tre Green. Hillgrove’s lead stood at 35-19 entering the fourth after South Forsyth answered McCravy’s touchdown pass to Tar-U-Way Bright with some trickery; Slott threw a backwards pass to Cameron Schurr, who then connected with Cruz for the score. The two-point conversion attempt failed, however, and James Maddox’s 7-yard score for the Hawks with 8:58 brought the score to its final tally.
Class AAAAAAA
Mill Creek 58, Duluth 0
Mill Creek rolled to a 58-0 shutout over visiting Duluth behind a stifling defensive effort and monster first-half performance by senior back Chancellor Lee-Parker, who compiled 147 yards on 5 carries for three touchdowns before the break in the tenth 100-yard game of his career. Two of his trips to the end zone came in the opening frame (68, 36 yards), combining with a 42-yard touchdown pass from Thurman Harris to Parker Wroble on the opening drive for a 21-0 lead heading into the second. After a successful fourth-down conversion on a punt fake ultimately led to a punt in earnest in the first, Duluth opened the second quarter with a turnover on downs. An MJ Patterson pass to Timmy Page and Nick Kava’s 7-yard score blew open the Hawks’ lead, and Mill Creek nearly had another touchdown after Lee-Parker’s third touchdown with 5:15 remaining in the half; Joseph Robinson was finally brought down after 71 yards at the Duluth 3-yard line as time expired. A 52-yard run from Donovan Journey and Patterson’s touchdown pass to Bradley Davin sealed it in the third before a bad snap on a Duluth punt resulted in a safety for the 58-0 final. Josh Battle and Bryson Taylor each had interceptions for Mill Creek, in the second and third quarters, respectively.
Parkview 16, Milton 7
Parkview got a second-quarter passing touchdown and three field goals from Nolan McCord to hold off host Milton. Panthers quarterback Jordan Williams found Bryce Fleetwood for a 38-yard touchdown with 13 seconds remaining in the first half to tie the game at 7-7. McCord, who went 3-of-4 on field goals with a miss from 24 yards in the first quarter, hit field goals of 47 and 43 yards in the third quarter and a 21-yarder with 3:47 remaining in the fourth to seal the win. Milton’s touchdown came on a 2-yard Ahmad Junearick rushing score in the first quarter. For Parkview, Cody Brown finished with 135 yards on 25 carries (with a long of 45), and Williams was 13-of-29 passing for 131 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Parkview gained 302 yards on 67 plays to Milton’s 165 yards on 46 plays.
North Gwinnett 52, Discovery 0
North Gwinnett’s D.J. Hart took the opening kickoff back for a touchdown to spark the Bulldogs’ blowout win on the road. Hart also caught a touchdown from J.R. Martin, who found Josh Downs on two touchdown passes as well. Jordan Hancock had an interception return for a touchdown, and Blake Young picked up a blocked Discovery punt and returned it for the score to give North Gwinnett its 45-0 halftime lead. Justin Gipson had a rushing touchdown to cap the scoring.
Newnan 10, Walton 7
Host Newnan got a touchdown run from quarterback Michael Maginnis in the first quarter and a field goal from Sam Willems in the second to hold on for the win through a scoreless second half. Maginnis scrambled for an 18-yard touchdown to put Newnan up 7-0, and Willems hit a 38-yard field goal to give the Cougars a 10-0 lead before Walton scored on a double-pass play late in the first half. Linebackers Steven Carter and A.J. Gould had interceptions for Newnan, with Carter’s pick helping to set up Willems’ field goal. Newnan pinned Walton on its own 1-yard line late in the game on a Tyler Rodgers punt, then turned Walton over on downs with a minute and a half to play to seal the win.
Brookwood 49, Berkmar 6
The Brookwood Broncos made progress in overcoming a disappointing 1-3 start to the season with a 49-6 victory over Berkmar in the Region 7-AAAAAAA match-up. Brookwood blew open the early lead from Tyler Knight’s first-quarter score with four touchdown drives in the second for its 29th-straight win in the series. Eli Kohl, who sat out the second half after compiling 123 yards on 10 carries in the first two frames, scored on a 25-yard run at 8:15. Knight’s second touchdown came at 5:44, and both members of Brookwood’s dual-quarterback attack added touchdown completions (a 21-yarder from junior Jack Spyke to Alexander Diggs and a 65-yard pass from freshman Dylan Lonergan to T.J. Burdian) before the break. Diggs also contributed on defense with an interception earlier in the second, and the four scoring drives of the quarter combined for only 11 total plays. Berkmar avoided the shutout with a 60-yard fumble return by senior Nick Martin with 3:09 left in the game.
Colquitt County 31, Grayson 7
Colquitt County led 17-0 at halftime on its way to a 31-7 home victory over visiting Grayson. Jaycee Harden threw touchdown passes to Tajh Sanders and Lemeke Brockington, and Daijun Edwards rushed for two touchdowns. Jason Gallardo added a field goal for the Packers. Edwards, who entered the game with 3,771 career yards rushing, broke Shiheim King’s school rushing record on a 4-yard run in the first quarter.
Class AAAAAA
Lanier 43, Lambert 6
Host Lanier built a commanding 43-0 lead at the half and cruised past Lambert to improve to 5-0. Taj Barnes provided three rushing touchdowns in the first half and teammate Tyler Washington ran in two scores—including a 52-yard touchdown run that put Lanier up 29-0 with 9:00 left in the second quarter. Andrew Blackford connected with Cole Thornton for the Longhorns’ other touchdown and Marcelo Trevino’s successful 2-point conversion turned the six-touchdown effort into a 43-0 lead. The teams went scoreless in the third quarter and Lambert got on the board with 8:00 minutes left in the final frame.
Dacula 35, Rockdale County 0
Dacula kept its perfect season alive by ending Rockdale County’s with a 35-0 victory at home. Trenton Jones, who finished with 105 yards on 17 carries, scored from 21 yards out on the third play of Dacula’s opening drive. After the teams traded interceptions (Chris Scott for Dacula and Jaionte McMillian for Rockdale County), Kaleb Edwards capped off an 11-play Falcons drive with a 6-yard rushing score to put Dacula up 14-0 at the break. Quarterback Jarrett Jenkins ran it in to open a productive third quarter for the home team, and he and Edwards followed Konata Mumpfield’s interception return for a touchdown with a 13-yard completion for the final points of the night. Edwards had 5 receptions for 69 yards and another 53 yards on 5 carries, and Jenkins finished 10-of-15 for 148 yards.
Class AAAAA
Carrollton 44, East Paulding 7
Quarterback Myles Morris passed for three touchdowns and the Trojan ground game accounted for three more as Carrollton moved past East Paulding. Morris, who was 12-of-20 passing for 191 yards, connected with three different receivers for touchdowns—a 56-yarder to Terrell Carmichael, a 13-yard completion to Chase Sippola and Grant Briscoe for 5 yards. Mecose Todd led the Trojans with a 64-yard touchdown run. Kodee Brewer added a 16-yard rushing score, and Brandon Marenco scored on a 4-yard run. East Paulding’s lone score came on a 2-yard run by Jalen Powell. Todd finished with 99 yards on six carries, Brewer had 56 yards on eight carries and Marenco had 43 yards on 10 carries.
Riverdale 44, McIntosh 22
The Riverdale Raiders picked up their fourth win of the season against McIntosh, breaking away from a 7-7 tie after the opening frame with a three-touchdown second quarter during which their defense held the Chiefs scoreless. Riverdale led 26-7 at the break and remained ahead for the rest of the game. Senior running back Phalon Daniels led the team with three touchdowns, and junior Malik Harris added two more. Larrence George had a great defensive showing for Riverdale with two interceptions.
Class AAAA
Denmark 58, Chestatee 0
The host Danes scored 44 points in the first quarter and closed out an impressive shutout victory in their Region 7-AAAA opener. Quarterback Aaron McLaughlin kicked off the scoring with a 53-yard touchdown pass to Teddy Davenpart with 9:30 left in the opening quarter. Justin Bradford then intercepted Chestatee and returned it for a 20-yard touchdown, and the Danes forced another interception to set up an 18-yard touchdown run by McLaughlin on the following possession. Parker Hannon increased the lead to 23-0 with a 38-yard field goal and Brunson found the end zone again—this time on an 18-yard touchdown run. Zack Ogbogu ran in a 30-yard touchdown with 40 seconds left in the quarter and a quick three-and-out set up a Chestatee punt that was blocked and recovered by Bradford for his second defensive score of the dominant opening frame. McLaughlin connected with Ze’Vian Capers for a 92-yard touchdown in the second quarter that pushed the lead to 51-0 and Dee Crayton ran in a 17-yard score in the fourth quarter.
Marist 35, White County 20
Marist ran all over White County to pick up a home win that was not as close as the score suggested. The War Eagles led 15-0 after the first quarter, 32-7 at halftime, and by as many as 28 points (35-7) before two late touchdowns by the Warriors. Marist got touchdown runs from four different players, with Connor Cigelske, James Wise, Lincoln Parker and Brett Zoeller all finding the end zone. Parker’s 99-yard run after the Warriors turned the ball over on downs at the 1-yard line made the score 22-7 in the second quarter. For White County, J.Ben Haynes ran for an 8-yard score and threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Reece Dockery.
Flowery Branch 35, Gainesville 21
Host Flowery Branch and rival Gainesville went scoreless in the opening quarter. The Falcons grabbed a 14-0 lead midway through the second quarter on touchdown runs by Jaizen Ellingham and Chandler White, but Gainesville made it 14-7 at the half following a Gionni Williams 3-yard touchdown pass to Walt Dixon with just six seconds left on the clock. That touchdown marked the first points scored on Flowery Branch this season. Ellingham added to Flowery Branch’s lead with his second rushing touchdown, but Gainesville brought it back to a 21-14 score with a 14-yard touchdown pass from Williams to Damarrie Haynes. Flowery Branch converted a critical 3rd-and-20 to set up a 10-yard Ellington touchdown run with 8:16 left in the fourth quarter to extend the lead to 28-14. Once again Williams answered, this time rushing for a 6-yard Gainesville touchdown that made it 28-21 with 3:30 left. The Red Elephants’ onside kick attempt was unsuccessful, and Ellingham took Flowery Branch’s next snap in for 31-yards and his fourth score of the evening. Chase Dial-Watson iced the game with an interception on Gainesville’s final possession.
St. Pius X 23, Loganville 6
St. Pius X treated the Homecoming crowd to a dominant defensive performance paired with an impressive running game to pave the way to a convincing win over Loganville. Shug Bentley had two touchdown runs for the Golden Lions, the first of which opened the scoring in the first quarter and the next to put his team ahead 23-0 in the fourth. They also got a two-yard score from Cam Wingo and a 30-yard field goal by Ryan Kirschner. Mason Benefield had a big day on the ground for St. Pius X as well to control the clock and keep Loganville’s offense off the field. The Red Devils finally got on the scoreboard with 1:58 remaining when Tanner Greene tossed a 52-yard scoring strike to Sheldon Arnold.
Cartersville 24, Cedartown 2
Quarterback Tee Webb threw a touchdown pass to Sam Phillips to put the host Canes up 7-0, and Cartersville never looked back in its 53rd-straight regular-season victory and 48th-consecutive region win. A muffed punt by the Purple Hurricanes pinned them back on their 1-yard line and Cedartown forced a tackle for loss in the endzone for a safety. Oscar Hernandez booted through a 31-yard field goal on the final play of the half to grow the lead to 10-2. Cedartown unsuccessfully attempted a fake punt in the third quarter, and Webb’s 49-yard pass to Devonte Ross on the ensuing Cartersville possession set up Jake Brasfield’s 1-yard score. Jake Brasfield tacked on a 10-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to make it 24-2.
North Oconee 59, Walnut Grove 7
North Oconee opened up a 35-0 lead during the first quarter and expanded it to 59-0 heading into the fourth to improve to 6-0 overall. Adam Weynand ran in a 2-yard score in the game’s opening minute, and teammates Rashad Finch and Bennett Toci scored on fumble recovery touchdowns to make it 21-0. Quarterback Bubba Chandler added a 16-yard touchdown pass to sophomore Eli Warrington, combining with Weynand’s 7-yard carry for a 35-0 advantage. Finch’s 56-yard second-quarter carry and Max Tumblin’s 11-yard run put the Titans up 49-0 before the half. Jacob Wright broke loose for a 58-yard touchdown run before Phillip Ard’s 20-yard field goal later in the third gave North Oconee its biggest lead of the night at 59-0.
Class AAA
Westminster 51, Towers 6
Paul Weathington and Will Hallmark accounted for two touchdowns apiece as Westminster rolled to a big Homecoming win over Towers. Weathington scored twice on the ground to lead the Wildcats to a 29-0 advantage after just one quarter. They led 38-6 by halftime following a 45-yard run by Hallmark and a 61-yard touchdown strike from Hallmark to Holden Staes. Towers got on the scoreboard on the final play of the opening half when Shun Taylor returned a fumble 85 yards for a score. Westminster was quick to put the game away in the second half, however; Andrew Dotson ran one in from 45 yards away, Beck Edmiston added a three-yard run, and Jaden Owens threw a 32-yard touchdown pass to Luke Carbonara. The Wildcats also got a 25-yard field goal from Alex Bacchetta and a safety by Robert Clarke.
Cedar Grove 41, Lovett 17
Cedar Grove scored 20 unanswered points in the second half to run away from host Lovett. Austin Smith and Chavon Wright accounted for all six of the Saints touchdowns with three apiece. Lovett’s only lead came at 10-7 in the second quarter, but Wright responded with a 10-yard touchdown run followed by a 49-yard strike from Smith to Janiran Bonner. The Lions pulled back within four points at 21-17 on a 20-yard pass from Blaine McAllister to Collin Goldberg early in the third quarter before Wright and Smith led Cedar Grove’s game-ending surge. A 28-17 advantage going into the fourth quickly ballooned for the Saints thanks to a two-yard plunge by Wright and a 59-yard pass from Smith to Bernard Mack. McAllister also connected with Logan Givens from 36 yards away, while Lovett’s other points came via a 20-yard Henry Beery field goal.
Calhoun 48, Ringgold 3
Four Calhoun players rushed for touchdowns in the Yellow Jackets 48-3 rout of visiting Ringgold. Calhoun’s scoring started on an 11-yard run by quarterback Jake Morrow minutes into the game. The run was set up by an interception by Julian Ipac, and Calhoun never looked back. Jerrian Hames had two rushing touchdowns—including a 64-yarder—and Quin Smith (51 yards) and Jake Prather (5 yards) added scores as well. Morrow also passed for two touchdowns on the evening, one to Cole Speer for 75 yards and the other to Jaden Brock for 26 yards.
Greater Atlanta Christian 49, East Hall 7
Jackson Hardy threw for two touchdowns and 175 passing yards in GAC’s road win over East Hall. Hardy found Jake Hicks for a 7-yard touchdown and Choe Bryant-Strother for a 30-yard touchdown. Tyler Bride (15, 7 yards) and Tre Henry rushed for a pair of scores apiece (17, 3 yards), and Montae Bailey rushed for a 6-yard touchdown. On defense, Bryant-Strother had a fumble recovery and long return to East Hall’s 17-yard line to set up a score. GAC’s Joseph Rose also had an interception deep in Spartans territory. GAC led 42-0 at halftime.
Pace Academy 40, Redan 14
Pace Academy broke open a close game by outscoring host Redan 23-0 in the second half. Big plays kept the Raiders in it for 24 minutes, as an 80-yard touchdown run and ensuing two-point conversion had them leading 8-0 in the first quarter and a 95-yard kickoff return pulled them within 17-14 at halftime. In the end, though, Evans Rooks-Smith and Deuce Jordan were too much for the Raiders to handle. Rooks-Smith threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Morgan Payne and an 18-yarder to Mbiti Williams in the fourth quarter to make it 31-14. The Knights added a safety and a touchdown run by Xavier D’Agostino to put the game away. Jordan had two touchdown runs, one from 24 yards out and a second set up by Ben Caldwell’s interception. Pearson Bates tacked on an 18-yard field goal for Pace Academy.
Class AA
Thomasville 28, Cook 18
Thomasville rushed for 248 of its 441 total yards of offense and took a commanding 28-6 lead into the fourth quarter. Ricky Fulton ran in a pair of touchdowns, including one for 44 yards, and finished with 122 yards on the ground. Quarterback Ronnie Baker connected with Rico Johnson for a touchdown and also ran in a 23-yard touchdown that brought the lead to 28-6 heading into the final frame.
Class A
Holy Innocents’ 31, Wesleyan 0
Holy Innocents’ dominated on both sides of the ball to earn a convincing road win over Wesleyan. Following a scoreless first quarter, the Golden Bears pulled away to lead 17-0 at halftime and 24-0 going into the fourth. They got three touchdown runs from Michael Cox, including each of their second-half scores. Tyquann Alexander also found the end zone from 11 yards out, and Peter Wandtke added a 37-yard field goal for Holy Innocents’. The Bears scored their first 10 points off turnovers, capitalizing on interceptions from Landon Kardian and Sam Aiken.
Mt. Vernon 51, Landmark Christian 0
Mt. Vernon opened up a 27-0 halftime lead and took a 44-0 lead into the fourth quarter en route to a dominant Homecoming victory. Quarterback Blake Kytle finished with five touchdown passes, including three to Andrew Douglas (48, 65 and 24 yards) and one each to Skylar Stefaniak (72 yards) and Jonathan Hammond (14 yards). Stefaniak also rushed for a 12-yard touchdown early in the third quarter that pushed the lead to 34-0. William Lavender made a 37-yard field goal following Kytle’s fifth and final touchdown pass, and Parker Camen’s capped the scoring with a 1-yard touchdown run in the final frame. With the victory, The Mustangs have now defeated Landmark Christian three straight times after starting the all-time series 0-5 against the War Eagles.
Walker 28, Pinecrest Academy 7
Keon Smart put together a huge performance in the Wolverines’ road win over Pinecrest Academy with a pair of first-quarter rushing scores and a fourth-quarter interception return for 46 yards, the touchdown and a 28-7 Walker lead. Walker quarterback Charlie Condon ran in a 4-yard touchdown that increased the lead to 21-0 midway through the second quarter, and Pinecrest Academy got on the board before the half with a 26-yard touchdown pass from Bryce Balthaser to Breckin Barbee that made it 21-7.
ELCA 56, Trinity Christian 10
After a tough 42-41 overtime loss to Holy Innocents’ last week, the Chargers bounced back with a sound 56-10 victory over Trinity Christian. Senior running back Keaton Mitchell put on a show on the ground by rushing in three touchdowns for the Chargers in the first quarter alone—including a 93-yard rush on the first play of the drive. Senior quarterback Gabe Wright connected with senior wide receiver Justin Robinson on a 25-yard pass to give ELCA a commanding 28-0 lead heading into the second. Trinity Christian managed to score first in the quarter with a field goal, but a pair of touchdowns from Mitchell before the half allowed the Chargers to coast to a win.
Fellowship Christian 48, Mt. Paran 17
The Paladins kept their undefeated season alive with their fifth win of 2019 against Mt. Paran. With the game tied at 7-7 heading into the second quarter, Fellowship started to build their lead largely with the success of its run game. The Paladins had three separate running backs surpass the 100-yard mark on the night; Junior Murphy Reeves led the team with 163 yards, followed by freshman Jayven Hall (162 yards) and sophomore Josh Cole (113 yards). Reeves had a touchdown on the night as well, coming off a long 76-yard rush, and Hall and Cole each added a pair of touchdowns. Quarterback Eli Hildebrandt only had three completions on the night, but one went 70 yards to Jordan Brewer for a score.
Mt. de Sales 28, Stratford Academy 7
Host Mt. de Sales (4-0) built a 28-0 lead in the first three quarters before closing out Region 7-A rival Stratford Academy. Quarterback Dexter Williams ran in two touchdowns and threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Connor Gilbert in the first quarter. Cavaliers teammate Josiah Cotton also rushed for a 15-yard touchdown in the victory.
Brookstone 34, Greenville 6
Brookstone built a 20-0 lead and outscored Greenville 14-6 in the fourth quarter to close out the road victory. Sam Kilgore ran in four of Brookstone’s five touchdowns, and teammate Dan Amos found the end zone on a 2-yard run in the second quarter that made it 13-0.
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