Week 8 Friday Night Roundups

Facing a 14-0 deficit midway through the second quarter, visiting Hiram seized momentum with a 44-14 run to complete a stunning 44-34 upset of No. 4-ranked Calhoun. The host Yellow Jackets entered the night fresh off a 50-48 Week 7 triple-overtime victory over then-top-ranked Cartersville and built a 14-0 second-quarter lead on a 6-yard touchdown pass from Trey Townsend to Emaree Winston and a rushing score from Andrew Purdy. The Hornets finally got on the board shortly after on a 30-yard field goal by Oliver Castenada before sophomore Kaden Hamilton found the end zone for the first of three times to cut Calhoun’s lead to 14-10 at the break.

Hiram junior Deontae Pettway came up big on defense with a short fumble recovery and return for a touchdown to kick off the second half, but Cam Curtis answered for Calhoun with a 98-yard trip to the end zone on the ensuing kickoff to reclaim the lead for the Jackets. Hamilton’s 19-yard touchdown reception and a 2-yard touchdown run from junior Jemarion Whatley bookended Townsend’s 32-yard scoring strike to Hunter White, and Hiram took a 31-28 advantage into the final frame.

The fourth quarter began with a missed Calhoun field goal, and Hiram pulled away with a pair of touchdown runs from Hamilton (10 yards) and Whatley (46 yards). Calhoun, which added one last score in the game’s final moments, drops to 4-3 overall and 1-1 in Region 7-5A play with the loss and will look to rebound next week at Woodland-Cartersville. The victory was the fourth of the season for Hiram — which only had two total wins in the past two seasons combined — and payback for the 63-17 loss it was handed by Calhoun last year.

The AJC has writers at Kennesaw Mountain at Osborne, Westminster at Stephenson, Monroe Area at Hebron Christian, South Atlanta at Mount Paran and North Cobb at Walton. Follow the link to Todd Holcomb’s Friday Night Wrap or go here for the Prep Scoreboard powered by Score Atlanta. There are Thursday recaps at the bottom of this file.

See the Friday recaps below. 

Class 7A

Carrollton 38, East Coweta 28

No. 4 ranked Carrollton responded to an early 7-3 deficit by building a 28-7 lead late in the third quarter before closing out a 38-28 win over visiting East Coweta to improve to 7-0 and open up Region 2 with the victory. Freshman quarterback Julian Lewis impressed in his first televised game with 22-of-32 passing for 215 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions. East Coweta was also able to rack up more than 400 total yards of offense, including 234 passing yards by sophomore Christian Langford and a 147-yard rushing night by Martravion Bowles, but was ultimately hindered by a trio of interceptions. East Coweta missed a 42-yard field goal attempt on its opening possession and both teams started off shaky in the first region test of the season. Carrollton got a spark when Kelvin Hill secured his first of two interceptions at the Trojans’ own 9-yard line and the offense marched down the field to set up a 32-yard Freddy Perez field goal that gave them an early 3-0 lead. East Coweta answered with a 30-yard Bowles touchdown to take a 7-3 lead, but Lewis was able to get Carrollton the lead before the half with a 27-yard pass to Kiyon Cofer down the sideline that set up a 25-yard touchdown pass to Bryce Hicks. Following the touchdown, Carrollton executed a Andrew Albertus two-point conversion to Montreze Smith to make it an 11-7 advantage heading into the half. Carrollton expanded its lead with a strong third quarter that featured a 1-yard Hicks rushing score, a touchdown pass from Lewis to Jay Farmer and a 47-yard Perez field goal that made it 28-7. Christian Langford found Deliyon Freeman late in the quarter for an Indians touchdown and made it a two score game heading into the final frame. Hicks capped his outstanding performance with a 4-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. He finished with 31 carries for 187 yards to go with his two touchdown runs and also had seven catches for 42 yards to go with his go-ahead touchdown reception before the half. East Coweta answered Hicks’ fourth quarter touchdown run with a Langford touchdown pass to Brady Tillman that cut the deficit back to 35-21, but Carrollton tacked on a 36-yard field goal to push the lead to 38-21 with just over four minutes left. Langford rushed for a 1-yard touchdown for the final tally and the Indians recovered the ensuing onside kick, but Smith came up with the game-clinching touchdown at the 34-yard line and Carrollton ran out the remaining clock.

Denmark 21, West Forsyth 10

Denmark quarterback Jacob Nelson returned to the field after halftime of the Danes’ Region 6 opener against visiting West Forsyth, his first action since his Week 1 injury, and connected with Aidan Brozena on back-to-back drives for a 14-3 third-quarter lead. Jack Tomlinson responded for the Wolverines with a touchdown pass to Brian Tawuo, and the 14-10 margin held until Amon Williams iced the game with a rushing score with just 0:23 remaining. Denmark improves to 5-1 with the win and will continue Region 6 play next week at home against South Forsyth.

Marietta 14, Hillgrove 10

Marietta scored both of its touchdowns on fourth-down passes to get the home win. Joseph Moseley ended Hillgrove’s chances with an interception at the Blue Devils’ own 5-yard line on a deep pass with 44 seconds remaining. Marietta opened the scoring at the 9:21 mark in the first quarter on a 13-yard touchdown pass from Chase McCravy to Isaiah Sanders on a 4th-and-3. Hillgrove countered in the second quarter with a 42-yard Zach Wieder field goal and a 19-yard interception return for a touchdown from Jameson McCollough to take a 10-7 halftime lead. Marietta took the lead again with 5:33 remaining in the third quarter when quarterback Daniel Gray found Devin Clark for a 13-yard score, also on 4th-and-3.

Valdosta 13, Lowndes 6

Valdosta won a defensive battle on the road at Martin Stadium in the Winnersville Classic as Valdosta’s Jaylen Bentley intercepted Lowndes quarterback Marvis Parrish with 1:34 remaining to seal the win. Valdosta got a 19-yard touchdown run on a quarterback keeper from Todd Robinson in the first quarter to pull ahead 6-3, as the two-point conversion attempt was unsuccessful. Then with 1:41 remaining in the first quarter, Valdosta’s Ahmad Denson rushed 80 yards for a score to put the Wildcats ahead 13-3. Aiden Andrews made a field goal of 22 yards in the first quarter and 35 yards in the second quarter for Lowndes, which saw its five-game winning streak in the series get broken. Valdosta improved to 7-0.

Wheeler 35, Cherokee 21

The Wildcats’ victory over Cherokee was fueled by 459 rushing yards as Wheeler outscored Cherokee 21-7 in the second half after being tied 14-14 heading into the break to pull away with the win. Wheeler attempted zero passes in the second half. Sophomore Josiah Allen was the focal point of the Wildcats’ offense, carrying the ball 22 times for 334 yards. Alongside Allen were junior Kentrell Brown and sophomore Marcus Romain. The trio combined for 242 second-half rushing yards.

Lambert 40, Forsyth Central 14

The Longhorns remain undefeated on the year as they picked up their sixth win of the season against Forsyth Central. A pair of first-quarter rushing touchdowns by Cameron Bland — one coming off Lambert’s first series of the game — gave the Longhorns an early lead. Forsyth Central scored a touchdown in the second quarter off Lambert’s third turnover of the game, but a pair of field goals by Ryan Degyansky (21 and 47 yards) and a defensive touchdown kept Lambert ahead 27-7 at the half. On Lambert’s opening drive in the second half, James Tyre rushed in a 45-yard touchdown and later scored Lambert’s last touchdown of the game on a 9-yard pass to Brandon Jones.

Milton 35, South Forsyth 28

Scott Moskowitz’s 87-yard touchdown run with five minutes left in the game gave visiting Milton a victory over South Forsyth. Moskowitz finished the night with eight carries for 119 yards and two scores. Debron Gatling starred on both sides of the ball for the Eagles, with six catches for 123 yards and two touchdowns to go along with an interception on defense. Milton quarterback Luke Nickel completed 18 of 24 passes for 251 yards and three touchdowns. South Forsyth, which had leads of 7-0 and 14-7 in the first half and found itself tied going into the fourth quarter, got two passing touchdowns and one rushing score from quarterback Ty Watkins.

Westlake 27, Pebblebrook 11

Westlake won its fourth game in a row, going on the road to beat region rival Pebblebrook. Christian Peterson set the tone right away by taking the opening kickoff back to the Falcons’ 14-yard line, which led to a Jabari Jones touchdown run. Jai’Den Thomas added a 22-yard touchdown scamper later in the first quarter as the Lions built a 20-3 halftime advantage. Westlake eventually extended its lead to 27-5 with an RJ Johnson touchdown pass before Pebblebrook finally found the end zone for the first time late in the fourth quarter.

Class 6A

Allatoona 41, Woodstock 7

Allatoona got its first region win of the year with a 41-7 rout of visiting Woodstock (0-7, 0-3). Jayden Ponder took a 65-yard trip to the end zone on the first play of the game, and Saadiq Teel’s 26-yarder to AJ Fitts gave the Buccaneers a 14-0 first-quarter lead. RJ Guy scored from 12 yards out to start the second quarter before Ponder capitalized on BJ Cohen’s interception on the following Woodstock drive with a 41-yard touchdown. Tyler McGuire and Cam Phillips connected for a 35-0 Allatoona advantage before the break, and Guy added a rushing score late in the third quarter for the final Buccaneers touchdown.

Blessed Trinity 34, Pope 6

After dropping from the rankings following last week’s loss to Roswell, Blessed Trinity rebounded with a 34-6 Homecoming win over visiting Pope to improve to 5-2 overall and 2-1 in Region 7 play. Quarterback Brooks Goodman connected with Zyon McKenzie for 38 yards and the first of the Titans’ three first-quarter touchdowns and found Bryce Lewis early in the second for a 28-0 lead. Cole Harof provided Blessed Trinity’s final points on a 5-yard run before the break.

Roswell 58, Lassiter 0

Roswell quarterback K.J. Smith threw touchdown passes to Dylan Williams, Zeke Moore and Nykahi Davenport to lead the visiting Hornets over Lassiter. Davenport also had three rushing touchdowns in addition to the receiving touchdown, including a 96-yard rushing score in the second quarter to put Roswell ahead 14-0. Synkwan Smith added a rushing touchdown in the third quarter and one in the fourth, and Brett Gonda made a 33-yard field goal for Roswell, which led 28-0 at halftime.

Rome 52, Sequoyah 0

Rome scored through the air and on the ground with ease in a defeat of Sequoyah. The Wolves led 14-0 after the first quarter and 31-0 at the half.  Reece Fountain passed to Josh Ellard on a 13-yard touchdown pass and Martavious Collins on a 27-yard pass. Jaedon Harmon scored on runs of 15, five and two yards. Chris Smith added a 3-yard touchdown run and Diego Cordon kicked a 28-yard field goal in the win.

North Forsyth 21, Lanier 7

North Forsyth led just 7-0 at halftime and 13-7 after a Lanier touchdown in the third quarter, but the host Raiders got a 3-yard rushing touchdown from Colin Miller in the fourth quarter to put the game away. North Forsyth quarterback West Roberts threw an 8-yard touchdown to Cooper Eglian in the first quarter and a 26-yard touchdown to Eglian in the third quarter.

In other 6A games – River Ridge improved to 2-1 in Region 6 with a 20-17 overtime victory over visiting Creekview. Isaac Huberts knotted the game in regulation (17-17) with a 2-yard rushing score for Creekview, but River Ridge followed a missed FG attempt by the Grizzlies in OT with a successful kick from 25 yards out for the win. … Newnan took the lead against visiting Alexander with 3:46 remaining, then got a fumble recovery seven seconds later to seal the 34-33 victory and improve to 2-2 in Region 5 play. … Sprayberry led 21-7 in the first quarter and 31-14 at halftime en route to a 41-21 victory at home over Johns Creek (1-6, 0-3). The win snapped a five-game losing streak for the Yellow Jackets, who will travel to Roswell after next week’s bye.

Class 5A

Kell 47, Northview 7

Kell remains undefeated on the season as the Longhorns picked up their sixth win against Northview. The first half of the game was all Kell as the Longhorns scored 40 unanswered points. Junior quarterback Bryce Clavon threw four touchdowns in the first-half scoring spree, with one going to senior Davion Hampton who also found the end zone on the ground. Junior Justin Mitchell caught two receiving touchdowns while freshman Tyriq Green also found the end zone twice.

Winder-Barrow 20, Flowery Branch 17

The lone score of the first half came from an interception returned to the end zone by Winder-Barrow’s Tyreeck Hall with just over two minutes left in the second quarter. Senior quarterback Brody Jordan tied the game for Flowery Branch off a 4-yard touchdown pass in the third, and a 36-yard field goal by Marco Velasquez at the end of the quarter gave the Falcons their first lead of the night. Early in the fourth, Conyer Smith connected with Hall for a 60-yard touchdown to retake the lead, but Flowery Branch answered with a 10-yard touchdown from Jordan to Seth Larson. With 20 seconds left in the game, Smith rushed in the game-winning touchdown.

Cartersville 35, Cass 13

Brodie McWhorter passed to Devin Henderson on the opening drive to give Cass a 7-0 lead but Cartersville controlled the game from there. Paul Gamble tied the game on a touchdown run. Malachi Jeffries put Cartersville up 14-7 on a touchdown run. Jeffries scored again just before the half to put the Purple Hurricanes up 21-13 at the break. Opening the third quarter, Gamble passed to Collin Fletcher on a 62-yard pass to put Cartersville up 28-13. Jeffries scored on a 37-yard run to bring the game to its final tally. Kace Adams and Jamauri Brice each made an interception for Cartersville. Jaylen Scott, Myles Forristall, Jaden Cureton, Ahmari Thomas and Keylan McCarty each made sacks to anchor the Cartersville defense.

Cambridge 37, Centennial 10

Host Cambridge improved to 3-0 in Region 6-5A ahead of next Friday’s trip to 6-0 Kell—which improved to 2-0 in the region with a 47-7 win over Northview. Senior Jack Marlow gave the Bears a 7-0 lead on a 3-yard touchdown, but Centennial took a 10-7 lead before Cambridge closed out the victory with 30 unanswered points. Will Petit hauled in an interception and the Bears blocked a punt to set up a Christian Isibor touchdown run and Brooks Morely scored on a fumble recovery touchdown to grow the lead to 20-0. Kicker Conner Noone tacked on a field goal and then quarterback Preston Clemmer iced the game with a 44-yard touchdown run and 88-yard touchdown pass to Will Taylor.

Hughes 59, East Paulding 0

No. 1 ranked Hughes led 25-0 at the half and 51-0 after the third quarter and improved to 7-0 and 4-0 in Region 5-6A heading into its bye week. Hughes has outscored its four region opponents 212-10. Justus Savage rushed for three touchdowns, including two in the first quarter, Santonio Jones returned an interception and Prentiss “Air” Noland found Javanni Magee for a 42-yard score to put the Panthers up 25-0 at the break. Savage added his third rushing score to open the second half on a 4-yard run and Jekail Middlebrooks cashed in a 3-yard rushing touchdown ahead of a pair of touchdown passes from Noland to Jediyah Willoughby and Jalani Thurman. Hughes’ ninth touchdown of the game came on a 13-yard rushing touchdown by Terquavious “TK” Brown in the final frame.

In other 5A games – Host Lakeside-DeKalb got a 35-yard interception return for a touchdown from Luke Chilton, a 31-yard rushing touchdown from Kyle Davis and rushing touchdowns of 21 and 70 yards from Jean-Luc Noison to defeat Drew, 26-6. … Dalton got short rushing touchdowns from Ethan Long, Tyson Greenway and Adriel Hernandez, as well as a 29-yard touchdown pass from Long to Warner Ross, to defeat Woodland-Cartersville 28-7 at home. … Warner Robins got a 30-7 home win over Union Grove thanks to two Chase Reese touchdown passes (85 yards to Chaz Sturn, 24 yards to Cam Flowers), a 1-yard Elijah Antonio touchdown rush and Daniel Barber field goals of 50, 35 and 27 yards.

Class 4A

Stockbridge 34, Lovett 0

Stockbridge improved to 4-0 in Region 5 to gain sole possession of first place following a convincing win at Lovett. The Tigers dominated on each side of the ball and their offense excelled both on the ground and through the air. Quarterback Cobey Thompkins threw for 138 yards and three touchdowns and ran for a score. Shelton Lewis hauled in two of Thompkins’ scoring strikes and also came up with an interception on defense. Jordyn Mack rushed 16 times for 134 yards and a touchdown to go along with 55 yards and another score on three receptions. Edward Minor went for 105 rushing yards, while Diontre Stone had 65 yards and a TD. Stockbridge led 14-0 at halftime and by the final 34-0 margin going into the fourth quarter.

LaGrange 62, North Clayton 7

LaGrange celebrated a massive homecoming victory to improve to 2-2 in Region 4-4A. Quarterback Jaylan Brown found the Grangers’ homecoming king J’Arthur Dunn for a 50-yard touchdown to go up 7-0 and then rushed for an 11-yard score before tossing a 30-yard strike to Jaylen Jordan to build an early 21-0 lead. AJ Tucker had touchdown runs of 1 and 88 yards, Tayshon Lemon scored on an interception touchdown return and sophomore Steven Hill hauled in a touchdown pass. Head coach Matt Napier got to see his underclassmen shine and freshman Jardon Stringer had a 60-yard touchdown reception to go with his 53-yard punt return touchdown.

Starr’s Mill 33, Fayette County 0

Starr’s Mill bounced back from last week’s 3-0 loss to Trinity Christian with a flawless 33-0 shutout victory over the rival Wildcats. Max Pronzy connected on a 43 and 30-yard field goal and Jacob Free ran in an 18-yard touchdown to put Starr’s Mill up 12-0 at the half. The Panthers added two defensive touchdowns and a 1-yard Blake Turner touchdown run in the second half to seal the victory. Will Clem returned an interception for a touchdown and Josh Phifer pounced on a fumble for a touchdown.

Northwest Whitfield 48, Southeast Whitfield 0

Northwest Whitfield snapped a two-game losing streak with an emphatic 48-0 victory over visiting Southeast Whitfield. Ike Ralston set the tone early for the Bruins when he recovered a fumble on the Raiders’ opening kickoff, and Owen Brooker connected with Isaiah Foster on the next play for a 7-0 lead. Brooker finished the night with four touchdown passes, with the other three going to Gavin Nuckolls, Hudson Grey and Braxton Floyd. Nuckolls also threw a 47-yard touchdown completion to Evan Jones in the fourth, and Tony Burnecke and Holden Lane added rushing scores.

East Forsyth 14, Cherokee Bluff 7

Host East Forsyth improved to 5-1 and 3-1 in Region 8 with the biggest victory in the young two-year program’s history. The teams went into the half tied 0-0 and Cherokee Bluff found the endzone midway through the third quarter to gain its 7-0 lead. Sophomore quarterback Brock Szakacs connected with sophomore Andrew Frank on a key completion to set up a first and goal at the Bears’ two-yard line and junior Will Moffitt punched it in to tie the game before the Broncos’ game-winning touchdown.

Stephenson 18, Westminster 13

Stephenson held off visiting Westminster in a back-and-forth battle. The Jaguars twice gave up six-point leads, first in the final seconds of the opening half and again early in the fourth quarter. However, Cheik Keita’s second rushing touchdown gave Stephenson an 18-13 advantage that it would not relinquish. Devin Ingram also scored for the home team, while Westminster got touchdowns from John Collier on a quarterback sneak and on a 47-yard pass play from Collier to Henry Chartrand.

Cedartown 42, Heritage-Catoosa 0

Visiting Cedartown did all of its scoring in the first half, getting three touchdowns in both the first and second quarters. The Bulldogs got two touchdown passes from Reece Tanner to Harlem Diamond, the first a 29-yard score in the first quarter and the second a 51-yard touchdown for the game’s final points. Diamond rushed for a 71-yard score for the first touchdown of the night, and Tanner had a 1-yard quarterback sneak for a TD in the second quarter. Also for Cedartown, Khamarion Davis had a 9-yard touchdown rush and Patrick Gardner had a 2-yard touchdown rush.

Trinity Christian 27, Whitewater 23

Trinity Christian (5-2) outscored Whitewater (23-7) 20-0 in the fourth quarter to pick up its fifth-straight victory and improve to 4-0 in Region 4-4A. Quarterback Henry Broadnax found Austin Morrow for a touchdown to cut the deficit to 23-20 with just over three minutes left and after a crucial defensive stop went through the air to complete the game-winning touchdown pass with 2:00 left.

In other 4A games – No. 8 ranked Bainbridge opened up its Region 1 schedule with an emphatic 59-7 win over Westover and Cairo became the first Region 1 team to improve to 2-0 with a 42-14 win over Hardaway—giving the Syrupmakers a 138-14 scoring edge over their last three opponents. …. In Region 2, Howard moved to 1-2 in region play with its 14-13 win road over Spalding and the Jags’ dropped to 1-2 in the region as a result. … Westside-Macon picked up a 22-8 win over West Laurens and No. 3 ranked Perry will visit Griffin on Saturday. Defending state champion Benedictine topped an undefeated Burke County team 28-3 on Thursday, New Hampstead opened its region schedule with a 34-22 win over Southeast Bulloch and Wayne County topped Islands 56-7. … Region 4 had another massive week with Troup moving to 7-0 and 4-0 in region play with its 52-14 win over Riverdale. Troup’s last region title came in 1987 and at this point Trinity Christian remains the only other team in the region without a defeat after pulling off a dramatic 27-23 comeback victory over Whitewater. … Stockbridge is alone at the top of the Region 5 standings after a 34-0 win over Lovett and Stephenson is alone at the top of Region 6 with its 18-13 win over Westminster and Miller Grove’s 14-7 loss to Holy Innocents’. … In Region 7, No. 1 ranked Cedartown pummeled an undefeated Heritage-Catoosa team 42-0—scoring all of its points in the first half and No. 2 ranked North Oconee represented Region 8 with a 55-12 win over Cedar Shoals to improve to 6-0 and 4-0 in the region. The other big result out of Region 8 was East Forsyth’s stunning 14-7 win over Cherokee Bluff that has the 5-1 Broncos (3-1 in region play) in the hunt for the program’s first-ever playoff berth.

Class 3A 

Thomasville 15, Carver-Columbus 14

Camren Hill threw a 51-yard touchdown pass to Jay Randall with two minutes remaining for host Thomasville’s game-winning score. Carver-Columbus held a 6-2 lead at halftime after Thomasville picked up a safety in the first quarter and Carver’s Jamari Riley had an 8-yard touchdown rush in the second quarter. Thomasville took a 9-6 lead on a 10-yard rushing score by Lavonte Cole in the third quarter, but the Bulldogs lost the lead again after a 92-yard Jacobi Hatter touchdown pass and successful two-point conversion put Carver back ahead 14-9 early in the fourth quarter.

Lumpkin County 31, Gilmer 28

A late touchdown run from Mason Sullens pulled Lumpkin County last Gilmer and broke a three-way tie for second place in Region 7-3A. Sullens scored on a 19-yard touchdown run with 2:24 left in the first quarter to tie the game at 7 following a rushing touchdown from Gilmer. Gilmer retook the 14-7 lead on a 62-yard touchdown run from Will Kiker. Cooper Scott passed to Cal Faulkner to tie the game at the end of the first quarter. A 58-yard touchdown run from Kiker put Gilmer up 21-14. Will Staples kicked a 36-yard field goal with 5:52 in the second quarter to cut into the lead. Hunter Watkins put Gilmer up 28-17 on a 15-yard run. But Lumpkin responded with a touchdown run with 1:22 left in the third quarter to make it a 28-24 game, setting up Sullens’ game-winning touchdown run.

Wesleyan 22, White County 17

Ben Brown threw two touchdown passes to lead Wesleyan to a road win over White County. Brown hit Thomas Cook from four yards out for a 10-3 advantage in the second quarter before connecting with Trent DeBow on a 10-yarder to put the Wolves ahead 20-10 midway through the third. Carlos Lopez also kicked two field goals and Wesleyan capped off the night’s scoring with a safety that put the game away in the final seconds.

Oconee County 31, Hart County 14

Oconee County led 14-0 at the half and 24-0 in the fourth quarter as it picked up a key Region 8-3A victory over Hart County.

In other 3A games – Crisp County trailed 12-10 after the first quarter but responded by scoring 17 unanswered points in the second quarter to beat Monroe 37-20. … Jackson trailed Mary Persons 14-7 at the half but scored 21 unanswered points in the second half to pull away. … Braylen Still made an interception for Dougherty as it moved past Columbus 54-24. … Savannah Christian did all its scoring in the first quarter in a 14-6 victory over local-rival Johnson-Savannah. … Bryce Bowens passed for a 6-yard touchdown to Jaden Ford and a 3-yard touchdown to Deandre Buchannon to help Carver-Atlanta past Mundy’s Mill 20-6. …

Class 2A

Fitzgerald 42, Worth County 0

Reigning state champion and No. 1 ranked Fitzgerald served Worth County (6-1, 2-1) its first loss of the season in convincing fashion and moved to 6-0 and 2-0 in Region 1-2A. The Canes led 21-0 at the half.

Model 24, Fannin County 0

Jake Sanders passed to Brant Pace on a 19-yard touchdown to give Model at 7-0 lead. Daniel Veillon put Model up 10-0 on a 23-yard field goal. Early in the fourth quarter, Model forced a fumble, recovered it and on the next play, Sanders scored on a 12-yard run to expand the lead. Joey Samples scored on a 4-yard run with 10:34 left in the game to bring the score to its final tally.

In other 2A games – Berrien kicked a 40-yard field goal with no time remaining in the fourth quarter to defeat Sumter County and earn its fifth win of the season. …Appling County jumped to a 14-7 lead against Toombs County at halftime to remain undefeated in Region 3. …Laney scored 22 unanswered points against Josey to earn its sixth win of the year.

Class A Division I

Prince Avenue Christian 42, Baylor School (T.N.) 35

Along with stellar play from junior quarterback Aaron Philo, top-ranked Prince Avenue got clutch performances in all phases of the game from seniors Ethan Christian and Bailey Stockton to remain perfect on the season. Philo and Stockton connected for a pair of touchdowns in the first half (7 and 44 yards), both of which were answered by Baylor scores. Philo’s keeper — set up by Stockton’s return to the Baylor 16) — was followed by a Baylor touchdown as well for a 21-21 tie at the break. Mac Bradley’s rushing score in the third quarter was bookended by a pair of Baylor touchdowns for a 35-28 Red Raiders lead heading into the fourth before Philo tied it again with another keeper. Stockton blocked a 37-yard field goal attempt on the following Baylor drive, and Philo reclaimed the lead for the Wolverines with a 41-yarder to Christian, who came up with the game-sealing interception shortly after.

Class A Division II

Wilcox County 41, Telfair County 35

Host Wilcox County led 20-14 at the half and built a 34-20 lead at the end of the third quarter. Dayshawn Lawson punched in a 1-yard touchdown run to put the Patriots up 41-20 early in the fourth quarter and Telfair closed the gap with a 37-yard touchdown pass from Antonio Scott to Rodriquez Clay and a 2-yard Scott touchdown run with 1:40 left before the Trojans’ rally ended with an unsuccessful onside kick attempt.

In other Division II games – Christian Heritage led 10-7 after the first quarter and 24-14 at the half. The Lions scored an unanswered touchdown in the fourth quarter to put the game away 38-21 over Mount Pisgah. … Georgia Military’s Jesse Washington scored on an 8-yard run in the first quarter and then the Bulldogs held on for a 7-6 victory over Wilkinson County. …

See the Thursday recaps below.

Class 6A

Houston County 21, Northside-Warner Robins 17

Houston County passed for two touchdowns and rushed for one to overcome a 17-7 deficit at halftime and beat crosstown rival Northside. Sophomore Antwann Hill was 20-of-27 passing for 202 yards and two touchdowns in the victory. Juniors Kale Woodburn and Ricky Johnson each caught a touchdown pass and Nick Jordan scored on a touchdown run for Houston County.

Shiloh 43, Jackson County 7

Jeremiah Harden was 16-of-25 passing for 191 yards and four touchdowns – to four different receivers – to lead the Generals past Jackson County. Myles Smith, Devin Florence, Nazir Griffin and Brice Pollock each caught a touchdown pass. Senior J’Shaun Shroud had three carries for 49 yards and two touchdowns.

Class 5A

Loganville 28, Clarke Central 22

Loganville kept its undefeated streak alive, moving to 8-0, after outlasting Clarke Central. Senior quarterback Johnny Crowe was 13-of-24 passing for 245 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for one, to lead Loganville. Senior Nico Dowdell has seven carries for 196 yards and two touchdowns and Solomon Leslie scored a 2-point conversion for the Red Devils.

Chamblee 15, Tucker 10

Chamblee snapped an 11-game losing streak to Tucker and earned the program’s first win over the Tigers since 1974’s 13-10 triumph to improve to 5-1 on the season and 2-0 in Region 4-5A. Tucker built an early 7-0 lead with a 4-yard Ethan Sanders touchdown, but Chamblee answered with a Jack Hawkins touchdown run and safety on an errant snap to take a 9-7 lead. Chamblee’s Larry Harris extended the Bulldogs’ lead to 15-7 with a 32-yard touchdown run Tucker’s final points came after a Chamblee fumble and 29-yard field goal by Evan Ffrench with 4:44 left in the game. The game was clinched with a Miller Meeks fumble recovery on Tucker’s final drive. Harris led Chamblee with 113 rushing yards off nine carries to go with his touchdown.

Class 3A

Calvary Day 49, Groves 8

Junior quarterback Jake Merklinger was 8-of-9 passing for 112 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Cavaliers to a 5-0 record after beating Groves on the road. Sophomore Edward Coleman caught two touchdown passes and juniors Caden Arnold and AJ Butts each caught one pass. Senior Sean Stoddard and junior Trevor Strowbridge each scored a touchdown run.

Class 2A

Thomson 61, Butler 6

Thomson rushed for seven touchdowns to overwhelm Butler. Sophomore Tre Tre Jeffrey had five carries for 99 yards and three touchdowns to lead the running game. Senior Jontavis Curry had four carries for 61 yards and two touchdowns. Juniors Jahkiaus Jones and Jordan Lane each scored one rushing touchdown. Junior quarterback Noah Story was 4-of-4 passing for 94 yards and a touchdown, to Lane, for Thomson.