Nationally-ranked Grayson hosted Region 4 rival Parkview in a highly-anticipated Week 9 matchup on ESPN2, and the Rams came away with an emphatic 47-7 win in USC-commit Jacob Garcia’s debut. The senior quarterback’s first touchdown for the Rams came shortly after the first of senior running back (and Clemson-commit) Phil Mafah’s two first-half touchdowns on a pass to Marcellis Turner, who broke free for the 73-yard score and a 20-0 Grayson lead. Parkview answered with its lone points of the night — an 82-yard touchdown reception by Bryce Fleetwood — before a red zone stop by the Panthers defense forced Grayson to settle for a Jimmy Gonzalez field goal. Michael Daughtery had an interception on Parkview’s ensuing drive, however, and the Rams capitalized with a 19-yard touchdown run by Mafah for a 31-7 Grayson advantage at the break. After the teams traded punts to start the second half, Garcia added another touchdown — this time as a receiver — connecting with senior WR/RB Jamal Haynes on a 32-yarder. Tyler Rowe then came up with the second interception of the night for the Rams defense, and another field goal from Gonzalez and De’yon Cannon’s touchdown run brought the score to its final tally before the start of the final frame. Grayson will continue region play with a trip to Brookwood next week, and Parkview will look to recover from its second loss of the season in a home matchup with South Gwinnett
Here is the Friday Night Wrap from Todd Holcomb.
Here are the scores from Friday.
Class 7A
Collins Hill 42, North Gwinnett 21
Newton 28, Brookwood 16
The Newton Rams beat visiting Brookwood 28-16, handing the Broncos their first loss of the season in more ways than one. Brookwood’s sophomore quarterback Dylan Lonergan and junior CB/WR Marquis Groves-Killebrew both exited the game with injuries in the first quarter, and the Broncos offense didn’t find its footing until an extensive list of miscues had already placed Newton firmly in control. Backup quarterback Jack Spyke’s first interception came on a deflected screen pass on the final play of the first quarter, but the Rams were unable to capitalize. Newton finally got on the board midway through the second on a 30-yard touchdown completion from Jevarra Martin Jr to Nijay Willis on 4th-and-6. The Rams' second interception of Spyke — this time by Nyland Green — actually resulted in points for the Broncos when a holding penalty in the end zone gave the Brookwood defense a safety. Newton took a 21-2 lead following a series of three consecutive third-quarter plays that resulted in a 93-yard touchdown pass from Martin Jr to Green, a fumble recovery at the Brookwood 15-yard line, and a Rams rushing touchdown. Spyke scored on an 8-yard run later in the frame before throwing another interception on the next Broncos possession. The Brookwood defense forced a three-and-out, and Spyke connected with Denylon Morrissette for a 25-yard score to cut Newton’s lead to 21-16 with 5:32 remaining. Brookwood then recovered a Newton fumble, but the drive ended in another interception after back-to-back sacks. Spyke got the ball back one more time following a failed field goal attempt by the Rams, but his last interception of the night was returned to the end zone for the 28-16 final.
North Forsyth 34, Lambert 20
North Forsyth led just 13-12 after Lambert quarterback Aidan Smith rushed for a touchdown a minute into the third quarter, but the Raiders scored 21 straight points to take a 34-20 lead with 11:33 left to play. After Smith’s touchdown run, North Forsyth’s Jumel Lewis returned the kickoff 96 yards to give North Forsyth a 20-12 lead, and Jared Lucero scored his second touchdown of the game on a 9-yard run with 5:08 remaining in the third to put North Forsyth ahead 27-12. The Raiders' final touchdown came on a 44-yard touchdown run by quarterback Brady Meitz, who also threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Lucero in the first quarter. Patrick Corrigan had a 1-yard touchdown run in the second quarter that gave North Forsyth a 13-6 halftime lead.
Lowndes 17, Tift County 13
Host Tift County took a 13-0 lead in the second quarter after a 30-yard field goal by Pedro Mendoza, but Lowndes got a touchdown pass and touchdown rush from quarterback Jacurri Brown — including the game-winning 2-yard rushing TD with 5:37 left to play — to come back for the win. Brown found Chase Belcher for a 28-yard touchdown pass with 1:05 remaining in the first half and Lowndes then got a 19-yard field goal from Preston Hart with one second remaining in the half to cut the Tift County lead to 13-10. Brown was 8-of-15 passing for 201 yards and added 15 carries for 90 yards. Jaheim James led Lowndes in receiving with three catches for 107 yards. For Tift County, Mendoza also made a 25-yard field goal and Javon King rushed for a 2-yard touchdown.
Newnan 46, McEachern 27
McEachern pulled to within one point (22-21) after returning a kickoff for a touchdown to open the second half, but Newnan ran away with the game from there with 24 straight points to get the home win. Bryson Moss rushed for three touchdowns, his third coming on a 43-yard run to put Newnan ahead 36-21 in the third quarter. Aubrey Carter (19 yards) and Jakob Perry (1 yard) also rushed for touchdowns for the Cougars, and Sam Willems made field goals of 34 and 20 yards. Newnan quarterback Michael Maginnis found Reid Brass for a 51-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to cap the scoring. The win was Chip Walker’s 150th as a high school head coach.
Harrison 21, North Paulding 10
The Harrison Hoyas came away with a road win over the North Paulding Wolfpack, with all their scoring coming in the first quarter. Jay Ziglor, Akhnaton Shabazz, and Trip Richardson all scored touchdowns for the Hoyas. A North Paulding field goal made it a 21-3 game at the half. Ziglor finished with 22 carries for 156 yards, while Richardson had 7 carries for 114 yards.
Mill Creek 42, Mountain View 24
Mountain View held a 24-21 lead midway through the third quarter before the Mill Creek Hawks finished the game with three straight scores for a 42-24 victory and their first Region 8 victory of the season. Two Caleb Downs touchdowns on direct snaps bookended a Joshua Battle burst through the middle, stopping a three-game Mill Creek losing streak and handing Mountain View its first region loss of the year.
Archer 69, Berkmar 7
Archer continued its turnaround of a season that got off to a disappointing 0-3 start with the Tigers' fourth-straight win in a 69-7 rout of visiting Berkmar that set program records for both points scored and margin of victory. In addition to Vashaun Stockman’s 11-yard touchdown pass to Andrew Lane, Archer got first-half touchdowns from six different players on the ground — Renaldo Spivey Jr (45 yards), Jiaquez Thorpe (6 yards), Andrew Campbell (11 yards), DJ Moore (4 yards), Chase Sellers (8 yards) and DeAngelo Whitfield (7 yards) — and a 38-yard pick-six by Andrew Spearman for a 55-0 edge at the break. Whitfield added a 5-yard score in the third, and Rontayev’on Grant provided the final Tigers touchdown before Berkmar avoided the shutout with a late score.
Colquitt County 34, Camden County 13
No. 3 Colquitt County stormed out to a 24-0 lead and closed out the visiting Wildcats to open up Region 1 play with the victory. Jamaree Hill and Xavier Williams each rushed for two touchdowns and Packers kicker Emmanuel Perez connected on a pair of field goals — including a 42-yarder that extended the lead to 27-0.
Duluth 61, Lakeside-DeKalb 0
Duluth quarterback Lonnie Ratliff threw three touchdown passes and running back Nyle Ervin ran in three touchdowns to fuel the Wildcats' massive win over the Vikings. Ervin’s third touchdown run grew the lead to 41-0 and the Wildcats' final three touchdowns all came on the defensive side of the ball. Asmar Hason and Jason Grey scored on fumble recovery touchdowns and Antonio Cofield’s 41-yard pick-six made it 61-0.
Cherokee 35, Etowah 6
The No. 6-ranked Cherokee Warriors bounced back from last week’s loss to Roswell with a 35-6 road win over Etowah to improve to 7-1 on the year and 2-1 in Region 5 play. Cherokee led 21-0 at the break following a pair of touchdown completions from quarterback AJ Swann to Brady Bocherer and a rushing score by Keith Adams Jr, and Adams Jr found the end zone again in the third and fourth quarters before Etowah added a late touchdown to avoid the shutout.
Gainesville 28, South Forsyth 14
The Visiting Gainesville Red Elephants defeated the South Forsyth War Eagles behind an outstanding performance from quarterback Gionni Williams. A rushing score by Jonquavies Drinkard gave Gainesville a 7-0 lead after the first quarter, but South Forsyth’s Kyle Durham took it to the end zone to tie the game in the second. Williams connected with Sam Perry to give Gainesville a 14-7 lead to close the half. A touchdown pass from Durham to Devin McGlockton knotted the game at 14-14, but Gainesville answered with a touchdown by Williams to give Gainesville a 21-14 edge after three before Williams sealed the win with one last score in the fourth.
West Forsyth 21, Forsyth Central 0
The visiting West Forsyth Wolverines shut out the Forsyth Central Bulldogs with stifling defense and a strong performance from quarterback Keegan Stover. Stover threw two touchdown passes in the first half to T.J. Jennings, and another in the fourth quarter to William Orris. Hudson Posey and Billy McAllister each had first-half sacks for the Wolverine defense.
Class 6A
Habersham Central 36, Lanier 15
Habersham Central knocked off Lanier in the program’s first-ever victory over the Longhorns. After Habersham Central broke open a 23-7 lead, Lanier closed the gap on Savodd Underwood’s short touchdown run but failed to score again. Touchdown runs of 64 yards and 1 yard by Habersham Central quarterback Joshua Pickett in the fourth quarter put the game out of reach. Habersham evens its Region 8 record at 2-2, and Lanier drops to 1-2.
Creekview 19, Riverwood 0 (Delayed)
Creekview held a 19-0 lead in the fourth quarter with about seven minutes left when the lights went out in the Grizzly Den. After being unable to restore the power, Creekview AD Chuck Wilson announced the contest would be finished at a date to be announced. Before the blackout, Creekview had scores from Cole Hasty and Tyler Stevens, a field goal and a safety.
Glynn Academy 38, Effingham County 0
Glynn Academy quarterback TJ Lewis threw three touchdowns and also rushed for a 64-yard score to lead the Terrors in what marked head coach Rocky Hidalgo’s 100th career victory. John Moody’s 46-yard touchdown run in the third quarter made it 38-0 and Glynn Academy also successfully kicked a 34-yard field goal in the first half.
River Ridge 31, Centennial 7
Carson Lathem’s 44-yard touchdown run in the first quarter put River Ridge up 7-0 in the battle between the Knights. A Centennial touchdown in the final seconds of the second quarter left the score tied at the break, but it was all River Ridge in the second half. Lathem connected with WR Andrew Bingham for a touchdown pass early in the third before the home team capitalized on a fumble recovery with a field goal to go up 17-7. Lathem found WR Micah Martineau for a 24-yard touchdown pass late in the third, and a 46-yard touchdown run by Amehre “Mercury” Morrison midway through the fourth sealed the win to keep River Ridge undefeated (7-0).
Allatoona 20, Sprayberry 10
The Allatoona Buccaneers defended home field with a win over the Sprayberry Yellow Jackets. A rushing score from Jayden Ponder and a field goal from Alex Stanford gave Allatoona a 10-0 lead, but Sprayberry’s Damarion Owens responded with a touchdown to make it a 10-7 game at the end of the first. A touchdown by Allatoona quarterback Elan Hall put the Buccaneers up 17-7 at the break, and the Buccaneers followed a fourth-quarter Sprayberry field goal with another field goal of their own to seal the win.
Class 5A
Chamblee 24, North Springs 16
Brayson Seaborne and Curt McCorvey combined for 250 rushing yards and Seaborne, Finn Allers and Fabian Walker all scored touchdowns for Chamblee. Will Burton added a 28-yard field goal, Jameel Avery had two interceptions and Jason Lynch recovered a fumble.
Woodward Academy 28, Drew 7
The Woodward Academy War Eagles improved to 3-0 in Region 3 play with a 28-7 win over the visiting Drew Titans. Quarterback Nick Allen scored first on a 34-yard run, and Damari Alston added rushing touchdowns of 39 yards late in the first quarter and 29 yards to start the third. Drew got on the board to cut Woodward Academy’s lead to 21-7 before Alston sealed the win with a third scoring run late in the final frame.
Calhoun 38, Woodland-Cartersville
No. 5-ranked Calhoun got a much-needed bounce-back win over Woodland-Cartersville following last week’s loss to Blessed Trinity. Christian Lewis tossed a long touchdown pass to Cole Speer to give the Yellow Jackets a 14-0 lead, and Speer also returned an interception to the end zone later in the half. Calhoun improves to 2-1 in Region 7 play with the win.
Mundy’s Mill 51, Forest Park 26
Quarterback DaJuan Springer scored on a 1-yard keeper and threw three touchdown passes to lead Mundy’s Mill past Forest Park at Twelve Oaks Stadium. Springer found Corey Barnes for a 40-yard strike and Antoine Greene for touchdowns of 47 and 40 yards. Running back Jaylan Grant had rushing scores of 70 and 42 yards, and cornerback Anthony Griffin and linebacker D’Metrius Johnson each had interception returns for touchdowns.
Loganville 47, Jackson County 7
Loganville quarterback Tanner Green threw five touchdown passes to lead the Red Devils past host Jackson County. Solomon Leslie also had a 74-yard rushing touchdown and Avery Hamilton ran in an 11-yard touchdown.
Hiram 38, Cass 14
Hiram stormed to a 38-0 lead before visiting Cass could get on the board and held off the Colonels for their first win of the season. Jirah Douglas led Hiram with three rushing touchdowns, Qamar Grant rushed for a 4-yard touchdown, Dalton Mosey hit a 42-yard field goal and Cory McGarity returned an interception for a touchdown. Cass got its points with Devin Henderson touchdown passes to Sacovie White and David Gbadia.
Class 4A
Flowery Branch 27, Cedar Shoals 20
The Flowery Branch Falcons were able to hold off a late-game Cedar Shoals comeback attempt to secure the 27-20 victory. Cedar Shoals marched to the Flowery Branch 10-yard line on a potential game-tying drive, but the Falcons defense got the stop. Ryan Lusco, Baxley O’Brien, and David Renard scored touchdowns for Flowery Branch in the first half. Myles Ivey added 104 rushing yards, and Jaizen Ellingham finished with 106 yards on the ground.
Cedartown 56, Ridgeland 12
No. 9 ranked Cedartown exploded to a 50-0 lead before closing out the Panthers to post the program’s fifth-straight victory. UGA-commit Cedric Washington ran in a pair of touchdowns to put the Bulldogs up 15-0. Jayden Johnson contributed touchdown runs of 66 and 20 yards later in the first half and Reece Tanner rushed for an 18-yard score to build Cedartown’s 36-0 halftime advantage. Jeremiah Johnson returned a fumble 37 yards for a touchdown to make it 50-0 before Ridgeland scored back-to-back touchdowns, but Harlem Diamond returned the ensuing kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown to provide the final margin.
LaGrange 47, Jordan 14
LaGrange’s breakthrough season continued Thursday night with a convincing region victory over Jordan. The Grangers — who are currently scoring 35.6 ppg this season—averaged just seven points per game over their three previous seasons, and the dramatic improvements were seen once again with the team storming out to a 40-0 halftime lead over the visiting Red Jackets. Senior running back Kale Gibbs finished the night with four touchdowns, fullback Towson Partin added a 1-yard rushing score and quarterback Jaylan Brown connected with Tae Snead for a 35-yard passing touchdown. LaGrange is currently 4-1 in Region 2 and seeking to secure its first playoff berth since 2014.
Marist 33, Arabia Mountain 3
Marist got rushing touchdowns from three different players as it cruised to a road win over Arabia Mountain. The War Eagles scored 33 unanswered points following an early Arabia Mountain field goal by Andre Teague and led 14-3 after one quarter, 21-3 at halftime, and also 21-3 going into the fourth. Thomas Rollauer got the scoring started with a 2-yard run and Marist recovered the ensuing pooch kick to set up Andrew Mannelly from seven yards out. Mannelly also had a 12-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, while Rollauer’s second score came on a 17-yard reception from George Parker. Lincoln Parker capped off the scoring with an 11-yard rush late in the fourth. Marist’s dominant defensive performance included an interception by Charlie Fleming.
North Oconee 48, East Hall 7
North Oconee Titans QB Bubba Chandler, who has committed to playing both football and baseball at Clemson, had rushing touchdowns of 16 and 41 yards in the first quarter, which ended with a 17-0 North Oconee lead. Rod Finch and Dominic Elder each scored a rushing touchdown in the second period, followed by a 35-yard touchdown pass from Chandler to Gavin Bloom and Eli Warrington’s blocked punt return for a touchdown to put North Oconee ahead 45-0 before the break.
Class 3A
Cherokee Bluff 41, Lumpkin County 6
Cherokee Bluff continued to roll through its third season playing a varsity schedule, improving to 7-0 and 3-0 in Region 3 with a 41-6 win over Lumpkin County. Cherokee Bluff entered the game ranked No. 10 — the Bears' first-ever appearance in the polls — and will host fellow Region 3 unbeaten Dawson County next week.
North Murray 33, Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe 12
North Murray quarterback Seth Griffin rushed for a 14-yard touchdown and connected with Cade Petty for a 5-yard score to give the Mountaineers a 14-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. Dante Tidwell added a 20-yard North Murray touchdown run and a safety pushed the lead to 23-0 before the Warriors responded with a Jacob Brown touchdown run to get on the board. Owen Hannah kicked a 37-yard field goal as time expired to push North Murray’s lead to 26-7 at the half. Brown ran in his second touchdown to cut the deficit to 26-13 before Petty iced the game with a 31-yard touchdown run to provide the final tally.
Lovett 51, Towers 6
Lovett scored 37 points in the first quarter, and the Lions built their lead to 44-0 by halftime and 51-0 going into the fourth quarter before Towers finally got on the scoreboard. Michael Hollingsworth scored Lovett’s first touchdown and quarterback Preston Lusink kept it on the ground for the next two. Henry Stimmel added to the first-quarter scoring onslaught, and Stevie Bracey delivered a scoop-and-score following a forced fumble by Garrett Kelly. Senior Parker Hammond scored his first touchdown for the Lions' lone second-quarter points, and Hayden Bernard capped off the night’s scoring with a 10-yard scamper in the third quarter.
Adairsville 32, Sonoraville 0
Adairsville held an 11-0 halftime lead following a Jamaury Johnson touchdown run and Emanuel López’s 35-yard field goal with 50 seconds left before the break. Quarterback Conner Crunkelton — who ran in the Tigers' successful 2-point conversion — threw an 80-yard touchdown pass to Courtney Slocum on the first play of the second half and later found Evan Sanders for a 24-yard touchdown to push the lead to 25-0. Freshman Jonathan Gough ran in the final touchdown from 15 yards out with 1:28 left.
Greater Atlanta Christian 21, Sandy Creek 12
All three of Greater Atlanta Christian’s touchdowns came on passes from Deymon Fleming to Brooks Miller in the Spartans' road win over Sandy Creek. They led 7-0 after one quarter on a 15-yard strike to Miller, took a 14-12 advantage into halftime following a 10-yard connection, and capped off the scoring late in the third quarter with a 38-yard heave off the right arm of Fleming. For the Spartans, Safdar McCrary threw a 78-yard touchdown pass to Cameron Watts and an 8-yarder to Miles Thornton right before the break.
Thomson 30, Burke County 23
Burke County had four turnovers in the first half, but Thomson struggled to take advantage of the miscues and led just 10-0 at the break. Tay Martin found Snoop Williams for a 54-yard touchdown on the Bulldogs' first play of the game and then Connor Askew kicked a 21-yard field goal right before the half to provide the 10-0 edge. Williams ran in a 54-yard touchdown on the first snap of the second half to push the lead to 17-0, but Burke County roared back with two Marshall Flowers touchdown passes and an Eldrick Williams 24-yard touchdown run that followed Lilvasco Winfrey’s 37-yard touchdown for Thomson to tie it up 23-23 with 6:46 left to play. Thomson got the game-winning touchdown on a run from Martin with just 1:14 left.
Westminster 34, Redan 8
Westminster scored all four of its touchdowns in the second quarter to overwhelm visiting Redan. The Wildcats broke open a scoreless tie with a flurry of scores from Wyatt Stevenson, Holden Staes, Quinton Ezzard, and Robert Clarke. Staes found the end zone on a 29-yard touchdown pass from Stevenson, while the other three touchdowns came on the ground. Westminster tacked on field goals by both Alex Bacchetta and Aidan Henry to lead 34-0 going into the fourth quarter before Redan finally got on the scoreboard with a 12-yard touchdown strike from Antoine Hector to Jammeeel Jones. The Wildcat defense dominated most of the game, and their effort included an interception by Denton Shamburger.
Class 2A
Haralson County 31, Temple 23 (3OT)
Haralson County’s Clay Hyatt took the first play of triple-overtime in for a 12-yard touchdown to help lift the Rebels to victory and keep their perfect season alive. Hyatt also scored a 1-yard rushing touchdown in the first overtime that put Haralson County up 23-17. Temple forced double-overtime with a Scooter Tanner rushing touchdown and neither team scored in the second overtime. Hyatt’s touchdown run opened the third extra period before the Haralson defense closed it out.
Fannin County 42, Model 7
The Fannin County Rebels remained perfect on the year with a big 42-7 win over Region 7-AA foe Model. Fannin County is now 6-0 overall and 3-0 in region play in its first season in Region 7-AA after spending the last eight years in class 3A. Fannin drove 45 yards on its opening drive to reach the Model 20, but a fake field goal was unsuccessful and Model took over. The Rebels blocked a Model punt moment later, however, and quarterback Luke Holloway threw a 25-yard touchdown strike to Cohutta Hyde on the next play. Holloway then capitalized on back-to-back possessions starting in Model territory — the result of a short punt early in the second and a turnover on the following Model drive —with a 13-yard touchdown to tight end Jalem Ingram and a 47-yard scoring strike to Hyde, respectively. Holloway and Hyde hooked up again from 49 yards out at the end of the second quarter for a 28-0 advantage at the break, and Holloway added a 23-yard touchdown run and a 30-yard scoring strike to Ingram in the second half. Model’s lone score came on an 18-yard touchdown pass from Sam Silver to Cade Espy.
Washington 56, McNair 0
Nie’Jay Gaston, Armani Tookes and Ronnie West each scored two touchdowns for Washington in its win at Lakewood Stadium. Gaston scored twice on the ground (including a 55-yard touchdown run), Tookes had a 70-yard touchdown run and a touchdown reception, and West returned the opening kickoff of the second half 90 yards for a score and caught a pass for a touchdown. Washington quarterback Monye' Jones threw both touchdown passes for the Bulldogs, and defensive back Mekhi Tchassama had a 65-yard interception return for a touchdown. Elijah Stone added a late rushing touchdown for Washington.
Fitzgerald 55, Worth County 7
The Purple Hurricanes won their homecoming, opening the scoring on the game’s second play from scrimmage on a 60-yard TD pass from Mario Clark to Todkevious Wallace. Fitzgerald built a 48-7 lead before halftime, racking up 250 yards of offense along the way. Clark led the Cane offense with 79 yards rushing on 12 carries and four touchdowns and was also 3-for-3 passing for 99 yards and two touchdowns. Denorris Goodwin added 94 yards on two carries that each ended in the end zone.
Hiram 38, Cass 14
Hiram stormed to a 38-0 lead before visiting Cass could get on the board and held off the Colonels for their first win of the season. Jirah Douglas led Hiram with three rushing touchdowns, Qamar Grant rushed for a 4-yard touchdown, Dalton Mosey hit a 42-yard field goal and Cory McGarity returned an interception for a touchdown. Cass got its points with Devin Henderson touchdown passes to Sacovie White and David Gbadia.
Class A Public
Dublin 45, Treutlen 0
Qua Ashley and JT Wright both rushed for two touchdowns to lead the No. 5 ranked Irish past Treutlen. Quarterback Markell Mitchell threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Gabe Guyton and a 55-yard touchdown to Kendell Wade. Josh Isaac added a 60-yard touchdown run in the third quarter that pushed the lead to 39-0.
Clinch County 45, Atkinson County 20
The Panthers jumped out to a 30-7 lead before cruising past host Atkinson County 45-20. Elijah Tiller accounted for three touchdowns in the first half to give the Panthers a 22-7 edge and Dilil Carters found Zachary Cason for a 10-yard touchdown pass to push it to 30-7 midway through the third.
Class A Private
Wesleyan 17, Hebron Christian 10
Griffin Caldwell scored both of Wesleyan’s touchdowns to help the Wolves survive an overtime thriller at Hebron Christian. Wesleyan took a 3-0 advantage in the second quarter on a field goal by Brooks Sturgeon, but wouldn’t lead again until Caldwell scored from five yards out midway through the fourth quarter to make it 10-7. The Lions answered with a field goal with less than two minutes on the clock, then recovered the ensuing kickoff. Hebron Christian had a chance to win it in regulation, but its field-goal attempt was blocked as time expired. Caldwell scored again on the first possession of overtime and Wesleyan recovered a fumble on the Lions' first play to clinch victory. Cole Arnow had a 35-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter for Hebron Christian.
Savannah Christian 21, Calvary Day 14
No. 10 ranked Savannah Christian was limited to just 38 total yards of offense in the first half before rallying back to defeat the Cavaliers in a thrilling Region 3 opener. Greg Daniel gave Calvary Day its 7-0 halftime lead with a 10-yard rushing touchdown. Ely Brown scored on a 38-yard touchdown run to get Savannah Christian on the board, but freshman quarterback Jake Merklinger found Brogan Korta for a 17-yard touchdown to grow the lead back to 14-6. Carter Allen ran in a 2-yard Raiders touchdown and quarterback Spencer Robicheaux successfully ran in the 2-point conversion to make it 14-14 with 2:01 left in the third. The score remained locked until just 1:10 left when Robicheaux found Jayden Hester for the game-winning touchdown.
Prince Avenue Christian 41, George Walton Academy 17
UGA 5-star commit Brock Vandagriff threw three touchdown passes and ran for another in Prince Avenue’s road win over George Walton Academy. The Bulldogs led 7-0 early on and 14-7 at the end of the first, but Vandagriff responded to the two George Walton scores with a 32-yard touchdown pass to WR Zac Deyer and a 10-yard touchdown run, respectively. Vandagriff then connected with Logan Johnson for a 21-yard touchdown pass late in the second to give the Wolverines a 20-14 lead at halftime. Two Landon Owens touchdown runs in the second half and a second Vandagriff touchdown pass to Johnson helped Prince Avenue roar to victory and improve to 7-1 on the season.
North Cobb Christian 48, Walker 7
North Cobb Christian opened Region 7 play with a 48-7 victory over Walker. The Eagles quickly got to work defending their No. 8 ranking, jumping out to a 21-0 lead before the midway point of the opening frame. Sharnard Banks and Isaiah Williams each had two first-half touchdowns, and North Cobb Christian held a 41-0 lead at the break.
Stratford Academy 28, Strong Rock Christian 21
Stratford Academy took a 28-14 lead midway through the fourth on Keondre Glover’s touchdown before Strong Rock countered to make it a one-score game. The Eagles held on for the win to improve their record to 5-2 overall and 2-0 in the region.
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