Westlake’s football team considered postponing Friday night’s game against Lovejoy after the Fulton County school’s principal and wife drowned as he tried to save her while swimming in the ocean on vacation this week.
Instead, the players decided to play on, dedicating the game to Jamar and Ann Robinson. They would’ve been proud.
Westlake, the fourth-ranked team in Class 6A, defeated Lovejoy 51-0 – a stunning final score in a game between two one-loss teams – and clinched for the Lions the Region 4-6A championship.
''It means a ton, I’m so proud of these guys,'' Westlake coach Bobby May said in an emotional interview with GPB Sports, which televised the game. "The community went through a lot of hurt, and these guys definitely put on a show for them.''
Westlake’s victory stood above the rest in the 11th week of the Georgia high school football regular season.
Friday’s games also saw Greater Atlanta Christian, Lee County, Alexander, Cartersville, Clinch County and others post impressive victories while it was learned that Cedar Grove, the No. 1-ranked team in Class 3A, had to forfeit four games.
Greater Atlanta Christian benefited from Cedar Grove’s misfortune, winning Region 5-3A with a 35-20 victory over Carver of Atlanta. The region title became possible when it was learned Friday that Cedar Grove forfeited four victories, three in region play, for the inadvertent use of an ineligible player. Cedar Grove’s record becomes 1-4, but the Saints still can make the playoffs if they win next week against Sandy Creek. Cedar Grove’s victories over Milton, Carver of Atlanta, Redan and Greater Atlanta Christian now go down as losses.
In other games, Lee County, ranked No. 1 in Class 6A, beat No. 3 Valdosta 41-7. Valdosta, now 4-4, had spent some weeks, including the preseason rankings, at No. 1. Lee County is now 8-1, its only loss to No. 4 Lowndes of Class 7A.
Also in 6A, Alexander upset No. 7 Carrollton 23-22 in Region 5. It was Alexander’s first win over a top-10 team since 2017. Carrollton (5-2, 5-1) still is positioned to win the region with a victory over Douglas County next week while Alexander (6-3, 4-2) likely needs to beat South Paulding to qualify for the playoffs.
Cartersville, the No. 4 team in 5A, beat No. 5 Calhoun 31-14 in a game between blue-blood programs from northwest Georgia. The outcome likely put Cartersville at home, and Calhoun on the road, for the first round of the playoffs.
Clinch County upset No. 2 Irwin County, the defending Class 1A Public team, 13-0 by scoring all its points in the final minute of a game of old South Georgia rivals. Clinch entered 4-3 and unranked as the Panthers, the champions in 2017 and 2018, have struggled with more than its share of injuries and COVID interruptions.
No. 4 Commerce beat No. 8 Washington-Wilkes 28-17 in a Region 8-1A Public game and moved closer to its first region title since 2003.
The weekend also was marked by cancellations as some 25 games were called off because of COVID-19 concerns. The GHSA forgives COVID-caused cancellations in the regular season, ruling them no contests and levying no fines, but they will go down as forfeits in two weeks, when the playoffs begin.
One other game was postponed because the death of a player. LaGrange junior defensive back Traveion Cole died Thursday in a car accident. The Grangers' game against Troup was moved to Saturday evening.
