The Week 5 slate offered a lighter schedule for Region 1 and 2 this week as just 4 of the combined 17 teams in the two regions are playing this week. In Region 5, Darlington (2-2) outlasted Whitefield Academy (2-2) 27-20 at home in a non-region matchup. Darlington, of Region 6-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. Whitefield Academy defeated Darlington 28-14 in last year’s first round.
Chattooga defeated Gordon Central 56-6. 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.
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.
Additonally, Gordon Lee got touchdown runs from three players in a 42-0 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.
Mt. Paran rushed for 462 yards and six touchdowns on the evening to move past Cherokee Chrisitan 42-14. 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.
Week 5 Results and Standings
REGION 1
Jeff Davis 0-0, 4-0
Bacon County 0-0, 3-1
Thomasville 0-0, 3-1
Fitzgerald 0-0, 2-1
Worth County 0-0, 2-2
Berrien 0-0, 0-4
Brantley County 0-0, 0-4
Friday, Sept. 13
Bacon County 41, Lanier County 14
Fitzgerald 23, Brooks County 13
REGION 2
Dublin 3-0, 4-0
Dodge County 3-0, 4-0
Northeast 3-0, 3-1
ACE Charter 3-1, 2-1
Bleckley County 1-2, 2-2
Washington County 1-2, 1-3
East Laurens 1-2, 2-2
Southwest 1-2, 1-3
Central-Macon 0-3, 0-4
Jefferson County 0-3, 0-4
Friday, Sept. 13
ACE Charter 51, Wilkinson County 14
Dodge County 13, Vidalia 7
REGION 3
Savannah Christian 0-0, 5-0
Toombs County 0-0, 4-0
Vidalia 0-0, 3-2
Sav. Country Day 0-0, 1-3
Swainsboro 0-0, 1-4
Friday, Sept. 13
Savannah Christian 28, Fellowship Christian 7
Thomson 56, Swainsboro 7
Toombs County 56, Charlton County 18
Dodge County 13, Vidalia 7
REGION 4
Lamar County 0-0, 3-0
Jasper County 0-0, 3-1
McNair 0-0, 2-2
Social Circle 0-0, 2-2
Towers 0-0, 1-2
Putnam County 0-0, 1-3
Utopian Academy 0-0, 0-4
Friday, Sept. 13
Japser County 10, Jackson 7
REGION 5
Sub Region A
King’s Ridge 0-0, 4-0
Wesleyan 0-0, 3-1
Mount Vernon 0-0, 2-1
Fellowship Christian 0-0, 2-2
Mt. Pisgah 0-0, 0-4
St. Francis 0-0, 0-4
Mount Bethel 0-0, 3-0 ++
Sub Region B
Landmark Christian 0-0, 3-1
Mount Paran 0-0, 3-1
B.E.S.T. Academy 0-0, 3-2
Whitefield Academy 0-0, 2-2
Walker 0-0 ,2-3
Friday, Sept. 13
Savannah Christian 28, Fellowship Christian 7
Landmark Christian 35, South Atlanta 28
Mount Bethel Christian 20, Cross Keys 13
Mount Paran 42, Cherokee Christian 14
Mount Vernon 57, B.E.S.T. Academy 20
Walker 33, Heritage-Newnan 0
Darlington 27, Whitefield Academy 20
REGION 6
Temple 0-0, 3-1
Bremen 0-0, 2-1
Heard County 0-0, 2-1
Model 0-0, 2-2
Darlington 0-0, 1-2
Haralson County 0-0, 1-3
Pepperell 0-0, 0-4
Friday, Sept. 13
Rabun County 24, Bremen 21
Darlington 27, Whitefield 20
Bowdon 35, Heard County 21
REGION 7
Chattooga 0-0, 4-0
Fannin County 0-0, 4-0
Christian Heritage 0-0, 3-1
Gordon Lee 0-0, 3-1
Armuchee 0-0, 3-1
Coosa 0-0, 2-2
Gordon Central 0-0, 2-2
Dade County 0-0, 1-3
Friday, Sept. 13
Christian Heritage 38, Dade County 26
Fannin County 42, Coosa 0
Chattooga 56, Gordon Central 6
Gordon Lee 42, Armuchee 0
REGION 8
Athens Academy 0-0, 4-0
Rabun County 0-0, 3-1
Commerce 0-0, 2-2
Elbert County 0-0, 1-3
Providence Christian 0-0, 1-3
Banks County 0-0, 0-4
Oglethorpe County 0-0, 0-4
Friday, Sept. 13
Cherokee Bluff 42, Banks County 0
Lincoln County 31, Elbert County 28
Rabun County 24, Bremen 21
