After reclaiming a spot in the rankings with last week’s win over then-No. 4 ranked North Cobb, North Gwinnett improved to 5-2 with a convincing 31-0 victory over visiting Mill Creek in their Region 8 opener. The Hawks defense managed to hold North Gwinnett to a 38-yard field goal from senior kicker Cody Leach on a promising opening drive for the Bulldogs, then forced punts on the next two North Gwinnett possessions before the dam broke. Senior back Barrett Carter gave the Bulldogs a 10-0 lead early the second on a short run, and following a fumble recovery by the North Gwinnett defense, connected with Hayden Morton for another score. The Bulldogs converted on 4th-and-1 in the final minute of the second quarter to set up a rushing touchdown by quarterback Ashton Woods, and the senior’s scoring strike to Seth Anderson on the opening drive of the second half brought the score to its final tally. It was the third shutout of the year — and the second-straight — by the North Gwinnett defense, who are holding opponents to less than a touchdown on the season.
Class 7A
Archer 49, Meadowcreek 14
Visiting Archer scored all of its points in the first half, getting two touchdown passes from quarterback Vashaun Stockmann and rushing touchdowns from four different players. Stockmann found Derrick Moore for a 74-yard touchdown and Andrew Dyer for a 43-yard score in the first quarter before Chase Sellers rushed for a 90-yard touchdown in the second. Andrew Spearman took the opening kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown for Archer, and Andrew Campbell (15 yards), Renoldo Spivey (12 yards) and Jiaquez Thorpe (1 yard) each added rushing scores.
Newnan 42, North Paulding 23
North Paulding cut Newnan’s lead to 14-10 with a touchdown to open the second half before three straight scores put the Rams comfortably ahead for the remainder of the game. Quarterback Michael Maginnis III threw a 77-yard bomb to set up Bryan Moss’ 4-yard rushing score that put Newnan on the board, and Ashton Heflin added a touchdown run in the second quarter. Following the North Paulding score at the start of the third, Newnan got a rushing touchdown from Nathan Bowie and touchdown completions from Maginnis to Reid Brass and Josh Harris. North Paulding added a pair of fourth-quarter scores, but a failed onside kick attempt and a final Rams touchdown — this time from Nick Owens — quashed any hope of a comeback.
North Forsyth 24, West Forsyth 10
North Forsyth picked up their first Region 6 win with a 24-10 triumph over West Forsyth. Alex Nelson’s 36-yard field goal gave West Forsyth a 10-7 lead at the break, but the Wolverines were held scoreless in the second half. After Brady Meitz hit Riley Smith for the go-ahead touchdown, Patrick Corrigan intercepted Ashton Van Horn and returned it to the end zone to seal the win.
Parkview 35, Newton 7
Quarterback Colin Houck was 12-of-27 passing for 305 yards and four touchdowns, three of them to Jared Brown, for host Parkview. Houck found Brown on touchdown passes of 89 yards in the first quarter, 68 yards in the second and 53 yards in the third, and Brown finished with eight catches for 240 yards. Bryce Fleetwood caught a 30-yard touchdown from Houck with 6:35 remaining in the game, and Cody Brown gave the Panthers a 7-0 lead in the first quarter on a 49-yard touchdown run. Ronnie Hamrick had two interceptions for Parkview. Newton got its touchdown in the second quarter on a 26-yard fumble return by Tahjae Mullix off a sack and forced fumble by Justin Benton.
Brookwood 47, Mountain View 20
No.4 ranked Brookwood’s 24-point second quarter and a stellar five-touchdown outing from sophomore quarterback Dylan Lonergan kept the Broncos comfortably in control — and their perfect season alive — throughout their 47-20 road win over Mountain View. A pair of field goals from Dan Le-Hernandez bookended Bears quarterback Nathan Payne’s touchdown pass to Mossiah Carter before Brookwood closed out the half with a touchdown pass from Lonergan to Conley Davis, another to Samuel M’Bake (set up by Jordan Davenport’s interception of Payne), and a 25-yard rushing score by Malcolm McCain. Lonergan found Davis again — this time on a 72-yarder — to take a 34-7 lead early in the third, and he followed an interception and back-to-back Mountain View scores with a touchdown drive that saw him muscle his way to the 8-yard line while dragging a handful of Bears defenders before scoring on a QB sneak. Lonergan, who finished the night 20-of-26 for 247 yards, connected with Stone Bonner for his final touchdown of the night with 1:51 to play.
Norcross 54, Berkmar 7
Running back Michael Porter rushed for 159 yards on just four carries — including one for a 92-yard touchdown — in the Norcross Blue Devils 54-7 home win over Berkmar. Quarterback Mason Kaplan was 11-of-13 passing for 180 yards and threw touchdown passes to Nakai Poole (19 yards) and Kaleb Jackson (9 yards). Norcross gained 271 yards on the ground for 451 total yards on offense.
Archer 49, Meadowcreek 14
Visiting Archer scored all of its points in the first half, including Andrew Spearman’s 92-yard return of the opening kickoff for a touchdown. Quarterback Vashaun Stockmann found Derrick Moore for a 74-yard touchdown and Andrew Dyer for a 43-yard score (both in the first quarter), Chase Sellers rushed for a 90-yard touchdown in the second quarter, and Andrew Campbell (15 yards), Renoldo Spivey (12 yards) and Jiaquez Thorpe (1 yard) also rushed for touchdowns.
Gainesville 42, Lambert 35
Lambert led 28-14 midway through the second quarter before Gainesville scored 28 unanswered points en route to a 42-35 win at home. Quarterback Gionni Williams was responsible for four Gainsville scores; the senior threw touchdown completions to Qua Coley before the break and Elias Ballard midway through the fourth quarter, and finished the night with a pair of touchdown runs as well.
Cherokee 41, Woodstock 7
The visiting Cherokee Warriors came away with a decisive 41-7 win over the Woodstock Wolverines in the two teams’ Region 5 opener. The Warriors held a 34-7 lead at the half; Quarterback AJ Swann connected with Hayden Shockley for a pair of touchdown passes and Adarrius Harshaw on another, star back Keith Adams Jr added a rushing score, and Harshaw also found the end zone on a kickoff return. Swann provided the game’s final points on a third-quarter completion to Brady Bocherer for his fourth touchdown pass of the night.
Denmark 21, Forsyth Central 0
Denmark’s Aaron McLaughlin scored on a quarterback sneak to give the Danes an early 7-0 lead and Forsyth Central failed to get on the board before the half with a fumble on the goal-line and missed a field goal. The host Danes added to their lead with a 9-yard Casey Gunn touchdown run in the third quarter and Zach Ogbogu’s 6-yard touchdown run with just 2:44 left.
Class 6A
Kennesaw Mountain 35, Lassiter 7
Cayman Prangley and TJ Jenkins were just about unstoppable in Kennesaw Mountain’s road victory over Lassiter. Prangley threw three touchdown passes, including a 45-yarder to Jenkins and a 90-yarder to Jailen Taylor. Jenkins added a pair of rushing scores — including one from 32 yards out — to his touchdown reception. The Mustangs capped off their scoring with Prangley’s third touchdown of the night — this time to Evan Duke — in the final frame.
Buford 44, Habersham Central 7
Buford led just 17-7 in the third quarter before scoring four straight touchdowns, including a touchdown pass and a rushing score from quarterback Dylan Wittke, to run away with a 44-7 victory over Habersham Central. The Wolves led 10-0 at halftime after an 11-yard first-quarter rushing touchdown by Gabe Ervin and a 34-yard field goal by Alex Mata as time expired in the first half. Victor Venn rushed for a 3-yard touchdown to give Buford a 17-0 lead in the third quarter before Habersham Central’s Joshua Pickett rushed for a 62-yard score to pull the Raiders to within 10 points. Wittke then found C.J. Clinkscales for a 24-yard touchdown pass and backup quarterback Ashton Daniels hit Peyton Rinker for an 11-yard score to close the third quarter and give the Wolves a 31-7 lead. Wittke (18 yards) and Ervin (1 yard) added fourth-quarter rushing touchdowns to complete the rout. Venn rushed 15 times for 124 yards and one score, and Ervin rushed 18 times for 114 yards and two scores.
Creekview 24, Sequoyah 0
With a smothering defensive effort and a well-rounded offensive performance, the Creekview Grizzlies came away with a shutout road win over the Sequoyah Chiefs. All the scoring was taken care of in the first half; Tyler Stevens scored twice on the ground, Dawson Currie connected with Tristan Summers for a touchdown, and Andy Moncada added a field goal.
Johns Creek 45, Chattahoochee 27
Host Johns Creek jumped out to a 25-0 lead midway through the second quarter and held off a Cougars’ rally before closing out the victory and improving its Region 7 record to 3-0. Joshua Huiet kicked a 36-yard field goal to put the Gladiators on the board and quarterback Quinn Teeples added three first-half touchdown passes and a rushing touchdown. Johns Creek running back Tank Pritchett rushed for touchdowns of 25 and 18 yards, and Thaxton Gallagher added a safety in the victory.
Allatoona 23, Wheeler 0
Allatoona quarterback Elan Hall’s 2-yard touchdown run provided the lone first-half score before the Buccaneers coasted to a comfortable 23-0 road win against Wheeler. Allatoona started the third quarter with a field goal, then added a pair of touchdowns on a 6-yard run by Dean Maddox and Hall’s completion to tight end Christian Bennett in the final frame. The Bucs improve to 5-0 and will host Sprayberry at home following their bye next week.
Houston County 7, Veterans 0
Senior Tyler Williams provided the game-winning rushing touchdown with just five minutes left to lift Houston County to a road victory over Class 5A No. 7 ranked Veterans.
Rome 24, Dalton 8
Visiting Rome led 7-0 at the half and grew the lead to 24-0 before Dalton’s Ashton Blackwell completed a 6-yard touchdown pass to Luke Blanchard to spoil the shutout. Shaun Nelson’s 3-yard touchdown run in the first quarter got the Wolves on the board and his 10-yard touchdown run in the third quarter made it a 24-0 game. Nelson also hauled in an 8-yard touchdown reception from Reece Fountain and Fernando Lopez gave Rome a 24-yard field goal.
Evans 43, Grovetown 0
Evans jumped out to a 27-0 halftime lead and cruised past Grovetown to open up Region 3 play with a massive victory. Jofranstar Graham ran in the Knights’ first three touchdowns and Kaleb Jackson completed a 31-yard touchdown pass to Lleyton Lackey to push the lead to 27-0 at the break. Joe Hampton added a 32-yard touchdown run and Kaleb Jackson tacked on a 50-yard rushing score to push the lead to 43-0 heading into the fourth quarter.
Class 5A
Starr’s Mill 10, Northgate 0
No. 9 Starr’s Mill got its only touchdown of the night on an 18-play, 84-yard drive that ate up all but a minute of the opening frame, but it was enough to give the Panthers a 10-0 road win over Northgate. The 7-0 score held until a late 22-yard Connor Marke field goal provided the game’s final points, and the Panthers improve to 2-0 in Region 2 play.
Cartersville 59, Cass 0
The Cartersville Purple Hurricanes rebounded from last week’s loss to Cherokee that snapped their record 62-game regular-season win streak, opening Region 7 play with stifling defense and a blistering offensive attack for a 59-0 shutout of host Cass to improve to 5-1. Cartersville built a 45-0 lead by halftime with touchdown passes from Stratton Tripp to Devonte Ross and Kolbe Benham, two rushing scores each from Ross and from Quante’ Jennings and a Jesus Gutierrez field goal. Jaylon Benham and Malachi Jeffries added touchdowns in the third and fourth quarters, respectively.
Clarke Central 35, Eastside 34
Clarke Central quarterback Will Robinson connected with Antonio (AJ) Jewell for a 36-yard scoring strike before Felix Braddy Jr. added the go-ahead touchdown with less than four minutes remaining to overcome a 10-point (31-21) fourth-quarter deficit against visiting Eastside. A strong second quarter from the Eagles turned a 14-14 tie into a 24-14 Eastside advantage at the break, but Clarke Central closed the gap in the third to trail by only a field goal at the start of the final frame. Eastside missed a potential go-ahead 50-yard field goal attempt with 0:27 on the clock.
Class 4A
North Oconee 44, Chestatee 0
North Oconee quarterback Bubba Chandler completed 7-of-11 pass attempts for 193 yards and five touchdowns in the first half as the host Titans stormed to a 41-0 lead. Chance Cross and Eli Warrington each recorded two touchdown receptions and Gavin Bloom also notched a receiving score. Phillip Ard knocked in a 32-yard field goal in the third quarter to provide the final tally.
Marist 30, Hapeville Charter 0
Quarterback Hayden Richardson found Chandler Heath for a 55-yard touchdown pass with less than a minute to play in the first half for a 16-0 Marist lead, and rushed for a touchdown in the third quarter to make it 23-0. Backup quarterback Champ Davis rushed for a 4-yard touchdown on the last play of the third quarter to cap the scoring for the home team. Marist got its first points when an errant Hapeville Charter punt snap went through the back of the end zone in the opening frame, and the War Eagles took a 9-0 lead in the second quarter on a short touchdown run by Ian Otten.
Carver-Columbus 36, LaGrange 14
Carver-Columbus and LaGrange were tied 14-14 in the second half before the Tigers closed out the road victory with 22 unanswered points. Jaylan Brown ran in both Grangers touchdowns. Carver’s Jaiden Credle scored on a 20-yard touchdown run and teammate Jamari Riley rushed for a 47-yard touchdown and the go-ahead 3-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.
Class 3A
Richmond Academy 42, Thomson 28
Richmond Academy and Thomson were tied up 28-28 before the Musketeers closed out the Region 4 victory with 14 unanswered points. Quarterback Jack Murphy threw a 41-yard touchdown pass to Kellen McDuffie to give Richmond Academy a 7-0 lead just 50 seconds into the game. Thomson’s Kindarius Green answered with a 4-yard touchdown run, but Rashad Williams found the end zone on back-to-back rushing touchdowns to put Richmond Academy up 21-7. The Musketeers got another touchdown on Jontavius Curry’s 42-yard rushing score, but three Tay Martin rushing touchdowns — including a 70-yard run in the opening minute of the third quarter — put Richmond firmly in control for the rest of the game. Maurice Freeman provided the go-ahead touchdown on an 11-yard run later in the quarter before Murphy provided a 5-yard rushing score for the final tally.
Southeast Bulloch 21, Liberty County 7
Liberty County and Southeast Bulloch squared off in a Week 7 region championship game that was the result of the restructured Region 3 schedule after COVID disruptions. Southeast Bulloch took a 14-7 lead on a 58-yard touchdown pass by quarterback Khristian Clark and made it a two-possession game with Clark’s 1-yard rushing score in the third quarter. The win gives the Yellow Jackets the program’s first region title since 1994.
Oconee County 36, East Jackson 14
Liam Lewis answered East Jackson’s interception of Oconee County quarterback Jacob Wright with a 100-yard pick-six for the first of three second-quarter takeaways by the Warriors defense. Wright and CJ Jones each had rushing scores in the first quarter before Lewis’ interception return brought Oconee County’s lead to 19-0. The Warriors recovered a fumble on the next East Jackson drive, and Whit Weeks’s 36-yard run set up his own 2-yard jaunt to the end zone moments later. The Eagles ended the half well enough, getting on the board with 1:07 remaining and holding Oconee County to a missed field goal after a Warriors three-and-out led to an East Jackson fumble on the punt return. But Jones only needed three carries to add another touchdown less than a minute into the second half for a 33-7 edge.
Greater Atlanta Christian 42, Douglass 7
Greater Atlanta Christian jumped out to a 14-0 first-quarter lead over Douglass with touchdown runs from Will Gary and Deymon Fleming. The Spartans led 28-0 at halftime and 42-0 by the start of the fourth quarter, where a running clock was used for the duration of the game.
Hart County 36, Franklin County 21
Malachi Thomas scored twice for Hart County — once on a run of 84 yards and the other on a pick-six — to lead the Hart County Bulldogs to a 36-21 win over Franklin County in their Region 8 opener.
Ringgold 23, Adairsville 17
Quarterback Mason Parker completed a 76-yard touchdown pass to Peyton Williams on the first play of the second quarter to put host Ringgold up 7-0. Adairsville responded with a Ja’Maury Jonson 11-yard rushing score, but Kori Downs reclaimed the lead for Ringgold on a 14-yard touchdown run before a safety off a blocked punt made it 16-7 at the half. Adairsville cut it to 16-14 with an 8-yard Eli Agnew touchdown run, but Ringgold answered with Price Pennington’s 11-yard touchdown run with 8:35 left to make it 23-14. Ringgold was able to run out the clock for the Region 6 victory after Adairsville again got within a score on an Emanuel López field goal at the 3:29.
Carver-Atlanta 20, Westminster 10
Bobby Sims rushed for two touchdowns to lead Carver-Atlanta past visiting Westminster. Kiontae Strozier also tossed a 10-yard scoring strike to Terrico Faulks to give the Panthers a 12-0 lead at halftime. The Wildcats looked to mount a comeback with a score from Denton Shamburger and a drive that brought them to the Carver-Atlanta 5-yard line with five minutes remaining, but they were forced to settle for an Alex Bacchetta field goal. The Panthers promptly put the game away with Sims’ second score in the final minutes of the game. Carver-Atlanta forced three turnovers, including an interception by Devonte Amasiani.
Class 2A
Pace Academy 21, Lovett 16
Justin Johnson rushed for two touchdowns and set up one of his scores with his own long interception return as visiting Pace Academy held off Lovett. The Knights led 7-0 after one quarter thanks to a quarterback sneak for a touchdown by MJ Morris before extending their advantage to 14-3 at halftime and 21-3 in the fourth quarter. Lovett made a furious rally with a 38-yard touchdown pass from Preston Lusink to Stevie Bracey and a 59-yarder from Lusink to Collin Goldberg. The Lions then got the ball back and drove to Pace Academy’s 20-yard line with 30 seconds remaining before the Knights forced a turnover on downs to clinch victory.
Model 34, Coosa 6
Model returned to the field to take on Coosa in its Region 7-AA opener, starting the game off with a 7-play, 80-yard drive that ended in a 7-yard touchdown run from Senior Joseph Wallace. Wallace added two more touchdowns on the night, while quarterback Sam Silver ran in a score from 29 yards as well. A 40-yard pick-six by Hunter King capped off the Blue Devils scoring spree. Wallace ended the night with 205 yards and 3 scores off 34 carries.
Laney 12, Butler 8
Jordan Stringer rushed for a Laney touchdown that put the Wildcats up 6-0 at the half, but host Butler took an 8-6 lead with just 10 minutes left in the fourth with an Eddie Brown touchdown run and successful two-point conversion. Laney then drove down to the Butler 19-yard line, where quarterback Javaris Harris found Marcellus Brigham for the game-winning touchdown pass with 5:45 left in the game. Butler’s comeback attempt ended with a late fumble recovery by Laney’s Markell Brigham that iced the game.
Class A-Public
Commerce 35, Greene County 0
Commerce did all its scoring in the first half to open up Region 8 play with a lopsided win over visiting Greene County. Sammy Brown cashed in Commerce’s opening drive with a 16-yard touchdown run before the No. 4 ranked Tigers piled on 28 more points in the second quarter. Michael Sherman (10 yards), Elijah Burns (9) and Trey Huff (17) each rushed for touchdowns and sophomore Jack Fagan returned a blocked punt for a touchdown.
Irwin County 40, Lanier County 0
Irwin County outgained Lanier County 311-to-74 in total yardage and blew open a 12-0 lead with a 28-point effort in the second half. Cody Soliday finished 11-of-17 passing for 192 yards and a touchdown to Garland Benyard. Gabe Benyard took six carries for 51 yards and a touchdown, Kam Ward had 10 carries for 50 yards and three touchdowns and Nemo McCoy returned an interception for a touchdown.
Class A-Private
Mt. Vernon 50, Loganville Christian 14
Mt. Vernon closed out its homecoming victory with 23 unanswered points after Loganville Christian cut the lead to 27-14 with 5:59 left in the third quarter. Mustangs quarterback Blake Kytle threw touchdown passes to Jack Mette and Andrew Douglas and rushed for three touchdowns. Mt. Vernon’s Liam O’Toole and Luke Barnes each rushed for second-half touchdowns and William Lavender made a field goal late in the third quarter that was set up by a Cameron Jackson interception. Junior Edward Hires added an interception to ice the game with just 1:27 left to play.
Prince Avenue Christian 63, Hebron Christian Academy 14
Led by quarterback Brock Vandagriff’s five touchdown passes, the Prince Avenue Christian Wolverines coasted to a 63-14 road win over Hebron Christian Academy. In the first half alone, Vandagriff connected twice with both Chas Scoggins and Logan Johnson and once with Phillip Kelley, and Landon Owens also found the end zone before the break. Johnson added another score in the third quarter, and Owens tacked on two more touchdowns as well — including one on a 97-yard kick return.
Walker 42, St. Francis 15
Walker raced out to a 28-0 halftime lead before coasting to a 42-15 victory over St. Francis to give head coach Aaron Dobbins his first win with the program. Charlie Condon got the Wolverines on the board with a QB sneak, then threw a pair of touchdown passes to Parker Cook from 72 and 62 yards out before Keon Smart added a 15-yard rushing score to end the half. Dobbins took over when previous coach Michael Gunn abruptly resigned following the Wolverines loss to Community Christian two weeks ago. The win was Walker’s first this season.
Eagle’s Landing Christian 34, Trinity Christian 0
Eagle’s Landing Christian dominated on both sides of the ball to beat host Trinity Christian. The Chargers got touchdowns from four different players; Josh Rogers ran for a 45-yard touchdown, Jacque Holley caught a 58-yard scoring strike from Charlie Gilliam, Cameron Sigur hauled one in from Philip Massengale from 30 yards out, and Dylan Mullins returned an interception 50 yards to the end zone. Eagle’s Landing Christian led 17-0 at halftime and 27-0 going into the fourth quarter before Mullins sealed the shutout.
Athens Academy 35, Wesleyan 0
Tre Hawkins rushed for three touchdowns to go with a dominant performance from the Athens Academy defense to defeat host Wesleyan. Although the undefeated Spartans have not allowed more than 14 points in any of five games this season, this marked their first shutout. In addition to Hawkins’ offensive heroics, Palmer Bush threw touchdown passes of 48 and 39 yards to Ethan Connelly and Jack Nasworthy, respectively. Athens Academy led 7-0 after one quarter, 14-0 at halftime, and 28-0 going into the fourth.
