By Score Atlanta
No. 1 Lowndes survived a thriller by knocking off No. 8 Colquitt County 51-45 in double overtime in a Region 1-AAAAAAA game that had eight lead changes.
Travis Tisdale got the offense going early for the Vikings, catching a 72-yard touchdown pass from wide receiver Tayvonn Kyle. Colquitt then scored 35 points in the next quarter and a half to take a 35-21 halftime lead, which would have been bigger had quarterback Michael Barrett not hit Kyle for a touchdown pass shortly before halftime.
Lowndes clawed back in the second half, tying the game with only one minute left. After exchanging touchdowns during the first overtime possession, the second saw Colquitt fail to convert its drive, setting up a 15-yard touchdown run by Ghetti Brown. Lowndes outgained Colquitt by nearly 100 yards and registered four sacks on defense as a team, two by Walker Schwab.
The victory improved Lowndes' record to a perfect 10-0 and 3-0 in the region, and Colquitt drops to 7-3 and 1-2.
CLASS AAAAAAA
Archer 14, South Gwinnett 0
The Archer Tigers won a surprisingly close game at South Gwinnett to remain undefeated at 9-0. A defensive battle, the game was scoreless until 2:23 in the third, when Carter Peevy found Taiyon Palmer with a 41-yard touchdown pass. The Tigers scored again with five minutes to play on another Peevy pass, this time to Semaje Banks for 11 yards. The Comets drove deep into Tiger territory in the final minute, but Christian James-Lattore intercepted the ball to seal the 14-0 Archer road victory.
Brookwood 28, Norcross 6
Brookwood defeated visiting Norcross in a game that was much closer than its 28-6 final would indicate to seal the top spot in Region 7-AAAAAAA. With 4:16 left in the first, Dante Black capped off an 80-yard drive with a 2-yard run for his first of three touchdowns in the game and a 7-0 Brookwood lead that held until early in the third. Black capitalized on two long runs by Matthew Hill with a 5-yard score for a 14-0 lead heading into the fourth. Isaiah McKoy caught a 66-yard pass to make it a one-score game (14-6), but Black (37 carries, 155 yards, 12 first downs) answered with his final touchdown with 2:38 to play. Kareem Bessemer returned an interception for a score on the first play of Norcross' ensuing drive for a 28-6 final.
Campbell 28, East Coweta 14
Visiting Campbell opened up a scoreless game in the second quarter to take a 21-7 lead into the half. Starting safety and running back Kaleb Bailey rushed for Campbell’s first score and quarterback Kameron Smith passed the next two touchdowns to Coby Deprill and Ray Decosey, respectively. East Coweta answered early in the third quarter to make it a one-possession game, but Bailey capped off a six-minute drive to put Campbell up 28-14 as the quarter ended.
Grayson 38, Rockdale County 0
Star linebacker Owen Pappoe rushed for touchdowns of 4 and 7 yards in the first quarter, and Rams quarterback D.J. Irons rushed for a 1-yard score in the second quarter to put the host Rams up 21-0 at halftime. Irons, who finished 18-of-28 passing for 281 yards, had 37-yard and 41-yard scoring passes in the third quarter.
Lassiter 31, Cherokee 0
Lassiter quarterback Bradley Riopelle rushed for two scores and threw a touchdown pass to Chase Branch as the Trojans defense recorded its first shutout since the 2010 season. Running back Nnamdi Orjioke’s first-quarter touchdown put Lassiter up 14-0, and Ethan Laudato booted a field goal in the second quarter to give the host Trojans a 17-0 lead.
Milton 34, Lambert 10
Milton wide receiver Syaire Waters had a 71-yard touchdown run on the Eagles' first play from scrimmage. After a Lambert touchdown, Milton responded with a 67-yard touchdown run from running back Solomon Vanhorse early in the second quarter. Milton went into the half with a 21-10 lead on a flea-flicker pass involving quarterback Jordan Yates, running back Vanhorse and receiver Waters. After a pair of field goals in the third, Yates scored the Eagles' final touchdown on a goal-line keeper early in the fourth that secured the visiting Eagles' 34-10 victory.
Mountain View 52, Discovery 28
Mountain View defeated Discovery on the road improve to 8-2 on their season and have a bye next week as the Bears prepare for the playoffs. Quarterback Matt Edwards threw for three touchdowns, one to Keelan Marion and a pair to Malachi Carter. Starting linebacker/running back Blake Carroll ran for 150 yards and added three touchdowns. Marquel Broughton added an interception for a touchdown. Discovery falls to 1-8.
Newton 37, Shiloh 0
Newton’s Khalil Wilcox started the scoring with a 45-yard interception return for a touchdown, and the Rams converted the 2-point try on a rush by Adarius Thomas. Newton's Darnell Jefferies kept up the strong defensive showing with a 25-yard interception return for a score to put visiting Newton up 15-0 in the first quarter. Late in second, Elija Godwin found the end zone on a 48-yard rush. Tyrell Howard capped off the high-scoring first half with a 29-yard pass to Robert Lewis for a score making it 30-0 at halftime. Howard later threw a 9-yard touchdown to Jerrol Hines.
Parkview 56, Meadowcreek 25
After trailing 25-21 at the half, visiting Parkview scored 35 straight points for a 56-25 victory over Meadowcreek. Bryce Wilson struck first with a 10-yard pass to Miles Marshall on Parkview's first drive for a 7-0 lead, but Chauncey Williams scored back-to-back touchdowns to put Meadowcreek up 13-7. The teams traded rushing touchdowns for the rest of the first half (Marshall and Christian Malloy for the Panthers, Williams with two more for the Mustangs), but Meadowcreek failed to score again. Demetrius West and Malloy each ran for scores in the third, Malloy for 42 yards, and Parkview scored another 21 points in the fourth for a 56-25 final.
Peachtree Ridge 21, Duluth 12
Peachtree Ridge’s Jamari Jackson scored all three touchdowns as the Lions won at home. Jackson’s second touchdown was a 36-yard run with 10:38 left in the second quarter to make the score 14-6 in favor of the Lions. Duluth closed the gap with another touchdown to make it 14-12 Peachtree Ridge, but with 1:30 left in the game, Jackson sealed the win with his third touchdown.
South Forsyth 43, Forsyth Central 10
Drew Morris found Jared Honey for a 10-yard South Forsyth touchdown pass and Caleb Outlaw connected with Max Pehrson on the 2-point conversion to give the host War Eagles an 8-0 lead. Ben Kronz kicked a 27-yard field goal to put Forsyth Central on the board with 5:39 left in the half, but South Forsyth added three touchdowns in the final three minutes of the half to grow a 29-3 lead. Honey rushed for a 24-yard score, Louis Gonzalez added a 15-yard fumble return for a touchdown nine seconds later and Jack Pehrson closed the half with an interception and 65-yard return for a touchdown. Morris and Jalen Leak added touchdown runs in the fourth quarter.
Walton 42, Etowah 21
The Walton Raiders soundly defeated Etowah on the road to remain undefeated at 9-0. Etowah quarterback Patrick Ferris answered Austin Kirskey's 25-yard touchdown pass to Dominick Blaylock with a 54-yard run to tie it at 7-7, but rushing scores by Blaylock and D.J. Soyoye (3 and 7 yards) in the second put the Raiders up 21-7 at the half. Soyoye scored again in the third, and Kirksey's 26-yard touchdown pass to Blaylock kept the Raiders up big despite two touchdowns from Etowah. Kendall Alford's 3-yard run in the fourth gave the Raiders their final points.
West Forsyth 35, North Forsyth 16
West Forsyth’s offense had a strong performance against host North Forsyth. Zachary Burns scored two of the Wolverines' five touchdowns, rushing for touchdowns of 9 yards and 1 yard. Cade Vela rushed for a 64-yard touchdown and returned an interception 18 yards for a score. Ricky Zachoiski also had an interception for West Forsyth. With three minutes remaining in the third quarter, Ben Bresnahan caught a 20-yard screen pass for a touchdown.
Westlake 48, Wheeler 27
Wide Receivers Gabe Reeves and Adrian Bryant each scored for the visiting Lions, with Reeves scoring two touchdowns and one Bryant finding the end zone once. Running backs Gino Appleberry, Jajuan White and Darryl Nichols each rushed for one score. Westlake quarterbacks combined for three touchdown passes, with Caleb Dixon throwing two touchdowns and Jalyn Williams throwing one.
CLASS AAAAAA
Alpharetta 41, Dunwoody 0
Host Alpharetta defeated Dunwoody 41-0 to record its first shutout of the season. The Raiders
improved to 8-1 on the year and have not lost since a trip to Milton in Week 1. Matthew Downing threw three touchdown passes, two to Spencer Gaddis and one to Luke Estes. Nolan Edmonds tacked on two more touchdowns on the ground. Alpharetta wrapped up senior night in style and looks to cap off its season with its ninth-consecutive victory next week against Chattahoochee. Dunwoody falls to 2-7.
Centennial 45, Pope 17
Wide receiver Julian Nixon scored the Knights' first touchdown on a fake handoff that helped spring him for a 24-yard run. Running back Emeka Nwanze scored next for the Knights on a 5-yard touchdown run. The Knights then scored a 60-yard touchdown on a pass from quarterback Max Brosmer to wide receiver Blane Mason to make the Knights' lead 21-3. Later in the first half, Brosmer kept the ball for a 5-yard touchdown run. Brosmer and Mason connected for another touchdown, this one a 35-yard pass, to give Centennial a 35-17 lead in the third. Cal Dickie scored the Knights' final touchdown on a 15-yard rush midway through the fourth.
Chattahoochee 50, Northview 28
Within the first minute of the game, Chattahoochee’s Max Webb exploded for a 55-yard touchdown run. Quarterback Damon Stewart added to the lead with a 27-yard touchdown run and followed up with a 40-yard run for a score. Northview continued to struggle against the run, allowing Andrew Thomas to punch one in from 14 yards out for a score before the first half ended. Chattahoochee fumbled on its first two possessions of the second half but finished strong with three more scoring plays, including a 79-yard touchdown run by Thomas.
Dalton 38, South Cobb 0
Dalton took a 21-0 halftime lead and put the game out of reach in the second half. Quarterback J.P. Tighe scored first on a 1-yard run, giving Dalton a 7-0 lead. Tyis Love scored on a 3-yard run with 6:23 before halftime, giving the Catamounts a 14-0 lead. With 12 seconds left before halftime, Tighe found Yendry Cruz on a short pass to make it a 21-0 game. Grant Golberg put Dalton up 28-0 on an interception return with 3:57 left in the third. Ivan Mora hit a 44-yard field goal in the fourth, giving Dalton a 31-0 lead. With 5:35 left in the game, Tighe found Frazier on a 23-yard pass for the final points.
Douglas County 49, Creekside 7
Douglas County’s Braelen Oliver had a 4-yard rushing touchdown early in the first quarter. Marquise Collins added to the lead with a 1-yard rushing touchdown to put the Tigers up 14-0. Creekside continued to struggle against the run, allowing Uriah West to break through with a 25-yard touchdown rush in the second. Shortly after, Tigers quarterback J.J. Richards found receivers Xavier Gordon and Dariyan Wiley for touchdowns. With under a minute left in the half, Creekside scored its only points. Douglas County scored twice more on runs by Justin Franklin and Tireek Kimble.
Johns Creek 31, North Atlanta 20
Johns Creek held visiting North Atlanta scoreless until under two minutes to play in the third quarter. Nate Hope scored all four touchdowns for the Gladiators. In the first half, he scored on a pair of 1-yard runs to give the Gladiators a 14-0 lead. Luke Venco kicked a 38-yard field goal, sending Johns Creek into halftime with a 17-0 lead. Quarterback Sean Cooney connected with Hope for another pair of touchdowns in the third quarter, for 13 and 16 yards.
Tucker 62, Mt. Zion-Jonesboro 0
Tucker dominated in all three facets of the game en route to a shutout of visiting Mt. Zion-Jonesboro. Travon Ford threw three touchdown passes, Garen McKinney returned a blocked field goal 70 yards to the end zone, and the Tigers limited Mt. Zion to a mere 21 total yards of offense. David Davis rushed for two scores, Darick Stephenson had one touchdown and Isaiah Dunson, Josh Vann and Gerry Vaughn caught touchdowns from Ford.
CLASS AAAAA
Buford 49, Loganville 0
Visiting Buford got three touchdown runs from Michigan commit Christian Turner, who returned after six weeks out with injury. Turner had two short touchdown runs in the first quarter and a 9-yard scoring run in the second while finishing with 10 rushes for 78 yards. Anthony Grant had touchdown runs of 19 and 6 yards and rushed 12 times for 101 yards. Derrian Brown rushed five times for 96 yards including a 72-yard TD run. Quarterback Aaron McLaughlin passed for 144 yards and a 5-yard touchdown to Tyler Gillis. Buford scored 35 points and gained 336 yards in the first half.
Kell 21, Woodland-Cartersville 12
Kell quarterback Evan Conley connected with receiver Blake Simpson on a 9-yard pass for a touchdown early in the first quarter. Running back Dre Houston took over from there and led the Kell offense in the Longhorns' road win over Woodland. Houston rushed for 225 yards and found the end zone late in the third quarter. Conley found Simpson again in the middle of the fourth quarter for a 59-yard touchdown pass to solidify Kell's win.
Lithonia 14, Miller Grove 0
The Bulldogs offense was led by running back Rayshad Baldwin, who carried the ball 22 times and rushed for 163 yards and a touchdown. Kevah Bryant caught three passes for 101 yards and a touchdown. The Lithonia defense was strong, intercepting two passes to help hold Miller Grove scoreless.
Rome 49, East Paulding 14
Two early Jamious Griffin touchdown runs gave Rome a 14-0 lead, and a pair of Jalynn Sykes touchdown runs put the Wolves up 28-0. Just before halftime, Griffin added a 3-yard rushing touchdown to give Rome a 35-0 lead at the break. At 8:12 in the third quarter, Knox Kadum passed to Deandre McClinic for a 31-yard touchdown. Three minutes later, Stepheno Alston scored on a short rush to put Rome up 49-0.
Starr's Mill 37, Riverdale 19
Starr’s Mill improved to 8-1 on the season with a 37-19 road victory over Riverdale. The
Panthers enjoyed some relief on the defensive side of the ball by returning two injured starters; outside linebacker Ryan Cox missed six games, and safety Carson Walker made his season debut after suffering a broken leg in June. Starr’s Mill scored five touchdowns on the ground, including two each by Kalen Sims and Cole Gilley. Nick brown added a 4-yard TD run.
Whitewater 35, Fayette County 21
Visiting Whitewater took a 14-7 lead into the half after a Miles Montgomery rushing touchdown and a 51-yard touchdown strike from Maddox Mueller to Jamal Jenkins. Fayette County’s first touchdown came on an intercepted shovel pass by Karlen Samples that he returned for a score. Mueller opened the second half with a 36-yard touchdown pass to Jenkins and followed a 4-yard Kyris Barnett touchdown run with a 12-yard rushing score to make it 35-7. Fayette County’s JeKobe Coleman found Reggie Books (61 yards) and Cory Andrews (8 yards) for fourth-quarter scores.
CLASS AAAA
Marist 48, Chestatee 30
Second-quarter touchdown runs by Chase Abshier, Charlie Addicks and Ellis Pearson helped Marist pull away from visiting Chestatee. Abshier also tossed an 8-yard touchdown pass to Matthew Gwin and a 74-yarder to John Fitzpatrick. Chestatee was within 20-16 midway through the second quarter before things unraveled. Nick Lyles turned in a brilliant performance for the War Eagles with a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, a 25-yard scoring run and a pair of 2-yard touchdowns in the fourth quarter.
St. Pius 56, North Oconee 21
Samuel Schwaner rushed for 227 yards and three touchdowns—all in the first quarter—to lead St. Pius past visiting North Oconee. The Golden Lions gained 599 yards on the ground as a team while attempting only four passes, one of which was completed to Schwaner for 23 yards. Scott Braswell and Ted Wach each scored a pair of touchdowns for St. Pius, while Connor Egan rushed for 148 yards and found the end zone once. The Golden Lions scored the game’s first 35 points and led 35-7 at halftime.
Westminster 43, Towers 12
Joe Egan scored four touchdowns — all in the second and third quarters — to lead Westminster to a home win over Towers. Egan had a trio of touchdown runs and a 23-yard reception from Ward Croft. The Wildcats dominated in all three phases of the game. On special teams, Luke Jannetta opened the scoring with a 50-yard punt return and Charlie Ham booted a 54-yard field goal. The defense posted a shutout in the second half and Colin Gutzmer had an interception. Miles Davis also scored for Westminster, while Terry Dennis tossed two touchdown passes for Towers.
Woodward Academy 56, Druid Hills 13
Host Woodward Academy scored just 20 seconds into the game on a 60-yard touchdown pass from Mike Wright to Tahj Gary and added six rushing touchdowns before the half to hold a 49-0 advantage. After a scoreless third quarter, Druid Hills opened the final frame with back-to-back touchdown drives before Woodward Academy’s Banks Snelling hit Dacari Collins for a 53-yard touchdown for the game’s final score. Wright rushed for two touchdowns (49, 25 yards) in addition to his touchdown pass, and Cross Patton finished with three rushing touchdowns and a game-high 92 yards. Kimani Vidal scored on a 2-yard run that made it 35-0 early in the second quarter.
CLASS AAA
Cedar Grove 47, McNair 0
Cedar Grove's defense posted a shutout and returned two interceptions for touchdowns in a win over host McNair. Jadon Haselwood and Rashad Preston had interception returns for TDs for the Saints, and Haselwood also caught a touchdown from Xavier Dennis. Darrell Neal and Deante Maxwell scored on the ground, while Trevon Richardson had a touchdown catch. Cedar Grove led 20-0 after one quarter, 34-0 at the half and by the final 47-0 margin heading into the fourth quarter.
North Hall 31, East Hall 20
North Hall fumbled after taking its opening drive down to the Trojans’ 2-yard line, and East Hall quarterback Austin Parker capped off a 98-yard touchdown drive with a pass to Sedrion Morse. North Hall’s Cutter Sanford answered with a 68-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second quarter, and the Vikings took a 14-7 lead after a 1-yard touchdown run by Jack Brown with 3:21 left in the half. East Hall's Cambren Harrison tied it at 14-14 with a 1-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter, but touchdown runs by Daniel Jackson and David Seavey quickly put North Hall back up 28-14. Erin Sanchez made it a 31-14 lead with a 27-yard field goal in the fourth quarter before a late touchdown pass from Parker to Morse.
Pace Academy 17, Lovett 14
Pace Academy stormed back from a 14-0 deficit to overcome visiting Lovett. The Knights still trailed 14-3 at halftime before getting a three-yard touchdown run courtesy of Realus George and a 15-yard scoring strike from Jared Rayman to Jayden Thomas early in the fourth quarter. Lovett's K.J. Wallace had a touchdown called back due to a penalty on the ensuing kickoff return. The Lions got touchdown runs from Wallace and Nick Jackson.
CLASS AA
Thomasville 23, Brooks County 20
Thomasville overcame a 20-0 halftime deficit to save its undefeated season and stun the host Trojans. Trey Tillman sparked the comeback with a 4-yard touchdown run, but a missed extra points kept Brooks County’s lead at 20-6. Thomasville chipped away at the lead with a 24-yard Karl Blackmore field goal but did not score again until there was just 2:14 left in the game when J.T. Rice threw a 36-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Cochran. Thomasville failed the ensuing 2-point conversion that could have brought it within a field goal, but the Bulldogs recovered an onside kick with ample time left to complete the comeback. Tillman ran in the game’s winning touchdown with 1:08 left and Rice hit Tyler Knuckles for a 2-point conversion to cap off the 23 straight points.
CLASS A
Athens Academy 22, Commerce 7
The game got off to a rocky start; Commerce fumbled on the first play of the game and Athens Academy missed a field goal and opportunity to turn it into points. Drew Byus, however, made his next two kicks and the visiting Spartans took a 6-0 lead into the half. Commerce was held to just 98 yards of offense in the first half, all on the ground. Henry Trapnell extended the lead to 17-0 with 7:38 left in the third quarter, and then Commerce answered with its only touchdown to make it a 10-point game. Less than two minutes later, Len’Neth Whitehead ran in a 12-yard score to push the lead to 19-7. Byus added his third field goal in the fourth quarter from 35 yards. Athens Academy (9-0) will face Prince Avenue Christian (9-0) next week for the Region 8-A title.
Eagle’s Landing Christian 70, Mt. Vernon Presbyterian 0
Top-ranked Eagle’s Landing Christian accumulated 498 yards of offense and rushed for eight scores with a 12-yard-per-carry average. Khaleb Hood had a 72-yard punt return touchdown and Brayden Rush completed six of eight passes for 102 yards for the game’s non-rushing scores. Josh Mays ran in three of the Chargers’ touchdowns, and Keaton Mitchell took his five carries for a game-high 108 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
Fellowship Christian 35, King's Ridge 7
Merrick Haigler rushed 22 times for 164 yards and four touchdowns for the host Paladins, who moved back above .500 (5-4) with the home win. Fellowship quarterback Brooks Bryant was 11-of-15 passing for 203 yards with a touchdown to James Milhollin, who had 97 yards receiving on three catches. Casey Barham had the rest of the team's receiving yardage with 103 yards on eight catches.
Mt. de Sales 14, First Presbyterian 28
First Presbyterian quarterback Dalton Cox scored the host Vikings' first touchdown on a 1-yard run late in the first quarter. In the second, Cox found wide receiver Titus Moore for a 30-yard touchdown pass to extend the lead to 14-0. Cox threw another touchdown, this time a 12-yarder to WR Harrison Aulds early in the fourth. Moore ended the evening with a 30-yard touchdown run with just under three minutes left in the game to secure the Vikings' victory.
Prince Avenue Christian 49, Providence Christian 0
Quarterback Grant Roland rushed for two touchdowns and hit Christian Parrish for two more through the air as host Prince Avenue Christian cruised to its 35th-consecutive regular-season victory. Freshman quarterback Brock Vandagriff delivered Parrish’s third touchdown reception of the game on a 21-yard pass with 4:14 left in the third quarter that increased the lead to 42-0. J.J. Roberts rushed for a 2-yard touchdown, and Tyler Roberts closed the scoring with a 32-yard run less than a minute into the fourth quarter.
