Round 1 Playoffs - Cobb County

ajc.com

Credit: Stephen Black - Score Atlanta

Credit: Stephen Black - Score Atlanta

Darlington 20, Walker 6

How the game was won: Darlington held Walker to 54 total yards in the first half and under 100 yards until late in the fourth quarter when Walker scored its only touchdown of the game. Darlington led 10-0 at halftime.

Top performers: Tailbacks Mason Tant (13 yds) and Tijai Whatley (5 yds) rushed for touchdowns, and Sam Berry hit field goals of 30 and 40 yards. Darlington defensive lineman Elijah Ball intercepted a Walker pass in Wolverines territory to set up Whatley's third-quarter touchdown.

Harrison 45, Gainesville 24

How the game was won: It wasn't until an 18-yard touchdown run by Harrison quarterback Justin Fields in the third quarter that Harrison took its first lead of the game (17-14). Chris Kalafut cushioned the lead with a 2-yard touchdown run minutes later and Darius Clark added a pair of rushing Harrison touchdowns to run away with the game. The Hoyas outscored Gainesville 35-10 in the second half.

Top performers: Justin Fields led Harrison with 166 passing yards and 107 rushing yards off of 24 carries. Darius Clark finished with a team-high 199 rushing yards off of 17 carries.

Lowndes 92, Hillgrove 61

How the game was won: Lowndes and Hillgrove combined to set a new state record for most combined points (153). Host Lowndes put up 28 points in the first and second quarters to build a 56-33 halftime lead. Hillgrove quarterback Hunter Arters threw the Hawks' first three touchdowns and ran in a 2-yard touchdown with 10:04 left in the half to bring Hillgrove within one point (28-27). Lowndes exploded the lead back to 56-27 before Arters added his fourth touchdown pass of the first half to cut the lead to 56-33. Jaylen McCollough opened the third quarter with a Hillgrove touchdown (56-40) and Arters added two touchdown passes to Chigoziem Okonkwo to bring the deficit to 56-54. Lowndes finally got on the board in the quarter with Michael Barrett's third passing touchdown and sixth touchdown of the game to push the lead to 63-54. Lowndes poured on a 29-7 scoring edge in the fourth quarter to clinch a 31-point victory over an opponent that scored 61 points.

Top performers: Lowndes quarterback Michael Barrett completed 15-of-24 passes for 240 yards, four touchdowns and an interception. Barrett also tallied a game-high 188 rushing yards and three touchdowns off 18 carries. Teammate Travis Tisdale added 134 rushing yards and three touchdowns to Lowndes' 596 total yards of offense. Tyson Harris caught eight passes for 133 yards and three touchdowns. Hillgrove quarterback Hunter Arters completed 37 of 66 passes for 503 yards, seven touchdowns and four interceptions, while adding a rushing touchdown. Chigoziem Okonkow led Hillgrove with 12 catches for 235 yards and three touchdowns.

McEachern 35, Lassiter 10

Cherokee 45, Wheeler 21