Week 8 Friday Night Roundups

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Senior running back Cam Moore scored on a 7-yard run in the final moments of the game to seal a 23-7 Allatoona victory against host Harrison — its first win over the Hoyas in school history. The Buccaneers, who had lost to Harrison the previous two years (27-10 in 2017 and 43-19 in 2016) put up the only points of the first half on a 1-yard run by Daniel Parsons with 4:15 left in the first quarter. The Allatoona defense was a force throughout the game, holding Harrison to three-and-outs on both of its possessions of the first quarter and closing out the second with a sack by Harrison Christian. Quarterback Danté Marshall completed passes to Jaylan Williams and Asante Das before running the ball in himself for a 14-0 lead midway through the third, but the Buccaneers couldn’t capitalize on another Harrison three-and-out on the ensuing possession, and David Roberts scored in the final minute of the frame on a 9-yard run to cut the lead in half. The Buccaneers looked poised to score again when Parsons ran the ball from the Allatoona 20 to the Harrison 39 on the first possession of the fourth quarter before Marshall’s pass was picked off, forcing the defense to step up again. After yet another three-and-out for the Hoyas, Jade Kelley kicked a 46-yard field goal to put Allatoona up 17-7 before Moore’s touchdown padded the final.

Class AAAAAAA

North Gwinnett 50, Mill Creek 25

Looking to extend its win streak to three, North Gwinnett battled Gwinnett County rival Mill Creek at home. On the first play of the game, the Bulldogs wasted no time with a Tyler Goodson 75-yard touchdown run. Jr Martin found Josh Downs for a touchdown to go up 14-0. Mill Creek cut into the deficit after Chancellor Lee-Parker took it to the house on a 27-yard score. The Hawks tied the game on another Lee-Parker touchdown run, but North Gwinnett scored two straight before half for a 29-14 lead. Mill Creek added a field goal in the third before North Gwinnett responded with a Goodson touchdown for a 36-17 lead. Mill Creek made it a two-possession game on an early fourth-quarter touchdown run by Baxley Harris but the comeback was not to be; North Gwinnett added two late scores for a 50-25 final. Chancellor became only the fourth Hawk with over 1000 career rushing yards after putting up 141 first-half yards in the loss.

North Cobb 47, Kennesaw Mountain 13

Kennesaw Mountain struck first with a long touchdown pass but would go on to give up 34 straight points to the Warriors. With 6:38 left in the first, Senior running back Christian Singleton rushed four yards into the end zone to kick off his stellar night. Before the first quarter could end, Singleton rushed twice more into the end zone to make it a 21-7 game. The second quarter was more of the same with Singleton rushing 35 yards into the end zone for a score, then catching a 13-yard touchdown pass with just :20 left in the half. Kennesaw Mountain managed to put six more points on the board in the third, but two touchdowns from the Warriors in the fourth kept them well ahead of the Mustangs. Singleton ended his night with 255 rushing yards.

Walton 38, Lassiter 24

Walton was quick to get on the board when Senior receiver Dominick Blaylock rushed into the end zone to gain the early lead. Shortly after, Blaylock scored again off a screen pass from Kirksey. With 1:13 left in the quarter, Senior running back DJ Soyoye rushed into the end zone to extend Walton’s lead to 21. Walton closed out their first-half scoring with a field goal from Jack Westbrock paired with a 29-yard touchdown catch by Senior Kendall Alford. Lassiter scored 17 unanswered points in the third, but a third touchdown by Blaylock in the fourth secured the 38-24 game for the Raiders.

Mountain View 42, Discovery 20

Mountain View RB Davian Criss put in an elite performance Friday night, rushing for four touchdowns and 247 yards on 20 carries. Both Criss and Discovery RB Kobe Johnson accounted for two touchdowns in the first half, which gridlocked both teams at 14. Mountain View then completed a successful 42-yard Hail Mary from Luke Hennebaul to Tommy Stewart in the closing seconds of the first half for a 21-14 lead. Mountain View’s offense proved to be too much in the second half, which started with an 80-yard, 8-play drive that was capped off by a third rushing touchdown from Davian Criss. Discovery had to rely on field goals to chip away at Mountain View’s lead but was unable to prevent Enoch Walters from scoring on an 18-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter and Criss from completing a 20-yard touchdown run—his fourth score of the night—with just under three minutes remaining in the game.

Marietta 36, North Paulding 14

Marietta was first on the board with a 42-yard touchdown pass from Junior quarterback Harrison Bailey to Junior Arik Gilbert. Bailey connected with Gilbert again early in the second on a 35-yard touchdown pass to extend the Blue Devils lead to 14. North Paulding cut into the lead with a rushing score shortly after, but Bailey and Gilbert were quick to offset the score with a 26-yard touchdown. On the last play of the first half, Bailey took a deep shot and found Gilbert yet again for a 51-yard hail mary to give the tight end his fourth touchdown of the night. Junior BJ Ojulari rushed the ball in for a successful 2-point conversion to go up 29-7 at the half. After a scoreless third, North Paulding scored their second touchdown, but a fifth and final touchdown pass from Bailey to Gilbert safely put the game away. Bailey ended the night with 480 passing yards and 5 touchdowns that all went to Gilbert, who racked up 17 receptions and 295 yards during the duo’s superb outing.

Milton 41, West Forsyth 0

Milton quarterback Jordan Yates accounted for four touchdowns — two running, two passing — as host Milton shut out West Forsyth. Dylan Leonard caught both touchdowns from Yates, for 29 yards in the second quarter and 20 yards in the third. Leonard led Milton with 91 yards receiving. Yates rushed for a touchdown of 3 yards in the second quarter and 19 yards in the third, finishing as Milton’s leading rusher with 83 yards on 11 attempts. He was 14-of-20 passing for 156 yards. Milton’s first two scores came on defense; Jordan Davis returned a West Forsyth fumble 45 yards for a touchdown, and Nasier Currie-Sudler covered a blocked West Forsyth punt in the end zone to make it 13-0 after the first quarter.

Class AAAAAA

Sequoyah 44, River Ridge 0

The Sequoyah Chiefs dominated at home, defeating visiting River Ridge with a lockdown performance on defense and four scores on the ground. Quarterback Collier Pecht was responsible for two first-quarter touchdowns — a 5-yard keeper and a 49-yard completion to Myles McGee — and both Jaden Mitchell and Cole Jacobs had rushing scores in the second. Christian Kirby’s fumble recovery in the endzone accounted for Sequoyah’s second forced turnover of the half (Jaden Mitchell had an interception in the first quarter) and the remaining 7 points of the 35-0 Chiefs lead at halftime. Jason Campbell added a 26-yard field goal in the third before a 36-yard Jaden Mitchell run in the fourth capped off the 44-0 Sequoyah victory.

Johns Creek 52, Pope Greyhounds 13

The first touchdown of the night came from Johns Creek, courtesy of a 35-yard pass from Zach Gibson to Giovanni Dyer with 10:36 to go in the first quarter. On the following possession Zach Owens put Pope on the board for six with a 31-yard run, but the extra point attempt was no good. Five minutes later Johns Creek’s Nate Hope scored off a 21-yard run. Less than a minute later, Joseph Stellmach ran seventy-five yards into the endzone to bring the score to 14-13 in favor of the Gladiators. After a tight first quarter, Johns Creek’s offense took full control of the game. The Gladiators scored four touchdowns in the second quarter, three of which were passes from Gibson. Gibson connected with Quincy Darnell on two consecutive touchdowns, beginning with a 6-yard pass with 11:51 to go, and a 43-yard pass three minutes later. Dalton Pearson scored the following two touchdowns — the first one off a pass from Gibson for 24 yards with 4:51 to go, and the second one off a 43-yard pass from Yong Min Lee with just thirty-one seconds remaining in the half. After two quarters Johns Creek was up 48-0. Gibson threw his third touchdown pass of the evening with 6:06 to go in the third when he connected with Matthew Casey for 27 yards. Johns Creek’s Brian Proctor completed a field goal with 11:45 left in the fourth quarter.

Lanier 38, Winder-Barrow 20

Lanier held a 31-0 halftime lead and 38-7 advantage midway through the third quarter before pulling quarterback Zach Calzada, who threw two touchdowns in the second quarter and one in the third. Calzada found Jahkai Richardson (12 yds) and Cole Thornton (2 yds) for second-quarter scores and Zach Charles (29 yds) in the third, finishing with 251 yards passing. Visiting Lanier held a 7-0 lead after the first quarter thanks to a 2-yard touchdown rush from Taj Barnes, and Nahil Perkins recovered a fumble for a touchdown in the second quarter after a bad Winder-Barrow punt snap. Barnes carried the ball 15 times for 72 yards.

Northside-Warner Robins 30, Coffee 20

After trailing 7-6 following the first quarter, Northside outscored Coffee 17-0 in the second on a scoring spurt fueled by an interception return by Kentrez Anthony. The Eagles defense forced another turnover in the quarter — on an interception from William McCall — and rode the momentum to a 23-7 lead at halftime. Coffee cut into the lead with a short run from A.J. Wilkerson but the 2-point conversion failed, leaving it a 10-point game (23-13). Northside pushed the lead to 30-13 a minute later on a 54-yard touchdown pass from Jadin Daniels to Keuntae Stewart with 5 minutes left in the third quarter. Stifling defense to open the fourth quarter forced a Coffee turnover on downs inside the 5-yard line, but a fumble on the next series was returned 29-yards by Keyshawn Davis to cut into the lead 30-20. Anthony’s second interception, with 4 minutes left, kept Coffee at bay.

Cambridge 40, Northview 21

Cambridge defeated Northview in a road win thanks to strong offensive performances from Phillip-Michael Collins and Ridge Polk. Collins scored the first touchdown of the evening off an 8-yard rush with about two minutes to go in the first quarter. Northview’s William Caylor scored off a rush early in the second, but Cambridge’s Josh Bodunrin picked off a pass and took it to the endzone for 46-yard return later in the quarter. Collins scored on a 2-yard rush with under a minute left in the half. The extra point attempt was no good, and Cambridge led 20-7 heading into the third. Ridge Polk scored on a 15-yard rush and Northview’s Beau Lark scored off a 1-yard rush for a score of 27-14 after three quarters. Collins scored his third touchdown early in the fourth with a 10-yard rush. Cambridge attempted to go for two but failed to convert. Two minutes later Northview scored its final touchdown on a pass from Lark to Jonathan Baker. Polk scored his second touchdown five minutes later.

Centennial 41, Chattahoochee 22

Chattahoochee scored first, but Centennial was up 14-7 to end the first quarter thanks to a 55-yard rushing touchdown from Cal Dickie and a 27-yard touchdown pass from Max Brosmer to Richard Shaw. A 34-yard field goal from Chattahoochee’s Ryan Rigsbee with eight minutes left in the second brought the score to 14-10 in favor of Centennial. Four minutes later Brosmer connected with Shaw for his second touchdown. On the following possession, Chattahoochee’s Damon Stewart found Jordan Palmer for a 35-yard touchdown pass. On the next Centennial possession, Dickie rushed 37 yards to the endzone with a minute to go. Chattahoochee returned the favor with a 6-yard touchdown rush from Stewart. Chattahoochee missed the extra point and the score was 28-22 in favor of Centennial to end the half. The rest of the game belonged to Centennial. With nine minutes left in the third Cal Dickie scored his third touchdown with a 3-yard rush. Six minutes later Brosmer found Shaw for a 7-yard touchdown pass. The fourth quarter saw another Brosmer to Shaw touchdown pass, this time for sixty-three yards.

Class AAAAA

Buford 55, Cedar Shoals 6

Buford traveled to Athens to battle the Cedar Shoals Jaguars after a dominating home win last week, and the Wolves picked up right where they left off. Jamarcus Issac snagged a pick-six on the Jags opening drive before Buford extended its lead on an Aaron McLaughlin 36-yard touchdown pass to T Lee. A Derrian Brown run gave the Wolves a three-score advantage at the end of first, and McLaughlin connected with Austin Turner on a 10-yard touchdown pass on Buford’s first second-quarter possession to go up 28-0. Buford then recovered a Jaguar fumble and made another charge — this one ending on a 28-yard touchdown run by Elijah Turner. Brown found the end zone again late in the quarter to add to the rout for a 41-0 lead at halftime.

Carrollton 47, Woodland-Cartersville 20

Kashif Taylor threw a 41-yard touchdown pass to Kaleb Thomason and Trent Lane rushed for a 10-yard score to put Carrollton up 14-0 in the first quarter. The visiting Trojans added to their lead in the opening minute of the second quarter with the first of Brandon Marenco’s four touchdown runs. Woodland-Stockbridge quarterback Jakob Foss found Justice Carter and Titus Jones for touchdowns before the half, but Marenco’s second rushing touchdown of the quarter kept Carrollton up 28-14. After going through the air for Carrollton’s first touchdown, Taylor ran in a 2-yard score midway through the third quarter before Marenco returned to the end zone to give the Trojans a 41-14 edge. Ross connected with Jones again for a 42-yard touchdown with 1:17 left in the third. Marenco’s fourth touchdown run provided the only points of the final frame.

Kell 47, Villa Rica 7

Kell was first to score with a 6-yard rushing touchdown by Junior Ebony Jackson. Later that quarter, a 16-yard pass from Senior quarterback Evan Conley to Junior Cam Ball put Kell up 13-0 after a missed extra point. Conley hit Ball again for a 12-yard touchdown pass to end the first quarter. Conley threw two more touchdowns in the second to Bailey Avey and Jamal Hill to go up 35-0 at the half. Conley tossed his fifth touchdown of the game in the third with a 23-yard sling to Hill once more for the score. Kell ended their scoring spree just before the close of the third quarter when Sophomore Miykayah Vinson return a kick 45 yards for the score.

Class AAAA

Flowery Branch 69, Chestatee 13

It only took three passes for the Flowery Branch Falcons to score its first touchdown of the night — a 25-yard pass from QB Elijah Gainey to WR Jalin Strown. The two players connected for another touchdown — a 45-yard catch and run — later in the first quarter. The Falcons continued to pile it on for the remainder of the first half, scoring 35 unanswered points to take a 48-0 lead into halftime. Gainey was nearly perfect in the first half, completing 12-16 passes for 336 yards and five touchdowns. WR DJ Brown caught three scores of 43, 75, and 17 yards, respectively; all of which came in the second quarter. Flowery Branch RB Zarian Brawner scored a rushing touchdown in the second quarter (after DJ Brown’s first touchdown) then tossed a lateral to Strown on a punt return for a Flowery Branch special teams touchdown late in the second quarter. Brawner scored on a 55-yard rushing touchdown on the first play of the third quarter to extend the Falcons’ lead to 55-0. Flowery Branch returned an interception for a touchdown early in the fourth, then responded with a kickoff return touchdown after Chestatee’s only touchdown of the night.

Class AAA

Jefferson 35, Hart County 7

Host Jefferson (6-1) outscored Hart County 28-0 in the second half to close out its sixth-straight win. The Dragons got on the board with a Paxton Corkery 6-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, but Hart County’s Luke Lee answered with a 63-yard touchdown pass to Crew Phillips to even the halftime score 7-7. Donsha Gaither added the go-ahead score on a 4-yard run and cashed in an 11-yard rushing touchdown to put Jefferson up 21-7 entering the final frame. Carter Stephenson hit Zac Corbin for a 22-yard touchdown pass with 1:44 left, and following Hart County’s turnover on the next possession, Jacob Thompson capped the scoring with a 25-yard run.

Lovett 43, Stone Mountain 14

Lovett dominated the game from the start, scoring four touchdowns before Stone Mountain was able to get on the board. Lovett star QB Blaine McAllister scored the Lions first two touchdowns himself, running the ball in from inside the 10-yard line during the first quarter both times. Lions wideout KJ Wallace scored Lovett’s third touchdown on an end-around play from the 9-yard line early in the second. McAllister’s only passing touchdown of the night came on a 40-yard strike to Nick Jackson with six minutes left in the first half. Stone Mountain responded with a long touchdown pass and successful 2-point conversion on the next drive, but gave up a 7-yard rushing touchdown to Lovett’s Aiden Camillo with less than a minute to go to give the Lions a 35-8 lead at halftime. Neither team scored again until late in the third quarter, when Stone Mountain scored another touchdown but missed its 2-point try. Lovett’s John Russ a 3-yard rushing touchdown with five minutes to go in the fourth to put the game away for good.

Calhoun 61, Adairsville 0

Calhoun took a 21-0 lead after the first quarter and pushed it to 47-0 at the half to outclass Adairsville. The game featured a running clock in the second half. Zack Fuller scored on runs of 46, 11 and three yards. Brannon Spector caught a 20-yard touchdown pass from Gavin Gray. Jonkell Toldbert scored on a three-yard run. Luke Moseley scored on a 26-yard pass from Gray. Julian Ipac scored on a 1-yard run. Backup quarterback Jake Morrow passed to Cedric Lacey for a 56-yard touchdown and Jerrian Hames scored on a 16-yard run.

Benedictine 37, Windsor Forest 12

Host Benedictine kicked a field goal and used a 35-yard Connor Morgan touchdown run to go up 10-0. The lead increased to 16-0 early in the third quarter with a 3-yard Jakeen Harris touchdown run (and failed PAT). Windsor Forest quarterback Eric Phoenix answered with two touchdown passes in the third quarter, but 2-yard touchdown run by Benedictine’s Rico Powers (also in the third) kept the Cadets in front 23-12 heading into the final frame. Harris returned to the end zone with a 1-yard touchdown run with 8:35 left and teammate James Epps ran in a 14-yard touchdown for the final tally.

Class AA

Callaway 45, Lamar County 6

Callaway opened up a 21-0 first quarter lead over the host Trojans with two Jacob Freeman touchdown runs (50, 7) and a 71-yard rushing score by Cartavius “Tank” Bigsby. Demetrius Coleman connected with Jymere Jones on an 11-yard touchdown midway through the second quarter and Freeman tossed a 15-yard touchdown to Drelin Potts on the final play of the half to build the lead to 35-0. The Cavaliers added a 37-yard field goal before Lamar County got on the board late in the third quarter and LaQuize Gilbert iced the game in the fourth with a 58-yard touchdown run.

Class A

Savannah Christian 24, Calvary Day 21

Savannah Christian’s Noah Chumley provided the only points of the first half with a field goal late in the first quarter. Calvary Day took a 7-3 lead after a Thomas Carver 3-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, but the Raiders answered with a touchdown drive that was capped off by Markell Brown’s 5-yard run to put Savannah Christian up 10-7 entering the final frame.before Calvary Day’s desperate comeback attempt. Spencer Robicheauex found sophomore Omar Burroughs for a 25-yard touchdown and Jordan Grant ran in the 7-yard score to build the lead 24-7 with 4:23 before Calvary Day began its desperate comeback attempt. Carver hit Nyair Grant for a 48-yard touchdown with 3:30 left and the Cavs returned to the end zone at 2:21 with a 3-yard touchdown pass from Carver to Jay Weatherington. Calvary Day failed to recover its onside kick attempt, but had two timeouts left to stop the clock. Savannah Christian was forced to punt with 56 seconds of clock before the rally fell in defeat. With the win, Savannah Christian snapped a 3-game losing streak to the rival Cavs and defeated their Region 3 rival for just the second time in seven tries.

Wesleyan 34, Mount Vernon 19

Wesleyan opened the game with a long drive that resulted in a 2-yard touchdown run from Luke Carroll. Mt. Vernon responded with a touchdown only for Wesleyan to counter with a touchdown pass from QB JC French to WR Micah Smith right before halftime to give the Wolves a 13-7 lead. The Wolves defense stopped Mt. Vernon on fourth down, which set up French to throw a long touchdown pass—his second of the night—to Cooper Blauser for a 21-7 lead early in the 3rd. The Mustangs made it a 21-13 game until Weselyan’s Josh Aspinwall came up with a pick-6 to extend the Wolves’ lead to 27-13 late in the 3rd quarter. Mt. Vernon started the 4th by scoring a long touchdown to make the score 27-19. and was driving down the field another until an interception by Wesleyan DB JD Kavel stopped their momentum. French threw his third and final touchdown pass of the night to RB Jackson Turner to cap the Wesleyan drive and secure the victory.