Top performances of Week 9: Cambridge’s Taylor sparks big region win

Cambridge's Will Taylor (2) runs the ball during a GHSA high school football game between Cambridge High School and Johns Creek High School in Johns Creek, Ga. on Friday, October 15, 2021. (Photo/Jenn Finch)

Credit: Jenn Finch

Credit: Jenn Finch

Cambridge's Will Taylor (2) runs the ball during a GHSA high school football game between Cambridge High School and Johns Creek High School in Johns Creek, Ga. on Friday, October 15, 2021. (Photo/Jenn Finch)

Cambridge had lots of heroes last week in its 48-47 victory over Johns Creek, which put the Bears alone in first place of Region 7-6A in the quest for their first region title.

Ian Chaffin set up two touchdowns with long kickoff returns, Zach Harris threw four TD passes and scored the winning touchdown, and Brooks Morley blocked the extra point that sealed the overtime win.

But one Bear’s voice was clear above the den: Will Taylor, a junior wide receiver, had a career night, catching 10 balls for 130 yards and three touchdowns. Taylor recovered a critical onside kick to help rally his team from a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter.

Top five

*Cambridge WR Will Taylor had 10 receptions for 130 yards and three touchdowns in a 48-47 overtime victory over Johns Creek. Taylor also recovered an onside kick to help rally his team from a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter.

*Darlington QB Patrick Shelley rushed for 129 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries, was 10-of-16 passing for 143 yards and a touchdown and caught a 52-yard TD pass in a 28-24 victory over Christian Heritage. Shelley scored on a 7-yard run with 31 seconds left for the lead and intercepted a pass for the clincher.

*Duluth QB Lonnie Ratcliff IV was 15-of-19 passing for 407 yards and seven touchdowns – playing only the first half – in a 64-12 victory over Lakeside of Atlanta.

*North Cobb LB Joshua Josephs had 15 solo tackles, four for losses, and a QB hurry in a 51-29 victory over Walton.

*Ware County RB Cartevious Norton rushed for 105 yards on 21 carries and had two receptions for 97 yards in a 29-21 victory over Warner Robins.

Best of the rest

*Benedictine DE Alijah Alexander had five solo tackles, three tackles for 11 yards in losses and a 7-yard sack in a 56-7 victory over South Effingham.

*Brooks County RB Omari Arnold rushed for 209 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries in a 42-7 victory over Charlton County.

*Calvary Day DL Trey Simmons had eight solo tackles, three tackles for losses and a sack in a 21-0 victory over Savannah Christian.

*Carver of Atlanta RB Jarveous Brown rushed for 219 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries and caught two passes for 52 yards and a touchdown in the first half of a 56-0 victory over Douglass.

*Carver of Columbus RB Jaiden Credle rushed for 201 yards and three touchdowns on 17 carries and caught two passes for 94 yards and a touchdown in a 36-0 victory over Troup.

*Cass WR/DB Sacovie White had three receptions for 60 yards and a touchdown, two carries for 40 yards and a touchdown and nine tackles in a 34-24 victory over Hiram.

*Cedar Grove freshman QB E.J. Colston Jr. was 6-of-6 passing for 191 yards and a touchdown and scored a touchdown in a 63-0 victory over Salem.

*Cedartown RB Harlem Diamond scored on all three of his rushing attempts, totaling 97 yards, and had four tackles in a 50-6 victory over Ridgeland.

*Chattooga RB Lashaun Lester rushed for 220 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries in a 28-13 victory over Dade County. It was the fifth 200-yard rushing game of Lester’s career.

*Christian Heritage QB Christian Thomas threw for 243 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 77 yards and a touchdown in a 28-24 loss to Darlington.

*Clarke Central WR Eli Warrington had seven receptions for 155 yards and three touchdowns in a 76-34 victory over Greenbrier.

*Clinch County RB Amazi Williams scored six touchdowns and rushed for 149 yards on 12 carries in a 42-6 victory over Atkinson County.

*Coffee LB Tre Landers, playing only the first half, had three solo tackles, five assists and an interception returned 25 yards for a touchdown in a 48-0 victory over Wayne County.

*Collins Hill WR Cam Pedro had five receptions for 120 yards and two touchdowns in a 35-7 victory over North Gwinnett.

*Colquitt County QB Neko Fann was 16-of-27 passing for 277 yards and three touchdowns, one a 10-yarder to Dextra Polite Jr. in the first overtime, in a 34-31 victory over Camden County.

*Cook WR Eddie Watson had eight receptions for 161 yards and scored his team’s touchdowns in a 28-13 loss to Thomasville.

*Creekside DB B.J. Cowart had five tackles and returned an interception for a touchdown in a 41-0 victory over Banneker.

*Duluth WR Evan Thomas had five receptions for 168 yards and three touchdowns in a 64-12 victory over Lakeside of Atlanta.

*Dunwoody RB Cal Wichman rushed for 209 yards on 32 carries in a 41-20 loss to Meadowcreek.

*Etowah PK Carson Allen kicked field goals of 21 and 42 yards and was 3-for-3 on touchbacks in a 14-13 loss to Cherokee.

*Fitzgerald LB E.J. Lightsey had a touchdown, 10 tackles, a sack, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery in a 28-13 victory over Worth County.

*Grayson DB Michael Daugherty had nine tackles, four tackles for losses, two sacks and a QB hurry in a 28-21 victory over Parkview.

*Greenbrier QB Brooks Pangle was 30-of-52 passing for 469 yards and four touchdowns in a 76-34 loss to Clarke Central.

*Haralson County DE Ethan Bell had 10 tackles, one sack, five QB pressures, one forced fumble and a blocked punt in a 49-14 victory over Temple.

*Harris County WR K.D. Hutchinson caught six passes for 193 yards and three touchdowns in a 48-24 victory over McIntosh.

*Heritage of Newnan WR Malachi Townsend had 12 receptions for 179 yards in a 28-21 loss to Landmark Christian.

*Jenkins RB Joshua Pridgeon rushed for 168 yards and three touchdowns on 18 carries in a 39-8 victory over Beach.

*Johns Creek QB Kyle Durham was 15-of-25 passing for 379 yards and five touchdowns and scored a touchdown in a 48-47 loss to Cambridge.

*LaFayette PK Jacob Brown kicked field goals of 52 and 42 yards in a 27-14 victory over Coahulla Creek. The 52-yarder was a school record.

*Lakeside of Evans RB/FS Temarcus Elam rushed for 150 yards and two touchdowns, had a 15-yard reception and had five tackles in a 37-29 loss to Evans.

*Lambert QB James Tyre was 12-of-16 passing for 182 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 86 yards on 10 carries in a 26-7 victory over North Forsyth.

*Landmark Christian WR/DB Tobias Lewis caught four passes for 76 yards and two touchdowns, broke up two passes and made three tackles in a 28-21 victory over Heritage of Newnan.

*Lithonia RB Delano Jean-Jaques rushed for 255 yards and three touchdowns on 10 carries in a 70-13 victory over Northview.

*Long County RB Ahmari Douglas rushed for 193 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries in a 28-19 victory over Brantley County.

*Lowndes QB Jacurri Brown was 14-of-19 passing for 263 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for a team-leading 50 yards in a 26-7 victory over Tift County.

*Macon County DT Pier Barron had four tackles for losses, three sacks and two QB hurries in a 42-14 victory over Greenville.

*Meadowcreek WR Keshaun Singleton had five receptions for 160 yards and two touchdowns in a 41-20 victory over Dunwoody.

*Metter DB Danny Cheley blocked a kick, recovered a fumble and intercepted a pass in a 28-6 victory over McIntosh County Academy.

*Montgomery County QB Bo Davidson was 17-of-17 passing for 336 yards and two touchdowns in a 42-20 victory over Telfair County.

*Mount Vernon WR Jonathan Gallinaro had seven receptions for 208 yards and five touchdowns in a 48-6 victory over Providence Christian.

*Mundy’s Mill RB Jerrick Gibson rushed for 202 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries in a 51-15 victory over Forest Park.

*Norcross LB Jonathan Mathis had seven first hits, one behind the line, forced and recovered a fumble and broke up two passes in a 35-6 victory over Discovery.

*Oglethorpe County RB Nate Brown rushed for 170 yards and three touchdowns, broke up four passes and intercepted a pass in a 37-22 victory over Josey.

*Pebblebrook WR Craig Adams had eight receptions for 137 yards and a touchdown in a 31-14 victory over Campbell.

*Perry WR/TE Daequan Wright had seven receptions for 150 yards and a touchdown in a 32-0 victory over West Laurens.

*Pinecrest Academy QB Breckin Barbee was 9-of-10 passing for 164 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 30 yards and a score in a 49-12 victory over Notre Dame Academy.

*Prince Avenue Christian QB Aaron Philo threw six TD passes and was 16-of-17 passing for 318 yards in a 61-0 victory over George Walton Academy.

*Rabun County WR Jaden Gibson had 11 receptions for 236 yards and two touchdowns in a 63-0 victory over Banks County.

*River Ridge TE Jackson Head had nine receptions for 116 yards and two touchdowns and scored a two-point conversion in a 28-27 victory over Centennial.

*Rockmart RB JoJo Haynes rushed for 178 yards and three touchdowns on six carries and caught an 11-yard TD pass in a 72-0 victory over Murray County.

*South Forsyth LB/RB Maverick Schippmann had six tackles, four tackles for losses, two sacks and a forced fumble in a 17-9 victory over Gainesville.

*Southeast Bulloch DB Enosh McMillian had six solo tackles and four assists and returned an interception 80 yards for a touchdown in a 36-15 victory over Johnson of Savannah.

*Southwest DeKalb DB/RB Billy Johnson scored three touchdowns – one rushing, one returning a fumble and one returning an interception – in a 48-0 victory over Stone Mountain. Johnson rushed for 90 yards and had three solo tackles and three assists.

*Thomasville RB Malik Harper rushed for 238 yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries in a 28-13 victory over Cook.

*Thomson LB Quinshawn Hearst had 10 solo tackles, four assists, one tackle for a loss, a recovered fumble and interception in the end zone in a 27-14 victory over Burke County.

*Vidalia QB Bryce Davis was 11-of-18 passing for three touchdowns and rushed for 107 yards and four touchdowns on 16 carries in a 50-21 victory over East Laurens. Davis also punted for a 39.0-yard average.

*Villa Rica RB Ty McKey rushed for 158 yards and three touchdowns on 14 carries in a 33-30 victory over Lithia Springs.

*Walton RB Sutton Smith rushed for 128 yards and three touchdowns on 27 carries In a 51-29 loss to North Cobb.

*Wesleyan LB Trent DeBow had 12 tackles and a fumble recovery in a 34-0 victory over Hebron Christian.

*Wheeler County DE Tee Jay Wilcox had 15 tackles in a 26-20 overtime victory over Johnson County.

*Wilcox County QB Abe Stowe was 22-of-33 passing for 254 yards and four touchdowns in a 25-14 victory over Dooly County.

Lines of distinction

*Cartersville’s offensive line of left tackle Johnathan Cline, left guard Jaden Akins, center Luke Surrett, right guard D.J. Hill, right tackle Shadre Hurst and tight ends Connor Brasfield, Jalen Scott and Nasir Grandberry allowed no sacks, recorded 17 knockdown blocks and paved the way for 441 total yards in a 49-21 victory over Blessed Trinity. Amari White rushed for 156 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries and caught a 32-yard TD pass.

*Chamblee’s offensive line of Miller Meeks, Zack Smith, Jacob Pickett, Jack Hawkins and Liam Armstrong cleared a path to 446 total yards and seven touchdowns on 37 plays in a 55-6 victory over East Forsyth. Fabian Walker threw five TD passes.

*Cherokee Bluff’s offensive line of Keller Atkinson, Mateo Guevara, Parker Waldrop, Pedro Artega and Jacob Benjamin with tight end Ryan Graves cleared the way for 331 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 24 carries (and 416 total yards and seven touchdowns on 32 snaps) in a 55-8 victory over Lumpkin County. JayQuan Smith rushed for 166 yards on six carries.

*Commerce’s offensive line of Lambdin Hardy, Mason Gaddis, Brayton Purcell, Hampton Hutto and Joey Duncan with tight end Colton Hill launched two 100-yard rushers – Jaiden Daniels (138) and Malachi Shockey (111) – in a 30-0 victory over Franklin County. Commerce finished with 345 yards rushing on 54 attempts.

*Harrison’s offensive line of Nick Springer, Garrett Clere, Gavin Gnagey, Austin Nobis and Bo Richey with tight ends Nick Charles and Ryan Sutton helped produce 526 total yards – 271 rushing, 255 passing – without allowing a sack in a 45-28 victory over North Paulding. Akhnaton Shabazz rushed for 110 yards.

*Lovett’s offensive line of William Stimmel, Will Abney, James Wahl, M.J. Greentree, Grant Ewing, Stevie Bracey and Garrett Kelly opened holes for 280 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 42 carries in a 48-6 victory over Towers. Henry Stimmel rushed for 130 yards.

*Mill Creek’s offensive line of Canton Wilhoit, Aidan Banfield, Alfonso Garcia, Rylan Little, Mekhi McDuffie and Cooper Bothwell paved the way for 243 yards rushing on 28 attempts (8.7 ypc) in a 56-0 victory over Mountain View. Donovan Journey finished with 167 rushing yards and scored four touchdowns.

*Mount Pisgah Christian’s offensive line of Aaron Kruse, Zayd Ahmed, Josh Fuentes, Josh Lange, Joey Bertrand and Max Greene paved the way for 316 yards rushing and 126 passing in a 35-6 victory Lakeview Academy. QB Jack Cendoya and RB Brandon Bostic Each surpassed 100 yards rushing.

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