High school football roundups from Week 8

“Jaden did what he’s been doing all season,” lauded Coach Vavra. “He’s a playmaker. He’s special with the ball in his hands, and he showed that tonight. Big-time play-making capability, and, man. He went off.”

After a pair of Liam Dingle field goals in the third, Duckett bookended Kashe Hall’s fourth-quarter pick on defense with a fourth rushing score and a touchdown pass to Jorden Edmonds to give Sprayberry a 41-14 lead.

Jackson Stanley provided the final points of the game with a 79-yard score on an Austin Guest pass. Guest finished with two touchdowns through the air and a 31-yard touchdown run for Creekview.

The victory marks the Yellow Jackets’ third straight in the all-time series against the Grizzlies and already has them tied with their most wins in a season since 2009, when they finished 7-4.

“It gives us an opportunity to reach our ultimate goal,” said Coach Vavra, “Which is to get to a region championship, to play for a region championship. I’m really proud of my kids for playing hard, executing and getting this W tonight.”

The Yellow Jackets can take another step toward that goal with a win against visiting River Ridge next week. Creekview, meanwhile, drops to 4-3 overall and 2-2 in region play with the loss and will travel to Pope in Week 9.

The AJC has writers at Harrison at McEachern, Westminster at Cambridge and Stockbridge at Ola. See the Thursday night recaps at the bottom of the file or check out Todd Holcomb’s Friday Night highlights.

Friday recaps

Class 6A

Colquitt County 38, Lowndes 35

A 43-yard field goal from Brett Fitzgerald lifted Colquitt County past Lowndes in a battle of the titans in the state’s highest class. Lowndes trailed 35-28 and tied the game on a 7-yard pass from Jayce Johnson to Quan Thomas with five minutes left, setting up the game-winning drive for the Packers. Cohen Lawson opened scoring, passing to Na’ryan Sumlin with nine minutes left in the first quarter on a 31-yard touchdown to put Colquitt ahead. Drew Thomas tied the game on a 32-yard run with eight minutes left in the first quarter. Lowndes took the lead on a 9-yard run from Marvis Parrish at the end of the first quarter. The Packers tied the game on a 71-yard touchdown run from Ty’jaevian Lamar on the ensuing drive. A 70-yard pass from Thomas to Parrish gave Lowndes a 21-14 lead early in the second quarter. Colquitt responded on the ensuing drive with a 77-yard Lawson touchdown pass and took a 28-21 lead after a 33-yard run from Niterrian Wallace. Lowndes tied the game at 28 after a 10-yard pass from Aidan Sefa to Johnson at the end of the first half. Day’shawn Brown scored on an 8-yard run with five minutes left in the third quarter to give Colquitt a 35-28 lead, setting up the game-ending heroics from Fitzgerald.

Buford 34, Collins Hill 7

Buford outscored Collins Hill 34-0 in the second half to serve the Eagles their first loss of the season. Collins Hill gained its lead on a 76-yard touchdown pass from Makyree Cross to Alijah Patillo and kept Buford out of the endzone until 5:24 left in the third quarter. Martin Poblete kicked a 21-yard field goal in the second quarter and brought Buford within one point (7-6) with a 25-yard field goal to start the third. Senior Justin Baker ran in a 15-yard touchdown and Sam Harkness converted the two-point try to give Buford its first lead of the game at 14-7. Buford broke the game open with a 63-yard touchdown pass from Dayton Raiola to senior Jordan Allen, a 1-yard touchdown run by Dylan McCoy and an 86-yard touchdown run by Ty Green with 1:13 left.

Carrollton 63, Westlake 27

Carrollton defeated region rival Westlake 63-27, taking another step toward a region title. Carrollton opened the scoring with a JuJu Lewis touchdown pass. Westlake quickly answered with a touchdown pass of their own to tie the game at 7-7. The Trojans returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown to take a 14-7 lead. Early in the first, the Trojans extended their lead to 21-7. Carrollton added two more touchdowns before halftime, going up 35-7. Westlake finally responded with a touchdown to cut the lead to 35-14. Carrollton answered again, extending the lead to 42-14 before the Lions scored the final touchdown of the half to make it 42-21 at the break. Westlake opened the second half by cutting the lead to 42-27, but Carrollton dominated the rest of the game, scoring 21 unanswered points to finish with a 63-27 victory.

North Gwinnett 44, Peachtree Ridge 22

North Gwinnett rode a 27-point first half as they routed Peachtree Ridge, 44-22 to remain undefeated on the season. North Gwinnett got on the board first with a two-yard rushing score from quarterback, Ryan Hall. Peachtree Ridge took an 8-7 lead with a 45-yard rushing touchdown from Bryce Green. Hall gave the Bulldogs the lead back with his second rushing touchdown of the night, this time from 16-yards out to take a 14-8 lead. After a 60-yard North Gwinnett pick-six to take a 20-8 lead after the missed extra point, Hall found the endzone for a third time, this time from two-yards out to take a 27-8 lead into the half. Sedric Addison began the half with a two-yard score for Peachtree Ridge to cut the lead to two possessions, 27-16, after the successful two-point conversion. A Tommy Lafayette three-yard score and a field goal added onto the Bulldogs lead, 37-16. Liam Skelton’s touchdown catch from six-yards out from Hall brought the Bulldog lead to 44-16 before a 61-yard touchdown pass from Chase Walker to Adrian Rodriguez for Peachtree Ridge brought the lead to 44-22, ending the scoring for the night. Peachtree Ridge moves to 2-3 on the season and 1-1 in the region.

West Forsyth 37, Forsyth Central 14

West Forsyth’s Orris Foster put the Wolverines on the board with a 3-yard touchdown and a 40-yard field goal by Asher Mote put West Forsyth back up 10-7 late in the first quarter. Defensive stalwart James McCallar got in on the action offensively and hauled in a 46-yard touchdown pass from Max Walraven and a Jackson Miller interception set up Micah Babb for a 42-yard touchdown run that gave West Forsyth a 24-7 lead at the half. Walraven connected with Colt Muschara for a 30-yard touchdown pass late in the third quarter and pushed the lead to 37-7 with a 25-yard touchdown pass to Cole Cato with just 5:50 left in the final frame before a late Bulldogs touchdown.

Mill Creek 54, Dacula 24

Mill Creek had a 26-point lead at the end of the 1st quarter in a romp of Dacula. The defense forced a safety, Kicker Brady Lane had a 30-yard field goal, Trey Walker had a receiving and a rushing touchdown, and Daniel Smith had a rushing touchdown as the Hawks had full control of the game early. Smith also returned a kickoff for a touchdown. Alabama-commit Luke Metz was all over the field for Mill Creek finishing with a rushing touchdown and an interception on the night. Mill Creek has now surpassed 50 points in a game for the third time this season and in two of the past three games.

Walton 21, Marietta 3

Marietta settled for a field goal after driving all the way to the Walton 5-yard line and the Raiders used 21 unanswered points to score the road victory. Senior running back Lucas Farrington ran in two touchdowns in the second quarter and added his third in the final frame.

In other Class 6A games -- Mountain View (1-6, 1-2) got its first win of 2024, beating visiting Discovery by a margin of 31-0 on Homecoming Night. … Hillgrove led visiting Paulding County 21-3 heading into the final frame before sealing the win with a trio of fourth-quarter scores, improving to 6-0 overall and 3-0 in Region 3 play with the 42-3 victory. … Campbell (4-2, 1-2) snapped a two-game losing streak with a 44-0 shutout of visiting South Cobb for the Spartans’ first Region 3 win of the season. … Denmark senior Hester Brendan recovered North Forsyth’s onside kick in the game’s final minute to secure the 19-14 victory, improving the Danes to 2-4 overall and 2-1 in Region 6. … Pebblebrook (3-3, 2-1) got its first Region 3 win of 2024 with a narrow 20-19 victory over host Osborne (1-5, 1-2). … Host Berkmar (1-5, 0-3 in Region 7) got within a field goal late in the fourth quarter, but Peyton Dyer recovered the ensuing onside kick for visiting Duluth (4-2, 2-1) to secure the 19-16 Wildcat win. … North Paulding (4-3, 1-2) pulled away from a closely contested Region 5 matchup against host Etowah (1-6, 0-3) with a pair of fourth-quarter scores for a 34-17 final. … Lucas Farrington caught two touchdown passes and ran for another score in Walton’s 21-3 win over Marietta (1-6, 1-2). The Raiders improve to 4-3 overall and 2-1 in Region 5 play with the road victory.

Class 5A

Woodstock 41, Pope 17

Host Woodstock (6-1) guaranteed its first winning season since 2017—erasing a 10-0 early deficit by outscoring the Greyhounds 41-7. Pope’s John Stuetzer ran in a 1-yard touchdown and a field goal pushed the lead to 10-0, but Woodstock’s Isaiah Payton answered with the first of his three rushing touchdowns. Sophomore quarterback Graham Burmeister gave Woodstock its first lead of the game (13-10) with a 2-yard touchdown run and Payton’s second score on a 3-yard carry grew the Wolverines’ lead to 20-10. Pope’s JT Way scored on a 7-yard run to make it 20-17 before Woodstock closed out the victory with 21 unanswered points. Burmeister added a 1-yard touchdown run and then found Caleb Vigna for a 30-yard touchdown before Payton iced the game with his third touchdown run.

Milton 49, Lanier 7

After Lanier cut the deficit to 14-7 early in the game, the Milton Eagles scored 35 unanswered points. Quarterback Luke Nickel had two first-half touchdowns to Georgia-commit Ethan Barbour and sophomore wide receiver Jordan Carrasquilo. Barbour converted a fake punt early in the game and later in the drive caught a pass from Luke Nickel. Standout senior running back TJ Lester had two rushing touchdowns, including a memorable run right through the gaps where he made multiple defenders miss in the hole and stayed on his feet for a 21-yard touchdown run. Milton keeps rolling and establishing themselves as the premier team in the country with a dominant region win. The Eagles will travel on the road in a can’t miss matchup against Gainesville next week on Peachtree Sports Network.

Morrow 7, Northgate 3

In a defensive battle, Morrow, who had previously lost four-straight games on the year, defeated Northgate, 7-3 in a closely contested matchup. Early in the first, Northgate threw an interception, setting up what would be a great defensive game between the two programs. The scoring began in the second quarter with a Northgate field goal to take a 3-0 lead with around three minutes left in the first half. The nights only touchdown, from Morrow’s Khi Mitchell, was a three-yard score with under a minute left in the first half to give the Mustangs the early edge that they ultimately rode all the way to the final horn. After tonight’s matchup, both teams move to 2-5 on the night, with the Mustangs earning their first region victory on the season.

Houston County 63, Northside-Warner Robins 22

A 35-point first half from Houston County fueled the 63-22 victory over crosstown-rival Northside-Warner Robins. Antwann Hill Jr had eight touchdown passes to lead the Bears. Houston County’s Austin Stinson began the scoring with a 47-yard rushing score to take an early 7-0 lead. Hill found Isaiah Mitchell for a 13-yard score to take a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. Northside answered the early scoring with some of its own with a 20-yard touchdown pass from Terry Anderson to Michael Clayton to cut the lead back down to a possession, following a successful two-point conversion to make it 14-8. Hill’s arm continued to be a factor, finding Mitchell once again, this time from 83-yards out to take a 21-8 lead in the second quarter. Northside responded once again, this time from Say Robinson to Anderson from 11-yards out to cut the lead to 21-15. Hill found the endzone once again, this time to MJ Mathis from 46-yards out to retake a two-score lead. Mathis found the endzone for a second time on the night, this time from 11-yards out to give Hill four touchdown passes in the first half as the Bears took a 35-15 lead into the half. To begin the second half, the Eagles’ Anderson passed to Clayton for a 52-yard score to cut the lead to 35-21. Kavon Conciauro found the endzone with a 23-yard score from Hill to continue the scoring, holding a 42-22 lead. Mathis and Hill made their third connection of the night in the endzone, this time from 33-yards to take a 49-22 lead. Hill was in his element the entire night, finding Mitchell for a third time from 63-yards out for the score to pile onto a 56-22 lead. Hill’s eighth touchdown of the night was back to Conciauro from four-yards out to cap scoring.

Gainesville 41, Seckinger 0

Gainesville used a big second quarter to take down Seckinger 41-0. After a quiet first quarter, sophomore quarterback Kharim Hughley found Jeremiah Ware for a 15-yard touchdown pass halfway through the second quarter. Soon after, he connected with Taz Smith for a 60-yard touchdown, giving Gainesville a 13-0 lead. Hughley then found running back Carmelo Byrd out of the backfield to extend the lead to 20-0. He capped off the half by finding Ware again for a 9-yard touchdown, sending Gainesville into the half up 27-0. Hughley continued his big night, finding Ware for a 30-yard touchdown in the third quarter. The Red Elephants added one more score late to secure the 41-0 victory.

Clarke Central 42, Habersham Central 21

Visiting Clarke Central (5-2, 3-0 Region 8-5A) got five total touchdowns from quarterback Hezekiah Millender, four passes and one rush. Millender threw touchdown passes to Xayvian Berry (65 yards), Tyrell Husband (5 yards) and Corey Watkins Jr. (35 and 26 yards). Watkins also had a 15-yard touchdown rush in the fourth quarter. Millender’s 18-yard keeper late in the third quarter gave Clarke Central a 28-21 lead after the Gladiators trailed 21-14 at halftime. Habersham Central falls to 2-5, 1-2 in Region 8-5A.

Dunwoody 28, Arabia Mountain 19

Arabia Mountain visited Dunwoody at North DeKalb Stadium in Region 4-5A play and scored a touchdown late in the first half to take a 13-7 halftime lead. But Dunwoody (2-5, 1-3 Region 4-5A) answered early in the third quarter with a touchdown pass from Matt Pearch to Andrew Ainsworth to take the lead. The Wildcats got a Pearch touchdown pass to Max Quartararo to make it 21-13 in the fourth, but Arabia Mountain (1-6, 0-4 Region 4-5A) answered to pull within two points. Dunwoody’s Cameron Irastorza scored on a short run with under two minutes remaining to seal the win. Dunwoody’s first touchdown came in the first quarter on a Pearch pass to Danny Boden.

Sequoyah 43, Lassiter 6

Junior fullback Will Rajecki paced Sequoyah (5-1, 2-1) with three touchdowns and 95 yards rushing. Kolby Martin threw a backwards pass to Ean Marria—who found a wide-open Noah Givens to put Sequoyah up 7-0. The Chiefs added 22 points in the second quarter to grow a 29-0 halftime lead. Brooks Darling returned a punt 55 yards for a touchdown and Rajecki scored on a 3-yard and 21-yard run. He also hauled in a 62-yard reception in the quarter and had a successful two-point conversion. Martin completed an 8-yard touchdown pass to Maddox Waller and Rajecki’s third touchdown run came on a 53-yard carry to increase the lead to 43-0. Lassiter avoided the shutout with a 58-yard touchdown pass from Mitch Seaman to Corey Epling late in the fourth quarter.

Cambridge 42, Westminster 29

Cambridge continued its hot start to the season with a 42-29 win over Westminster. The Bears got on the board early in the first quarter to take a 7-0 lead, but Westminster quickly tied the game at 7-7. Cambridge scored again before the end of the first to lead 14-7. The Bears then added another big touchdown early in the second quarter to extend their advantage to 21-7. Westminster cut the lead back to one score shortly after, but Cambridge scored twice in the final four minutes of the half to take a 35-14 lead into the break. Westminster spent the third and fourth quarters clawing back, eventually trimming the lead to 35-29. However, with 2:42 left in the game, Cambridge scored again to push the lead to 42-29. Westminster added one final touchdown but couldn’t mount a comeback, falling 42-36.

In other 5A games -- No. 2 Hughes kept with its winning ways in a 49-0 shutout victory against McIntosh. … No. 6 Thomas County Central got back to its winning ways in a 61-10 victory over Veterans. … No. 8 Roswell shut out Johns Creek in its 45-0 victory and has scored 40+ points in its last three contests. … No. 9 Decatur defeated Shiloh 35-18. … No. 10 Rome has won three consecutive games and pulled away in the fourth quarter in a win over Villa Rica. … Unranked Jackson County defeated Apalachee 25-6. … Unranked Newnan defeated Dutchtown 38-21. … Sequoyah advanced to 5-1 after a 43-6 victory against Lassiter. … Unranked Morrow won a defensive battle in a 7-3 victory against Northgate. It is the first victory for Morrow since August 15th when they defeated Forest Park in the season opener. … Unranked East Paulding scored a season-high 59 points in a region victory over Lithia Springs. … Unranked River Ridge had a 52-0 shutout victory against Riverwood. Alexander picked up its second victory of the season in a 27-13 win against Kennesaw Mountain.

Class 4A

Starr’s Mill 38, Central-Carroll 35

Starr’s Mill quarterback Logan Inagawa rushed for three touchdowns and completed two touchdown passes to Lincoln Delaere to lead the Panthers past Central-Carroll in a thrilling battle of unbeaten teams. Central-Carroll took a 21-14 lead into the half and was set to receive the ball, but Starr’s Mill gambled with an onside kick and recovered it—tying the game up on the next play with a 49-yard touchdown pass from Inagawa to Delaere. Central-Carroll answered to go back up 28-21 and Starr’s Mill kicker Aaron Blair made a 26-yard field goal to cut it to 28-24. Inagawa’s third rushing touchdown came on a 24-yard carry and gave Starr’s Mill its first lead of the game at 31-28. He found Delaere for the duo’s second touchdown pass moments later to increase the Panthers’ lead to 38-28. Central-Carroll stayed alive with a 33-yard touchdown pass with 3:51 left and a quick stop gave them back the ball at their own 35 yard line with 2:10 left and just a 38-35 deficit. The Lions converted a 4th and 9 and eventually lined up for a 43-yard field goal at the buzzer to try and force overtime, but it sailed wide right.

Marist 48, North Springs 0

Marist stayed unbeaten with a 48-0 victory over region foe North Springs. The War Eagles scored twice in the first quarter, the first on a 1-yard rush by Parks Kaiser and again on an 11-yard run by Owen Rice. They added their first passing touchdown of the night on a 13-yard throw from Jack Euart. A fumble returned for a touchdown extended the lead to 28-0. The final score of the half came on a 9-yard run by Brayden Lewis, giving Marist a 35-0 lead. In the second half, Marist added two more touchdowns. The first was a 1-yard rush by Lucas Rosser, and the second was a 5-yard run by Kiernan Kidder, securing the 48-0 win. It was a classic Marist performance, with 14 different players contributing to the rushing attack, led by Owen Rice with 58 yards.

Cedartown 56, Hiram 20

Isaiah Johnson threw touchdown passes to Chris Johnson (24 yards) and Demarcus Gardner (65) and also rushed for a 1-yard score in the first half. Tae Harris had a 56 and 8-yard score also in the first half as the Bulldogs built a 35-7 lead. Mike Gibons increased the lead with a 9-yard touchdown run and Johnson found Gardner for a 39-yard touchdown to push the lead to 49-13 in the third quarter.

Allatoona 17, Woodland-Cartersville 0

The Allatoona Buccaneers got a second-straight Region 7 victory, defeating host Woodland 17-0 to improve to 4-3 overall and 2-1 in region play. After taking an early first-quarter lead, Allatoona withstood a defensive battle that stretched into the fourth quarter before adding a field goal and long touchdown run to secure the win. The Buccaneers return home next week to host No. 2-ranked Cartersville.

Creekside 49, Pace Academy 0

Creekside picked up its fourth-straight victory and completed its fourth-straight shutout to improve to 4-2. The Seminoles started the year 0-2 after losses to South Carolina’s Westside and Texas’ Desoto and have now racked up a whopping 181-0 scoring advantage over its last four games. Tavarre Terrell ran in a 1-yard touchdown in the second quarter to give the Seminoles a 7-0 lead and then Creekside poured on six touchdowns in the second half including four in the third quarter.

Stockbridge 14, Ola 10

Stockbridge (6-1, 5-0), served host Ola (5-1, 4-1) its first loss of the season in a thrilling fourth quarter comeback. Ola led 10-0 until the final minutes where Stockbridge scored on back-to-back drives. After cutting the deficit to 10-7, senior Zion Mcgruder ran in the game-winning touchdown. Trailing 14-10, Ola got all the way down to the 15-yard line, but its last-second desperation pass fell incomplete.

Cartersville 38, Cass 7

Cartersville scored 31-unanswered points after the game was tied 7-7 early on to pull away with victory. Quarterback Nate Russell had three touchdown passes including a 26-yard touchdown pass to Brady Marchese. Running back Braylon Hill added a 65-yard touchdown run and got the Hurricanes rolling early in the game. The defense also made its impact forcing two fumbles and an interception. Cornerback Kaden Baldwin had a 35-yard interception returned for a touchdown. It was a complete team effort on both sides of the ball for the Hurricanes. Cartersville moved to 7-0 on the season and will visit Allatoona next week.

North Oconee 56, Madison County 13

North Oconee remained undefeated on the season after moving past Madison County 56-13. The Titans were catapulted by a 28-point third quarter to seal the victory. The Titans got on the board first with a 56-yard touchdown pass from Harrison Faulkner to Dallas Dickerson to take a 7-0 lead in the first. Ben Blevins followed it up with a 10-yard rushing touchdown on the next possession to give the Titans a 14-0 early lead. The Red Raiders answered with a one-yard rushing score to cut the lead to a possession before a Cooper McGraw 13-yard score brought the lead back up to two scores. Another rushing score from Madison County cut the lead back to a score at 21-13 after a missed extra point, going into the half. The onslaught in the third quarter began with another North Oconee rushing touchdown followed by McGraw’s second score of the night from a yard out to take a 35-13 lead. The scoring continued when Faulkner found Caleb Chesnut for a five-yard score to extend the Titans lead to 42-13. North Oconee’s Will Richardson got on the scoreboard with a three-yard score followed by a Brooks Benton two-yard rushing score to cap off the night, giving the Titans a 56-13 victory.

Blessed Trinity 31, Kell 21

Blessed Trinity quarterback Brooks Goodman converted a clutch third-down with a 62-yard touchdown pass to Amonte Pitts to give the visiting Titans a 7-0 lead. Ryder Register returned an interception for a touchdown to increase the lead to 14-0. Kell cut the deficit to 14-7 and blocked a long field goal attempt, but Pitts added a late touchdown run to give the Titans a 21-7 lead at the half. Goodman completed a 29-yard touchdown pass to Cole James in the third to give Blessed Trinity a 28-7 lead. Kell scored both of its second half touchdowns on fourth down trick plays and Blessed Trinity maintained its lead with a 38-yard Noah Goddard field goal and an interception by Marcellus Townsend.

Benedictine 35, Warner Robins 21

No. 3 Benedictine opened a 21-0 lead over No. 6 Warner Robins and celebrated its fourth-straight victory in a critical Region 1 bout. Warner Robins’ offense stalled in the first quarter as the Demons committed four false starts and Benedictine quarterback Stephen Cannon gave the Cadets a 7-0 lead with a touchdown pass to John Lilly. Cannon connected with Joshua Washington for a 67-yard touchdown to push the lead to 14-0 and then found Jack Ganem for his third touchdown of the half to make it 21-0. Warner Robins quarterback Skylar Williams connected with Rasean Dinkins with 30 seconds left in the first half to cut the deficit to 21-7. Benedictine received the ball to open the second half and and capped a quick two-play drive with a 71-yard Stanley Smart touchdown run. Benedictine missed a field goal and Williams ran in a 31-yard touchdown late in the third quarter. Eron Mallard rushed in a 4-yard touchdown that increased the lead to 35-14 and Jordan Perkins provided the final score on a 32-yard touchdown run before Benedictine closed out the victory.

In other Class 4A games -- Unranked East Forsyth picked up a key region win in its 49-21 victory over Cedar Shoals. It was a wire-to-wire victory for the Broncos. …

Class 3A

Jefferson 38, Monroe Area 14

After trailing 7-0 at the end of the first quarter, quarterback Gavin Markey scored from 6-yards out to tie the game at 7 each. Taylor McCall kicked a 26-yard field goal to give Jefferson a 10-7 advantage. Markey passed to Dalton Dye with 4:06 left in the first half to put Jefferson up 17-7. Markey passed to RJ Hinton for a 22-yard touchdown to extend the advantage early in the third quarter. Dallas Russell rushed from 12-yards out to put the Dragons up 31-14 with 3:32 left in the game. Markey capped scoring after breaking three tackles on the final touchdown run to secure the victory late in the fourth quarter.

Cherokee Bluff 41, West Hall 14

Class 3A No. 4 Cherokee Bluff (6-0, 1-0 Region 8-3A) won its region opener at West Hall (2-5, 0-2 Region 8-3A). Brooks Brien threw two touchdowns to K.T. Thompson, who also rushed for two scores for Cherokee Bluff. Brien rushed for a score as well, and Garrett Hyder made two field goals for the Bears.

Oconee County 56, East Hall 7

Oconee County (3-3) returned to .500 after its 0-3 start and ran away with a home victory to improve to 1-0 in Region 8. Caiden Wood took 14 carries for 105 yards in the first quarter and scored two of his four touchdown runs. Titus Watkins and Darius Darden also rushed in Oconee County touchdowns and Mason Hall took a screen pass for a 43-yard touchdown that pushed the lead to 42-7 in the third quarter.

Upson Lee 33, Troup County 27

Upson Lee outscored Troup County to come away with a 33-27 win and scoring 10 early points went a long way in the victory. Troup responded by cutting the lead to three with a fumble return for a touchdown. The Knights then executed an onside kick to regain possession and capitalized by scoring to take a 14-10 lead. Upson Lee trimmed the lead to one with a field goal just 14 seconds before halftime. To start the second half, Upson Lee reclaimed the lead 20-14. The Knights extended their advantage with a 27-yard rushing touchdown to make it 26-14. Troup responded with a 78-yard touchdown to close the gap to five. Troup County further reduced the deficit to two with a long field goal, but the Knights sealed the win with a late touchdown, finishing 33-27.

In other Class 3A games -- In Region 1, No. 2 ranked Peach County (6-1, 2-0) stamped its fifth-straight victory in a 49-14 road win over Dougherty and Bainbridge fell to 0-6 under first-year head coach Jay Walls with a tough 40-37 loss to visiting Westover. … No. 8 ranked Calhoun scored a 41-7 win over Ridgeland and is in the lead in Region 7 after Heritage-Catoosa was defeated by Gilmer 28-20. … All three ranked teams in Region 8 scored lopsided wins on Friday with No. 3 Jefferson defeating Monroe Area 38-14, No. 4 Cherokee Bluff topping West Hall 41-14 and No. 9 Oconee County running away with a 56-7 victory over East Hall. ... Unranked Calhoun has won two consecutive games after scoring a season-high in a 41-7 victory against Ridgeland. …

Class 2A

Prince Avenue 49, Stephens County 7

Prince Avenue Christian moved to 4-3 on the season after they handled Stephens County 49-7. In the first ever matchup between the two schools, it was all Wolverines as they scored 42 points in the first half to take a 42-7 lead with only a touchdown from the Wolverines in the second half. Stephens County dropped to 4-3 on the season and 1-1 in Region 8 play.

Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe 34, Coahulla Creek 13

Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe took a 7-0 lead in the second quarter on a 30-yard Tamoris Johnson touchdown run and then got back-to-back touchdown runs by Tra Lewis (19, 53 yards) to grow the lead to 21-0. Coahulla Creek cut the deficit to 27-13 in the fourth quarter, but Joseph Brown’s two second half touchdowns kept Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe in front.

North Cobb Christian 49, Murray County 6

North Cobb Christian is still undefeated in 2024 following a decisive 49-6 victory over visiting Murray County on Homecoming Night. Eagles quarterback Teddy Jarrard had four touchdowns in the opening frame alone, first scoring from 58 yards out in the first minute of play, then connecting with Brodie Archie (22 yards), Dylan Rainey (12 yards) and DJ Huggins (53 yards) for passing touchdowns and a 28-0 edge heading into the second. The Eagles extended the lead to 42-0 at the break and 49-0 in the third before Murray County got on the board late in the fourth to avoid the shutout.

In other Class 2A games -- No. 2 Morgan County (7-0, 2-0 Region 2-2A) got two touchdown runs from Jasper Carson and a touchdown pass and touchdown rush from quarterback Davis Strickland in the team’s 55-12 home win over Rutland (0-7, 0-2 Region 2-2A). … No. 3 Carver-Columbus (6-1, 4-0 Region 1-2A) remained unbeaten in region play after a 40-7 win over Shaw (3-4, 2-2 Region 1-2A) at Kinnett Stadium. … No. 6 Callaway (4-2, 1-0 Region 2-2A) traveled to take on Westside-Macon (2-5, 0-2 Region 2-2A) at the Ed Defore Sports Complex on Thursday and came away a 34-14 winner. … No. 9 Sumter County (7-0, 4-0 Region 1-2A) hosted Spencer (4-3, 2-2 Region 1-2A) and scored a go-ahead two-point conversion to come away with a 21-20 win, setting up a ranked region battle with Carver-Columbus on Oct. 17 after both teams have a bye week. … No. 10 Union County (5-2, 3-2 Region 7-2A) shut out Union County (3-4, 3-2 Region 7-2A) 31-0, leading 24-0 at halftime. The win puts Union County back in playoff position at No. 4 in the region standings.

Class A Division I

Commerce 42, Rabun County 38

Commerce improved to 2-1 in Region 8 and 4-3 overall after defeating Rabun County 42-38 in a back-and-forth matchup. Tigers running back Tysean Wiggins struck first with 24-yard rushing touchdown to put Commerce up a score with 7:22 remaining in the first quarter. The Wildcats answered with a 50-yard touchdown from Reid Giles to tie things up with 5:14 left in the first. After a Rabun County field goal, Commerce’s Jaiden Daniels scored a 77-yard rushing touchdown on the first play of the second period. Giles answered the Tigers with his second score of the night, this time from within the red zone, to put Rabun County up, 17-14. Daniels scored his second touchdown of the night, giving Commerce the lead back, 21-17. The Wildcats took a 24-21 lead into the half after a three-yard score. With 8:18 left in the third, Wiggins scored his second touchdown of the night with a 75-yard touchdown to regain the lead, 28-24. Following a Rabun County kickoff return for a touchdown, Daniels scored another touchdown for Commerce, giving them back the lead at 35-31 by the end of third quarter. Wiggins got the fourth quarter started with another touchdown with 9:32 left in the game. Giles scored again, this time from his own 45 yard-line to cut the Tigers lead to 42-38 to cap scoring.

Fannin County 35, Chattooga 7

Chattooga forced Fannin County to punt on its opening drive and Quarry Gibson put Chattooga up 7-0 on a 1-yard touchdown before the Rebels roared back with 35 unanswered points. Carson Callahan rushed in back-to-back Fannin County touchdowns to put the Rebels up 14-7 and quarterback Lawson Sullivan threw back-to-back touchdown passes in the second half—including a 49-yard strike to Brayden Taylor.

Dublin 48, ACE Charter 3

The second-ranked Fighting Irish improved to 6-0 overall and 5-0 in Region 2 Div. I with another dominant victory, this time defeating the visiting Gryphons by a margin of 48-3. Dublin led 19-0 after the opening frame, 35-3 at the break, and 42-3 heading into the fourth, with that second-quarter field goal accounting for the only points the defense has allowed in the past three games.

Christian Heritage 28, Gordon Central 20

Christian Heritage (6-1, 4-0 Region 7-A Division I) won at Gordon Central (3-4, 1-3 Region 7-A Division I) to remain unbeaten in region play. The Lions held a 21-0 lead in the second quarter before Gordon Central mounted a comeback, scoring late in the fourth quarter and getting a two-point conversion to pull within eight points.

Athens Academy 41, Banks County 6

Quarterback Hampton Johnson threw three touchdown passes, two to Keyon Standifer and one to K.J. Whitehead, in the Spartans’ road win over Banks County. Johnson’s scoring passes to Standifer were from 80 and 45 yards and his touchdown to Whitehead was from 80 yards. Standifer also had a 77-yard punt return for a touchdown, and Whitehead caught a Johnson pass for a two-point conversion. Jamari Welch and Jeremiah Wingfield both had short rushes for touchdowns and Wingfield rushed for a two-point conversion. Athens Academy (7-0, 3-0 Region 8-A Division I), ranked No. 4 in Private Class 3A-A, led just 14-6 at halftime. Banks County fell to 0-6, 0-2 in region play.

Wesleyan 42, Mount Vernon 23

Wesleyan improved to 6-1 after defeating Mount Vernon, 42-23. Quarterback Ben Brown got the scoring started with a 25-yard scamper to take an early 7-0 lead. Brown found Carter Hayes with 6:11 left in the first quarter for a 45-yard passing touchdown to extend the Wolves lead to 14-0. Wesleyan running back William Wright scored a rushing touchdown from a yard out to give the Wolves a three-touchdown lead in the first quarter. Mount Vernon went on a 10-0 scoring run to end the half after a rushing touchdown from Bristan Derocher. Brown found Wes Vail for a 20-yard touchdown to extend the Wolves lead to 28-10. Mustangs’ Walker Warshaw scored from five yards out to cut the Wesleyan lead to 11. Brown rushed in a one-yard score on 4th and goal to extend the Wesleyan lead to 35-17. Grayson McCollum rushed for a 40-yard touchdown with six minutes left in the game to take a 42-17 lead. Warshaw added his second touchdown of the night to cut the lead to 42-23 with under three minutes left in the game, which proved to be the final score of the game.

Model 14, Haralson County 6

The Model Blue Devils evened their overall and region records at 3-3 and 1-1, respectively, with a hard-fought 14-6 victory over host Haralson County (1-6, 0-3). After a scoreless opening frame, Model got on the board with a rushing score midway through the second, then added another shortly after before getting picked off in Rebel territory with a chance to further grow the 14-0 lead. The Blue Devils squandered multiple scoring opportunities in the second half as well, but the Rebels’ fourth-quarter touchdown was their only of the night.

In other Class A Division I games -- Fitzgerald took home a 46-14 victory over Brantley County, remaining undefeated on the season and in Region 1. … Worth County won a close matchup with Thomasville, 28-27, thanks to a game-winning field goal in the fourth quarter. … Dodge County won 35-24 against Washington County as the Indians sat atop Region 2 at a perfect 7-0. … Savannah Christian remains unbeaten with a 38-7 victory against Savannah Country Day as the Hornets move to 2-4 on the season. … Mount Bethel Christian lost to Copper Basin, TN 22-0 and move to 3-1 on the season.

Class A Division II

Manchester 28, Bowdon 20

No. 3-ranked Manchester upended top-ranked Bowdon after holding the Red Devils scoreless in the second and third quarters. Bowdon opened scoring on a 2-yard touchdown run, following a recovered fumble by two-way star Kaiden Prothro. But a 30-yard run from Darrius Favors and a point-after try from Nick Brown tied the game at 7-7, where it would remain at halftime. Manchester took a 15-7 lead after a 2-yard touchdown run and successful 2-point conversion attempt with three minutes left in the third quarter. Keelan Walker expanded Manchester’s lead on a 21-yard touchdown run with 11 minutes left in the game but a missed point-after try kept Bowdon’s chances alive. The Red Devils capitalized on a 2-yard run from Joshawia Davis and the point-after try left the top-ranked program trailing 21-14. The Blue Devils expanded the lead on a 20-yard run with eight minutes left in the game. On the ensuing possession, Bowdon scored on a 40-yard pass from Charles Maxell III to Prothro, but time ran out.

Trion 44, Mt. Zion-Carroll 0

The eighth-ranked Bulldogs got their season back on track following last week’s loss to third-ranked Manchester with an emphatic victory over visiting Mt. Zion. Trion led 23-0 after the opening frame and 44-0 at the break, ultimately winning by the same margin, and will have a bye next week before continuing Region 7 Div II play at home against Greenville.

Irwin County 42, Turner County 30

Irwin County, ranked No. 2 in Class A Division II, traveled to Turner County and won its Region 2-A Division II opener, staying undefeated this season. The Indians (6-0, 1-0 Region 2-A Division II) led just 21-18 at halftime. Turner County fell to 0-6 and 0-2 in region play.

In other Class A Division II games -- In Region 1, Miller County stayed undefeated in region play with a 42-0 win over Terrell County. Seminole County remained in the thick of the playoff race by beating Miller County 48-10. … In Region 2, second-ranked Irwin County survived a tough challenge from Turner County, winning 42-30. … In Region 3, Jenkins stayed unbeaten in region play, defeating fellow unbeaten McIntosh County Academy 37-19. … In Region 4, Hawkinsville beat Wilcox County 19-15 to maintain control of the third seed. … In Region 5, Wilkinson County started region play 1-0 by defeating Hancock Central 43-28. Twiggs County also opened region play with a victory, defeating Georgia Military 24-17. … In Region 6, Chattahoochee County beat Central-Talbotton 48-6 to earn its first region win and stay in the playoff hunt. … Marion County also entered the win column in region play with a 56-14 victory over Crawford County.

Thursday recaps

Class 3A

LaGrange 42, Whitewater 14

LaGrange used a 14-0 effort in the first quarter to take control of the game in a key Region 2 matchup. The Grangers expanded the margin to 35-7 at the half to put the game out of reach. After extending its lead to 42-0 entering the fourth quarter, the Grangers gave up a fourth-quarter touchdown to bring the score to its final tally.

Class 2A

Miller Grove 41, Redan 6

Thomas Winston IV passed for three touchdowns and ran for another to lead Miller Grove past Redan in a Region 6-2A matchup. Winston was 8-of-14 passing for 110 yards in the victory. Nashaun Porter has 25 carries for 143 yards and two touchdowns for Miller Grove.

Columbia 56, South Atlanta 15

The Columbia Eagles won their first game of the year led by quarterback Cameron Graves as he ran for four touchdowns and passed for two more in the victory.

Class A Division I

Northeast-Macon 33, Bleckley County 30

Trailing 23-12 at the half, Northeast outscored Bleckley County 21-7 in the second half to secure the come-from-behind victory and a touchdown run from Nick Woodford with 10 minutes left in the game proved the game-winner. Northeast took the early lead on a 40-yard touchdown pass from Reginald Glover to Woodford. Kam’Ryn Everett passed to Joshua Stanley on a 68-yard touchdown to take the 7-6 lead. Woodford scored on a 4-yard run, but a failed point-after try kept Northeast leading 12-7. Bleckley took a 13-12 lead on a 23-yard run from Deondrez Robertson early in the second quarter but a failed 2-point conversion kept it a 1-point game. Everett’s 22-yard run with five minutes left in the first half gave Bleckley a 20-12 lead. Bleckley extended the lead to 23-12 on a 37-yard field goal from Ford Childers. Glover passed to Zahkie Denson on a 7-yarder to cut into the deficit 23-19. The Raiders took the lead on a 43-yard run from Woodford and the point-after try made it a 26-23 game. Bleckley capped scoring on a 10-yard pass from Everett to Connor Cairney before Northeast’s game-winner.