North Gwinnett upset sixth-ranked Norcross 51-41 at home, but the Blue Devils came away with the Region 7 title after converting on 4th-and-14 and ultimately scoring with 0:10 on the clock to bring the Bulldogs’ lead to below the necessary 13-point margin that would have put them atop the standings.
“The offensive line did a phenomenal job all night,” lauded first-year coach Eric Godfree. The running backs ran hard, of course with Ryan Hall leading our team. The defense had to make some adjustments and did a good job of stopping them…kind of.”
After a back-and-forth first half that included six touchdowns in the opening frame and ended with the home team up 28-27, the Bulldogs defense started to take over in the third. Freshman linebacker (and Coach Godfree’s son) Jake Godfree forced and recovered a Norcross fumble, and after picking up 20 yards on 3rd-and-20 and then converting on 4th-and-2, Hall found Nick Bookman for a touchdown, a two-point conversion and a 36-27 lead.
“Jake was really good the second half and I loved it,” asserted Godfree. “He played with a lot of emotion, but really, the whole team did. It was a really good job.”
The younger Godfree came up big in the fourth on Norcross’ last drive as well, bringing up 4th-and-14 with 1:32 remaining with a sack. Blue Devils quarterback AJ Watkins then connected with other Blue Devils quarterback Dillon Mohammed to pick up a fresh set of downs, however, and Mohammed returned the favor with a pass to Watkins for the final touchdown.
Both Watkins and Hall had three rushing scores in an opening half in which the Bulldogs picked up 14 first downs to Norcross’ four.
“We didn’t want to just match their physicality; we wanted to beat their physicality,” Godfree explained. “And I really feel like our kids did that tonight. That’s what we’ve gotta have going into the playoffs.”
The AJC has writers at Alpharetta at Roswell, Grayson at Parkview and Hillgrove at McEachern. Follow the link to see Todd Holcomb’s Friday night wrap. See the Friday roundups below and the Thursday roundups at the bottom of the file.
Here’s the links to the GHSA Playoff Brackets by Score Atlanta to see who and where your team will be playing in the first round next week.
Class 7A
East Coweta 47, Pebblebrook 46 (OT)
East Coweta blocked Pebblebrook’s potential go-ahead extra point to send the game into overtime, then blocked another extra point after the host Falcons scored first in extra minutes before freshman Aaron McWilliams hit the game-winning PAT in overtime to secure the 47-46 victory. McWilliams also provided the field goal that put the Indians up 40-34.
North Paulding 35, Marietta 27
North Paulding finishes its regular season 8-2 overall and 3-1 in Region 3 after defeating host Marietta 35-27. The Wolfpack led by as much as 35-17 before the Blue Devils (3-7, 2-2) added another 10 points in the final minutes. North Paulding secured a home game in the opening round of the playoffs with the victory.
Newton 47, Archer 14
No. 10-ranked Newton pulled away from a 14-14 halftime tie against host Archer with 33 unanswered second-half points to snap a two-game Region 4 losing streak and secure a playoff spot in head coach Josh Skelton’s first season at the helm. The Rams will host in the first round of the postseason, while Archer falls to the three-seed with the loss.
Grayson 41, Parkview 14
First-year head coach Santavious Bryant and No. 8-ranked Grayson traveled to No. 7-ranked Parkview Friday night and secured another region title — the Rams’ 12th in 16 years — with a 41-14 victory. The game was knotted 7-7 at the break before the Rams seized control, outscoring the host Panthers 34-7 the rest of the way.
Walton 42, Wheeler 16
No. 2-ranked Walton secured its first region title — and first 10-0 season — since 2017 with a 42-16 victory over host Wheeler, which will be Region 5’s three-seed in the postseason. The Wildcats briefly took a 16-14 lead in the second quarter but would fail to score again.
In other Class 7A games — No. 3 Colquitt County locked up the Region 1 title last week with its victory over Valdosta before closing its regular season Friday night with a 35-3 win over host Richmond Hill. … Lowndes finished the season winless against Region 1 opponents after being outscored 20-3 in the second half by Camden County to lose 34-23. Camden County improved to 7-3 overall and 2-2 in the region with the win. … No. 9 Westlake is the two-seed out of Region 2 after taking care of business against host Campbell (35-0). … Region 3’s top seed McEachern takes a six-game win streak into the playoffs after a 0-4 start to the season. … Brookwood ended its season with its only Region 4 win of the year, a 22-21 result over South Gwinnett, thanks to a go-ahead two-point conversion. … In Region 5, North Cobb secured a first-round home game with an emphatic 31-7 win over Osborne. … Both Cherokee and Kennesaw Mountain ended their season-closer winless in the region, and Cherokee came out on top (38-8). … Milton secured the Region 6 title with a 37-16 victory over Lambert, which will be the three-seed in the playoffs. … Region 6 two-seed West Forsyth led South Forsyth by as much as 38-0 en route to a 38-13 win. … Meadowcreek finished its season 2-8 overall and 2-4 in Region 7 after defeating Berkmar 46-26. … Also in Region 7, Peachtree Ridge secured the two-seed with a comfortable 42-7 win over four-seed Duluth. Collins Hill enters the postseason as Region 8’s three-seed following a 31-12 win over Dacula in which the Eagles outscored the Falcons 14-0 in the second half. … Elsewhere in Region 8, top-ranked Mill Creek defeated four-seed Mountain View 33-7, and No. 4-ranked Buford shut out visiting Central Gwinnett 67-0.
Class 6A
Thomas County Central 31, Northside-Warner-Robins 16
No. 2-ranked Thomas County Central secured back-to-back 10-0 regular seasons for the first time in program history with a 31-16 win over Northside. The Yellow Jackets got rushing scores from Trey Brenton and Ahmad Ponder and a touchdown completion from Jaylen Johnson to Malachi Thomas to take a 21-0 lead before the Eagles got on the board and led by 31-3 in the final frame before a couple of late Northside scores.
North Forsyth 42, Apalachee 13
Quarterback Elijah Seaney was 15-of-27 passing for 250 yards and four touchdowns to lead North Forsyth to a 28-0 halftime lead in a romp of Apalachee. Nate Gravitt caught three passes for 20 yards and two touchdowns while Cole Smith and Brady Holbrook each had one touchdown reception. Karson McBrayer had five carries for 40 yards and a touchdown.
River Ridge 50, Allatoona 29
River Ridge is back in the playoffs for the third time in four years after a seven-year drought following a 50-29 victory over visiting Allatoona. The Knights led the Buccaneers by a margin of 21-7 after the opening frame and 36-7 at the break and will finish the regular season 5-5 overall and 3-3 in Region 6.
Effingham County 31, Brunswick 28
Gage Brooks hit the 25-yard game-winning field goal as the clock expired to lift Effingham County over Brunswick 31-28 and secure the Rebels’ first region title since 1995. Effingham County led 21-7 at the break thanks to a touchdown from Jmere Doe-Davis, Nate Hayes’ touchdown completion to Zach Harbin and a Meaz Cope scoop-and-score. Brunswick QB Grant Moore threw a pair of scoring strikes in the fourth quarter, including a 48-yarder to Jamarious Towns on 4th-and-15 to tie the game with 3:31 remaining.
Houston County 42, Veterans 0
Houston County upended local-rival Veterans after leading 7-0 at the end of the first quarter and 21-0 at the half. Antwann Hill Jr scored on a 3-yard run to put the Bears up. Hill passed to Ricky Johnson on a 48-yard touchdown to extend the lead. His pass to Ty Waters just before halftime extended the margin. Amir Thomas scored on a 40-yard run with six minutes left in the third quarter to give Houston County a 28-0 lead. Christian Stokes scored on a 5-yard run late in the third quarter and Thomas capped scoring with a 36-yard run with three minutes left in the game.
Habersham Central 35, Shiloh 16
The Raiders are advancing to the postseason after defeating Shiloh 35-16. Habersham Central took control early with a pair of Zeke Whittington touchdowns, the first of which came off a DJ Pass pass and the second on the ground. Shiloh got a first-quarter field goal but would fail to find the end zone until a kickoff return touchdown by Landon Dean with 6:24 remaining.
In other Class 6A games — No. 5-ranked Lee County secured the Region 1 two-seed last week and closed out its regular season with a 65-14 win over Tift County. … In Region 2, Glynn Academy locked up a home field playoff game with a 50-7 rout of Lakeside (Evans), and Evans defeated South Effingham 35-20 to earn a playoff berth. … Rockdale County got its only Region 3 win of the year with a 38-0 shutout of Alcovy. … Elsewhere in Region 3, No. 10-ranked Woodward Academy and Mundy’s Mill locked up the one and two seeds last week before handling business Friday night, defeating Forest Park 45-6 and Morrow 38-14, respectively. … Region 4 featured four lopsided victories, with North Atlanta beating Dunwoody (42-7), Lakeside shutting out Clarkston (38-0), No. 7-ranked Marist dominating Riverwood 42-6 and St Pius X handing South Cobb a 55-13 loss. … In Region 5, New Manchester won two of its last three, including a 25-13 result over Newnan this week, to finish the regular season 4-6 overall and 3-4 in region play. … No. 4-ranked Hughes secured the two-seed last week and closed out its regular season with a 56-9 rout of Paulding County. … Top-seeded Douglas County is finishing the regular season a perfect 10-0 after defeating South Paulding 30-7. … No. 6-ranked Rome already had the top seed in Region 6 secured before its 65-0 shutout of Etowah, and Sequoyah earned a home playoff game and the two seed with its 42-14 victory over Woodstock. … With No. 8-ranked Roswell’s 52-13 win over Alpharetta and a 49-0 Blessed Trinity shutout of Lassiter, the Hornets and Titans have secured Region 7’s one and two seeds, respectively. … Meanwhile, Pope and Sprayberry both entered Friday night 2-3 in region play, but the Yellow Jackets will move onto the postseason after defeating the Greyhounds 45-21. … Top-ranked Gainesville locked up the Region 8 title last week, and the Red Elephants secured their perfect regular season with a 28-0 victory over Jackson County. … Jonesboro upended Lovejoy 36-30 in overtime to secure the No. 3 seed from Region 3. The Cardinals led 8-7 after the first quarter and 22-14 at the half. Lovejoy cut into the lead 22-21 entering the fourth quarter and tied the game at 30 at the end of regulation. …
Class 5A
Coffee 28, Ware County 5
Coffee takes down Ware County to finish the regular season undefeated and claim the Region 1 championship. The visiting Trojans recorded three rushing touchdowns and an interception that was returned for a score. Coffee led 14-3 at halftime.
Warner Robins 51, Locust Grove 21
Warner Robins jumped to a 27-0 lead against Locust Grove in the first quarter to clinch the Region 2 title. Jhayden Jones threw two touchdown passes, and Khalil Quinn returned a punt for a 65-yard touchdown in the first quarter. Warner Robins led Locust Grove 44-7 at the half.
Northgate 52, Drew 13
Northgate led Drew 45-7 at halftime and went on to finish the regular season with a 7-3 record. Evan Garrett recorded two rushing touchdowns in the second quarter and Northgate also tallied a punt return for a touchdown in the same quarter. The host Vikings got the scoring started early in the first quarter when they recorded a safety.
Arabia Mountain 24, Tucker 23
Daniel Turpin scored on a touchdown run to lead Arabia Mountain over Tucker in overtime for the Region 4 title. Turpin also scored on a 1-yard run early in the first quarter to give the Rams the 8-0 lead. Tucker bounced back, however, jumping to a 14-8 lead early in the second quarter. That was the same score at halftime, but Arabia Mountain tied the game early in the third quarter when Laron Jones returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown. Both teams exchanged field goals in the fourth quarter.
Chapel Hill 23, Villa Rica 6
Chapel Hill scored 23 unanswered points to earn its eighth win of the year. Delancy Alexander threw a touchdown pass in the second quarter while Mike Padgett rushed for one to give Chapel Hill the 14-6 lead at halftime. Alexander threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Green early in the third.
Greater Atlanta Christian 17, Centennial 7
Jack Stanton threw a touchdown pass in the first quarter and GL Tiberia scored a rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter to lead Greater Atlanta Christian over Centennial, Stanton’s TD pass came after Centennial jumped to a 7-0 lead. The game was tied at seven at halftime. Greater Atlanta Christian finishes the regular season with a 9-1 record.
Statesboro 35, Jenkins 0
Kam Mikell rushed for 156 yards and threw for 80 yards to lead Statesboro over Jenkins and clinch a spot in the state playoffs. The Blue Devils got the scoring started early when Mikell scored on a 71-yard touchdown run. He then scored on a five-yard run after recovering a pooch kickoff. Statesboro led Jenkins 21-0 at halftime. The Blue Devils will play Tucker in the first round of the playoffs next week.
Kell 48, Chattahoochee 0
Kell led Chattahoochee 34-0 at halftime and went on to win its ninth consecutive game. The Longhorns finish the season with a 9-1 record and win the Region 6 championship. Kell will take on Cass in the first round of the playoffs.
Greenbrier 32, Bradwell Institute 29
Keegan Morgan kicked a 43-yard field goal as time expired to snap Greenbrier’s 21-game losing streak. The Wolfpack jumped to a 14-0 lead over Bradwell Institute in the first half. Cole Trupp ran for 148 yards three touchdowns in the win. Bradwell Institute was led by Christopher Garrett who threw four touchdown passes. Greenbrier led 14-7 at halftime.
In other Class 5A games — Harris County got past McIntosh 14-6 to clinch the top spot in Region 3. The final score was the same score at halftime. … Creekside defeated Banneker 49-6 to win the Region 5 championship. …Jackson (Atlanta) beat Tri-Cities 37-13 to finish the regular season with a 5-5 record. … Midtown also finishes with a 5-5 record after beating Johnson, Gainesville 33-9. Cambridge got past North Springs 35-14 to clinch a playoff spot. The Bears led the Spartans 21-14 at halftime.
Class 4A
Starr’s Mill 24, Whitewater 10
Starr’s Mill pitched a shutout in the first half and held on to defeat host Whitewater. The Panthers’ dominant defensive effort included a fumble recovery by Taylor Ratinaud, which led to Logan Inagawa’s first-quarter touchdown pass to Dorsey Benefield. Hunter Meeks’ 24-yard field goal made it 10-0 at halftime. Starr’s Mill also got a touchdown run from Benefield and a 29-yard scoring strike from Inagawa to Lincoln Delaere. Whitewater’s points came on a 22-yard field goal by Ethan Hoellrich and a 30-yard scamper by Gavin Owen.
Westminster 48, Miller Grove 14
Westminster scored 41 points in a row following an early 7-7 tie to race away from visiting Miller Grove. Michael Buhay threw one touchdown pass and rushed for two other scores to lead the Wildcats. Fain Barton had one rushing touchdown and one receiving touchdown, while Wade Penn scored twice on the ground. Locke Patton capped off Westminster’s scoring with a TD run late in the third quarter. One of Buhay’s touchdown plunges was set up by a Jack DeButts interception return to the Miller Grove one-yard line.
Perry 55, West Laurens 7
Perry scored the first 34 points of the game and had all 55 of its points on the scoreboard before the end of the third quarter en route to a big win over visiting West Laurens. Corrion Daniels scored three times on the ground for the Panthers, including once from 60 yards out. Dakarai Anderson added a touchdown run and Reid Ginn tossed a 25-yard scoring strike to Jackson Thompson. Perry’s special teams also came up huge in the form of a 90-yard blocked punt return to the house by Tavares Simmons. West Laurens’ lone touchdown came in the form of an 80-yard scamper by Johnny Williams.
Central-Carroll 35, Heritage-Catoosa 34
Heritage-Catoosa went for a two-point conversion and the win with six minutes remaining but got stopped, allowing Central-Carroll to hold on for a road victory. It was a back-and-forth affair, as Heritage-Catoosa held leads of 7-0 and 14-6 before erasing a 28-14 deficit to tie it at 28-28 late in the third quarter. A Brody James touchdown run eventually gave the Generals a chance to win, but the two-point try failed. Heritage-Catoosa also got two touchdowns from Cody Bryan, one via a 95-yard kick return and one on a pass from Brady Chandler. Central-Carroll got two touchdowns apiece from Jonaz Walton and Avery Tanner to go along with one by Zyleigh Person. J.R. Harris threw three touchdown passes for the Lions.
North Oconee 34, Cherokee Bluff 7
North Oconee scored the first 34 points of the game–all in the first half–to overwhelm visiting Cherokee Bluff. It was 14-0 after one quarter, as Max Wilson tossed touchdown passes to Landon Roldan and Trey Lenhardt. A K.J. Moon interception set up the Titans’ second score of the night. Tate Titshaw added two touchdown runs in the second quarter before Max Wilson capped off North Oconee’s onslaught with another TD on the ground just prior to halftime.
In other Class 4A games — Pace Academy took care of visiting Mt. Zion-Jonesboro 41-6. Terrence Kiel returned an interception for a touchdown, Cooper Williams returned a punt for a touchdown and Kiel threw a touchdown pass to Williams. The Lions also got a pair of TD runs from Christian Johnson. … Visiting Lakeside-DeKalb blanked Clarkston 38-0. The Vikings’ defensive shutout also included a 50-yard fumble return for a touchdown by Daniel Arzabe. On the other side of the ball, Kyle Davis ran for one touchdown and tossed a 20-yard scoring strike to Kelly Anthony. … Druid Hills rolled to a 49-0 road win over Stone Mountain while dominating in all three phases of the game. Jaden George ran for three touchdowns, Reese Patterson returned a fumble 75 yards for a touchdown and Niko Brown returned a blocked punt 44 yards for a score. … Holy Innocents’ scraped past host Hapeville Charter 38-23. Both Jacobi Murray and Nicholas Morgan scored twice on the ground and the Golden Bears also got an interception return for a touchdown by Zach Jackson. … Juelz Davis rushed for two touchdowns as Cedartown dismissed visiting Northwest Whitfield 33-7. The Bulldogs also got a TD run by Michael Gibbon and a pair of scoring strikes from Drew Ledbetter to Tae Harris and Reonte Porter. … Trinity Christian defeated visiting Fayette County 41-6, scoring the last 35 points of the game following a 6-6 tie. Bakari Hamilton rushed for two touchdowns, while Phoenix Moss and Ronnie Frere tacked on one apiece.
Class 3A
Adairsville 28, Coahulla Creek 21
Trailing 13-0 in the second quarter after two rushing touchdowns from Coahulla Creek, Adairsville scored on a 75-yard kick return from Noah Matthews to get on the board. Tamarius Wilkey scored on a 12-yard run to tie the game and with seven minutes left in the third quarter, Jamarian Pullum scored on a 5-yard run to put Adairsville ahead 20-14 after a missed point after try. The Colts took the 21-20 lead on a run with six minutes left in the third quarter but a 48-yard run from Pullum and his ensuing 2-point conversion run capped scoring and put the game away.
Hebron Christian 37, Stephens County 6
Unranked Hebron Christian kept No. 2-ranked Stephens County out of the endzone in an upset romp capping the Region 8 season. Stephens County takes the No. 1 seed to the playoffs, with Hebron earning the No. 4 seed. Justin Hornick scored on a 55-yard run to get Hebron on the board. The Lions led 10-3 at the half and 23-3 entering the fourth quarter.
Mary Persons 56, Pike County 7
Mary Persons led 14-0 at the end of the first quarter and 35-0 at the half over Pike County in a Region 2 romp to take the No. 1 seed from the league.
In other Class 3A games – Cedar Grove moved past Carver-Atlanta 24-14 in a Region 5 game to take the No. 1 seed from the league. … Savannah Country Day led 28-0 after the first quarter and 54-0 at the half to move past Groves in a Region 3 game to finish with the No. 3 seed from the league. … Ringgold defeated Gordon Lee 21-7 to secure the No. 3 seed from Region 6. Gordon Lee is the No. 4 seed from the region. … Morgan County avenged last year’s loss and secured the Region 3 title after upending unranked but upset-minded Harlem to win the Region 3 title. Christian Monfort scored on a run to put Morgan up 7-0. The Bulldogs led 21-14 at the half. … Lumpkin County completed the first 10-0 season in school history after upending West Hall 42-7 in a Region 7 game. The Indians led 28-7 at the half. … White County defeated Gilmer 35-28 to secure the No. 3 seed from Region 7 while Gilmer took the No. 4 seed. … Also in Region 7, Wesleyan defeated Pickens 42-20 to capture the No. 2 seed from the league. … In Region 2 play, Peach County secured the No. 3 seed by defeating Jackson 43-0. … Savannah Country Day beat Groves 68-14 to capture the No. 3 seed from Region 3 while Long County, which beat Johnson-Savannah 38-14 Friday but lost head-to-head to SCD, took the No. 4 seed.
Class 2A
Rockmart 59, North Murray 7
Rockmart faced a tough test in a juicy season finale that saw the Yellowjackets (6-0 in region play) host the North Murray Mountaineers (5-1 in region play). Rockmart led 38-0 at halftime. On its way to its seventh consecutive region championship, Rockmart scored six of its seven touchdowns against North Murray on the ground, which included three by senior Brent Washington.
Cook 31, Worth County 28
Cook jumped to an early 14-0 lead before Worth County responded with two touchdowns of its own. Some missed extra point attempts were alleviated by when the team traded field goals in the second quarter. Cook added a rushing touchdown in the final minute of the first half to give itself a 24-15 lead at halftime. Worth County refused to end the regular season without a fight and posted back-to-back passing touchdowns to take a 28-24 lead only for Cook to respond with a passing touchdown of its own. A scoreless fourth quarter enabled Cook to escape with a road win.
Murray County 44, Gordon Central 43
With how hard fought the game was, it would be hard to know it was a face off between two teams at the bottom of their division. Murray County maintained a lead for most of the game, by one point in the first quarter and then 28-14 at halftime. Gordon Central trailed 36-28 to open the final period, but it was ultimately Judah Woodall’s late touchdown and successful 2-point conversion that gave Murray County the one-point win and kept Gordon Central winless for the season.
Athens Academy 59, East Jackson 21
Athens Academy’s defense scored the Spartans’ first two touchdowns of the game—one an interception return on the game’s first passing play and the other on a fumble recovery that went 40 yards for six points. East Jackson responded to each Spartans touchdown with a rushing touchdown, but then Athens Academy’s offense also got involved. After leading 17-15 early in the second, the Spartans outscored East Jackson 42-6 the rest of the game, which included a third defensive touchdown for the game.
Fannin County 41, Haralson County 14
Lawson Sullivan, the Rebels dual-threat athlete and 2-sport star, threw three touchdowns in the first half, scored on a rushing touchdown to open the second half, and punctuated the game with a pick-6 on the defensive end to start the fourth quarter as well. Fannin County’s only other touchdown came on a trick play involving Braden Taylor throwing a touchdown pass after catching one earlier in the game. The Rebels will be in the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season under head coach Chad Cheatham.
Toombs County 31, Vidalia 14
Toombs trailed 17-14 going into the fourth quarter, but Dabvn Wadley’s second rushing touchdown of the game coupled with TJ Stanley’s touchdown pass to Keshon Deloach—both coming in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter—proved to be the winning combination for the Bulldogs on the road.
Appling County 50, Brantley County 14
Appling County secured its second consecutive region title with a dominant 50-14 win at home on senior night. (Next up is Northeast Macon.)
Ace Charter 30, Spencer 27
The regular season finale often lends itself to the dramatic, and true to form, Ace Charter pulled off the “upset” over region winner Spencer on a last-minute drive to end the regular season at 8-2.
Class A Division I
Prince Avenue 49, Social Circle 3
No. 1 Prince Avenue improved to 9-1 and won the Region 5 title over Social Circle with a home win. The Wolverines moved to 3-0 in the region to take the first seed, and Social Circle fell to 4-6 overall and 2-1 in the region to fall to the second seed. Prince Avenue led 35-3 at halftime. Connor Causby scored three touchdowns and both Thornton Hester and Hudson Hill scored twice for the Wolverines.
Dublin 41, Swainsboro 20
Unranked Dublin defeated No. 6 Swainsboro on the road to move to 8-2 overall and 3-1 in Region 2, securing the second seed. Swainsboro fell to 8-2 and 2-2 in the region, taking third place. Running back Xavier Bostic and quarterback Micah O’Neal each rushed for three touchdowns, with O’Neal’s touchdown runs coming from 50 yards, 26 yards and 1 yard and Bostic’s coming from 32, 4 and 3 yards. Each also had an interception on defense, as Bostic had an interception at linebacker late in the first half and O’Neal had one at cornerback late in the fourth quarter. Dublin led 21-12 at halftime and just 27-20 early in the fourth quarter before O’Neal’s 50-yard and 1-yard scoring runs sealed the win. Jordon Williams scored on runs of 63 and 30 yards for Swainsboro.
Trion 42, Darlington 14
No. 2 Trion won the Region 7 championship over Darlington with a home win, improving to 10-0 and 6-0 in the region. Darlington fell to 6-4 and 4-2 in the region to fall to the fourth seed. Toby Maddux had four rushing touchdowns, including scores from 65 and 17 yards, and had a 19-yard touchdown catch from Bulldogs quarterback Kade Smith. Smith also threw a 19-yard touchdown to tight end Logan Stokes, and Andy Ramirez made a 32-yard field goal for the Bulldogs, who led 29-7 at halftime before Darlington’s Talan Shirey returned a kickoff for a touchdown to open the second half.
In other Class A Division I games – No. 8 Lamar County clinched the Region 4 championship with a 44-28 home win over Heard County, which gets the No. 2 seed. Lamar County (8-2, 3-0) led just 31-28 midway through the fourth quarter before the Trojans scored the game’s final two touchdowns. Heard County fell to 4-6, 2-1 in the region. … No. 9 Bryan County, which wrapped up the Region 3 title the previous week, finished the regular season 9-1 and 4-0 in the region with a 50-0 home win over Claxton, which fell to 2-8 and 1-3 in the region to earn the fourth seed. … No. 10 Brooks County secured the Region 1 championship with a 33-7 road win over Pelham. Brooks County improved to 5-5 and 3-0 in the region, while Pelham fell to 4-6 and 1-2, good for the fourth seed.
Class A Division II
Schley County 63, Greenville 32
Top-ranked Schley County secured a 10-0 regular season with a road win at Greenville. The Wildcats earned the No. 1 seed in Region 6 with a 7-0 league record, and Greenville misses the playoffs while finishing in fifth at 2-7 overall and 2-4 in the region. The region championship is Schley County’s second in a row.
Portal 36, Jenkins County 34 (OT)
Host Portal won its first-ever region championship with a 36-34 overtime win over previously undefeated Jenkins County. The Panthers improved to 7-3 overall and 4-0 in the region, knocking No. 6 Jenkins County to the second seed at 9-1 and 3-1. The teams ended regulation tied at 28-28, and in the first possession of overtime, Portal passed for a touchdown and then passed for a two-point conversion to take a 36-28 lead. Jenkins County rushed for a touchdown in response but its rush on the two-point conversion try was short of the end zone, giving Portal the win.
Bowdon 63, Mt. Zion-Carroll 14
No. 5 Bowdon defeated Mt. Zion-Carroll on the road to improve to 8-2 overall and 2-0 in Region 7, clinching the region title. Red Devils quarterback Kyler McGrinn accounted for seven touchdowns, rushing for four and throwing for three. McGrinn rushed for scores of 30 and 12 yards to go with two 1-yard QB sneaks and threw touchdowns to Kaiden Prothro (22 yards), Chris Wyatt (20 yards) and Devan Powell (10 yards). Dylan McGrinn (2 yards) and Connor Daniel (30 yards) had second-half rushing touchdowns after Bowdon led 42-0 at halftime. Mt. Zion fell to 3-7 and 0-2 in the region and will be the region’s third seed in the playoffs.
Aquinas 45, Warren County 8
No. 8 Aquinas won the Region 8 title with a 45-8 win at Warren County, moving to 8-2 overall and 4-1 in the region. The Fighting Irish led 35-8 at halftime after quarterback Jim Franklin completed touchdown passes of 68, 54 and 40 yards to BuddyRow Garrer in the first half to go with a 6-yard C.J. Wilkerson touchdown run and a 1-yard Copeland Thurmond touchdown run. Franklin completed his fourth touchdown pass to Jack Rhodes for 11 yards in the third quarter and Grant Miller made a 26-yard field goal in the fourth. Warren County fell to 3-7 and 1-4 in the region to finish fifth.
In other A Division II games — No. 7 Greene County claimed the No. 2 seed in Region 8 with a 20-10 home win over Washington-Wilkes, which slots into the fourth seed. Greene County finished 9-1 overall and 4-1 in the region, and Washington-Wilkes finished 6-4 and 3-2. … No. 9 Dooly County, which clinched the Region 4 title the previous week, was a 30-23 road winner over Hawkinsville. Dooly County finished the regular season 6-4, 5-0 in the region, and Hawkinsville fell to 6-4 and 2-3 in the region, good for the No. 4 seed. … No. 10 Telfair County lost 20-12 at home to Treutlen to fall to 7-2 and 3-2 in Region 4 but remained in second place. Treutlen will miss the playoffs at 3-7, finishing in fifth place at 2-3 in the region.
Recaps from Thursday
Class 5A
Jones County 41, Union Grove 7
Devin Edmonds was 15-of-22 passing for 292 yards and five touchdowns to lead Jones County past Union Grove. Tyler Steward led the Greyhounds receiver corps with four receptions for 137 yards and three touchdowns alongside Jaivon Soloman (2 receptions, 65 yards, 1 TD) and Cohen Barfield (3 receptions, 45 yards, 1 TD).
Jefferson 35, Eastside 0
Jefferson completed a perfect 10-0 regular season moving past Eastside on the road to capture the Region 8-5A championship. Sammy Brown opened the scoring on a short run. Gavin Markey passed to Zay Minish (30 yards) for a touchdown to expand the lead. Brown added a touchdown run early in the third quarter to make it a 21-0 lead for the Dragons. Markey passed to Minish for a 31-yard touchdown to put Jefferson up 28-0 and Brown’s third rushing touchdown brought the score to its final tally late in the third quarter.
Chamblee 49, Lithonia 14
From Mark Brock: Senior quarterback Ashton Bolston scored four touchdowns, threw for one and blocked a punt to lead the Chamblee Bulldogs to a state playoff berth clinching 49-14 win over the Lithonia Bulldogs at North DeKalb Stadium on Thursday night.
Chamblee (4-6, 2-3) needed a win to secure a second consecutive trip to the Class 5A state playoffs scored three second quarter touchdowns to pull away for the win.
Leading 7-6 heading into the second quarter, Chamblee scored just seven seconds in as Bolston kept for a nine-yard touchdown run. Zeke Edwards added the PAT to make it 14-6. Five minutes later Bolston scored his second touchdown of the quarter keeping for a 5-yard run into the end zone with 6:31 to play. Edwards hit his third PAT of the night to extend the Chamblee to 21-6. A bad snap on a punt attempt by Lithonia gave Chamblee the ball at the Lithonia 33 and Bolston would carry the ball three times for 26 yards in the short drive.
Chamblee got the ball back on a short punt and Bolston threw to the front pylon at goal line where Joey David caught the ball and got it into the end zone for the 20-yard scoring play. Alex Dakhli hit the PAT to make it 28-6 with 3:16 left in the half. The lead would remain the same as the teams headed off the field for the break. A 38-yard run by George Ross early in the second half set up another Bolston run for a touchdown. Bolston got his third touchdown of the night on a 13-yard scamper to the end zone with 8:10 left in the third period. Dakhli added the PAT to make it 35-6.
Two minutes later Bolston blocked a punt and the Bulldogs recovered at the Lithonia 14. Bolston took the snap two plays later and ran up the middle for 14 yards and the touchdown with 6:01 to play. Dakhli again hit the PAT to push the advantage to 42-6. Lithonia answered with a 75-yard drive behind the play of Amani Myco and Ty’Rell Cullbreath to score. Cullbreath had runs of 15 and 11 yards to help set up a 9-yard touchdown pass from Myco to Caleb Hill. Jason Bond ran in the two-point conversion to cut the lead to 48-14 with 1:33 left in the third quarter. Chamblee added one more score with 11:31 to play as backup quarterback Everett Boyer threw into the end zone to a leaping Edward Reed who hauled in the pass just inbounds for the final score of the game. Edwars hit the PAT. Boyer threw to Isaiah Jordan for a 37-yard gain to set up the score. Marco Pless gave Chamblee an early 7-0 lead they would never relinquish as he bulled into the end zone from three yards out for the first score of the game with 5:10 remaining in the first quarter. The play was set up by a 22-yard pass from Bolston to Dempsey Allers.
Lithonia closed the gap to 7-6 with 1:40 to play in the first quarter as Caleb Hill got around the right end and raced won the sideline on his way to a 33-yard touchdown run. The PAT was wide as the score remained 7-6. Bolston finished the night with 12 carries for 70 yards and four touchdowns on the ground while throwing for 139 yards on 9 of 14 passes and a touchdown. Boyer finished with a 4 for 7 passing night for 52 yards and a touchdown. Dempsey Allers finished with four receptions for 80 yards in the game. Lithonia was led by Amani Myco who passed for 120 yards and a touchdown in the game and Caleb Hill who ran for one TD and caught a Myco pass for the other.
Class 4A
Holy Innocents’ 38, Hapeville Charter 23
Holy Innocents’ took a 3-0 lead on a 35-yard field goal from Graham Forgey and expanded the lead on an interception returned for a touchdown from Zach Johnson. Hapeville got on the board on a 30-yard reception from KJ Pope. Jacobi Murray scored on a 30-yard touchdown run to expand Holy Innocents’’ lead and the 2-point conversion put the Golden Bears up 18-7. Nicholas Morgan scored on a 4-yard run just before halftime to expand the lead. Morgan’s 20-yard run put HIES up 32-7. Murray scored on a 2-yard run with six minutes left in the game to cap scoring for the Golden Bears
Class 3A
Savannah Christian 62, Liberty County 21
Junior Zo Smalls had 11 carries for 167 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Raiders past Liberty County. Jamari McIvory had one carry for 16 yards and a touchdown while Kenry Wall had six carries for 82 yards and a touchdown and David Bucey had one short touchdown. Bucey and sophomore Carson Taylor each had one touchdown reception. Blaise Thomas was 12-of-16 passing for 177 yards in the victory.
Sandy Creek 22, Douglass 21
Amari Latimer had 29 carries for 204 yards and three touchdowns to lead Sandy Creek over Douglass in a key Region 5 game. Douglass led 14-7 after the first quarter and 21-7 at the half before the 3A defending champions responded. The Patriots outscored the Astros 15-0 in the third quarter to overcome the deficit and put the game away.
Class 2A
Southwest-Macon 37, Central-Macon 0
Southwest led 15-0 after the first quarter and 30-0 at the half in a romp of crosstown rival Central. Chase Dupree was 9-of-11 passing for 143 yards and one rushing touchdown to lead the Patriots. Three other players – Christian Hill, James May and Jmari Lester – each had one rushing touchdown.
Fellowship Christian 28, Union County 21
A 1-yard pass from Jonathan Granby to Josh Milhollin early in the second quarter lifted Fellowship Christian past Union County. The Paladins overcame a 14-0 deficit early in the second quarter to secure the victory over Union County. Trailing 14-0, Fellowship scored on a rushing touchdown one minute before halftime and tied the game on a 41-yard pass from Granby to Milhollin to tied the game at half. CJ Givers scored on a 6-yard run with seven minutes left in the third quarter to give Fellowship the lead. With four minutes left in the third quarter, Caiden Tanner scored on a 13-yard run to tie the game at 21.
Class A Division II
Georgia Military 35, Twiggs County 12
Jonathan Roach had 18 carries for 176 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Bulldogs past Twiggs. Logan McMillan was 5-of-10 passing for 93 yards and a touchdown and Noah Yohan had three carries for one touchdown.
Manchester 42, Taylor County 0
Manchester led 15-0 after the first quarter, 22-0 entering halftime and 42-0 at the end of the third quarter in a romp of Taylor County.
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