FRIDAY NIGHT HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL ROUNDUP: BUFORD DOMINATES COLLINS HILL EARLY, COASTS TO 34-3 VICTORY TO STAY ATOP REGION 8-AAAAAA STANDINGS

Quarterback Dayton Raiola’s pair of first-half scores put No. 2 Buford in control early over host Collins Hill, and a long touchdown run from Braylon Williams in the third provided insurance in the nationally ranked Wolves’ 34-3 region win.

Raiola contributed a rushing score in the opening frame and connected with senior receiver Torre Costin in the second on a pass that traveled from the logo to the end zone for a 17-0 Buford edge before the break. LSU-commit Deuce Geralds led the Wolves defense with five tackles in the first-half shutout.

Buford’s offense was relatively quiet in the second half but still added to the lead with Williams’ score and a second field goal from Jack Rudloff before the Eagles got on the board with a late kick. Senior running back Dylan McCoy then found the end zone as the game ended for the 34-3 final, which marked the Wolves’ lowest-scoring outing since their 20-13 win over Milton in their season opener.

Buford is now 6-0 for the third time in four years and will continue Region 8 play next week at Dacula. Collins Hill, which entered the night on a four-game win streak, drops to 4-3 and will again have its hands full with a Mill Creek team that is 3-0 against the region.

DRIVE FOR THE GHSA STATE TITLE TV GAME (ON ANF/PSN): MCEACHERN PULLS AWAY FROM BACK-AND-FORTH BATTLE WITH HOST HARRISON, REMAINS PERFECT WITH 48-21 STATEMENT WIN

Coach Kareem Reid’s Indians have already matched last season’s win total after Friday’s 48-21 Region 3 victory over the Hoyas. McEachern and Harrison traded scores en route to a 21-21 tie midway through the third quarter. From there, however, the Indians added a trio of rushing scores and a pick-six from star sophomore Casey Barner to close out the game.

“We had to go in and fix some things on coverage on the back end and just get these guys on the ground,” said Coach Reid postgame. “Our kids applied the adjustments we made at halftime and came out and performed. We told them this was a playoff game on Monday and that’s exactly what it felt like for us. We knew this would probably set up a matchup for the region championship down the road, so we had to make sure we got this one.”

Quarterback Calvin Pittman Jr contributed a score on the ground and another on a pass to Zavion Harris, both in the first half, and Kayden Battle intercepted Hoya QB Aiden Watson in the third to set up the first of Henry Pullen’s two touchdowns. For Harrison, Watson threw a pair of touchdown passes to DJ Huggins.

“CJ’s been doing that all year for us,” Reid said of Pittman, the night’s Robbie Hunter MVP Award recipient. “Our receivers grew up a little bit tonight, but he did a great job of finding them, so hats off to him.”

McEachern will look to improve to 7-0 for the first time since 2019 when it hosts Pebblebrook next week. Harrison, meanwhile, will try to bounce back from its first loss of the year with a trip to South Cobb.

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Check out the Class-by-class recaps below

CLASS 6A: Richmond Hill built a 17-0 first-half lead over Region 1 foe Camden County, then held on for a narrow 24-20 victory with the help of a fourth-quarter Marquis Muhammad touchdown. The Wildcats improved to 6-1 on the year and 2-0 in region play with the win and sit at the top of the standings along with undefeated Lowndes. … Valdosta added a field goal to cut Colquitt County’s lead to 18-17 midway through the third, but neither offense found the end zone again. The Region 1 win was the first of the season for the Packers, who host Tift County next week. … Lambert snapped North Atlanta’s three-game win streak with a 33-31 triple overtime victory after the Warriors failed to convert on the mandatory two-point try. The Longhorns are now 2-1 in Region 6 and travel to Alpharetta next week. … Marietta defeated Walton by a margin of 41-38 in a double overtime battle that was tied at 7-7, 14-14, 21-21, 28-28 and 35-35 before the Blue Devils answered the Raiders’ field goal with a touchdown.

CLASS 5A: Coffee tied its matchup with Lee County 14-14 in the second before giving up 21 unanswered points to close out the night. Both groups of Trojans are now 1-1 in Region 2 play following the 35-14 result. … Sprayberry came out on top of a 36-35 thriller with host Creekview after answering the Grizzlies’ touchdown in overtime with a score and successful two-point conversion. … Milton gave up its first touchdown in three games in Friday’s 40-7 win over Lanier, improving to 6-1 on the year and 3-0 in Region 7. The Eagles’ lone loss of the season came in Week 1 against still-undefeated Buford.

CLASS 4A: Benedictine got a big homecoming win with a 61-0 rout of Warner Robins. The Cadets led 47-0 at the break and have won their last four games after an 0-2 start against Colquitt County and Buford. … Central (Carrollton) remains undefeated after a 49-7 victory over Starr’s Mill. Quarterback JR Harris threw four touchdown passes for the Lions, who also got a trio of touchdowns from Jonaz Walton, including one on a kickoff return. … Kell defeated Blessed Trinity 3-0 after Arizona State commit Jalen Williams intercepted the Titans with just over a minute remaining.

CLASS 3A: Quarterback Dylan Barber scored twice on the ground and threw another touchdown to Peyton Davis in LaGrange’s 45-20 win over Whitewater. The Grangers also got rushing scores from Antonio Parks, Caydin Thomas and Jham Johnson, as well as a 49-yard field goal from Cooper Metcalf. … CJ Hays had over 200 yards rushing in Jefferson’s 22-7 victory over visiting Monroe Area. Kicker Taylor McCall connected on three field goals for the Dragons, including one from 49 yards out, and Dalton Dye caught and ran for touchdowns.

CLASS 2A: Thomson snapped a streak of four straight losses to Burke County with a fourth-quarter comeback for a 24-14 Region 4 win. The Bulldogs are now 4-3 on the year and 2-0 in the region and will travel to Glenn Hills next week. … Quarterback Jordan Greene threw for two touchdowns and rushed for another in Hebron Christian’s emphatic 54-3 victory over Hart County. The Lions now enter their bye week ahead of a trip to Stephens County. …

CLASS A - DIV. 1: Lavonate Cole scored from a yard out for Thomasville in the Bulldogs’ overtime matchup with Worth County, but Chance Sims intercepted the ensuing two-point try to seal the 41-40 Rams win. … Toombs County trailed host Swainsboro early before pulling away for a 47-20 Region 3 victory. The Bulldogs got a trio of touchdown passes from quarterback Joseph Owens, a pair of rushing scores by Justin Powell and a fumble return touchdown by Alex Scott in the win.

CLASS A - DIV. 2: Wheeler County is now 7-0 for the first time in program history under second-year head coach Thomas Smith. The Bulldogs have now matched last year’s win total and enter next week looking for an eighth win on the year for just the third time in program history — and the first time since 1999. … Brooks County has outscored its two Region 2 foes by a combined margin of 65-0 following a 37-0 shutout of Lanier County. The Trojans have now won three of their last four after starting the season 0-3 and will host Clinch County next week.

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