Upsets, winners & surprises from Friday night football

Class AAAAAAA:

Parkview 42, Mountain View 6

The Parkview Panthers and Mountain View Bears opened the season with a rematch of their 2017 Class AAAAAAA elite eight matchup. Similar to their post-season meeting, the Panthers managed to out-pace and out-score the Bears, finding continuous success on the ground. Sophomore running back Cody Brown struck first for Parkview, scoring on their first and second possessions of the game. The Bears defense was no match for the Panthers backfield, allowing senior running back Jakeim Thompson to run the ball straight to the end zone for Parkview’s third score of the first half. Mountain View managed to put points on the board with 45 seconds remaining in the first half, but would fail to score again. Mountain View began to pressure Parkview’s 21-6 lead after a successful onside kick at the start of the third quarter, but the Panthers defense came up big as Junior middle linebacker Elijah Brown intercepted the ball on the Panthers 1-yard line. Brown and Thompson both added one more score to their lucrative nights, adding to the Panthers solid opening game victory.

Shiloh 25, Duluth 7

Shiloh forced a whopping six turnovers--four fumble recoveries and two
interceptions--in a dominant defensive performance that propelled the
visitors past Duluth. LaDanian Smith recovered a fumble in the first
quarter and returned it for an apparent touchdown before his run was
called back due to a penalty. Hudson Anderson, Isaac Dowling, and Kai
Maddox recovered fumbles in the third quarter, thwarting any chance of
a Duluth comeback. On the offensive side of the ball, Arthur Rodgers
Jr. rushed for two touchdowns and Vince Goffney completed 15 of 29
passes for 140 yards and a score.

Etowah 28, River Ridge 0

Etowah posted a shutout of visiting River Ridge, limiting the visitors to just 145 yards of total offense while racking up 357 of its own. Dalton Miller completed 12 of 15 passes for 185 yards and two touchdowns, leading an Eagles offense that also had 92 yards on the ground and a rushing touchdown from Nick Maddox. Miller connected on a 74-yard scoring strike with Jackson Manns and tossed another touchdown pass to Mack Graham to make the score 28-0 in the third quarter. Graham finished with three catches for 43 yards and was among nine different pass-catchers for Etowah.

Meadowcreek 21, Wesleyan 3

Meadowcreek reeled off 21 unanswered points following an early 3-0 deficit to surge past visiting Wesleyan. Omie Huntley gave the Mustangs a 7-3 advantage with 10 minutes left in the first half with a touchdown reception from Quincy Ponder and the same combination hooked up for another scoring strike with seven seconds remaining before halftime. Meadowcreek iced it on a one-yard touchdown plunge by Tre Garner with four minutes remaining in the game. The Wolves' points came via a 29-yard field goal by Harrison Larner.

Forsyth Central 42, Chamblee 7:

Forsyth Central took a 14-0 lead in the first quarter with a 42-yard rushing touchdown by Solomon Gates and a blocked punt return by Brady Meitz on its way to a 42-7 victory over the visiting Chamblee Bulldogs. Stuart Steele’s 87-yard pass to Joshua Tate provided Chamblee’s only points of the game, with the first of Devon Taylor’s rushing touchdowns extending Forsyth Central’s lead to 21-7 at the half. Eli Ruis opened the third quarter with a 2-yard trip to the endzone, and Taylor and Gates each scored again in the fourth quarter.

Class AAAAAA:

Mundy's Mill 32, McIntosh 18:

Mundy's Mill senior WR Nick Manson had an all-star performance Friday night, hauling in touchdowns of 19, 18, and 45 yards, respectively, in the Tigers’ 32-18 win over the McIntosh Eagles. The teams traded a pair of touchdowns in the first quarter, but Mundy's Mill proved to be too much, scoring three unanswered touchdowns—two by Mason—in the following two periods. McIntosh QB Dane Kinamon had two rushing touchdowns on the evening.

Thomasville 15, Cairo 14

Running back Tan Gelin racked up 197 yards on the ground and scored both of Thomasville's touchdowns to lead the visitors to a thrilling win over Cairo. The Bulldogs seemed to be down and out when they trailed 14-0 midway through the fourth quarter, but that is when the floodgates suddenly opened. Gelin scored from nine yards out with 6:06 remaining and from 19 yards away with 1:37 left. Thomasville went for two trailing 14-13 and freshman quarterback Chad Mascoe, who already has an offer from Florida State, threw what proved to be the game-winning pass to stun the Syrupmakers.

Class AAAAA:

Warner Robins 40, Tift County 29:

The Warner Robins Demons clenched a 40-29 win against the Tift County Blue Devils at McConnell-Talbert Stadium on Friday night. Dylan Fromm, the youngest brother of UGA quarterback Jake Fromm, led the Demons offense and put his team on the board first with a 1-yard plunge. Warner Robins’ Trey Franklin took advantage of a Tift County fumble and returned it for 28 yards, giving the Demons a 14-0 lead with 9:47 left in the first. A Tift County field goal wasn’t enough to stop Warner Robin’s offense as Fromm threw a 21-yard pass to Devin Brown, giving the Demons a 20-3 lead at the end of the first. The Blue Devils found their momentum in the second with a 24-yard touchdown pass from Patrick Felton to Mike Jones. Warner Robins and Tift County both had two field goals back-to-back, putting the score at 23-13. Felton had a 21-yard touchdown pass to Jeremiah McKinnon and Fromm had a touchdown pass to Franklin to put the score at 30-23 going into halftime. Tift answered with a safety early in the third but the Demons answered back on a 45-yard swing pass from Fromm to Smith. Katavion Jones’ 96-yard touchdown run wasn’t enough for the Blue Devils to come back after Warner Robins finished the game with a 32-yard field goal.

Class AAAA

Cartersville 35, Allatoona 0:

Cartersville opened the season with a convincing 35-0 win at home over Allatoona. Cartersville RB Marcus Gary had 205 total yards (111 on the ground and 94 in the air) and two touchdowns in the first half. Cartersville scored its first touchdown on a 29-yard touchdown pass from QB Tee Webb to WR Trendon Horton in the second quarter. Cartersville RB Marcus Gary scored a 46-yard touchdown run midway through the second quarter to give the Hurricanes a 14-0 lead. On Cartersville's next series, Gary caught a screen pass and scored a 50-yard touchdown to extend Cartersville's lead to 21-0. Cartersville's Marko Dudley had a 35-yard interception return to give the Hurricanes a 28-0 lead before halftime. Sophomore RB Quante Jennings scored a 4-yard touchdown run on his first drive with the Varsity team to extend Cartersville's lead to 35-0 midway through the fourth quarter.

Oconee County 20, Jefferson 13

Oconee County outscored visiting Jefferson 13-0 in the fourth quarter to erase a 13-7 deficit and treat its home crowd to a season-opening victory. Jefferson got on the scoreboard in the first quarter with a 75-yard touchdown reception by Sammy Elegreet and took a brief lead in the third quarter on a touchdown run from Garmon Randolph. Max Johnson led Oconee County with a score on the ground while also providing the go-ahead touchdown pass, which went to Ben Noland with 11 minutes left in the game. Jimmy Boswell added a touchdown run to give the Warriors a cushion with four minutes remaining.

Mary Persons 42, Gainesville 0

The Red Elephants offense, led by first-year head coach Heath Webb after his departure from Winder-Barrow, was simply unable to handle the continuous pressure put on by Mary Persons. The 2017 quarterfinalist come out strong to open their season, scoring their first touchdown of the night near the ten-minute mark of the first quarter. With 7:03 left in the first, the Bulldogs defense stepped up to the plate to force a turnover on downs after a failed conversion attempt by Gainesville. Junior running back Quen Wilson capitalized on the opportunity by rushing the ball 41 yards into the endzone. Wilson found pay dirt again in the first after a powerful 78-yard rush straight to the house. Desmond Williams also contributed to the first quarter scoring frenzy with a pick six to help solidify Mary Persons electric opening win.

Class AAA:

GACS 24, Lovett 21:

Greater Atlanta Christian School QB Josh Rose played a major role in all three Spartans touchdowns in their 24-21 win over Lovett Friday night. After a scoreless first quarter for both teams, Rose tossed a a 15-yard touchdown to Ty James in the second. Nationally ranked Lovett QB Blaine McAllister drove his team down the field and responded with a 27-yard touchdown pass of his own before GAC successfully kicked a field goal as time expired in the first half. Lovett struck first for a 14-10 lead in the third quarter—a McAllister QB keeper from 4 yards out. Not to be outdone, Rose kept the ball himself and scored a touchdown from the one-yard line early in the 4th quarter. Lovett WR Nick Jackson scored a touchdown to give the Lions a 21-17 lead midway through the final period, but the Lions couldn't stop GAC QB Rose from rushing for a game-winning 8-yard touchdown late in the 4th quarter.

Westminster 56, Woodward 31:

Parks Harber threw five touchdown passes to five different receivers, helping Westminster pull away in a shootout against visiting Woodward. The Wildcats put together 28 unanswered points after briefly trailing 10-7, punctuating that run with a 80-yard scamper to the endzone by Will Harmark on the first play of the second half. The War Eagles got as close as 11 points at 42-31 before Westminster finished them off with a scoring strike to Nance Hill and a touchdown run by Paul Weathington. Both Hallmark and Weathington went over 100 yards on the ground and Weathington scored twice. Harber tossed touchdowns to Hill, Luke Janetta, Lowell Jones, John O. Izlar, and Ben Allen.

Class AA:

Thomasville 15, Cairo 14

Running back Tan Gelin racked up 197 yards on the ground and scored both of Thomasville's touchdowns to lead the visitors to a thrilling win over Cairo. The Bulldogs seemed to be down and out when they trailed 14-0 midway through the fourth quarter, but that is when the floodgates suddenly opened. Gelin scored from nine yards out with 6:06 remaining and from 19 yards away with 1:37 left. Thomasville went for two trailing 14-13 and freshman quarterback Chad Mascoe, who already has an offer from Florida State, threw what proved to be the game-winning pass to stun the Syrupmakers.

Class A:

Blessed Trinity 35, St. Pius X 13:

St. Pius X hung around with visiting Blessed Trinity for most of the first half, but the Titans were off to the races with a touchdown just prior to the break that put them up 21-7. That began a

string of 21 unanswered points for Blessed Trinity, which built its lead to 35-7 in the fourth quarter before the Golden Lions managed to find a late score. Jake Smith rushed for a touchdown, threw a scoring strike to Steele Chambers, and Chambers rushed for two touchdowns. The

Titans also got a 28-yard touchdown scamper by Elijah Green.

Aquinas 31, Laney 0:

The Aquinas Fighting Irish are off to a 1-0 start after a 31-0 home win against the visiting Laney Wildcats. Ferris Lowery put the Fighting Irish on the board first with a 50-yard interception return, and Aquinas widened the gap with a 6-yard touchdown run by Charlie Davis and a field goal by Patrick Lovering. Quarterback JP Lambert threw a touchdown pass to Kam Brinson to put the Fighting Irish up 24-0 going into halftime, and with 10:19 left in the fourth quarter, Lowery added his second touchdown of the night (3-yd touchdown run) for the 31-0 final.

Abbeville 57, Lincoln Co. 0:

The Abbeville High Panthers steamrolled the Lincoln Co. Red Devils 57-0 in the season opener Friday night. Abbeville got three touchdowns from quarterback J.D. Moore, including a 66-yard TD run on the Panthers' first play from scrimmage. Abbeville RB Cortney Jackson scored two touchdowns in the first half while CB Quadarius Guillebeaux added a 70-yard fumble return before halftime as well. Moore scored another touchdown for Panthers to extend Abbeville's lead to 43-0 to open the third quarter. The 57 points given up by the Red Devils was the most in school history.

Holy Innocents’ 42, Mt Pisgah 21:

Mt Pisgah made it a one-possession game with 8:56 to play, but Holy Innocents’ scored the final 15 points for a 42-21 victory on the road. The Golden Bears took a 14-0 lead in the first four minutes of the game on a 48-yard run by Hunter Hawk and an 18-yard Jack Felton run following a blocked punt by Hall O’Neal. The Patriots scored the next two touchdowns, including a 70-yard punt return, but quarterback Matt Davis threw a 31-yard pass to Jack Felton in the final moments of the first half for a 21-14 lead at the break. After a scoreless third quarter, Michael Cox and Tyquann Alexander ran it in early in the fourth for 5 yards and 48 yards respectively. Hawk’s run on the Golden Bears’ two-point conversion attempt gave Holy Innocents’ a 35-21 lead, and Hawk ran it in again on a 6-yard rushing score as the game ended.

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