(Rankings are from Georgia High School Football Daily composite polls)

🏈 Teams: Please email game information – stats (offense and defense), names, big plays, etc. – to centralgasports@gmail.com by 2 a.m. Saturday morning to be in Central Georgia’s most comprehensive game-night coverage - the most names and stats and details - for the first roundup, and by 10:30 a.m. Saturday to be added.

Thanks to ACE, CFCA, Dublin, FPD, Jasper County, Jones County, Northside and Tattnall for sending postgame information.

CENTRAL GEORGIA’S BEST HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL COVERAGE

 This week
*Thursday’s roundup
* Scouting Reports: This week’s GHSA and GIAA games, coming Friday morning
* Maxwell Predictions
* Who’s going to win this week’s games
* Central Georgia state composite rankings
* Central Georgia rankings
* Monday Morning Quarterback: Notes, reviews, Loughdmouthings
* Macon Touchdown Club players of the week

Last week
* Saturday roundup
* Saturday scouting reports
* Friday roundup
* Scouting Reports: This week’s GHSA and GIAA games
* Maxwell Predictions
* Who’s going to win this week’s games
* Central Georgia state composite rankings
* Central Georgia rankings
* Monday Morning Quarterback: Two good weeks of football for Atlanta? Loughdmoutings galore (the wit, the wisdom, the sarcasm)
* Macon Touchdown Club players of the week

Two weeks ago
* Roundup: No trouble for Warner Robins, Peach ounty, Northeast, Southwest, Dublin, Jasper County, others; Thriller wins for Washington County,Putnam County, FPD; Howard, Westside with surprises
* Scouting Reports: This week’s GHSA and GIAA games
* Maxwell Predictions
* Who’s going to win this week’s games
* Central Georgia state composite rankings
* What do the Central Georgia area rankings look like?
* Monday Morning Quarterback: Another black and blue battle in Lexington; Loughdmouthings: Falcons, silly second-guessing, county records …
* Macon Touchdown Club players of the week

No. 8 Houston County 63,  Northside 22
          The underdog Eagles (2-5/0-2) battled early, trailing by six after one and a few minutes into the second quarter until the Bears (6-1/2-0) got rolling, taking a 35-15 lead. By the end of the night, Houston County A.J. Hill threw for 8 touchdowns in playing all four quarters, the final quarter played with a running clock. After catching a running back pass on a fourth down play, he threw for another touchdown with 5:54 left in the game.

No. 4 Thomas County Central 61, Veterans 10
          The Yellow Jackets (6-1/1-1) didn’t need much time to take control, scoring twice in the first nine minutes. Veterans (0-7/0-2) responded with a 31-yard field right after that. TCC went on to take a 38-10 halftime lead.

Class 4A

No. 2 Benedictine 35, No. 6 Warner Robins 21
          In the battle of recent state champions, the visitors from Savannah took the upper hand early with a 21-0 lead in the second quarter, the Demons (5-2/1-1) getting on the board in the final minute of the half on Skyler Williams’ pass to Rasean Dinkins. Warner Robins’ offense struggled all night, but the Demons got back within two scores on Williams’ scramble for a 31-yard score at the end of the third quarter. The Cadets (4-2/2-0) powered for a long scoring drive to seal it four minutes into the fourth quarter. The game was stopped late in the fourth quarter because of a medical emergency on the Benedictine sideline because of an apparent heart issue regarding a Cadets’ staffer, who was taken from the field by ambulance.

Jones County 47, McDonough 26
          The Greyhounds (5-2/4-2) went off for 33 points in the second quarter to pull away, despite being shut out in the second half. Devin Edmonds completed 15 of 20 for 219 yards and 6 touchdowns, 3 to Jaivon Solomon, who caught 6 passes for 126 yards and also returned a kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown.

Class AAA

Mary Persons 21, Trinity Christian 14
          The Bulldogs picked up their first win – after three were erased by forfeits for using an ineligible player – by knocking off Trinity Christian for the second straight year. Mary Persons went up 7-0 on Nic Arnold’s first-quarter short run which stood until another Bulldogs’ score late in the half. Trinity Christian (1-6/0-4)answered early in the third quarter on a 50-yard pass and tied it midway through the quarter. Mary Persons (1-5/1-3) converted a midfield interception with another short Arnold score with less than three minutes left in the game. The defense then bowed up with a fourth-down stop with just more than a minute left.

No. 2 Peach County 49, Dougherty 14
          The Trojans (6-1/2-0) made the winding trip south a good one, marching out to a 14-0 lead and 21-0 at halftime on two passing scores from D.J. Hudson to Zion Hudson and a short run from Ashton Barton after the Trojans recovered a fumble. They added to it within the first four minutes of the third quarter and kept cruising.

Upson-Lee 33, No. 17 Troup 27
          The Knights rode another roller coaster, leading 10-0 and trailing 14-13 and leading 26-14 and then holding on, recovering an onside kick after a Troup County (3-3/2-2) field goal inside the final minute made it a one-possession game. Caleb Beverly’s 31-yard field goal and Niko Wells’ 38-yard pass to Jayden Skelton put the Knights (4-3/3-2) up 10-0 before the midway point of the second quarter. Troup went up 14-10, returning a fumble for a score. Beverly added a late second-quarter field goal, and then Wells put U-L up 20-14 with a run early in the third, adding a 27-yarder only a few minutes later. Akeondre Chaney’s interception set up another Wells score for a 33-24 lead. The Knights then held on over the final quarter and a half.

Class AA

No. 2 Morgan County 55, Rutland 12
          The No. 2 Bulldogs (7-0/2-0) led 20-6 after one and 34-12 at halftime, Rutland (0-7/0-1) getting a rushing touchdown from Brandon Elliott and pass from Rashon Collier to Aarion Wiggins, Morgan County immediately answered the second score for a 34-12 halftime lead.

Class A/Division I

No. 3 Dublin 48, ACE 3 (click here for more)
          ACE’s debut at the Shamrock Bowl went the way of many other debuts at the Shamrock Bowl. Three different players – Willie Batts, Trav Bostic, and Micah O’Neal – scored four first-quarter touchdowns as Dublin (6-0/5-0) took a 35-3 halftime lead in the Region 2-A/Division I battle. Batts went for 107 yards on 10 carries, Trav Bostic adding 74 on 10, part of Dublin’s 269-yard attack. The Gryphons (3-3/2-3) were held to 88 yards rushing and 36 passing, Dublin picking off 5 passes, 2 from Sirius Tolbrige.

No. 6 Dodge County 35, Washington County 24
          The Golden Hawks gave Dodge County (7-0/6-0) trouble, leading 17-7 in the first quarter until Jerimiah Burns returned a second kickoff for a touchdown, the Indians taking the lead on Kaim Mincey’s pass to Cam Hughes late in the half. Washington County (3-4/3-3) retook the lead on a pass early in the fourth only for the Indians to answer right after that on a Mincey score. A pick-6 in the final four minutes sealed it.

Jasper County 22, McNair 14
          The Purple Hurricanes got rushing scores from Jalen Stewart and Grayson Manning to go with a pick-6 from Demonte Greene, M.J. Maddoz adding an interception for 5-1 Jasper County.

Putnam County 69, Utopian Academy 0 (Thursday)

Class A/Division II

Crawford County, 2-3/0-2, at Marion County, 1-4/0-1

Schley County 26, Taylor County 20
          The Vikings led 8-6 after one on Brayden Ellison’s score and the conversion, and it stayed that way until early in the third when Schley County (4-4/3-1) took the lead. Taylor County (4-2/1-1) went back on top later in the quarter, the Wildcats countering in the final 90 seconds. Markaian Newton put the Vikings on top 20-18 with a 30-yard score with less than four minutes left, but Taylor County missed on the conversion, and had a chance to seal it with another possession. Schley County got the ball back and scored the game winner with 17 seconds left.

Twiggs County 24, GMC 17

Hawkinsville 19, Wilcox County 15
          The Red Devils survived an inability to make conversions, thanks to a defense that kept the Patriots scoreless for two quarters. Wilcox County, though, took the lead midway through the fourth quarter, and got the conversion to go up 15-12. The Red Devils (4-2/1-1) converted two fourth downs, and got the game-winning TD pass from Malek Brown to Harlem Phillips from 2 yards out inside the final minute, and kicked the PAT. Wilcox County (3-3/1-1) made it interesting by reaching the Hawkinsville 28 and failing on a Hail Mary pass.

Wilkinson County 43, Hancock Central 28

GIAA

Class AAA

George Walton 47, Piedmont 6
FPD 28, Stratford 14 (Click here for more)
          The focus on stopping Stratford RB Tyler Stephens became a reality, FPD keeping the standout from long gains  and the end zone and coming up with some big-play passing to hold off the Eagles in a battle of 6-1 teams. Stratford moved, but couldn’t finish. The Eagles ran 20 more offensive plays for 41 fewer yards. Quarterback Connor Fitzpatrick was slowed to 40 yards rushing and a 15-for-29 passing night for 177 yards.
          The Vikings (7-1//2-0) converted a fourth down and then finished off their second possession with an 8-yard run from Major Simmons, Dominic Economopoulos’ kick making it 7-0 at the 4:46 mark of the first quarter. Stratford (6-2/1-1) drove, stalled, and punted, and paid. Major Simmons connected with Benjamin McElreath on a quick screen, and McElreath blasted through traffic for a 73-yard touchdown, and 14-0 lead two minutes into the second quarter. The Eagles finally sustained a drive, going 65 yards and getting 28 on Fitzpatrick’s pass to Sal Phillips for 28 yards. Fitzpatrick hit Jett Johnston, on his knees in the end zone, for the 16-yard score. But FPD didn’t flinch, getting another big-play score when Simmons hit Heisman Alvarez deep, the senior breaking a tackle at the 5, for a 45-yard touchdown and a 21-7 lead at the 2:49 mark of the half. Stratford went 11 plays covering 69 yards to open the second half, finishing with a nifty 34-yard touchdown pass from a scrambling Fitzpatrick to George Dunn. Stebin Horne’s PAT pulled the Eagles within 21-14 with 5:14 left in the third, the drive eating up more than half of the quarter.

          But FPD responded, needing only six plays to go 80 yards, not seeing a third down. McElreath got open deep and Simmons hit him with a strike for a 40-yard score less than three minutes after Stratford’s score.

Tattnall 31, Mount de Sales 18 (click here for more)
          For longer than most anybody expected, Tattnall was in danger of suffering a staggering loss. Mount de Sales’ first score came on a pick-6 from junior linebacker Jackson Rowley, and Landon Frawley made it 9-0 with a 20-yard field goal early in the second quarter. The Trojans’ first points came late in the second quarter on a safety. Rowley did it again, with a  48-yard pick-6 in the final minute of the second quarter for a 15-2 halftime lead for the Cavs, who hadn’t beaten Tattnall since 2020, and trailed 36-10 in the series.
          Antone Johnson’ score was countered by another field goal for an 18-10 Mount de Sales (3-5/0-2) lead entering the fourth quarter. Braxton Collins went in from 15 to pull the Trojans (5-1/1-0) within 18-16 with 9:31 left in the game. Johnson, who missed time with an injury, put the Trojans on top with 4:39 left on a 2-yard run, and Whit Davidson’s 60-yard interception return for a touchdown sealed it with 1:10 left. Johnson  ran 23 times for 199 yards and two scores. Tattnall outgained Mount de Sales 400-177.

Westfield 28, Strong Rock 7

Class AA

Brentwood 28, Edmund Burke 23
          Brentwood’s defense came up big late after the defending state AA champs pulled within 5 and recovered the onside kick, the War Eagles (6-1/2-0) ) coming up with a fourth-down stop at midfield inside the final minute. EBA (5-1/0-1) ran it in with under a minute left after converting a fourth down. Brentwood went up 28-17 on Zach Denton’s 5-yard score midway through the fourth. Denton’s 10-yard put the War Eagles up 21-17 late in the third, set up by a long pass from Baylor Cobb to Abe Williams. EBA broke a 14-all tie with a 24-yard field goal.

Terrell 47, Windsor 18

Trinity Christian 21, Central Fellowship 7
          Central Fellowship (1-6) gave the hot Crusaders (4-2) a battle, Trinity Christian sealing it in the fourth quarter.Crusader quarterback Ben Castro Poeda completed 8 of 11 for 163 yards and 2 scores whiele Wade Register ran 13 times for 147 yards and a score while also leading the defense with 11 tackles.