MACON, Ga. — It was great to have a nearly full list of games this Friday night after Hurricane Helene rescheduled so many.
While close battles between Northeast and Bleckley County got the action going on Thursday, Friday brought even more exciting performances.
Teams like Dodge County and Dublin remained undefeated, while others like Mary Persons won their first legitimate game of the season in overtime.
Here's a full roundup of scores and highlights from teams in and around Central Georgia.
Game of the Week: Tattnall vs Mount de Sales
On paper, the 4-1 Tattnall Square Academy was expected to have an easy time with Mount de Sales, who entered with a 3-4 record.
However, it wasn't smooth sailing on Friday for the Trojans, who had quite a fight en route to a 31-18 victory over the Cavaliers.
The Trojans went down early after junior linebacker Jackson Rowley picked off Tattnall to give Mount de Sales a 6-0 lead. After a field goal, Tattnall answered back not on offense, but on defense. The team netted a safety to bring the score to 9-2.
However, just as the Trojans were gaining some momentum, Rowley burst onto the scene once again, this time with his second pick-six of the game.
By the half, neither team had scored an offensive touchdown. However, Tattnall changed that narrative quickly. Running back Antone Johnson punched the ball into the endzone for a touchdown and a two-point conversion to cut the lead to five points.
Johnson and athlete Braxton Collins each had rushing touchdowns in the fourth — Johnson also had his second two-point-conversion — to give Tattnall a 24-18 lead.
Mount de Sales had lost the lead, but had a chance to regain it. As the Cavaliers were marching down the field, disaster struck.
Just like the Mount de Sales had done twice in the first half, Tattnall’s Whit Davidson intercepted Cavalier quarterback Zavion Deshazier and took the ball back over 50 yards for the Trojans’ very own pick-six to ice the game.
In a game that had three pick-sixes, a safety and no offensive touchdown until the second half, a Tattnall win amid that chaos is still commendable, even if the score doesn’t reflect how close the game was.
Three Stars
Antwann Hill Jr., Houston County quarterback: It’s easy to put Hill on this list every week. The four-star and Memphis commit has helped his offense put up at least 40 points in every game but one this year.
However, he might’ve had the best performance of his high school career against Northside on Friday. He threw for a staggering eight touchdown passes and helped the Bears crush Northside 63-22.
Hill has had a great senior season so far, and his Week 8 performance is just a testament to his success.
Jeremiah Burns, Dodge County returner: Dodge County and Washington County had a competitive game.
Dodge County ultimately won 35-24, but without Burns, it wouldn’t have been possible.
The sophomore athlete for the Indians was crucial not necessarily on offense or defense, but on special teams. He returned not one, but two kicks for touchdowns. Without his scores, Dodge would’ve lost its first game of the season.
The underclassman was key to extend the Indians' undefeated record to 7-0.
Major Simmons, FPD quarterback: In a tight battle between FPD and Stratford, Simmons was crucial to the Vikings finding a win.
He had a 9-yard rushing touchdown to get FPD on the board in the first quarter and a 74-yard bomb to receiver Benjamin McElreath to give the Vikings a 14-0 lead. When Stratford got on the board, Simmons extended the lead further with a 45-yard touchdown pass to Heisman Alvarez.
A 42-yard touchdown pass from Simmons to McElreath gave FPD the final touchdown of the game. Simmons was responsible for every single touchdown and FPD’s big-time win wouldn’t have been possible without him.
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SCOREBOARD
- Northeast 33 - Bleckley County 30
- Callaway 34 - Westside 14
- Putnam County 69 - Utopian Academy 0
- FPD 28 - Stratford 14
- Fitzgerald 46 - Brantley County 14
- Peach County 49 - Dougherty 14
- Hawkinsville 19 - Wilcox County 15
- Jones County 47 - McDonough 26
- Dublin 48 - ACE 3
- Thomas County Central 61 - Veterans 10
- Schley County 18 - Taylor County 14
- Houston County 63 - Northside 22
- Benedictine 35 - Warner Robins 21
- Tattnall 31 - Mount de Sales 18
- Mary Persons 21 - Trinity Christian 14 (OT)
- Morgan County 55 - Rutland 12
- Jackson 12 - Pike County 7
- Twiggs County 24 - Georgia Military 17
- Upson-Lee 33 - Troup 27
- Marion County 56 - Crawford County 14
- Sumter County 21 - Spencer 20
- Dodge County 35 - Washington County 24
- Trinity Christian (Dublin) 21 - CFCA 7
- Brentwood 28 - Edmund Burke 23
- Terrell Academy 47 - Windsor 18
- Wilkinson County 43 - Hancock-Central 28
- George Walton 47 - Piedmont 6
- Jasper County 22 - McNair 14
- Westfield 28 - Strong Rock 7
What’s next?
While most of the Week 8 games have wrapped up, two more games will take place on Saturday.
Dooly County will host Montgomery, while Lamar County will travel to face off against Towers. Perry will take on Wayne County on Monday, while Wheeler County and Montgomery County are currently scheduled to face off the same day.
In Week 9, several Central Georgia teams will face off. Wilcox County will take on Dooly County, Wilkinson County will face Johnson County and Telfair County will play Hawkinsville.
However, one of, if not the most anticipated matchups is Dublin taking on Northeast, as the two Central Georgia powerhouses will face off.