Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020
Williams 'a stud' for East Paulding
At nearly 10 yards per carry, Justin Williams has rushed for 518 yards in three games this season. If that’s not enough to impress college football coaches, maybe this will.

“I coached Trey Sermon at Sprayberry,” said Billy Shackelford, now Williams’ coach at East Paulding. “This kid is better than Trey as a junior. He’s legitimately a stud.”

Sermon is the Ohio State running back who rushed for more than 2,000 yards in his time at Oklahoma before transferring. Williams will need to develop further to match Sermon’s progression, but Shackelford can’t be more pleased with what he’s got right now.

“He’s a 200-pound back that runs with speed and power, and those combinations are extremely dangerous,” Shackelford said. “He’s developing into his body, and you’re seeing him make open-field moves. Now he’s blossoming into a workhorse, the kind of guy you can feed 15-20 times a game.”

Williams, GHSF Daily’s state Player of the Week, rushed for 249 yards and scored five touchdowns in 41-28 victory over Hiram on Friday. East Paulding is 3-0 for the first time since 2012.

The award, sponsored by AstroTurf and Sports Turf, will be presented to Williams this week at his school.
Top five
*Benedictine OLB Holden Sapp had six sacks for 32 yards in losses in a 49-35 victory over North Oconee.

*Blessed Trinity RB Justice Haynes rushed for 250 yards and four touchdowns on 21 carries in a 54-32 victory over Kell. Haynes also caught a 35-yard TD pass.

*East Paulding RB Justin Williams rushed for 249 yards and four touchdowns on 22 carries, had three receptions for 83 yards and scored touchdowns on plays of 80, 67, 67, 40 and 9 yards in a 41-28 victory over Hiram.

*Ware County QB Thomas Castellanos was 15-of-22 passing for 308 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for 92 yards and a touchdown in a 45-12 victory over Thomson.

*Worth County WR/DB Tayshaun Shipp had 215 receiving yards and scored touchdowns of 99 and 80 yards in a 30-20 victory over Rutland. He also had three tackles, one for a loss, and intercepted a pass. Shipp has gone for more than 100 yards receiving in all four of his team's games.

Best of the rest
*Bacon County QB Mason Mikell was 8-of-9 passing for 171 yards and two touchdowns in a 42-0 victory over Brantley County. He also scored two touchdowns.

*Bleckley County RB Chuckie Stephens rushed for 135 yards on 26 carries and scored on a 1-yard run to break a 14-14 tie in the fourth quarter of a 21-14 victory over Vidalia.

*Bradwell Institute DE Tyler Jones had four tackles for losses and forced a fumble in a 10-6 weather-shortened loss to Liberty County.

*Brunswick RB Khamori “Ree” Simmons rushed for 184 yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries in a 41-12 victory over Northeast.

*Callaway RB/LB LaQuize Gilbert rushed for 92 yards and three touchdowns and had a team-leading 12 tackles in a 35-0 victory over Douglass.

*Centennial WR Drake Mason had six receptions for 128 yards and a touchdown and returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown in a 35-32 loss to Peachtree Ridge.

*Central (Carrollton) RB Narada Levett rushed for 154 yards and a touchdown and scored the winning conversion in a 29-28 victory over Whitewater.

*Chestatee DL Jeronimo Marin had seven solo tackles, four tackles for losses and four assists and forced a fumble in a 14-8 loss to West Hall.

*Christian Heritage RB/LB Evan Lester, normally a receiver, rushed for 170 yards on 20 carries, had three receptions for 32 yards, made five tackles and recovered a fumble in a 39-7 victory over Heritage of Ringgold. Lester also averaged 45 yards on two punts.

*Columbus WR Vaudree’ Bedford had six receptions for 168 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 50 yards and a touchdown on four carries in a 39-32 loss to LaGrange.

*Dade County QB/FS MaKinley Everett was 28-of-39 passing for 298 yards and five touchdowns in a 39-34 loss to Trion. He had six tackles on defense.

*East Hall QB Clete Cooper was 17-of-25 passing for 318 yards and three touchdowns in a 41-3 victory over Johnson of Gainesville.

*Eastside PK Jaydon Fain kicked a 36-yard field goal as time expired in a 34-31 victory over Newton County rival Alcovy.

*Fannin County WR Jalen Ingram had three receptions for 102 yards and two touchdowns and scored a conversion in a 48-0 victory over Southeast Whitfield.

*Forsyth Central FS Caydin Mowen had two tackles for losses, two interceptions and three pass breakups in a 42-14 victory over Cambridge. He also had three receptions for first downs.

*Greenbrier DL Beau Shugarts nine tackles, four for losses, two sacks and four pancake blocks in a 38-3 victory over Grovetown.

*Habersham Central QB Joshua Pickett rushed for 213 yards and two touchdowns and passed for 158 yards in a 28-21 loss to White County.

*Heard County QB Maurice Fench rushed for 67 yards and three touchdowns on eight carries and was 7-of-13 passing for 103 yards in a 35-30 victory over Darlington.

*LaFayette QB Jaylon Ramsey, playing only the first half, rushed for 175 yards on seven carries and scored on runs of 49, 69 and 11 yards in a 43-7 victory over Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe. He also was 6-of-9 passing for 46 yards and a touchdown.

*LaGrange LB Jarno Huzzie had 13 tackles, two tackles for losses and two sacks in a 39-32 victory over Columbus.

*Lincoln County WR/FS Caleb Willis threw a 61-yard pass off a reverse that set up the winning touchdown, which he caught two plays later, in a 13-7 victory over Laney. He intercepted a pass with a minute left to seal the win.

*Long County LB Bryant Bleyman had seven tackles, two for losses, a sack and two QB hits in a 16-3 loss to Butler.

*Macon County DT Pier Barron had five tackles for losses and forced two fumbles in a 38-0 victory over Marion County.

*North Murray QB Seth Griffin was 12-of-15 passing for 157 yards with TD passes of 17 and 11 yards in a 62-49 victory over Ringgold. He rushed for 58 yards and scored three touchdowns.

*North Oconee WR Khalil Barnes had seven receptions for 163 yards and two touchdowns in a 49-35 loss to Benedictine.

*Northgate sophomore QB James Paige rushed for 171 yards on 12 carries, scored on a 95-yad run, and was 9-of-13 passing for 108 yards in a 24-7 victory over Villa Rica.

*Pickens RB Jarod Whitmore rushed for 175 yards and a touchdown on 33 carries in a 10-0 victory over Coosa.

*Prince Avenue Christian WR/RET Landon Owens had 246 all-purpose yards, including a 94-yard kickoff return, in a 35-25 victory over Holy Innocents’.

*Putnam County RB Cedrion Brundage rushed for 238 yards on 15 carries and scored four touchdowns in a 45-0 victory over Social Circle.

*Roswell WR Michael Fitzgerald had nine receptions for 155 yards and a touchdown in a 41-14 victory over North Paulding.

*Rutland RB Jessie Phelps rushed for 307 yards and two touchdowns on 36 carries in a 30-20 loss to Worth County.

*Savannah Christian WR/DB George Futch had three receptions for 86 yards and a touchdown, made five tackles and returned an interception 100 yards for a touchdown in a 52-13 loss to John Milledge Academy.

*South Paulding DE/LB C.J. Nunnally had nine tackles, three for losses, and 2.5 sacks in a 28-14 victory over Chapel Hill.

*St. Pius LB/FB Shug Bentley had 13 tackles and scored a touchdown in a 25-3 victory over Cedar Shoals.

*Temple RB Phillip Johnson rushed for 218 yards and two touchdowns in a 17-14 loss to Cass.

*Thomson WR Ashton Perry had six receptions for 175 yards and a touchdown in a 42-12 loss to Ware County.

*Towns County RB Kyle Oakes rushed for 152 yards and two touchdowns in a 21-20 loss to Mount Zion (Carroll).

*Upson-Lee RB De'Travious Mathis rushed for 200 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries in a 35-27 victory over McIntosh.

*Washington-Wilkes WR/DB Justin Meyers had four receptions for 167 yards and two touchdowns in a 34-0 victory over Warren County.

*Wesleyan RB Griffin Caldwell rushed for 201 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries in a 28-0 victory over Loganville Christian.

*West Forsyth RB/P Daba Fofana rushed for 119 yards and a touchdown on 31 carries in a 24-21 victory over Walton. He punted five times for a 43.2 average. Fofana has gone over 100 yards rushing in all three games.

*Westlake QB R.J. Johnson was 22-of-37 passing for 328 yards and a touchdown in a 21-7 victory over Johns Creek.

Lines of distinction
*Creekside’s offensive line of Jalil Muhammad (FIU commit), Jordan Davis (South Carolina commit), Rayhiem Rowe (Southern Illinois commit), Ledell Finister and freshman Caleb Holmes helped Kamari Davis rush for 215 yards on 29 carries in a 21-18 loss to Cartersville. Creekside had more than 300 yards rushing.

*Forsyth Central's offensive line of Cole McGlumphy, Luke Sacchetti, Robbie Watson, Logan Andrews, Sully Eash, Dylan Snyder and Luke Gwinner paved the way for 308 rushing yards in a 42-14 victory over Cambridge.

*Haralson County’s offensive line of Jonah Sanders, Isaiah Reed, Colton Sanders, Eli Salmon, Caden Mullins, Kyler Warren and Jared Rodriquez cleared the path for 350 yards of rushing for the fourth consecutive game in a 49-7 victory over Model. Haralson is 4-0.

*Rabun County’s offensive line of Nolan Crane, Chris Thompson, Clayton Dixon, Bear Old and Will McCraw helped the Tigers put up 520 total yards – 252 passing, 268 rushing - with only two negative-yardage plays in a 48-34 victory over Bremen. Lang Windham had 123 yards rushing, 111 receiving.
Pace player remains in critical condition
Jordan Sloan, a sophomore football player at Pace Academy in Atlanta, has undergone surgery and remains in critical condition at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta after suffering a traumatic head injury in a Friday night game against Westminster.

Sloan’s family released a statement through the school Monday.

“This is an extraordinarily difficult time for Jordan’s family, and much is still unknown about his condition,” the statement said. “The family is hoping and praying for the best case scenario and appreciates the outpouring of support from friends, family and the community.”

A GoFundMe account has raised more than $100,000 to help the family with medical bills.

No specific cause of the injury has been released. A wide receiver and defensive back, Sloan had three receptions for 38 yards in the game, according to Westminster’s game statistics. Sloan also had a solo tackle and broke up a pass. He played until late in the third quarter.

Rockdale teams get OK to start games
Rockdale County’s football teams – Salem, Heritage and Rockdale County – have the green light to start games, and their schedules have reappeared on the GHSA website, albeit limited. They’re mostly playing each other, beginning with a Salem-Rockdale County matchup Oct. 23. Rockdale is playing Arabia Mountain on Nov. 20. All three are looking for more games. “I'm currently in the middle of calling around for games,'' Salem coach Jarrett Laws said Monday. "Just so happy for the kids. They deserve it, you know?"

Briefly ...
Marist suspended football practices for two weeks Monday and canceled its game Friday with Chapel Hill. Marist athletic director Tommy Marshall told GHSF Daily that 14 players or coaches were in quarantine. With a scheduled bye week Oct. 9, Marist won’t play until Oct. 16 against Hapeville Charter. ... Peachtree Ridge has canceled Friday’s game with Lanier and next week’s game with Campbell because of COVID-19 exposure. … Pelham’s game with Cairo on Friday is off because of exposure on Pelham’s team, according to the Times Enterprise of Thomasville. Cairo is seeking a replacement and might make up the Pelham game Oct. 9, the newspaper said. … Crisp County and Jackson have moved Friday’s game to Oct. 30. ... Three new games have been added for Oct. 23 – Tift County vs. Perry, Fannin County vs. Copper Basin, Tenn., and Screven County vs. Tattnall County.
Home win streaks
Two of the three longest active home winning streaks were ended last week. Eagle’s Landing Christian had won 41 straight at home – the sixth-longest streak in history – until beaten by Crisp County. North Gwinnett had won 27 straight at home, one of the 35 longest streaks, until losing to Lovejoy. Here are the 10 longest active home winning streaks.

35 - Rome
19 - Pelham
18 - Colquitt County
17 - Irwin County
16 - Warner Robins
15 - Lowndes
11 - Cedar Grove
11 - Clinch County
11 - Oconee County
10 - Greater Atlanta Christian

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Commerce
The Otter’s Chicken Offensive Line of the Week is Commerce’s unit of right tackle Bo Childers, right guard Payton Freeman, center Lambdin Hardy, left guard Mason Gaddis, left tackle William Suber and tight ends David King and Wesley Stilley. They opened holes for a school-record 568 yards rushing in a 55-28 victory over Elbert County. Four backs had more than 100 yards rushing. They were Dreylan Martin (20 carries, 188 yards), Trey Huff (18-131), Sammy Brown (11-122) and Tyelon Brock (8-106).

If the Colonel had our chicken, he’d be a general by now! For information on Otter’s Chicken, click here.
What school set a state record with 66 consecutive home victories from 2008 to 2016? (Answer Wednesday)

Answer to Monday’s question: Lovejoy played Tucker in the 2011 Class 4A final and Norcross in the 2012 Class 6A final.

Jostens is the leading provider of yearbooks, caps and gowns, class rings and championship rings and is the Official Championship Ring of the GHSA. Click here to learn more.
GHSF Daily will select 10 games each week for a Predict the Winner contest, presented by ALL-STAR QB. Predictions must be submitted by 5 p.m. each Friday. Limit one entry per email address. Contest winners will be announced on Mondays at the start of each new contest and will receive the ASQB-LITE model game, the company's most popular. Click here to play!
Monday's game
Josey 14, Cross Creek 8
Today’s interviewee is John Milledge Academy coach J.T. Wall, whose team defeated Savannah Christian 52-13 last week. John Milledge Academy is the defending Class 3A champion in the Georgia Independent School Association. Wall, a former Georgia and NFL fullback, has been his alma mater’s coach since 2011. His record is 103-14 with two state titles. The only GHSA coaches who got to 100 wins faster were Franklin Stephens (109 games) and Robert Davis (110).

J.T. Wall,
John Milledge Academy head coach
1. Is there any extra significance or motivation when you play a quality GHSA team? “Any time you get chance to play a quality opponent, regardless of classification, it’s always a great opportunity for our kids and fans to get excited and jacked up. We just feel blessed to be able to get this game with the crossover rules that they have now, which is great. [The GHSA began allowing inter-association play in 2016.] I don’t know if our players put a lot of emphasis on the game [when playing a GHSA opponent]. I don’t know if there’s any more fuel added to the fire, but they can’t help but hear the noise as far as people looking down on us because of us being in the GISA. We hope some of that is going by the wayside.”

2. For those who aren't that familiar with John Milledge's football program, what would you want readers to know about it? “We’re a small private school with a little over 500 kids. That’s K through 12. There are 150 in the high school, and 60 of them play football, so it’s got a great number of football-playing kids in the school. These kids work hard, and we’ve had a lot of success. We’ve got a great fan base. There’s quality football being played everywhere in Georgia, and there’s definitely some quality football being played here in Milledgeville.”

3. You have a running back, Amaad Foston, who is committed to Virginia. You have a recent alumnus, Harrison Bryant, who was drafted in the NFL's fourth round after winning the John Mackey Award at Florida Atlantic. Is there a message in their stories? [Foston, who rushed for 423 yards in the state-championship game last year against Valwood, didn’t even play against Savannah Christian. He has been injured.] “Amaad is a special kid, to say the least, but we’ve got a lot of good football players. K.J. Jackson was the next guy up Friday, and he had 27 carries for 208 yards. And nothing can be done without the offensive line. Defensively, they play good, sound football and fly to the ball. I think there’s a reason that programs win and a reason that programs don’t. There’s a reason that programs develop high-quality kids who turn into high-quality men and a reason these kids are getting looks and scholarships. It doesn’t matter what classification or association. There’s good football being played everywhere. In this digital age, if you take care of your grades and put stuff on film, you’ll be found. We feel like we’ve proven that.”

4. Several former GISA programs have moved over to the GHSA, including Stratford Academy and Tattnall Square and others in Middle Georgia. Why does John Milledge still prefer the GISA? And might the GHSA be in the school's future? “Every reclassification cycle we look at it and where we are. It’s smart to reevaluate each time. We looked hard at it, but we feel we’re in a good place that is challenging our kids. For us personally, the GISA is a good place to be. We feel it’s going to grow and get bigger and better.” [Only seven of the GHSA’s 54 Class A Private schools are smaller in enrollment than John Milledge, and none of those seven have football teams.]

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Note: All scores are courtesy of the Georgia High School Football Historians Association, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and other media outlets. If a score is not accurate, it was reported incorrectly.

*All games are on Fridays unless noted. All game schedules are subject to change.
Stadium key: HS - Hallford; MT - McConnell-Talbert
Storm Johnson gives back to student-athletes
Former UCF standout and NFL running back Storm Johnson has joined The Learning Company in offering services to middle and high school students and student-athletes through a boys only academy with NCAA approved classes (in person one-to-one or virtual); final semester program for high school seniors; ACT/SAT prep; athletic training; and Camp Storm, a residential camp facility located in southeastern Georgia on 40 acres. For information, call 770-652-7542 or click here to email.

GPSA/Champion Prep offering opportunities to get skills, exposure
Georgia Prep Sports Academy (Champion Prep Academy) is offering opportunities for 2020-21 student-athletes who wish to earn a four-year scholarship to an accredited college. Since 2013, GPSA/Champion Prep has helped more than 200 student-athletes get the skills and/or exposure they need. GPSA/Champion Prep will be looking to sign 65 student-athletes in December. Click here to complete the admission. Contact coach Michael Carson at 678-663-7514 or coach Sean Tarrant at 470-577-5502 for more information.

St. Pius seeking JV, ninth-grade games this week
St. Pius is looking for junior varsity and ninth-grade games this week. If available, contact coach Paul Standard at 404.636.3023 ext. 279 or email by clicking here.

Chattahoochee seeks freshman boys basketball coach
Chattahoochee High School is seeking a freshman boys basketball coach for the 2020-21 season. Click here to send your letters and resume to head coach Chris Short. There are no teaching positions currently available.
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About Us
Georgia High School Football Daily is a free e-mail newsletter produced and owned by Todd Holcomb and Chip Saye. Holcomb is a former lead high school football writer for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and co-founder of the Georgia High School Football Historians Association. Saye is a 35-year veteran of the newspaper industry who has covered high school sports for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Athens Banner-Herald, Anderson (S.C.) Independent-Mail and Gwinnett Daily News.