On a night when teams atop their respective regions were supposed to begin tuning up for the playoffs, the memos to everyone else apparently got lost in the mail.
Gainesville was stunned by Clarke Central 44-7 in a key Region 8-AAAAA contest and Fannin County whipped Dawson County 31-15 just a week after the Tigers looked to be taking control in Region 7-AAA. Winder-Barrow scored the final 20 points to rally for a its third straight win over Cedar Shoals, 30-25, in 8-AAAAA to pull into fourth place.
And -- in the most anticipated matchup on the night -- Rabun County turned its top 10 battle for Region 8-AA supremacy into a rout, as the Wildcats jumped on the Panthers early and ran away with a shocking 49-3 victory in Tiger.
Some teams, however, either continued their climb up their respective region standings or got back in the playoff race.
In Region 8-AAA, Hart County scored three fourth quarter touchdowns to rally past Jackson County 41-24 in a big win for the Bulldogs, who take on No. 3 Jefferson in the season finale. The Dragons also rolled to a 49-0 win over East Jackson to stay undefeated.
Flowery Branch won its second straight Region 8-AAAAA game with a solid 41-6 victory over Apalachee while in Region 7-AAA, Banks County won for the fourth time in five games, holding off Lumpkin County 48-31 to set up a huge showdown next week with Dawson County. Also in 7-AAA, Franklin County used a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns to take a 21-14 win over West Hall to deal the Spartans a big blow to their playoff chances while keeping their region title hopes alive coupled with Dawson County’s loss.
Class AAA third-ranked Jefferson routed East Jackson 49-0 to stay atop Region 8-AAA and Lanier pulled away for a 42-0 win over Heritage, Conyers to remain the only unbeaten team in Region 8-AAAAA.
In Region 8-AAAA, Buford stayed unbeaten with a 51-0 victory over Monroe Area at home and Stephens County also remained perfect with a 40-21 win over Chestatee at The Reservation.
North Hall rebounded from its loss to Buford last week with a huge road win over Madison County, 56-28, to stay alive in 8-AAAA. North Oconee got its best defensive effort of the season in taking a 20-0 victory over White County.
Habersham Central never quit but eventually fell to Centennial 42-35 on the road in Region 6-AAAAAA. Oglethorpe County snapped an eight-game losing streak with a 21-16 win over Riverside Military in Region 8-AA action.
In Region 8-A, Commerce whipped Providence Christian 45-0; Athens Academy took a 44-10 victory over Lakeview Academy; and No. 2 Prince Avenue rolled over Towns County 42-14.
Be sure to check out our Friday Game Night page for in-depth game stories and video highlights from throughout the night's action in northeast Georgia.
WEEK 8 HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SCORES, Oct. 16
Athens Academy 44, Lakeview Academy 10
Banks County 48, Lumpkin County 31
Buford 51, Monroe Area 0
Centennial 42, Habersham Central 35
Clarke Central 44, Gainesville 7
Commerce 45, Providence Christian 0
East Hall 24, Johnson 14
Flowery Branch 41, Apalachee 6
Franklin County 21, West Hall 14
Hart County 41, Jackson County 24
Jefferson 49, East Jackson 0
Johns Creek 17, North Forsyth 14
North Hall 56, Madison County 28
North Oconee 20, White County 0
Oglethorpe County 21, Riverside Military 16
Prince Avenue Christian 42, Towns County 14
Rabun County 49, Union County 3
Stephens County 40, Chestatee 21
Winder-Barrow 30, Cedar Shoals 25
