Talk about opening with a bang.
The 2017 high school football season kicked off around the state on Fright night -- and few places enjoyed the kinds of showdowns we observed in northeast Georgia.
(NOTE: For a complete look at the night's action, including video highlights, game stories and summaries from throughout the area, visit our Friday Game Night page.)
There were a couple of long streaks ended, as Chestatee and WInder-Barrow each knocked off longtime tormentors, the War Eagles getting their second-ever win over North Hall in a 42-12 final that also represented Chestatee's first success against the Trojans since 2005. Meanwhile, the Bulldoggs posted their third ever defeat of Clarke Central -- but third in four seasons -- by holding off the Gladiators 35-28 in Winder.
Meanwhile, Habersham Central and East Hall combined to destroy calculators everywhere in a 72-55 shootout win for the Raiders in Valhalla. The two teams combined for 1,501 yards in the contest. Those are not typos.
Lanier also stormed back, scoring 20 fourth quarter points to defeat Northview 33-24. Buford also put together an emphatic comeback scoring 41 unanswered to smash Hillgrove 48-17 in the Kell Classic in Atlanta.
There were also a few eye-opening results for area teams, including a 33-0 win for White County in the Warriors' opener against Franklin County -- matching White County's win total from all of 2016 in coach Tim Cokely's first season in charge. Meanwhile, Fannin County showed there is plenty of life in its offense in 2017, routing Gilmer 42-0 after graduating record-breaking quarterback Brad Davis from last year's squad. Gainesville also blanked West Hall 20-0 in a game riddled by penalties but one the Red Elephants jumped on 13-0 at the half.
Elsewhere, Jackson County claimed a back-and-forth battle over neighbor Banks County 21-17, while Towns County opened with a 38-21 win over Hayesville, N.C. Jefferson also routed Discovery 43-0.
North Forsyth dropped a heartbreaker, 30-28 to Sequoyah, and East Jackson and Johnson each fell.
And we're not even done with the weekend, as there are two more games for area teams today, as Mill Creek and North Gwinnett will each play in the Kell Classic in Atlanta.
Not bad for an opening weekend.
FRIDAY'S PREP FOOTBALL SCORES, AUG. 18
Buford 48, Hillgrove 17
Chestatee 42, North Hall 12
Fannin County 42, Gilmer 0
Gainesville 20, West Hall 0
Habersham Central 72, East Hall 55
Hebron Christian Academy 48, East Jackson 22
Jackson County 21, Banks County 17
Jefferson 43, Discovery 0
Lanier 33, Northview 24
Sequoyah 30, North Forsyth 28
Social Circle 42, Johnson 13
Towns County 38, Hayesville N.C. 21
White County 33, Franklin County 0
Winder-Barrow 35, Clarke Central 28
SATURDAY'S PREP FOOTBALL SCHEDULE , AUG. 19
Mill Creek vs. McEachern (Kell Classic), at Georgia State, 5:45 p.m.
North Gwinnett vs. Walton (Kell Classic), at Georgia State, 8:45 p.m.
