Jeff Hart

Having big-play capability once playoff time rolls around can be a weapon that is hard to handle. Just ask Landmark Christian.

North Gwinnett's Cordero Dixon set the tone early Friday night in the Bulldogs' Class AAAAA first round playoff game against Centennial. Dixon took the opening kickoff and sprinted 99-yards for the score to help pace North Gwinnett to a 52-21 win at home.

Michael Turner ran for a season-high 166 yards, breaking away from Hall on a 58-yard touchdown that finished off Washington early in the fourth quarter, and the Atlanta Falcons snapped a two-game losing streak by beating the Redskins 31-17 on Sunday.

Josh Nesbitt scored on a 3-yard run in overtime after Georgia Tech pulled off a gutsy play on fourth down, leading the No. 10 Yellow Jackets another step closer to the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game with a 30-27 victory over Wake Forest on Saturday.

No. 3 Alabama picked up another dramatic win and a second straight trip to the SEC championship game. Julio Jones caught a 73-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter and Leigh Tiffin booted a 40-yard field goal with 3:04 left to seal a 24-15 victory for the Crimson Tide against No. 9 LSU on Saturday.

Craig Schaefer sacked Jimmy Clausen in the end zone with 60 seconds left Saturday and Navy held on for a 23-21 victory, its second straight at Notre Dame Stadium.

Dan Persa threw a touchdown pass and Marshall Thomas recovered a fumble for another score, and Northwestern dealt a crushing blow to Iowa's national championship hopes with a 17-10 victory Saturday.

Gainesville and Jefferson - two teams looking to finish off unbeaten regular seasons and win region titles - did not leave disappointed Friday on the final night of the prep football regular season.

Jackson County finished off its best season since 1993 Friday night with a shocking 26-23 win over Stephens County at The Reservation.

Riverside Military Academy completed its flanking maneuver on a playoff spot in Region 8-AA Friday night with a convincing 27-0 thumping of Dawson County in its regular season finale.