It goes to show, you just never know what is going to happen in high school football.
Several area teams made some emphatic statements in Friday night’s action around northeast Georgia, but probably no one more than Stephens County.
The Indians pulled off a shocking 41-7 destruction of Flowery Branch at The Reservation. The Indians were coming off a loss and the Falcons were coming off a big win from the week before. Stephens County jumped out to a quick 20-0 lead and the Falcons never recovered.
Meanwhile, Commerce, Rabun County, West Hall, and Union County all rolled to big wins. The Tigers ran over Lakeview Academy 42-7 in Gainesville in Region 8-A action while the Wildcats took an impressive 49-7 win over White County in Tiger. West Hall routed Jackson County 41-0 in Jefferson, and Union County scored the first 45 points in a 45-20 victory over Andrews N.C.) in Blairsville.
Habersham Central remained unbeaten after winning a back-and-forth affair over Franklin County, 21-14, at Raider Stadium. The Raiders (3-0) rallied in the second half for a second consecutive week to match their entire win total for the past four seasons.
East Hall’s offense finally broke loose with a 47-12 win over Johnson. It was the first win for the Vikings (1-2) who had been held to just 34 total points in the first two games of the season.
Chestatee built a big second half lead and then held off a furious Fannin County rally for a 47-30 win in Blue Ridge for its second win of the season. Nick Lyles had another huge game with five rushing touchdowns for the War Eagles.
North Hall was the rare exception on Friday needing a goal line stand in the final seconds to hold off Pickens in a 16-8 thriller at The Brickyard. The Trojans are 3-0 for the first time since 2013.
North Gwinnett was trying to get back among consideration to rejoin the elites in the state’s largest classification but fell to No. 6 Norcross 38-24 after the Blue Devils erased a 21-17 Bulldogs lead in the third quarter.
Class AAAAAAA No. 1 Mill Creek demonstrated that its ranking is well-deserved after whipping Archer 31-10 on the road. The highlight for the Hawks (4-0) was a school-record 56-yard field goal by Brenton King in the first half.
On the negative end for area teams, Lanier jumped out to a 7-0 lead over Class AAAAAA No. 1 Northside-Warner Robins but watched the Eagles score the final 38 points in a 38-7 loss on the road.
Riverside Military Academy could not find the magic from last week as the Eagles were shut out in a 28-0 loss to George Walton Academy in Region 8-A action. Also in Region 8-A, Prince Avenue Christian rolled to a 47-13 win over Towns County in Hiawassee.
Lumpkin County could get not get a second straight win falling to Madison County 27-7 in Danielsville. And, Apalachee remains winless after losing to Discovery 27-10. It was the Titans first-ever win as a program.
(NOTE: For in-depth game stories and video highlights from contests around northeast Georgia, visit our Friday Game Night Page. Also, scroll down for a complete list of scores for area teams. Check all state scores here.)
AREA HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SCORES, Sept. 9
Chestatee 47, Fannin County 30
Commerce 42, Lakeview Academy 7
Discovery 27, Apalachee 10
East Hall 47, Johnson 21
East Jackson 28, Oglethorpe County 14
George Walton Academy 28, Riverside Military Academy 0
Habersham Central 21, Franklin County 14
Madison County 27, Lumpkin County 7
Mill Creek 31, Archer 10
Norcross 38, North Gwinnett 24
North Hall 16, Pickens 8
Northside-Warner Robins 38, Lanier 7
Prince Avenue Christian 47, Towns County 13
Rabun County 49, White County 7
Stephens County 41, Flowery Branch 7
West Hall 41, Jackson County 0
Union County 45, Andrews (N.C.) 20
