Several northeast Georgia area teams made some impressive statements Friday night on a night highlighted by some big non-region battles.
North Hall, Flowery Branch, Habersham Central, Commerce, Jackson County, and Jefferson all came away with non-region victories in matchups that could go a long way in building confidence as teams chug toward region play.
(NOTE: Scroll down for a complete list of area scores, and visit our Friday Game Night page for game stories, video and scores from throughout the area.)
The Trojans rallied from a pair of deficits with two fourth quarter touchdowns to take down Class 7A Cherokee 27-17 at The Brickyard. Habersham Central scored 34 unanswered second half points to beat White County 34-20 on the road after trailing 20-0 early in the third quarter. Flowery Branch got two fourth quarter touchdowns to break a 14-14 tie and hold on for a 28-14 win over Clarke Central.
Johnson rebounded from its loss to arch-rival West Hall last week with a 34-13 win over Cherokee Bluff. Union County whipped Towns County 45-7 in a big mountain showdown in Hiawassee.
Jackson County put a diappointing showing last week against North Hall behind them with a stunning 45-0 thumping of Lumpkin County at The Burial Grounds. Commerce rolled to a 33-21 win over Class 3A Hart County, Jefferson blocked two first half West Hall punts to cruise to a 48-6 win over the Spartans in Oakwood, and East Jackson snapped a six-game losing streak with a 10-7, come-from-behind win over Oglethorpe County in Lexington.
However, it was another gut-wrenching ending for Gainesville, which fell 16-15 to Class 7A Lambert as the Longhorns scored the go-ahead touchdwn with just two minutes left in the game. East Hall suffered its thid consecutive rough loss, 55-6 to Woodland (Cartersville) on the road. Buford fell to Deerfield Beach (Fla.) in a showdown of nation powers at Tom Riden Stadium. Lakeview Academy was knocked off 27-7 by Georgia Force, a GICAA homeschool program that won a national championship in 2017.
FRIDAY'S HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SCORES FOR AREA TEAMS
Commerce 33, Hart County 21
Deerfield Beach, (Fla) 19, Buford 14
East Jackson 10, Oglethorpe County 7
Flowery Branch 28, Clarke Central 14
Georgia Force 27, Lakeview Academy 7
Habersham Central 34, White County 20
Jackson County 45 Lumpkin County 0
Jefferson 48, West Hall 6
Johnson 34, Cherokee Bluff 13
Lambert 16, Gainesville 15
North Hall 27, Cherokee 17
Union County 45, Towns County 7
Woodland, Cartersville 55, East Hall 6
