Isaiah Dawson (4) follows lineman Xavier Perkins (56) on the way to a 39-yard run against Chamblee. (Photo by Mark Brock)
Druid Hills and Lakeside were two of seven DCSD squads to pick up season opening victories as the pair of visiting teams won their games at a wet North DeKalb Stadium on Friday night.
The Red Devils of Druid Hills got a game clinching interception by Khalid McCalla with 12.2 seconds to play to seal a 14-13 win over the Chamblee Bulldogs in the opener at North DeKalb.
It was the second consecutive season an interception determined the win as Chamblee had one on a pick six in the waning moments last season.
Chamblee (0-1) had got a defensive stop against Druid Hills (1-0) at the Bulldog 45, but the punt was downed at the Chamblee 8 with 1:24 to play leaving the Bulldogs facing a drive of 60 to get within field goal distance or 92 for a touchdown to win the game.
A pass interference call on Druid Hills moved the ball out to the 26 and on second and 10 a Chamblee pass was intercepted by Kenyon Blackshear only to be nullified by offsetting penalties and give the Bulldogs life with 21.5 seconds to play in the game.
The very next play McCalla grabbed his interception and Druid Hills ran out the clock for the win.
Chamblee running back Joshua Tate (4) bulls his way into the end zone against Druid Hills. (Photo by Mark Brock)
Druid Hills opened the scoring with 1:30 to play in the first quarter as Harrison Aiken (9 of 20 for 116 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) connected with Nehemiah Brown on a 49-yard pass play for the score. Robert Murry of Chamblee blocked the extra point to keep the game at 6-0.
A 37-yard kickoff return by Zanyan Wilder to the Druid Hills 20 put the Bulldogs in scoring position as the teams headed into the second quarter. Joshua Tate finished the drive on a bruising nine-yard run bowling over a pair of Red Devils on his way into the end zone. The point after try was no good and the game was tied 6-6 with 11:49 left in the first half.
Druid Hills answered right back as Isaiah Dawson broke off a 39-yard run to set up a touchdown for the Red Devils. Aiken would connect on a 14-yard scoring toss to Delanie Lucas to extend the lead. Aiken’s two-point pass was batted back towards the Druid Hills line where a lineman caught it and stepped into the end zone for the score to make it 14-6 with 10:42 left in the first half.
Chamblee wasted a big opportunity late in the first half by fumbling at the Druid Hills one following an Arthur Murry interception return to the Red Devils nine-yard line.
The Bulldogs opened the second half driving to the Red Devils 12, but were forced to attempt a field goal. Chamblee the opted to take a Roberto Paz 29-yard field goal off the board when Druid Hills was called for roughing the kicker and took the ball at the Druid Hills seven.
Chamblee went for it on fourth and goal at the one with Conner Whitley snuck it to make it a 14-12 game. Paz tacked on the point after to make 13-14 with 5:39 left in the third quarter.
Lakeside’s Max Guggemos (22) ran for 159 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Vikings past the Dunwoody Wildcats in the season opener. (Photo by Mark Brock)
Running back Max Guggemos ran for 159 yards and scored four touchdowns to rally the Lakeside Vikings (1-0) to a 36-22 win over the Dunwoody Wildcats (0-1) in the nightcap at North DeKalb.
A 28-yard Jernigan to Demonte Presseley screen pass set up Guggemos’ second touchdown of the game with 5:02 left in the third quarter. Guggemos went the final five yards and Ian Cryor’s point after made it 22-22.
Lakeside took the lead at 29-22 as Alex Josey’s 21-yard punt return set up Guggemos’ third touchdown of the game, a one-yard run. Cryor tacked on the point after try.
Dunwoody was driving with 7:11 to play at the Viking 16-yard line when Otha Evans tipped a Wildcat pass and Jack Able intercepted to kill the drive.
Guggemos took the ball on first and 15 at the 12 and burst up the middle and raced 88 yards to seal the victory with 6:20 to play. Cryor’s kick made the final margin of 36-22.
Dunwoody’s Ryan Hicks (53) puts pressure on Lakeside quarterback Will Jernigan (15). (Photo by Mark Brock)
Josh Hudgins led the Wildcats to a 22-15 lead at the half with 129 yards rushing and a pair of touchdowns. He took a pitch 15 yards downfield from quarterback Nick Pastrone 61 yards for a score to tie the game 8-8 and added a reverse for 66 yards to give Dunwoody a 15-8 lead with 9:00 left on the first half clock.
Guggemos scored his first TD to give Lakeside an 8-0 lead with a 5-yard run for the touchdown with 10:41 to play and Will Jernigan hit Nicholas Holt for a 17-yard scoring toss with 4:00 remaining.
Dunwoody took the 22-15 halftime lead by taking advantage of a roughing the punter penalty on the Vikings. Pastrone hit a fade pattern to Turner Nims with 1:40 left in the half and Nico Gunim added the point after for the 22-15 halftime advantage.
Will Jernigan added 104 yards rushing for Lakeside and Dunwoody’s Hudgins finished with 139 yards rushing.
Cedar Grove 34, Stephenson 23
Cedar Grove scored four offensive touchdowns and a fifth on defense as the Class 3A No. 5 ranked Saints defeated the Class 6A No. 10 ranked Stephenson Jaguars 34-23 at Hallford Stadium on Friday night.
Cedar Grove (1-0) took the lead at 7-6 as North Carolina commit Tre’ Shaw scored on a 10-yard run and the Saints never trailed again.
A pick-six by Jenard Morris and a five-yard touchdown pass from Oklahoma State commit Jelani Woods to Jayden Hazelwood had the Saints ahead 20-9 at the half.
Woods hit Israel Spivey for a 14-yard scoring toss and then scrambled for the two-point conversion to make it 28-9 early in the third quarter. Rashad Preston’s seven-yard touchdown run with 1:34 left in the third quarter made it 34-9 heading into the fourth quarter.
Stephenson (0-1) would pick up a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns by D’Vonn Gibbons and Jaylen Marson-Knight to close the gap to 34-23.
Tucker wide receiver Joshua Vann (3) makes a big gain on a middle screen against Kell. (Photo by Mark Brock)
A big hit by Kell on Tucker quarterback Xavier Shephard with 57 seconds to play caused a fumble recovered by the Longhorns and end the Tigers’ threat to tie or win the game in the final minute of a 20-13 Kell win in the Corky Kell Football Classic on Saturday at the Georgia Dome.
Shephard had teamed up with Joshua Vann to drive the Tigers (0-1) down the field after forcing a missed 40-yard field goal by the Longhorns (1-0) with just 1:35 to play.
The pair connected on four consecutive passes of 19, 10, 13 and 13 yards to get to the Longhorns’ 22-yard line with just over a minute to play.
The teams were tied 13-13 at the half as Shephard and Vann had connected for touchdown passes of 20 and 54 yards take a 13-10 lead with 9:00 left in the first half.
John Lampley gave Kell an early 7-0 lead with a 66-yard keeper on Kell’s first play of the game. Connor Mendelson added a 40-yard field and a 26-yard field goal that came with six seconds left in the half to tie the game at 13-13.
The Tiger defense had stopped the Longhorns on three tries inside the one, but had to punt and Kell used the short field to tie the game on Mendelson’s second field goal of the half.
The second play of the second half Lampley hit Josh Blancato in the left flat where it appeared the receiver went to his knees to make the catch, but the whistle did not blow to end the play and Blancato got up and raced 79 yards for what would be the winning touchdown.
Tucker’s defense allowed just 55 yards the rest of the second half. Vann finished with eight receptions for 153 yards and two touchdowns for the Tigers.
DCSD FOOTBALL SCHEDULE WK 1
Thursday, Aug. 18
Forest Park (1-0) 6, Towers (0-1) 2
Friday, Aug. 19
Druid Hills (1-0) 14, Chamblee (0-1) 13
M.L. King (1-0) 14, Columbia (0-1) 3
Cedar Grove (1-0) 34, Stephenson (0-1) 23
Arabia Mountain (1-0) 50, Stone Mountain (0-1) 0
Miller Grove (1-0) 65, Clarkston (0-1) 0
Carver-Atl (1-0) 41, Lithonia (0-1) 7
Lakeside (1-0) 36, Dunwoody (0-1) 22
Saturday, Aug. 20
Kell (1-0) 20, Tucker (0-1) 13
SW DeKalb (1-0) 22, Redan (0-1) 12
Open: Cross Keys (0-0), McNair (0-0)
