Godfrey Stadium hosts two first round games of the middle school football Trail to the Title Playoffs beginning at 10:30 am on Saturday.
Four DeKalb County middle school football programs claimed region titles on the final week of regular season play to lineup the first round of the Trail to the Title Playoffs this coming Saturday.
Tucker defeated Champion 30-6 in the Region 2 title matchup to give the Tigers their fourth consecutive undefeated regular season and region title. The Tigers have won 24 straight regular season games dating back to the 2013 season.
Randy Britt (104 yards rushing, 2 TDs) and Zion Alexander (101 yards rushing, 1 TD) both eclipsed the century mark on the ground to lead the Tigers in the win. Britt had scoring runs of 1 and 20 yards and Alexander’s score came via a 49-yard run on the opening drive of the game.
Isaiah Raheem added a 20-yard touchdown as the quarterback kept the ball and found the end zone.
Dawson Rivers had 8 tackles and 1 sack to lead the Tiger defense.
Tucker (6-0) plays host to Region 3 runner-up Bethune (5-1) in a 12:00 pm game on Saturday at Adams Stadium in the first round of the Trail to the Title Playoffs. Champion (3-3) moves on to face Region 1 winner Stephenson (6-0) at 12:00 pm at Godfrey Stadium in the first round of the playoffs.
Chapel Hill 14, Cedar Grove 8
Chapel Hill knocked off the two-time reigning Trail to the Title and Region 4 champion Cedar Grove 14-8 to win the Region 4 title for the first time since the 2013 season.
Terrance Reid had the two big plays offensively for the Panthers (5-1, 4-0)) as he exploded for a pair of 40+-yard runs for touchdowns to be the game’s difference maker.
The Panthers won the Region 4 title in 2013 with a perfect 6-0 record and advanced to the Trail to the Title championship game undefeated at 8-0 before dropping a tough 22-20 title game to Tucker.
Chapel Hill plays host to Henderson (3-3) in a 10:30 am kickoff at Adams Stadium on Saturday. Cedar Grove (4-2) makes the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season with the opportunity to start the defense of its back-to-back championships against Region 1 champion Freedom (5-1) at 10:30 am on Saturday at Godfrey Stadium.
Stephenson 33, Miller Grove 6
The Stephenson offensive trio of Joseph Jackson, Bradley Favors and De’quin Taylor proved too much for Miller Grove as the Jaguars clinched the Region 3 title with a 33-6 victory over the Wolverines on Saturday at Godfrey Stadium.
Jackson connected with Bradley Favors on touchdown passed of 47 and 63 yards and Taylor ran 35 and 70 yards for touchdowns against the Wolverine (4-2, 2-2) defense. Omari Terry led the Jaguar defense with 8 tackles and defensive lineman George Jackson was big up front for Stephenson.
Stephenson (6-0, 4-0) heads into the playoffs for the 10th consecutive season as they host the Champion Chargers (3-3, 2-2) at 12 pm on Saturday at Godfrey Stadium.
Adams Stadium hosts two first round games of the middle school football Trail to the Title Playoffs beginning at 10:30 am on Saturday.
Freedom 20, Henderson 14
Jamil Greene and a stifling second half defense turned into a 20-14 Region 1 championship victory for the Freedom Rams on Saturday at Avondale Stadium.
Greene did the big damage on offense with a pair of rushing touchdowns and one receiving to pull the Rams to victory. The defense and special teams came up big in the second half as Freedom won its first region title since the 2008 season.
Freedom (5-1, 4-0) hosts two-time defending champion Cedar Grove (4-2) in a 10:30 am game at Godfrey Stadium on Saturday to begin the quest in the Trail to the Title Playoffs.
Henderson (3-3, 3-1), the Region 1 runner-up, takes on Chapel Hill (5-1), the Region 4 champion, at 10:30 am on Saturday at Adams Stadium.
Bethune 12, Lithonia 6
Defense ruled the day as the Bethune Lions knocked off the Lithonia Bulldogs 12-6 to seal the No. 2 seed in Region 3 play.
Rashod Dubinion was an anchor on the defense for the Lions (5-1, 3-1) as he put together 7 tackles and 2 sacks in the game while adding 60 yards rushing on 8 carries. Scotty Evans had a fumble recovery while Patrick Cosby and Amos Clement had two tackles each.
Bethune (5-1) travels to Adams Stadium for a 12:00 pm kickoff to open the Trail to the Title Playoffs against Region 2 champion Tucker (6-0) in the Lions first playoff game since a 2011 Trail to the Title runners-up finish. Lithonia finished the season 2-4 overall.
Columbia 42, McNair 8
The Columbia Eagles ended the 2016 season with a convincing 42-8 victory over the McNair Mustangs at Avondale Stadium.
Walter Bowls reached the end zone four times to lead the Eagles while Deyonta Mitchell and Da’Ronte Bryant both scored once for Columbia (2-3, 2-2).
Stone Mountain 14, Peachtree 6
The Stone Mountain Pirates ruined the playoff hopes of the Peachtree Patriots with a 14-6 win at Adams Stadium on Saturday.
The Pirates finished the season 3-3 overall and 1-3 in Region 2 play. It was a big turnaround for the Pirates who finished 0-6 a year ago. Stone Mountain had not finished .500 or better since the 2013 season.
Peachtree finished 3-3 overall and 1-3 in the region.
WEEK 8 RESULTS – 10/15/16
ADAMS STADIUM
Chamblee* (2-4, 2-2) 28, Druid Hills (2-4, 1-3) 0
Stone Mountain (3-3, 1-3) 14, Peachtree* (3-3, 1-3) 6
AVONDALE STADIUM
Tucker* (6-0, 4-0) 30, Champion (3-3, 2-2) 6
Columbia (2-4, 2-2) 42, McNair* (0-6, 0-4) 8
Freedom (5-1, 4-0) 20, Henderson* (3-3, 3-1) 14
GODFREY STADIUM
Bethune (5-1, 3-1) 12, Lithonia* (2-4, 1-3) 6
Chapel Hill (5-1, 4-0) 14, Cedar Grove* (4-2, 3-1) 8
Stephenson* (6-0, 4-0) 33, Miller Grove (4-2, 2-2) 6
Open: Renfroe (1-5, 0-4), Redan (3-3, 2-2), Salem (1-5, 1-3), Sequoyah (0-6, 0-4)
TRAIL TO THE TITLE PLAYOFFS
Saturday, Oct. 22
ADAMS STADIUM
Chapel Hill (5-1) vs. Henderson (3-3), 10:30 am
Tucker (6-0) vs. Bethune (5-1), 12:00 pm
GODFREY STADIUM
Freedom (5-1) vs. Cedar Grove (4-2), 10:30 am
Stephenson (6-0) vs. Champion (3-3), 12:00 pm