Trailing 22-14 with 4:52 to play in the third quarter, the Stephenson Jaguars scored three unanswered touchdowns to knock off the Cedar Grove Saints 40-28 in a Region 5-3A contest at Godfrey Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The game was tied 14-14 when the Saints forced the Jaguars (4-3, 2-1) into a punting situation. The Saints rush pushed a block in front of the attempted punt to block it, the ball traveled backwards to the 10-yard line where Cedar Grove’s Xselynce Keith scooped it up and ran into the end zone. D’Marcus Clements added the two-point conversion running around the right end to make it 22-14 in favor of the Saints.

Stephenson answered as a 65-yard run by Jayden Johnson set up a two-yard keeper by Marte Barton with 4:01 left in the quarter. The try for two was no good and the Jaguars trailed 20-22.

Sergio Mason made the first of his two fumble recoveries in the second half and returned it 22 yards to set up the Jaguars next score as the quarter ended. On the second play of the fourth quarter, Barton scrambled away from pressure and found his outlet, Johnson, in the right flat. Johnson was all alone and turned up the middle of the field for a 65-yard touchdown reception and the Jaguars led 26-22 with 11:32 to play.

Stephenson forced a three and out against the Saints and extended the lead on a 24-yard touchdown run by Anthony Booker with 7:32 to play. Adam Zelaya made it an 11-point game with PAT for a 33-22 Jaguar advantage.

Cedar Grove (1-5, 1-2) was not going down without fight and needed just one play to close the gap to 33-28 as Josiah Moore through the left flat to Aaron Brooker. Brooker turned up field and raced past the Jaguar defenders for 68-yard touchdown play.

The Saints defense forced a Stephenson punt, and the Saints were on the move with under six minutes to play. A holding penalty on the Saints pushed Cedar Grove back to the Stephenson 45 after advancing to the 35 as the clock went under two minutes.

Cedar Grove was forced to go for it on fourth and 20 only to fumble into the hands of Stephenson’s Mason once again. Mason ran the football for a 45-yard scoop and score to seal the win. Zelaya’s point after made it 41-28 with just 40 seconds to play.

Stephenson quarterback Marte Barton finished the day with 141 yards passing with two touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns on 44 yards. Jayden Johnson ran for 157 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries.

Cedar Grove’s Zsewuan Smith ran for 102 yards and touchdown on 21 carries and quarterback Josiah Moore three for 163 yards and two touchdowns as he hit on 17 of 28 passes.

M.L. King 47, Midtown 7
The Martin Luther King Jr. Lions jumped to a 34-0 halftime lead on the way to a Region 4-4A 47-7 win over the Midtown Knights at Cobb Stadium on Friday night.

Jamarcus Harper got the Lions in front early on a nine-yard toss for a touchdown. Donald Whiting hit the PAT for the 7-0 lead. Fredrico Jones III hit Tyler Lynch on a fade for a 35-yard scoring play and Whiting again tacked on the PAT as the lead went to 14-0.

Ezekiel Elliot’s interception and 14-yard return set up another Lynch score as he runs for 35 yards out of the Wildcat to make it 20-0. Jones hit a corner pattern to Aaron Graham for another 35-yard touchdown and with Whiting’s PAT made it 27-0 in the second quarter.

A Sheron Clark interception and 23-yard return set up the final score of the first half. Jones hit his third TD pass of the game as he hooked up with Zion McDay for a 20-yard touchdown pass play. Whiting sent the Lions (2-4, 1-2) to a 34-0 lead at the half with the PAT.

Jordan Perkins struck for a 26-yard pick-six in the third quarter as the Lions went up 41-0 after Whiting’s PAT. After a score by the Knights (2-4, 1-2), Brandon Sutherland took the handoff on an inside zone 37 yards to the house to make the final of 47-7.

DCSD FOOTBALL WEEK 8 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
Thursday, Oct. 3
ADAMS STADIUM
Creekside Christian (3-3) 33, Cross Keys (0-5) 6
GODFREY STADIUM
Miller Grove (4-3, 1-0)* 41, Redan (2-5, 0-1) 6
HALLFORD STADIUM
St. Pius X (6-1, 5-0) 42, Clarkston (0-6, 0-4)* 0 

AWAY GAME
LAKEWOOD STADIUM
Columbia (1-6, 1-0)* 56, South Atlanta (2-5, 0-1) 15

Friday, Oct. 4
ADAMS STADIUM
Tucker (5-1, 4-0) 48, Druid Hills (2-5, 1-4)* 3
COBB STADIUM
M.L. King (2-4, 1-2)* 47, Midtown (2-4, 1-2) 7
HALLFORD STADIUM
SW DeKalb (4-3, 3-2)* 37, Lithonia (4-2, 2-2) 18
NORTH DEKALB STADIUM
Dunwoody (2-5, 1-3) 28, Arabia Mountain (1-6, 0-4) 19 

AWAY GAMES
Jasper Co. (5-1, 2-0) 22, McNair (2-5, 0-3)* 14
TARA STADIUM
Mt. Zion (4-2) 37, Stone Mountain (0-6) 6 

Saturday, Oct. 5
COBB STADIUM
Lamar Co. (5-1, 2-0) 41, Towers (2-3, 0-2) 12
GODFREY STADIUM
Stephenson (4-3, 2-1) 40, Cedar Grove (1-5, 1-2)* 28
NORTH DEKALB STADUIM
Chamblee (1-5, 1-2)* 23, Lakeside (4-3, 3-1) 21 

*–Region Game
(HC) — Homecoming