Week 7 of Savannah-area high school football featured big wins, heartbreak, and overtime thrillers across the Savannah area, keeping fans on the edge of their seats. Here’s how Friday night unfolded, along with reactions from coaches.
Benedictine 30, Ware County 27
GHSA Class 4A #4 Benedictine delivered one of its biggest wins of the season with a thrilling 30-27 road victory over previously unbeaten Class 4A #5 Ware County. Senior quarterback Stephen Cannon fueled the Cadets’ offense, throwing for 283 yards and a touchdown while adding 59 yards on the ground. Running back Stanley Smart Jr. powered in for 73 yards and two rushing touchdowns, while Bubba Frazier caught seven passes for 59 yards and a score. Josh Washington (86 yards), Eron Mallard (56 yards receiving, 97-yard kickoff return TD), and Cole Henderson (53 yards) all added explosive plays, with Bennett Conoway hauling in a crucial two-point conversion.
On defense, the Cadets’ front line held strong, sacking Ware’s quarterback five times and limiting the Gators’ rushing attack to just 46 yards. Larson Little (8 tackles), Jayden Houston (7 tackles, 2 sacks), and LaDamion Guyton (5 tackles, sack) were among the standouts.
Special teams played a big role as well—kicker Parker Lewis hit a 49-yard field goal and Mallard’s kickoff return sparked momentum for the Cadets.
Head Coach Danny Britt praised his team’s resilience: “Friday night was a tremendous one for us. We knew it would be a heavyweight fight and we kept on swinging over and over again. All the weights, conditioning, and sled work paid off.”
With the victory, Benedictine improved to 3-2 overall and 1-0 in Region 1-4A, riding a three-game winning streak as they head deeper into region play.
Next Up: Benedictine (3-2 overall, 1-0 Region 1-4A) hosts Warner Robins (3-3 overall, 0-1 Region 1-4A) at Memorial Stadium.
Blessed Trinity 35, Savannah Christian 32 (Overtime)
Savannah Christian fought hard against a top-10 opponent but ultimately came up just short, setting the tone for a closely contested night.
Quarterback Blaise Thomas threw for 205 yards and two touchdowns while adding a rushing score. Weston Hughes had a big night with five catches for 131 yards and a touchdown. Cam Yeldell added a 52-yard TD grab, and Athen Hudspeth ran for 74 yards.
Coach Baker Woodward: “We played four great quarters of football in all three phases of the game. We never quit but Blessed Trinity just made one more extra play at the right time and that was the difference. ”
Next Up: Savannah Christian (3-3 overall, 0-0 Region) hosts Savannah Country Day (2-3 overall, 0-0 Region).
Bradwell Institute 51, Greenbrier 28
Bradwell pulled away in the second half, earning a key region win by breaking open what was a close contest at halftime.
Jacobi Pasley scored three touchdowns — two on the ground and another on an 80-yard kickoff return. Carlito Savea added 100 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Coach DeShon Brock: “I'm happy for the win, we have to continue to find a way to play a complete game we where not able to do that last night but came away with a win.”
Brock said on the upcoming game versus Brunswick, “Facing a very good Brunswick team. We have to be able to find answers to what they do offensively and defensively. We have our work cut out for us. Excited to see how this plays out.”
Next Up: Bradwell (2-3 overall, 2-2 Region) travels to Brunswick (5-1 overall, 4-0 Region).
Bryan County 42, Claxton 7
Bryan County’s defense and special teams stole the show, setting the stage for a dominating win.
The Redskins had two defensive touchdowns — Jonah Broce returned a fumble 50 yards, and Gerbravion Colling ran one back 79 yards. On offense, Eli Koskela scored twice and added a two-point conversion, while Anddreas McKinney and Gunner Ennis also found the end zone.
Freshman Anthony King and Zane Renteria each recorded 10 tackles to help hold Claxton to under 100 total yards.
Defensive coordinator Tim Adams on the turning point of the game: “The 79-yard fumble return by Gerbravion really ignited us. We moved the ball better in the second half and got points on the board.”
Next Up: Bryan County (4-2 overall, 3-1 Region) hosts Screven County (5-0 overall, 3-0 Region).
Effingham County 48, Lakeside-Evans 10
After a weather delay, Effingham County rolled to a big win, reclaiming control as action resumed.
Running back Jmere Doe-Davis had just four carries but turned them into 130 yards and three touchdowns.
Coach John Ford: “Our kids played clean football. I was proud of how they responded after the delay.”
Backup kicker Benjamin Thompson added three touchbacks on kickoffs.
Next Up: Effingham County (4-2 overall, 3-1 Region) travels to Evans (1-4 overall, 1-2 Region).
Liberty County 10, Southeast Bulloch 7
It was a defensive slugfest, according to Liberty head coach Tony Glazer. Southeast Bulloch led 7-0 at halftime, but Liberty responded after the break with a long, 15-play 77 77-yard drive to tie it. Elijah Brown capped it with a 4-yard touchdown run. The drive took 8 minutes and 12 seconds off the clock.
Later, Aidan Ronk hit a 27-yard field goal with 4 minutes left to give the Panthers the lead. Liberty’s defense held SEB to just 35 yards in the second half.
Coach Tony Glazer: “It was a very physical football game with lots of downhill running. Our Offense struggled the first half, and came out the second half with a different intensity. Our Offense had the ball for 15:48 over the final two quarters. Our defense played physical all night. We held them to 35 yards of total offense the second half. ”
Next Up: Liberty County (5-1 overall, 4-1 Region) hosts Johnson (2-3 overall, 2-2 Region).
Perry 38, New Hampstead 24
New Hampstead fell behind early and could not recover in a Region 1-4A loss, highlighting areas for improvement moving forward.
Quarterback Eric Hockman passed for 374 yards with two touchdowns and added a rushing score.
Coach Noah Winstead: “Every game comes down to five or six plays out of 150. We lost most of those plays, and it showed on the scoreboard. We have to get better at the basics — blocking, tackling, and ball control.”
Next Up: New Hampstead (1-5 overall, 0-1 Region 1-4A) hosts Ware County (5-1 overall, 0-1 Region 1-4A) Thursday Night at Pooler Stadium.
Richmond Hill 35, Tift County 10
Wildcats began region play with a balanced attack, setting the pace for their road win.
Richmond Hill made a statement in its first region game, controlling the contest from start to finish to secure a 35–10 road win at Tift County.
Quarterback Gunner Mobley led the way, completing 10 of 17 passes for 144 yards and a touchdown, while also adding a short 2-yard rushing score on a fourth-and-goal attempt in the second quarter. The ground game powered the offense, with Amire Miller carrying 18 times for 77 yards and two touchdowns and CJ Menzie adding 64 yards and a touchdown on seven carries.
Through the air, Eli Grant was Mobley’s top target, catching six passes for 73 yards and a touchdown. Marquis Muhammad chipped in two receptions for 29 yards.
Defensively, the Wildcats swarmed. Jaylon Deal had seven tackles, while Kathleen Scott added six stops. Grant contributed on defense as well, recording five tackles and an interception.
On special teams, Cannon Kuryla was perfect, hitting all five PATs and averaging 41 yards per punt, consistently flipping the field. LeZotte stated, “Cannon saved two possessions by getting punts off deep in our territory with snap mishaps.”
Coach Matt LeZotte praised his team’s overall execution:
“It was a very well-planned and executed performance in all three phases. Our coordinators stayed a few steps ahead schematically.”
Next Up: Richmond Hill (5-1 overall, 1-0 Region) hosts Camden County (5-1 overall, 0-1 Region).
Robert Toombs 41, St. Andrew’s 8
St. Andrew’s struck first but then could not keep pace in a tough road loss, setting the tone for what followed. Head Coach Wes Worthington said the turning point in the game was, “Early in the game, our offense was driving and we were stopped short on 4th and 2. Robert Toombs capitalized by driving down the field and scoring which put them up 14 points and they never looked back.”
Pat Jackson ran for a touchdown and threw for 54 yards, while Amari Cook added 60 rushing yards and a two-point conversion.
Defensively, Jack Kelley recorded 10 tackles with 3 tackles for loss, while Luke Bowen had an interception. Darius Chapman chipped in with 7 tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble.
Coach Wes Worthington: “Robert Toombs is a very tough football team with good, strong lineman and skill players all over the field. They made plays when they need to and we made too many mistakes to beat a good team on the road. Hats off to RTCA and their performance tonight. We will go back to work on Monday to correct mistakes and perfect what we do.”
Next Up: St. Andrew’s (2-4 overall, 0-0 Region) hosts Harvest Community (1-5 overall) (Jacksonville, Fla.) at Daffin Park.
South Effingham 14, Evans 10
South Effingham utilized big plays and a late defensive stop to secure the road win, demonstrating its ability to finish strong under pressure.
South Effingham’s defense set the tone early, pitching a shutout in the first half. The Mustangs struck on offense when quarterback Liam Coburn connected with Jayden Hair for a 49-yard touchdown to take the lead into the break.
Evans answered in the second half with a score to tie the game, but the Mustangs responded quickly. Coburn hit Hayden Still on a 73-yard pass that set up his own 2-yard rushing touchdown to put South Effingham back on top.
Evans had one last chance late, driving deep into Mustang territory, but with 10 seconds left, Semaj Calhoun sealed the win with a clutch interception in the red zone, according to assistant coach Distin Neal.
Next Up: South Effingham (2-3 overall, 2-1 Region) hosts Greenbrier (1-4 overall, 0-3 Region).
OTHER SCORE-
Portal 21, Savannah High 14 (Overtime)
Savannah High nearly ended its long losing streak but came up short in a 21-14 overtime loss to Portal in Friday’s Region 3A Division II matchup, according to Savannah Morning News sports reporter Dennis Knight.
The Blue Jackets held a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, but late mistakes opened the door for Portal to rally and cut the lead to 14-7 at halftime, according to the score tracker on Maxpreps.com. The Portal tied the game with five minutes to go in the third quarter. Portal sealed the win in the extra period, 21-14, leaving Savannah still searching for its first victory since Sept. 17, 2021, against Groves.
Next Up: Savannah High (0-4, 0-3) will host Emanuel County Institute (4-2, 4-0) on Thursday, Oct. 2, at Savannah High Stadium.
WEEK #8 SCHEDULE
Oct. 2, Thursday
SE Bulloch at Groves * (GS) 7 PM
ECI at Savannah High * (SHS) 7 PM
Ware County at New Hampstead* (PS) 7 PM
Oct. 3, Friday
Camden County at Richmond Hill *
Bradwell at Brunswick *
Greenbrier at South Effingham *
Warner Robins at Benedictine (MS) *
Islands at Beach * (GS)
Long County at Calvary Day *
Jenkins at Windsor Forest * (IS)
Johnson at Liberty County *
Savannah Country Day at Savannah Christian (PS) *
Screven County at Bryan County *
Bethesda at Beaufort Academy
Harvest Community School at St. Andrew's (DP), 7 p.m.
*Region Game
Photos courtesy of proshot_media_
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