Week 5 in the Savannah area high school football brought offensive fireworks, defensive dominance, and comeback wins. From overtime thrillers to ground-game controlled victories, the weekend gave fans much to cheer. Here’s the roundup from September 11–12.
Bethesda Academy 47, Hilton Head Prep 0
Bethesda Academy moved to 3-0 with a commanding shutout road win.
Coach Turner: "Hilton Head Prep reached our 30, but our defense forced a fumble—Adrian Cook took it 53 yards. Jordan Turner’s 30-yard touchdown pass to Raleigh Wesley ignited the scoring. The Blazers never looked back!"
QB Jordan Turner was 5-for-6 for 114 yards and four touchdowns. Raleigh Wesley caught two passes for 54 yards and 2 touchdowns. Malachi Morris had a 31-yard touchdown; Luke Larson added another score. Hociel Garcia was 5-for-7 on PATs.
Jeffrey Armstrong rushed for 79 yards and a touchdown on 2 carries. Jordan Cheever (5-42, 1 TD) and Joseph Adkins (2-52, 1 TD) also scored.
On defense, Nick Jackson had 9 tackles; Isaiah Jones added 8 tackles and 1 tackle for loss.
Coach Turner: "We started slow, finished strong. Proud so far. We face Patrick Henry next—must start fast and finish strong!"
Next Up: Bethesda Academy (3-0) hosts Patrick Henry Academy (1-3).
Bryan County 42, Portal 35
Redskins rack up 500+ rushing yards in hard-fought win.
Bryan County jumped out to a quick 14-0 lead but had to hold on late after three costly fumbles, including a scoop-and-score, allowed Portal to stay in the game. Still, the Redskins’ rushing attack proved too much, piling up more than 500 yards on the ground.
Gerbravion Colling powered the offense with 234 rushing yards and three touchdowns, while Anddreas “Buck” McKinney added 173 yards and a score. The Redskins consistently moved the ball but were slowed by turnovers near the goal line.
On defense, Eli Koskela and Ryan Harrington each recorded 10 tackles. Special teams stayed sharp as kicker Will Summerford went 6-for-6 on PATs and is a perfect 100% on extra points this season.
Coach’s Quote DC Tim Adams:
“We played very well at times and then were our own worst enemy that allowed Portal to stay in the game. Holding on to the football was key. We need to play the counter better on defense and improve our ball security.”
Next Up: Bryan County (3-1) hosts Emanuel County Institute (2-2).
Calvary Day 49, Windsor Forest 0
The Cavaliers continued their unbeaten run, moving to 4-0 overall and 3-0 in Region 3-3A with a decisive victory.
QB James Mobley IV went 15-for-22 for 217 yards with touchdowns to Marlon Knight Jr. and Ty Pinckney. Jalen Hicks had 4 catches for 92 yards, Pinckney 4 for 40, and LaVon Owens 4 for 55.
On the ground, Ca’Den Jones rushed for 69 yards and three touchdowns on 11 carries. Josh Rodgers and Zay Middleton also scored rushing touchdowns.
Defensively, the Cavaliers held Windsor Forest to -3 rushing yards and 31 passing yards, forcing three turnovers. Jeffrey McCormick recorded five sacks; Kenneth Baker, six tackles and three sacks. Scotty Walker made his fourth interception this year and blocked a field goal before halftime. Lavon Owens had a 77-yard kickoff return to set up a score to start the third quarter. Calvary was balanced offensively, with 12 players creating positive plays and scoring seven touchdowns.
Coach Jason Cameron: “ It doesn't matter who does it as long as it gets done. If we continue to stay unselfish and put the team first I like our chances to be successful.”
Next Up: Jenkins (3-1) hosts Calvary Day (4-0). Windsor Forest (1-3) visits Southeast Bulloch (2-2).
Effingham County 43, Bradwell Institute 35
Effingham County earned a hard-fought win in a high-scoring Region 1-5A matchup, as noted by Rebel Head Coach John Ford.
RB Jmere Doe-Davis rushed 21 times for 169 yards and 3 touchdowns, while J.R. McKenzie added 105 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns. QB Tucker Perkins was 13-of-17 passing for 150 yards, including a 17-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Brown.
Bradwell QB Jah’Barri Felix passed for 285 yards and three touchdowns. Jacobi Pasley caught two touchdowns, Marlon Torres added another, and RB Cameron Keeve rushed for 175 yards and a touchdown while adding a receiving score (Bradwell stats courtesy Savannah Morning News sports reporter Dennis Knight).
Coach John Ford: “We sealed the game by running out the clock. Offensive line, running backs, and tight ends blocked well.”
Next Up: Effingham County (2-2) visits South Effingham (1-2). Bradwell Institute (1-2) hosts Statesboro (2-2).
Fellowship Christian 52, Savannah Christian 21
No. 3-ranked Fellowship Christian visited town and handed No. 5 Savannah Christian a tough loss.
SCPS was hampered by injuries, according to Nathan Dominitz's article on the Prep Sports Report website. QB Blaise Thomas went 7-for-15 passing for 119 yards, throwing a 61-yard touchdown to Cam Yeldell and rushing for 51 yards with a 5-yard score. Freshman Wesley Dinkins added 79 rushing yards on 15 carries, and Landon Tyson on the last score for the Raiders, carried six times for 38 yards with a touchdown.
Coach Baker Woodward: “Not the way we wanted the game to go but we know what we need to improve on during our bye week.”
Next Up: Savannah Christian (3-2) has a bye.
Islands 31, Groves 18
Islands High broke a 37-game skid, defeating Groves 31-18 for their first victory since 2021.
The Sharks leaned on a powerful ground game as Ethan McKinney rushed for 200 yards and a touchdown, while Zyon Patrick added 175 rushing yards and another score. Quarterback Mason McLaughlin chipped in with both a rushing and passing touchdown, connecting with Joseph Krutch for the score through the air. Michael Cooler, Patrick Dowling, and AJ Sims each added two-point conversions. Thomas Giovannini was 1-for-1 on extra points.
On defense, Jayson Padget led the way with seven tackles and three interceptions. Whit Perry (7 tackles, forced fumble), Dowling (7 tackles), Sims (7 tackles, 1 sack), Andrew Davis (5 tackles, 1 interception), and Jackson Tripp (5 tackles, fumble recovery) all delivered key plays to help secure the win.
Turning Points: Special teams delivered with three two-point conversions and a successful fake punt on fourth-and-five.
Coach Rusty Perry: “I am extremely proud of how our team played. We minimized penalties. We won special teams and the turnover battle. Our guys played four physical quarters. Our seniors stepped up in a big way on both sides of the ball. It was a great team win.”
Looking ahead, Perry added: “We still have some areas we need to improve. We will continue to work on toughness, giving great effort, having the right attitude, and a mentality of success.”
Next Up: Islands (1-3) hosts Liberty County (3-1) on Friday, Sept. 19.
Jenkins 63, Beach 14
Jenkins rolled to a Region 3-3A win on Thursday night at Savannah High Stadium.
The turning point in the game was the defense securing a big stop late in the second quarter with 11 seconds left before halftime. The offense was able to capitalize on a 58-yard connection from Demetrius Holloway to Domonique Johnson for a touchdown going into the half, according to Coach D. Williams.
QB Demetrius Holloway Jr. completed 8 of 10 passes for 235 yards and 3 TDs while rushing for 39 yards and a touchdown. Dominique Johnson added 42 rushing yards and a touchdown plus 82 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Ryan Scott rushed for 72 yards and a touchdown on 9 carries and added 2 receptions for 46 yards. Torreón Wilson had 117 all-purpose yards with a rushing score. Ke’Mari Wright, Tyler Smalls, and Jayden Hooper also scored. Kicker Joshua Woodley was 7 for 7 on points after touchdowns (PATs) and had four touchbacks.
Defensively, Branden Brown tallied 9 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 sack, and 2 forced fumbles. Aujshawn Izzard returned a fumble for a touchdown, Noah Whittiker blocked a punt, and Akeviyahn Haynes defended 3 passes.
Coach Anthony Welch: “We decided to approach this season with a championship game mentality. We treat every game as a championship game and this one was no different. We must continue to stay focused and execute the basics and play mistake free football in all 3 phases of the game.”
Next Up: Jenkins (3-1) hosts Calvary Day (4-0). Beach (1-2) travels to Long County (3-1).
Liberty County 40, Long County 34 (OT)
Liberty was down 34-13 midway through the 3rd quarter and came back and won.
According to Head Coach Tony Glazer, the turning point was the defense stopping Long County on 4th down four times in the second half.
RB Elijah Brown led the way with 29 carries for 180 yards and 4 TDs, including the overtime winner. QB Ja’Eir Roberts was 13-for-24 for 259 yards and 2 TDs, connecting with Aaron Brown on 5 catches with 125 yards and a score. While Kalale Green had 8 receptions, 113 yards, and a score.
Defensively, Tyrese Alexis led the Tigers with 12 Tackles, David Bacon had 10 Tackles, and Rashard Woods had 8 tackles and a sack.
Coach Glazer: “Our kids kept fighting. The game didn’t start as we wanted, but we tied it in the 4th after being down 20 in the 3rd, then finished the job in OT.”
Next Up: Liberty County (3-1) travels to Islands (1-3).
Richmond Hill 41, Wayne County 9
The Wildcats went on the road for the first time this year and improved to 4-0 with a decisive win over winless Wayne County.
Turning Point: Richmond Hill scored a quick 20 points in the first quarter, followed by a lull in the 2nd. Then the Wildcats scored 21 points in the 3rd quarter to pull away and finish with a running clock in the 4th quarter.
Amire Miller led with 18 carries for 175 yards and three touchdowns. Marquis Muhammad added 45 yards and a score on two carries, while QB Gunner Mobley ran for a touchdown and went 6 of 14 passing for 84 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. Eli Grant caught two passes for 53 yards and a score.
On defense, Cory Sims had three tackles for loss and two sacks, Jaylon Deal six tackles with two sacks, and DJ Porter an interception.
On Special Teams, Cannon Kuryla went 5-for-6 on extra points. Coach LeZotte mentioned Kurlya made some key play on punts, “Cannon saved two possessions by getting punts off deep in our territory with snap mishaps.”
Coach Matt LeZotte: “It was a great overall team performance, with tons of tape to teach our young team how to finish an opponent. It was another strong performance by our defense, while we were able to play nearly 17 players in our starting rotation. Our young offense sputtered in the second quarter but fixes were made at halftime and we had a very explosive second half.”
Next Up: Richmond Hill (4-0) travels to Buchholz (3-1).
St. Andrew’s 24, Augusta Prep 22
The Lions rallied late for a dramatic comeback.
St. Andrew’s got off to a rocky start after fumbling the ball twice in the first half and quickly fell behind 14-0 in the first quarter, according to Head Coach Wes Worthington.
Turning Point: A big hit on a kickoff late in the game by Joe Frazier gave our boys some fire. Then a key return by Luke Nelson on the late onside kick set up the winning score. With the ball on Augusta Prep’s 45-yard line, Pat Jackson threw a strike to Amari Cook with less than 40 seconds in the game for the win.
Pat Jackson went 4-of-8 passing for 112 yards and 2 touchdowns, both to Amari Cook of 48 and 45 yards. Cook also rushed for 47 yards with one 2-point conversion. Jackson also rushed for 42 yards and scored two two-point conversions. Darius Chapman rushed for 70 yards and had 11 tackles on defense.
Joe Frazier was everywhere, recording 21 assists among his 24 tackles, including three solo tackles with a tackle for loss, which was a significant loss for Augusat Prep. Defensive tackle Jack Kelley added 14 tackles with 2 TFLs. Darius Chapman had 9 assists, 2 solo tackles for a total of 11 tackles.
Coach Wes Worthington: “I’m extremely proud of the resilience and intestinal fortitude that our guys showed. We were down several players due to injuries and illness and didn’t play well in the first half. We fought back and were able to find a way to win. Go Lions!.”
Next Up: St. Andrew’s (2-3) travels to Robert Toombs Christian (2-3).
Rounding out the week, other results:
Metter 28, Savannah High (0-3) 6
Pierce County 39, New Hampstead (1-4) 14
Southeast Bulloch 47, Johnson (1-3) 13
_________________________________________________________________________
WEEK 6 SCHEDULE
Sept. 19
Richmond Hill at Buchholtz (FL)
Statesboro at Bradwell *
Effingham County at South Effingham *
Benedictine at Westminster
Beach at Long County *
Calvary Day at Jenkins * (MS)
Groves at Johnson * (SHS)
Liberty County at Islands * (IS)
Windsor Forest at SE Bulloch *
Tattnall County at Savannah Country Day
ECI at Bryan County *
Patrick Henry at Bethesda
Stadium Key
DP — Daffin Park
GS — Groves Stadium
IS — Islands Stadium
MS — Memorial Stadium
SHS — Savannah High Stadium
PS — Pooler Stadium
Photo: Courtesy lensbyshaunce_
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