1ST QUARTER | BIG STORY — WHAT MATTERS
All summer we talked about what these teams could be.
Friday night gave us our first look at what they are.
Calvary Day came back from 22-7 down and scored 42 unanswered points. Richmond Hill needed one last special-teams play to survive Effingham County. Windsor Forest and Beach needed overtime. Savannah Christian and Islands ran the football. Bethesda put 60 on the board.
And Toombs County came into Savannah and handed Benedictine a 58-21 loss.
That's Week 1.
Some answers. A whole lot more questions.
Now comes another one:
Who makes the biggest jump from Week 1 to Week 2?
2ND QUARTER | PLAYERS & STATS
Numbers That Got Our Attention
Calvary Day — 42 Unanswered Points
This one changed in a hurry.
Calvary Day was down 22-7 at Glynn Academy.
Then the Cavaliers took over.
Calvary scored the final 42 points in a 49-22 win, including 36 unanswered in the second half.
Quarterback James Mobley threw for 319 yards and three touchdowns, while Zay Middleton rushed for 108 yards and a touchdown on six carries. Calvary finished with 207 yards rushing and more than 500 yards of offense.
And how about the third quarter? Mobley connected with MJ Knight Jr. for a 27-yard touchdown, Mobley ran for another score, and Ty Pinckney Jr. took a punt back 75 yards for a touchdown.
Plenty of numbers there.
But 42 straight points might tell us the most.
CJ Menzie, Richmond Hill — 24 Carries, 116 Yards, TD
Twenty-four carries tells us almost as much as the 116 yards.
Richmond Hill kept giving Menzie the football, and he kept moving it. The Wildcats finished with 208 rushing yards in a 22-21 win over Effingham County.
Tre' Brown — 9 tackles, 3 TFL, sack
Brown was around the football all night. Jeremiah Jones added seven tackles and an interception, and Jaylon Deal had seven stops.
Then Richmond Hill blocked the late PAT.
In a one-point game, sometimes one play is the difference.
Jayden Martin, Windsor Forest — 313 Total Yards, 3 TDs
How's this for your first game with Dad as the head coach?
Martin threw for 195 yards, ran for 118 and two touchdowns, and picked off a pass on defense.
His two-yard overtime touchdown gave Willie Martin Jr. his first victory as Windsor Forest's head coach.
Antonio Wolfolk — 16 tackles
Malachi Daniels added 13 stops, while freshman Dwayne Harris had two sacks and three tackles for loss.
The Knights needed overtime.
They found a way.
Savannah Christian — 378 Rushing Yards
Now this got our attention.
The Raiders ran it 41 times for 378 yards in a 35-13 road win over Athens Academy.
Wesley Dinkins: 138 yards, two touchdowns.
Cain Tomlin: Eight carries, 142 yards and a touchdown.
And don't forget the guys up front — Davis Rushing, Gavin Guevera, King Long, JJ Ward and Jet Ayala.
That's a pretty good Friday night for the offensive line.
On defense, Ivyn Richardson had 13 tackles, while Jalen Wright added 11 and Jameer Jackson recorded 10 solo stops.
Jordan Turner, Bethesda — 330 Total Yards, 6 TDs
Okay, read those numbers again.
Turner rushed eight times for 168 yards and three touchdowns and threw for 162 yards and three more scores.
Bethesda put up 492 yards of offense in its 60-28 win.
And here's another number:
115.
That's how many points Bethesda has scored through two games.
Now comes Savannah Christian.
Luke Nelson, St. Andrew's — 88 Rushing Yards, 3 TDs
Nelson needed only two carries to get those 88 rushing yards, including a 64-yard touchdown.
He scored twice on the ground and added another touchdown as St. Andrew's opened its new turf with a 48-0 win.
And the Lions didn't just score 48.
They didn't give up a point.
Jack Kelley had 16 tackles and three tackles for loss, while Thomas Kirk added 12 stops and two TFLs.
Not a bad first night in the Lion's Den.
Islands — 311 Yards on the Ground
How about the Sharks?
Parker Woods went for 110 yards, Mason McLaughlin scored twice, and Nathan Tulloch added two more touchdowns.
That's five rushing touchdowns from those three alone as Islands opened with a 36-24 win over Groves.
Jack Wohler, South Effingham — 25-Yard Field Goal
Here's one of those Week 1 stories we like.
Backup kicker.
Tie game.
Fifty-one seconds left.
Wohler knocked through a 25-yarder, and South Effingham walked away with a 17-14 win over Screven County.
Sophomore quarterback Liam Coburn also went 10-of-15 for 117 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score.
HALFTIME | THE SCOREBOARD
Week 1 Finals
Thursday, Aug. 20
Calvary Day 49, Glynn Academy 22
Friday, Aug. 21
St. Andrew's 48, Hilton Head Prep 0
Richmond Hill 22, Effingham County 21
Savannah Christian 35, Athens Academy 13
Windsor Forest 20, Beach 14 (OT)
Islands 36, Groves 24
Wayne County 24, Liberty County 21
Toombs County 58, Benedictine 21
Bradwell Institute 47, New Hampstead 34
South Effingham 17, Screven County 14
Johnson 20, Savannah High 6
Treutlen 36, Bryan County 7
Bethesda Academy 60, Northwood Academy 28
Bluffton 29, Savannah Country Day 7
Lowndes 31, Jenkins 6
3RD QUARTER | WHAT'S NEXT
Week 2 Schedule
Thursday, Aug. 27
Appling County at New Hampstead
Friday, Aug. 28
Liberty County at Richmond Hill
Wayne County at Bradwell Institute
Tift County at Effingham County
Johnson at South Effingham
Hebron Christian at Benedictine
Groves at Brunswick
Jenkins at Calvary Day
Windsor Forest at Tattnall County
Savannah High at Islands
Bryan County at Portal
Bethesda Academy at Savannah Christian
Pinewood Prep at Savannah Country Day
St. Andrew's at First Baptist
4TH QUARTER | GAMES A LOT OF PEOPLE WILL BE WATCHING
There are three on the Week 2 schedule that have something extra.
Bethesda Academy at Savannah Christian
Here's something different.
Bethesda gets its first regular-season game against a GHSA opponent, and that opponent is another Savannah program.
Take a look at what these two offenses just did.
Bethesda has scored 115 points in two games.
Savannah Christian just went to Athens Academy and ran for 378 yards.
Jordan Turner accounted for six Bethesda touchdowns last week. Wesley Dinkins and Cain Tomlin combined for 280 rushing yards for Savannah Christian.
First regular-season GHSA opponent for Bethesda.
Two Savannah programs.
Two offenses coming off big nights.
Yeah, this one should have some people talking.
Jenkins at Calvary Day
These two know each other.
Jenkins and Calvary Day were region opponents the last two seasons.
The region game is gone. The matchup isn't.
And they come into Friday from two very different Week 1 experiences.
Calvary was down 22-7 before scoring 42 unanswered points to beat Glynn Academy 49-22. Jenkins made the trip to Valdosta and came home after a 31-6 loss to Lowndes.
Calvary is looking to build on that opener.
Jenkins gets an immediate chance to answer its first loss.
Former region opponents meeting again.
There's enough history here to make this one interesting.
Hebron Christian at Benedictine
And then there's this one.
Benedictine just played Toombs County.
Now the Cadets get the back-to-back state champions.
Hebron Christian won its first football state championship in 2024 and repeated in 2025. The Lions beat Calvary Day 28-21 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium to capture their second straight Class 3A-A Private championship.
That's what's coming to Memorial Stadium.
For Benedictine, though, the interesting part isn't just the opponent.
It's the response.
The Cadets are coming off a 58-21 loss to Toombs County. Now they get a program that has finished each of the last two seasons holding a state championship trophy.
Nobody can say Benedictine is easing into 2026.
What do the Cadets look like the second time out?
That's worth watching.
Three games.
Three completely different reasons to pay attention.
Bethesda–Savannah Christian: A first for the Blazers.
Jenkins–Calvary Day: Former region opponents meeting again.
Hebron Christian–Benedictine: The Cadets get the back-to-back state champs.
That's a good Friday night around Savannah.
Which one are you going to?
FINAL WHISTLE | THE PSR TAKE
Week 1 gave us some answers.
Not all of them.
And that's why you don't figure out a football season in August.
One win doesn't make your season. One loss doesn't end it.
Now comes Week 2.
Who cleans things up? Who takes another step? And which team has everybody looking at it a little differently Saturday morning?
That's what Prep Sports Report will be watching.
Football is back.
You gotta love it!
Sources & Editor's Note
Game results and statistics compiled from information provided to Prep Sports Report by area coaches and schools, along with published reports from the Savannah Morning News, Effingham Herald, and MaxPreps.
Editor's Note: Statistics can vary between team sources and reporting services. Prep Sports Report gives preference to statistics supplied directly by coaches and schools when available. Scores and statistics will be updated when verified corrections are received.
Photos courtesy of LensByShaunce
Follow Prep Sports Report on X @PrepSav and Instagram @savannahsportsreport.
To share scores, story ideas, or corrections, email kdemasi@prepsportsreport.com or text 912.507.9158.
Optim Orthopedics presents Prep Sports Report’s 2026 high school football coverage.
Optim Orthopedics wants you in the game.
Keeping Savannah-area athletes healthy and ready for gameday all season long.
Team physicians include Dr. Don Aaron (Bryan County), Dr. David Sedory (Benedictine, Bradwell Institute, Liberty County), Dr. David Palmer (Calvary Day, Richmond Hill, South Effingham), and Dr. Thomas Alexander (Savannah Country Day, St. Vincent’s Academy).
