Four Atlanta Public Schools teams won their first-round games in the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) state playoffs in football and have advanced to Round 2 this weekend:
Carver
The Panthers dominated Columbia of DeKalb County, 36-0, last Friday at Grady Stadium. Carver (10-1) was led on offense by quarterback Octavious Battle, who completed seven-of-10 passes for 225 yards and three touchdowns, Jo’quavious Marks, who ran for 102 yards and two touchdowns, and Deanthony Ball, who caught two touchdown passes. On defense, Solomon Mosley and Jatavius Ponder combined for 14 tackles and three sacks. Carver, the Region 6-AAAAA champion, will now host Flowery Branch (9-2) of Hall County, the No. 2 seed from Region 8-AAAAA, Friday at 7:30 p.m., at Grady Stadium.
Mays
The Raiders dominated the fourth quarter against Sequoyah of Cherokee County, outscoring the Chiefs 20-0 in the period to claim a decisive 48-28 win, last Friday at Lakewood Stadium. Tyree Nelson scored two touchdowns, including a 69-yard touchdown run, and Amir Abdur-Rahman scored on a 90-yard touchdown pass. Mays (10-1), the Region 5-AAAAAA champion, now has a record of 10-1 and will host Centennial (8-3), the No. 2 seed from Region 7-AAAAAA, Friday at 7:30 p.m., at Lakewood Stadium. The game is a candidate for the WXIA-TV/11Alive Sports Game of the Week. Go here to vote!
B.E.S.T. Academy
The Eagles held off Temple of Carroll County, 34-28, last Saturday at Lakewood Stadium. Sheldon Garmon’s interception in the game’s final minute sealed the first state playoff win in the history of the school for B.E.S.T. Academy (6-5). Blaine Gibson scored two touchdowns for the Eagles, the No. 2 seed from Region 6-AA, and Jalen Cannon, Giovanni Morgan and Rashad Whitehead each had one score. B.E.S.T. will travel to north Georgia to take on undefeated Rabun County (11-0), the Region 8-AA champion, Friday at 7:30 p.m.
Maynard Jackson
The Jaguars, the No. 2 seed in Region 6-AAAAA, defeated Miller Grove (5-6), 14-0, last Friday night. Maynard Jackson (9-2) joined B.E.S.T. Academy in earning the school’s first win in the state playoffs. The Jaguars will now face Buford (9-1), the Region 8-AAAAA champion, Friday at 7:30 p.m.
Two APS teams were knocked out of the playoffs last Friday. Douglass, the No. 3 seed from Region 6-AA, was defeated by Callaway (10-1) of Troup County, the No. 2 seed from Region 5-AA, 28-8. The Astros finished the season with a record of 7-4. Also, South Atlanta, the No. 4 seed from Region 6-AA, lost to Region 5-AA champion Heard County, 42-3. The Hornets finished the season with a record of 5-6, and advanced to the state playoffs for the first time since 1994.
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