Tigers open with 50-0 shutout at home
Senior running back Tijai Whatley had 94 yards and three touchdowns on just five carries and Darlington scored 29 points in the first quarter on the way to a 50-0 blowout over Gaston (Ala.) on Friday night at Chris Hunter Stadium.
Whatley also returned a punt for a touchdown as the Tigers got off to a 1-0 start to the season. Darlington finished with 259 yards on the ground while Gaston was held to just 13 as part of 21 yards of total offense.
Quarterback Griffin Brewster hit Barrick Wade for an 11-yard touchdown pass and ran for a 23-yard score. Luke McDurmon scored the final touchdown on an 18-yard run.
Darlington hosts Ridgeland next Friday.
In other action:
Coosa 65, Coahulla Creek 14
Kenon Dixon rushed for a 107 yards and a touchdown to lead the Coosa football team to a seasonopening 65-14 win Friday against Coahulla Creek.
Jalen Hodge added 96 yards and a touchdown for the Eagles (1-0), and Gavin Hughes scored twice and ran for 82 yards on three carries.
Logan Pledger and Kenon Dixon combined to go 3 for 7 for 49 yards and a touchdown through the air.
Coosa will host North Murray next Friday.
Unity Christian 64, Young Americans 22
The Unity Christian football team improved to 2-0 on the season with a 64-22 win against Young Americans on Friday.
Terry Curry was 4-for-7 through the air with 109 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran the ball 11 times for 80 yards and a touchdown. Colin Mathis had 16 carries for 33 yards and a touchdown, and scored on two 2-point conversions. Jansen Slaughter had three receptions for 61 yards and two touchdowns on offense, while totaling 8.5 tackles and a fumble recovery on defense. Leading the defense for the Lions was Eli Whiteside with four sacks and a forced fumble.
Unity will host New Creation Christian next Friday at Grizzard Park.
Rockmart 36, Piedmont (Ala.) 22
Rockmart put up 482 yards of offense while running back Markus Smith had 19 carries for 122 yards and two touchdowns as the Yellow Jackets bounced back from a season-opening loss to defeat Alabama school Piedmont 36-22 on Friday.
The game, which was played at Cedartown High School in the second annual Battle of the Borders jamboree, ended a 25-game winning streak for the Piedmont Bulldogs, who were back-to-back state champions in 2015 and 2016, and had been undefeated since Oct. 2, 2015. Rockmart heads to Woodland to take on the Wildcats next Friday in their final non-conference game of the season.
Trion 49, LaFayette 21
Logan Blevins led the way for Trion’s football team Friday night in a 49-21 win against LaFayette to open the season.
Blevins carried the ball 12 times for 115 yards and three touchdowns and racked up 13 tackles on defense. The Bulldogs (1-0) rolled up 532 yards of offense to LaFayette’s (1-1) 216. Tanner Railey had 113 total yards and a touchdown for the Bulldogs, and Cole Phillips had 75 total yards and a touchdown.
The Bulldogs will travel to Dade County next Friday.
Southeast Whitfield 47, Gordon Central 28
Quarterback Martavius Harris went 6-for-11 for 143 yards and a touchdown through while rushing for 32 yards, a touchdown and a two-point conversion, but Gordon Central fell to 0-2 with a 47-28 loss to Southeast Whitfield on the road Friday.
Southeast Whitfield came out strong as they scored three times in the first quarter. Gordon Central is off next Friday before hosting LaFayette for Homecoming on Sept. 8.