Three teams win in dramatic fashion
The most unlikely comeback took place at Greenbrier, where the Wolfpack managed only 53 yards rushing and allowed visiting Brunswick 223 yards on the ground but still came away with a 22-19 victory.
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"It was unbelievable. We were down 19-0, and finally we scored toward the end of the third quarter. That started it," Greenbrier football coach Scott Chadwick said.
The first score came on a two-yard touchdown pass from Nick Richards to Ben Turner, but Brunswick still held a 19-7 lead entering the fourth quarter.
The Wolfpack owned the rest of the game with scores from Bryan Andrews on a six-yard run and the go-ahead touchdown on an Andy Gray nine-yard catch with 1:35 left in the game.
Richards ran the ball in from three yards out on the two-point conversion, and the stunned Brunswick Pirates left the Brierpatch with their second loss of the season.
Richards completed 14 of 25 pass attempts for 190 yards and threw two touchdowns and no interceptions in the win. Greenbrier's defense picked off three Brunswick passes.
The Wolfpack (4-3, 3-3) are only a half game out of fourth place in the Region 3-AAAA standings. They will next travel to Ware County (4-2, 4-1) in a key region match up.
Harlem 30,
Glenn Hills 27, OT
Region play kicked off in thrilling fashion for the Harlem Bulldogs. It took an extra overtime period for Harlem to knock off its first Region 3B-AAA opponent of the year.
Regulation play saw Harlem's Mike Leverett score on a deep pass from quarterback Wesley Morris. Leverett also returned a fumble recovery for a touchdown and Morris scored on a nine-yard touchdown run.
"It was a crazy game," Harlem football coach Jimmie Lewis said. "We were up big and then they went up 21-27 with about six minutes left. We drove 80-some yards and scored but missed the kick so it was tied then."
The score remained tied at 27-27 at the end of regulation. Harlem started the overtime period on defense, and the Bulldogs shut down Glenn Hills.
Harlem took over and drove to the nine yard line. Placekicker Robert Emory hit the game-winning field goal split the uprights from 26 yards out for the three-point victory.
The win put Harlem at 2-4 overall, but Lewis said that's not the important number.
"We're 1-0 in the region," he said. "All the other stuff don't make a difference. You could go 5-0 at first but that don't matter if you don't win the region games."
Harlem (2-4, 1-0) will return home to face Washington County (1-5, 0-1) in another Region 3B-AAA game on Friday.
Augusta Christian 48, Cardinal Newman 7
An onside kick to start the game backfired on the Lions as visiting Cardinal Newman converted great field position into a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter.
But the Lions scored twice in the first quarter on runs of 44 and 48 yards and never looked back.
Most of Augusta Christian's 397 yards rushing came from senior Jay Harmon (eight carries for 129 yards) and senior Corey Critell (three carries for 88 yards). Both tailbacks found the end zone on runs, while quarterback Tyler Bourdo threw for two more touchdowns on a pair of passes to Evan Wells.
William Banks added to the scoring with a 41-yard punt return for a touchdown in the second quarter.
The Lions (7-1, 2-0 SCISA Region 1-AAA) will travel to Heathwood Hall (6-2, 1-1) on Friday..
Ware County 21, Lakeside 7
Lakeside suffered its third straight loss in a 21-7 home defeat at the hands of Ware County. The Panthers (2-5, 1-5) will travel to Glynn Academy (4-2, 3-2) for another Region 3-AAAA match up on Friday.