The big news of Week 3 was Johnson breaking its 34-game losing streak with a 20-19 win over in-county rival East Hall in Rabbittown.
Of course, there were other interesting finishes across the area. Flowery Branch struggled to find the end zone against a strong Stephens County team. East Forsyth blasted Cedar Shoals in the Region 8-4A opener. Rabun County rebounded nicely with a 35-20 win over Adairsville. North Hall's offense was tough to stop for Dawson County in a 40-7 win over the Tigers, and Lumpkin County continues to put up big numbers.
Week 4 should not disappoint as there are several good matchups on the schedule, and three of those showdowns are on the Jacobs Media airwaves and streaming live on AccessWDUN.com.
Chestatee at East Hall – It's the Region 8-4A opener for both teams, making this contest all the more important. Chestatee comes in 0-2, giving up over 60 points per game while only scoring 10 ppg. East Hall is reeling from a 20-19 loss to Johnson last week and pulled off a touchdown win over West Hall in Week 1. The Vikings have the personnel to put points on the board, while Chestatee is still finding its way under new head coach Stuart Cunningham. Regardless of what happened in the first two contests, it doesn't matter now. The winner will have a leg up in the region standings. You can listen to the game on WDUN AM 550 (Click to listen live).
Oconee County at Jefferson – When Ben Hall was head coach at Jefferson, he led the Dragons to a 2-1 record over the Travis Noland-coached Warriors. Now that Ben Hall is Oconee County's head coach, he's 1-0 against Jefferson, now coached by Travis Noland. The Warriors beat Jefferson last season, 9-7. Yeah, the coaching carousel has come full circle. The previous three meetings, all in Oconee County's favor, have been decided by a touchdown or less. The Dragons have reloaded and are playing well right now. Oconee County has struggled in the first two games. This one is expected to be just as close as they've always been. You can hear the game on FM 102.9 WDUN (Click to listen live).
Gainesville at Clarke Central – Gainesville rolled up over 500 yards of offense against the Gladiators in a 43-20 win at City Park last season. Gainesville leads the overall series 9-4, winning the last five out of seven contests dating back to 2012. Both programs are undefeated and look very similar on paper. The Red Elephants are scoring 32 ppg and giving up 22, while the Gladiators are averaging 36 ppg and giving up 19. This could be a tight contest with the way both teams are playing. The game can be heard live on FM 94.5 The Lake (Click to listen live).
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SCHEDULE for Friday, September 8
Armuchee at Union County
Madison County at Cherokee Bluff*
Chestatee at East Hall*
Creekview at North Forsyth
Dawson County at Stephens County
Franklin County at Banks County
Gainesville at Clarke Central
Habersham Central at Central Gwinnett
Jackson County at Mountain View
Lakeview Academy at Creekside Christian
Lanier Christian at Rock Springs Christian
Lumpkin County at Temple
North Hall at Walnut Grove*
Oconee County at Jefferson
Riverside Prep at Providence Christian
SCORES FOR FRIDAY, Sept. 1
Buford 45, North Cobb 28
East Forsyth 35, Cedar Shoals 13*
East Jackson 42, West Hall 7
Gainesville 30, Coconut Creek (Fla.) 22
Hebron Christian 31, Commerce 21
Lanier Christian 51, Hickory Hawks 13
Jackson County 32, Central Gwinnett 26 (2OT)
Jefferson 42, St. Pius 0
Johnson 20, East Hall 19
Lumpkin County 46, Franklin County 7
North Hall 40, Dawson County 7
Rabun County 35, Adairsville 20
St. Anne-Pacelli 41, Lakeview Academy 0
Stephens County 32, Flowery Branch 7
Stratford Academy 57, Riverside Prep 14
Union County 49, Towns County 7
West Forsyth 17, North Forsyth 14
White County 52, Chestatee 7
