North Gwinnett, Camden help Georgia shine nationally

Camden County and North Gwinnett gave Georgia some acclaim beyond its own borders last week with victories over nationally ranked opponents, but those were just a couple of programs making news.

Here are five games that made Georgia a focal point of high school football:

* Camden County (Kingsland), Georgia's two-time defending champion in Class AAAAA, defeated Central (Miami) 45-42 on a 19-yard field goal by Matt Ehasz as time expired in Kingsland, Ga. Central was ranked No. 2 in one national poll. What's remarkable about Camden's victory is that the Wildcats have no clear-cut Division I-A recruits who are seniors. Central has 11. Camden does have a pretty good sophomore in J.J. Green, who could become one of Camden's best ever. He scored on a 94-yard kick return and blocked a punt that resulted in a score.

* North Gwinnett (Suwanee) used a good defense and the sultry Southern heat to wear down Crenshaw (Los Angeles), a team that was ranked in four national polls. De'anthony Thomas, a University of Southern California pledge, scored two touchdowns in the first quarter but was no factor in the second half as he was one of several Crenshaw players slowed by cramps. North Gwinnett's Brandon McGowan returned a fumble 43 yards for a touchdown and a 14-12 lead that North Gwinnett would not surrender. North Gwinnett is a school that went over four decades without a region title until hiring Bob Sphire from Lexington Catholic (Ky.) in 2006. The program has won at least 10 games each year since.

* Lowndes (Valdosta) had been Georgia's second-ranked team in AAAAA behind Camden in most polls, but McEachern (Powder Springs) won an emotional game when quarterback Dondre Purnell scored on a 9-yard run with 9 seconds left in the 23-22 victory. Before the game, McEachern retired the No. 5 jersey of Rajaan Bennett, the star running back who was murdered in February. McEachern threw for more than 200 yards passing against a Lowndes secondary that features two major D-I recruits in Geraldo Orta and Tyler Hunter.

* In what many viewed as the No. 1 regular-season game in Georgia this year, Carver (Columbus) defeated three-time Class AA champion Buford 14-0. It was Buford's sixth loss since 2001 (127-6 record in that time). Isaiah Crowell, perhaps the No. 1 running back in the country, rushed for 188 yards on 22 carries, and his 90-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter virtually iced it.

* In a game between state-ranked teams in AAAA, Tucker beat Marist (Atlanta) 31-24 in two overtimes. Jordan Landry, who entered the game after halftime due to the starting fullback being ejected, rushed for 116 yards and his 2-yard run in the second overtime was the winning touchdown. These DeKalb County schools have shared the same region since 1996, and only once has one of them failed to win it. Tucker won state in 2007, Marist in 2003.

NICE PERFORMANCES
Here are 10 of the better individual performances in Georgia last week:

* King (Lithonia) quarterback Jaquil Dawson threw six touchdown passes, five in the second half and four to Demarco Robinson, but MLK lost 44-41 to South Gwinnett (Snellville). Dawson was 18 of 32 for 486 yards, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post.

* South Gwinnett quarterback Kent Rollins, playing on the winning team in the MLK game, was 20 of 30 for 272 yards and three touchdowns.

* Savannah Country Day running back Morris Watson rushed for 224 yards and caught a pass for 75 yards and scored four touchdowns in a 48-31 victory over Treutlen (Soperton), according to the Savannah Morning News.

* Aquinas (Augusta) running back Brendan Douglas rushed for five touchdowns, all in the first half, of his team's 67-14 victory over Telfair County (McRae), according to the Augusta Chronicle. Aquinas is 2-0 for the first time since 2004.

* Lee County (Leesburg) sophomore quarterback Justin Walker threw five touchdown passes in a 56-13 victory over Crawford County (Roberta).

* LaGrange E. Smith made a 56-yard field goal and barely missed on a 57-yard attempt in a 22-7 victory over Spalding (Griffin). He also had three punts longer than 50 yards, according to the LaGrange Daily News.

* Brookwood (Snellville) receiver Andre Sims Jr. had seven receptions for 127 yards and two touchdowns in a 45-28 victory over Collins Hill (Suwanee).

* Collins Hill quarterback Taylor Heinicke was 26 of 43 passing for 399 yards and five touchdowns in the loss.

* Charlton County (Folkston) running back Tre Hamilton rushed for 183 yards and three touchdowns in a 42-10 victory over Bradwell Institute (Hinesville). Hamilton has 409 yards rushing and six touchdowns in two games.

* Wesleyan (Norcross) running back Kyle Karempelis rushed for 182 yards and scored two touchdowns in a 25-23 victory over the Elbert County (Elberton). According to the Gwinnett Daily Post, Karempelis surpassed 4,000 yards rushing for his career.