High school football recap

SPORTS

Pace Academy, North Atlanta earn massive wins to open 2022 slate

BY CRAIG SAGER II, SCORE ATLANTA

Just one week after Westminster toppled Lovett 14-0 in the “Battle of Buckhead” and the Pace Academy Knights defeated Holy Innocents’ 20-17 to kick off the season, Pace squared off with Westminster and scored a historic 21-19 win over the Wildcats.

The Knights survived a back-and-forth thriller on the road to pick up what was the school’s first-ever gridiron victory over Westminster. They led 6-3 at halftime before a wild third quarter ensued. They extended their advantage to 12-3 on a 52yard touchdown pass from Conner Phelan to Cooper Williams, but Westminster stormed ahead 16-12 on a 70-yard strike from John Collier to Henry Chartrand and a 1-yard run by Quinton Ezzard.

Pace Academy promptly answered with a 4-yard touchdown run by George Little late in the third quarter. The Wildcats pulled to within 21-19 on a fourth-quarter field goal from Josh Brockman, but their final drive that initially had them in range for a potential game-winning field goal eventually went backward and the Knights held on for the win.

Pace Academy looks to improve to 3-0 with a trip to Greater Atlanta Christian next and will open region play at home on Sept. 9 against Lovett, which recently fell 23-19 to GAC. Pace Academy has been the victor so far amongst the area private schools, and North Atlanta has earned that recognition when it comes to the public side.

The North Atlanta Warriors have won back-to-back televised games to kick off their 2022 season, including a thrilling 31-27 victory over North Forsyth in the Corky Kell Classic and a 50-6 win over Charles Drew to open up the fourth annual Great Atlanta Bash. North Atlanta has three more non-region games before it opens up region play at home against St. Pius X Catholic High School. Riverwood, Marist, Dunwoody and Lakeside-DeKalb will be competing with North Atlanta and St. Pius in a stacked Region 4-6A later this season.

Riverwood is looking to bounce back from a 42-0 loss to Holy Innocents under first-year head coach Michael Young, Marist is fresh off a 33-22 win over Alabama’s Pike Road and St. Pius recently fell 9-0 to Flowery Branch.

As for Dunwoody, the Wildcats opened the year with a solid 21-9 win over North Springs. They are set to play against Druid Hills on Sept. 9.

On Sept. 16, Riverwood will travel to Chamblee to take on the Bulldogs, who kicked off the season with a commanding 59-0 victory over the Towers’ Titans.

Finally, Holy Innocents’ will continue to rack up the mileage with a pair of outof-state road trips. The Golden Bears, after facing South Carolina’s Christ Church on Sept. 2, will visit Ensworth, Tennessee to take on the Tigers on Sept. 9.

The Chamblee Bulldogs. (Photo by Asher Greene)

The Lovett Lions. (Photo by Ben Ennis)