Georgia Elite 6th Grade: Americans 14, Nationals 12

The Sixth Grade American Team denied a potential game-tying 2-point conversion at the buzzer and held off a late Nationals’ rally for a 14-12 victory  in Saturday’s opening game of the 2019 Georgia Elite Classic’s Middle School lineup. The Americans got on the board with 8:55 left in the opening quarter on a 19-yard touchdown pass from Grayson Stafford (Prince Avenue Christian) to Brady Marchese (McClure Middle), but a failed 2-point attempt kept the lead at 6-0. The margin held until just before the half when Christopher Miller (Connections Academy) connected with Marchese for a 74-yard touchdown pass with just 1:15 left in the half. Grayson Villar (McClure Middle) rumbled his way into the endzone on the ensuing 2-point conversion and the Americans took a 14-0 lead into the half.

The Nationals did not cut into the margin until late in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Caden Dawson (Blessed Trinity) capped off a 4-play drive with a 14-yard touchdown pass to John Durden (Whitefield Academy) with just 1:04 left in the game, but the 2-point try failed and the Americans’ continued to lead 14-6. The Americans got the ball back and running back Tylil Jones (Tapp) was in the midst of picking up a first down, but Kolton Driskell (King’s Ridge) forced and recovered a fumble to give the Nationals the ball back near midfield with just 16 seconds left.

Hayes Griffin got the Nationals into scoring range with a 24-yard completion to Durden and the clock stopped as the  Americans misused a challenge flag to question an unchallengable call. The Americans quickly got up to the line of scrimmage and then Griffin tossed it into a crowd of jerseys in the middle of the end zone. Multiple players got their hands on the football and it was first ruled as an interception, but then a challenge flag from the American sideline brought it under review and it was overruled–crediting Luke Gibbons (King’s Ridge) with a 16-yard touchdown catch. The Americans went for the potential game-tying 2-point conversion, but the pass went incomplete.

Marcheses finished with a game-high 93 receiving yards to go with his two touchdowns, while also adding four solo tackles and a tackle for loss defensively and was named the game’s MVP.

For complete stats from today’s game CLICK HERE

Georgia Elite Classic Alum Populate College Rosters in the Hundreds

The Georgia Elite Classic was first introduced in December of 2013 and has provided a stage for many of the state’s top prospects in each year since. While operating as an annual all-star showcase, the Classic has expanded considerably since its inception—growing from a one-game event to its current massive eight-game lineup. This year’s event on Dec. 21-22 will have players ranging from the Class of 2020 in the Senior Game and Brain Bowl all the way to the Class of 2026 in the Sixth Grade Game.

The Class of 2015 was represented in the Junior Game of the Inaugural Georgia Elite Classic in 2013 and therefore is the earliest graduating class to come through the event. The Class of 2016 was represented in the 2014 Classic’s Junior Game the following year and the Class of 2017, Class of 2018 and Class of 2019 have appeared in the the past four Classics alongside classes yet graduate. We looked back through each of the Georgia Elite Classic rosters of the classes that graduated (2015-2019) and found nearly 700 individuals that have gone on to play at the next level. This staggering number also includes current NFL players Chuma Edoga and TJ Rahming, who were featured in the first-ever Classic.

CLASS OF 2019
Laamar Adams (Paulding County, Guilford College)
Malik Adams (Walton, Iowa Central C.C.)
Jedidiah Adetoye (Dacula, Georgia State)
Josh Agbenou (Apalachee, Furman)
Kendall Alford (Walton, Western Carolina)
Davis Allen (Calhoun, Clemson)
Jared Atchison (Pebblebrook, West Georgia)
Parker Ball (Douglas County, Tennessee)
Jalen Banks (Alcovy, Presbyterian)
Semajé Banks (Archer, West Georgia)
Andrew Barnes (Jackson, Shorter)
Logan Barnes (Dawson County, Wofford)
Aaron Beasley (Bowdon, Tennessee)
Aaron Bedgood (Richmond Hill, Coastal Carolina)
Devonta Berrien (Valdosta, Union College KY)
JR Bivens (Blessed Trinity, Middle Tennessee State)
Dominick Blaylock (Walton, Georgia)
JD Bertrand (Blessed Trinity, Notre Dame)
Kasra Bojnordi (Cambridge, Samford)
Dominic Boyd (Tucker, Alabama State)
Ja’Darien Boykin (Jones County, Louisville)
Jack Breedlove (Jackson, Rhodes College)
Javen Bridges (Cass, Bluffton University)
David Britten (McEachern, Dodge City C.C.)
Parker Brodgon (Lowndes, Valdosta State)
Max Brosmer (Centennial, University of New Hampshire)
Keyon Brooks (Kennesaw Mountain, Vanderbilt)
DeJuan Brown (Newton, Highland C.C.)
Urriah Brown (Kennesaw Mountain, Clark Atlanta)
Warren Burrell (North Gwinnett, Tennessee)
Zach Calzada (Lanier, Texas A&M)
Jamal Camp (South Forsyth, Georgia Tech)
Logan Cash (Winder-Barrow, Clemson)
Steele Chambers (Blessed Trinity, Ohio State)
Isaiah Chaney (Cartersville, Wake Forest)
Sevaughn Clark (Dawson County, Georgia)
Kris Coleman (Liberty County, Coastal Carolina)
Garrett Collins (Alexander, Reinhardt)
Evan Conley (Kell, Louisville)
Larry Corbin (Griffin, Murray State)
Caleb Crawford (Woodland-Stockbridge, Allen University)
Jalen Dallas (Bremen, University of the Cumberlands)
Ashantae’ Dainels (Jenkins, Wingate)
Preston Daniels (Washington County, Kennesaw State)
Antoine Davis (Tattnall Square, Garden City C.C.)
Jordan Davis (Jones County, West Georgia)
Noah Davis (Mary Persons, Reinhardt)
Ryan Davis (Blessed Trinity, UAB)
Marc Davis III (Thomasville, Reinhardt)
Damien Devine (Fitzgerald, Lenoir-Rhyne)
Cal Dickie (Centennial, Lenoir-Rhyne)
Colton Dingmore (Mary Persons, Georgia Southern)
Noah Duba (Dacula, Fort Scott C.C.)
John Dukes (North Oconee, Marshall)
Tray Dunson (Heard County, Gardner-Webb)
Oryen Edmonds (Meadowcreek, Highland C.C.)
Will Edwards (Centennial, Kennesaw State)
TJ Ellis (Central Gwinnett, Delta State)
Jah’Quez Evans (Mays, University of South Florida)
Curtis Fann (Emanuel County Institute, Florida State)
D’Andre Ferguson (North Cobb, Kennesaw State)
Ryan Fitzgerald (Colquitt County, Florida State)
Jon Fleming (North Forsyth, Berry)
Jamel Flowers (Discovery, Northeast Mississippi C.C.)
Tyler Fromm (Houston County, Auburn)
Marcuis Fulks (Hiram, Albany State)
Ahdarrious Gee (Crisp County, Troy)
Byron Gibson (Walton, Navy)
Zack Gibson (Johns Creek, Akron)
Jailin Ginyard (Westlake, Alabama State)
Joel Girtman (Westlake, Mercer)
Edward Glover (McEachern, Judson University)
Chad Goddard (Kell, Kennesaw State)
Ryan Goede (Kennesaw Mountain, Georgia)
Marshall Golick (Woodward Academy, Clemson)
Tyler Goodson (North Gwinnett, Iowa)
Anthony Goreny (Brookwood, Carson-Newman)
Elijah Grant (McEachern, Fort Valley State)
DeAngelo Griffin (Crisp County, Minnesota)
Hayden Hairston (Milton, Carnegie-Mellon)
Aaron Hall (Jefferson, St. Thomas More Prep)
Zach Hamilton (Parkview, Guilford College)
Garrison Hand (Villa Rica, Dodge City C.C.)
Jaxon Harrell (Valdosta, LaGrange)
Justin Harrell (Valdosta, LaGrange)
Kedrick Harvey (Chattahoochee County, Kennesaw State)
Jadon Haselwood (Cedar Grove, Oklahoma)
Zach Hayes (Jonesboro, Western Carolina)
Vance Heidelberg (Solid Rock Academy, Alcorn State)
Cedric Hillsman (Peach County, Northeast Mississippi C.C.)
Jalar Holley (Buford, Miami)
Du’shunte Holloway (Villa Rica, Yale)
Nate Hope (Johns Creek, Lehigh)
Jordan Huff (Morgan County, Georgia Tech)
Jaelin Humphries (Mountain View, Florida)
McKinley Hunter (Cherokee, Bluffton)
Aidan Higgins (Mountain View, Mercer)
Isaiah Jackson (Frederica Academy, Kentucky State)
Milton Jackson (Coffee, Georgia Southern)
Jeremy James (North Forsyth, Ole Miss)
Marvin James (Pebblebrook, West Georgia)
Blake Jefferson (Tucker, Lenoir-Rhyne)
Hayden Jenkins (Spalding, Kennesaw State)
Christian Johnstone (Archer, Appalachian State)
Caleb Jones (North Oconee, Georgia)
Duane Jones (Christian Heritage, Lindsey Wilson College)
Jagger Jones (Lanier, Catawba College)
Keiondre Jones (Callaway, Auburn)
Titus Jones (Woodland-Cartersville, Alabama A&M)
Trente Jones (Grayson, Michigan)
Kalil Kargbo (Creekside, LaGrange)
Michael Killebrew (Brookwood, Georgia Knights Prep Academy)
James King (Meadowcreek, Fort Valley State)
Michael King (Coahulla Creek, Thomas More)
Austin Kirksey (Walton, Nevada)
Andre Lacy (Shaw, Eastern Kentucky University)
Michael Lantz (Starr’s Mill, Minnesota)
Zach Lassiter (Houston County, Mercer)
Daniel Lavelle (Mary Persons, Garden City C.C.)
Ben Lawrence (Chattahoochee, Bethel University)
Bo Lawson (Dooly County, Hutchinson C.C.)
Jordan Lay (Hart County, Mars Hill)
Jackson Leak (Forsyth Central, Colgate)
Roderick Lewis (Jeff Davis, West Georgia)
Rassie Littlejohn (Gainesville, Stetson)
Cade Loden (Camden County, Kennesaw State)
Jackson Lowe (Cartersville, Tennessee)
Jonovan Lowe (Tucker, Tusculum)
Christian Mahogany (Hawkinsville, Mercer)
Ross Malmgren (North Paulding, Charleston Southern)
Ethan Marshall (Mill Creek, Carson-Newman)
Tyler McCaskill (Grayson, Highland C.C.)
Kadarius McDaniel (Tift County, Kentucky)
Steven Mckever (Jeff Davis, Maryville College)
Derrick McLendon (Tucker, Florida State)
Clifton Mercer (Crisp County, Lenoir-Rhyne)
Brian Merritt (Colquitt County, Mississippi Gulf Coast)
Emmanuel Michel (Archer, Air Force)
Luke Moseley (Calhoun, Georgia Tech)
Rajaez Mosley (Valdosta, West Georgia)
Nyles Moore (McEachern, Morehouse)
Wanya Morris (Grayson, Tennessee)
Cory Munson (Northside-WR, Western Kentucky)
King Mwitkuta (Troup, Alabama)
Mason Napper (Lassiter, Miami)
Bryce Nelms (Hughes, Pittsburgh)
Alek Nikolich (Roswell, Stetson)
Frederick Norman (Ridgeland, Eastern Tennessee State)
Buchi Nwaubi (Lassiter, Charleston Southern)
CJ Ogbonna (Wheeler, Hutchinson C.C.)
Caleb Oppan (North Cobb, Duke)
Arinze Okwu (McEachern, Albany State)
Jalen Perry (Dacula, Michigan)
Jalyn Phillips (Archer, Clemson)
Trey Pinkney (Pebblebrook, Hutchinson C.C.)
Ridge Polk (Cambridge, Western Carolina University)
Matthew Porter (Flowery Branch, University of the Cumberlands)
Delvecchio Powell (Memorial Day, Presbyterian)
Campbell Price (Woodstock, Kennesaw State)
Jared Rayman (Pace Academy, Virginia)
Jammie Robinson (Crisp County, South Carolina)
Cameron Rockmore (Jones County, LaGrange)
Shaun Rosenquist (Roswell, Butler)
Wilson Ruiz-Caba (Discovery, Maryville College)
Emanuel Rumph (Jeff Davis, University of Pikeville)
Will Rykard (Colquitt County, UAB)
Bazelais Saintvil (Valdosta, Christian Community College)
Jarred Sermons (Valdosta, Union College KY)
Jonathan Sewell (Clarke Central, Georgia Knights Prep Academy)
Lawrence Shadd III (Harrison, Kansas)
Treylon Sheppard (Haralson County, University of the Cumberlands)
Deandre Shelton (Howard, Lenoir-Rhyne)
Dantez Simpson (McEachern, Morehouse)
Christian Sims (Norcross, Bowling Green)
Java’n Singletary (Hawkinsville, Georgia Southern)
Chris Singleton (North Cobb, Georgia State)
TJ Skinner (North Gwinnett, Mars Hill)
Allen Smith (Mountain View, Louisville)
Nolan Smith (Calvary Day, Georgia)
Brannon Spector (Calhoun, Clemson)
Sion Spencer (Houston County, Limestone College)
Trevor Stephens (Woodstock, Tennessee Tech)
Dennarrio Stewart (Mountain View, Georgia Knights Prep Academy)
Hayes Sutton (Norcross, Brown)
Matthew Syverson (Model, Berry)
Marlon Taylor (Glynn Academy, Chattanooga)
Kamon Taylor (Stephens County, Wingate)
Jarius Thomas (Carver-Columbus, UAB)
Wykevious Thomas (Riverdale, South Alabama)
Ronald Thompkins (Grayson, Nebraska)
Demardric Thornton (Hart County, Mars Hill)
Ray Thornton (Columbus, Georgia)
Travis Tisdale (Lowndes, Kentucky)
Jay Tillman (Thomasville, Georgia Military Academy)
DJ Turner (North Gwinnett, Michigan)
Honus Wagner (North Forsyth, Allan Hancock C.C.)
William Wagner (Alpharetta, Michigan)
Allen Walker (Milton, Louisiana Tech)
Dante Walker (Riverdale, Western Kentucky)
Garrison Walker (Stephens County, Reinhardt)
Kobe Walker (Thomson, University of the Cumberlands)
Travon Walker (Upson-Lee, Georgia)
Carson Walter (Trinity Christian, Birmingham Southern)
Jason Wallace (Lanier, Limestone College)
KJ Wallace (Lovett, Notre Dame)
Malik Washington (Parkview, Northwestern)
Cam Watson (Darlington, Presbyterian)
Kenyatta Watson (Grayson, Texas)
Matt Willbanks (Centennial, The Apprentice School)
Austin Williams (Tift County, Colorado)
Bryson Williams (Arabia Mountain, Tuskegee)
Kamau Williams (Alpharetta, Clark Atlanta)
Keondre Williams (Metter, West Georgia)
Noah Winstead (Kell, Point University)
Zaylin Wood (Bodwon, Middle Tennessee State)
Christian Wright (Norcross, Gardner-Webb)

CLASS OF 2018
Blake Anderson (West Forsyth, Georgia)
Cole Arendsen (Walton, Centre College)
Christian Armstrong (Warner Robins, Florida State)
Keiefer Askew (Houston County, Hanover College)
Malik Astin (Lovejoy, Lane College)
George Ball (Jackson, Tuskegee)
Brenton Ballard (Paulding County, Reinhardt)
Artest Banks (Thomson, Kentucky State)
Antonio Bankston (Griffin, Auburn)
Latrell Bankston (Woodstock, Hutchinson C.C.)
Mike Barrett (Lowndes, Michigan)
Jayden Barron (Upson-Lee, Kennesaw State)
Garrett Bass (Woodstock, Murray State)
Lamarius Benson (Eastside, UCF)
London Best (Milton, Campbell University)
Tyler Bird (North Paulding, Appalachian State)
Dante Black (Brookwood, University of Connecticut)
Kwabena Bonsu (South Cobb, Army)
Ben Bresnahan (West Forsyth, Vanderbilt)
Ishmael Bridges (McEachern, Clark Atlanta)
Matavion Brooks (Jonesboro, Albany State)
Jake Broom (Decatur, Coastal Carolina)
Trey Brown (Macon County, Georgia Military College)
Malachi Buckner (Tucker, Gardner-Webb)
Cam Butler (North Gwinnett, Jacksonville State)
Jake Camarda (Norcross, Georgia)
Matt Campbell (Mill Creek, Citadel)
Chandler Cantree (Sequoyah, Reinhardt)
Kyle Carrera (Landmark Christian, Berry)
Cam’Ron Carter (Tucker, Colorado State)
Blake Carroll (Mountain View, Georgia State)
Aaron Casey (Alexander, Indiana)
Jamarcus Chatman (Rome, Florida State)
Julius Cobbs (Warner Robins, West Georgia)
Dar’jarri Coleman (South Atlanta, Jacksonville State)
Griffin Collier (Tift County, West Georgia)
Luan Cosmo (Sprayberry, Shorter)
Brenton Cox (Miller Grove, Georgia)
Daquez Crawford (Johns Creek, Southwestern College)
Jacorey Crawford (Thomson, Georgia State)
Nick Croawell (Centennial, Florida International)
John Cromer (Rome, Jacksonville State)
John Henry Davis (Walton, Concordia)
Nakia Davis (B.E.S.T. Academy, Miles College)
Trey Dean (Dutchtown, Florida)
Lyn J. Dixon (Taylor County, Clemson)
Dalrone Donaldson (Coffee, Hutchinson C.C.)
Tre Douglas (ELCA, Vanderbilt)
Payton Dunagan (West Forsyth, Georgia Southern)
Nolan Edmonds (Alpharetta, Minnesota)
Demond Ellison (Cherokee, Mercer)
Kingsley Enagbare (Peachtree Ridge, South Carolina)
Warren Ericson (North Gwinnett, Georgia)
Marquez Ezzard (Stockbridge, Georgia Tech)
Michael Fairbanks (McEachern, UAB)
Kurtis Feanny (Woodland-Cartersville, Lenoir-Rhyne
Jontavious Ferguson (Manchester, Georgia Southern)
Mitchell Fineran (Brunswick, Samford)
Braylin Fisher (North Paulding, Furman)
John Fitzpatrick (Marist, Georgia)
Elijah Fluker (Villa Rica, New Mexico Military Institute)
Christian Ford (Roswell, Iowa Central C.C.)
Cade Fortin (North Gwinnett, UNC)
Roderic Forts (Cedar Grove, Western Kentucky)
Colin Foster (Lanier, Mercer)
Omar Fulton (Tift County, West Georgia)
Rico Frye (Cartersville, Bowling Green)
Josiah Futral (Kell, Chattanooga)
Spencer Gaddis (Cambridge, Georgia State)
Austin Garner (Ridgeland, LaGrange)
Realus George (Pace Academy, Miami)
Cole Gilley (Starr’s Mill, Kennesaw State)
Travis Glover (Dooly County, Georgia State)
Jonah Griffin (Benedictine, Furman)
Griffin Goss (Coosa, LaGrange)
Jalen Goss (Lowndes, Florida State)
Anthony Grant (Buford, Florida State)
Hunter Hall (Glynn Academy, West Georgia)
Tae Hammond (Pepperell, University of the Cumberlands)
Cole Hanna (Norcross, South Carolina)
Jatorian Hansford (Mary Persons, Missouri)
Clay Harris (Norcross, Citadel)
John Harris (Mill Creek, Virginia Tech)
PJ Harris (Newnan, Georgia Tech)
Cameron Hatten (Creekside, Allen University)
Gerard Hearst (Lincoln County, Tusculum)
DeRayl Helton (Ridgeland, Butte College)
Shaka Heyward (Mill Creek, Duke)
Deontre Hill (Houston County, Georgia)
Matthew Hill (Brookwood, Auburn)
Al Hogan (Landmark Christian, Wofford)
Casey Holman (Brookwood, Duke)
Tyneil Hopper (Roswell, Boise State)
DJ Horne (Brookwood, Tuskegee)
Jaron Hull (McEachern, Johnson C. Smith University)
Ches Jackson (Tift County, Colorado State)
Christian Jackson (Lassiter, Michigan State)
Kearis Jackson (Peach County, Georgia)
Neimaan Jackson (Shiloh, Butler C.C.)
Christian James-Lattore (Archer, Shorter)
Cade Jenson (North Forsyth, Lindsey Wilson College)
Lamonee Johnson (Effingham County, Carson-Newman)
Malik Johnson (Lanier, Wagner)
Tyquan Johnson (Screven County, South Carolina)
Austin Jones (McEachern, Reinhardt)
Emory Jones (Heard County, Florida)
Quinton Jones (Thomasville, Garder-Webb)
Stephon Jones (Grayson, ASA College Brooklyn)
Brandon Joseph (Central Gwinnett, Georgia State)
Harrison Jump (Prince Avenue Christian, Georgia Tech)
Tayvonn Kyle (Lowndes, Iowa State)
Jaquavius Lane (Grayson, Kansas State)
Bailey Lester (Calhoun, West Georgia)
Desi Lester (Dooly County, Eastern Tennessee State)
Camerson Lewis (Eagle’s Landing, Eastern Tennessee State)
Dakota Little (Flowery Branch, Easter Kentucky)
Mitchell Lord (Washington County, Mercer)
Michael Luckie (Kell, Berry)
Jaelin Madison (Norcross, Youngstown State)
Miles Marshall (Parkview, Indiana)
Darius Martin (Grayson, Reinhardt)
Renard Matthews (Pierce County, West Virginia Wesleyan College)
Brock Mattison (Mt. Paran, Appalachian State)
Zakoby McClain (Valdosta, Auburn)
Jayden McDonald (Peachtree Ridge, Troy)
Griffin McDowell (Lee County, Florida)
Kyler McMichael (Greater Atlanta Christian, UNC)
Sean McMinn (Paulding County, Kennesaw State)
Payton Mercer (Emanuel County Institute, Georgia)
Jabari Miller (Warner Robins, Middle Georgia State University)
Brian Mitchell (North Paulding, University of Pikeville)
Lazavier Moore (Upson-Lee, Reedley College)
Matthew Morgan (Etowah, Georgia Tech)
Reece Mullins (Pope, Auburn)
Spencer Myers (Alpharetta, West Georgia)
Dalton Nicolai (Etowah, Shorter)
Azeez Ojulari (Marietta, Georgia)
Bailey Ottaway (Flowery Branch, Charleston Southern)
Taiyon Palmer (Archer, NC State)
Nolan Parker (Walton, Birmingham Southern)
Terrell Paxton (Tucker, Kennesaw State)
Fred Payton (Peachtree Ridge, Coastal Carolina)
TJ Peavy (Sandy Creek, Eastern Michigan)
JJ Peterson (Colquitt County, Tennessee)
Steven Peterson (Harrison, Coastal Carolina)
Joseph Petrino (Richmond Hill, Maryland)
KJ Phillips (Woodward Academy, Morehouse)
Dustin Pope (Chattooga, University of Tennessee Martin)
Genuine Potts (McEachern, Chattanooga)
Nick Price (Ridgeland, West Georgia)
E.J. Pride Jr. (Carrollton, Elon)
Fernando Ramirez (Tift County, Valdosta State)
Shamarcus Redding (Peach County, Georgia Military College)
Otis Reese (Lee County, Georgia)
D’armani Ridley (North Gwinnett, Savannah State)
Caleb Riley (Brookwood, Alabama A&M)
Cody Ridley (Commerce, Palmetto Prep)
Tyrese Rivers (Peachtree Ridge, Southern University)
Chris Rodriguez (Ola, Kentucky)
Cruz Rodriguez (Cedartown, Shorter)
Jayce Rogers (Valdosta, Northwest Mississippi C.C.)
Dylan Rosenstein (Dunwoody, Maryville College)
Aquantis Sajna (Pebblebrook, Charleston Southern)
Deporess Schletty (Alpharetta, Western Kentucky)
Brandon Shelnutt (Archer, Mercer)
Jayln Shelton (Ridgeland, Austin Peay)
Noah Sherburn (Sequoyah, Tiffin University)
Antonio Showers (Tucker, Troy)
Myles Sims (Westlake, Georgia Tech)
Omar Sinclair (Norcross, Concordia)
Terrick Smalls (Benedictine, Charlotte)
Austin Smith (Ola, Georgia Tech)
Kierron Smith (Fitzgerald, Georgia Southern)
Kermit Solomon (Lee County, Mercer)
Paul Stanley (Marist, Army)
Mahari Stribling (Grayson, Western Carolina)
Jalynn Strickland (Ware County, NC State)
Malcom Strickland (Westminster, Penn)
Nazir Sy (Norcross, Butler C.C.)
Kaden Taylor (Central-Carroll, West Georgia)
Richard Taylor (Arabia Mountain, Missouri)
Ryan Taylor (Grayson, Arkansas State)
Taurean Taylor (Tucker, Tuskegee)
Trevor Thomas (Pepperell, Maryville College)
Tyler Thomas (Pebblebrook, Charleston Southern)
Nathan Thompson (Milton, North Alabama)
Jalen Thornton (McEachern, Savannah State)
Trey Tillman (Thomasville, Jacksonville University)
Mykel Tubbs (Holy Innocents’, Miami)
Daniel Uwaomah (River Ridge, Jacksonville State)
Oyenmwen Uzebu (Alpharetta, West Virginia)
Gerry Vaughn (Tucker, Iowa State)
Payne Walker (North Gwinnett, Georgia)
Joshua Washington (Richmond Hill, Clark Atlanta)
TJ Watkins (Pepperell, Berry)
Blake Watson (Milton, Georgia)
Gunnar Watson (Taylor County, Troy)
Marcus Webster Jr. (Alpharetta, Marist College)
Wesley Wells (Lumpkin County, Georgia Tech)
Tijai Whatley (Darlington, Georgia Tech)
Lamech Wilder (Norcross, LaGrange)
Jordy Wilkinson (Washington-Wilkes, Brevard College)
Bryan Williams (Pepperell, Hanover College)
Bucky Williams (Ringgold, Austin Peay)
Hunter Williams (Buford, Air Force)
Quin Williams (Morgan County, Georgia Southern)
Ricky Williams Jr. (Harrison, Southern Illinois)
Zach Williams (Johns Creek, Arizona)
Kendall Williamson (Brookwood, Stanford)
Demetrius Winters (Cartersville, Miles College)
Trevon Wofford (Cedartown, University of Pikeville)
Peyton Woulard (Collins Hill, Wake Forest)
CJ Wright (Screven County, Georgia Southern)
Clay Youngblood (Walton, Birmingham-Southern)
Torey Zanders (George Walton Academy, Kilgore)
Shelton Zeon III (Norcross, UNLV)

CLASS OF 2017
Adeolu Adeleke (Heritage-Conyers, Kennesaw State)
Michael Allen (Lanier, Wake Forest)
KJ Anderson (Buford, Western Michigan)
Rico Arnold (Clarke Central, Charlotte)
Zane Ashley (Peachtree Ridge, Georgia Tech)
Kemari Averett (Grady, Louisville)
Michael Babers (Habersham Central, Georgia Southern)
Kentrell Barber (Roswell, Missouri)
Turner Barckhoff (Roswell, Stetson)
Marquez Bembry (Mt Vernon, Kentucky)
Jacob Bolton (Blessed Trinity, Iowa State)
Chase Brice (Grayson, Clemson)
Jhi’Marre Brown (Perry, Fort Valley State)
Brooks Buce (Greater Atlanta Christian, Georgia)
Jeffery Burley (Jackson, Wake Forest)
De’morreal Burnan (Salem, Indiana)
James Bushware (Valdosta, Georgia Military College)
Brent Carter (Lowndes, Western Illinois University)
AJ Cayetano (Mays, Arkansas State)
Malik Chapman (Morgan County, Highland C.C.)
Caleb Chandler (Jefferson, Louisville)
Jack Coco (Johns Creek, Georgia Tech)
CJ Cole (North Cobb, Savannah State)
Jaquavious Collins (Jackson, Iowa Central C.C.)
Samuel Collins (Vidalia, Kennesaw State)
Tae Daley (Northside-WR, Vanderbilt)
Deejay Dallas (Glynn Academy, Miami)
Allen Daniels (Dacula, Purdue)
Jared Daniels (Macon County, Georgia Southern)
Demetrius Davis (Coffee, Carson-Newman)
Kelton Dawson (Stockbridge, Georgia Tech)
Kejon DeBerry (Cook, Albany State)
Jack Dinges (Marist, UNC)
Sam Dingle (Norcross, Georgetown College)
De’Sean Dinkins (Northside-WR, Slippery Rock University)
Roques Dowdy (Oconee County, Mars Hill)
Chris Dublin (Model, University of Pikeville)
John Durden (Emanuel County Institute, Mercer)
Brian Eberhardt (North Gwinnett, Georgia State)
Cameron Evans (Darlington, Lindsey Wilson College)
Chandler Evans (Archer, Kentucky Western College)
Sheldon Evans (Roswell, Marshall)
Tyler Fannin (Mill Creek, Virginia)
Daniel Farzaneh (Woodward Academy, Mercer)
Jack Franklin (Mill Creek, Coastal Carolina)
Ryan Glover (Woodward Academy, Penn)
Taylor Goettie (Oglethorpe County, Norfolk State)
Walter Grant (Cairo, Georgia)
Jacob Gregory (Centennial, Navy)
Geronda Hall (KIPP Atlanta, Old Dominion)
Jamar Hall (Mill Creek, Mercer)
Zach Harvey (Mary Persons, Wingate)
Zalontae Hillery (Glynn Academy, Miami)
Bailey Hockman (McEachern, N.C. State)
Duke Holland (Peachtree Ridge, Georgetown College)
Grant Holloman (St. Pius, Holy Cross)
Devon Holmes (Lowndes, Savannah State)
Quay Holmes (McEachern, Eastern Tennessee State)
Jalen Holston (Stockbridge, Virginia Tech)
Ryan Huff (Cedar Shoals, Appalachian State)
Ladamion Hunt (Carrollton, Indiana)
Caleb Huntley (Locust Grove, Ball State)
JR Ingraham (Valdosta, West Georgia)
Jalen Jackson (Grayson, Georgia State)
Jalen Jackson (McEachern, Purdue)
Jonathan Jason (McIntosh County, Albany State)
Xavier Jenkins (Lowndes, Savannah State)
Josh Johnson (Peachtree Ridge, Georgia Southern)
Jairus Jones (Central Gwinnett, Valdosta State)
Juwuan Jones (Lanier, Western Kentucky)
Trey Jones (Houston County, Georgie Military College)
Drew Jordan (North Gwinnett, Duke)
Ferlando Jordan (Mays, Southeastern Louisiana)
JD King (Fitzgerald, Georgia Southern)
Khari Lane (Macon County, Arizona)
Champ Leddon (Locust Grove, University of the Cumberlands)
Josh Lee (Veterans, Georgia Southern)
London Lewis (St. Pius, Furman)
William Long (Calhoun, Penn)
Bryan Manuel (Worth County, Savannah State)
Xavier McKinney (Roswell, Alabama)
Emmanuel McNeil (Central Gwinnett, Garden City C.C.)
Brian Miller (Memorial Day, Georgia Southern)
Monty Montgomery (Norcross, Louisville)
Tylan Morton (Griffin, University of South Alabama)
Jack Nichols (Roswell, Gardner-Webb)
Eric Ogle (Whitewater, Mercer)
Tobias Oliver (Northside-WR, Georgia Tech)
Dalton Owens (Prince Avenue Christian, Citadel)
Ben Page (Marist, Furman)
Jalen Pinkney (Norcross, UCF)
Marquavious Pitts (Jones County, Highland C.C.)
Jason Poe (Fitzgerald, Lenoir-Rhyne)
Tory Ponder (Colquitt County, Tusculum)
Corey Reed (Mays, Iowa Western C.C.)
Joshua Reliford (Fitzgerald, Tennessee Tech)
Cameron Richardson (Tucker, Grambling State)
Nathan Robertson (Northside-Columbus, Kennesaw State)
Mark Robinson (Lee County, Presbyterian)
Brooks Royal (Fitzgerald, Purdue)
BJ Sharpe (Southwest Macon, Western Kentucky)
Chris Sibilia (North Gwinnett, Georgia State)
Savon Simmons (Sandy Creek, Kennesaw State)
Jared Simpkins (Norcross, Tennessee State University)
Morgan Sims (Rockmart, Mississippi Valley State)
Nick Singleton (Jones County, Iowa Western)
Brandon Smith (Houston County, Kennesaw State)
Kaiman Smith (Veterans, Huntingdon)
Matthew Smith (Roswell, South Carolina)
Darius Snellings (Mundy’s Mill, Georgia State)
Michael Sobczyk (Mountain View, Air Force)
Aubrey Solomon (Lee County, Tennessee)
Jonathan Stewart (Mountain View, Vanderbilt)
Quan Stokes (Colquitt County, Northeast Mississippi C.C.)
Brian Strozier (Tucker, Garden City C.C.)
Will Taylor (Grayson, Duke)
Kenny Terry (Landmark Christian, Eastern Kentucky)
Tyler Thurmond (Buford, West Virginia)
Lofton Tidwell (Landmark Christian, Georgia)
Leonard Warner (Brookwood, Florida State)
Eli Watson (Houston County, Western Illinois)
Jacob Webb (Creekview, Charlotte)
Leanthony Williams (Roswell, Clemson)
Matt Winston (Mill Creek, Princeton)
Jimarco Witherow (Hillgrove, Carson-Newman)

CLASS OF 2016
Tarik Adams (Lowndes, Marshall)
Bryson Armstrong (Kell, Kennesaw State)
Marcelino Ball (Roswell, Indiana)
Alex Barbir (South Forsyth, Penn State)
Jackson Bardall (North Forsyth, Eastern Kentucky)
Chris Barnes (Lee County, Georgia)
Robbie Bell (Mill Creek, Louisville)
Jamir Billings (Norcross, City College of San Francisco)
Jakob Brashear (Dacula, Georgia Tech)
Akeem Byrd (Jenkins, Wake Forest)
Michail Carter (Jackson, Georgia)
Allen Cater (Mt. Paran, UNC)
Devin Cochran (Greater Atlanta Christian, Vanderbilt)
Jarett Cole (Norcross, Georgia Tech)
Kenny Cooper (Sonoraville, Georgia Tech)
Tristan Crowder (Carrollton, Troy)
Pippen Davis (Lamar County, Valdosta State)
Tray Eafford (Lee County, Troy)
Forrest Evans (Walton, Kennesaw State)
Tomon Fox (Collins Hill, UNC)
De’Andre Gardenhire (Camden County, West Georgia)
Kendrec Grady (Norcross, Georgia State)
Brodarious Hamm (Spalding, Auburn)
K.J. Hancock (North Gwinnett, Kennesaw State)
Will Harper (Sandy Creek, Tulane)
Devin Henderson (Marietta, Hutchinson C.C.)
Tyrone Hopper (Roswell, Florida)
DeAndre Huff (Newton, Miami OH)
Javon Jackson (Sandy Creek, Duke)
Sam Jackson (McEachern, Eastern Tennessee State)
Nate Lee (Veterans, Samford)
Sam Letton (Walton, Troy)
Antonio Leroy (Monroe, Albany State)
Joseph Mancusso (Union County, Richmond)
David Marshall (Upson-Lee, Georgia)
Stockton McGuire (Landmark Christian, Davidson)
Alex Mollette (North Gwinnett, Marshall)
Bryce Morais (Grayson, Boston College)
Nick Moss (Thomson, Presbyterian)
Mack Nash (Camden County, Navy)
D.J. Owens (North Paulding, Tulane)
Tabarius Peterson (Tucker, Louisville)
Kiel Pollard (Colquitt County, South Carolina)
Harrison Poole (Camden County, Mercer)
Jesse Reverio (Cedar Grove, Georgia Military College)
Seth Shuman (Valdosta, Georgia Southern)
Tyler Simmons (New Manchester, Georgia)
Alex Smith (Etowah, Georgia Southern)
D’Ante Smith (Grovetown, East Carolina)
Kyron Smith (Macon County, Allan Hancock College)
Anthony Stanley (Heritage-Conyers, Catawba College)
Chandler Staton (Gainesville, Appalachian State)
Andre Tarver (McEachern, Florida International)
Jarvis Terrell (Carrollton, Arkansas State)
Zachary Thompson (Emanuel County Institute, Kennesaw State)
Robert Tucker (B.E.S.T. Academy, South Carolina)
Tyler Vernon (Mill Creek, Georgia Tech)
Kindle Vildore (North Clayton, Georgia Southern)
Martial Washington (Richmond Hill, Georgia Southern)
Isaac Weaver (Lassiter, Old Dominion)
Ronald Wilson (Lee County, Rochester C.C.)

CLASS OF 2015
KirVonte Benson (Marietta, Georgia Tech)
Josh Bettistea (Allatoona, Gardner-Webb)
Almonzo Brown (North Gwinnett, Western Kentucky)
Khalil Brooks (Mays, Middle Tennessee State)
Kawon Bryant (North Oconee, Georgia Military College)
Andrew Butcher (Alpharetta, Kennesaw State)
Chris Calhoun (Centennial, Wake Forest)
Tyler Camp (Mary Persons, Western Kentucky)
Jordan Colbert (Griffin, Auburn)
Lewis Cousins III (Gainesville, Troy)
Levi Cribb (Charlton County, Valdosta State)
David Curry (Buford, Western Kentucky)
Daniel David (Mill Creek, Kennesaw State)
Gordon Dudley (Wesleyan, Reinhardt)
Chuma Edoga (McEachern, University of Southern California)
Josh Fannin (Mill Creek, Middle Tennessee State)
Daniel Fennell (Grayson, South Carolina)
Blake Ferguson (Buford, LSU)
Julian Fraser (Valdosta, Yale)
Christopher Fredrick (Cedar Grove, Syracuse)
Keyston Fuller (Griffin, Richmond)
Trey Graham (Fitzgerald, Mars Hill)
Taj Griffin (McEachern, Oregon)
Quinton Hampton (Colquitt County, Wagner)
Sean Harper (Hart County, Washington State)
Hunter Holland (Buford, Western Kentucky)
Stephen Houza (Lakeside-Evans, Mercer)
Logan Hunt (Washington, Georgia Southern)
Mitch Hyatt (North Gwinnett, Clemson)
Daniel Imatorbhebhe (North Gwinnett, University of Southern California)
Quentez Johnson (Cedar Grove, NC State)
Rashad Johnson (Lamar County, Murray State)
Chandler Jones (McEachern, Louisville)
Willie Jordan (Northside-WR, Northeastern Oklahoma A&M)
Max Kemper (Pope, Air Force)
Kaleb Kim (Mill Creek, Auburn)
Cal King (Mary Persons, Presbyterian)
J.B. Kouassi (Norcross, Georgia Southern)
Nekyle Lundie (Tucker, Nebraska)
Malik Mackey (Mays, Hampton)
Michael Matthews (St. Pius, Davidson)
Hampton McConnell (West Forsyth, West Georgia)
Chase Middleton (Brookwood, Georgia State)
Robert Muschamp (Darlington, Auburn)
D’Andre Plantin (Norcross, North Texas)
T.J. Rahming (McEachern, Duke)
Connor Redmond (Archer, South Carolina)
Rashad Roundtree (Lakeside-Evans, Georgia)
Brandon Sandifer (Northside-WR, Florida)
Ian Shannon (Marietta, Auburn)
Mason Sims (Mays, Southern University)
Darius Slayton (Greater Atlanta Christian, Auburn)
Anree St-Amour (North Gwinnett, Georgia Tech)
Brad Stewart (Benedictine, Georgia Tech)
Taquar Stewart (Walton, St. John’s)
Cordarro Stoute (Glynn Academy, West Georgia)
Jalen Wilkerson (Coffee, Florida State)
Daylan Williams (Jefferson County, Morgan State University)
Nick Wilson (Milton, Stanford)
Antonio Wimbush (Camden County, Carson-Newman)
Steven Wright (Ware County, Southeastern Louisiana)

SEVENTH ANNUAL CLASSIC TO FEATURE HISTORIC EIGHT-GAME LINEUP

The Seventh Annual Georgia Elite Classic will feature the biggest lineup of games in the event’s history, starting on Saturday, Dec. 21 with a triple-header and closing on Sunday, Dec. 21 with a five-game lineup at McEachern’s Cantrell Stadium. The amplified schedule of this year’s Classic stems from the addition of a Sixth Grade All-Star game for the first time. The Sixth-Grade All-Stars will be kicking things off on Saturday at 1:30 p.m., followed by the Seventh-Grade All-Stars at 4 p.m. and the Eighth-Grade All-Stars at 6:30 p.m. On Sunday, the Senior All-Star Game starts things off at 10 a.m., followed by the Brain Bowl at 12:30 p.m., Junior All-Stars at 3 p.m., Freshman All-Stars at 5:30 p.m. and Sophomore All-Stars 8 p.m.

The 2019 Classic’s expansion comes just one year after a series of new additions were made to last year’s edition. In 2018, a Seventh and Eighth-Grade game were brought back after a one-year absence, in addition to the inaugural Brain Bowl, which formed its rosters based off athletes with impressive academic achievements.

The sheer size of this year’s event will allow more than 700 participants from more than 200 different Georgia High Schools appear in a competitive all-star environment with talented prospects from throughout the state. Former Georgia Elite Classic participants that have already gone on to the NFL includes Mitch Hyatt (North Gwinnett- Dallas Cowboys), Darius Slayton (Greater Atlanta Christian- New York Giants), TJ Rahming (McEachern- Miami Dolphins) and Chuma Edoga (McEachern- New York Jets) and high school All-Americans like Arik Gilbert (Marietta-committed to LSU), Owen Pappoe (Grayson-Auburn), Jadon Haselwood (Cedar Grove-Oklahoma) and Dominick Blaylock (Walton-Georgia) have also appeared in the games.

In addition to attracting Georgia’s most talented players, the Classic also brings in some of the state’s most accomplished coaches to lead the sidelines. This year’s Senior All-Star Game will have McEachern Offensive Coordinator Derrick Cook and Tucker Head Coach Bryan Lamar squaring off. The Junior Game will have Cedartown assistant Mike Worthington and Peach County assistant Todd Cooper serving as head coach. North Forsyth’s Todd Faulkner and Lithia Springs head coach Corey Jarvis will be coaching the Brain Bowl. The sophomore game will have Walton Offensive Coordinator Chris Hirschfield going against Calhoun Offensive Coordinator Mike Davis and the Freshman game will be led by Kell Assistant Head Coach Steve Gates and Rome Defensive Coordinator Wayne Groves.

Georgia Elite Classic awards 31 invitations following Kennesaw Mountain Showcase

A showcase at Kennesaw Mountain High School was held over the weekend with players ranging from the Class of 2020-25 all competing for an opportunity to earn an invite to play in the Seventh Annual Georgia Elite Classic this December. Showcase Coordinator and recruiting expert Rusty Mansell led the evaluation process, and after an impressive showing, handed out 31 official invites.

“The turnout was great,” said Mansell. “There were some kids that really jumped out to us, and overall, you could really see how much work these kids have been putting in this offseason.”

Four of the invitations went out to members of the Class of 2020, including Therrell safety Rashad Pruitt and Cedar Grove defensive end Christopher Stinson, both of which played in the Junior Elite Classic last December. McEachern defensive end Jonathen Cross and Hillgrove tight end James Reddick received the two other invites to play in this year’s Senior Game.

Five spots were filled for this year’s Junior Game and six invites were handed out for the Sophomore Game—including Mt. Paran kicker Turner Johnson, who starred in last year’s Freshman Game.

“I was excited to see Turner perform the way he did,” said Mansell. “Last year, 44 or 45 yards was pushing it for him, but he walks up yesterday with the whole camp watching and just knocks through a 45-yarder no problem. It’s fun to watch the growth of the kids that return to Georgia Elite year to year.”

There were 10 invitations handed out to play in the Freshman Game, a result of the eye-catching talent that beginning to amass in the Class of 2023. Prince Avenue Christian quarterback Lucian Anderson and Dutchtown linebacker Dwight Johnson Jr. were among the top performers, as well as Kennesaw Mountain receiver Jailen Taylor.

“We are the only Freshman All-Star Game in the state, so you can understand the high stakes that surround it,” said Mansell. “Anderson from Prince Avenue Christian was really good. That was also the first time I’ve gotten to see Johnson play. He ran plays at linebacker, running back and whatever he could to get more reps. His father has NFL pedigree so you like what you are seeing with him at this stage of his development. He is working hard to make his own name and was an easy pick for our game. …We don’t give an MVP at these showcases, but Taylor from Kennesaw Mountain would’ve probably gotten it yesterday if we did. He was fast, caught everything thrown his way and was very tough to cover.”

Two eighth grade quarterbacks (Rome’s Reece Fountain and Hillgrove’s Chase McCravy) and one seventh grade quarterback (Houston County’s Antwann Hill Jr.)  were also invited.

“The three middle school quarterbacks definitely stood out to me yesterday,” said Mansell. “You look at the two eighth graders, the Hillgrove and the Rome kid, and you look at the seventh grader, people just couldn’t believe he was 12 years old. Antwann is actually the nephew of UGA offensive guard Trey Hill. He’s already 5-foot-11 and 150 pounds as a rising seventh grader.”

More invitations will be rewarded once the season kicks off and Mansell is already expecting a busy September and October.

“We are done with camps for the year so what I advised everyone to do yesterday is after the first three games, to cut up a minute-long hudl tape and get it to us and we’ll put out another big batch of invites in September and then we’ll do another round in October,” said Mansell. “We’ll probably invite between 100 and 200 kids at the end of September so the game tape will be very important. We’re really looking for two, three or 4-game highlights that are one or one-in-a-half minutes long. That’s really what we’ll need for the evaluation process.”

ABOUT THE CLASSIC

The seventh annual Georgia Elite Classic at McEachern High School will feature a double-header on Dec. 21 between the Seventh Grade All-Stars (4 p.m.) and the Eighth Grade All-Stars (6:30 p.m.). The five remaining contests will take place on Sunday, Dec. 22. Starting things off will be the Senior All-Stars at 10 a.m. followed at 12:30 p.m. by the academically-inspired Brain Bowl that was introduced for the first time at last year’s Classic. The Junior All-Stars will play at 3 p.m., the Freshman All-Stars are slotted for 5:30 p.m. and the Sophomore All-Stars will take the field in the 8 p.m. finale.

In addition to staging the inaugural Brain Bowl, the 2018 Georgia Elite Classic also featured a Seventh and Eighth Grade game for the first time. This dramatically grew the event, and as a result, more the 500 participants and 180 different Georgia High Schools were represented in last year’s games.

To be considered for the 2019 Georgia Elite Classic visit georgiaeliteclassic.com

KENNESAW MOUNTAIN SHOWCASE INVITEES

Class of 2020

S          Rashad Pruitt (Therrell)

TE       James Reddick (Hillgrove)

DE       Jonathen Cross (McEachern)

DE       Christopher Stinson (Cedar Grove)

Class of 2021

G         Chase Soutar   (Woodstock)

QB      Dylan Brody Lackey (Sonoraville)

QB      Deymon Fleming  Jr. (Greater Atlanta Christian)

CB       Kylan Wimbush (Sandy Creek)

CB       William Mitchell III (Parkview)

Class of 2022

OT       Jace Warren (Calhoun)

DE       Cason Henry (Walton)

DE       Andre Guth (Johns Creek)

LB       Derrell Farrar (Grayson)

S          AJ Vaccaro (Creekview)

K         Turner Johnson (Mt. Paran)

Class of 2023

DE       Treveon Campbell (Central Gwinnett)

OT       Connor Lew (Kennesaw Mountain)

QB      Lucian Anderson (Prince Avenue Christian)

TE       Evan Duke (Kennesaw Mountain)

WR      Jailen Taylor (Kennesaw Mountain)

WR      Pearce Spurlin (Walton)

LB       Armon Jackson (Newton)

RB       Tyshon Jenkins (Kennesaw Mountain)

RB       Joseph Taylor Jr. (Central Gwinnett)

Class of 2024

OL       Paul Harrington (Blessed Trinity)

OL       Parker McClendor (McEachern)

DE       Azion Stinson (McEachern)

QB      Reece Fountain (Rome)

QB      Chase McCravy (Hillgrove)

Class of 2025

QB      Antwann Hill Jr. (Houston County)

Dates set for 2019 Georgia Elite Classic; All-Star Games moved before holidays

By Graham David | gdavid@scoreatl.com

The seventh annual Georgia Elite Classic has set the dates for 2019’s All-Star game lineup at McEachern High School. Following registration and the first round of practices on Friday, Dec. 20, a double-header featuring the Seventh Grade All-Stars (4 p.m.) and the Eighth Grade All-Stars (6:30 p.m.) will be played on Dec. 21.

Sunday, Dec. 22 will stage the remaining five contests. Starting things off will be the Senior All-Stars at 10 a.m. followed at 12:30 p.m. by the academically-inspired Brain Bowl that was introduced for the first time at last year’s Classic. The Junior All-Stars will play at 3 p.m., the Freshman All-Stars are slotted for 5:30 p.m. and the Sophomore All-Stars will take the field in the 8 p.m. finale.

In addition to staging the inaugural Brain Bowl, the 2018 Georgia Elite Classic also featured a Seventh and Eighth Grade game for the first time. This dramatically grew the event, and as a result, more the 500 participants and 180 different Georgia High Schools were represented in last year’s games.

McEachern’s state-of-the-art facilities and videoboard technology have also made it possible for the Georgia Elite Classic to introduce exciting in-game features like coach’s challenges and instant replay. In fact, history was made in last year’s Eighth Grade game when American Team head coach Rusty Reed threw the challenge flag on a fumble and got the play reversed to maintain possession and complete the first successful challenge in Georgia high school football history.

The caliber of talent being showcased year after year at the Georgia Elite Classic has amounted to an ever-growing spotlight. Recruiting expert Rusty Mansell of 247Sports will once again be leading this year’s selection committee and making sure that teams are competitively matched up and that playing time is maximized for each of the participants.

For an in-depth look at the 2019 Georgia Elite Classic schedule, please head to http://georgiaeliteclassic.com/schedule/. For more information, please go to http://georgiaeliteclassic.com/ or call 404-246-7819.

Sophomores: Americans 37, Nationals 10

McEachern quarterback Carlos Del Rio threw touchdown passes in each of the first three quarters and rushed for a 38-yard touchdown in the fourth to lead the Americans. Kell kicker Colby Kerns provided the game’s first points with a made 36-yard field goal and Del Rio found Indians teammate Jahmanuel Arnold later in the opening frame for a 38-yard score to make it a 10-0 game.

The Nationals capped a 9-play scoring drive with a 32-yard Braden Ralston field goal, and quarterback Trevor Lovett (North Cobb) later found Jaquez Smith (Hapeville Charters) for a 7-yard touchdown pass to even the game 10-10 with 1:53 left in the half.

Del Rio answered with an 8-play, 70-yard drive that ended with a 38-yard touchdown pass to Arnold with just 13 seconds on the clock. This was the start of the Americans’ 27 unanswered points to close out the victory. Early in the third quarter, Del Rio found Camden County receiver Shawn Hardy for a 66-yard touchdown that increased the Nationals lead to 23-10.

Del Rio added a 34-yard rushing score with 9:06 left and Damozzio Harris rushed for a 9-yard touchdown 1:20 left for the final tally. The Americans outgained the Nationals 379-to-176 and averaged 8.81 yards per play. 

Freshmen: Americans 29, Nationals 28

Walton quarterback Zak Rozsman threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Zach Johansen (North Gwinnett) with 4:40 left in the game, and found his Raiders teammate Cade Thompson on the ensuing game-winning 2-point attempt to lift the Americans past the Nationals 29-28.

Rozsman shook off a pair of first half interceptions and finished the game 16-of-23 passing for 214 yards and three touchdowns—earning himself MVP honors. The Nationals opened up a 7-0 lead in the first quarter after a 2-yard run by Jamie Felix (Camden County) and would not trail until Rozsman’s 2-point attempt in the final minutes. LaShawn Lester put the Americans on the board with a 3-yard touchdown run with 7:24 left in the first half, but Parkview’s Champ Baker intercepted Rozsman and returned it 24 yards for a Nationals touchdown minutes later.

Rozsman answered with a 6-play, 70-yard scoring drive that was capped with a 26-yard touchdown pass to Malachi Kelley (Hart County) on the final play of the half, but a missed PAT kept the Americans down 14-13 at the break.

Felix took the first play of the second half 70 yards for a touchdown to increase the Nationals’ lead to 21-13, but Rozsman found Johansen with 2:01 left in the third for a 20-yard touchdown pass, and hit Thompson for the first of their two critical post-touchdown conversions to even it up 21-21.

Houston County running back Simeon Askew capped a scoring drive with a 1-yard touchdown run on the final play of the third quarter to put the Nationals up 28-21. 

The Nationals outgained the Americans 384-327 in total yardage and accounted for 261 rushing yards to the Americans’ 113. Askew led all rushers with 132 yards off his six carries, and Felix turned in an efficient 97 yards and two touchdowns off his nine carries.

Defensively, McEachern’s Latrell Bullard posted a game-high six solo tackles, five tackles for loss and two sacks. Vito Perry (Alpharetta) hauled in Rozsman’s other interception, and Nathan Vail (Harrison) recovered a fumble that was returned 52 yards to set up Lester’s first half touchdown run.   

Junior: Nationals 31, Americans 17

The Nationals built a 24-7 halftime lead and held off the Americans to take the sixth annual Junior Elite game. North Atlanta quarterback Wiley Hartley was named MVP and got the Nationals on the board with a 70-yard touchdown pass to Ricky White (Wheeler) on the second play from scrimmage.

The Americans answered with an 8-yard touchdown pass from Donovan Anthony (Washington-Wilkes) to tight end Beau DeBerry (Grayson) to even it 7-7, and cap off an 11-play, 70-yard drive. The Nationals regained the lead with 1:11 to go in the first quarter with a 4-yard touchdown run by Nnamdi Orjioke (Lassiter).

Denmark quarterback Ben Whitlock stepped in and tossed a 24-yard touchdown pass to Jamontae Jean (Therrell) that grew the Nationals’ lead to 21-7,and Evan Fuller (Bremen) tacked on a 23-yard field goal before the half. Fuller also won the halftime’s kicking competition with a 45-yarder.

American kicker Ezra King (Eastside) booted a 25-yard field goal to cap a 9-play, 62-yard scoring drive early in the third quarter, but Hartley struck again with a 31-yard touchdown pass to Devin Ellison (Cherokee) to put the Nationals ahead 31-10 heading into the final frame.

Stockbridge quarterback Jevon McDonald scrambled in the game’s final points from 20 yards out to make it 31-17. The Americans outgained the Nationals 342-to-317 in total yards. McDonald finished 11-of-25 passing for 123 yards and an interception, and took four carries for 41 yards to go with his rushing score.

Hartley finished 7-of-12 passing for 161 yards and his two touchdowns. There were a combined 19 different players that registered at least one reception in the game. Brookwood offensive lineman Sean Hill also picked up 15 receiving yards for the Nationals after taking a hook and ladder following a reception by North Cobb’s Kendall Drake on a designed call.

Defensively, Michaiah Bell (Harrison) posted 3.0 tackles for loss and four solo tackles. Roland Jackson (Norcross), Patrick Dahlen (Cherokee) and KD Johnson (Thomasville) each had interceptions. Brookwood linebacker Tony Ward had a game-high six solo tackles to lead the Nationals and Peach County safety Talique Allen led the Americans with five. 

Brain Bowl: Nationals 31, Americans 21

The Nationals jumped out to a 24-7 halftime lead and held off the Americans to win the Georgia Elite Classic’s first-ever Brain Bowl. Junior Alexander Wilson (Allatoona) ran in a 16-yard touchdown to give the Nationals a 7-0 lead and sophomore Tre Henry (Greater Atlanta Christian) capped off a 6-play drive with a 16-yard touchdown run later in the quarter. Jack Breedlove added a 31-yard field goal in the opening minutes of the second quarter to increase the Nationals’ lead to 17-0.

The Americans answered with a 54-yard touchdown run by senior Isaiah Jackson (Frederica Academy), but Wilson rushed in his second score of the half to give the Nationals their 24-7 halftime edge.

The teams went scoreless in the third quarter until its explosive final seconds. American quarterback Robert Matthew Peters (Cairo) tossed a 28-yard touchdown pass to Matthew Register (Riverwood) with four seconds left. The Nationals took over at their own 30-yard line following the kickoff, and Henry took a screen pass from Matthew McCravy (Hillgrove) down the sideline for a 70-yard touchdown to close the quarter. Henry finished with 109 yards from scrimmage to go with his two touchdowns and was named the MVP following the game.

In the fourth quarter, Peters completed a 70-yard touchdown pass to Konata Mumpfield (Dacula) for the game’s final points. The American team outgained the Nationals 348-to-297 in total yardage, but lost three of four fumbles and the turnover margin 6-2. Westminster sophomore Connor Weselman won the halftime kicking competition with a 47-yarder. Blessed Trinity defensive lineman Grayson Gilder led all tacklers with seven and included three tackles for loss.

Senior: Nationals 26, Americans 0

The National Team racked up 202 of its 241 yards of offense on the ground and limited the Americans to just 86 total yards in a thorough 26-0 victory. Quarterback CJ Ogbonna (Wheeler) started the scoring in the opening minute of the second quarter with a 37-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Dallas (Bremen).

The American team answered with a solid drive that took them into National territory, but defensive end Justin Talley (Kell) sacked Garrison Hand (Villa Rica) on fourth down to stall the drive. Talley finished the game with 3.5 sacks and four solo tackles.

The third quarter saw the American running game take off as the trio of Marcuis Fulks (Hiram), Tavion Jackson (Campbell) and Daimar Ivey (Temple) accounted for 100 yards off a combined 12 carries in the frame. Fulks found the end zone on a 38-yard touchdown run with 1:38 left in the quarter to grow the lead to 13-0.

In the fourth quarter, Jackson added 17-yard touchdown run and Ivey capped the scoring with a 2-yard touchdown with 1:04 left. Fulks finished with 82 yards off 8 carries and was named Co-MVP with Jackson, who took his 13 carries for 78 yards.