Camden County coach Jeff Herron became the 15th Georgia high school coach to reach the 300-win milestone when his team defeated Columbia 23-12 on Friday.

Herron’s teams are 300-63 with five state championships – three at Camden County, one at Oconee County and one at Grayson.

Greg Vandagriff of Prince Avenue Christian, picked up his 100th victory on Friday by beating Hammond, S.C., 42-13. Vandagriff’s teams have won a state title in two of the last three seasons.

Chris Kearson of Emanuel County Institute (99-42) goes for his 100th career win on Friday when the Bulldogs play at Metter.

Nick Davis of Fayette County needs one more win to reach the century mark. His Tigers were beaten by McIntosh in the opener and will try again this week against Mundy’s Mill.  

Georgia’s all-time winningest coach is Larry Campell, who was Lincoln County from 1972-2013 and compiled a mark of 477-85-3 with 11 state championships.

The winningest active coach is Alan Chadwick of Marist, who is No. 2 all-time. Chadwick, who became head coach in 1985, is 419-79 record and three state championships with the War Eagles. 

A historic win for Bryan County

Bryan County defeated Lincoln County 28-12 on Friday to earn the first win over a Top-10 opponent since the Redskins began playing football 47 years ago. It was especially sweet for Bryan County coach Cherard Freeman, who was a standout running back for Lincoln County and helped the Red Devils win state titles. Freeman in 1993 and 1993. He also played on Georgia Southern’s 1999 championship team.

 Freeman spent seven seasons at Warren County and took the Demons to the state quarterfinals. Freeman has helped turn around a Bryant County program that was 1-26 in the three years before his arrival. Bryan County, located near Savannah, went 6-5 last season.

Moving the chains

Amari Latimer of Sandy Creek was tough to bring down in the 44-24 win over Newnan. Latimer carried 25 times for 274 yards, including runs of 74 and 84 yards.

Other backs who topped the 200-yard night last week were: Cam Robinson of North Gwinnett (229 yards, two touchdowns), Gavin Hall of Gainesville (204 yards), Fred Brown of Coffee (234 yards), Matthew Fuller of Wayne County (291 yards, four touchdowns), and CJ. Givers of Fellowship Christian (227 yards, four touchdowns). 

Quarterback Hampton Johnson of Athens Academy had a big night by throwing for 367 yards and three touchdowns and ran for a touchdown in a 42-7 win over Dade County. Others who approached the 300-yard mark were Jeremy Hecklinski of Walton (289 yards, four touchdowns), Jay Kanazawa of Schley County (288 yards, three touchdowns), A.J. Hill of Houston County (287 yards, four touchdowns), Chase Reese of Warner Robins (287 yards, two touchdowns), Kade Smith of Trion (276 yards, four touchdowns), and Matthew Mungin of Carver Columbus (276 yards, one touchdown). 

 New coaches victorious in debuts

There are 100 new head coaches in Georgia this season and 28 of them came away with victories in the first game with their new schools.

Among the most prominent changes came at Sandy Creek, where Brett Garvin retired after leading the Patriots to the Class 3A championship in 2022. His replacement, Darius Smiley, won his first game as head coach when the Patriots beat Newnan 44-24 in the Coweta-Fayette Kickoff Classic. Smiley had formerly been the head coach at Central Carroll.

Others who enjoyed a successful debut were:

Alexander’s Cody Neal defeated Riverwood 33-15.

Armuchee’s Eric Belew defeated Gordon Central 35-14.

Blessed Trinity’s Ed Dudley defeated Calhoun 17-7.

Burke County’s Franklin Stephens defeated Thomson 14-12.

Coahulla Creek’s Drew Carter defeated Murray County 42-13.

Darlington’s Wayne Groves defeated Christian Academy of Knoxville, Tenn., 48=24.

Early County’s Frank Killingsworth defeated Miller County 29-15.

Fellowship Christian’s John Thompson defeated Mount Pisgah 38-3.

Forsyth Central’s Chad Pickett defeated Chattahoochee 31-28.

Jackson County’s Korey Mobbs defeated Dawson County 16-0.

Josey’s Lawrence Pinckney defeated Savannah 28-26.

Lowndes’ Adam Carter defeated Christ School of North Carolina 46-21.

New Manchester’s Olten Downs defeated Woodland 19-15.

Newton’s Josh Skelton defeated Hapeville Charter 50-0.

Northside’s Ben Bailey defeated Jones County 33-21.

Parkview’s Joe Sturdivant defeated Kell 43-24.

Pataula Charter’s David Bell defeated Central Talbotton 26-0.

Providence Christian’s John Russ defeated St. Francis 53-15.

Ringgold’s Austin Crisp defeated Heritage 21-13.

Rockdale County’s Kenderrick Bonner defeated Landmark Christian 34-28.

Rutland’s Anthyony Williams defeated Towers 26-6.

Southwest DeKalb’s Marion Bell defeated South Atlanta, 20-6.

Toombs County’s Buddy Martin defeated Long County 29-22.

Vidalia’s Rodney Garvin defeated South Effingham 8-7.

Walker’s J.T. Anderson defeated Cross Keys 43-0.

Wheeler County’s Britt Ingle defeated Georgia Military Prep 41-7.

Winder-Barrow’s Robert Paxia defeated Apalachee 28-7.