DeKalb Sweeps Florida in Battle of the Borders Showdown

By Mark Brock

Playing for Georgia high school football pride Martin Luther King Jr. and Stephenson swept Blanche Ely (Pompano, FL) and Norland (Miami, FL) in the
Battle of the Borders Showdown at Hallford Stadium in Clarkston on Saturday night.

Wesley Green had a pair of interceptions and a 48 yard punt return to win MVP honors in leading the Martin Luther King Jr. Lions to a convincing 41-15 victory over Blanche Ely in the opening game of the Battle of the Borders Showdown.

Jamel Smith, who had two touchdowns in the game, had a one-yard touchdown
run with 3:27 left in the first quarter to put the Lions up 7-0 following Dwane Taylor’s point after went through the uprights.

Green, a South Carolina commit, then struck as the Lions’ defense forced Ely (1-1) to punt for the third consecutive time and second time from inside their own 15. Green fielded the punt at the Ely 48 yard line, broke a pair of initial tackle attempts and raced down the left side for the touchdown and a 14-0 Lions’ lead with 1:33 to play in the first quarter.

Ely’s LaDerrick Smith got outside on the ensuing kickoff and returned it
83 yards to the Lions’ nine-yard line to set the Tigers up in scoring position. Two plays later Ely quarterback Teddrick Moffet snuck it in from the one to cut the lead to 14-7 with 10 seconds left in the first quarter.

Smith scored his second touchdown of the game on a 27-yard run while stiff arming several Tigers along the left end to send the Lions into the half up 21-7.

The two teams traded turnovers to start the second half as Green picked off his second pass of the game, this time at the goal line to end an Ely scoring threat. The Lions marched 93 yards mostly on the legs of Robert Pritchett who had 66 yards of his 101 on the night in the drive.

Pritchett was struggling towards the end zone when he was hit and fumbled at the three. Lion lineman Kwan Stallworth picked up the loose ball and put it in the end zone for the Lions as they took a commanding 28-7 lead with 3:12 left in third quarter.

Roland Rivers connected with Raylan Elzy on a two-yard pass play with 8:39 to play to increase the lead to 35-7 as Taylor hit his fifth point after of the night. Elzy scored on its next drive on a 21-yard pass from Nelson Irvin to Broderic James and then converted the two-point conversion to cut the lead to 35-15.

The Lions closed out the scoring as Jonathan Mathis scored on a 17 yard scamper to make the final of 41-15. Defensive end Brock Smith was named the MVP for the Tigers.

Stephenson 29, Norland 12
Dallas Rivers rushed for 120 yards and four touchdowns to earn team MVP honors in leading the Stephenson Jaguars to a 29-12 victory over Norland of Miami in the nightcap at Hallford on Saturday.

Most of the first half was a defensive struggle with neither team able to advance much past midfield until the final 2:31 of the half.

Stephenson struck first as sophomore Khalil Ladler returned a punt 20 yards to the Norland 19 after the Jaguar defense had pinned the Vikings inside their own 10.

Two plays later Rivers went 10 yards for the touchdown and Wisdom Nzidee hit the first of three extra points for a 7-0 Jaguar lead with 1:42 left in the half.

Norland answered with a special team’s return of its own as Cede Miller returned the kickoff to the Stephenson nine-yard line to put the Vikings in scoring position just before the half. Quarterback Taron James hit the first of his two touchdown passes on the first play after the return as he tossed it up in the corner for 6-5 receiver Kendrick Edwards who out-jumped a Stephenson defender and came down in the end zone for the score.

Stephenson’s Jared Tucker and Chauncey Rivers teamed up to the block the point after to help the Jaguars maintain a 7-6 lead heading into the half.

Ladler opened the second half by returning the kickoff to the Norland 48 to give the Jaguars a short field to work with on their opening possession of the half.

Rivers scored his second touchdown of the game on a one-yard run and the Jaguars converted a two-point conversion to take a 15-6 lead with 8:20 to
play in the third quarter. Ladler stopped a Norland scoring threat with 2:59 left in the quarter by intercepting a pass in the end zone to keep the lead at 15-6.

Rivers scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter on runs of 19 and six yards as the Jaguars took advantage of a Norland fumble and a defensive stop on downs. Stephenson (1-0) took a 29-6 lead going into the final 3:39 of the game.

Norland kept fighting and scored as the clock ran out in the game on a James to Khalil Muratt one yard pass play for the final of 29-12. Dreshown Dean was named the Norland team MVP for the game for his play at linebacker in the game.

Other weekend notable games
The Chamblee Bulldogs increased their series lead against the Dunwoody
Wildcats to 9-7 with a season opening 28-0 win at North DeKalb on Friday. It was the Bulldogs second consecutive win over the Wildcats.

Druid Hills opened the Mark Adams with a 47-13 win over Clarkston to start the season 1-0 in a game played at Adams Stadium.

Miller Grove knocked off Lithonia 20-8 in the Wolverines season opener to pin the first loss of the season on the Bulldogs (1-1) who won on opening week.

Stone Mountain (1-1) bounced back from its season opening loss to Greater Atlanta Christian with a 26-13 win over North Atlanta at Avondale on
Friday.

McNair gave new coach Shelton Carleton his first win in DeKalb as the Mustangs (1-0) went on the road to knock off Osborne (1-1) 28-7.

Cedar Grove bounced back from its opening week loss to Tucker by holding off Columbia 20-12 at Panthersville on Friday. Senior Cedar Grove running back Deion Sellers ran for 201 yards and his third and fourth touchdowns of the season to lead the Saints to a 1-1 record on the season.