Savannah-area football highlights: Savannah Christian, New Hampstead, Bethesda stay unbeaten
Week 4 of the high school football season is in the books and Savannah Christian, New Hampstead and Bethesda Academy continue to impress with undefeated records early on.
Here's a look at what happened locally on Friday night:
Savannah Christian 49, Battery Creek 6
Savannah Christian quarterback Paulus Zittrauer was on target despite the rainy conditions in one half of play as he completed 11 of 14 passes for 164 yards on four touchdowns, while adding a touchdown on a short run.
The game was called after halftime because of inclement weather.
Kenry Wall got the party started for the Raiders as the he ran back the opening kickoff for a score. The sophomore added scoring receptions of 28 and 17 yards.
Junior David Bucey had touchdown catches of 6 and 11 yards and added an interception and fumble recovery while playing well as a linebacker on defense.
Sophomore Zo Smalls rushed for 70 yards and a score on nine carries and Jayden Hester had 70 yards on just three carries.
Ethan Byrd connected on all seven of his PAT attempts for the Raiders (3-0), who will open Region 3-3A play next week hosting Savannah Country Day. Battery Creek of Beaufort, S.C., fell to 1-3.
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New Hampstead 42, South Lake (Fla.) 0
Senior quarterback Pauly Seeley had three touchdown passes as New Hampstead improved to 4-0 with an impressive non-region road win in Florida.
Zion Griffin had a pair of touchdown catches and ran for another score for the Phoenix. Malachi Lonnon caught a scoring pass and Kaleb A. Smith and Elijah Blige had rushing touchdowns.
New Hampstead will play at Richmond Hill on a non-region contest next Friday.
Baker Co. 35, Richmond Hill 32
Senior quarterback Ty Goldrick was 14 of 27 passing for 354 yards and three touchdowns, but it wasn't enough as Richmond Hill lost a non-region battle with Baker County (FL) at Glynn County Stadium Saturday night.
Senior receiver Ravon Grant had a career night as he reeled in eight passes for 219 yards and two touchdowns. Nick Bliss had three catches for 83 yards and a score.
Zion Gillard led the Wildcat ground game with 152 yards and a pair of scores on 32 carries.
Richmond HIll (2-2) will host New Hampstead a non-region matchup on Friday.
Effingham County 42, Southeast Bulloch 7
The host Rebels improved to 2-2 with a dominant win against the visiting Yellow Jackets in Springfield.
Junior quarterback Nate Hayes was 14 of 18 for 177 yards with a 49-yard scoring pass to Timmy Brown and an 8-yard touchdown pass to Keion Wallace, according to a report by the Effingham Herald.
Keysean McCarr had a pair of first-half scoring runs from close range, and Luke Roberts blocked a punt that Landen Wright returned for a score, the Herald reported.
Jayden Evans led the Rebels with 84 yards rushing and a touchdown on 13 carries.
Bethesda 42, Carolina Academy 6
The Blazers' ground attack continued to roll as Bethesda improved to 4-0 on the season with a strong performance in all phases of the game.
Noah Jenkins had 132 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 14 carries, and Coray Stafford added 129 yards and a score on 13 attempts. Marcus Harris had a rushing touchdown and 50 yards on three carries.
The defense came up big with Michael Henley making six tackles, including two for losses and a pair of sacks, with Triston Randall making 10 stops and a sack.
Raleigh Wesley picked off a pair of passes and Thomas Peters returned a punt 58 yards for a scores, while making three tackles, a sack and forcing a fumble,
Bethesda is set to play at Cross Episcopal in Bluffton, S.C., next Friday.
St. Andrew's 31, Hilton Head Prep 19
The Lions got their first win of the season on the road in a game switched to Thursday night due to weather concerns.
Senior Zyere Edwards had another big game with 104 yards rushing and 74 yards receiving with an impressive touchdown catch from his brother, sophomore quarterback Zayden Edwards.
Told y’all 😂 , Edwards -> Edwards is crazy !! What a grab big bro @EdwardsZyy https://t.co/5E7uAOZsfv
— Zayden Edwards (@ZaydenEdwards12) September 9, 2022
Zayden Edwards added touchdown runs of 39 and 2 yards for St. Andrew's. Cullen Conner added a 5-yard scoring run.
The defense played well behind junior Rakari Harrison, who had four sacks on the night, and Hayward Pollard, who got to the quarterback three more times. Jaylen Sheppard picked off a pair of passes for the Lions, who have a bye week before hosting Memorial Day on Sept. 23.
Windsor Forest 14, Islands 10
Junior Victor Walker scored a pair of rushing touchdowns to lead the Knights to their first win of the season against the host Sharks.
Walker scored on runs of 8 and 4 yards as the Knights rallied from a 10-0 deficit to win it.
Sophomore Nathan Simmons made an interception in the final seconds to ice the game for the Knights on a wet, sloppy night that featured a 30-minute lightning delay.
Junior Keith Louper IV had several key plays at cornerback for Windsor Forest, and Jaylen Jackson made a big interception.
Islands (0-4) scored on a 20-yard pass from Amaree Bedgood to senior running back Ja'Mari Sanders. Freshman kicker Isaac Castillo connected on a 32-yard field goal for the Sharks, while nose tackle Sha'Ron McGert played well on defense with several quarterback pressures and tackles for losses.
South Effingham 45, Bradwell Institute 0
Rakeam Williams and Aubrey Heath each added a pair rushing touchdowns as South Effingham improved to 2-1. Bradwell (0-3) saw its losing streak extended to 25 games.
The Mustangs defense held Bradwell to 125 offensive yards.
South Effingham has a bye week before playing at cross-county rival Effingham County on Sept. 23.
Other scores
Ware County 14, Benedictine 10
Johnson 21, Brantley County 19
Calvary Day at Frederica canceled by inclement weather
Pierce County 47, Liberty County 6
John Paul II 42, Memorial Day 7
Butler 54, Savannah High 12
Claxton 31, Groves 8
Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at Dknight@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah football Week 4 roundup: Savannah Christian, New Hampstead win
