Football is a team sport. It takes all 11 players to earn a win. However, some games feature monumental individual performances that can provide a catalyst for victory. Here are five such historical outings in Georgia high school football since 2010.
Devyn Collins (Pepperell)
Halfway through the 2014 season, a pair of one-win programs, Pepperell and Rockmart, met for an early region showdown. The Dragons’ junior running back, Devyn Collins, quickly took over the game, rushing for a state-record 485 yards (which still stands) and 5 touchdowns on 46 attempts.
A 94-yard TD run aided the future three-star prospect in achieving one of the greatest individual performances in Georgia high school history. Despite his efforts, Pepperell would fall to Rockmart, 34-32, and finish the season with just three wins.
Austin Parker (East Hall)
East Hall’s offense was spectacular in 2017, largely thanks to the passing proficiency of quarterback Austin Parker. In an important region battle with Dawson County, Parker unleashed his arm. On 30 completions, he passed for 550 yards and 5 touchdowns, good for sixth among all-time individual QB performances in the Georgia high school record books.
The Vikings scored 48 points, but allowed 56 to the Tigers. Just weeks later, Parker would again post over 500 yards passing in a single game, this time against Westminster in the second round of the playoffs. Unfortunately, East Hall lost despite scoring 57 points.
Terryon Robinson (Decatur)
Robinson is the only player in Georgia high school football history with more than 300 receiving yards in a single game. His 322-yard outing against Riverwood in 2011 stands alone among top individual performances, 26 yards more than the second-place receiver.
Similar to the two aforementioned games, Robinson’s team fell to the Raiders. The Bulldogs managed to score only 21 points despite his contributions, and they finished the season at a disappointing 4-6.
Keegan Stover (Rabun County)
The Wildcats are known for their high-flying offense. Stover reinforced that with a 41-touchdown senior season to accompany more than 3,600 passing yards. Eight of those scores came in just one game: a 72-36 shootout win over Adairsville.
Stover shredded the Tiger defense all night long, leading Rabun County to 49 first-half points. He threw for 465 yards, with state record-holder Jaden Gibson on the receiving end of 10 passes for 182 yards and 4 touchdowns. Stover’s 8 TD passes are second all-time behind North Whitfield’s Ed Staten, who threw for 9 touchdowns in 1962.
Jahmyr Gibbs (Dalton)
A name familiar to many, Gibbs put on a rushing performance for the ages in 2019. In the season opener against Ringgold, he rushed for 420 yards and 8 touchdowns. That single-game score tally is tied for second in Georgia history, while the 420 rushing yards rank within the top 10 in that category.
Gibbs scored 4 of his touchdowns in the third quarter alone (which may be a record itself), helping Dalton defeat Ringgold 62-10. Just one week later, the Catamounts would defeat Northwest Whitfield, 73-7, with 400 yards and 8 more touchdowns on the ground as a team.
