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October 2005
Top General exits by high road
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
An hour before kickoff, Robert Matthews stood at the 12-yard line, watching his Shiloh team go through pregame drills. With legs spread wide and arms folded across his chest, Matthews rocked from side to side.
If he was overly apprehensive about seeing another page turn in his life, Matthews didn’t let it show. He appeared to all the world like any other coach awaiting kickoff: nervous and eager all at the same time.
Which is probably how he feels about the next stage of his life.
Two coaches on opposite career tracks crossed paths Friday night. Each came away a winner. And, no, the game did not end in a tie.
South Gwinnett defeated Shiloh 30-13. It was the season finale for both, there being no slots in the upcoming playoffs to attain. But to football coaches, every outing offers some opportunity for gain.
Not the least of which is the respect of one’s peers.
Matthews performed his last act at the helm of the Generals’ sideline. The Comets’ John Small is in his first go-round as top in command.
Thus they met. One more for the record book.
Coaches’ résumés are just like anyone else’s, except for one key difference. When it comes to padding out achievements, you just can’t exaggerate your bottom line. Wins and losses are there for the entire world to see.
Small, I’m sure, had higher aims for himself and the Comets. Two seasons ago, South went 10-0 to claim the Region 8-AAAAA championship.
Last year, though, the Comets backslid to 5-5.
That would be the last stand for legendary coach T. McFerrin, who retired with 301 wins on his ledger. Which opened the way for Small, who had nary a one.
South made Small’s first season a break even one, at 5-5. Hardly a bummer considering the Comets suffered a slew of key injuries early on.
With this campaign under his belt, the bricks are firmly in place for Small to keep building on the foundation laid by McFerrin.
And why not?
The Comets are blessed with strong community support, fine facilities and a steady influx of quality athletes.
Any coach would covet such a juicy concoction.
Now for Matthews, time will quickly come for him to seek new employment. In summarizing the job he did at Shiloh, the head coach should begin by touting his selfless departure.
This week, Matthews’ wife, Laura, reported for new duty as women’s golf coach at Oklahoma State. Which meant Matthews, bowing to the wish of seeing his wife’s dream job fulfilled, put the cap on a job he’d long desired.
And that is the way one dutiful husband becomes a coach without a team to lead. Yes, a 10-21 record may raise some eyebrows. But upon closer inspection, it’s not as if Matthews’ stay was devoid of any merit. Highlighted, of course, by a 2003 playoff run in his rookie campaign.
Matthews has left Shiloh with plenty to offer the next guy, starting with good participation numbers and athletes who compete.
We wish you well, coach.
Thanks for taking the high road out of town.
Parkview lacks look of champion
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
When last we saw Parkview, the Panthers were wiping away the tire tracks Brookwood left on them a few weeks back. The thorough whipping not only gave Parkview two losses on the season, but it cast the most serious questions about the once-dominant program’s ability to challenge for the state championship.
The team’s blemishes were like an outbreak of chicken pox. The Panthers could not stop the run. They could not consistently move the ball. Inexplicable penalties cropped up. Above all, the swagger that came with a pair of state titles was diminished.
In the four weeks since the Brookwood debacle, the Panthers have notched a quartet of victories, but they hardly wear the look of a championship contender.
Quite frankly, because they are the Panthers, it is nearly blasphemous to discount them going into the postseason next week. But that’s respect given on reputation only.
This Parkview team plays hard and tough, but it just does not have that extra something that marked its teams during the last five years. It will not win the title this year.
The Panthers beat up on Central Gwinnett last week in a game that was supposed to be a challenge. They needed to follow up that 30-3 victory with another dominant performance Friday at Grayson to regain a little of the aura it built in recent years.
Didn’t happen. Grayson, a program that is very well-coached and close to being a legitimate contender, went toe-to-toe with mighty Parkview. Twice Grayson turned away Parkview inside the 13-yard line with interceptions and led 10-7 with less than a minute left in the third quarter.
The Panthers did what good teams do: They responded. Well, specifically, running back Caleb King responded. A 27-yard sweep left, plus a 15-yard personal foul penalty. Then a 29-yard jaunt for a touchdown and 14-10 lead.
After a Grayson punt, King tacked on a 41-yard run to get Parkview into good field position. That drive — during which Parkview was slowed by three penalties — ended with a missed field goal.
The Rams then showed their growth and gumption. They pounded the bigger Parkview line and moved the ball down the field with power runs. Grayson’s upset bid, however, stalled at the 33-yard line in the final 30 seconds.
Parkview won, 14-10, but there was no celebration. No doubt, the Panthers know better than anyone their struggles.
The one factor that plays favorably is King, who had 239 yards and two scores.
The junior surpassed the 2,000-yard mark for the season Friday with another stellar performance. His hard-running — keyed by a committed offensive line — could carry Parkview a long way in the playoffs.
King not only is fast and tough, but he does not fumble and seldom is taken down by the first defender. He’s good enough to ride for a good stretch in the postseason.
At the same time, it says something significant that the Panthers have no other way to beat you. Their passing game, at least against Grayson, was virtually nonexistent.
So, teams will stack the line of scrimmage to contain King, which would ultimately be Parkview’s demise.
Tough and full of heart, Parkview is.
But that is not enough to rule this year.
Permalink | Comments (10) | Categories: Curtis Bunn
We’ll spare readers ghastly tales of woe
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Dear staff,
As you all are aware, it is the final week of the regular season. As you also are aware, it falls on the nearest thing we’re going to have to a Halloween weekend.
This is a troubling juxtaposition that leads only to bad things.
Your colleagues in the newsroom, the copy editors who will handle your stories, are not afraid of ghosties and ghoulies and things that will go bump in the night. They are, however, afraid of something far more sinister.
That something like the following will show up after one of tonight’s games:
“Baldwin was goblin up the yards Friday night in a frightful final Region 2-AAAA game for Lakeside-Evans.”
Or ?
“Colquitt County haunted Valdosta with its running attack, but the Wildcats awoke the dead with a trick and a treat for the fans at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium.”
Or ?
“Monroe Area’s victory over Oconee County came down to a spooktacular finish Friday when, appearing not to have a ghost of a chance, the Hurricanes scared up a winning play.”
No, no and no. Raw copy is scary enough as is.
Energy spent spooking up a story is better spent figuring out what teams are going where as a result of what happens Friday night, and that’ll be trick enough for anybody.
At last count, Madison County coach Randell Owens had dredged up about 16 ways the Region 8-AAAA race could end. The one that’s most likely has Salem finishing the regular season with a victory that locks up a region championship. Once Rockdale County knocks off Habersham Central, it claims the second seed. I have neither the space nor the energy to detail the other possibilities.
And other weird things could happen.
Picture, if you will, Dublin allowing another field goal, and somehow getting shut out by Screven County in the biggest upset of the season. The Fighting Irish would have allowed a grand total of six points all season, but enough to keep them out of the playoffs.
Picture, if you will, Americus-Sumter finding a way to knock off Bainbridge and waltzing into the Class AAAA playoffs while Dublin is on the outside of the Class AA bracket looking in.
Neither will happen — Dublin will win and Americus-Sumter won’t — but that makes high school football fodder for yearlong discussion.
Some of the possible combinations that result from Friday night’s games could lead to something called a mini-game, which is a bad word because they usually take place on Monday, when I’m off. Monday is actually Halloween.
But if you end up covering one of those, remember, the rules still apply: No tricking, no treating. Failure to follow these directives will haunt you for the rest of your career.
PICKS
FRIDAY
Winner-Loser
Adairsville-LaFayette
Alpharetta-Dutchtown
Appling Co.-Jeff Davis
Aquinas-Hancock Central
Athens Christian-Winless
Bacon Co.-Pierce Co.
Bainbridge-Americus Sumter
Baldwin-Lakeside Evans
Banneker-Cass
Bleckley Co.-Metter
Bowdon-Gordon Lee
Bremen-Trion
Brooks County-Albany
Brookstone-Pacelli
Brookwood-Berkmar
Brunswick-Glynn Academy
Buford-Rabun Co.
Cairo-Crisp Co.
Calhoun-Winless
Calhoun Co.-Schley Co.
Camden Co.-Bradwell Institute
Carrollton-Central Carrollton
Cartersville-Cedartown
Carver Columbus-Henry Co.
Cedar Shoals-Madison Co.
Central Gwinnett-Winless
Chamblee-Lakeside DeKalb
Charlton Co.-Brantley Co.
Chattahoochee-Duluth
Chestatee-Fannin Co.
Clarke Central-Jackson Co.
Claxton-Winless
Collins Hill-South Forsyth
Columbia-Cedar Grove
Commerce-Athens Academy
Cook-Early Co.
Coosa-Chattooga
Creekside-Sandy Creek
Cross Creek-Richmond Academy
Calhoun-Winless
Dacula-Norcross
Dawson Co.-Banks Co.
Darlington-Armuchee
Dodge Co.-Savannah Christian
Dooly Co.-Montgomery Co.
Douglas Co.-Lithia Springs
Douglass-Winless
Dublin-Screven Co.
East Coweta-Newnan
ECI-Calvary Day
Effingham Co.-Jones Co.
Fitzgerald-Irwin Co.
Flowery Branch-Gilmer
Franklin Co.-Apalachee
Gainesville-West Hall
Gordon Central-Woodland
GAC-East Hall
Grady-Carver Atlanta
Greene Co.-Laney
Greenville-Pike Co.
Griffin-Central Macon
Groves-Beach
Haralson Co.-Woodward Academy
Hardaway-Luella
Harlem-Hephzibah
Harrison-Pebblebrook
Hart Co.-Winder Barrow
Hawkinsville-Wilkinson Co.
Hiram-East Paulding
Jackson-Heard Co.
Jefferson Co.-Benedictine
Johnson Co.-Treutlen
Kell-Lassiter
Kennesaw Mountain-North Cobb
LaGrange-Troup
Landmark Christian-ELCA
Lanier Co.-Atkinson Co.
Liberty Co.-Burke Co.
Lincoln Co.-Ga. Military
Loganville-Heritage
Long Co.-Winless
Lovett-Decatur
Lowndes-Coffee
Macon Co.-Lamar Co.
Manchester-Callaway
Marietta-Winless
Marist-St. Pius
Mary Persons-Spalding
Mays-Winless
McEachern-Sprayberry
McIntosh-Chapel Hill
McIntosh Co. Academy-Jenkins Co.
McNair-Towers
Miller Grove-Walker
M.L. King-Blessed Trinity
Monroe Area-Oconee Co.
Morgan Co.-Putnam Co.
Mt. Zion Carrollton-Winless
Murray Co.-SE Whitfield
North Atlanta-Mt. Zion-Jonesboro
North Clayton-Stone Mountain
North Gwinnett-Centennial
Northside Columbus-Winless
Northside Warner Robins-Stockbridge
NW Whitfield-Lakeview Fort Oglethorpe
Parkview-Grayson
Peach Co.-Northeast Macon
Peachtree Ridge-Northview
Perry-Winless
Portal-Savannah Country Day
Prince Ave. Christian-Winless
Randolph Clay-Terrell Co.
Ridgeland-Ringgold
Riverwood-Druid Hills
Rockdale Co.-Habersham Central
Rockmart-Model
Rome-Paulding Co.
Salem-Winless
Seminole Co.-Pelham
Sequoyah-Pope
Shaw-Kendrick
Social Circle-Jefferson
South Cobb-Campbell
South Effingham-Winless
South Gwinnett-Shiloh
SW DeKalb-South Atlanta
Starr’s Mill-Fayette Co.
Statesboro-Greenbrier
Stephens Co.-Elbert Co.
Swainsboro-Tattnall Co.
Taylor Co.-Winless
Temple-Tri Co.
Thomas Central-Ware Co.
Thomasville-Mitchell Baker
Thomson-Butler
Tift Co.-Houston Co.
Toombs Co.-West Laurens
Tri Cities-Newton
Tucker-North Springs
Turner Co.-Miller Co.
Twiggs Co.-Telfair Co.
Union Co.-Lumpkin Co.
Upson Lee-Westside Macon
Valdosta -Colquitt Co.
Vidalia-SE Bulloch
Villa Rica-Alexander
Walton-Milton
Warner Robins-Eagle’s Landing
Wayne Co.-Evans
Westlake-Southside
Westminster-Dunwoody
Westside Augusta-Winless
Wheeler-Cherokee
White Co.-North Hall
Whitefield Acad.-Stewart Quitman
Wilcox Co.-Wheeler Co.
Woodstock-Roswell
SATURDAY
Winner-Loser
Clarkston-Avondale
Dougherty-Monroe
Redan-Morrow
Savannah-Jenkins
Stephenson-Riverdale
Washington-Forest Park
Wiindsor Forest-Johnson Savannah
* — winless teams omitted (for their protection)
Last week: 129-35 (.787)
Season: 1,094-344 (.761)
Expulsions from Winless Protection Program: Two
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: 2005, Darryl Maxie
For the love of the stat: Figuring out the playoffs
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I am a statistics geek.
Always have been, always will be.
Wanna know Buford’s red-zone scoring proficiency? I got that somewhere around here … 97 percent.
What was Herschel Walker’s best season at Johnson County? Hang on … 3,167 yards, 45 TDs in 1979.
I get the sports almanac every year for a birthday gift. The first thing I turn to in the Sports section of the newspaper is the box score page. I’m interested in how the 1946 Green Bay Packers fared (6-5, by the way; Tony Canadeo had a team-high 476 yards). And I love the Internet.
I was in my element this week while looking at the football playoff scenarios in Region 7-AAAAA. Seeing how the standings would change based on who wins tonight was like unraveling a mystery with alternative endings. I spent a good part of Tuesday afternoon working on the eight most likely scenarios (there are at least eight more possibilities). I checked them, re-checked and had others check them, too.
Then I called Dolford Layson, the region secretary, to check our facts. Caught him on his cellphone while he was driving home and found out I wasn’t the only person enamored with the numbers. Layson is the guy who interprets it all for the coaches, and he confirmed our numbers were accurate. His mind also was swimming with all the playoff possibilities, but I picked up that, like me, he was finding it all frustratingly enjoyable.
After 15 minutes of playoff talk, including whether or not South Forsyth has any chance to reach the playoffs through the most unlikely of scenarios, we said goodbye. It was getting late, and both of us had dinner still ahead.
Twenty minutes later, as I was stepping away from my desk, the phone rang.
“Scott, this is Dolford. I think I figured out how South Forsyth can get in.”
I sat back down and crunched some more numbers. On to the picks:
East Hall at GAC
Spartans win sets up likely mini-game for Wesleyan. • Pick: GAC
Buford at Rabun County
Broken-record alert: Buford wins easily.
• Pick: Buford
South Gwinnett at Shiloh
Final game for both teams should be a good one.
• Pick: South Gwinnett
Parkview at Grayson
Parkview’s Caleb King 124 yards shy of 2,000 for regular season.
• Pick: Parkview
Meadowcreek at Central Gwinnett
Central on to postseason; Meadowcreek starts thinking hoops.
• Pick: Central
Brookwood at Berkmar
Gap between region’s No. 1 and No. 4 is pretty wide.
• Pick: Brookwood
Collins Hill at South Forsyth
Worst that can happen for Collins Hill with win is a Monday mini-game.
• Pick: Collins Hill
Northview at Peachtree Ridge
Da Ridge needs win and some help to make postseason.
• Pick: Peachtree Ridge
North Gwinnett at Centennial
Most scenarios have North in playoffs with a win.
• Pick: North
Chattahoochee at Duluth
Can Wildcats start a winning streak? Yes.
• Pick: Duluth
Dacula at Norcross
Maloof Bowl result has far-reaching impact on 7-AAAAA playoffs. Maloof wins (Kevin, that is).
• Pick: Dacula
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: Gwinnett Picks
Lessons learned on field last a lifetime
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Something endearing tugs at the hearts of those who’ve played high school football. It’s enduring, too.
On this final regular-season weekend in Georgia, many of your sons, grandsons, nephews, boyfriends and neighbors will strap on the pads for “Fill In The Blank” High one last time.
Some may go on to play at colleges large and small, scattered around the land. However, for most — 98 percent I once read somewhere — their football-playing days will end. This will not be a welcome sight.
Don’t worry, you will replay them again and again.
Perhaps through misty eyes.
Hard, I know, for many of you to understand. Actually, it’s taken me more than three decades to fully comprehend.
The last game of that senior season forever drifts into my memories. It wasn’t even the best game I ever played. Never even touched the ball that late fall, southwest Louisiana night.
Penance for indiscretions the week before.
Engrossed in a necking session behind the industrial arts building with a doe-eyed girl of my dreams, I was late for the team bus to a game in Church Point. Amazingly, the coaches actually waited on me, probably because the week before I’d broken off several long kickoff returns.
Anyway, I was dressed down in front of my boys. But, of course, they certainly understood, and would have eagerly traded places. Until that is, I — still pretty full of myself — promptly fumbled the opening kickoff.
Beginning of the end of a once gifted career.
So there I was the next week, taking the field for the final time (although the thought never occurred) as the first losing season in the history of W.O. Boston High reached a climax at Jennings High, ranked No. 1 in the state.
Stunningly, we scored late to forge a 7-7 tie, which had all the taste of sweet victory. For me, however, there was no joy.
My number was never called.
Did not return kicks. Benched on defense. Spent time on offense flanked wide and blocking. All game long. As frustration mounted, I used the kid across the line as a punching bag.
Afterward, however, he had the nobility to shake my hand. It took ages to dawn on me, but that final night of high school football impacted me for life.
There would be no college ball, though opportunity knocked.
Texas-Arlington looked promising; too far from Lake Charles — and that doe-eyed young girl of my dreams. Tulane came calling; Coach told the unvarnished truth that I hated practice. Had a chance at Southwestern Louisiana; no way would I cut my “I’m-Black-and-I’m-Proud” Afro hairdo.
Thus, my football playing days were done.
For the longest, that did not sit very well. Always knew I could have been a far better player. All it would have taken was dedication, determination, sacrifice and fidelity to my teammates’ trust.
Life lessons to be taken from the game. Whether you grasp them then, or recall long after the final play of your last high school game is over and done.
Even then it’s not too late.
This is what a beat-up kid with his values intact taught me long after the final play of my last high school game: I can always be a better person.
Surprise, Surprise
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Blogging about football in the Big G.
The season didn’t play out like many people expected.
Peachtree Ridge is contending for a playoff spot. Berkmar is 7-2. Brookwood didn’t just win, it dominated. Parkview slipped a notch. Grayson fell short.
What do you think is the biggest surprise?
Permalink | Comments (25) | Categories: Gwinnett Grid
Fill in the blank
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Blogging about football in the Big G.
Coaches like to chide us against judging their programs solely on wins and losses.
To an extent, that’s fair. We’re talking about high school football, not college or pro.
So as the regular season comes to an end (many teams won’t play past Friday), I’d like to hear your take on whether your school had a successful season.
Use wins and losses — or whatever criteria you choose — to fill in this blank:
My team has had a successful season because…
or
My team has had a disappointing season because…
Thanks!
Permalink | Comments (11) | Categories: Gwinnett Grid
I will stop hatin’ on Panthers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
What a night in the Big Orange Jungle. You had lights. Cameras. Action.
And then, for a while, none of the above.
The Parkview-Central Gwinnett clash on Friday offered a bit of everything, starting with “The World’s Most Colossal Senior Night” production. Followed, at last, by some scintillating football feats.
The game was well worth the wait.
You know how the song goes: The Rocky Mountains may crumble. Gibraltar may fall. But Parkview, we found out, is here to stay.
To nobody’s surprise. Well, besides mine.
Not that the Panthers defeated Central Gwinnett. Just the way they pulled off the 30-3 stunner that cemented second place in Region 8-AAAAA and the opportunity to open the postseason at home.
Maybe you read (somewhere) how the almighty Panthers had been knocked down a peg or two. With a couple of losses in their first five games, Parkview exited the AJC Top 10 rankings, a place it once made its home.
That’ll happen when you no longer dominate good teams up front. Possess a one-man attack. Lack key pass completions. And while your defense doesn’t bend, it breaks at times.
Consider all that passé.
Except for the one-man team thing.
Yes, but what a wondrous young man.
Toting the load a whopping 39 times, King banged and darted for 309 yards. Which, coupled with a stout Parkview-like defensive effort, was more than enough to carry the Panthers back up the mountain.
The only time King was stopped was before the game started.
Pity the playoff team that must come here in two weeks.
Especially if they replay “The World’s Most Colossal Senior Night.” Nobody does Senior Night like Parkview.
Which is good thing. If you are a Panthers band member. Cheerleader. Trainer. Mascot. Internet broadcast play-by-play guy (does he get a letter jacket?). Or a parent, grandparent or sibling thereof.
Don’t forget members of the softball, volleyball and cross-country teams — along with their entourages. Parkview certainly didn’t.
Actually, it was kind of refreshing to see all the supportive kids get their due (along with a keepsake photo. Cash or charge?).
After all, as their moms so often tell us, “They work hard, too.”
However, the l-o-n-g ceremony, which delayed kickoff by about 10 minutes, wasn’t received well by the Central fans.
The referees, either.
Parkview was penalized for d-e-l-a-y of game, which seemed quite significant when the first kickoff sailed out of bounds. After a rekick, the Black Knights gained possession at the Panthers’ 47.
That led to a 50-yard Devin Sabina field goal, which provided Central with its first lead over Parkview since … nobody could remember.
By intermission, the Panthers held a tight 9-3 edge.
Before the game, the Black Knights asserted they had closed the gap on Parkview. But after the stadium lights went out at halftime, King returned to knock the lights out of Central.
Now, that gap is again a gorge.
As for this critic. Got room on the Panthers’ bandwagon?
Rivalry thrills in face of extinction
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Warner Robins — So, this is Middle Georgia, huh?
If you wanted unparalleled pageantry, first-rate football and kinetic energy, it was the place to be Friday night.
We have rivalries in the metro area that are exciting and fun and competitive. We do not have anything better than the annual slugfest between city rivals Northside and Warner Robins.
These programs, steeped in tradition, pride and talent, represent a coming together that piques interest all over Georgia. Friday, No. 4 Northside had a joyous night, scoring on the first play of overtime and then shutting down No. 1 Warner Robins for the 20-14 victory.
If you really love high school football and had a chance to drive nearly two hours south on Interstate 75, you should have been there.
“A grand affair,” said Shelly Simmons, the former longtime voice of the Warner Robins Demons.
Simmons could be used in a case study for the kind of allegiance to the school that permeates these communities. Now 72, he resigned from announcing home games in 1996 after 26 years because of heart bypass surgery. Five of them.
One son, Shelly Jr., was a defensive end on the 1976 Warner Robins team that was declared national champions. Another son, Stan, played the same position for the 1981 national championship team.
Friday night was so special that Shelly Simmons was brought back to give a sort of curtain call behind the microphone. In his still-fiery fashion just before the opening kickoff, Simmons performed as if he was in his announcing prime.
“Are you ready for some football?” he belted.
The crowd — 15,000 deep, in the stands, the end zone, around the track — roared. “Are you ready for some hard-nosed, championship football?”
The crowd roared again. And Simmons got louder. “It makes no difference if you’re sitting or standing,” he bellowed. “Look around and hold onto something solid, because you’re in Demon Country.”
There was an eruption on the shoulder-to-shoulder Warner Robins side. “Like old times?” someone asked Simmons after he was done getting the fans rowdy.
“This is just a great event,” Simmons said. “I love getting the people into it. It’s what I did for such a long time.”
Sad but true, time does not appear to be on the side of preserving this wonderful spectacle.
Powers in Class AAAA, Warner Robins moves back up to Class AAAAA next year. The teams will meet in a non-region game in 2006, but current indications are that their rivalry will at the very least be suspended, which would be a shame.
A year without Northside vs. Warner Robins is like a year without Brookwood vs. Parkview, or Douglass vs. Washington, or Stephenson vs. Southwest DeKalb, or Lowndes vs. Valdosta. And on and on.
To think this game has only one more left is hard to fathom.
“This town is all about this game,” Simmons said. “Really, it’s probably the best game anywhere in Georgia. Both teams put out good, competitive teams every year. If we don’t have it again after next year, we’d be losing something special.”
Permalink | Comments (11) | Categories: Curtis Bunn
Time waits for no malfunctioning clock
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Time out.
For little kids, that means punishment.
For NBA TV viewers, that means commercials. Time in — that’s their punishment.
For high school football fans at Adams Stadium in DeKalb County, that means keeping track of how much longer the game will last by saying, “One Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi…�? until the whistle blows.
One Mississippi, the stadium clock is working, two Mississippi it’s not. Three Mississippi, it’s because of your cellphone, four Mississippi it’s not.
The chronological comedy is more than a month old, and how long it will continue is anybody’s guess — just like the games. But Adams is where Tucker will try to wrap up the Region 6-AAAA championship tonight against North Forsyth.
By the time the game ends — that would be right after the 2,880th Mississippi, assuming no overtime — there may be more theories for what ails the clock than there are for the Kennedy assassination. One thing seems certain, though: It only goes on the fritz when Tucker is playing.
The theory of the hour — the fan cellphone idea is so September — is that the mechanical lift that helps Tucker get the end-zone camera angle on its game films interferes with the timing mechanism. That figures, because no matter the sport, the game’s certain to drag on in the presence of cameras.
But there’ll likely come a point when North Forsyth will need to speed things along. I can envision the Raiders getting a prompt to start their two-minute offense, but finding it difficult to go 80 yards in only 120 Mississippis.
It’ll be the last time Tucker plays at Adams this season. A win will ensure that the Tigers get a first-round home game against the fourth seed from Region 5-AAAA, and the county has plans to move said game to Hallford Stadium. To which the Tucker fan is likely to breathe the most appropriate sigh of relief: “It’s about time!�?
The big games
Both Warner Robins and Northside-Warner Robins can put a hurting on most of Class AAAA. But when they play each other, it’s like Adams Stadium — time stands still. Northside has a slight motivational edge — the Eagles lost this game last year, they were a little flat last week and have maybe a smidgen more to prove. Warner Robins has never lost under Bryan Way, and the dreaded law of averages says it has to happen sometime. I’ll take Conrad Nix’s Northside boys in a small upset.
Griffin and Upson-Lee play for first place in Region 3-AAAA North, both sporting 4-0 subregion records and 7-1 overall marks. But I’m not sure these two are as close as they appear; I’ll take Griffin, and especially in the “Bear meat! Bear meat!�? home environment…. Buford beats GAC to win Region 8-AA for the last time… North Cobb fans, you’re not forgotten: You lose to McEachern.
Last week: 122-36 (.772) Season: 965-309 (.757)
Friday’s winners:
Armu
Adairsville
Alpharetta
Appling Co.
Athens Christian
Baldwin
Berkmar
Blessed Trinity
Bowdon
Brantley Co.
Brooks Co.
Brookstone
Brookwood
Brunswick
Buford
Burke Co.
Cairo
Callaway
Calhoun
Calvary Day
Camden Co.
Campbell
Carrollton
Cartersville
Cass
Cedar Shoals
Centennial
Central-Macon
Chamblee
Charlton Co.
Chattahoochee
Claxton
Clinch Co.
Collins Hill
Columbia
Commerce
Cook
Coosa
Creekside
Cross Creek
Dacula
Dalton
Dawson Co.
Dooly Co.
Dougherty
Douglas Co.
Dublin
Eagle’s Landing
Early Co.
East Hall
East Coweta
ECI
Elbert Co.
ELCA
Fitzgerald
Flowery Branch
Gainesville
Glynn Academy
Gordon Lee
Grayson
Greenbrier
Greene Co.
Griffin
Groves
Hancock Central
Haralson Co.
Harrison
Hawkinsville
Heard Co.
Henry Co.
Heritage
Hiram
Jackson
Jefferson
Jefferson Co.
Johnson Co.
Kell
LaGrange
Lakeside-DeK.
Landmark Christ.
Laney
Liberty Co.
Lincoln Co.
Loganville
Lovett
Macon Co.
Madison Co.
Marietta
McEachern
McNair
M.L. King
Monroe Area
Mundy’s Mill
Norcross
North Clayton
Northgate
North Hall
Northside-WR
Oconee Co.
Oglethorpe Co.
Parkview
Paulding Co.
Peach County
Pepperell
Perry
Pickens
Pike Co.
Pope
Portal
Putnam Co.
Rabun Co.
Randolph-Clay
Richmond Acad.
Ridgeland
Riverdale
Rome
Roswell
St. Pius
Salem
Sandy Creek
Sav. Country Day
Screven Co.
Seminole Co.
Shaw
Social Circle
SW DeKalb
Starr’s Mill
Statesboro
Stephens Co.
Stephenson
Stone Mountain
Taylor Co.
Terrell Co.
Therrell
Thomas Central
Thomson
Toombs Co.
Towers
Tri-Cities
Trion
Troup
Tucker
Turner Co.
Valdosta
Vidalia
Walker
Walton
Ware Co.
Washington Co.
Wash.-Wilkes
West Laurens
Westover
White Co.
Whitewater
Wilcox Co.
Wilkinson Co.
Woodstock
Saturday’s winners:
Cedar Grove
Lowndes
Morrow
Northside-Col
Washington
Wayne Co.
Westminster
Permalink | Comments (5) | Categories: 2005, Darryl Maxie
Tiebreaker time: Confusing much?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
That ugly little word “mini-games” has surfaced this week, which brings a high cringe factor around here.
If you don’t already know, a mini-game is a tiebreaking procedure allowed by the state when there are too many teams tied for too few playoff berths.
Teams play two five-minute halves (with kickoffs to begin both), and if the score is tied, they’ll go to overtime. That’s sort of like playing three innings of baseball with only one out per at-bat, and having that determine who wins the NL West (actually, that might have been more exciting than the way it was decided this year).
I have no problem with mini-games, other than the name and the format. Deciding it on the field is where it should be; at least that’s how traditional sports wisdom plays it. But playing on Monday in a mini-game not only would add wear and tear on the participating teams, it also would disrupt preparations for the first round of the playoffs for the winners.
So, what we need are four playoff representatives from Gwinnett regions 8-AAAAA, 7-AAAAA and 8-AA without any doubt who they are by midnight Oct. 28, after the final regular-season games are played.
In 8-AA, the need for a mini-game depends on Wesleyan, which at 4-3 is fifth in the region standings. If the Wolves lose at Dawson County tonight, they won’t make the playoffs, and the four spots will be divvied up by among Buford, GAC, East Hall and Dawson. If Wesleyan wins and East Hall beats GAC in the final game, then the Wolves replace Dawson County in the mix, by virtue of the head-to-head tiebreaker. However, if Wesleyan beats Dawson and GAC beats East Hall, there may be a three-way tie among East Hall, Wesleyan and Dawson County for the final two spots, and … wait my head is spinning … a mini-game becomes a possibility.
In 8-AAAAA, thankfully, there will not be mini-games, thank to the same tiebreaking procedure that sent Berkmar to the playoffs last year. According to region secretary Jerry Raines, if a tie cannot be broken by head-to-head competition, then each team’s overall winning percentage against Class AAAAA competition is considered. Every scenario appears to be remedied by this format.
In 7-AAAAA, region secretary Dolford Layson says no games outside the region are counted for breaking ties. Therefore, mini-games are on the table, if needed. We won’t even go into the possibilities of another five-way tie for second place, so here’s what I think will happen: Dacula wins out and is the No. 1 seed with a 9-0 league mark. Collins Hill wins out and finishes 7-2 and has all the tiebreakers on its side to grab No. 2. North Gwinnett and Norcross split their last two games (both losing to Dacula), finish 6-3 and North wins the head-to-head tiebreaker for third.
I’m dizzy, but on to the picks:
GAC at Buford
The game of the year in 8-AA is still a mismatch.
• Pick: Buford
Peachtree Ridge at Collins Hill
Eagles look to make it five in a row.
• Pick: Collins Hill
Central Gwinnett at Parkview
How big a win would this be for Central? H-U-G-E.
• Pick: Central Gwinnett
Shiloh at Brookwood
Brookwood back on top of region for first time since 1998.
• Pick: Brookwood
Grayson at South Gwinnett
Grayson still has outside shot at playoff berth, but Comets will find a way.
• Pick: South Gwinnett
North Gwinnett at Dacula
Falcons win their biggest test of the region season.
• Pick: Dacula
Meadowcreek at Berkmar
Patriots reach seven-win mark.
• Pick: Berkmar
Duluth at Centennial
Got to say it: Losing streak ends at 20.
• Pick: Duluth
Wesleyan at Dawson County
Wesleyan has to win or it’s out of postseason. Sorry.
• Pick: Dawson
South Forsyth at Norcross
Norcross locks up playoff spot.
• Pick: Norcross
Whitewater at Mill Creek
Second season for Creeksters ends with game against undefeated Wildcats.
• Pick: Whitewater
SCOTT’S SCORECARD
• Last week: 12-0
• Overall: 81-22-1
• Best take last week: “[North Gwinnett] Bulldogs shouldn’t need last-second heroics this week..” North Gwinnett pummeled South Forsyth 49-3.
Permalink | Comments (4) | Categories: Gwinnett Picks
Mini-madness
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Blogging about football in the Big G.
Have you ever seen a Mini-Game? Neither have I.
But we might, on the Monday after the regular season, in Region 7-AAAAA or Region 8-AA.
If normal tiebreakers don’t clear the playoff logjam, teams could be playing again three days after their final regular-season games!
Wondering what exactly a Mini-Game is, I consulted the “White Book,” otherwise known as the GHSA Constitution and By-Laws. It’s all right there on page 128.
“When ties cannot be broken and there are not playoff slots to accommodate all the teams that are tied, the teams shall meet in a Tiebreaker Mini-game…”
The teams meet at a site selected by the GHSA. The game consists of five-minute halves. Play begins each half with a free kick.
If three teams are involved, a coin toss would give one of them a bye. That lucky team plays the winner of the first Mini-Game in a second Mini-Game.
Here’s the most sensible aspect: teams that play a Mini-Game on Monday don’t open the playoffs until the following Saturday.
So who thinks this is a good way to settle things?
Permalink | Comments (9) | Categories: Gwinnett Grid
Numbers might lie, but I don’t
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
You know what they say about statistics, don't you?No?
Well … “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics.”
Thus says Benjamin Disraeli, as quoted by Mark Twain. Or so we are told. Problem is, according to Columbia Encyclopedia, there is no record of the British statesman and author ever making such a statement. Which goes to show, there can be a fourth kind of lie — words.
Of course, we would never go there, so here are some stats — and words — to swear by (we think):
We could have a Gwinnett County rushing champ not named King or Smith, but Rock Robinson.
Brookwood QB David Pittman is a 7&7 man, as in TDs rushing and passing.
Broncos LB Rennie Curran, with 111 tackles, has more stops than Scenic Highway.
Patriots’ TE/LB Joey Wowk has way more tackles (101) than receiving yards (62).
Berkmar WR/DB Terence Jeffers has as many INTs (4) as most teammates have catches.
Buford’s Justin Curry has nearly as many sacks (8) as the Wolves have TD passes (10).
Jordan Honegan of Brookwood has almost as many INTs (5) as the Broncos have TD passes (7).
Central’s Beau Johnson has more TDs (14 runs; 1 catch) than the rest of Knights combined (14).
Damond Wilson has more sacks (10) than Central has TD passes (7).
All three of Kevin Morrison’s catches have scored TDs for Collins Hill.
Dacula quarterback Spencer Landis is approaching the rare double of 1,000 yards rushing and passing.
Dacula FB Cole Brodie falls just shy of a first down (9.6 yards) per carry on his 79 rushes.
Dacula’s Israel Machovec has 204 yards on his nine catches.
Kennard Reeves and Alex Hunt of Duluth top the 1,000-yard mark — as a tandem.
A measly 1/125th of passes thrown by GAC’s Lee Chapple have been to the other team.
Grayson 200-meter champ Brandon Erwin averages a whopping 28.4 yards a catch.
But Rams teammate Justin King leaves him in the dust, hauling five catches 229 yards (38.1).
Grayson RB Adam Scruggs made his only catch count, taking it 21 yards to the house.
Meadowcreek’s C.J. Hancock has 508 total yards, plus 37 tackles and 2 INTs.
Mill Creek RB Charlie Hernandez has scored three times on just 36 touches.
Of his seven TD passes, Norcross QB Bryce Dykes sent five to Tyrece Gaines.
Blue Devils LB Darrell Nevels never rests, compiling 116 tackles.
North Gwinnett dynamo David Montgomery has surpassed 1,000 total yards (449 rushing., 511 receiving).
Caleb King (1,561 yards) has provided 77 percent of Parkview’s ground game.
Peachtree Ridge QB Zach Graham averages 16.6 yards per completion.
Graham’s favorite target, Sidney Haynes, pads that mark with his 18.9-yard average per catch.
Eliot Anderson leads Shiloh in rushing and receiving yards.
South’s Chandler Snell has thrown a single INT in 156 pass attempts.
Top receiver Johnny Schumacher of pass-happy Wesleyan (10 TDs) scores a third of the time he makes a catch (34).
Bobby Jackson has more yards rushing (555) than Schumacher has receiving (553).
There you have it. Quibble if you may with my words. But if my math fails, don’t blame me. I turned to the Internet and found webmath.com. You can look it up yourself and bookmark it. Just as, I’m sure, your kids already have.
Three questions with J.C.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
1. Do the AJC rankings always have to include Valdosta?
I surmise you are a ticked off Central Gwinnett fan.
Unfortunately, I cannot reveal the AJC’s super-secret, hacker-proof formula for ranking high school football teams, the key to which is sealed in a bomb-proof vault deep in the bowels of 72 Marietta Street.
Yet, the outcome of all that ciphering can make one wonder.
For instance, the 6-2 Black Knights — who spent one week at No. 10 — have lost to Brookwood (No. 2 in AAAAA) and Buford (No. 3 in AA).
But even with magnificent running back Beau Johnson leading their charge, the resurging Black Knights — the only team to cause Brookwood to work up a sweat — are not to be found in the current AJC rankings.
Meanwhile, Valdosta (5-3) reaps gain from past glory.
The Wildcats have lost to a pair of Florida teams, along with defending AAAAA state champion and No. 3-ranked Lowndes. Still, there they are ranked No. 7 in the state by the AJC.
Like I said, I wish I could explain, but … as a reader service, I can tell you what Central can do to earn the AJC brain trust’s respect: Beat Parkview.
2. How will the Region 7-AAAAA football race play out?
For informational purposes only, of course, we see it this way:
• Dacula: The Falcons are simply too strong on both sides of the ball to stumble down the stretch, including when North Gwinnett visits Friday, and we see them marching into the Georgia Dome.
• Collins Hill: Just as the Eagles play their best, the schedule graces them. First comes a visit by humbled Peachtree Ridge, then a trip to reeling South Forsyth — teams falling by a combined 94-10 last week.
• North Gwinnett: Psssssst! Don’t look now, but the Bulldogs say they are not just another pretty offensive face, fated to fall flat come playoff time. Friday will tell if North’s defense is legit.
*• Norcross: Losses to Collins Hill and North Gwinnett haunt the Blue Devils, which will make the season-ending “Battle of Maloofs” meaningless for seeding purposes. Not so, however, for the Thanksgiving dinner table debate.
3. What about the Region 8-AAAAA football race?
For informational purposes only, of course, we see 8-AAAAA this way:
• Brookwood: The Broncos have it all, as their No. 2 ranking — and average winning margin of about 87.5 points a game — attests. But we will know Brookwood is unbeatable when, and if, the Broncos face the challenge of executing a long, late-game scoring drive to survive.
• Central Gwinnett: See answer No. 1.
• Parkview: Sometimes, a rankled former king of the hill can suck up enough chagrin to make another charge up the mountain. Other times, a rankled former king of the hill will wallow in the valley
• Berkmar: Not often does anyone view playing Meadowcreek as a must win. But that is how slippery the playoff footing remains for the Patriots, who are still trying to cement their contender status.
THEY SAID IT
“We will get back on the field and get ready. Everybody knows what they have to do.”
— Parkview coach Cecil Flowe, on Friday’s match against Central Gwinnett
All about the atmosphere
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Blogging about football in the Big G.
Friday was my first time covering a game at Grayson, and the atmosphere impressed me.
Most of the 8,000 seats were filled. Even though Brookwood ran away with it, the home fans were loud and supportive, erupting whenever the Rams made a big play (Yes, they made a few).
The field was manicured beautifully. I also was struck by how many different things you could buy that said “Grayson” on them: clothes, accessories, mini-footballs, etc.
It was one of the best football environments I’ve seen.
Which Gwinnett stadium do you think has the best Friday night atmosphere?
Permalink | Comments (14) | Categories: Gwinnett Grid
Football Report: Lincoln still formidable
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Friday was another night of notable upsets, and here’s what some winners were thinking:
• Us against the world works: Lincoln County coach Larry Campbell has won 382 games in his career, more than any coach in Georgia history. So when he puts one above the others, ears tend to perk up. Rankled by predictions of their impending demise, Campbell’s Red Devils upset Washington-Wilkes 20-13 on the road, and the coach was more than a little pleased. “This is one of the bigger wins I’ve had, simply because most folks didn’t give us a chance,” Campbell told the Athens Banner-Herald. With the victory, Lincoln County shares first place in Region 7-A with Warren County, the team it hosts Friday.
• Northside-Columbus stuns LaGrange: Other than Shaw, Columbus area schools have tried to figure out what it takes to beat LaGrange for years. The newest kid on the block, Northside-Columbus, seems to know. The Patriots defeated the defending state champions 24-14. “Northside was believed to be a soft team in the past,” Northside coach Dwight Jones told the Ledger-Enquirer. “We’re not soft anymore.”
• Separation from the pack: Tri-Cities had come close to upsets on two occasions before going the final mile Friday. The Bulldogs had fallen short against Starr’s Mill and Douglass and faced the prospect of sharing fourth place in Region 2-AAAAA with Newton and Redan going into the final weeks of the regular season. But their hard-hitting, seven-fumble-forcing 17-3 victory over Riverdale puts them solidly fourth in the region. Douglass and Tri-Cities are both 3-2, but Douglass owns the tiebreaker.
• Careful what you wish for: Carrollton principal Keith Smith hired football coach Rayvan Teague two years ago, telling him, “They’d lost their swagger and they wanted it back,” Teague recounted last year. A 27-20 victory at No. 1 Cartersville means the No. 2 (and soon to be No. 1) Trojans have all the swagger they need. Not that Teague is overjoyed. “It just means you’ve got a great big bull’s-eye on your back, and it’s hard for high school kids to keep it in perspective. I see no benefit to it at all. It’s a distraction.” Cartersville made three significant mistakes that foiled its second-half rally’s chance to succeed. First, the Hurricanes fumbled on their own 3 on their first offensive play, leading to a quick Carrollton 7-0 lead. Second, the fake punt they tried at their own 45 with 2 minutes left in the half failed miserably. The easy touchdown they surrendered on the next play, leaving a receiver uncovered at the 10, made it 21-0. Third, they made a huge third-down stop in the fourth quarter only to negate it with a personal-foul penalty. That sustained Carrollton’s only scoring drive of the half and turned a 21-13 game into a 27-13 cushion.
• Ole Miss will be happy: Gainesville’s Kendrick Lewis had 192 yards on seven catches, helping the Red Elephants tighten their grip on first place in Region 7-AAA with a 45-3 thrashing of Chestatee. “He’s the 38th-ranked receiver in the country and has verbally committed to Ole Miss,” assistant coach John Thompson said.
Permalink | | Categories: 2005, Darryl Maxie
Through losses, biggest gains often realized
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This space is not another Dear Abby. But occasionally a perspective comes along that warrants airtime.
In this case, when Southwest DeKalb’s longtime coach Buck Godfrey speaks extensively, you listen and learn.
With his team off Friday, Godfrey took in the Lithonia-Morrow 0-for-the-season game at Panthersville Stadium. Coaches go into coaching to affect young lives and to win football games — hopefully in that order.
For a coach, helping a kid grow into a man is rewarding. Losing with them is gut-wrenching. So, how do you survive the reconstruction of a program mired in losses?
In twenty-two years at Southwest DeKalb, Godfrey never had to endure such “doldrums,” as he put it. But he did jump-start the Panthers’ program when he took over in 1983.
He looks at Kennedy Holt of Morrow and Warren Gooden Jr. of Lithonia and sees first-year coaches who have serious jobs ahead of them. A serious job, but not insurmountable.
“You have to start with building great attitudes, building great character, pushing them to good grades,” Godfrey said. “And you need great kickers [to manage field position].”
Holt took over at Morrow for moments like Friday night. Sensing a chance at victory, his team played with a consistent passion and commitment, producing a 20-7 triumph worth savoring. Even if it was against a team that has not won, the conquest was tantamount to knocking off a ranked opponent.
“Right now, one victory makes it easier to accept all the losses,” Holt said.
In rebuilding, there likely will be more losses to come. “Sometimes, the victories are not on the scoreboard,” Godfrey said. “The victories are definitely in the classroom and 10 years from now, when they are successful in life. That’s what this is all about.
“You can never lie to the kids. You have to be straight up with them about everything. As a coach, you have to work hard — come in early, stay late. They see that and take that same attitude, because you’re the leader. But it’s more important to work smart and with a purpose.”
Morrow led Forest Park by 13 points with seven minutes to play in the first game of the season and lost. No disrespect to Lithonia, but a defeat Friday would have been tough to take. “But not to the point of demoralizing,” Holt said.
His attitude is the one Godfrey proposes for success. “They still see that I have confidence in them,” Holt said. “I stay away from the negativity.”
“The biggest job is to change a whole attitude,” Godfrey said. “The base of that is by kicking some butt, but hugging them, too. Building camaraderie within the team. Once you get that attitude strictly about winning, you can turn things around.”
Godfrey remembers his first season 22 years ago. He kicked butt and hugged shoulders. He promoted education and growth as young men. And he won.
“It’s not an easy job they have,” Godfrey said. “But it can be done. It’s not about X’s and O’s. It’s about an attitude adjustment. Take the ‘us against the world’ mentality to build closeness.
And be patient. In the end, coaching kids and building character — although it’s hard to take when losing — is a worthwhile job.”
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: Curtis Bunn
Dacula will win title this year
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Playoff scenarios boggle the mind, especially when five teams are tied for second place, as they are in Region 7-AAAAA. Collins Hill, Norcross, North Gwinnett, Peachtree Ridge and South Forsyth all have 4-2 league records with three games remaining.
But instead of leading you through the “if” two-step — if this, then that — I’ll just tell you who’s going to be there (and who won’t) from 7-AAAAA once the playoffs begin Nov. 4.
• Dacula is the class of the region, will win the rest of its games, as well as the 7-AAAAA title and the top seeding that comes with it.
• Collins Hill, which started the season 1-3, will emerge as the second seed with a 3-0 finish. The Eagles will be 7-2 in the region.
• Norcross and North Gwinnett both will go 2-1 (with losses to Dacula) and finish 6-3 in the region. North wins the head-to-head tiebreaker for the No. 3 seeding.
• Peachtree Ridge and South Forsyth have the toughest roads. But the right win at the right time could influence the pecking order. Da Ridge has Norcross (this week) and Collins Hill still on its schedule, and South Forsyth has Norcross, North Gwinnett and Collins Hill.
None of the above considers what a colleague pointed out, that something funny is probably going to happen in a region that appears to be as balanced as 7-AAAAA. If that’s the case, please note that my margin for error is plus-or-minus 5, which gives me an out if I’m completely wrong. And at the very least, this column can serve as bulletin board material in a couple of locker rooms.
The picks:
Collins Hill at Northview
Eagles are playing well and should win convincingly.
• Pick: Collins Hill
Dacula at Duluth
This could get ugly in a hurry.
• Pick: Dacula
Mill Creek at Bremen
A game against Class A team, no matter how high it’s ranked is a no-win situation for Creeksters.
• Pick: Bremen
Norcross at Peachtree Ridge
Question is, can newbie Ridge win perhaps the biggest game in its school history? (answer below)
• Pick: Norcross
South Forsyth at North Gwinnett
Bulldogs shouldn’t need last-second heroics this week.
• Pick: North Gwinnett
Berkmar at Shiloh
This really is a big game for Berkmar, which looks to return to playoffs.
• Pick: Berkmar
Brookwood at Grayson
Brookwood looks destined to finish 10-0.
• Pick: Brookwood
South Gwinnett at Central Gwinnett
South is getting healthier so this is a dangerous matchup for Central. No upset, but Comets make a game of it.
• Pick: Central Gwinnett
Parkview at Meadowcreek
Tune-up game for Panthers’ showdown next week with Central Gwinnett.
• Pick: Parkview
Buford at Banks County
You think Buford gets bored beating the tar out of so many opponents?
• Pick: Buford
Lumpkin County at GAC
You think GAC gets bored beating the tar out of so many opponents (other than Buford)?
• Pick: Greater Atlanta Christian
East Hall at Wesleyan
Wesleyan needs to win at least one more to make playoffs.
• Pick: East Hall
SCOTT’S SCORECARD • Last week: 9-2 • Overall: 69-22-1 • Best take last week: “We all thought Collins Hill was too young and inexperienced to repeat playoff run. Upset Special.” Collins Hill beat Norcross in OT.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Gwinnett Picks
So close, they ought to be related
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Carrollton starts on page 40 of the Georgia High School Association directory. Cartersville starts on page 41.
That’s how close they are in the blue book; that’s how close they are in the Class AAA rankings, that’s how close they are in Region 6-AAA, and that’s how close they might be a week after Thanksgiving.
That’s how close they’ll be tonight, when they meet at Weinman Stadium in what very well could be a state championship preview, “could be�? being the operative words.
There’s the little matter of finishing the regular season, and four weeks of navigating the one-slip-up-and-you’re-history playoffs before it could happen. There likely will be a few strong objections raised by the Shaws, McNairs and Thomsons of the world along the way.
But the possibility is real.
They’re both 7-0, each having survived a scare in the past two weeks from teams they seem equipped to run over. Carrollton squeaked past Cedartown 7-3 two weeks ago. Cartersville got by Banneker 13-6 last week.
Carrollton has played every week in revenge-prevention mode, and Friday will be no different with the much-improved Cartersville team trying to avenge last year’s 21-9 defeat.
Last week was the first time Cartersville allowed anyone to break the 100-yard barrier, when Banneker’s Andrew Ramsey went for 128 — not a good omen with Michael Kirk coming to town.
But Kirk can be stymied — Cedartown proved as much, holding the Carrollton star to 81 yards, 3 yards a carry.
So who wins?
Cartersville, this time at home. But the real question very well could be what the film lessons from tonight’s game might produce down the road. You know, if there’s a higher-profile rematch.
East Coweta at Union Grove: A year ago, Union Grove couldn’t win a Region 4-AAAAA game. Now, Mike McDonald’s Wolverines play their final regular-season home game with a chance to take another step toward ensuring they get a playoff home game.
Four teams have one region loss, thanks to the Mundy’s Mill upset of Starr’s Mill last week. Starr’s Mill has beaten both East Coweta and Union Grove and holds tiebreaker advantages against each.
But if Starr’s Mill wins out, this game could mean the No. 2 spot — which carries with it a first-round game at home against Region 3-AAAAA’s No. 3 seed.
One thing is certain — neither should want any part of finishing fourth in the region, where they’d almost certainly have to visit Camden County. It says here Union Grove takes the next big step.
Campbell at Kennesaw Mountain: I had to throw this in here, just to see how Campbell plays when I make a point of predicting it to win, since I know this team can do the unprecedented when (ahem!) it’s picked to lose.
Friday’s winners:
Alexander
Aquinas
Bainbridge
Armuchee
Athens Academy
Bacon Co.
Banneker
Benedictine
Berkmar
Blessed Trinity
Bowdon
Bremen
Brooks Co.
Brookstone
Brookwood
Brunswick
Buford
Cairo
Calhoun
Calhoun Co.
Camden Co.
Campbell
Cartersville
Cedar Shoals
Central-Carroll
Cent. Gwinnett
Charlton Co.
Chattahoochee
Clarke Central
Clinch Co.
Coffee
Collins Hill
Columbia
Creekside
Cross Creek
Dacula
Dalton
Darlington
Decatur
Dooly Co.
Douglass
Dublin
Dunwoody
East Paulding
ELCA
Etowah
Fayette Co.
Fitzgerald
Flowery Branch
Franklin Co.
GAC
Gainesville
Glenn Hills
Gordon Central
Grady
Greenbrier
Greene Co.
Griffin
Groves
Hancock Central
Harris Co.
Harrison
Hart Co.
Heard Co.
HephIbah
Heritage
Irwin Co.
Jackson
Jefferson
Jefferson Co.
Johnson Co.
Laney
Lanier Co.
Lassiter
Loganville
Lovett
Lowndes
Macon Co.
Manchester
Marietta
Marist
Mays
McIntosh Co. Ac.
Metter
M.L. King
Morgan Co.
Mt. Zion-Carroll
Murray Co.
Newnan
Norcross
North Clayton
Northeast-Mac.
North Forsyth
Northgate
North Gwinnett
North Hall
Oconee Co.
Oglethorpe Co.
Pacelli Catholic
Parkview
Peach Co.
Pepperell
Pike Co.
Portal
Rabun Co.
Randolph-Clay
Riverdale
Rockmart
Rome
Roswell
Salem
Sandy Creek
Seminole Co.
Shaw
Social Circle
South Cobb
SE Bulloch
SE Whitfield
South Effingham
Southside
Statesboro
Stephens Co.
Stephenson
Stockbridge
Taylor Co.
Telfair Co.
Thomasville
Toombs Co.
Treutlen
Trion
Tucker
Union Grove
Upson-Lee
Valdosta
Vidalia
Walton
Ware Co.
Washington
Wash.-Wilkes
Wesleyan
West Hall
Westlake
Warren Co.
Washington Co.
West Laurens
Westside-Macon
Whitewater
Wilcox Co.
Windsor Forest
Woodstock
Woodward Acad.
Saturday’s winners:
Baldwin
Bradwell Inst.
McNair
Monroe
Mt. Zion-Jones.
Northside-WR
SW DeKalb
THE RECORD Last week: 124-31 (.800) Season: 843-273 (.755) Expulsions from Winless Protection Program: Three.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: 2005, Darryl Maxie
Power vs. finesse
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Blogging about football in the Big G.
Take a look at Gwinnett County football and you’ll see almost every type of offense:
Wing-T, spread formation, pro set, veer, option, the I, four- and five-wideout sets. More generally, you have teams that play smashmouth and those that air it out.
Of course everyone wants to excel at both. But in reality, teams are usually better at one than the other.
Which approach do you think will work better come playoff time?
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Former Wolf vows to not let mother down
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
When Mikey Henderson takes the field for the Georgia Bulldogs, he still looks for his mother. But Henderson does not have to scour the stands. He just peeps into his heart.
That’s where Louise Henderson, who died last spring, shall forever be.
“When I’m not on the field, it affects me in a sad way,” Henderson says. “On the field, I’m going to always work my hardest. You know how they say, ‘Character is what you do when nobody’s looking?’ Well that’s how I feel.
“Even though she is gone, I don’t want to let my mother down.”
Let all Dawgs faithful say amen to that.
Mikey Henderson has made bigger catches, including ones for touchdowns during his glory days as Buford marched to state supremacy. However, the one Henderson made Saturday at Tennessee, considering the circumstances, may have been the grandest grab of his football life.
Although scarcely noted in the next day’s coverage, Henderson proved a catalyst in a moment that set Georgia up to make a national championship run. When Henderson caught a Bulldogs punt and downed it at the Vols’ 1, he positioned Georgia to take command of the pivotal SEC contest.
The Dawgs’ defense, and Thomas Brown, would do just that. With Tennessee hemmed in and forced to punt from its end zone, Brown brought the kick back 54 yards for the game-turning score in Georgia’s 27-14 win.
All sparked by a little guy who could not quit.
“Compared to catching a TD in high school, that play really ranks way up there,” says the 5-foot-10, 154-pound Henderson. “But it’s not hard for me to get up for playing on special teams. Because I know I’m only going to get four or five reps to contribute and help my team.
“I want to show people that coming from little Buford High School — we can play ball, too. And being a little guy, I want people to believe in me.”
They certainly do in Buford.
A two-time all-state performer, Henderson helped the Wolves go 43-2 and earn three state title-game appearances, including championships in 2001 and 2002. He grabbed 15 TD passes during Buford’s title runs, returned three kicks for scores and intercepted three passes as a senior.
Little wonder the redshirt sophomore, who broke an ankle in 2004, says: “I wish I could go back and relive those times. I miss the life I had in Buford.”
Particularly the bond he shared with Louise Henderson, who adopted Mikey when he was 8 days old. “By the time I was in kindergarten, I knew everything about that. It didn’t change anything. She is my mother.”
A single parent who worked three jobs, Louise Henderson suffered a heart attack in May and died eight days later. She left Mikey, along with his sister, Kimberly Henderson, and grandmother, Carolyn Jackson, to relish her memory.
“She would sacrifice herself for me,” he says. “If money ever was an issue, she didn’t let me know about it. I see that now. That’s why I have to carry on. Her passing hasn’t left any [financial] void, just feelings and emotional ones.
“I’m really doing good. I wish things weren’t the way they are, but… . Perseverance, that’s a great virtue to have, and a necessity.”
That’s what Mikey Henderson’s mother taught him.
And it’s written upon his heart.
Crunch time
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Blogging about football in the Big G.
With three weeks to go, Region 7 is wide open.
Dacula looks like a playoff lock at 6-0, but after that it’s a free-for-all. Five teams are 4-2 and battling for three other postseason spots.
Let’s hear how you think it will all shake out.
Can Norcross regain its early dominance? Can Peachtree Ridge bounce back from that triple-overtime loss? Can Collins Hill ride the Rock (Robinson, that is) all the way to the playoffs? And can North Gwinnett keep up the late-game heroics?
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Meaningless game rarer than Sasquatch
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Went looking for a meaningless football game Friday night, and know what I found? A revelation that there is no such thing.
Just ask the small but hardy crowd that braved the elements and fought traffic — while burning $3 gas — to watch Meadowcreek play host to Shiloh.
You should throw out the records when these teams meet. And know what you’ll get? A spirited contest that kept the fans on their feet. Well, actually soaking-wet stands prevented most from sitting, but the view was still all good.
Which, considering the sources, was a welcome surprise.
The homestanding Mustangs entered the Region 8-AAAAA fray winless in their past 18 outings. The Generals, at 4-14 during that stretch, had fared slightly better. With the regular season in its final stages, you could have forgiven the kids for slacking through the rainy night.
No way. No such thing as a meaningless high school football game.
Which is why, more than an hour before kickoff, teachers were adding to their long, long day by selling tickets. The reason parents and supporters had the dogs going on the grills, and cheerleaders were adding paint to their faces.
And that is also why Mark Gainey, Meadowcreek Class of ‘87, and Chris King came walking through the rain while dodging puddles. Like Gainey, King also attended the ‘Creek on the day it opened in 1986.
“Being a new school in Gwinnett, it was an exciting time,” said King, the PA voice of the Mustangs. “I’m not sure what happened as far as the school’s reputation and the drop in participation.
“But [Athletic Director] Darlene Werhnyak is doing such a nice job to change things at Meadowcreek, I’m willing to do whatever it takes to help turn it around.”
Gainey, the school’s first student council president, said Meadowcreek has never been able to overcome its fractious beginning. It seems the kids drawn from Norcross and ones that came from Berkmar never jelled. So much so, Gainey’s graduating class — the school’s inaugural — has never had a reunion.
“We just never got along,” Gainey said.
Funny — disharmony, we’re told, is the problem at Shiloh.
Two years ago, with a charge into the playoffs, Shiloh seemed to have turned the proverbial corner. But after backsliding last season, this campaign has been one not to remember.
Unless, of course, you’re a high school football player.
Long on vigor and short on memory, kids are able to focus on the next game, putting the one last week, last month or last year into deep storage.
So they went at it, the Mustangs and Generals, trading field goals before Shiloh’s Eliot Anderson took a pass from Mikey Mixon and rambled 38 yards late in the first half for the go-ahead score. His was the night’s most exciting moment.
Until, that is, Meadowcreek’s small but mighty marching band performed. Their effort featured a little bit of Stevie Wonder and plenty of the Blue Diamond Dancers. You would have thought it was a Super Bowl halftime show.
When Shiloh celebrated the 17-3 victory, you would have thought they were world champions as well.
Lowndes on guard for suspicious moves
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
For all Lowndes knows, the guy who looks like he should be calling the plays on the Valdosta sideline Friday night might not really be Rick Darlington.
If the eyes don’t blink and the mouth doesn’t move, it just might be a cardboard cutout — while somewhere else down the sideline a guy in a fake beard, dark sunglasses and a trench coat tries to subtly send in the real plays.
Such is the reputation Darlington, the Valdosta coach, has acquired for trickery.
Chances are, there isn’t a rooskie that his Wildcats haven’t practiced. Nor do they have any conscience about springing it upon an unsuspecting opponent.
But this is Lowndes. Lowndes is not an unsuspecting opponent. Lowndes is the most suspecting opponent Valdosta has.
And when the teams meet in the Winnersville Classic Friday at its Concrete Palace, Lowndes will be on its guard for more than just the rooskies.
The Vikings know they can be beaten. Ware County stripped away any illusions about the defending Class AAAAA champions’ invincibility three weeks ago in a 28-7 lashing. The same Ware County that Valdosta beat the following week. Maybe that’s a good thing for Lowndes.
The road to the state championship goes through this game. Lowndes hasn’t won a championship in a season in which it failed to beat Valdosta. Valdosta hasn’t won a championship in a season when it failed to beat Lowndes since the rivalry began in 1968.
And once these two have settled their differences, the winner still is likely to have its hands full with Camden County or maybe even Brookwood.
But for Friday night, all that is a world away. There’s only one thing that will matter, and that’s defending its home turf. For Lowndes, that will be tricky enough, but the Vikings will do it.
McEachern at Campbell: McEachern has owned Campbell for as long as any of the players involved can remember. The aggregate score of the series during the seniors’ lifetimes is 550-125, McEachern. And now, they meet again Friday night. Every now and then, there’s a game where I know it’s time for a trend to be bucked and a flow to be gone against. Too bad it’s not this one. Coach Jim Dorsey’s McEachern boys win.
Northwest Whitfield at Dalton: Every now and then, there’s a game where ? wait a minute … I’ve already used the trend-bucking bit. And Northwest Whitfield did all the trend-bucking anybody needed last season when it surprised Dalton 38-35, ending a five-game losing streak in the series. Anyway, Dalton has other trends to be concerned about — 45 consecutive winning seasons, but three in a row that haven’t been good enough to earn a bid to the playoffs. Northwest Whitfield was part of the problem last season. It’ll be part of the solution Friday as the Catamounts solidify their hold on first place in Region 7-AAAA North, secure their 46th consecutive winning season and exact a little payback.
THE WEEKEND PREDICTIONS
FRIDAY
Winner-Loser
Baldwin-Greenbrier
Banks Co.-John Doe
Beach-John Doe
Bremen-Gordon Lee
Brooks Co.-Early Co.
Brookstone-John Doe
Brookwood-Cent. Gwinnett
Brunswick-Savannah
Buford-Wesleyan
Burke Co.-Benedictine
Cairo-John Doe
Calhoun-Armuchee
Calhoun Co.-Stewart Quitman
Callaway-Lamar Co.
Carrollton-Cass
Cartersville-Banneker
Cedar Grove-North Atlanta
Central-Carroll-Cedartown
Central-Macon-Carver, Columbus
Chamblee-Forsyth Central
Charlton Co.-Irwin Co.
Chattooga-Adairsville
Chestatee-North Hall
Clinch Co.-Lanier Co.
Columbus-Kendrick
Commerce-Social Circle
Cook-Berrien
Coosa-Rockmart
Creekside-McIntosh
Dacula-Chattahoochee
Dalton-NW Whitfield
Darlington-Model
Dawson Co.-East Hall
Decatur-Carver, Atlanta
Dooly Co.-Telfair Co.
Douglas Co.-Northgate
Douglass-Newton
Dunwoody-Blessed Trinity
Dutchtown-Trion
Eagle’s Landing-Henry Co.
East Coweta-Fayette Co.
ECI-Jenkins Co.
Effingham Co.-John Doe
ELCA-Whitefield Acad.
Elbert Co.-Hart Co.
Fitzgerald-Brantley Co.
Flowery Branch-Fannin Co.
Franklin Co.-Oconee Co.
GAC-Union Co.
Gainesville-Pickens
Gilmer-John Doe
Glenn Hills-Hephzibah
Glynn Acad.-Bradwell Institute
Gordon Central-Hiram
Grady-Walker
Grayson-Berkmar
Greenville-Manchester
Griffin-John Doe Groves-Windsor Forest
Habersham Cent.-Madison Co.
Haralson Co.-Chapel Hill
Harlem-Butler
Harrison-John Doe
Hawkinsville-Wheeler Co.
Heard Co.-John Doe
Houston Co.-Colquitt Co.
Jackson-Crawford Co.
Jefferson-John Doe
Jefferson Co.-Liberty Co.
Johnson Co.-Montgomery Co.
Kell-Pope
LaGrange-John Doe
Landmark Christian-John Doe
Laney-Putnam Co.
Lassiter-Wheeler
Lee Co.-Americus Sumter
Lincoln Co.-Hancock Central
Loganville-Clarke Central
Lowndes-Valdosta
Marietta-North Cobb
Marist-North Springs
Mary Persons-John Doe
McEachern-Campbell
McIntosh Co. Ac.-Calvary Day
Metter-Claxton
Mill Creek-North Oconee
M.L. King-Druid Hills
Monroe-John Doe
Monticello-John Doe
Morgan Co.-Westside, Augusta
Mt. Zion, Carrollton-John Doe
Murray Co.-Ringgold
Norcross-Collins Hill
North Clayton-SW DeKalb
North Forsyth-Etowah
Northside, WR-Westside, Macon
Northview-John Doe
Oglethorpe Co.-Tri-County
Parkview-South Gwinnett
Paulding Co.-John Doe
Peach Co.-Spalding
Peachtree Ridge-North Gwinnett
Pebblebrook-Kennesaw Mtn.
Pepperell-John Doe
Pirece Co.-Jeff Davis
Portal-John Doe
Randolph-Clay-Taylor Co.
Redan-Tri-Cities
Riverwood-Westminster
Rockdale Co.-John Doe
Rome-East Paulding
Roswell-Walton
Sandy Creek-Woodward Acad.
Sav. Country Day-Long Co.
Screven Co.-Sav. Christian
Sequoyah Cherokee
Shaw-Northside, Columbus
Shiloh-John Doe
South Cobb-John Doe
SE Bulloch-Tattnall Co.
SE Whitfield-Ridgeland
South Forsyth-John Doe
Starr’s Mill-Mundy’s Mill
Statesboro-Lakeside, Evans
Stephens Co.-Monroe Area
Stephenson-John Doe
Swainsboro-John Doe
Thomas Central-Bainbridge
Thomasville-Albany
Thomson-Richmond Acad.
Tift Co.-Coffee
Towers-Therrell
Tucker-St. Pius
Turner Co.-Pelham
Twiggs Co.-Treutlen
Upson-Lee-Stockbridge
Villa Rica-John Doe
Warren Co.-Aquinas
Washington Co.-Northeast, Macon
Wash.-Wilkes-Ga. Military
Wayne Co.-Jones Co.
Westlake-Clarkston
West Laurens-Bleckley Co.
White Co.-West Hall
Whitewater-Athens Academy
Wilcox Co.-Wilkinson Co.
Winder-Barrow-Apalachee
Woodstock-Milton
SATURDAY
Winner-Loser
Dougherty-Westover
Harris Co. Jordan
Mays-South Atlanta
McNair-Southside
Prince Ave. Chr.-Miller Grove
Union Grove-Lovejoy
Washington-Columbia
John Doe — winless teams (their true identities have been omitted for their protection)
• Last week: 127-31 (.804) • Season: 719-242 (.748)
• Expulsions from Winless Protection Program: Three.
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Buford and the big boys
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Blogging about football in the Big G.
If Central Gwinnett is the 10th best team in Class AAAAA (per AJC rankings), what does that say about Buford?
The Wolves play in little Class AA. Yet they took apart the Black Knights 43-21 a few weeks ago.
Since then, all Central has done is wipe out Grayson, Shiloh and Berkmar. So Central is obviously very good.
It’s no stretch to suggest Buford could finish third in Region 8-AAAAA, behind Brookwood and Parkview.
Is it time for Buford to move up to a more challenging level?
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Broncos won’t find betters in these parts
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
1. Can Brookwood possibly be beaten?
Certainly — by the Colts, or Southern Cal. But take the Broncos over the Packers, or Duke.
On a serious tip, nobody else in Gwinnett County is in the same league with this edition of the Brookwood Broncos. Central and Grayson may reside in the same region (8-AAAAA) with Brookwood, but neither the swift Black Knights nor humongous Rams possess enough speed, size and depth to corral the Broncos.
It’s grand, however, that we needn’t wait long to find out just how smart I am — or not. Central visits Brookwood on Friday.
As for Gwinnett’s other big-school league, Dacula’s spread-option attack continues to prove a difficult one to defend. But as the likely Region 7-AAAAA champions, the Falcons would land opposite the Broncos in the playoff bracket.
All of which means that Brookwood should ease its way to the state semifinals, where the real next season should begin. The Game of the Year, presumably, will come in the semifinals, against Camden County at the Dome.
Then and only then will the question be resolved.
Best bet to beat the Broncos? With a defense that can match their speed and also be stout enough to force Brookwood to throw. David Pittman is somewhat unknown as a passer, so nobody knows for sure how the Broncos will respond if forced to the air ito survive.
2. Can Parkview be fixed?
Jeff! Jeff! Come back, Jeff!
Sorry, Panther Nation, but Francoeur is otherwise occupied with the Major League Baseball playoffs. (By the way, it was truly grand that Jeff did not sit out the season’s final game to protect his .300 batting average.)
Maybe, though, Mr. Good Guy can swing by Cole Drive and give coach Cecil Flowe’s charges a pep talk. They certainly can use some inspiration.
Assuredly, Parkview is not shy on talent. But it seems the Panthers lack the ferociousness of focus that was a hallmark of past teams. Coaches like to talk about leadership, but that’s something that cannot be manufactured.
Sometimes it comes from players, other times from coaches. It is not without precedent, however, for motivation to come from outside the lines.
Jeff! Jeff! Come back, Jeff!
3. Are Cameron and Caleb really friends?
Don’t buy the hype.
As much as they tried to play nice in the newspapers, you won’t find Cameron Smith and Caleb King hanging out together at the Mall of Georgia.
With Brookwood threatening on its opening drive Friday, King was inserted on defense and slammed Smith on third-and-goal. Afterward, King barked at Smith, who responded in kind. Smith had the last word, though.
V-I-C-T-O-R-Y.
Next big thing
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Blogging about football in the Big G.
Brookwood-Parkview is over, but there are still plenty of huge games left before the playoffs.
I’ve come up with one showdown a week:
Central Gwinnett at Brookwood on Friday
Norcross at Peachtree Ridge Oct. 14
Greater Atlanta Christian at Buford Oct. 21
Dacula at Norcross Oct. 28
Which do you think is the best matchup, and why?
Permalink | Comments (20) | Categories: Gwinnett Grid
