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September 2007
Gwinnett Mid-Season Awards, Predictions
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Gwinnett Mid-Season Awards
Coach of the Half-Year — Berkmar’s Wendell Early Pretty good too: Mill Creek’s Shannon Jarvis, Buford’s Jess Simpson, North Gwinnett’s Bob Sphire.
Offensive Player of the Half-Year — Brookwood RB Kenny Miles. Pretty good too: Norcross WR Brice Butler. North Gwinnett QB Mikey Tamburo, Berkmar QB T.J. Smith
Defensive Player of the Half-Year — North Gwinnett DB Marquese Quiles Pretty good too: Grayson LB Triston Strong, Peachtree Ridge DB Derrick Bryant
Biggest Upset So Far— South Gwinnett over Parkview
Biggest Disappointment So Far — Collins Hill
Gwinnett Mid-Season Predictions
Who’d I take in a Gwinnett-only Playoff — Norcross
The region champs will be …
7-AAAAA — Norcross
8-AAAAA — Grayson
8-AAAA — Habersham Central
6-AA — Buford
Who am I missing? What did I screw up? Give me your thoughts
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The next No. 1 is…
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
… well? It’s up for grabs in Class AAAAA. YOU make the call.
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The games that really matter
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
So I was in this dive bar in Marietta Tuesday, when I came across the most profound bathroom scribble.
“All that matters is Fleetwood Mac.”
Actually, the Doors, Stones, Zeppelin and Hendrix matter more, but that’s a whole other blog.
All that seems to matter tonight in Gwinnett is No. 1 Norcross’ visit to Peachtree Ridge.
When, in actuality, Central Gwinnett at Berkmar and South Forsyth at Mill Creek matter more and will be closer games.
No matter who wins or loses the Norcross-Ridge game (I like the Devils by two touchdowns), both teams are headed to the playoffs. But the losers of the other aforementioned games are in big trouble.
Basically, Central-Berkmar and South-Mill Creek are de facto playoff games. So instead of indulging you with more stuff about Norcross’ receivers verse Peachtree Ridge’s secondary, I’m going to break down the two games in Gwinnett that matter almost as much as Fleetwood Mac.
Central Gwinnett at Berkmar
What it means: Figuring Grayson, Brookwood and Parkview are locks to make the playoffs, the winner of this one will grab a hold of the fourth seed out of Region 8.
Key Stat: Central is 20-4 all-time against Berkmar and has won 14 of the last 15. Opponents are rushing for just 2.4 yards per attempt against the Patriots.
Star Power: Berkmar — QB T.J. Smith (666 passing yards, 6 TDs), WR Isaiah Jupiter (323 yards, 4 TDs, 29.4 yards per catch) Central — QB Devan Strickland (348 passing yards, 2 TDS), RB Diante Drake (7.63 yards per carry, 2 TDs)
Prediction: Berkmar appears to have more firepower, but the Patriots are always a little light up front. That’s not a good thing, when facing Central’s 375-pound nose tackle Dewayne Cherrington. Plus, Berkmar’s kicking game is suspect. Coach Wendell Early has gone for two seven times this year, converting three times. Central 28, Berkmar 26
South Forsyth at Mill Creek
What it means: The winner is not quite guaranteed the fourth spot out of Region 7, but they’ll definitely be in the driver’s seat.
Key Stat: South’s top two running backs are expected to be out; Mill Creek has equaled its win total from last year and could be headed for the first playoff appearance in the school’s four-year playing history. South won last year’s meeting 24-12.
Star Power: Mill Creek — WR Ed Russ (143 yards, 4 TDs), QB Zach Landis (485 yards, 5 TDs) South Forsyth — QB Brian Adams (no stats available)
Prediction: Tough call here. Haven’t seen either team live, but do know that South QB Adams is 6-5 and can beat you with his arm or legs. I’m not sure I’m ready to jump on the Mill Creek bandwagon just yet. South 14, Mill Creek 10.
FANTASY FOOTBALL DORK-OFF WEEK 5
Last week, Karl Werl of 680 The Fan fame took down the Kurt Dynasty in thrilling fashion. Werl returns to defend his title this week.
Season Scoreboard
Gwinnett 3, State 1
Kurt 3, Readers 1, DP 0
WEEK 5 CONTESTANTS
DP’s Dandies
QB —- Twoey Hosch, Buford
RB —- Diante Drake, Central Gwinnett
RB —- Tyler Jarry, North Gwinnett
WR —- Brice Butler, Norcross
WR —- Ed Russ, Mill Creek
Defense —- Brookwood
The Former Kurt Dynasty (Aschermann)
QB —- T.J. Smith, Berkmar
RBs —- Brandon Jacobs, Parkview
RB —- Demetris Murray, Buford
WR —- Devonta Bolton, Norcross
WR —- Isaiah Jupiter, Berkmar
Defense —- Grayson
Karl Werl’s Wrecking Crew
QB - Mikey Tamburo, North Gwinnett
RB - Kenny Miles, Brookwood
RB - Tauren Poole, Stephens Co.
WR - Alfonzo Dennard, Wilcox Co.
WR - Jarmon Fortson, Caver-Columbus
Defense - LaGrange
Want to prove yourself worthy of taking on staff writers David Purdum and Kurt Aschermann in a game of high school fantasy football?
Post your team —- 1 QB, 2 RBs, 2 WR, 1 defensive team —- on Purdum’s blog on ajc.com/sports/content/sports/highschool before 2 p.m. Thursday. (Look for the cool-looking bald guy on the left side of the page to find the blog.)
Feel free to e-mail your team to dpurdum@ajc.com or kaschermann@ajc.com as well.
You can use any combination of players from across the state, while Aschermann and Purdum will use only Gwinnett County players. Because, as everyone knows, Gwinnett plays the best brand of football.
One reader-submitted team will be selected each week based on the creativity of the team name. That selected team will be posted on Friday’s blog and in the Gwinnett News, along with Aschermann’s and Purdum’s teams.
If that reader’s team outscores both of the writers’ teams, they will receive a special prize from the wardrobe of Aschermann and Purdum.
Results will be posted on Tuesday’s blog.
Permalink | Comments (3) | Post your comment | Categories: David Purdum
Changing of the guard at hand?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Norcross playing Peachtree Ridge must be a little bit what it’s like when the president-elect and the lame-duck sitting president pass each other somewhere in the corridors of the White House.
You’ve got the guy picked to become the rising chief executive and the guy who usually isn’t ready to let go of the power. And here we have Norcross, the newly anointed No. 1 in Class AAAAA, taking the same field as Peachtree Ridge, a defending co-champion. One on the rise, one on the way out.
Theoretically, yes, there’s time to reverse the election. Theoretically, Peachtree Ridge isn’t necessarily on the way out. Theoretically, there’s still time for the Lions to mount a grass-roots campaign and earn another term.
But the purpose here is much like it is on election night. On the map of high school football games, certain teams are red and certain ones are blue. And after tonight, with none of the precincts in yet, our exit polls are declaring that Peachtree Ridge will be blue.
The Lions likely will match up better with Norcross than Grayson did. Once run-oriented Grayson fell behind Norcross, in a 24-3 loss two weeks ago, it was readily apparent the Rams didn’t have the quick-strike ability to mount a serious comeback. The Lions are better equipped for that.
But, still, coming back is likely the problem they will face against a team that’s playing solid defense and has the lightning quick-strike ability to put its opponents in a hole. Norcross will hold on to the top spot and take another step toward transitioning from Peachtree Ridge’s reign.
• Harrison at Marietta: The meat portion of Marietta’s schedule commences tonight when the Blue Devils play host to Harrison. It could well be one of the best games anywhere in the state, and certainly in Cobb County.
North Cobb might be the best team in the county right now, but a penalty-prone Harrison came up only one point shy of the Warriors two weeks ago. When Bruce Cobleigh’s Hoyas are playing their game, they can go into hostile territory — like they did to open the season at Lowndes — and come away with a victory. Northcutt Stadium will be hostile territory again tonight, but the Hoyas should be able to hold on against a team that has yet to play anybody as good as Harrison.
• Roswell at Wheeler: Last year, all it took to get Roswell focused and on its way to a share of the Class AAAAA championship was an upset loss and a timeout from the No. 1 ranking. The Hornets find themselves in that position again, with a twist.
They play Wheeler, the team that knocked them down last season and one which is trying to prove they can knock them down again. Roswell hasn’t lost consecutive games in three seasons and with all the motivation they need, the Hornets won’t start now.
THE WEEKEND PREDICTIONS
FRIDAY
Winner / Loser
Adairsville / Trion
Alpharetta / Pope
Americus-Sumter / Crisp Co.
Appling Co. / Long Co.
Athens Christian / Glascock Co.
Bacon Co. / Pelham
Baldwin / Stockbridge
Benedictine / Butler
Bowdon / Heard Co.
Bradwell Institute / Beach
Brantley Co. / Jeff Davis
Bremen / Landmark Chr.
Brooks Co. / Albany
Brookwood / Shiloh
Brunswick / Wayne Co.
Buford / GAC
Callaway / Rutland
Camden Co. / Groves
Carrollton / Haralson Co.
Cartersville / Cass
Carver-Atlanta / South Atlanta
Cedar Grove / Lakeside-DeKalb
Cedar Shoals / Heritage
Cedartown / Central-Carroll
Centennial / Kell
Central Gwinnett / Berkmar
Central-Macon / Jackson
Chamblee / Blessed Trinity
Charlton Co. / Pierce Co.
Chattahoochee / Sprayberry
Cherokee / Alexander
Clarke Central / Madison Co.
Claxton / Calvary Day
Clinch Co. / Lanier Co.
Coffee / Lowndes
Cook / Randolph-Clay
Crawford Co. / Pike Co.
Creekside / Woodward Acad.
Creekview / North Oconee
Dacula / Jackson Co.
Dalton / S.E. Whitfield
Darlington / Temple
Decatur / Cross Keys
Dooly Co. / Montgomery Co.
Douglas Co. / Osborne
Dublin / East Laurens
Early Co. / Mitchell Co.
East Coweta / Paulding Co.
East Paulding / Pebblebrook
ECI / Jenkins Co.
ELCA / Social Circle
Etowah / Campbell
Evans / Effingham Co.
Fannin Co. / Oglethorpe Co.
Fayette Co. / Northgate
Fitzgerald / Dodge Co.
Flowery Branch / Chestatee
Forsyth Central / Duluth
Glenn Hills / Burke Co.
Grady / Dunwoody
Grayson / Meadowcreek
Greenbrier / Richmond Acad.
Greene Co. / Rabun Co.
Greenville / Stewart-Quitman
Griffin / North Clayton
Habersham Cent. / Winder-Barrow
Hancock Central / Monticello
Harrison / Marietta
Hart Co. / Elbert Co.
Hawkinsville / Johnson Co.
Hillgrove / East Jackson
Hiram / Morrow
Holy Innocents’ / Walker
Irwin Co. / Telfair Co.
Jefferson / Mt. Pisgah Chr.
Josey / Metter
Kendrick / Spencer
LaGrange / Hardaway
Laney / Swainsboro
Lassiter / Milton
Liberty Co. / Harlem
Lincoln Co. / Aquinas
Lovejoy / Jonesboro
Macon Co. / Lamar Co.
Manchester / Marion Co.
Marist / North Springs
Mary Persons / Southwest-Mac.
Mays / Columbia
Mill Creek / South Forsyth
M.L. King / Union Grove
Morgan Co. / Union Co.
Norcross / Peachtree Ridge
North Cobb / Kennesaw Mtn.
North Gwinnett / Collins Hill
Northeast-Macon / Ola
North Hall / Gainesville
Northwest Whitfield / Lakeview-Ft. Ogle.
Oconee Co. / Franklin Co.
Our Lady of Mercy / Mt. Zion-Carroll
Pacelli Catholic / Chattahoochee Co.
Parkview / South Gwinnett
Peach Co. / Spalding
Pepperell / Model
Perry / Henry Co.
Pickens / East Hall
Prince Ave. Chr. / Towns Co.
Putnam Co. / Dawson Co.
Ridgeland / LaFayette
Ringgold / Gordon Lee
Riverwood / Druid Hills
Rockdale Co. / Alcovy
Rome / Gordon Central
Roswell / Wheeler
Salem / Eastside
Savannah Christian / McIntosh Co. Ac.
Sav, Cntry Day / Bryan Co.
Schley Co. / Central-Talbotton
Seminole Co. / Miller Co.
Sequoyah / Chapel Hill
South Cobb / Murray Co.
South Effingham / Cross Creek
South Paulding / Woodland-Stock.
Southside / Therrell
Starr’s Mill / Banneker
Statesboro / Lakeside-Evans
St. Pius / Washington
Stephens Co. / Apalachee
Stone Mountain / Miller Grove
Terrell Co. / Calhoun Co.
Thomas Co. Cent. / Monroe
Thomasville / Berrien
Thomson / Hephzibah
Toombs Co. / Tattnall Co.
Towers / Clarkston
Tucker / S.W. DeKalb
Turner Co. / Treutlen
Upson-Lee / Jones Co.
Valdosta / Colquitt Co.
Vidalia / Bleckley Co.
Villa Rica / Sandy Creek
Walton / Northview
Ware Co. / Glynn Academy
Warner Robins / Houston Co.
Warren Co. / Twiggs Co.
Washington Co. / Richmond Hill
Washington-Wilkes / Banks Co.
West Hall / Gilmer
West Laurens / Eagle’s Landing
Wesleyan / Lovett
Westminster / North Atlanta
Westover / Taylor Co.
Westside-Augusta / S.E. Bulloch
White Co. / Johnson-Gaines.
Whitewater / Westlake
Wilcox Co. / Wheeler Co.
Wilkinson Co. / Ga. Military Coll.
Windsor Forest / Johnson-Sav.
Woodland-Cart. / Lithia Springs
Woodstock / McEachern
SATURDAY
Athens Academy / Fellowship Chr.
Calhoun / Commerce
Carver-Columbus / Columbus
Douglass / Lithonia
Jenkins / Savannah
Mundy’s Mill / Tri-Cities
Redan / Newton
Riverdale / Mt. Zion-Jones.
Shaw / Jordan
Stephenson / Luella
* — Games against out-of-state teams have been omitted
Permalink | Comments (39) | Post your comment | Categories: Darryl Maxie
Mercy math: Two could equal five
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
When you’re a struggling program, you take your hope wherever you can find it. So it is with Our Lady of Mercy. Before the season, Bryan Pinabell sat down with his players and talked about setting goals. “We want to win five games,” they told him.
Of course, everyone wants to win at least five. Win five, and you’re not a loser any more, unless you make the playoffs and lose your first game. The Bobcats had not won more than two in any of their five full varsity seasons, and before they can get to five, clearly they have to get to two. Friday’s home game against Mt. Zion-Carrollton, then, presents a golden opportunity.
The Eagles have been outscored 166-30 in four games, while Mercy is coming off the best offensive performance in school history, a 35-24 victory against Towns County in which they set school marks for points, total yards and individual rushing yards (Christian Willis broke free for 294). Says here: Bobcats experience a streak.
Moving on …
While we’re on the subject of facing struggling teams, I give you Fayette County, which come Friday night will likely be 5-0 for the first time since 1981. The Tigers take on a Northgate team that won its opener against Central-Carrollton and has not scored since; Fayette has allowed just 7.3 points per game. I’m thinking Northgate will not have an answer for Brandon Boykin and Matt Daniels, who combined for 316 rushing yards and three touchdowns last week in their win over Woodward Academy …
AT THE NET
Whitewater’s volleyball team got nine kills from Brittany Woods and five digs each from Charmaine Kehoe and Casey Howett in a pair of sweeps against Fayette County and Lovejoy, improving to 18-6 overall and 6-2 in area play …
FOOTBALL GAME OF THE WEEK
Whitewater at Westlake — 7:30 p.m. Friday
RECORDS: Whitewater (2-2, 1-1 Region 2-AAAA); Westlake (3-1, 1-1)
COACHES: Whitewater, Amos McCreary (98-47); Westlake, Dallas Allen (108-62).
PLAYERS TO WATCH: Whitewater — FB Collin Wooddy (Sr., 6-1.210), CB Chris Asbury (Sr., 5-9, 175), DE Thomas Richard (Jr., 6-1, 200).
LAST YEAR: Whitewater won, 17-14.
LAST WEEK: Whitewater beat Creekside 10-7; Westlake lost to Starr’s Mill 16-7.
THE SKINNY: In a game that figures to play a pivotal role in the Region 2-AAAA race, the Wildcats look to capitalize on the momentum gained from beating defending region champ Creekside. The Wildcats have struggled on offense to this point, but they have been within a touchdown every week. Last week they scored their first offensive touchdown, and a little improvement might be worth a lot with a defense that is allowing just 12 points per game. Westlake, meanwhile, opened 3-0 before losing to Starr’s Mill last week. The loser will have two early region losses and sit behind the playoff eight ball.
PREDICTION: Whitewater, 15-14.
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Sorry, Raiders, but you’re IT
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jamie Reed called last Friday night and expressed frustration. The Riverdale football coach, it seems, felt that on some level I had either jinxed his club or just provided extra motivation for North Clayton, which took a 47-28 win over the Raiders.
All this because I’d had the temerity to pick the Raiders over the Eagles. I guess he had a point. Anyhow, Reed asked that I not pick them again, which brings us to this week’s game against Mt. Zion Saturday night at Tara Stadium.
As much as I would love to oblige him — as far as I can tell, he’s a stand-up guy — I look at Mt. Zion (coached by another stand-up guy in Jarrett Laws, and I’m not talking about comedy) and see a team that has floundered on offense despite having one of the state’s top running backs — Martin Ward. Ward’s gonna get his yards, but he won’t get enough to offset the Raiders’ multiple offensive weapons.
Moving on …
Upset special, just because the loser will be highly upset: A coin flip tells me Lovejoy will top Jonesboro. The Wildcats, who have found the sledding more bumpy than expected — let’s just say 0-4 was seriously unforeseen — will have enough weapons to finally break through …
FOOTBALL GAME OF THE WEEK
Griffin at North Clayton — 7:30 p.m. Friday, Twelve Oaks Stadium
RECORDS: Griffin 3-1 (1-0 Region 4-AAAA Division A); North Clayton 3-1 (2-0).
COACHES: Griffin, Steve Devoursney (56-22) North Clayton, Don Shockley (80-62-1).
PLAYERS TO WATCH: Griffin — DE Toby Jackson (Sr., 6-4, 245); North Clayton — DB Edward Ndem (Sr., 6-1, 190), DT Albert Carlisle (Jr., 6-0, 245), WR Daamon Cooper (Sr., 5-10, 160).
LAST YEAR: Griffin won, 36-6.
LAST WEEK: North Clayton beat Riverdale 47-28; Griffin beat Forest Park 42-17.
THE SKINNY: Both of these teams got well last week after losing two weeks ago, and the winner of this game will have the inside track to the top spot in 4-AAAA Division A. The Eagles showed some advancing maturity in their win over Riverdale, jumping to a big lead, withstanding the Raiders’ comeback attempt and pulling away late. Griffin, though, is one of the state’s elite programs, and after tripping up at Upson-Lee, the Bears appear to be back on track.
PREDICTION: Griffin, 24-14.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment | Categories: Clayton
Dog days hound Dutchtown
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
One really has to feel for the Dutchtown Bulldogs. They’ve scored 98 points in three games (compared with 87 all of last year), but they’re 1-2 because they’ve allowed 95 in losing their last two.
Which doesn’t bode well with the rest of their schedule: No. 1-ranked Northside-Warner Robins this week, followed by Upson-Lee, No. 2 Thomas County Central and No. 5 Westside-Macon. They close their season with No. 6 Baldwin.
All of those games except Westside are on the road. Everyone else in Region 4-AAAA Division B also has that murderer’s row of a region schedule, but when you add Thomas Central — owner of five state championships since 1992 — that takes Dutchtown to the so-called next level.
Moving on …
Eagle’s Landing Christian may have snuck up on Social Circle and Bremen (its next two opponents) last year, but the Chargers, who have twice scored 50 points in their first three games, aren’t likely to do so again. The Social Circle game Friday is ELCA’s first game at home, where it will play five of its last seven contests.
Check your defenses at the gate, boys: Henry County enters Friday’s game at Perry having scored 12 points in three games. Perry has scored 91. Says here that this’un will be a shootout. If the Warhawks can shore up their special teams, they have an excellent chance …
FOOTBALL GAME OF THE WEEK
Stockbridge at No. 6 Baldwin — 7:30 p.m. Friday, Milledgeville
RECORDS: Stockbridge 4-0 (1-0 Region 4-AAAA Division B), Baldwin 2-0 (0-0).
COACHES: Stockbridge, Steve Collins (11-13); Baldwin, Jesse Hicks (43-18).
PLAYERS TO WATCH: Stockbridge — QB Tyler Bass (Sr., 6-3, 205), OL Randy Salmon (Sr., 6-3, 290), WR/LB Vance King (Sr., 6-1, 195); Baldwin — RB Jerrico Ford; QB Wayne Williams, OL Jason Peacock, OL Jerome Saulsbury.
LAST YEAR: Baldwin won, 42-21.
LAST WEEK: Stockbridge beat Dutchtown 49-27; Baldwin’s game at Laney was suspended due to weather and will not be completed.
THE SKINNY: The Tigers have been driving bumper cars on a veritable closed course so far, now merge onto I-285 at rush hour. The Braves have won 10 games in back-to-back seasons and have made four playoff appearances in the past five years. They lost dynamic RB Darius Marshall from last year, but they still have Ford running behind Saulsbury and Peacock, both of whom top 300 pounds. Stockbridge has scored 150 points over the first four games, but Baldwin has allowed 17 in two games plus less than a half in the suspended game. The key will be the Stockbridge defense, which has two shutouts but allowed 55 points in its other two games.
PREDICTION: Baldwin, 31-28.
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Games on kickers’ shoulders… er, legs
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The specialists
Adam Schreiner of Walton proved last week that kickers can win big games. His 58-yarder was the difference in a 13-10 upset of then-No. 1 Roswell. Schreiner has made four of six field goals and kicked five touchbacks on eight kickoffs. Here are five more kickers who can make a difference:
— Jim Broadway, Roswell: Broadway has made 16 of 22 field goals in his career, the longest 45 yards, which he has made three times. He has put 17 of 22 kickoffs in the end zone this season. South Florida and Middle Tennessee State are recruiting him.
— Bryan Gates, East Coweta: Gates has made field goals of 46, 47 and 48 yards, two of them on the final play of a half. He has made 51 of his last 53 extra-point attempts. Also a split end, Gates has sub-4.6 speed in the 40.
— Jack Hall, Lovett: Hall has played only two games due to hand surgery, and his team has yet to attempt a field goal, but he’s being recruited by Indiana, Michigan, Illinois and Alabama. He has put eight of nine kickoffs in the end zone and made all six of his extra points.
— Sam Martin, Starr’s Mill: Coach Mike Earwood got Martin from the soccer team and calls him “a great surprise.” He’s 4-of-7 on field goals and “can hit from 50 easily,” Earwood said. All of his kickoffs from the 40 have been touchbacks except two, one a squib, the other that landed at the 1.
— Chris Philpott, St. Pius: Philpott’s kickoffs are almost automatic touchbacks — 21 out of 23. He has attempted one field goal, good from 51 yards against Columbia. He’s 17-of-17 on extra points. Georgia Tech, Louisville and Wake Forest are interested.
Unbeaten, untied, untested
Several metro teams are undefeated and highly regarded, yet unproved due to a weak schedule. Here’s a look at five with something to prove:
Blessed Trinity (3-0)
Opponents’ combined record: 1-11
The Titans haven’t allowed a point, but they’ve faced winless Clarkston and Therrell, which have scored 14 total points in eight losses. Perhaps they’ll show they are a serious contender when they play …
Chamblee (3-0)
Opponents’ combined record: 2-10
Friday night’s game at Blessed Trinity should give a clear answer on how much the Bulldogs are going to miss Roddy Jones, the all-state running back who went to Georgia Tech.
East Paulding (3-0)
Opponents’ combined record: 2-10
East Paulding graduated the core of its Class AAAA final four team and wasn’t ranked until this week, at No. 8. A one-point victory against Paulding County, which has lost 10 straight, is ominous. Friday’s game at 5-AAAA champion Pebblebrook will tell us something.
Greater Atlanta Christian (4-0)
Opponents’ combined record: 3-12
GAC’s most recent opponents — Walker and Cross Keys — are 0-4, so it’s tough to gauge the Spartans despite their average of 10 victories per season this decade. GAC plays Friday at Buford, No. 1 in AA.
M.L. King (4-0)
Opponents’ combined record: 2-13
Three of MLK’s opponents are winless, and the Lions struggled against Redan, which is only 2-2. Impressive victories against Union Grove and Douglass the next two weeks could justify MLK’s top-10 ranking.
Did you know?
Worth County honored Milt Miller last week by the naming its field after the former coach who won a state title at the Sylvester school in 1987. Miller also won a title at Lowndes in 1999. Twelve other coaches have won championships at two schools. They are Charlie Brake, Gene Brodie, Buzz Busby, Wayman Creel, Jeff Herron, Dwight Hochstetler, Mike Hodges, Jim Hughes, Ralph Jones, Ray Lamb, Jerry Sharp and Charlie Winslette.
By the numbers
5 - The Tucker school record for consecutive shutouts, set in 1989. Tucker has shut out its first four opponents in 2007.
19 - Georgia teams with losing steaks of more than 10 games. Meadowcreek’s is the longest at 35.
28 - Years since North Cobb had been ranked in the top five. The Warriors are No. 4 this week in Class AAAAA.
E-mail football information to Todd Holcomb
Permalink | Comments (7) | Post your comment | Categories: Football Report
Gwinnett Power Rankings; Fantasy FB Results: The Kurt Dynasty falls
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Norcross — Offense, offense, offense … that’s all you hear about the Blue Devils. But they’re allowing less than six points a game to boot.
Grayson — Next serious test comes on Oct. 12 at Parkview.
North Gwinnett — QB Tamburo proving to be more than just a system guy.
Buford — Duluth-transfer Hunt starting to earn carries.
Parkview — Panthers starting to look more like contenders than pretenders.
Brookwood — Don’t expect the Broncos to stumble again before closing three-game stretch against Grayson, Central Gwinnett and Parkview.
Peachtree Ridge — Lions’ D-I DBs vs. Norcross’ D-I WRs … what’s not to like?
Central Gwinnett — Beat Berkmar and the Black Knights are headed to the playoffs.
Berkmar — Beat Central and Patriots are headed to the playoffs.
Mill Creek — Can’t afford to slip up against Forsyth schools.
Collins Hill — What’s going on in Eagle Land?
Dacula — Need some sort of passing game to develop quickly.
South Gwinnett — Don’t be surprised if Comets hang with Parkview.
Greater Atlanta Christian — With Lovett and Wesleyan looming, Spartans can’t afford to get too banged-up against Buford.
Shiloh — Generals defense has been respectable.
Wesleyan — Actually gained respect in 49-6 loss to Buford.
Duluth — Have lost four of five to Forsyth Central.
Meadowcreek — Mustangs need to ignore the scoreboard from here on out; concentrate on improving in each game.
Fantasy Football Results
The Kurt Dynasty has crumbled at the hands of 680 the Fan’s Karl Werl.
Karl couldn’t be here with us today, so I’m going to accept this award on his behalf.
Karl would like everyone to know that he, much like Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy, is a man and invites you to come after him.
If you want to take on AJC dorks Kurt Aschermann and David Purdum in a rousing game of high school fantasy football, simply post your team— 1 QB, 2 RBs, 2 WR, 1 Defense—on the blog before 2 p.m., Thursday. Feel free to email your team to dpurdum@ajc.com or kaschermann@@ajc.com as well.
You can use any combination of players from across the state, while Kurt and DP will use only Gwinnett County players.
One reader-submitted team will be selected each week based on the creativity of their team’s name. That selected team will be posted on Friday’s blog (and in the Gwinnett News), along with Kurt and DP’s.
If that reader’s team outscores both Kurt and DP, they will receive a special prize from the closet of Kurt or DP.
Week 4 Fantasy Football Dork-Off Results
Karl Werl’s Wrecking Crew — 87
The Kurt Dynasty — 84
DP’s Dandies — 58
Season Scoreboard
Gwinnett 3, State 1
Kurt 3, Readers 1, DP 0
Karl Werl’s Wrecking Crew — 87
QB Dustin Taliaferro, Roswell — 6 (92 yards, 1 TD)
RB - Brandon Davis, Peachtree Ridge — 0 (-1 yards, 0 TDs)
RB - Reuben Haynes, Commerce — 39 (234 yards, 4 TDs)
WR - Brice Butler, Norcross — 18 (75 yards, 2 TDs)
WR - Tavarres King, Habersham Central — 24 (182 yards, 2 TDs)
Def - Tucker — 0 (points allowed to St. Pius)
The Kurt Dynasty — 84
QB - Mikey Tamburo, North Gwinnett — 27 (209 yards, 3 TDs)
RB - Demetris Murray, Buford — 12 (58 yards, 1 TD
RB - Cisco Barry, Dacula — 12 (82 yards, 1 TD)
WR - Devonta Bolton, Norcross — 12 (18 yards, 2 TDs)
WR - Christian Robinson, Greater Atlanta Christian — 24 (74 yards, 3 TDs)
Def - Peachtree Ridge — 3 (points allowed against South Forsyth)
DP’s Dandies — 58
QB Nick Sorel, Norcross — 18 (98, 3 TDs)
RB D.J. Adams, Norcross — 12 (80 yards, 1 TD)
RB Brandon Jacobs, Parkview — 15 (152, 1 TD)
WR Brice Butler, Norcross — 18 (75 yards, 2 TDs)
WR Cordero Dixon, North Gwinnett — 0 (23 yards, 0TD
Def Greater Atlanta Christian — -8 (points allowed to Cross Keys)
Scoring System
(Note: Due to limited stats, QBs/WRs do not receive points for rushing yards; RBs no points for receiving yards)
Passing
100-200 yards - 6
200-300 yards - 9
More than 300 - 15
Rushing/Receiving
50-99 yards - 6
100-150 - 9
151-199 - 12
More than 200 - 15
Rushing/Receiving/Passing TDs - 6
Defense: Every point the opposing team scores is subtracted from your total.
Results will be posted on Tuesday’s blog and in Friday’s edition of the Gwinnett News.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment | Categories: David Purdum
Take 10: Best-EVER historic team names
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Don’t know if you’ve noticed, but the nicknames that our schools have been giving themselves are getting so lame that’s it’s become a state embarrassment.
Among the 32 public high schools that opened in this decade, only two were clever enough to conjure up a nickname that wasn’t already taken. Hats off to the Sonoraville Phoenix and the Creekview Grizzlies. Three new schools - Union Grove, Miller Grove and West Forsyth - are Wolverines. Do we have wolverines in Georgia? * I don’t get it.
Three more new schools are the Lions - MLK, Peachtree Ridge and Luella. We can’t all be Lions. They should have a playoff for it. Mundy’s Mill and Alcovy decided to be Tigers - like 19 other teams in Georgia. Are we still teaching imagination in the 21st Century? In my day, we didn’t borrow nicknames. We chose something you’d never heard about and were left very scared or just shaking your head. And we liked it.
Here are the best 11 nicknames in Georgia history, all belonging to schools that have closed but should be held up as models. Why 11? If you have to ask, your team’s nickname is probably the Eagles.
11: Ocilla Orphans — There was a time when children were so mean in Ocilla that their parents abandoned them out of fear, thus the name Orphans. You didn’t risk bringing up the subject when you played them. They were not ashamed of it, but they played with a chip on their shoulders, and you didn’t provoke them. The name Orphans had to be given up because it was offensive and politically incorrect. So now, Ocilla’s predecessor school, Irwin County, is called the Indians.
10: Commercial Typists — This Atlanta school that closed in 1947 had the greatest sand-bagging nickname in history. Typists? Yep, and you better believe they could type. They’d kick butt and take names on a typewriter at 82 words per minute. But let’s not kid anybody. Commercial had terrible football teams. But the Typists were proud of what they could do. If you’ve seen how these kids act when they score touchdowns, you know the lack of pretension is a lost art in high school football today.
9: Sparta Saints — Sparta, a school for whites in Hancock County before desegregation, was in Sanderville’s region for many years, and it was Sparta’s only recourse to have a nickname that could contend with the dreaded Satans. Those Satans-vs.-Saints matchups were battles for eternity in those days. Today, Cedar Grove is called the Saints, but they got it from the New Orleans Saints. The Sparta Saints thought of it first, and the NFL should be paying royalties.
8: Lanier Poets — This was Macon’s most famous school through 1969, when consolidation turned it into Central High and the Chargers. The Chargers are OK, but the great thing about being a Poet was that when Lanier (as in Sidney, author of “Song of the Chattahoochee,” the storied ode to Georgia’s most hallowed river) won those state titles in the ’30s and ’40s in both football and basketball, they could beat their chests and say, ”We’re better athletes, and we’re poets, too!” It’s hard to argue with that.
7: Corry Roosters — It’s pretty sorry for any high school to name itself the Gamecocks. First, that’s a college team’s name. Second, well, if you have to be given more obvious reasons why that’s a terrible high school nickname, then your school is probably named the Longhorns or the Hoyas. But a rooster? Now that’s a mascot, and Corry, the Greene County school for African-Americans before integration, was right on with this. Roosters are brimming with pride and confidence, even if they are chickens. Not sure if Corry called its girls teams the Roosters. You wouldn’t want to call them the Hens. The Lady Roosters? That was the one drawback to this nickname.
6: Doerun Deer — The Deer of Colquitt County never played football or this name would be higher on the list. Imagine the helmets: Not Rams horns, but deer antlers! I like it. And the girls teams were called the Does. It’s just fun to say: The Doerun Deer and the Doerun Does. You could read it backward to find hidden meaning way before the Beatles.
5: Montezuma Aztecs — Football coaches are always talking about sacrifice. It’s that BIG TEAM/little me thing that makes the difference in winning and losing so many times. So what better mascot to extol the virtues of sacrifice than the Aztecs? The real Aztecs practiced human sacrifice. Now that’s commitment, and this Macon County school had it. Now, Macon County High is just called the Bulldogs. There are 15 other Bulldogs and one Bulldogg among Georgia mascots. It needs to stop.
4: Arlington Travelers — The school’s mascot was named for Robert E. Lee’s horse, Traveller. Arlington, a school in Calhoun County, misspelled it, but, hey, this was football, and if you didn’t dare make an issue of it. This was a school of war horses, not spellers. Calhoun County is now the Cougars, like five other Georgia schools. And I’ll guarantee you this: Traveller, er, Traveler, was much more loyal and brave than any Cougar was.
3: Dasher Bible Ducks — Not sure if they were the Bible Ducks, or the Ducks of Dasher Bible. But the goal of education is to get you thinking, and this Valdosta school was committed to that. Names like Wildcats and Vikings nip fresh thinking in the bud.
2: Cornelia Appleknockers — When you played this Habersham County school, you had to secure your chin strap and gird your loins because you just knew by the nickname Appleknockers that Cornelia was a team that could knock more than apples off your tree. Habersham Central is now the Raiders, like 13 other schools in Georgia. There are a lot of hardened Appleknockers rolling in their graves about that.
1: Sandersville Satans — There are 18 teams in Georgia that are Red Devils, Blue Devils or Screaming Devils. There are so many Devils that nobody is scared of a devil any more. Oooh, the Blue Devils, I’m afraid! Not. If you really want to scare somebody, tell ‘em Satan is coming to town. And he’s bringing Beelzebub. Now that’s a mascot.
Eleven most common and therefore worst Georgia nicknames:
Tigers (21), Panthers (18), Eagles (17), Bulldogs (15), Indians (15), Wildcats (15), Raiders (14), Trojans (13), Patriots (11), Blue Devils (10), Warriors (10)
Eleven best Georgia nicknames, all unique:
Atom Smashers (Johnson of Savannah), Battle Creek Warriors (Tattnall County), Black Knights (Central Gwinnett), Blue Jackets (Savannah), Catamounts (Dalton), Comets (South Gwinnett), Gladiators (Clarke Central), Grangers (LaGrange), Red Elephants (Gainesville), Syrupmakers (Cairo), Warhawks (Henry County)
Go on. Take Ten. Throw down for your fave classic Georgia team nickname, all you old schoolers. Or dare to say “Um, so you ask if Georgia has wolverines but you don’t question if we have GRIZZLIES, dude?!!!” (Psych! We don’t.) Give us your take on lame names and suggest some new nicks for YOUR team.
* Nope, sorry.
MORE PREPS: Video | Rival Smasher | Send photos!
Permalink | Comments (38) | Post your comment | Categories: Take Ten
Adams’ final eve approaching?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
One of the biggest games in the metro area last Friday night was St. Pius vs. Tucker at Adams Stadium. But it wasn’t just fans who came to see the game at the 45-year-old stadium; there were several people there looking to make a statement.
Many of you have heard about the Sembler Co.’s proposal to buy a large portion of land in that area to build a mixed-use shopping/residential/office complex people have compared to downtown’s Atlantic Station.
Part of this project would include buying and demolishing Adams Stadium. In addition to their objections to the new traffic the complex would bring to what they say is an already congested area, the protesters at the St. Pius-Tucker game were there to bring attention to the situation in an attempt to save Adams Stadium.
It is tied with Hallford Stadium as being DeKalb County’s second-oldest stadium — Avondale Stadium is the oldest, built in 1958 — and many people in the community don’t want to see it go. It may be difficult to get in and out of the parking lot for big games, but it has become a major part of the community over the past four decades.
However, DeKalb County athletics director Ron Sebree says part of the deal would require Sembler to identify and acquire a site and pay to build a new stadium for the county. With no new stadiums built since 1968, and after seeing the benefits of the new turf and JumboTron at Hallford, Sebree said he would love the opportunity for the county to get a new stadium with current amenities.
You tell us: What do you think about DeKalb possibly trading Adams Stadium for a new one? Does the stadium’s history make it worth saving? Or do you think having a new one would be the better option?
Permalink | Comments (37) | Post your comment | Categories: Jeff Haws
Todd’s Top 15 all-class teams
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Class AAAA teams are 29-16 this season against Class AAAAA opponents, and Northside of Warner Robins, the No. 1 team in AAAA, is the Georgia school that’s ranked highest by USA Today and other national polls.
Does this suggest that the top teams in AAAA — Northside, Thomas County Central (which crushed AAAAA Tift County last week) and Tucker are among the best five or six teams in Georgia — in any classification?
I don’t know if I’d go that far, but I do think it shows that if a team is dominant in AAAA, then it would also contend in AAAAA.
But there aren’t many dominant teams in AAAA.
There’s Northside, of course. Throw in Thomas County Cental and Tucker for the time being, and maybe Westside-Macon has that potential. We’ll find out soon about Statesboro and Baldwin.
After that, I don’t think any AAAA teams are among the 10-15 best in AAAAA.
Here’s my Top 15 all-class rankings, and they’re based partly on how good I think they can be, and partly on how well they’ve played, which might explain why they contradict our classification rankings.
1: Northside (AAAA)
2: Norcross
3: Coffee
4: Roswell
5: North Cobb
6: Lowndes
7: Tucker (AAAA)
8: Stephenson
9: Harrison
10: North Gwinnett
11: Camden County
12: Thomas County Central (AAAA)
13: Buford (AA)
14: Grayson
15: Peachtree Ridge
Talk back to Todd: Holcomb chats live with YOU every Monday, starting at 7 p.m. Leave comments, questions, etc., here and return to talk about the rankings.
YOU rank the best: Who are metro Atlanta’s top 10 teams regardless of class? Submit your rankings here and compare your choices with other fans.
Permalink | Comments (97) | Post your comment | Categories: Poll talk
Cool football story; Fantasy line-ups
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Central Gwinnett coach Dennis Roland told me a cool football story the other day.
In 1985, he was an assistant at UTEP. The Miners were playing defending national champion BYU, led by quarterback Robbie Bosco (great QB name).
Roland and the UTEP coaching staff had discovered a strong tendency in BYU’s offense and used it to their advantage. Whenever the Cougars would come out in a certain formation around the goal line, they would run a naked bootleg. Sure enough, the exact situation would come up during the game.
“We put our prevent defense in,” remembered Roland. “They ran the boot. We had it covered, and our guy picked off the pass and returned it for a touchdown. We won 23-16.
“A couple days later, one of their coaches was quoted in one of the Denver papers, saying that we had tapped their headsets. Our coach, Bill Young, said, ‘Yah, we tapped them all right, tapped their butts.’”
Lou Holtz just gave me a pep talk during halftime of the Texas A&M-Miami massacre, so I’m off to bed.
Before I crash, here’s this week’s Fantasy Line Ups. I went with 680 the Fan play-by-play voice Karl Werl’s team because the rest of you picked a couple players that had bye weeks. (You probably still would have beaten me, but again I blame my players).
Through three weeks, my esteemed colleague Kurt Aschermann is undefeated. And obnoxious. Beat him, Karl, beat him bad.
Karl Werl’s Wrecking Crew
QB - Dustin Taliaferro, Roswell
RB - Brandon Davis, Peachtree Ridge
RB - Reuben Haynes, Commerce
WR - Brice Butler, Norcross
WR - Tavarres King, Habersham Central
Def - Tucker
DP’s Dandies
QB - Nick Sorel, Norcross
RB - D.J. Adams, Norcross
RB - Brandon Jacobs, Parkview
WR - Brice Butler, Norcross
WR - Cordero Dixon, North Gwinnett
Def - Greater Atlanta Christian
The Kurt Dynasty
QB - Mikey Tamburo, North Gwinnett
RB - Demetris Murray, Buford
RB - Cisco Barry, Dacula
WR - Devonta Bolton, Norcross
WR - Christian Robinson, Greater Atlanta Christian
Def - Peachtree Ridge
Remember you can challenge Kurt and DP by posting your team—1 QB, 2 RBs, 2 WR, 1 Defense-on the blog before 2 p.m., Thursday. Feel free to email your team to dpurdum@ajc.com or kaschermann@@ajc.com as well.
You can use any combination of players from across the state, while Aschermann and Purdum will use only Gwinnett County players.
One reader-submitted team will be selected each week based on the creativity of their team name. That selected team will be posted on Friday’s blog and in the Gwinnett News, along with Kurt’s and my teams.
If that reader’s team outscores both of the writers’ teams, they will receive a special prize from the wardrobe of Kurt or DP. We’ve got dope threads, so this is worth the 45 minutes it takes AJC.com to load up.
Results will be posted on Tuesday’s blog.
Scoring System
(Note: Due to limited stats, QBs/WRs do not receive points for rushing yards; RBs no points for receiving yards)
Passing
100-200 yards - 6
200-300 yards - 9
More than 300 - 15
Rushing/Receiving
50-99 yards - 6
100-150 - 9
151-199 - 12
More than 200 - 15
Rushing/Receiving/Passing TDs - 6
Defense: Every point the opposing team scores is subtracted from your total.
Permalink | | Categories: David Purdum
Time’s running out for Memorex teams
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
There used to be a popular television commercial in which a glass would be placed on a table and the great Ella Fitzgerald would be heard — but not seen — hitting a high note.
The glass would shatter and the voiceover would ask: “Is it live or is it Memorex?”
Week four of the high school football season is upon us, and it’s one last Memorex moment on which several teams better capitalize fully. Because after this week, it’s going to be live.
Stockbridge is going to be 4-0 after tonight. Berkmar is going to be 3-0. Underdogs of the world, unite!
When Stockbridge is finished beating Dutchtown, the Tigers will be 4-0 for the first time since 1967. Once-in-40-years-occasions deserve their due, and Stockbridge fans should enjoy the Memorex while it lasts.
What follows for the Tigers: Baldwin, Northside-Warner Robins, Upson-Lee and Westside-Macon. According to the Georgia High School Football Historians Association, Stockbridge is a combined 0-15 against those teams.
Berkmar will be 3-0 for two reasons.
A) It is 3-0 already.
B) It does not play tonight.
Every now and then, I have to slip an absolute certainty into a column in which sometimes there is no such thing.
The Patriots have been 3-0 in three of the last four seasons. From Games 4 through the end of those four seasons, they are a combined 8-15. They’ve lost 20 of their last 24 to Central Gwinnett — their next opponent — and 19 of the last 22 to Brookwood, the team they play the week after.
For some teams who have arrived at this moment unscathed, the challenge is to prove that what we’re seeing is, in fact, live.
Take Tucker, for instance. The Tigers go into a big game against St. Pius tonight, not only unbeaten at 3-0, but unscored upon at 135-0. Whether they’ll keep the Golden Lions — who are averaging 45 points a game — off the scoreboard is dicey, but the bet here is that what we’re seeing is as live as it gets. Tucker is going from team of question marks to team of exclamation points, and one that can win tough Region 6-AAAA.
North Cobb is 3-0 and has passed its first live-or-Memorex test. Shane Queen’s Warriors squeaked by Harrison 13-12 last week. Assisted by eight penalties, yes, but there have been years where the Warriors would leave such gifts unopened. This year, they capitalized.
Now, the Warriors have another chance to prove they’re for real — against McEachern. It wasn’t that long ago that North Cobb ended an 11-game losing streak in the series against the Indians. But they’ve won three of the last five meetings and this season’s momentum should carry them to four out of the last six.
For some of the underdogs out there, live or Memorex isn’t the question. It’s when will the suffering end? Week four should provide at least a brief respite for them.
Our Lady of Mercy, roughed up on the field and in this space (though not maliciously), will beat Towns County. Morrow will beat Newton. Like Stockbridge, they should enjoy it.
•Last week: 128-34 (.790) •Season: 381-113 (.771)
Friday’s games
Winner/Loser
Adairsville/Temple
Americus-Sumter/Westover
Apalachee/Alcovy
Appling County/Portal
Armuchee/Sonoraville
Athens Christian/Ga.Military Coll.
Bleckley County/Twiggs County
Blessed Trinity/South Atlanta
Brooks County/Randolph-Clay
Brookstone/Taylor County
Brunswick/Glynn Academy
Bowdon/Greenville
Buford/Wesleyan
Calhoun/Model
Callaway/Manchester
Campbell/Murray County
Carver-Columbus/Northside-Col.
Cedar Shoals/Elbert County
Centennial/Sprayberry
Central-Talbotton/Webster County
Chamblee/Therrell
Chattahoochee/Lassiter
Chattooga/Rockmart
Cherokee/Chapel Hill
Chestatee/Johnson-Gaines.
Clarke Central/Loganville
Coffee/Johnson-Sav.
Collins Hill/Mill Creek
Colquitt County/Bainbridge
Commerce/Trion
Coosa/Dade County
Crawford County/Lamar County
Creekside/Whitewater
Dacula /Madison County
Dalton/Ringgold
Darlington/Bremen
Decatur/Walker
Dodge County/Crisp County
Dooly County/Johnson County
Douglass/Tri-Cities
Early County/Berrien
East Laurens/Claxton
East Paulding/Alexander
Eastside/Lovejoy
ECI/Toombs County
Etowah/Kennesaw Mtn.
Evans/Greenbrier
Fannin County/Putnam County
Fayette County/Woodward Acad.
Fellowship Christ./Mt. Zion-Carroll
Fitzgerald/Mitchell County
Flowery Branch/East Hall
Franklin County/Morgan County
Gainesville/Lumpkin County
Gordon Central/S.E. Whitfield
Gordon Lee/Creekview
Greater Atl. Christ./Cross Keys
Habersham Central/Rockdale County
Hardaway/Harris County
Harrison/Woodstock
Hart County/Josey
Hawkinsville/Telfair County
Hephzibah/Butler
Heritage/Paulding County
Hiram/Savannah
Holy Innocents’/Hillgrove
Irwin County/Wheeler County
Lakeside-Evans/Richmond Acad.
Laney/Metter
Lanier County/Pelham
Lee County/Dougherty
Liberty County/Calvary Day
Lithia Springs/Osborne
Lovett/Avondale
Lowndes/Central Gwinnett
Macon County/Heard County
Marietta/South Cobb
Marion County/Pike County
Marist/Cedar Grove
McIntosh/Banneker
McIntosh Co. Acad./Sav. Cntry Day
Miller County/Calhoun County
Miller Grove/North Springs
Milton/Pope
M.L. King/North Atlanta
Monroe Area/Clarkston
Morrow/Newton
Newnan/Lithonia
Norcross/North Forsyth
North Cobb/McEachern
North Gwinnett/Forsyth Central
North Hall/West Hall
Northeast-Macon/Mary Persons
North Oconee/Rabun County
Northview/Kell
N.W. Whitfield/Ridgeland
Oglethorpe County/Union County
Our Lady of Mercy/Towns County
Parkview/Houston County
Peachtree Ridge/South Forsyth
Pebblebrook/Douglas County
Pepperell/LaFayette
Perry/Jackson
Pickens/White County
Prince Ave. Christ./Glascock County
Riverdale/North Clayton
Rome/Lakeview-Ft. Ogle.
Roswell/Walton
Salem/Oconee County
Schley County/Jenkins County
Screven County/Westside-Aug.
Seminole County/Atkinson County
Sequoyah/Woodland-Cart.
Shaw/Columbus
Social Circle/Whitefield Acad.
Southwest DeKalb/Columbia
Statesboro/Wayne County
Stephens County/Dublin
Stephenson/Towers
Stockbridge/Dutchtown
Swainsboro/S.E. Bulloch
Tattnall County/Pierce County
Terrell County/Bacon County
Thomas Co. Central/Tift County
Thomasville/Albany
Troup/Spencer
Tucker/St. Pius
Turner County/Montgomery Co.
Vidalia/Worth County
Villa Rica/Northgate
Ware County/Effingham Co.
Warren County/Jefferson
Washington/Lakeside-DeKalb
Washington-Wilkes/Dawson County
Westlake/Starr’s Mill
West Laurens/Spalding
Westside-Macon/Upson-Lee
Wheeler/Alpharetta
Wilcox County/Treutlen
Winder-Barrow/Jackson County
Saturday’s games
Winner/Loser
Griffin/Forest Park
Mays/Stone Mountain
Monroe/Hancock Cent.
Redan/McNair
Southside/Druid Hills
Warner Robins/Beach
- — Games vs. out of state omitted
Permalink | Comments (24) | Categories: Darryl Maxie
Lovejoy could use confidence boost
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Perhaps the most confounding team in the county at this point is Lovejoy, which has talent but is 0-3 for the first time since 1995. The Wildcats get a visit from a 3-0 Eastside club that has outscored its opponents 75-9. It’s the last non-region game on the schedule for Lovejoy, which could use a confidence boost.
And moving on …
Finding the end zone has proved to be a difficult proposition for Morrow in its first two games. The Mustangs are 0-2 and have scored six points, those in a 12-6 loss last week to Jonesboro. In Newton, though, they face a team that has struggled to a greater extent than they have. The Rams have been outscored 54-0 in their first two games, including an embarrassing 23-0 setback against second-year program Alcovy two weeks ago. So the Mustangs have to be feeling their chances of shaking the doldrums are decent. I agree, so I’m going with the Mustangs, even though they’re on the road …
The county’s only other game this week is a Saturday tilt at Tara between Forest Park and Griffin. Two weeks ago I would have equated this one to a visit to the proverbial woodshed, but then Griffin was held without a touchdown last week against Upson-Lee. Still, the Panthers are going to be hard-pressed to keep up with the Bears, who are led by UGA commitment Toby Jackson …
FOOTBALL GAME OF THE WEEK
GAME OF THE WEEK
North Clayton at Riverdale
7:30 p.m. Friday, Tara Stadium
RECORDS: North Clayton 2-1; Riverdale 1-1.
COACHES: North Clayton, Don Shockley (79-62-1); Riverdale, Jamie Reed (1-1).
PLAYERS TO WATCH: North Clayton - DB Edward Ndem (Sr., 6-1, 190), DT Albert Carlisle (Jr., 6-0, 245), WR Daamon Cooper (Sr., 5-10, 160). Riverdale - WR/DB Fletcher Redd (Jr., 6-0, 190), OL/DL Lawrence Perry (Sr., 6-3, 240), RB Demario Askew (Sr., 5-8, 170).
LAST YEAR: Riverdale won, 21-20.
LAST WEEK: North Clayton lost to Northside-Warner Robins, 42-6; Riverdale was off.
THE SKINNY: North Clayton started the season with two straight shutouts, then was victimized by its own special teams miscues in the loss to defending state champion Northside on a night when wet weather and a lightning delay didn’t help. Northside likely would have won anyway, but had the Eagles been more stable from punt formation, the score might have been more respectable. Now, they get their annual grudge match against county rival Riverdale, which has had two weeks to lick its wounds from a 25-0 loss at Creekside, which was largely a function of turnovers. The Raiders have coughed it up nine times in their first two games, and if they can find the handle on the ball, they’ll have enough firepower to hold off North Clayton.
PREDICTION: Riverdale, 16-13.
Permalink | | Categories: Clayton
Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy looking good
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In the television industry, there’s this theory called the line of thirds. At least, that’s what it was called when I was in the television classes in college. If you see someone’s face on the screen, their eyes will most of the time fall about one third of the way from the top of the screen.
This, I suppose, has little to do with high school sports, except we’re a third of the way through the football regular season, give or take, and we can see some things now that perhaps we couldn’t see before the season. Like Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy being pretty good.
With a new coach and a new offense, the Chargers took their off week looking to fine-tune an offense that has already scored 106 points, though they do have a loss to Brookstone.
We can also see that a summer of going through 7-on-7 passing league competition has had great effect on Henry County quarterback Drew Miller, who has thrown 10 touchdowns and attempted more than 80 passes without an interception. The Warhawks’ bugaboo, though, has been special teams. Last week, Central Macon returned three kicks for touchdowns in a game that otherwise wouldn’t have been close.
FOOTBALL GAME OF THE WEEK
Dutchtown at Stockbridge
7:30 p.m. Friday
Records: Dutchtown 1-1, Stockbridge 3-0.
COACHES: Dutchtown, Jason Galt (1-1); Stockbridge, Steve Collins (10-13).
PLAYERS TO WATCH: Dutchtown: RB Onari Douglas (Sr., 5-10, 195), SS Sam Cooper (Sr., 5-9, 195), TE/DE Jeremy Brown (Sr., 6-7, 245). Stockbridge - QB Tyler Bass (Sr., 6-3, 205), OL Randy Salmon (Sr., 6-3, 290), WR/LB Vance King (Sr., 6-1, 195).
LAST YEAR: Stockbridge won, 42-21.
LAST WEEK: Dutchtown was open; Stockbridge beat Luella 26-0.
THE SKINNY: The Bulldogs and Tigers get the county spotlight all to themselves, with every other county team taking its open week. Dutchtown gets its first taste of region play and comes in having scored 69 points in its first two games. By comparison, the Bulldogs didn’t surpass that point total until the 10th game in 2006. In Stockbridge, they face a serious challenge, though. The Tigers have two shutouts on their resume’ and have outscored their opponents 101-28. Stockbridge looks to be a solid favorite, but history has not been kind to the Tigers, who last started 4-0 in 1968 and are sitting at 3-0 for just the third time since. Their bid for 4-0 in 1982 crashed in a 14-0 loss to Feldwood, and they started 3-0 in 1991 only to fall to Westlake 13-7 in game 4. Ultimately, the Tigers’ defense would appear the difference in this one; they shut out Luella, which scored 48 against Dutchtown.
PREDICTION: Stockbridge 27-17.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Henry
Our Lady of Mercy has hope against Towns
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Our Lady of Mercy is still finding wins hard to come by, but the Bobcats head for the mountains to face Towns County, the only school to which they’ve never lost.
Granted, the only time they’ve played was last year, when Mercy collected a 12-8 victory in Fairburn, their only win of the season. But after being overmatched in their first two games, this one offers hope that a turnaround is about to commence.
And moving on …
I suppose the reason they’re called upsets is that they’re not likely to happen. Yeah, I predicted McIntosh would beat Westlake last week, even invited readers to call me crazy in doing so. And the Chiefs were all ready to shock the world, or at least those in Westlake blue, before a late interception turned back their bid to win and make me look like a genius (or at least not crazy, which I’m told is not a clinical term …)
So now the Chiefs return home, where, it should be noted, they are unbeaten this season (1-0, with a win over Sandy Creek). Because I’m convinced Dwight Jones has the Chiefs on the right path, I’m going to again go out on a limb and say they’ll beat Banneker.
Sure, if I keep doing it long enough, they’ll make me right eventually, but it’s a pretty short, thick limb; this game went to overtime last year before the Trojans claimed a 23-16 triumph …
FOOTBALL GAME OF THE WEEK
Fayette County at Woodward Academy
7:30 p.m. Friday
RECORDS: Fayette County (3-0, 1-0 Region 2-AAAA); Woodward (2-1, 1-0)
COACHES: Fayette County, Tommy Webb (34-50); Mark Miller (13-10).
PLAYERS TO WATCH: Fayette County - QB/DB Brandon Boykin (Sr., 5-10, 175); FB/DB Matt Daniels (Sr., 6-1, 195); HB Cuincy Carruthers (Sr., 6-11, 175). Woodward - QB Greg Patton (Jr.)
LAST YEAR: Woodward won, 29-22.
LAST WEEK: Fayette County beat Whitewater 14-10; Woodward beat Northgate 24-0.
THE SKINNY: By now, Fayette is believing it will win. The Tigers have been good on offense, but the biggest improvement has been on the other side of the ball. Through three games last year they’d allowed 104 points; they’ve given up 22 thus far in 2007. And, they’re getting timely breaks. Last week they capitalized on a late turnover to come back for a win over county rival Whitewater. This game is an early-season swing game in 2-AAAA, where no team appears head and shoulders above the rest.
PREDICTION: Fayette County, 19-12.
Permalink | | Categories: Fayette
State FB Report: Who’s hot, who’s not
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Westside-Macon coach Robert Davis, who appears to have a pretty strong team this season in Class AAAA, offered up a cliché during a conversation this week that applies to this week’s theme of who’s hot and who’s not:
”You can coach all you want, but if you don’t have athletes, you’re not going to win,” he said.
Davis must’ve had some good athletes through the years because he’s not had a losing season since he became a head coach at Warner Robins in 1972. That’s the state record.
But perhaps Davis’s analysis explains why five traditional state contenders are struggling to make ends meet this season, and why five mediocre programs are sitting at 3-0, at least two wins better than in 2006.
Here’s a look at those 10 teams whose fortunes so far have been quite different from what they were in 2006:
WHO’S HOT:
Haralson County: Haralson has avenged losses to Rockmart and Bowdon from 2006 and stand 3-0 for the first time since going 9-1 against a non-region schedule in 1991. Coach Frank Vohun is now 12-12 at a school that had won only 19 games in the previous 12 seasons. If he wins Friday, you’ll know he’s a West Georgia genius. Haralson is 0-23 all-time against Carrollton.
Jenkins: The Warriors of Savannah were leading 21-7 last week against Calvary Day in their quest to start 3-0 for the first time since 1982. But a rain and lightning storm stopped the game in the first half, and it was ruled a no contest. With Florida signees Chaz Sutton and Franklin Green, Jenkins has a good shot at making the playoffs for the first time since 1984 — when Rick Tomberlin was Jenkins’ coach.
Long County: The Blue Tide is 3-0 for the first time in history. This is a program that was 0-49 when Kyle Wilson took the head coaching job in 2005, according to GHSFHA.com. The 3-0 start marks the school’s first three-game winning streak in history. The 2-0 start marked the school’s first two-game winning streak.
South Effingham: At 3-0, South Effingham has avenged two of its three regular-season losses from 2006. The other was against Washington County, which is coming up in two weeks. A 9-1 regular season for the Mustangs is realistic. Winning in the playoffs, which has not happened in this school’s 12 seasons, would be the next step.
Winder-Barrow: The Bulldoggs (don’t forget that second G) have avenged losses to Apalachee and Oconee County and should beat Jackson county to go 4-0, which also happened in 2004. Most don’t believe the playoffs are within reach for Winder-Barrow, but it’s assured there will be no repeat of last season’s 1-9 disaster.
WHO’S NOT:
Colquitt County: Region 1-AAAAA isn’t kind to rebuilding teams, and Colquitt hasn’t even started its region schedule. The double-overtime victory over Lee County kept Colqu