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Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Mulling over Macon results
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Wrestling writer Kurt Aschermann Jr. ranks the top wrestling teams in the state, regardless of class: Week of Jan. 22.
Pin it down and rank the rankings: Let us know who YOUR Top 10 are and how they stack up against Kurt’s picks.
What a weekend in Macon. Well, what a half of a weekend in Macon. Despite Mother Nature cutting the State Duals short about 10 hours, we still got a chance to see some excellent wrestling.
Some of the highlights:
• Henry County made a remarkable run to the Class AAA final, then split the state crown with Cass after the two teams couldn’t agree on a proper finish when the weather threatened early Saturday morning. Meanwhile, the Colonels exacted some revenge for last season’s Class AAA championship by nipping defending champion Gilmer in the semifinals.
• Northwest Whitefield’s stunning upset of defending state champion Stockbridge in the Class AAAA quarterfinals, which led to the Bruins having little left in the tank in a semifinal loss to Eastside.
• Ringgold pushing aside favorites Tucker and Eastside in the semifinals and final in Class AAAA, winning the Catoosa school’s third state duals title.
• The Collins Hill machine marching through three top teams, including Harrison (47-10) in the title bout to win its second Class AAAAA duals championship. The Eagles not only beat every other top 4 team on their way to the title (Union Grove and Pope were the other two) but beat them handily. A few close calls in the quarterfinals against the Wolverines … and that was it.
• Mighty, mighty Jefferson. A seventh consecutive state duals title was there for the taking, and the Dragons took it by a combined score of 183-37.
• Lafayette turning the tables on Wesleyan and cruising to the Class AA title a year after Wesleyan won on criteria. Revenge, thy name is Ramblers.
Pound for Pound Top 10 (last week’s rankings in parenthesis)
1: Collins Hill (1) — Eagles add a Class AAAAA duals title to an impressive list of accomplishments.
2: Union Grove (2) — Hurt by having to wrestle Collins Hill in the quarterfinals and by the cancellation of wrestlebacks.
3: Jefferson (3) — Seven-for-seven in Class A Duals tournaments.
4: Harrison (4) — Hoyas impressive in three dual wins to reach the Class AAAAA final.
5: Cass (6) — Class AAA co-champs also Traditional favorites.
6: Pope (5) — Greyhounds reached the Class AAAAA semis.
7: Eastside (7) — Tight loss in Class AAAA final another state-level disappointment for the Eagles.
8: Lafayette (10) — Ramblers looked great in winning Class AA title.
9: Gilmer (9) — Bobcats still one of top two teams in Class AAA after third-place finish at duals.
10: Ringgold (NR) — Tigers run the table in Class AAAA against four good teams; win third duals crown.
Pin it down and rank the rankings: Let us know who YOUR Top 10 are and how they stack up against Kurt’s picks.
Permalink | Comments (10) | Post your comment | Categories: Pound For Pound
Dream high school hoops matchups
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Yeah, we’re all bummed about the Primetime Shootout at Norcross becoming the unfortunate victim of the finicky Atlanta weather.
So as we sat around at Take Ten headquarters lamenting its disappearance and the loss of so many great games, we got to thinking about which games we’d like to put together to make up for the ones we lost. These are games that aren’t on the schedule, but we think the fans deserve to see as just compensation.
10. Miller Grove vs. McEachern: Not only is it a matchup of two very good, underrated teams, but you’d get to see arguably the two best young guards in the state in Miller Grove’s Mfon Udofia and McEachern’s Trae Golden. Worth the price of admission right there.
9. Cherokee vs. Dunwoody: While this would mostly be about seeing Dunwoody’s Chris Singleton take on the team he left after last season, it would also be a good game. The Warriors (13-4, 10-1) are very talented, even without Singleton, and it’d be fun to match Singleton up against his successor in the post, Shawn Kemp Jr.
8. Wesleyan vs. Randolph-Clay: Only one in-state team has come within 15 points of Randolph-Clay this season, and the Red Devils have made it to this point without a loss. Deandre Johnson and Dexter Ellington can shoot the lights out, but Wesleyan’s Howard Thompkins might be able to slow the game down enough to make this one tight.
7. South Atlanta vs. Jordan: Like Randolph-Clay, Jordan is an undefeated team that has mostly dominated the competition. Like Wesleyan, South Atlanta has a big man, Derrick Favors, who nobody seems to be able to stop. Both teams could use a test.
6. Berkmar vs. Norcross: OK, so Berkmar probably would struggle to make this close deep into the second half. But how fun would it be to pit Berkmar’s Wesley Witherspoon against Norcross’ Al-Farouq Aminu? Two long, slashing forwards who will be playing major college ball next year.
5. South Atlanta vs. Wesleyan: It’s easy to be a sucker for an old-school big-man matchup, and Thompkins/Favors are probably the two best in the state. They’re tall, strong and can bang on the inside. Watching these two fight for position would be a basketball nerd’s dream.
4. Savannah vs. Wheeler: Savannah has looked impressive in moving to a 16-0 record, but the Blue Jackets haven’t seen a team yet as talented as Wheeler. Junior guard Kevin Williams has led the Jackets, scoring big-time points and providing a calming influence in the backcourt. Matching Wheeler’s athleticism could be the toughest task here.
3. Westlake vs. Columbia: The Eagles have taken hits from Miller Grove (61-59 victory), Tucker (66-60 victory) and McEachern (79-69 loss) but came away with just one in-state loss. Westlake’s only in-state loss came to No. 1 Norcross. Could Columbia’s suffocating defense shut down Raymond Willis?
2. Columbia vs. Wheeler: Both teams have faced some stern tests lately, and both think they’ve got a good shot at winning the state title in their respective classes. When they played last year, Columbia won by 16. It’s probably fair to say the Wildcats would like another shot.
1. Wheeler vs. Norcross : When these two have played recently in the playoffs, it has been the de facto state title game. The rivalry of sorts grows a bit each time. Chances are it will happen again this year, too, but we don’t want to have to wait until the Finals.
Go on. Take Ten. What do you think about these dream games? Which teams would you like to see face off on the court this year? Make your voice heard.
Permalink | Comments (25) | Post your comment | Categories: Jeff Haws, Take Ten
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