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Thursday, January 24, 2008
Stockbridge grapplers top Tucker (twice)
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Stockbridge wrestling team’s bid for a top-five finish at the state duals meet was cut short because of the winter storm that hit North Georgia over the weekend, so the Tigers didn’t get a chance at Tucker in Macon. Had the event continued, Stockbridge and Tucker would have met in the next round.
“We felt that we had a great opportunity to wrestleback and finish third in the state,” said Stockbridge coach Don Williams.
So it can easily be viewed as serendipitous that Stockbridge had scheduled a dual meet with Tucker on Wednesday. What happened on the mat, though had little to do with luck. Stockbridge won 41-24 despite shifting wrestlers around in three different weight classes, getting five pins in the process, leaving little doubt how things might have gone at the state meet. Jesse Davis (160), Ben Jones (171), Marcus Morman (189), Jose Paz (215) and Randy Salmon (285) all pinned their Tucker opponents.
The truncated state duals tournament also thwarted Union Grove’s quest to finish in the top three. The Wolverines suffered their first duals loss in the second round to eventual champion Collins Hill and worked their way to the consolation semifinals before competition was halted.
Six Union Grove wrestlers went unbeaten for the weekend, led by Joey Lazor, who ran his record to 38-0 …
Comeback kids
The Eagle’s Landing boys basketball team fell behind early at Jackson Tuesday, but outscored the Red Devils 40-20 over the second and third quarters to improve to 11-8 and 5-2 in Region 4-AAA Division A. Jamie Vaughn scored 28 points and Bryan Gray 21 for Eagle’s Landing.
Long-range lethal
Ola’s Thomas Werner has twice hit six 3-pointers in a game. The sophomore buried six in a win over Henry County as the Mustangs, in their second year of varsity play, beat Henry for the first time, and he also made six threes in a loss to Jackson.
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Fayette swim championships… where?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This afternoon, the high school swimming event of the year in Fayette County will convene with state qualifiers from multiple schools hitting the pool.
It’s the Fayette County championships because only county schools will be present, which is just a little weird, since the meet will be held at the Lundquist pool in Jonesboro. There is no place in Fayette that is suitable for hosting a six-team meet. The Kedron pool has its place in the county’s recreation community, but the community has long since outgrown what that facility was intended to do. Attempts have been made to bring a competition-worthy pool to the county, but they’ve been fruitless thus far.
So, like some computer help desk operation, the county championships are outsourced. Good thing they don’t have to go to India.
What you’ll miss if you find the drive to Jonesboro too daunting is state-class head-to-head competition, primarily between Starr’s Mill and McIntosh, who have both qualified for state in most events. (Starr’s Mill has finished first or second in every meet it has entered.) No, driving to Clayton County is not that great of an imposition, really, just the dysfunction of holding a county championship somewhere else.
OK, enough rant.
McIntosh brings school record-holders Adam Otaki and Ari Berg to the meet. Otaki has qualified in the 200-yard individual medley and the 100 breaststroke, setting new marks in both events. Berg, a freshman, swims the girls 500 freestyle and the 100 breaststroke, where her best time of 1:08.28 would suggest a hotly contested race with Starr’s Mill’s Kristen Bates (1:07.82).
Bates, and teammates Lauren Beatty, Katie Haycraft, Sarah Larson and Lauren Scot heave each qualified in three events, and the county meet should be a showcase for all of them.
On the court: Boys
The McIntosh boys have gone 3-1 over their past four games, keyed by junior Jeremy Lampkin, who has averaged 16 points per game over that stretch, and Robert Chubb, a 6-foot-8 junior who has committed to Auburn and has averaged triple doubles in those four games … Whitewater’s boys are getting 10 points per game from freshman Renaldo Jenkins … The Sandy Creek boys are 8-0 in Region 6-AAA but 4-7 otherwise … Fayette County’s Brandon Boykin seems to be letting off some steam from the rigors of the football recruiting process by rattling the rims in basketball. He’s averaging two dunks per game according to Fayette coach Andre Flynn, who said Quincy Carruthers’ defensive intensity has sparked the team on a strong run since Christmas.
On the court: Girls
The Starr’s Mill girls hit 88 percent from the free throw line in a 51-33 win over Our Lady of Mercy Tuesday, the Lady Panthers’ third straight win. Melissa Ring made all seven of her shots and scored 14 points … In Sandy Creek’s win over Cartersville, Jaquaye Okai scored 21 points, collected eight rebounds, made eight steals and shot 44 percent from the field.
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N. Clayton girls face identity crisis
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
With questions surrounding the calf injury suffered by North Clayton’s Latia Williams — specifically, whether she will be back to contribute to a playoff run — one of the county’s best teams is having to adjust its identity on the fly.
But there are others ready to step into the void.
Jonesboro has assumed first place in Region 4-AAAA Division A. Overall the Lady Cardinals, led by junior guard Dramecka Griggs, are 16-5 and they’re 8-1 in region play after throttling Riverdale Tuesday.
And then there’s Mundy’s Mill. The Lady Tigers have 17 wins — the same number they had last year, coach Lonnie Farmer said — and they have six games left in the regular season. In wins over Tri-Cities and Hiram last week they allowed a combined 49 points.
On the mat
Having turned their attention to individual competition after missing the state duals tournament, two Lovejoy wrestlers are feeling confident after strong performances at the area duals two weeks ago. Senior Quintin McKee went 6-0 in the 125-pound weight class, while Tobias Harris, wrestling at 160, lost only to Stockbridge’s Ben Jones, that defeat coming in overtime. Harris had beaten Jones at the South Metro Tournament, and the two could square off two more times at the area and state individual tournaments.
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Be confident (but not TOO confident)
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
As the regular season heads into the last couple of weeks, confidence will be a big intangible as the region and state tournaments begin. Those teams that have the confidence and talent and coaching will be playing when March arrives. Besides overconfidence, the worst thing to have a false sense of security.
McEachern left Centennial High after the Tribute to a King Classic with some renewed confidence after defeating top-ranked Columbia. The Indians had lost three of their last four games, but have now won two straight.
Columbia rebounded with a win over Cedar Grove the next day and are still the team to beat in Class AAAA. The Eagles still have the confidence it takes to win a second title in three years, plus the motivation from losing last year’s championship game.
Miller Grove played poorly and lost to state contender and nationally-ranked Wheeler by only five points. The Wolverines turned around the next day and beat state-ranked Stone Mountain 65-46 on the road.
Obviously, Miller Grove still has confidence.
Talk about confidence, perhaps no large-school team is playing with more than Marietta. The Blue Devils have shaken off two earlier season losses to lower-class teams and have won 15 in a row.
All the teams that lost in the Classic at Centennial won the next day in a big region game. The teams that won continued the next day with a win.
Post up: There were some shakeups in the poll this week, but not many. Which teams do you feel are playing with the greatest confidence right now? Which team is not a big confidence booster before the region tournaments begin?
Georgia Sportswriters Association Poll — Girls
Class AAAAA
1. Mill Creek (10) 90 points
2. Stephenson 78
3. McEachern 75
4. Marietta 63
5. Parkview 48
6. Douglass 36
7. Berkmar 33
8. Beach 30
9. Mundy’s Mill 16
10. Redan 12
Others receiving votes: Tift County, Etowah.
Class AAAA
1. Southwest DeKalb (10) 90
2. Marist 81
3. Greenbrier 66
4. St. Pius 49
5. Westlake 44
6. Rome 39
7. Madison County 32
8. Mays 30
9. Americus-Sumter 22
10. Hillgrove 12
Others receiving votes: Dalton, Fayette County, Jones County, Cherokee, North Clayton, Clarke Central, Loganville.
Class AAA
1. Hephizbah (6) 87
2. Carrollton (1) 70
3. Kendrick (2) 69
4. Franklin County 66
5. Southwest-Macon 53
6. Gainesville 39
7. Sandy Creek 32
8. Gilmer 23
9. Westminster 22
10. East Hall 19
Others receiving votes: Columbus, Glenn Hills, Butler, Mary Persons.
Class AA
1. Wesleyan (9) 90
2. Greater Atlanta Christian 80
3. Randolph-Clay 70
4. Vidalia 57
5. Laney 57
6. Rutland 37
7. Coosa 32
8. Buford and Paideia (tie) 28
10. Model 20
Others receiving votes: Dodge County, Union County.
Class A
1. Terrell County (8) 89
2. Landmark Christian 79
3. Savannah Country Day (1) 72
4. Taylor County 62
5. Hancock Central 52
6. Gordon Lee 44
7. Towns County 31
8. Calvary Day 28
9. Southwest Atlanta Christian 21
10. Trion 11
Others receiving votes: Providence Christian, Seminole County, Greenville.
Georgia Sportswriters Association Poll — Boys
Class AAAAA
1. Norcross (8) 89
2. Wheeler 80
3. Savanna (1) 74
4. Marietta 63
5. Harrison 44
6. M.L. King 38
7. McEachern 32
8. Centennial 25
9. Meadowcreek 20
10. Johnson-Savannah 10
Others receiving votes: Coffee, Parkview, Douglass, Mundy’s Mill, Berkmar.
Class AAAA
1. Westlake (8) 89
2. Columbia (1) 68
3. Tucker 66
4. Dacula 60
5. Miller Grove 56
6. Stone Mountain 39
7. Rome 38
8. Lithia Springs 34
9. Fayette County 24
10. Jonesboro 10
Others receiving votes: Pebblebrook, Ridgeland, Loganville, Thomas County Central.
Class AAA
1. Jordan (8) 89
2. South Atlanta (1) 70
3. Blessed Trinity 61
4. Dunwoody 57
5. Glenn Hills 47
6. Central-Macon 27
7. Westover 23
8. East Hall 22
9. Flowery Branch 21
10. Liberty County 10
Others receiving votes: North Hall, Washington County, Dougherty, Sandy Creek, Franklin County, Perry, Mary Persons, Northeast-Macon.
Class AA
1. Randolph-Clay (8) 88
2. East Laurens (1) 73
3. Greater Atlanta Christian 70
4. Wesleyan 68
5. Appling County 43
6. Fannin County 34
7. Lovett 31
8. Josey 24
9. Calhoun and Decatur (tie) 13
Others receiving votes: Darlington, Avondale, Dublin, Swainsboro, Long County, Dawson County.
Class A
1. Wilkinson County (8) 89
2. Whitefield Academy (1) 78
3. Hancock Central 65
4. Turner County 63
5. Portal 51
6. Terrell County 46
7. Southwest Atlanta Christian 43
8. Atkinson County 24
9. Wilcox County 17
10. Greenforest 7
Others receiving votes: Athens Academy, Gordon Lee, Our Lady of Mercy, Dooly County.
Rank the rankings: There were some shakeups in the poll this week, but not many. Tell us what you think of this week’s AJC/GSWA rankings.
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