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Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Georgia High School Baseball Blog - April 15, 2008
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Step up to the plate: Pitch YOUR all-class Top 10 Kurt’s way. Hardball is the place to talk high school baseball on ajc.com. We’ll be posting scores as they become available, but if you’ve got the scoop, please feel free to post scores, recaps and highlights. Thanks.
Big bats come out to play
Fans of the low-scoring pitchers’ duels might have cringed more than once last Friday evening. Four teams were involved in two high-scoring affairs totaling 69 runs and more.
The North Forsyth Raiders outlasted North Gwinnett, 20-14. The Raiders hit a school-record six home runs. Tyler Slaton had two, and home run leader Bones Dalken’s grand slam was his sixth of the season. Trice Riddle, Steven Hester and Jacob Otwell (team-high 22 RBIs) also added homers.
While North Forsyth was holding off the defending Region 7-AAAAA champion Bulldogs, South Effingham and Richmond Hill were locked in a slugfest of their own. South Effingham trailed 10-0 after one inning and 15-10 heading into the seventh until Jace Daley ripped a game-tying, two-run double. In the eighth inning, Chris Zittrouver hit a three-run home run, and No. 7 South Effingham added two more in an improbable 20-15 victory.
AJC All-Class Top 10
1. Brookwood (1) — Broncos have won 10 straight, scored 10 or more runs in nine games this season.
2. Columbus (2) — Blue Devils winning the close ones and the laughers; unbeaten in 2-AAA.
3. Harrison (3) — Hoyas sweep double-header from Pope, are 17-1.
4. Heritage (4) — Pitching staff has allowed 24 runs during 18-game winning streak.
5. Holy Innocents’ (5) — 10-game winning streak.
6. Greenbrier (6) — A 4-5 record since 10-0 start.
7. South Effingham (7) — Catcher John Roberts still hitting — 12 home runs and 38 RBIs.
8. East Paulding (8) — Raiders look like top dog in 5-AAAA again.
9. Dunwoody (10) — No losses vs. Georgia teams since March 5.
10. Kell (NR) — Longhorns have won seven straight.
* Numbers in parenthesis are last week’s ranking
Class A notables
• Has anyone noticed 15-2 Claxton? The Region 3-A Tigers, who struggled last season to a 2-10 finish and a sixth-place finish in league play, have won nine consecutive games and are tied atop 3-A with Calvary Day. The diminutive Harley Hendrix, 5-foot-11,155-pounds, picked up a victory against Calvary and improved to a staff-leading 7-0.
• It probably would be hard to find a single member of the Clinch County baseball team who won’t be sad to see Lanier County’s seniors graduate. Lanier defeated Clinch, 2-1, giving the Bulldogs graduating class eight consecutive victories against their Region 1-A rivals.
• Opponents have had a hard time keeping Hebron Christian outfielder/second baseman Bobby Cole off base. The senior has a .750 on-base percentage and a .640 batting average.
Squeeze bunts
Union Grove right-hander Nathan Fawbush has 55 strikeouts in 35 innings for the Wolverines, 7-1 in Region 2-AAAAA. … Cherokee’s Chris Wakefield has 64 strikeouts in 35 1/3 innings, and opponents are hitting .135 against the senior right-hander. …Valdosta State commitment Patrick Henry is hitting .614 with 23 RBIs and is 6-0 with a 1.65 ERA for 15-2 Flowery Branch. … Junior outfielder David Carter has been red-hot for Sprayberry, getting hits in 14 of his last 16 at-bats to improve his average to .521 with a team-high 27 RBIs.
Step up to the plate: Pitch YOUR all-class Top 10 Kurt’s way. Hardball is the place to talk high school baseball on ajc.com. We’ll be posting scores as they become available, but if you’ve got the scoop, please feel free to post scores, recaps and highlights. Thanks.
Friday’s Scores
Alexander 18, Lithia Springs 5
Armuchee 18, Temple 5
Brookwood 6, Shiloh 0
Butler 1, Hancock Central 0
Callaway 3, Heard County 1
Cass 11, Villa Rica 1
Chattahoochee 6, Wheeler 4
Coffee 8, Wayne County 4
Dalton 4, Northwest Whitfield 1
Druid Hills 13, McNair 0
Etowah 10, Murray County 1
Gilmer 15, Johnson-Gainesville 0
Greenbrier 13, Evans 0
Harlem 7, Thomson 1
Henry County 3, Ola 2
Hillgrove 7, Sequoyah 6
Kell 8, Roswell 1
Jackson 2, Woodland-Stockbridge 1
Jefferson 11, Hebron Christian 1
Lakeside-DeKalb 6, Southwest DeKalb 1
Lassiter 4, Milton 1
Loganville 9, Winder-Barrow 5
Lovejoy 9, Forest Park 6
Manchester 15, Macon County 5
Miller County 14, Calhoun County 7
Miller Grove 13, Mays 2
Monticello 7, Hancock Central 0
Mundy’s Mill 12, Morrow 4
North Gwinnett 11, Collins Hill 6
North Forsyth 7, Peachtree Ridge 1
Pacelli 16, Greenville 1
Pike County 13, Marion County 5
Pope 6, Centennial 2
Redan 13, Newton 3
Ringgold 8, Ridgeland 6
Sandy Creek 16, Haralson County 0
Savannah Christian 13, Charlton County 8
Shaw 18, Kendrick 0
South Forsyth 7, Duluth 4
St. Pius 13, Cedar Grove 2
Tattnall County 7, East Laurens 5
Taylor County 4, Brookstone 2
Telfair County 7, Montgomery County 5
Tucker 18, Columbia 6
Wesleyan 13, Paideia 0
Wesleyan 12, Cross Keys 0
Wilkinson County 17, Glascock County 4
Westminster 17, Carver-Atlanta 1
Woodstock 17, Marietta 0
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Spring Football Fling: Norcross still seeking deep playoff run, state title
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
THE SPRING FOOTBALL FLING In upcoming weeks, teams throughout the state will spend 10 days on the practice field preparing for the 2008 football season. In a series of stories, ajc.com will provide an offseason outlook for 25 of the top teams in the metro and state.
This Week’s Lineup
• Tues: Norcross • Weds: Walton • Thurs: Harrison
• Fri: Camden Co. • Sat: Newnan • Sun: Stephenson
You make the call: What’s the buzz on Norcross in ‘08? Are they a deep playoffs team? Games start in August. Talk starts NOW.
Photos: A look at Norcross football
For Norcross, devil’s in details of development
In his 10th year, Keith Maloof has compiled a record of 63-33. Many of his early teams struggled with inconsistency, but the Blue Devils turned the corner a few years ago and established themselves as one of the premier teams in Gwinnett County, if not the state.
After going undefeated through the regular season in 2006, the Blue Devils followed that with a 9-1 record last season before a disappointing loss in the second round of the state playoffs.
Although Norcross has fallen short of its championship aspirations, no team in Class AAAAA has compiled a better record, 22-3, in the last two years.
“We’re one of the top programs in the state, if you go by record-wise,” Maloof said. “The kids know what they have to do to get in the playoffs. The last two years, we’ve got to the second or third round, and now we want to build on that and get into the semifinals and finals. That’s our goal.”
Norcross lost four Division 1 players and a handful of others to smaller colleges, but Maloof, like other top programs, has an abundance of talent waiting in the wings. Running back D.J. Adams has offers from Notre Dame, Boston College, Clemson, Maryland, Wake Forest and others. Defensive back/receiver Prince Kent has offers from Georgia, Florida, LSU, Miami, Arkansas, Mississippi State and others. Norcross will look to keep a balanced offensive attack, Maloof said, but look for Adams to carry more of the load. The senior back will need help from the offensive line, which lost three starters.
“We’re in a league where you’ve got to have people up front who can get the job done,” Maloof said. “The kids have worked hard over the off-season. I’m kind of excited to see how much they progressed and developed over the last three months.”
Norcross Blue Devils
Region 7-AAAAA
Spring practice dates: April 28-May 9.
Last year’s record: 10-2.
Reclassification challenge: Does not apply.
Working on: Have to replace blue-chip receivers, but two Division 1 prospects, Prince Kent and Matt Autry, are capable. Quarterback Charles King, who split time last season, should be ready to run the show. Must fill holes in defensive secondary, which lost three starters.
Key starters lost: QB Nick Sorel; WR Brice Butler; WR/DB Devonta Bolton; DB Tyler Maloof; DE John Kelly; DB Alex Napper; LB Dion DuBose.
Key starters returning: RB D.J. Adams; OL Manuel Munoz; OL Max Garcia; LB Stephen Smith; DB Prince Kent; TE Marquis Lovett.
2008 strengths: Adams, who ran for more than 1,400 yards as a junior, could go past 2,000 yards. Defenses will struggle to stop him. King is a dangerous runner at QB and has a solid arm. Receivers Kent and Autry are 6-foot-3 and can go get the ball. Defensively, Smith came on late last year and he will be a leader of an always aggressive, hard-hitting defense.
2008 weaknesses: Inexperience at receiver and in the secondary appear to be the biggest question marks. Also need some big bodies on the offensive and defensive lines to step up.
This season’s projection: There’s no reason to think that Norcross won’t be a playoff team and a contender for the state title. Comment: “Obviously, we’ve got D.J. coming back, so we ought to have a strong running game,” Maloof said. “And we’ve got Prince Kent and Matt Autry, so we’ve got about three or four receivers we know we can go to. Defensively we’ve got some holes to fill, but we’ve just to keep getting better.”
Photos: A look at Norcross football
You make the call: What’s the buzz on Norcross in ‘08? Will they reach their championship goal? Games start in August. Talk starts NOW.
Spring Scouting Report: Roswell DISCUSS
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