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November 2008
When in doubt, don’t sweat: Just bet Gwinnett
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Lots of folks think I’m biased when doing rankings, and they’re right.
One of my pet biases is Gwinnett County. That doesn’t mean that I root for Gwinnett teams, and I certainly didn’t predict Grayson to beat Lowndes.
But let’s face it: Gwinnett is metro Atlanta’s football mecca, if not the state’s. TEN teams from Gwinnett have made the semifinals this decade, four this season.
That’s why Grayson, despite its modest history, was ranked so highly in preseason. You don’t sweat when you bet Gwinnett.
Now, a holiday gift for all. Below, find at least one interesting fact about each of the 20 semifinal teams, including a prestigious record that Marist set last week that I bet not even fans of Marist know about.
CLASS AAAAA
Camden County - Camden has the best record in Class AAAAA since Jeff Herron arrived in 2000. It’s 106-11. Parkview (98) and Lowndes (96) are next in wins. However, Camden has played only two playoff games under Herron on an opponent’s home field. Both were wins: Stephenson (2002) and Valdosta (2003). Camden is at Newnan this week.
Grayson - The Rams are 60-30 in their first eight full seasons of varsity football. That’s the best eight-year start to a program in Gwinnett County history. Next best is Brookwood’s 57-34 from 1982 to 1989.
Newnan - Seventeen schools have gone more than 25 years between state championship appearances, most recently Lovett (1970-2007), but Newnan can become the first school to do it twice. Newnan played for the title in 1951 and 1981, both losses. The longest stretch between state title games is Calhoun’s 52 years (1953-2005).
Peachtree Ridge - Bill Ballard is the second coach this decade to reach the semifinals with two schools. The first was Bruce Miller (2001 North Forsyth, 2002 Gainesville). Ballard went in 2003 with Tucker.
Class AAAA
Marist - The Eagles set a record last week with their 25th consecutive home victory in the state playoffs. The record of 24 was held by Thomas County Central (1987-2006). Thomas Central still holds the record for consecutive home wins in the post-season with 27. Three of TCC’s wins were region playoff games. Region playoffs were eliminated in 1996, when the GHSA expanded the state playoffs to 32 teams. Marist also has won 43 of its last 44 home post-season games, the only loss to Tucker in 1995.
Griffin - Griffin High has sent 16 players into the NFL, the most of any Georgia school. The best known is Jessie Tuggle. Those still active are Chris Clemons and Johnathan Sullivan. Ironically, Griffin has the fewest players on college rosters this year among the AAAA semifinal teams, with six. Tucker has the most with 26.
Rome - The Wolves broke a six-game losing streak in the quarterfinals with Friday’s win over Statesboro. A seventh straight loss would’ve set a dubious state record. Others with six straight losses in the QF are Carrollton (1999-current); Dacula (1993-01); Northside-WR (1975-98); and Vidalia (1980-93).
Tucker - The semifinals have been heart-breaking for Tucker, which lost to Dublin (1994) and Statesboro (2003) in overtime and to Northside (2007) 31-28 after holding a 28-7 lead. Tucker is 1-6 all-time in semifinal games.
Class AAA
LaGrange - The Grangers are in a race with fellow semifinalists Marist and Buford to see which will become the fourth in history to play in 10 state championship games. The Dime Club members are Valdosta (27), Lincoln County (18) and Carrollton (11). Clarke Central also would have 10 if combined with Athens High, but Poll Talk splits the two.
Carver - Carver is the only team that’s made the SF each of the past three seasons. No other Muscogee County team has made three straight SF. The state record for consecutive SF is 10 by Carrollton (1959-68).
Cairo - This will be the eighth semifinal for Cairo. The first two were played in 1963 and 1964, when Cairo’s star player was future Outland Trophy winner Bill Stanfill. Cairo lost those semifinals, but in basketball, Cairo won the 1965 title, and the 6-5 Stanfill was named tournament MVP.
Flowery Branch - No Hall County team has won a state title in the GHSA. Hall has more schools (nine, counting private and city schools) than any county that doesn’t have a state championship. Riverside Military won a GISA title in 2005, and Fair Street won GIA titles in 1956 and 1957. Gainesville High has made 16 semifinals without winning state. This will be the first semifinal for Flowery Branch, which opened in 2002.
CLASS AA
Brooks County - Maurice Freeman is trying to become the second coach in history to return to a school where he won a state title and win it again. Freeman won with Brooks in 1994. Luther Welsh did it with Thomson in 1984-85 and 2002 with two stops in between.
Buford - The Wolves have 31 former players on college rosters this fall. That’s the most of any of the 20 teams in the semifinals. Buford’s opponent, Fitzgerald, has only two players in college football. Also, see LaGrange note above.
Calhoun - It’s 310.5 miles from Calhoun to Brooks County, making this the longest road trip in Calhoun football history. (Camden’s trip to Newnan is even further.) Calhoun has played below Macon only once since 1948, losing to Cook in the 2001 quarterfinals. Calhoun is trying to win its first road playoff game since 1996 and third in history.
Fitzgerald - Fitzgerald has won 10 games each of the past five seasons. The only other schools with streaks that long are Northside (11), Buford (10), Calhoun (8), Camden County (8), Lincoln County (6) and Dublin (5).
CLASS A
Wesleyan - By making a final four for the first time, Wesleyan is now among 10 Gwinnett schools to make the semis this decade. The others are Brookwood (2002, 2005), Buford (2000-04, 2007-08), Dacula (2005), GAC (2002), Grayson (2008), North Gwinnett (2007), Parkview (2000-02, 2004), Collins Hill (2001) and Peachtree Ridge (2006, 2008).
Lincoln County - Lincoln is 18-6 in semifinals under Larry Campbell, who came to Lincolnton in 1972. Lincoln has never gone more than two seasons without making the semis under Campbell.
ECI - The victory in Bremen last week was the first playoff game that ECI has ever won on an opponent’s home field. The Bulldogs did win the Class A title game last year on the road after Wilcox County moved the game to Cordele.
Wilkinson County - Wilkinson is one of four semifinal teams that were unranked in preseason. The others are Brooks County (AA), Calhoun (AA) and Peachtree Ridge (AAAAA).
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Free-For-All Friday: Georgia high school football scores and chat — LIVE!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The amount of teams playing may be getting smaller, but the games (and the stakes) are getting MUCH bigger!
Going to the game tonight? Or are you hangin’ at the house, eagerly awaiting that new scoring update from your own special playoff game? We are here to talk football, football and more football. If you’re going to a playoff game and you’re taking the cellphone or the Blackberry, let us know what’s going on at YOUR game and we’ll post it here.
If you have a score update - tell us who just scored, who’s ahead, who’s losing big. See a killer play? Message us. Got a shout-out? Keep it clean and email it our way. Send messages here: onlinesports@ajc.com • Send playoffs photos here
Here are the playoff games you can find stories and photos from later tonight on ajc.com…
Dublin at Buford
LaGrange at Dunwoody (late update: no photos coming)
Lowndes at Grayson
Mt. Zion-Jonesboro at Marist
Coffee at Peachtree Ridge
And here are the games we’re covering that we couldn’t get Photo out to (but would love to have you send in YOUR photos from - send photos here)…
Woodstock at Camden County
North Gwinnett at Newnan
Southwest DeKalb at Griffin
Tucker at Westside-Macon
Don’t forget to check out our all-class roundups from around the state.
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Take 10: Things we’re thankful for
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s that time of year again. It’s the time we all give thanks for the wonderful blessings in our lives like having a job, gas prices under two dollars and that Hollywood has decided to make not one, but two sequels to “Twilight.” Just kidding.
The girlfriend drug Take Ten to the vampire lovefest of a film Monday. But fear not. We paid for a ticket to “Quantum of Solace” instead just to spite her. Crappy movies aren’t getting our money. The two hours of painful acting and woeful plot did give us a chance to think about all the good things in our life and all the blessings we’ve had this football season.
Here are 10 things we’re thankful for this football season:
10: Jonathan Davis - We sat through the blistering cold watching Tucker’s linebacker/tailback rush for 198 yards and four touchdowns in the second round of the playoffs last week. The most impressive was a 97-yard scamper with his team backed up on the goalline. Some recruiting services say he’s undersized to be effective at the next level. We just see Bob Sanders running around in a Tiger uniform.
9: Woodstock - What business does a team with no region titles, no state titles and a 6-4 regular season record have in the Class AAAAA quarterfinals? None. But man, it’s fun to watch. We’re thinking Cinderella’s run ends at the hands of Camden County Friday. But thank you Wolverines and Mike O’Brien for giving us a great story.
8: Kacy Stuart - She made headlines earlier in this year for trying to - gasp - play football. We know. Crazy, right? The freshman kicker was dismissed from the New Creation Center Crusaders, a private Christian academy in McDonough, after practicing with the team for two months. We at Take Ten fully support women on the gridiron. It reminds us of Kathy Ireland in “Necessary Roughness,” which is always a good thing, or Becky from “Little Giants.”
7: Rush Propst - Georgia is happy to have the best and brightest coaching minds around. They’ll even take discarded stars. The former Hoover High coach in Alabama (program on MTV’s “Two-A-Days”) went 4-6 in his first season at Colquitt County. The Packers are pushing to get their only reality show on CMT called “Highway 319.” No, not really.
6: Spread offense - Look, it’s got something for everyone. If you’re oldschool and love the wing-T, it’s got the option. If you love to fling the ball, it’s got that, too. That’s assuming your school runs it well. And you can get it for just a couple thousand from the booster club to the pocket of Tony Franklin. The fired Auburn offensive coordinator will be coming out with is follow-up book, “Fourth Down, and I swear Chris Todd can make this” very soon.
5: YouTube - We live in a digital age. But without the video streaming Web site, we would have never seen some of the year’s best plays. How many of you were rolling out of the house to go see Centennial at Lassiter? Didn’t think so.
4: WAGA Fox 5 “It’s in your face” hands - We’re a sucker for a good marketing idea. The kids seem to like it, and it’s given us reason to push for more slogans for the AJC’s high school sports team. How about… “AJC Sports: It’s in your brain,” “AJC Sports: Black and white, and read all over” or my favorite “AJC Sports: We got the funk.” I’m not sure where the funk came from, but I assure you, we have it.
3: Newnan - Look, we like underdogs. The undefeated Cougars went from feel-good story a year ago to a real threat for their first state title in Class AAAAA. They’ve destroyed teams this season. Newnan has allowed 22 points all season and handed teams six-straight shutouts and eight overall. Can’t wait for that North Gwinnett game.
2: Championships in the Dome - You may disapprove, but title games deserve to be on the biggest stage. Both teams have worked hard to be there and no one should get homefield advantage. That’s our take. That and we’re hoping for free Chick-fil-A this year for media.
1: You - Don’t get sentimental on, but where would we be without our readers? Sure, sometimes your comments frighten us. Most of the time they’re enlightening or just funny. We appreciate them nonetheless. Like they say, if a tree falls in the woods and no one is around to read it, does it make a sound? Well, something like that. Happy Thanksgiving, everybody.
Go on. Take Ten. What are you most thankful for this holiday season? Who are the players, coaches, teams, mascots or whatever that you’re thankful for? Let us know. Here’s you’re chance to voice your opinion.
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Georgia High School Wrestling: Pound for Pound recaps Week 1 action
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It was an interesting first weekend in Georgia high school wrestling. No. 3 Pope defeated No. 1 Collins Hill, 33-29, though the Eagles were missing their top two wrestlers and two others that have a good chance of medaling in February. T.J. Mitchell, Allen Willard and Taylor Knapp were suspended for violating team rules, according to Eagles coach Cliff Ramos. Those absences, along with missing Gary Tiller (still returning from football injury) and two other starters, helped tip the scales in Pope’s favor. Starters missing or not, it was still a nice win on opening day for the Greyhounds.
PFP on location
Pound for Pound will once again be spending nearly every weekend in gymnasiums all over Georgia and we spent the opening weekend at Centennial for the Turkey Trot Duals. Here’s a quick breakdown:
Dual of the day
Kennesaw Mountain had a strong day that almost turned into a perfect day, but a 34-33 loss to Vestavia Hills, the two-time Class AAAAAA Alabama state champions, left the No. 9 Mustangs a little short.
Match we would’ve liked to see
Henry County and McEachern never got as chance to dual, so a 125-pound tussle between McEachern’s Brandon Westerman and the Warhawks’ Evan Warrington never came to fruition. Westerman’s been an absolute machine having not lost to a Georgia wrestler since the 2006 State Duals, but something tells us Warrington might have the edge if the two ever hook up.
A couple questions answered:
1: Henry County will be a major factor in Class AA. With Warrington, Anthony Fretwell and an underrated pack of light weights, the Warhawks appear to be the Jefferson’s biggest obstacle to its first Class AA state title.
2: Sam Kuntz is a beast. The Peachtree Ridge 189-pounder, who finished second last season, won’t finish second again. Kuntz is quick, strong and is a big reason why the Lions have a good shot at finishing in the top-10 again in Class AAAAA.
AJC Top 10 All-Class Wrestling Rankings - Week 2 (Last week’s rank in parenthesis)
- Collins Hill (1) Four potential state champions sit out close dual loss to Pope
- Union Grove (2) Wolverines pick up dual wins over Cass and Forsyth Central
- Pope (4) Greyhounds follow win over Collins Hill with blowout wins over Kennesaw Mountain and Whitewater
- Jefferson (3) Dragons open season December 5 at Panther Invitational
- Lafayette (5) Staph infection scare cancels Ramblers opening duals; now scheduled to open December 2
- Centennial (6) Knights go 4-1 at Turkey Trot Duals; only loss to Vestavia Hills (AL)
- Harrison (7) Hoyas open season by hosting dual tournament today, then head to Kennesaw Mountain this weekend.
- Eastside (8) Defending Class AAAA dual runners-up start their first year in Class AAA with five consecutive dual wins.
- Kennesaw Mountain (NR) Mustangs have strong showing at Centennial, split with Walton and Pope, Tuesday.
- Cass (NR) Colonels lose a tight dual to No. 2 Union Grove, looking like a contender in Class AAAA.
AJC Coaches Poll - Week 2
(1st place votes)
- Collins Hill (7), 88 points. Last week: 1
- Union Grove, 74. Last week: 2
- Pope (1), 66. Last week: 3
- Jefferson (1), 64. Last week: 4
- Centennial, 33. Last week: 5
- Lafayette, 32. Last week: 9
- Eastside, 24. Last week: 6
- Walton, 20. Last week: 8
T9. Gilmer, 17. Last week: 7
Cass, 17. Last week: NR
Others receiving votes:
Harrison, 14; Whitewater, 10; Kennesaw Mountain, 8; Kell, 6; Henry County, 4; Peachtree Ridge, 4; Parkview, 4; Fayette County, 5; Grayson, 3; Wesleyan, 2
They said it
“He’s got to be the best I’ve ever coached as far as the work ethic and the way he handles himself. It’s great to have a kid like that, that you can point to for the younger kids.”
- Union Grove coach Joey Dinino on 135-pounder Joey Lazor
Where we’ll be
Pound for Pound heads to Wesleyan today for a dual tournament involving No. 2 Union Grove, No. 6 Centennial and the No. 10 Wolves, among others.
Pin it down and rank the rankings: Let us know who YOUR Top 10 are and how they stack up against Kurt’s — and the coaches’ — picks.
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High school picks: Lowndes too tough for Grayson
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
All season long, this column has held nothing but love for those Grayson Rams.
I’ve had a crush on the green and gold from the outset just to prove to the rest of the state exactly how biased I am to metro Atlanta. I say that facetiously, of course. I haven’t seen a single Grayson game all season.
By the same token, I haven’t seen Lowndes play, either. But just like I don’t need to watch Big 12 football to realize that it is arguably the best conference in the nation right now, I don’t need to watch video to realize that Grayson will be overmatched by the Vikings.
Lowndes has been No. 1 all season for a reason — they have proven they deserve it. Grayson has never played past 13 games in a season, and they won’t do it this year, either. Even if they have to make three consecutive trips to Atlanta, Lowndes is the team that can do it.
— Class AAAAA: The feel-good story of the playoffs lived for another week in Woodstock. The reward for the Wolverines? A trip to the coastal marshes of Camden County. Accounting for Atlanta traffic, dinner in an antebellum plantation house in Jackson, spending the night in Statesboro, catching lunch at Willie’s Weenie Wagon (get the pork chop sandwich) in Brunswick and a tour of the Jacksonville Zoo, if the Wolverines leave Cherokee County just after slicing the turkey on Thursday, they should make it there for game time. The trip down might be the best part because the ride back will be a looooooooong one. … Now, if you had to pick two teams out of Region 1 to make the quarterfinals, admit it, your picks were Lowndes and, um, Coffee? Nah, me neither. Peachtree Ridge won’t be stopped this week. … I love parity. For that reason, I am sorry, North Gwinnett, but you won’t be advancing. Newnan takes your spot because I just can’t have two teams from Region 7 making the final four. It would throw the balance of the known universe off kilter if anyone ever made any kind of argument that their region was better than Region 1. Plus, there is a big bunch of Cougars that are still suffering from last year’s 38-35 Bulldogs victory. Cat-scratch fever for the North Gwinnett.
— Class AAAA: Apparently, I have no love for Region 6-AAAA. In back-to-back weeks, I have picked Tucker and Southwest DeKalb to lose in the first round and for Marist to fall last week to Sequoyah. I’ll start with perhaps the most anticipated game of the week in the class between Tucker and top-ranked Westside. Tucker is good, but I can almost see this game being a repeat of the Marist debacle earlier this year. It will be closer, but that old Demon, Robert Davis, has been here and done that. … SW DeKalb, you get no love either. Griffin’s victory against Brunswick was a big one, and I don’t see that signature win for the Panthers. … So, I guess it all comes down to Marist. Another great Cinderella team in Mt. Zion-Jonesboro, but Marist grinds people up. … Outside of Lowndes-Grayson, I truly believe the best game will be between Rome and Statesboro. Could someone from Rome please bring me back some Vandy’s barbeque? Blue Devils top the Wolves.
— Class AAA: Dunwoody’s slogan has been 1 and 0 each week. LaGrange is worthy, but they are just going to be No. 13. … Eastside, Syrup gets even stickier as the weather gets cooler. Your chances of making the Dome are even stickier. I loves me some syrup. … If Flowery Branch had beaten Ridgeland by more than a touchdown, I might be inclined to pick you. As it is, unbeaten Baldwin remains so. … Gainesville is undefeated as well, but Carver is more battle-tested and the better pick in Columbus.
— Class AA: Dublin has been itching for revenge against Buford ever since the Wolves plastered 48 on the Irish in the Dome last year. Don’t see it happening in Buford’s back yard, Dublin. … Toombs has had a good little run, but those Bugs up at Calhoun are more than the Bulldogs can handle. Is that foreshadowing for what might happen on Saturday in Athens? … Brooks County moves one step closer, rolling past Lovett. … The AA game of the week is Fitzgerald at Pepperell. Those Purple Hurricanes have destroyed both of their opponents on the road. Prepare for a Category 5 in Northwest Georgia.
— Class A: Wesleyan is the last metro team to spark any interest in the state’s smallest classification. Not after this week. Take Miller County again over a private school after taking down Savannah Christian last week. … Wilcox over Lincoln in the battle of historical powers. … Turner County has been here before. This is only the second time Wilkinson County has ever played more than 12 games. Take the experience factor. … Let me know if Bremen defies the forces of nature and finds some way to slow down Washaun Ealey.
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Woodstock still the longshot - 333-1 to be exact
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
What are the chances that your team will win state? Got that for you right here.
I’m expecting heavy action on those 10-to-1 odds for Newnan. Here’s a deal for you: Grayson at 15-to-1! But don’t be a sucker.
These were calculated by my estimation of each team’s chances of advancing each round, then doing the math.
The longest odds belong to Woodstock at 333-to-1. But the good news is that Mike O’Brien is 3-to-1 to be named coach of the year in Class AAAAA.
While we’re at it, who are your choices for coach of the year in each class? If I were picking today, I’d go with …
AAAAA - Mike O’Brien (Woodstock)
AAAA - Robert Davis (Westside)
AAA - Rick Hurst (Eastside)
AA - Maurice Freeman (Brooks County)
A - Miller County (Frank Killingsworth)
But the coach who wins state, unless he comes from Lowndes, Buford or ECI, will be hard to ignore in three weeks.
Now to what you’ve been waiting for.
THE ODDS
Woodstock 333-1
Mount Zion 275-1
Wilkinson County 125-1
Toombs County 55-1
North Gwinnett 50-1
Coffee 35-1
Tucker 30-1
Rome 25-1
Bremen 24-1
Lovett 22-1
Eastside 20-1
Pepperell 20-1
Wesleyan 20-1
Miller County 20-1
SW DeKalb 19-1
Grayson 15-1
Dublin 14-1
Flowery Branch 13-1
Griffin 12-1
Statesboro 12-1
Gainesville 11-1
LaGrange 11-1
Dunwoody 11-1
Brooks County 11-1
Newnan 10-1
Calhoun 9-1
Wilcox County 8.5-1
Lincoln 8.5-1
Peachtree Ridge 8-1
Turner County 7-1
Carver 4.5-1
Cairo 4-1
Baldwin 3.5-1
Camden County 3-1
Fitzgerald 2.5-1
Marist 2-1
Westside 1.4-1
Lowndes 1.2-1
Buford 1-1
ECI 1-1
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Free-For-All Friday: Georgia high school football scores and chat — LIVE!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Going to the game tonight? Or are you hangin’ at the house, eagerly awaiting that new scoring update from your own special playoff game? We are here to talk football, football and more football. If you’re going to a playoff game and you’re taking the cellphone or the Blackberry, let us know what’s going on at YOUR game and we’ll post it here.
If you have a score update - tell us who just scored, who’s ahead, who’s losing big. See a killer play? Message us. Got a shout-out? Keep it clean and email it our way. Send messages here: onlinesports@ajc.com • Send playoffs photos here
Here are the second-round games you can find stories and photos from later tonight on ajc.com…
Woodstock vs. Norcross
North Oconee vs. Buford
Harrison vs. Peachtree Ridge
Sequoyah vs. Marist
Hillgrove vs. Tucker
Northside-WR vs. Camden Co.
And here are the games we’re covering that we couldn’t get Photo out to (but would love to have you send in YOUR photos from - send photos here)…
East Paulding at Grayson
Lassiter at North Gwinnett
Holy Innocents’ at Wesleyan
Cedar Shoals at SW DeKalb
North Hall at Dunwoody
Wilkinson Co. at Whitefield Acad.
Don’t forget to check out our roundups from around the state. Here’s what you’ll find…
Classes AAAAA-AAAA: Includes Northside-WR at Camden Co.; Rome at Sandy Creek; Statesboro at N. Clayton; more statewide.
Classes AAA-A: Includes Lovett at Jefferson; more statewide.
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AJC Football Predictions: Woodstock keeps rolling; Grayson tops E. Paulding
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
You remember that girl that you were dating that really liked you a lot more than you liked her? Everything was just a little bit greener in her eyes than yours. She really wanted you to meet her parents and couldn’t understand why you never took her around your friends. No matter what you were going to do, you were just going to hurt her.
The last four weeks of the high school football season are a lot like that. You can’t win in this situation when you are picking winners and losers. By this time of the year, most all of the teams are deserving of where they are, and all have worked hard to get to the second round. There are fans that are hard to like sometimes, but most of these are good kids and you hate to see them at the end of the game with their heads down and tears rolling down their faces along with their sweat.
Feel good, Part 1 — Now, I’m not one to brag, but who else picked Cherokee teams to go 1-1 in the first round of the AAAAA playoffs? O.K., so I picked the wrong teams, but Cherokee did go 1-1 last week.
Even though he would never say it, you have to think that Woodstock coach Mike O’Brien walks around with a big smile on his face most of the time. After winning a state title at Valdosta, O’Brien was fired for, well, not being the second coming of Wright Bazemore. O’Brien was 70-20-1 at Valdosta, making the playoffs six out of seven years. At Woodstock, he led the Wolverines to their first playoff game in 2005 and their first playoff victory last week against Walton. In Valdosta, two playoff games in six years, well, shoot, you wouldn’t have made it six years. In Woodstock, they are thinking of naming the stadium after him. Keep it rolling, Wolverines. Woodstock’s feel-good story goes on.
Feel good, Part 2 — I’ve got a little insight into coach Chris Parker at Chapel Hill. I had a couple of classes with his little brother at Kennesaw State. Even without the colossal turnaround with the Panthers, Chris still would easily be the Michael Corleone of that family. His little brother — Fredo. The elder Parker is without a doubt the state coach of the year right now even if he doesn’t win another game. Which, sadly, he won’t. Coffee rolls.
The rest of AAAAA — One and done, East Paulding? Maybe I was wrong, but I refuse to acknowledge that you guys are legitimate contenders. I don’t really hate the Raiders, but I have to be consistent. Besides, if you have been reading this column all year, you know that Grayson rules the known universe (at least until the Rams have to face a South Georgia team). … Peachtree Ridge might be playing the best football in the state right now, which is good because this is the time of the year when it really matters. Against Harrison, I might give the edge to the Hoyas if they were at home, but take Peachtree Ridge in a close one. … Lassiter won its first playoff game since 1986. It won’t take another 22 years to win again, but it won’t be this week at North Gwinnett. … Northside-Warner Robins at Camden County is the high school equivalent of the SEC Championship game — the winner has the best shot to play for the big title. I’m just an old coastal boy, so I will go with the home team in the battle of military towns.
Out and about — Besides the Northside-Camden game, the one game I would love to see in person would be Sequoyah at Marist. Both teams are disciplined, run-oriented teams with solid defenses. The game starts at 7:30 and could very well be over with by 9:15. It is a battle of ranked teams, but Sequoyah has been good to me this year, so take the Chiefs again. … Hillgrove had its first playoff victory last week, but I can’t see picking / against Tucker two weeks in a row. … Who is doing the valet parking when Holy Innocents’ and Wesleyan meet tonight? Wolves roll on. … Jefferson has been the whipping boy in this column for the past couple of weeks, and it probably isn’t deserved, but the lack of competition that the Dragons played in the regular season catches up this week against Lovett. … I’m feeling the Calhoun love up in Northwest Georgia. Take the Jackets over Westminster this week and I’ll take them in the Dome.
WEEKEND PREDICTIONS WIN / LOSS PERCENTAGES
Last week: 56-24 (.700) • Season: 1,493-407 (.786)
SECOND-ROUND PLAYOFF GAMES
CLASS AAAAA
Winner / Loser
Camden Co. / Northside-W.R.
Coffee / Chapel Hill
Grayson / East Paulding
Lowndes / Bradwell Institute
Newnan / Tift Co.
North Gwinnett / Lassiter
Peachtree Ridge / Harrison
Woodstock / Norcross
CLASS AAAA
Brunswick / Griffin
Sandy Creek / Rome
Sequoyah / Marist
S.W. DeKalb / Cedar Shoals
Statesboro / North Clayton
Tucker / Hillgrove
Ware Co. / Mt. Zion-Jones.
Westside-Macon / Jonesboro
CLASS AAA
Baldwin / Shaw
Cairo / Burke Co.
Carrollton / Eastside
Carver-Col. / Woodward Academy
Dunwoody / North Hall
Gainesville / Cartersville
LaGrange / Thomson
Ridgeland / Flowery Branch
CLASS AA
Brooks Co. / Jefferson Co.
Buford / North Oconee
Calhoun / Westminster
Cook / Toombs Co.
Fitzgerald / Henry Co.
Pepperell / Callaway
Lovett / Jefferson
Thomasville / Dublin
CLASS A
Bremen / Athens Academy
Brookstone / Turner Co.
ECI / Clinch Co.
Lincoln Co. / ELCA
Savannah Christian / Miller Co.
Wesleyan / Holy Innocents’
Whitefield Acad. / Wilkinson Co.
Wilcox Co. / Schley Co.
— Compiled by Chip Saye
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Take 10: Thank goodness there’s no high school BCS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If the first round of the playoffs taught us anything, it’s that we should be thankful for a system that actually decides a champion. You’d miss great games like Etowah-Lassiter and Walton-Woodstock.
But between all of this week’s talk of ESPN buying the rights to the BCS from 2011-2014 and president-elect Barack Obama wanting to throw his weight around for a college playoff system, it got us to thinking: What would a bowl system be like at the high school level?
Sure, there are too many regions and too many good teams to properly pick, but we’re going to try anyway. We at Take Ten have thrown together a crackpot system of human polling, guessing, coin-flipping and a computer system edited by picks guru Chris Whitfield. He might not actually know that he’s doing this, but we’re throwing his seal of approval on there anyway.
Here’s your look at the first-ever GHSA Bowl Championship Series, sponsored by Chick-fil-A*:
10: Mohawk Carpets Bowl (Peachtree Ridge vs. ECI) at Phil Reeve Stadium in Calhoun — This annual bowl celebrates one of the state’s greatest industries with one of its most interesting matchups. The undefeated Bulldogs get a selection from Class A after finishing in the top 12 of the BCS standings. Peachtree Ridge played the schedule necessary to warrant an at-large bid.
9: Viking Bowl (Walton vs. Houston Co.) at Historic Martin Stadium in Valdosta — This bowl matchup comes as a direct result of Region 1-AAAAA pride. The area purposely selects one of the top Class AAAAA metro Atlanta teams and pits them against the last place team in Region 1 to prove just how awesome South Georgia football really is.
8: FOX 5 News/Ryan Seacrest Bowl (Dunwoody vs. Carver-Columbus) at Perimeter Mall in Dunwoody — This isn’t actually a sanctioned GHSA event, but that just allows Dunwoody to pull out all the stops. Meals provided by Maggiano’s, gift bags sponsored by Foot Locker and a special appearance by Seacrest.
7: AirTran/Private School Invitational (Marist vs. St. Pius X) at Hughes-Spalding Stadium — As we’ve seen from Miami and Florida State over the years, playing two or three times in a calendar year doesn’t diminish a good rivalry. These two schools have one of the best feuds in the state. Since a bowl postseason is really just about money anyway, we’re betting this game would fill the stands.
6: “Success Lives Here” Gwinnett County Bowl (North Gwinnett vs. Northside-Warner Robins) at Robinson Memorial Stadium in Suwanee — This could be the best bowl matchup outside of the title game. You’ve got two powers in Class AAAAA and both teams looking to set up a run in 2009. Besides, we’ll finally get to see if success does in fact live in Gwinnett County.
5: Coca-Cola/DeKalb County Public Schools Bowl (Tucker vs. Stephenson) at Hallford Stadium — The key here is a pairing of two area schools that have never played. You get a key matchup for classification bragging rights. Plus, we’d just really like to see them play.
4: Pancake Bowl (Cairo vs. Newnan) at West Thomas Stadium in Cairo — The Syrupmakers take the Boise State route and pick the home team. The task isn’t easy. Newnan brings firepower and a grudge against being blackballed out of a title shot. Word on the street is that Todd Holcomb once had some bad BBQ at Sprayberry’s, thus the bias in the polls.
3: Dorsey Bowl (Etowah vs. Grayson) at Cantrell Stadium in Powder Springs — This game appears to be one of the more unique matchups on the surface. In reality, both Region 5-AAAAA Etowah and the Rams defeated McEachern during the regular season. The bowl serves as reason for Indians faithful to boo both squads mercilessly.
2: Wright Bazemore Classic (Camden Co. vs. Westside-Macon) at the Bazemore-Hyder Stadium in Valdosta — This would have chance to be the best bowl game, but neither team would be happy to be here. Elite media bias (yes, us) knocks both teams out of the title matchup and in a fight for second best.
1: GHSA BCS Title Game (Lowndes vs. Buford) at the Georgia Dome — This is the big daddy of them all. The voters decided to give the undefeated Wolves a chance at the big stage, but no one expects them to top the state’s best team. Teams like Camden County and Westside-Macon enter the offseason complaining about not having a playoff system.
*Not really, but we wish because we’d love a sandwich right now
Go on. Take Ten. What are the postseason bowl games you’d like to see? Who would be the teams selected if there wasn’t a playoff? Could Houston County really knock off Walton? Here’s your chance to voice your opinion.
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Georgia High School Wrestling: AJC & Coaches Top 10 Rankings
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
For the third consecutive season, Pound for Pound will be all over the mats, bringing you the sights and sounds from tournaments all over Georgia. But for Week One we’ll keep it simple with the first AJC Top 10 and this year’s new wrinkle — the AJC Coaches Top 10.
AJC Top 10 All-Class Rankings (Last year’s final ranking in parenthesis)
1. Collins Hill (1): Defending Class AAAAA Dual and Traditional champions, the Eagles are heavy favorites to win both titles again and should continue to charge up the national ladder with visits to the Midwest Wrestling Classic in Kansas City and The Clash duals in Minnesota. There’s nationally ranked talent all over the mat with junior T.J. Mitchell (103-pound champion, 2007; third, 2008); and senior middleweight kingpin Taylor Knapp (champ at 135, 2007) leading the way.
2. Union Grove (3): Although Collins Hill is the clear favorite to repeat as Dual and Traditional champions in Class AAAAA, the Wolverines could be the No. 2 team in the state. There’s plenty of depth, led by state champion Joey Lazor (unbeaten in 2007-08 at 130 pounds) and 2007 champion Justin Crozier, who had an injury default finish to an otherwise dominant 2008. Ryan Devita, nationally ranked Jack Roberts and Wesley Mena are all capable of winning golds.
3. Jefferson (4): Moving up to Class AA shouldn’t be a problem for the Dragons, who won each of the seven Class A Duals titles and eight consecutive Traditional crowns. Three-time state champion Jay Fowler, two-timer Cam Thurmond and two other champions lead a pack of 11 returning state placers.
4. Pope (5): Tough draws and inconsistent wrestling contributed to the Greyhounds’ ninth-place finish at Traditional last season, but lightweights Patrick Anthony and Dexter Bushart return to anchor a team once again capable of finishing in the top 3 in Class AAAAA.
5. Lafayette (T-7): The defending Dual and Traditional champions in Class AA move up a classification with virtually the same group from a year ago. State runners-up Preston McCalmon and Joe Franks head a group of six returning placers that should be in great position to win both titles again.
6. Centennial (NR): Junior Brian St. James, runner-up at 112 pounds last season and a Super 32 placer last month, returns to lead the Knights. Senior Kevin Konigsberg (4th at 125) is the only other returning placer as 103-pound runner-up Kyle Salone moved to Florida and two other placers graduated off a team that finished sixth at Class AAAAA Traditional.
7: Harrison (2): The Hoyas will have to deal with a lot of change. Three-time champion Josh Condon is wrestling at Chattanooga; the Medveds-Alex (140-pound champ) and Ryan (4th at 130) are also gone, and former coach Josh Stephen is an assistant at Collins Hill. New coach Tom Fiacco will still have placers Peter and Lucas Mosher, state runner-up K.J. Bell and a host of others looking to keep the Cobb school at the top of Class AAAAA.
8. Eastside (6): The 112-pound runner-up Jamarkus Griggs was one of three placers to graduate from last year’s Class AAAA traditional champion and duals runner-up, but 2007 champion Joel Stafford (2nd last year) and state placers Trevor Bailey (2nd at 135) and Jonathan Palmer (6th at 171) return.
9. Walton (NR): State champion Jeff Olsen is back, along with 2007 champion Phil Holloway and two-time placer Nolan Legg, to try and get the Raiders back near the top of Class AAAAA (they finished seventh last season after two, top-four finishes the previous two seasons).
10. Whitewater (NR): In a wide-open Class AAAA, the Wildcats appear to be the early front-runners. Four placers return, led by 160-pound champion Chase Penland and 2007 champion Jacob Williamson.
The AJC Coaches Poll
We asked nine current and former coaches to rank their preseason top 10. Here’s the week one poll.
(First place votes)
1. Collins Hill (9) 90 points
2. Union Grove 77
3. Pope 59
4. Jefferson 57
5. Centennial 41
6. Eastside 27
7. Gilmer 22
8. Walton 21
9. Lafayette 19
10. Harrison 14
Receiving votes:
Fayette County 12; Parkview 12; Kennesaw Mountain 11; Grayson 7; Whitewater 7; Camden County 6; Kell 6; Henry County 3; Northwest Whitfield 2; Loganville 1; West Forsyth 1
TAKEDOWNS…
They said it
“Everyone has a chance this year with Jefferson being gone.”
- Bowdon coach Nathan Horsley on the seemingly wide-open Class A
Where we’ll be
Saturday, November 22 — The PFP staff opens the wrestling season at No. 6 Centennial for the Turkey Trot Duals. Joining the Knights will be Kennesaw Mountain, Henry County and Peachtree Ridge, among others.
Tuesday, November 25: PFP heads to Walton, where No. 4 Pope, Kennesaw Mountain and Whitewater will be for a quad meet.
Pin it down and rank the rankings: Let us know who YOUR Top 10 are and how they stack up against Kurt’s — and the coaches’ — picks.
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First-round wrapup: Which games made you smile?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
People think I have favorite teams, but I don’t - not until I’m provoked. I admit I’ve pulled for teams I’ve taken criticism for ranking (and pulled against teams I’ve taken criticism for not ranking).
So which first-round games gave you the most pleasure?
Here are mine:
Thomson 28, Jackson 14: Earlier this month, I tabbed Jefferson, Jackson, Evans and Pike County the Fake Four - teams that were unbeaten and whose fans were calling me names for not ranking them. Three lost in the first round last week. Jefferson is facing execution this week against Lovett.
Fitzgerald 39, Charlton County 7: Fitz bailed me out last week by validating its controversial No. 4 ranking. One poster, who is normally astute in his observations, opined that I should resign and turn over my duties to Whitefield on account of putting Fitz and Thomasville so highly. But as I said in Fitz’s defense, Region 1-AA rules!!!! And that includes Thomasville, that four-loss team that shows up only in the AJC’s Top 10 poll.
Woodstock 28, Walton 7: Who doesn’t pull for Mike O’Brien, the former Valdosta coach who must get a grin from the irony that his former team didn’t make the playoffs? And I’ll confess: All that ‘’you never give Cobb enough credit’’ stuff I got the past few weeks needed a swift and decisive response.
Bradwell Institute 19, East Coweta 6: For three weeks, we laughed at SportsFan31313 for his steadfast insistence that Bradwell is no joke this season. As I said before, you are indeed brave, sir knight. Congrats to Bradwell and its staunchest fan.
Henry County 34, Laney 25: I can’t say that Henry solidified my faith as a Top 10 team last week, but losing to Laney in the first round - on the night that I came to McDonough to do a story on Drew Little - would have been totally uncool.
And finally, I’m not doing rankings against until the playoffs are done, but here’s what would have happened if I did them:
AAAAA - Enter Tift & Coffee. Exit Walton & Etowah.
AAAA - Enter Rome & SWD. Exit Evans & Loganville.
AAA - Enter Burke, Flowery Branch, Ridgeland, Carrollton.
Exit WaCo, Jackson, Peach, SPX
AA - Enter Dublin, Calhoun (jump Henry). Exit Charlton, Appling
A - No change.
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Free-For-All Friday: Georgia high school football scores and chat — LIVE!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Going to the game tonight? Or are you hangin’ at the house, eagerly awaiting that new scoring update from your own special playoff game? We are here to talk football, football and more football. If you’re going to a playoff game and you’re taking the cellphone or the Blackberry, let us know what’s going on at YOUR game and we’ll post it here.
If you have a score update - tell us who just scored, who’s ahead, who’s losing big. See a killer play? Message us. Got a shout-out? Keep it clean and email it our way. Send messages here: onlinesports@ajc.com
UPDATE: A first-round playoff game between Jefferson County and Northeast Macon was postponed from tonight until Saturday at 6 p.m. due to standing water on Jefferson County’s home field.
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AJC Football Predictions: East Paulding falls; St. Pius tops Cartersville
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The high school football playoffs are a time when fans like to say throw out the records and forget the rankings. People start talking about heart and community pride.
Well, if that were the case, then I might as well pick Luella to upset top-ranked and undefeated Lowndes because those Lions have a heck of a lot of heart and plenty of community pride. Of course, it just doesn’t work that way.
Every year we have surprises in the playoffs — teams that defy the experts and their seeding to make a deep run in the playoffs. But for the most part, the playoffs usually go exactly as expected. Every now and then you get a No. 4 seed that bumps off a No. 1, but if you go with what is expected, your bracket usually looks pretty good.
We are down to 32 teams in each classification, and over the next five weeks, we are in for a treat which all comes to an end on my birthday. That’s kind of fitting for me since the playoffs during the football season is the best time of the school year as far as I am concerned.
When it comes to picking, the games just get harder and harder, but as coaches like to say, it’s time to take things to another level. In the last week of the regular season, the fearless football forecaster was 10-6 with some pretty interesting region title games on the line. For the year, I am 79-39.
Let’s get it on!
SmAAAAAck Talk: For the state’s largest classification, there has been tons of talk about Region 5 vs. Region 6. This paper has said that Region 5 is the second strongest in the state, but I am still trying to determine if the region is all very strong or all very mediocre. This first round will answer a lot.
Woodstock made the playoffs when everyone else had counted it out, but winning at Raider Valley isn’t an easy task. Walton rolls to the second round. The other Cherokee County team — Etowah — is in much better position against Lassiter. Despite their ESPN highlights, the Trojans will find a defense up to the task and a split-back veer that is being run almost to perfection right now. Cherokee goes 1-1.
Harrison has been a favorite whipping boy in this column this year, but despite its loss last week, it still managed to claim home field. Kell is one of the best stories of the year under first-year coach Derek Cook. If Harrison allows Kell to stay close, the Longhorns will nip them. But Harrison is healthier this week and at home, and that makes the difference.
The other game in this clash of regions pits Toney Williams and Milton hosting East Paulding. I’ve lost faith in East Paulding, and Williams is the kind of running back that can hurt the Raiders. One and done for the Raiders? Yep.
Gwinnett Greatness: Lots of Gwinnett games this week, and in most of them, I’m still picking a Gwinnett winner even when I am picking a Gwinnett loser.
Parkview managed the No. 2 seed from its region, but the more I look at that region, the weaker it seems. Take Norcross in a mini-upset, while North Gwinnett takes out Brookwood, but it will be a lot closer than some might think.
Peachtree Ridge, which proved me wrong big-time last week, rolls on to face Harrison, and, of course, Grayson is the best team I have never seen.
Out and about: One of the most interesting games in the first round in Class AAAAA is Chapel Hill hosting Windsor Forest. Chapel Hill is trying to build a reputation as a good team, while Windsor Forest will try to shed that really bad reputation that haunts Region 3 teams besides Camden County. The feel-good story of AAAAA keeps going another week for the Panthers. … I’m very, very tempted to pick a Region 1-AAAAA sweep, but I just can’t. I’ll say that everyone else wins, but Coffee falls after that long drive to Stephenson. Chalk up wins for Lowndes, Northside-Warner Robins and Tift County.
Fast and dirty: Sprayberry over Cedar Shoals. … Athens goes 0-for-2 in the picks as Sequoyah takes a victory on the road against Clarke Central. … Washington County brings the House of Pain to metro for a win over Woodward. … St. Pius bounces back to take care of Cartersville. … Upset Special of the Week (served up steaming with two sides): Coosa drops undefeated Jefferson. You can throw out the records and rankings on that one.
WEEKEND PREDICTIONS WIN / LOSS PERCENTAGES
Last week: 140-36 (.795) • Season: 1,437-383 (.790)
PLAYOFF GAMES
Class AAAAA
Winner / Loser
Camden Co. / Creekside
Chapel Hill / Windsor Forest
East Coweta / Bradwell Inst.
Etowah / Lassiter
Grayson / Collins Hill
Harrison / Kell
Lowndes / Luella
Milton / East Paulding
Newnan / Johnson-Sav.
Norcross / Parkview
North Gwinnett / Brookwood
Northside-W.R. / Union Grove
Peachtree Ridge / Dacula
Stephenson / Coffee
Tift Co. / M.L. King
Walton / Woodstock
Class AAAA
Winner / Loser
Brunswick / Bainbridge
Evans / Mt. Zion-Jones.
Griffin / Glenn Hills
Hephzibah / Jonesboro
Loganville / Hillgrove
Marist / Northgate
North Clayton / Richmond Acad.
Rome / Apalachee
Sandy Creek / Chamblee
Sequoyah / Clarke Central
Sprayberry / Cedar Shoals
Statesboro / Harris Co.
Thomas Co. Cent. / Ware Co.
Villa Rica / S.W. DeKalb
Westside-Macon / Glynn Academy
Whitewater / Tucker
Class AAA
Winner / Loser
Baldwin / Eagle’s Landing
Burke Co. / Mary Persons
Cairo / Troup
Carrollton / Washington
Carver-Col. / Crisp Co.
Dunwoody / Central-Carroll
Eastside / Creekview
Gainesville / Oconee Co.
Hart Co. / North Hall
Jackson / Thomson
LaGrange / Dougherty
Peach Co. / Shaw
Ridgeland / Carver-Atl.
St. Pius / Cartersville
Stephens Co. / Flowery Branch
Washington Co. / Woodward Acad.
Class AA
Winner / Loser
Appling Co. / Cook
Brooks Co. / Tattnall Co.
Buford / Heard Co.
Calhoun / Banks Co.
Callaway / GAC
Charlton Co. / Fitzgerald
Coosa / Jefferson
Dublin / Central-Macon
Henry Co. / Laney
Jefferson Co. / Northeast-Macon
Lovett / Macon Co.
North Oconee / Rockmart
Pepperell / Riverside Military
Southwest-Macon / Toombs Co.
Thomasville / McIntosh Co. Acad.
Westminster / Pike Co.
Class A
Winner / Loser
Athens Academy / Wash.-Wilkes
Bowdon / Holy Innocents’
Bremen / Landmark Christ.
Brookstone / Sav. Country Day
Clinch Co. / Twiggs Co.
ELCA / Darlington
ECI / Greenville
Johnson Co. / Schley Co.
Lincoln Co. / Social Circle
Miller Co. / Dooly Co.
Sav. Christian / Chattahoochee Co.
Turner Co. / Terrell Co.
Wesleyan / Warren Co.
Whitefield Acad. / Gordon Lee
Wilcox Co. / Seminole Co.
Wilkinson Co. / Commerce
— Compiled by Chip Saye
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Take 10: Georgia’s top surprise high school football teams of 2008
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s the end of the regular season, so it’s time to take a look at what we learned. Lowndes? Still very, very good. Peachtree Ridge? Shouldn’t have written them off after starting 0-2. Cairo? Still the best mascot ever. Todd Holcomb? Still smarter than us.
It has been a fun season, but the surprises have been even more fun. We’re sure we’re going to miss a few, but here are some teams that caught our eye. Take 10 took a look at top coaching turnarounds a few weeks ago. Some of those are on this list. Some aren’t.
Here’s a look at the top 10 surprise teams of 2008:
10: Eagles Landing — The Golden Eagles finished 6-4 after only producing one victory in the previous two seasons. That’s nice, but aside from the victory totals, Eagles Landing will be making its second trip ever to the postseason with Friday’s game against No. 2 Baldwin. Good first year for coach Joe Teknipp.
9: Kell — You’ll remember the Longhorns from our look at surprise first-year coaches. They finished the year at 8-2 under Derek Cook after a 2-8 campaign. We’re not denying Kell has plenty of talent but finishing with a complete reversal is impressive.
8: North Clayton — As we mentioned, there have been some stellar first-year coaching campaigns. Here’s another. North Clayton finished 9-1 and was one point away from being unbeaten. The Eagles were 5-5 a year ago and 6-4 in 2006.
7: Collins Hill — Seriously, there must be something about Eagles this season. Collins Hill finished 8-2 under first-year coach Billy Wells. The Eagles were 4-6 a year ago, but they staged this turnaround with a six-game winning streak to start the year.
6: Woodstock — We acknowledge the love for Cherokee County in this Take 10, but it’s warranted. The Wolverines finished a modest 6-4 with four straight victories to secure a playoff berth - the first since 2005. The season ending winning streak included a key defeat of East Paulding. Perhaps more indicative of strong season are the losses. Woodstock dropped four games by a total of 16 points.
5: Dunwoody — Why? Well, they’re undefeated and a legitimate threat for their first state crown since 1993. The Wildcats went 8-2 a year ago and didn’t even make it out of their own region. Not all surprises have to be turnarounds. We expected St. Pius X to be the heavyweight here.
4: Lassiter — It has been a long decade for the Trojans. Lassiter’s 8-2 mark is the first winning season since 2005 and best record since 1999. It’s the program’s first postseason trip since 2000. That means the baseball program has been rubbing it in for about eight seasons now. Chip Lindsey took a team that was 3-7 for two straight years and gave it the school’s first victory against Walton since 2001.
3: Milton — Sure, they’ve got Toney Williams. But the Eagles had him last season, too. What they didn’t have was a playoff berth and a No. 2 seed in Region 6-AAAAA. Milton hasn’t been to the playoffs since 1999 and hasn’t won this many games in a season since 1993.
2: Etowah — It’s hard to be surprised by anything Bill Stewart is doing, but that said, his team is 9-1 and three points against East Paulding from being undefeated. The Region 5-AAAAA champs have half the roster size of most of their competitors and come from (basically) a golf community.
1: Chapel Hill — Consider what the Panthers have done. They went 8-2 in Chris Parker’s first season for the highest victory total in school history. They’re making their first-ever trip to the postseason. Heck, the school has only produced 15 victories since it started the program in 2000.
Go on. Take Ten. Who are your surprise teams this season? Who was better than you thought? Was it a dynamic turnaround or a nearly flawless performance? Let us know. Here’s you chance to voice your opinion.
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Georgia High School Sports: College athletic signings around the state
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
While national football signing day is a ways off, many other Georgia high school athletes in various sports are making their college choices now.
Post your athlete signing news using the “Comments” area below. Include athlete’s name, high school, high school sport and college of choice with your congratulations.
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AJC Football Rankings: Most No. 1s don’t win state, but don’t count them out
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Most No. 1 teams don’t go on to win the state title, but I’m lacking in courage when it comes to picking which ones aren’t going to make it this year.
I’m going with the favorites — Lowndes, Westside, Cairo, Buford and ECI. But I can see any of them losing, even ECI. What a tough draw the Bulldogs got.
Since 1988, only about 40 percent of No. 1 teams after the regular season have won state titles. But I’m not sure what that means because last season, four of the five state champs (all but Lowndes) were No. 1 entering the playoffs.
Question of the week: If Robert Davis wins state titles at two schools - something that Bazemore, Hyder and Campbell did not do - where does that put him in state history?
Nick Hyder never won one at West Rome despite some very talented teams there. Larry Campbell has several titles, but all in the lowest classification. Wright Bazemore, well, I guess we shouldn’t go there. Not sure anybody can be in the same argument with Baze.
Here are my final fours:
AAAAA - Lowndes, Peachtree Ridge, Camden County, Newnan
AAAA - Westside, Brunswick, Marist, Statesboro
AAA - Cairo, Carver-Columbus, Baldwin, Dunwoody
AA - Brooks County, Calhoun, Buford, Charlton County
A - Miller County, Wilcox County, ECI, Turner County
Todd talks back: Holcomb mixes it up with you all week long. Catch his running commentary in Poll Talk Monday-Friday. Leave comments, questions, etc., here and return to talk about this week’s rankings.
AJC High School Football Rankings - Week of Nov. 10, 2008
Class AAAAA
1. Lowndes (10-0) vs. Luella
2. Camden County (10-0) vs. Creekside
3. Newnan (10-0) vs. Johnson
4. Grayson (10-0) vs. Collins Hill
5. Northside-Warner Robins (9-1) vs. Union Grove
6. Stephenson (9-1) vs. Coffee
7. Peachtree Ridge (8-2) vs. Dacula
8. Walton (9-1) vs. Woodstock
9. Etowah (9-1) vs. Lassiter
10. North Gwinnett (8-2) vs. Brookwood
Class AAAA
1. Westside-Macon (10-0) vs. Glynn Academy
2. Sandy Creek (10-0) vs. Chamblee
3. Marist (9-1) vs. Northgate
4. Tucker (9-1) vs. Whitewater
5. Statesboro (9-1) vs. Harris County
6. Sequoyah (9-1) at Clarke Central
7. Evans (10-0) vs. Mount Zion
8. Brunswick (8-2) vs. Bainbridge
9. North Clayton (9-1) vs. Richmond Academy
10. Loganville (9-1) vs. Hillgrove
Class AAA
1. Cairo (9-0) vs. Troup
2. Baldwin (10-0) vs. Eagle’s Landing
3. Dunwoody (10-0) vs. Central Carrollton
4. Gainesville (10-0) vs. Oconee County
5. Carver-Columbus (8-2) vs. Crisp County
6. St. Pius (9-1) vs. Cartersville
7. Peach County (8-2) vs. Shaw
8. LaGrange (8-2) vs. Dougherty
9. Washington County (8-2) at Woodward Academy
10. Jackson (10-0) vs. Thomson
Class AA
1. Buford (10-0) vs. Heard County
2. Brooks County (9-1) vs. Tattnall County
3. Charlton County (9-1) vs. Fitzgerald
4. Fitzgerald (8-2) at Charlton County
5. Westminster (8-2) at Pike County
6. Pepperell (9-1) vs. Riverside
7. Appling County (9-1) vs. Cook
8. Callaway (9-1) vs. GAC
9. Henry County (9-1) vs. Laney
10. Thomasville (6-4) vs. McIntosh Co. Academy
Class A
1. ECI (10-0) vs. Greenville
2. Wilcox County (10-0) vs. Seminole County
3. Savannah Christian (9-1) vs. Chattahoochee Co.
4. Lincoln County (9-1) vs. Social Circle
5. Brookstone (10-0) vs. Savannah Country Day
6. Turner County (8-2) vs. Terrell County
7. Clinch County (8-2) vs. Twiggs County
8. Bremen (9-1) vs. Landmark Christian
9. Miller County (9-1) vs. Dooly County
10. Wesleyan (8-2) vs. Warren County
Todd talks back: Holcomb mixes it up with you all week long. Catch his running commentary in Poll Talk Monday-Friday. Leave comments, questions, etc., here and return to talk about this week’s rankings.
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Free-For-All Friday: Georgia high school football scores and chat — LIVE!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Going to the game tonight? Or are you hangin’ at the house, eagerly awaiting that new scoring update from your own special Game of the Week? We are here to talk football, football and more football. If you’re going to the game and you’re taking the cellphone or the Blackberry, let us know what’s going on at YOUR game and we’ll post it here.
If you have a score update - tell us who just scored, who’s ahead, who’s losing big. See a killer play? Message us. Got a shout-out? Keep it clean and email it our way. Send messages here: onlinesports@ajc.com
Friday night photos
Brookwood vs. Parkview
Milton at Kell
Dunwoody vs. St. Pius X
Cedar Grove at Washington
Friday night game stories/roundups
Brookwood at Parkview
Dunwoody at St. Pius
North Gwinnett at Peachtree Ridge
Milton at Kell
Whitefield Academy at ELCA
Harrison at Etowah
Chamblee at Miller Grove
Mays at Whitewater
Lassiter at Roswell
Catching up with Washington’s Branden Smith
State, Metro Atlanta and Greater Atlanta roundups
Send us your game photos: Click HERE
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Weekend Predictions: Harrison will take region crown; Brookwood over Parkview
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
There comes a time in every man’s life when he has to look in the mirror and accept that he reached high and grabbed, well, mediocrity.
Last week was that week for me. For the season, I have a prognostication record of 69-33, which is pretty stout. But last week I was a ho-hum 5-5. Sort of like Georgia’s performance in Jacksonville, my picks just weren’t up to par.
Instead of rounding into playoff shape, I took a step back, but now is when it really matters and there are plenty of big games out there to refocus my energies.
The Amazing 5-AAAAA Race: If there has been one school that has been the bane of my existence this year, it has been Harrison. Whenever the Hoyas have appeared in this column, it is good bet that they will do exactly the opposite of what I say. For that reason, East Paulding fans will be very sad to hear that I am picking Etowah to win the season finale against the Hoyas. East Paulding will take care of its business against Woodstock, but since I have picked Etowah to win, it looks like Harrison emerges as the region champs. A Raiders victory against Woodstock also puts Kennesaw Mountain in the playoffs after the Mustangs beat Marietta.
Gwinnett gratification: Lots of good action this week in the best county in the state that starts with a G (take that, Greene, Gilmer, Glynn and Glascock), but how telling is it that the landscape of Gwinnett football has changed so much that the Brookwood-Parkview game isn’t the biggest of the week? (Take Brookwood on the road, by the way.) No, the biggest game will be at Peachtree Ridge, where the Lions try to hand North Gwinnett its only in-state loss of the season. I picked against The Ridge last week, and since they don’t have Gwinnett in their school name, I will pick against them again this week. … Collins Hill is the only 8-1 team in Class AAAAA that isn’t ranked in our Top 10. Norcross will show you why tonight with a big victory over the Eagles. … Dear Grayson, you are so dreamy! O.K., that might have been a little too much, but the lovefest with the Rams continues.
Region title games, historical and religious references: Rome and Sprayberry will play for the top seed in Region 7-AAAA, but there are plenty who would argue that the top two teams in the region aren’t playing for the region title. I would argue that Sprayberry isn’t even the fourth-best team in the region, but this is the world of subregions that we live in. Rome rolls. … Dunwoody looked poised and focused when I saw it play earlier this year, but take the Fighting Popes of St. Pius for the 5-AAA title. … Speaking of Popes, Walton beats Pope for the Region 6-AAAAA top spot. … I’ve got no ties to 18th century preacher George Whitefield, but I’ll take the school that is named for him against Eagle’s Landing Christian for the top spot in 5-A.
Around the state: Dublin over Jefferson County for the 3-AA title. … Lassiter topples Roswell. … Pepperell holds off Calhoun, which is coming in as the hottest team in AA. … Thomas County Central over Bainbridge in the Ed Pilcher Bowl. … Charlton County to reign supreme in the Swamp over McIntosh County Academy.
WEEKEND PREDICTIONS WIN / LOSS PERCENTAGES
Last week: 147-24 (.860) Season: 1,297-347 (.789)
FRIDAY’S GAMES
Winner / Loser
Adairsville / Model
Alexander / McIntosh
Alpharetta / Campbell
Apalachee / Salem
Appling Co. / Benedictine
Athens Academy / Social Circle
Athens Christian / Lakeview Acad.
Atkinson Co. / Randolph-Clay
Avondale / Cross Keys
Baldwin / Thomson
Banks Co. / Union Co.
Banneker / Northgate
Bowdon / Bremen
Brookstone / Schley Co.
Brookwood / Parkview
Buford / GAC
Burke Co. / West Laurens
Cairo / Westover
Calhoun Co. / Pelham
Callaway / Pike Co.
Camden Co. / Bradwell Institute
Carrollton / Ridgeland
Cartersville / Ringgold
Cass / Paulding Co.
Cedar Shoals / Heritage-Conyers
Cedartown / Lakeview-Ft. Ogle.
Centennial / Wheeler
Central-Macon / Putnam Co.
Chapel Hill / Westlake
Charlton Co. / McIntosh Co. Acad.
Chattahoochee / Duluth
Chattahoochee Co. / Webster Co.
Clarke Central / Madison Co.
Clinch Co. / Miller Co.
Coffee / Tift Co.
Commerce / Prince Avenue
Cook / Early Co.
Creekside / Riverdale
Creekview / Chestatee
Dacula / Meadowcreek
Dalton / Hillgrove
Darlington / Trion
Dougherty / Perry
Douglas Co. / Heritage-Catoosa
Dublin / Jefferson Co.
Eagle’s Landing / Columbus
East Laurens / Dodge Co.
East Paulding / Woodstock
Eastside / Franklin Co.
ECI / Calvary Day
Etowah / Harrison
Evans / Richmond Acad.
Fellowship Christ. / SACA
Fitzgerald / Thomasville
Gainesville / Flowery Branch
Georgia Military / North Paulding
Glascock Co. / Towns Co.
Glenn Hills / Butler
Gordon Central / Armuchee
Gordon Lee / Mt. Zion-Carroll
Grayson / Central Gwinnett
Greenville / Marion Co.
Haralson Co. / S.E. Whitfield
Harlem / Westside-Aug.
Harris Co. / Amer.-Sumter
Hart Co. / Elbert Co.
Heard Co. / Crawford Co.
Henry Co. / Monticello
Hephzibah / Cross Creek
Jackson / Spalding
Jefferson / East Jackson
Jenkins Co. / Bryan Co.
Johnson-Sav. / Savannah
Johnson Co. / Claxton
Jordan / Spencer
Jonesboro / Stockbridge
Kell / Milton
Kennesaw Mtn. / Marietta
LaGrange / Troup
Lakeside-Evans / Josey
LaFayette / Central-Carroll
Landmark Christ. / Mount Pisgah
Laney / S.E. Bulloch
Lanier Co. / Seminole Co.
Lassiter / Roswell
Lincoln Co. / Warren Co.
Lithonia / North Springs
Loganville / Winder-Barrow
Lovett / Decatur
Lowndes / Warner Robins
Luella / Newton
M.L. King / Union Grove
Manchester / Lamar Co.
Marist / Lakeside-DeKalb
McEachern / Cherokee
Mill Creek / South Forsyth
Miller Grove / Chamblee
Mitchell Co. / Berrien
Montgomery Co. / Portal
Murray Co. / Allatoona
Newnan / East Coweta
Norcross / Collins Hill
North Atlanta / Druid Hills
North Clayton / Dutchtown
North Cobb / South Cobb
North Forsyth / Northview
North Gwinnett / Peachtree Ridge
North Hall / Lumpkin Co.
North Oconee / Fannin Co.
Northeast-Macon / Greene Co.
Northside-W.R. / Colquitt Co.
N.W. Whitfield / South Paulding
Oconee Co. / Morgan Co.
O.L. of Mercy / Pace Academy
Pacelli Catholic / Central-Talbotton
Peach Co. / Crisp Co.
Pebblebrook / Mundy’s Mill
Pepperell / Calhoun
Pickens / East Hall
Pierce Co. / Long Co.
Rabun Co. / Oglethorpe Co.
Redan / Greenbrier
Riverside Military / Dawson Co.
Riverwood / Clarkston
Rockdale Co. / Monroe Area
Rockmart / Chattooga
Rome / Sprayberry
St. Pius / Dunwoody
Sandy Creek / Villa Rica
Sav. Christian / Metter
Sequoyah / Hiram
Sonoraville / Coosa
South Effingham / Wayne Co.
South Gwinnett / Berkmar
S.W.-Macon / Howard
S.W. DeKalb / Stone Mountain
Starr’s Mill / Lithia Springs
Statesboro / Brunswick
Stephens Co. / Jackson Co.
Stephenson / Douglass
Tattnall Co. / Brantley Co.
Taylor Co. / Stewart Co.
Telfair Co. / Wheeler Co.
Temple / Dade Co.
Terrell Co. / Bacon Co.
Thomas Co. Cent. / Bainbridge
Toombs Co. / Swainsboro
Towers / Therrell
Treutlen / Sav. Country Day
Tri-Cities / Fayette Co.
Tucker / Forsyth Central
Turner Co. / Hawkinsville
Twiggs Co. / Dooly Co.
Upson-Lee / Jones Co.
Valdosta / Houston Co.
Vidalia / Bleckley Co.
Walton / Pope
Ware Co. / Effingham Co.
Washington / Cedar Grove
Washington Co. / Richmond Hill
Wash.-Wilkes / Aquinas
West Forsyth / West Hall
Westside-Macon / Hardaway
Westminster / Blessed Trinity
White Co. / Gilmer
Whitefield Acad. / ELCA
Whitewater / Mays
Wilcox Co. / Irwin Co.
Wilkinson Co. / Hancock Cent.
Woodward Acad. / Woodland-Stock.
SATURDAY’S GAMES
Winner / Loser
Columbia / Grady
Lovejoy / Morrow
Mary Persons / Jackson-Atlanta
McNair / Carver-Atlanta
Monroe / Worth Co.
Rutland / South Atlanta
— Compiled by Chip Saye
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Take 10: What’s Georgia’s best high school football region?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Conference pride always seems to be a big thing these days in college football. There are important factors to consider: depth, strength of the top teams, competitiveness, how bad the bottom teams are.
On the high school level, it’s a little more difficult to rank regions. But we’re going to try.
The playoffs are a week away, so we at Take Ten decided to take a quick look at the best regions in the state during the 2008 season. Our guru Todd Holcomb shared his thoughts with a class-by-class breakdown back in September. Let’s see how those stack up now.
Here are the 10 best:
10: Region 5-AAAA — This is one of the larger regions with 13 teams, but with Sandy Creek (9-0), Villa Rica (8-1) and Mays (7-2), there is a lot to like at the top. Banneker (6-3) and Whitewater (6-3) add depth.
9: Region 1-AAA — Undefeated Cairo (8-0) is the staple. Peach County (7-2) and Crisp County (6-3) are solid. Then you have four teams hovering around a .500 record with only one bottom-dweller … Perry.
8: Region 6-AAAAA — It’s difficult to decide if these teams are super competitive or just not that good. The playoffs will decide. We do give points for competitiveness, however. Kell (8-1) and Walton (8-1) are the heavyweights. Lassiter (7-2) and Milton (7-2) are the next tier down, and Roswell (5-4) and Pope (4-5) have their moments.
7: Region 5-AAA — There are two divisions in this region that are highly competitive. St. Pius X (9-0) and Dunwoody (9-0) are the leaders and both are undefeated. After that, there are six teams with winning records.
6: Region 6-AA — We don’t like that there are two teams (Cross Keys and Avondale) with winless records, but the top is hard to deny. Buford (9-0), Westminster (7-2), Blessed Trinity (7-2) and Lovett (6-3) should be competitive come postseason.
5: Region 3-A — ECI (9-0) will get most of the love here, but don’t forget Johnson County (8-1), Savannah Christian (8-1) and Claxton (6-3). There’s also some competitiveness with Savannah County Day likely to make the playoffs over Claxton (4-5).
4: Region 7-AAAAA — It will be interesting to see how this region performs in the postseason. They’re tested for sure. North Gwinnett (8-1) and Peachtree Ridge (7-2) are the heavyweights, while Norcross (6-3) can’t be overlooked despite the record. Collins Hill (8-1) is one of the best stories in the state.
3: Region 6-AAAA — In most years, this region could be the best in the state. The loss of St. Pius X took away a little, but not too much from an incredible group of teams, including like Marist (8-1), Tucker (8-1), Southwest DeKalb (6-3) and Miller Grove (5-3).
2: Region 5-AAAAA — We actually considered placing this region No. 1 because of the top-tier teams. Going into the final week of the regular season, East Paulding, Etowah and Harrison are all 7-1. We’ve seen two of the three play. What the region doesn’t seem to have in an obvious state title contender, it makes up for in depth. Woodstock, Kennesaw Mountain and McEachern are all solid teams that have been up and down.
1: Region 1-AAAAA — What’s important here is the presence of undefeated Lowndes and 9-1 Northside-Warner Robins. Both are championship contenders in Class AAAAA and not many regions can claim they have two legit title shots. Coffee, 7-2, helps.
Go On. Take Ten. What do you think is the best high school football region? Do any of these look suspect to you? Traditionally, is there one that is better? Let us know. Here’s your chance to vent about the region that you know and love.
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AJC Football Rankings: Good region title news for SPX, P-Ridge, East
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Past midseason, I never honestly thought that East Paulding would wind up with a No. 1 seed, or that North Gwinnett wouldn’t.
But that’s what it says in next week’s paper. I don’t have a scanner, so I took some notes on what I read. If something just looks wrong, let me know and I’ll go back and look again. I was in a hurry.
So check out these seeds for the state playoffs below.
An asterisk (*) means the seed is clinched and I didn’t need next week’s paper to tell me. By the way, there are 16 games this week where the winner takes the region title. There are two others (Harrison vs. Etowah and Charlton vs. McIntosh Academy) where a three-way tie could result.
As for the rankings, here are unranked teams that I’m starting to like (along with ranked teams that I’m skeptical about, in parentheses): Etowah (Walton), Brunswick (Evans), Flowery Branch (Jackson), Dublin and Blessed Trinity (Henry County) and Twiggs County.
Todd talks back: Holcomb mixes it up with you all week long. Catch his running commentary in Poll Talk Monday-Friday. Leave comments, questions, etc., here and return to talk about this week’s rankings.
Class AAAAA
R1 - Lowndes, Northside, Coffee, Tift
R2 - Stephenson, MLK, Union Grove, Luella
R3 - Camden, Bradwell, Windsor Forest, Johnson
R4 - Newnan, East Coweta, Westlake, Creekside
R5 - East Paulding, Etowah, Harrison, Kennesaw Mountain
R6 - Walton, Milton, Kell, Roswell
R7 - Peachtree Ridge, North Gwinnett, Norcross, Collins Hill
R8 - Grayson*, Brookwood, Parkview, Dacula
Class AAAA
R1 - Westside, Thomas Central, Harrris County, Bainbridge
R2 - Statesboro, Brunswick, Ware, Glynn
R3 - Evans, Hephzibah, Glenn Hills, Richmond Academy
R4 - North Clayton, Griffin, Jonesboro, Mount Zion
R5 - Sandy Creek, Villa Rica, Banneker, Whitewater
R6 - Marist, Tucker, SWD, Chamblee
R7 - Rome, Sprayberry, Sequoyah, Dalton
R8 - Loganville, Clarke, Apalachee, Hab Central
Class AAA
R1 - Cairo, Peach, Dougherty, Crisp
R2 - Carver, LaGrange, Shaw, Troup
R3 - Baldwin, Burke, WaCo, Thomson
R4 - Jackson*, Woodward, Mary Persons, Eagle’s Landing
R5 - Dunwoody, SPX, McNair, Washington
R6 - Carrollton, Ridgeland, Cartersville, Central
R7 - Gainesville, North Hall, Flowery Branch, Creekview
R8 - Eastside, Stephens, Hart, Oconee
Class AA
R1 - Brooks, Thomasville, Fitzgerald, Cook
R2 - McIntosh, Appling, Charlton, Tattnall
R3 - Dublin, JeffCo, Laney, Swainsboro
R4 - Henry, SW Macon, NE Macon, Central Macon
R5 - Callaway, Pike, Heard, Macon
R6 - Buford, Blessed Trinity, Lovett, Westminster
R7 - Pepperell, Calhoun, Rockmart, Sonoraville
R8 - Jefferson, North Oconee, Fannin, Riverside
Class A
R1 - Clinch, Miller, Terrell, Lanier
R2 - Wilcox, Turner, Twiggs, Dooly
R3 - ECI, Savannah Christian, Johnson County, Treutlen
R4 - Brookstone, Chattahoochee, Greenville, Schley
R5 - ELCA, Whitefield, Holy Innocents’, Landmark
R6 - Bremen, Bowdon, Darlington, Gordon Lee
R7 - Lincoln, Wilkinson, W-Wilkes, Warren
R8 - Wesleyan, Athens Academy, Commerce, Social Circle
AJC High School Football Rankings - Week of Nov. 3, 2008
Class AAAAA
1. Lowndes (9-0) at Warner Robins
2. Camden County (9-0) at Bradwell Institute
3. Newnan (9-0) at East Coweta
4. Grayson (9-0) at Central Gwinnett
5. Northside-Warner Robins (8-1) at Colquitt County
6. North Gwinnett (8-1) at Peachtree Ridge
7. Stephenson (8-1) at Douglass
8. Walton (8-1) vs. Pope
9. Harrison (8-1) at Etowah
10. Peachtree Ridge (7-2) vs. North Gwinnett
Class AAAA
1. Westside-Macon (9-0) vs. Hardaway
2. Statesboro (9-0) vs. Brunswick
3. Sandy Creek (9-0) vs. Villa Rica
4. Marist (8-1) vs. Lakeside-DeKalb
5. Rome (8-1) at Sprayberry
6. Sequoyah (8-1) vs. Hiram
7. Tucker (8-1) vs. Forsyth Central
8. Evans (9-0) vs. Richmond Academy
9. North Clayton (8-1) vs. Alexander
10. Villa Rica (8-1) vs. Sandy Creek
Class AAA
1. Cairo (8-0) at Westover
2. Baldwin (9-0) vs. Thomson
3. St. Pius (9-0) vs. Dunwoody
4. Dunwoody (9-0) at St. Pius
5. Gainesville (9-0) vs. Flowery Branch
6. Carver-Columbus (7-2) vs. Northside-Columbus
7. Peach County (7-2) vs. Crisp County
8. LaGrange (7-2) at Troup
9. Washington County (7-2) at Richmond Hill
10. Jackson (9-0) at Spalding
Class AA
1. Buford (9-0) vs. Greater Atlanta Christian
2. Pepperell (9-0) vs. Calhoun
3. McIntosh County Academy (9-0) at Charlton County
4. Brooks County (8-1) at Albany (Thur.)
5. Fitzgerald (8-1) at Thomasville
6. Charlton County (8-1) vs. McIntosh County Academy
7. Westminster (7-2) at Blessed Trinity
8. Appling County (8-1) vs. Tattnall County
9. Callaway (8-1) at Pike County
10. Henry County (8-1) at Monticello
Class A
1. ECI (9-0) vs. Calvary Day
2. Wilcox County (9-0) vs. Irwin County
3. Clinch County (8-1) vs. Miller County
4. Savannah Christian (8-1) vs. Metter
5. Lincoln County (8-1) at Warren County
6. Brookstone (9-0) at Schley County
7. Turner County (7-2) at Hawkinsville
8. Bremen (8-1) vs. Bowdon
9. Bowdon (9-0) at Bremen
10. Wesleyan (8-2) vs. Athens Christian
Todd talks back: Holcomb mixes it up with you all week long. Catch his running commentary in Poll Talk Monday-Friday. Leave comments, questions, etc., here and return to talk about this week’s rankings.
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