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February 2009
Georgia High School Basketball State Tournament Blog
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s not even March, but the madness has already begun across Georgia.
The state basketball tournament tipped off this weekend. Here’s where our reporters were Saturday night.
• Chris Whitfield — Harrison-Wheeler
• Michael Alpert — North Cobb-Centennial
• Todd Holcomb — Milton-Marietta (Coach Hood’s final tourney)
• Rob Morton — Walton-McEachern.
Check out their updates below.
Here’s their game stories too:
• Centennial pulls away from North Cobb
• Wheeler cruises past Harrison
We had two photographers at games as well. Check out their best shots here.
But if we’re not at your game of interest, help us all out by posting your scores, highlights and reactions for all of Saturday’s first-round showdowns right here at State Tournament Central.
We appreciate it, and your fellow fans who couldn’t be at the game do too.
Saturday’s games: Boys | Girls
Relive Friday Night’s Action: • Scores: Girls| Boys • Photos
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Georgia High School Basketball Blog: Live from state tournament 1st round games
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It is here. The state tournament has started and the AJC Sports crew is all over the action. Tonight we’ll have these writers covering the following girls games - and even better, they’ll be checking in LIVE on this Basketball Blog to keep you updated on what’s going on as it happens.
Early Boys Finals
Fayette County, 78, Stone Mountain 55
Jonesboro 45, Evans 38
Redan 49, Northside-Warner Robins 39
Early Girls Finals
Lovett 58, Jordan 56
Dunwoody 58, Central-Carroll 34
SW DeKalb 64, Douglas Conty 61
Buford 77, Callaway 41
Redan 71, Northside-WR 4
Milton 67, N. Cobb 60
More Final Scores: Girls • Boys
PHOTOS: Parkview-Chattahoochee, Fayette Count-Tucker
Games we’re covering begin Friday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 7, but go ahead and get the blog rolling with your comments on which teams will tear up the hardwood this weekend and who’s not making it out of Round One.
FRIDAY’S STARTING LINEUP: YOUR AJC REPORTERS & GAMES
• Seth Coleman — North Cobb-Milton, 6 p.m.
• Glenn LaFollette — Miller Grove-Mays, 6 p.m.
• Michael Carvell — Central Gwinnett-Norcross, 7 p.m.
• Jay Stone — Fayette-Tucker (with photos), 7 p.m.
• Kurt Aschermann Jr. — Chattahoochee-Parkview (with photos), 7:30 p.m.
The crew here at the office is working the phones and gathering scores, but if you’re going to be out and about at any of tonight’s high school hoops action, make sure to update us on what happened.
Feel free to post scores, highlight-reel performances and your thoughts about the state tournament contenders.
And we’ll be back for state tournament boys action Saturday, too, blogging LIVE in-game with you during the evening. Don’t miss it!
WHAT’S COMING SATURDAY: YOUR AJC REPORTERS & GAMES
• Chris Whitfield — Harrison-Wheeler (with photos), 7 p.m.
• Michael Alpert — North Cobb-Centennial (with photos), 7 p.m.
• Todd Holcomb — Milton-Marietta (Coach Hood’s final tourney), 7 p.m.
• Rob Morton — Walton-McEachern, 7:30 p.m.
Did you see this?
• First-round state tournament pairings
• Fayette’s Noel Johnson may miss tournament opener
• Marietta’s Hood enters state tourney for last time
• AJC Dunk Contest • VOTE
QUESTION FOR THE BLOG: Which first-round team is your “sleeper” who’s more dangerous than anyone thinks?
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Pound-for-Pound: A look back at state wrestling traditional finals
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In the year of the Eagles, you just knew we’d start the final blog talking about Collins Hill, didn’t you? Collins Hill’s accomplishment of 12 placers and 140-point team victory is even more impressive considering the incredible depth of Class AAAAA. The usual suspects occupied podium spots — Virginia Tech signee Taylor Knapp won his third consecutive state crown at 152 pounds; 119-pound T.J. Mitchell won his second title, and Joel Smith, one of the most gifted athletes in the state, claimed the 140-pound crown.
But Eagles wrestlers few had heard of before last weekend’s tournament placed in perhaps the most difficult classification in the state’s history.
Sophomores Nick Holbert and Mac Bennett finished fifth at 171 pounds and fourth at 189 pounds, respectively, while Thomas Delain finished sixth in a difficult heavyweight class. Safe to say, Eagles coach Cliff Ramos was surprised at Delain’s finish.
“We were very concerned about him qualifying [for the state tournament],” Ramos said.
So, is this Collins Hill team the best in state history?
“I think there’s a great argument for that,” Ramos said. “I feel like we’ve done something important for Georgia wrestling, whether you like us or not.”
Traditional State news and notes
— Hard to imagine the Gwinnett Arena being more energized and exciting during a Traditional State wrestling tournament than it was during the 215-pound title match in Class AAAAA. Like the result or not — Valdosta’s Allen Scruggs escaped with two seconds left to nip Collins Hill’s C.J. Collins — the arena was no doubt the loudest it has been in its short history of hosting the state tournament.
— Alexander freshman Chad Starnes won the 103-pound title in Class AAAA, knocking off Cass’ Mason Martin. Some would say it was an upset, but not to Cougars coach Sean Moistner.
“He didn’t come out of nowhere to us,” Moistner said. “He’s been tough all year.”
— As the state tournament concluded, six wrestlers had Division 1 scholarships and each won a state title. Here’s the list:
Joey Lazor, Union Grove. Class AAAAA 135-pound champion, committed to Northern Iowa
Taylor Knapp, Collins Hill. Class AAAAA 160-pound champion, committed to Virginia Tech
Sam Kuntz, Peachtree Ridge. Class AAAAA 189-pound champion, committed to Rutgers
Jack Roberts, Union Grove. Class AAAAA 171-pound champion, committed to Brown
Alex Hudson, Sprayberry. Class AAAA 145-pound champion, committed to Tennessee-Chattanooga
Joel Stafford, Eastside. Class AAA 125-pound champion, committed to Liberty
— Tough loss for Jefferson’s Jay Fowler, who fell in overtime to Swainsboro’s Wade Farrow and was denied state title number four. On the flip side, McEachern’s Brandon Westerman and Toombs County’s Bryan Benton each won state title No. 4.
Said Westerman: “It feels awesome. I’ve really worked for four years.”
With all the hoopla surrounding Tony Van Horn’s retirement and Jason Faklaris becoming head coach and the Indians becoming an afterthought in Class AAAAA just two years after winning a state championship, it was a nice end to the season for the Powder Springs school.
— Great moment for Bremen’s T.J. Bell, who finally won a state title after finishing as a runner-up three consecutive seasons. Bell, who helped the Blue Devils capture the Class A championship, pinned Commerce’s Doug Maloch midway through the third period for the 119-pound crown.
— Hats off to Effingham County, winners in Class AAAA. The Rebels got titles at 112 (Josh Barnhill) and 119 pounds (Kevin Ulmer) and three others placed to help clinch the school’s first state championship.
— When we’re wrong, we can admit it. During our “Fearsome 14” selections at the beginning of the year, the Pound for Pound staff picked Walton’s Jeff Olsen over Sam Kuntz of Peachtree Ridge at 189 pounds. Four months later, Kuntz, the Rutgers signee, beats Olsen 6-4 in overtime for the 189-pound title in Class AAAAA.
— When we’re right, we can gloat; sort of. Of the 28 wrestlers we picked for our Fearsome 14 first and second-teams, 18 won state titles, six finished second, two others placed and two didn’t place at all.
Final AJC Top 10 All-Class State Wrestling Rankings
- Collins Hill
- Jefferson
- Union Grove
- Camden County
- Pope
- Eastside
- Centennial
- Kennesaw Mountain
- Lafayette
- Walton
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Take 10: State basketball tournament games we’d like to see
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
You wanted more basketball. You’re about to get more basketball. It’s state tournament time. We’ve scanned each classification looking for the games and matchups we’d like to see and selected one from each class in an effort to forecast the best games.
Here are the top 10 matchups we’d like to see in the state tournament:
10: Buford vs. Model (Class A girls) — There is no doubt who the two best teams in this classification are. The cream rises to the top with Gene Durden and Sally Echols. One of these two will be the walking away state champion.
9: Dublin vs. GAC (Class AA boys) — The Fighting Irish are very good. We’d like to see how they’d do in an all-classifications state tournament. Dublin’s only loss was by four points to Class AAAAA giant-slayer Collins Hill. Eddie Martin’s squad should be a worthy competitor.
8: Turner County vs. Whitefield Academy (Class A boys) — Wilkinson County could prevent this from happening, but we’re fans of Wolfpack coach Tyrone Johnson. There, we admit it. Shameless plug.
7: Baldwin vs. Columbia (Class AAA girls) — The Braves are likely the best team in this classification, and we just have a feeling about the Eagles. They lost to Dunwoody in the region finals, but we feel good about them making a tournament run. We’d just like to see them face the state’s best to prove us right (or wrong).
6: Miller Grove vs. Fayette County (Class AAAA boys) — We had fallen asleep on the Tigers after several early season losses — all in competitive national tournaments as part of the Noel Johnson World Tour. But we hope to see them up against the state’s best in the quarterfinals.
5: Wesleyan vs. Atlanta Dream (Class A girls) — Well, sure it’s a long shot. But we’d like to see someone challenge Jan Azar’s squad. We think the Dream would certainly be a defensive nightmare, but we have faith in Anne Marie Armstrong and Azar to bring home another title.
4: Fayette County vs. Marist (Class AAAA girls) — These two teams earn the curse of being in the same side of the bracket. Deep down, we’d like to see the Tigers face Mays (again) or Southwest DeKalb, but Marist has earned the right to play undefeated Fayette County after not losing any games in state all year.
3: Redan vs. Westlake (Class AAAAA girls) — The Raiders are undefeated and putting together a revenge trip back to the championship game. Westlake has been at ease in its first year of Class AAAAA ball and hasn’t lost to a Georgia opponent.
2: South Atlanta vs. Columbia (Class AAA boys) — Derrick Favors is a force of nature looking for his first state title. The Eagles have some special young players, including guard Jordan Price and are coming off a Class AAAA title.
1: Wheeler vs. Norcross (Class AAAAA boys) — Sure, they’ve faced off for the state title before. Now they’re likely to face off just to get to the Final Four. We’d like to see how each of the teams handles an Elite Eight game.
Go on. Take Ten. What are the postseason matchups you’d like to see? Where did we miss a game? Let us know.
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Picking the final fours: We’re liking Wheeler, Redan
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Get a load of McEachern’s draw in the state tournament. Mike Thompson, McEachern’s coach, is probably on the phone w/ the GHSA on Monday to discuss the merits of using the RPI ratings to seed Class AAAAA.
McEachern, a region champ with no losses in Class AAAAA, is looking at Walton, a top-10 team; Norcross, the three-time defending champion; and Wheeler, the team I’m picking to win it.
The bottom quarter of the draw has those four teams in it. Any could win state. Three have been nationally ranked. They’d thrive under the NCAA’s way of seeding March Madness.
Two years ago, Norcross had to play Wheeler in the first round, then Meadowcreek, which was 26-2; and Marietta in the QF. That was pretty tough. But I would take that over McEachern’s gantlet this year.
Here is my shot at picking the final fours. I think McEachern will make it, but not win it all.
BOYS
Class AAAAA
Centennial d. Valdosta
Wheeler d. Westlake
Champ: Wheeler
Class AAAA
Marist d. Bainbridge
Miller Grove d. Richmond Academy
Champ: Miller Grove
Class AAA
Northside-Columbus d. Franklin County
South Atlanta d. Columbia
Champ: South Atlanta
Class AA
McIntosh County Academy d. Callaway
Dublin d. GAC
Champ: Dublin
Class A
Turner County d. Pace
Wilkinson County d. Whitfield Academy
Champ: Wilkinson County
GIRLS
Class AAAAA
Redan d. Parkview
Norcross d. Westlake
Champ: Redan
Class AAAA
Mays d. Harlem
Fayette County d. Jonesboro
Champ: Fayette County
Class AAA
Rutland d. Franklin County
Baldwin d. Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe
Champ: Baldwin
Class AA
Model d. Dodge County
Buford d. Laney
Champ: Buford
Class A
Wesleyan d. Randolph-Clay
Savannah Country Day d. Gordon Lee
Champ: Wesleyan
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Georgia High School Basketball Blog: Live from 6-AAAAA Region Tournament
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Semifinal Friday is winding down. Thanks to Rob Morton for his updates, as well as all of you.
Our guys here at the office are working the phones and gathering other scores at this SCOREBOARD. (Make sure to scroll down to tonight’s scores, Feb. 20.)
If you were out and about at any of tonight’s high school hoops action, make sure to update us on what happened.
Feel free to post scores, highlight-reel performances and your thoughts about the upcoming state tournament. (Is Norcross the clear-cut favorite again?)
Thursday Night’s Scores: Boys • Girls
Did you see this?
• Mary Persons out of state tournament after using ineligible player
• AJC Dunk Contest • VOTE
QUESTION FOR THE BLOG: When at full strength, is Wheeler the best candidate to end Norcross’ reign?
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Georgia High School Basketball: Region tourneys & favorite all-time players
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s region tournament time in high school basketball and here are some questions for the high school hoops gurus:
— What are the best regions in history? How does 6-AAAAA rank? The Lassiter-Milton game Wednesday is a strong play-in game to the state tournament. Wheeler, Centennial and Walton are each among the best 10 teams in the state probably. What are the best regions of all-time?
— Who are your favorite high school players of all time? Mine are Louis Williams (boys) and Anne Marie Armstrong (girls). Williams has been almost forgotten due to guys like Dwight Howard and Derrick Favors. Williams is showing progress now in the NBA but gave up the chance to become a college star, which would’ve made him one of the best known Georgia players ever. As for Armstrong, she’s not the best player I’ve ever seen. That’s Maya Moore. Armstrong might not be the best player in Georgia now. But I’ve never seen a more complete player, one who could shoot the 3, play the post, run the offense, block shots inside, and pass. Except Maya.
- Answer my trivia questions.
Which former Georgia high school player during his NBA career has averaged the most points?
Also, which have the most for their career in…
Points
Rebounds
Assists
FG percentage
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Georgia High School Basketball Blog
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
With the state tournament just around the corner, we’re revving up the old engine on the Georgia High School Basketball blog. But we need a jumpstart.
If you headed out to any of tonight’s games, report what you see right here.
We’re looking for live updates, scores and highlights.
Which teams aren’t getting enough respect and which teams are getting too much? Were there any college coaches in attendance? How about highlight-reel dunks? Let us have it.
In return, we’ll be posting game stories and recaps before they hit the press.
Friday Night Game Stories
• New stars, new coach, Norcross keeps rolling
• No. 8 Walton upsets No. 4 Wheeler
• Friday night boys round-up
• Girls round-up
• Anyone see Riverdale’s Judson Dillard drop 49 on Mundy’s Mill? How good is this kid?
• Have you voted yet on the AJC’s high school dunk contest?
• Who are the state’s top junior prospects? According to Rivals.com, it’s Westlake foward Jelan Kendrick.
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Dillard nets 49 in Rivedale win
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Riverdale (17-7) got 49 points from Judson Dillard in an 83-50 win over county rival Mundy’s Mill. Byron Graham scored 10 for the Raiders.
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Pound for pound: Catching up with two champions
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
With the Traditional State tournament a week away, the staff at Pound for Pound scoured the college ranks to check on two former Georgia state champions.
Former Salem star Pete Yates, who won three state championships and lost just once in his four years at the Rockdale County school, has adjusted beautifully at the college level. Yates, the reigning ACC wrestler of the week, is 27-7 at 149 pounds as a true freshman, helping the Hokies move up to No. 15 in the USA Today/Intermat Coaches Poll. Yates is ranked No. 20 among 149-pounders by Intermat.
No. 5 Missouri is getting help from redshirt freshman Dorian Henderson, the former three-time state champion for Columbus. All Henderson is doing is etching Georgia’s name on the Big 12 wrestling map, going 19-10, and until recently, he was ranked among 184-pounders by Intermat.
AJC Top 10
- Collins Hill
- Pope
- Union Grove
- Jefferson
- Camden County
- Lafayette
- Kennesaw Mountain
- Eastside
- Centennial
- Parkview
Pre-Sectionals Takedowns Walton’s 189-pounder Jeff Olsen, last year’s 171-pound state champion, is one win away from 160 career victories…..Perhaps taking the first step back to its glory days of the early and middle parts of the 2000s, West Laurens had nine champions in winning Area 3-AAA handily. Terry Orange has lost just once at 145 pounds to lead the Raiders, a sleeper in Class AAA…..With an expected victory against Pepperell’s Blake Alvey in Friday’s first round of the Class AA West Sectional, Henry County’s Anthony Fretwell will break Tommy Carney of Woodward Academy’s state victories record of 77……Fretwell’s teammate, Evan Warrington, has 266 career victories and would reach 270 with a perfect weekend…..Everyone knows about undefeated Joey Lazor, but his brother, Alex, is quietly having a great year for No. 3 Union Grove. Alex is 49-2, although placing at 119 pounds in Class AAAAA, arguably the toughest weight class in the state, will be difficult……Colin Genthert’s 94 career pins is a Wesleyan school record……Parkview’s Alex Hillis has 62 wins, putting him two shy of former teammate Carson Fields’ Gwinnett County record for wins in a season, which the University of Tennessee Chattanooga freshman accomplished during last season’s state title run……2007 state champion Jacob Williamson is 63-0 at 171 pounds for Class AAAA duals champion Whitewater.
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Take 10: What’s in a name? For college football’s Class of 2009 signees, plenty
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
What’s in a name? If you’re in sports, a lot actually. Some people have superstar names. Some don’t.
There’s a noticeable difference between chanting “Ko-Be” and “Stan-Ley.” If your name is Stanley, you’re just meant to be an accountant, not the league MVP. We started thinking about this phenomenon on National Signing Day.
Every media outlet - ourselves included - has examined the college football stars of tomorrow for their speed, strength and athleticism. Well, we missed one thing: Names.
There are obvious traits we at Take 10 appreciate. Names have to sound cool, which is something subjective to the listener. Alliteration helps. So do words that represent toughness like “Mack,” “Colt” or “Buzz.” And it’s important to consider names under four syllables like Peyton Manning and LeBron James.
Here are the top 10 names of National Signing Day:
10: Ronnie Wingo Jr. — The 6-foot-3 athlete from St. Louis landed on the Arkansas roster playing for “He Who Shall Not Be Named.” If the football career doesn’t work out, we’re certain Wingo’s got a future in the Old West. It’s not the same as Johnny Ringo, but close enough to give us found memories of “Tombstone.”
9: Aaron Arterburn — We have two requests for Aaron: Switch the first “R” to and “F” and then suddenly develop a 4.3 40 time. Aaron Afterburn would be one of the best names in sports. Even ESPN wants the change.
8: Manti Te’o — Granted, Hawaiian names always seem cool. For all we know Te’o could be the “Smith” of Hawaii, but the future Golden Domer will certainly be unique walking the streets of South Bend. Plus, his first name leads to great headlines like “Irish get their Man-ti.”
7: Philip Lutzenkirchen — You’d think by looking at the Lassiter tight end’s name that he was a vicious defensive player, terrorizing opposing quarterbacks and destroying small villages in his wake. No, he’s just a 1,000-yard receiver who spends about as much time in a three-point stance as Lane Kiffin apparently does reading the NCAA recruiting guidelines.
6: Shavodrick Beaver — Why Oregon State didn’t recruit the dual-threat quarterback from Wichita Falls, Tex., we’ll never know. The four-star prospect ended up at Tulsa instead, but Shavodrick Golden Hurricane works just as well we think.
5: Vontaze Burfict — When a player’s name can be used as a verb, they get bonus points. Burfict signed with Arizona State, meaning the Sun Devils can “Von-taze” opposing quarterbacks next season. You’ve now, in fact, have been officially “Von-tazed.” It’s like the ShamWow, just on a football field.
4: Xavier Su’a-Filo — We could say the same thing here we said about Te’o. Xavier is a great name in any sport, and we’ll enjoy seeing Su’a-Filo on the back of a UCLA uniform.
3: Colton Nash — Another Arkansas signee makes our list. We like the 6-foot-7 defensive end because his name could double for that of a Texas Ranger, and with only three syllables, it’s easy to cheer in the fourth quarter. If the Ranger thing doesn’t work out, “Colton Nash: Attorney at Law” has a nice ring to it.
2: Rico Mack — The North Cobb wide receiver has everything you need in a name. A great first name, powerful last name and he falls under the four-syllable rule. He’ll be catching balls for Valdosta State next fall.
1: Barkevious Mingo — LSU signed a champion of a name. This man was meant to be a linebacker. Have you ever doubted that Dick Butkus was meant to be a warrior of a man? We didn’t think so. We feel the same way about Mingo.
Go on. Take Ten. What are some of the best names in sports? Do you approve of our list or did we miss a player? Tell us what you think.
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Georgia High School Basketball: Girls Metro Top 10 All-Classification
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
John Strickland’s team has been able to consider itself one of the best in the country. Now it’s the best in the state.
Fayette County, ranked No. 18 by one national publication, has worked its way into our top spot after defeating Mays 73-50 on Friday. The Tigers speed and defense turned a game that was back-and-forth until the third quarter into a fourth-quarter blowout.
“Our team has worked very hard for this moment,” Strickland said. “We want to get back to the state championship game, and we understand that you have to win games like [the one against Mays] to get there.”
Former No. 1 Parkview has dropped to fourth after its loss to newly-ranked Berkmar. From there, Class AAAA continues to be interesting with Mays, Marist and Southwest DeKalb all lurking for Fayette County in the postseason.
Here are 10 of the hottest girls teams in the metro area:
Girls Top 10 Metro All-Classification Rankings
1: Fayette County (24-0) — Nice coming out party for the Tigers, who used a 20-2 run to top fellow unbeaten Mays on Friday.
2: Redan (17-0) — Only two games stand between the Raiders and a perfect regular season. One just happens to be against defending Class AAAAA champ Stephenson.
3: Westlake (20-1) — Just continue to keep an eye on what Tamika Willis and the Lions do in the postseason. Only one loss, by one point all season.
4: Parkview (22-1) — The 13-point loss to Berkmar hurts, but we look forward to seeing the two teams face off again in the postseason.
5: Berkmar (20-3) — The Patriots split their regular season games with Parkview, lost to a good Duluth team by 3 and fell to Peachtree Ridge in double overtime. They’ve won nine in a row and could be deadly.
6: Mays (23-1) — One bad quarter isn’t enough to knock the Raiders out of top 10. Kendra Long and Co. are legit threats to face Fayette County again.
7: Marist (21-2) — The War Eagles are still rolling with 12 consecutive victories. Don’t forget about them in Class AAAA.
8: Buford (21-1) — Congratulations to coach Gene Durden for picking up his 500th victory. His team has rattled off 20 in a row after the double OT loss to Marist.
9: Southwest DeKalb (20-3) — Kathy Walton’s may enjoy the spotlight on Mays and Fayette County as it sets itself up for another title run.
10: Wesleyan (20-4) — The Buford loss was quickly followed by victories of 66 and 50 points. Tremble in fear, Class A.
Rank our rankings: Who’s in YOUR top 10? And who should move up (or out) of the AJC Metro Top 10? Let us know.
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Georgia High School Basketball: Boys Metro Top 10 All-Classification
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It was another dominating week for some of the best teams in the state, with the top 10 boys’ metro teams going 17-2.
Both losses came in Region 6-AAAAA games — No. 8 Milton lost 74-70 to No. 6 Centennial and No. 7 Lassiter lost 70-68 to No. 4 Wheeler.
Wheeler already has wrapped up the top seed in its subregion, but faces a challenging week by playing host to dangerous Campbell tonight and traveling to No. 10 Walton Friday.
Here’s a look at the metro area’s 10 hottest teams:
The Metro Top 10 All-Classification rankings
1: South Atlanta (20-3) — The Hornets, ranked No. 20 nationally by one publication, crushed Region 4-AAA’s second-place teams Spalding and Rutland last week.
2: Norcross (22-1) — The Blue Devils moved their Class 7-AAAAA winning streak to 34 after rolling past three region foes by an average of 39 points.
3: McEachern (20-3) — The Indians put together their third consecutive season of 20 or more victories by routing Woodstock and South Cobb by an average of 24 points.
4: Wheeler (16-6) — The Wildcats easily beat Pope and slipped past No. 7 Lassiter, 70-68, on Phil Taylor’s fall-away 3-pointer at the buzzer.
5: Miller Grove (20-3) — The Wolverines beat Region 6-AAAA foe Lithonia by 30 and ends regular- season play by taking on talented Tucker Friday.
6: Centennial (20-2) — The Knights also posted their third consecutive season of 20 or more victories by edging No. 8 Milton 74-70 and routing Alpharetta by 31.
7: Lassiter (18-5) — The Trojans beat dangerous Campbell by 5 and lost to No. 4 Wheeler on a last-second shot. They face No. 6 Centennial tonight.
8: Milton (16-6) — The Eagles were edged out by No. 6 Centennial and beat Kell by 21. They wrap up Region 6-AAAAA play by taking on Campbell Friday.
9: Columbia (21-2) — The Eagles crushed fellow Region 6-AAA members McNair and Alcovy to mark their sixth consecutive season with 20 or more victories.
10: Walton (15-7) — The Raiders beat fellow Region 6-AAAAA foe Campbell, 75-72, and wrap up regular-season play by hosting No. 4 Wheeler Friday.
Rank our rankings: Who’s in YOUR top 10? And who should move up (or out) of the AJC Metro Top 10? Let us know.
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AAAAA champ Camden County leads in signees with 15
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Camden County won the Class AAAAA championship in 2008. Now comes another title: the school with the most college signees in the Class of 2009.
Camden had 15 players sign last week, including QB Christian Milstead to Navy, WR DeAngelo Smith to South Carolina and lineman Ryan Attaway to Memphis. A few Camden signees didn’t start, which shows you the depth of that team.
M.L. King was next with 13. Linebacker Joel Kight (Ole Miss) was the marquee player in that group.
Below is the Top 10 schools in Georgia for having players sign.
My data is unofficial, so if you suspect an error, please ask and I’ll check it out.
15, Camden County
13, M.L. King
11, Banneker
11, Newnan
11, Westlake
10, Cairo
10, McNair
10, Norcross
9, Lithonia
What counties had the most signees?
84, DeKalb
68, Gwinnett
66, Fulton (16 north, 29 city, 31 south)
37, Cobb
24, Clayton
Which high school football regions had the most? ? This is surprising. It’s 5-AAA with 43. That’s the region with Carver-Atlanta, Cedar Grove, Dunwoody and McNair. That’s despite St. Pius having none, as best I can tell.
43, 5-AAA
41, 5-AAAA
38, 4-AAAAA
35, 6-AAAA
34, 7-AAAAA
Which states (according to MaxPreps)? This is Division 1-A signees only. Georgia had more than 600 signees overall.
402, Texas
346, Florida
296, California
171, Georgia
159, Ohio
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Football factories: Westlake, Tucker, Buford
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The best high school football teams aren’t always the ones producing the most college players. Otherwise, Lowndes would’ve had more than nine playing college football in 2008, right?
This data comes from a friend of mine who searched college rosters online last fall. He couldn’t find some rosters (though he got all of them in Division 1-A), and he’s found several names that he missed the first time, so the info is not precisely correct.
But even if it’s a bit off, the results of his research are pretty startling. He found the same number of college players at Lowndes as he did at Meadowcreek - a team that has won only one game in the past five seasons.
In all, there were 2,105 Georgia players found on college rosters. That does not include junior college teams.
With National Signing Day upon us, I thought you might be interested in some of what was found:
Westlake had more college players than any other Georgia school with 33. They included Cameron Newton of Florida, Kiante Tripp of Georgia, Mario Edwards of Georgia Tech, Charles Mustafaa of Kentucky, Morrice Richardson of Notre Dame and Addison Williams of South Carolina.
Buford, a Class AA school, ranked second with 31. They included Matt Pridemore and Ryan Wood of Duke, Omar Hunter and T.J. Pridemore of Florida and walk-ons Twoey Hosch and Billy Johnson of Georgia.
Lowndes (9) and Northside of Warner Robins (13) had low numbers considering their winning traditions. Neither had a former player on the roster of a BCS conference school. The only former Lowndes players on rosters of Division 1-A schools were Darriet Perry of Florida International and Kelly Dawsey of Western Michigan. Northside has only one Division 1-A player: Western Michigan’s Mario Armstrong.
Class AAAAA was the big producer of college players. With 787, AAAA has more than AAA (354), AA (272) and A (140) combined. Class AAAA has 552.
Tucker had 26, the most of any school in AAAA. Other class leaders were Weslake (AAAAA), Baldwin (AAA), Buford (AA) and Hawkinsville (A).
Here are the numbers by school. And please realize the numbers won’t be exact, but in the ballpark:
Class AAAAA
Westlake 33
Stephenson 26
Walton 26
Douglass 24
Lovejoy 24
Camden County 22
North Gwinnett 22
Grayson 20
Dacula 18
Roswell 17
Brookwood 15
Central Gwinnett 15
Marietta 15
McEachern 15
Peachtree Ridge 15
Chattahoochee 14
M.L. King 14
Norcross 14
Parkview 14
South Cobb 14
Collins Hill 13
Creekside 13
Newnan 13
North Cobb 13
Northside (Warner Robins) 13
Etowah 12
Kennesaw Mountain 12
Pope 12
Redan 12
East Coweta 11
Houston County 11
Kell 11
Union Grove 11
Warner Robins 11
Campbell 10
Coffee 10
Harrison 10
Lassiter 10
Milton 10
Duluth 9
Lowndes 9
Meadowcreek 9
Mundy’s Mill 9
Tift County 9
Wheeler 9
Woodstock 9
Riverdale 8
South Gwinnett 8
Berkmar 7
Luella 7
Valdosta 7
Centennial 6
Chapel Hill 6
Cherokee 6
Greenbrier 6
Mill Creek 6
North Forsyth 6
Alpharetta 5
Colquitt County 5
East Paulding 5
Northview 5
Shiloh 5
Bradwell Institute 4
Groves 4
Newton 4
South Forsyth 4
Windsor Forest 4
Jenkins 3
Savannah 3
Morrow 2
Pebblebrook 2
Beach 1
Class AAAA
Tucker 26
Sandy Creek 21
Marist 20
Mays 18
Banneker 17
Stockbridge 16
Chamblee 14
Fayette County 14
Northgate 12
Salem 12
Southwest DeKalb 12
Westside (Macon) 12
Dalton 11
North Clayton 11
Stone Mountain 11
Tri-Cities 11
Starr’s Mill 10
Villa Rica 10
Whitewater 10
Bainbridge 9
Clarke Central 9
Lee County 9
Lithia Springs 9
Northwest Whitfield 9
Osborne 9
Rome 9
Douglas County 8
Habersham Central 8
Hiram 8
Sprayberry 8
Statesboro 8
Lakeside (Atlanta) 7
Lithonia 7
Sequoyah 7
Winder-Barrow 7
Americus-Sumter 6
Brunswick 6
Evans 6
Griffin 6
Hardaway 6
Jonesboro 6
Murray County 6
Forsyth Central 5
Glynn Academy 5
Harris County 5
Paulding County 5
Ware County 5
Butler 4
Effingham County 4
Hephzibah 4
Loganville 4
McIntosh 4
Monroe Area 4
North Springs 4
Upson-Lee 4
Woodland (Cartersville) 4
Apalachee 3
Heritage (Conyers) 3
Jones County 3
Josey 3
Lakeside (Evans) 3
Madison County 3
Mt. Zion (Jonesboro) 3
South Effingham 3
Thomas County Central 3
Wayne County 3
Westside (Augusta) 3
Cass 2
Dutchtown 2
Harlem 2
Ola 2
Richmond Academy 2
Rockdale County 2
Alexander 1
Cedar Shoals 1
Cross Creek 1
Forest Park 1
Miller Grove 1
Class AAA
Baldwin 14
Grady 14
St. Pius 14
Hart County 12
Peach County 12
LaGrange 11
McNair 11
Shaw 11
Washington 11
Gainesville 9
Carrollton 8
Cartersville 8
Flowery Branch 8
North Atlanta 8
Oconee County 8
Perry 8
Riverwood 8
Carver (Columbus) 7
Cedar Grove 7
Dunwoody 7
Mary Persons 7
North Hall 7
Stephens County 7
Burke County 6
Eagle’s Landing 6
Towers 6
East Hall 5
Glenn Hills 5
Southside 5
Troup 5
Woodward Academy 5
Cedartown 4
Clarkston 4
Haralson County 4
Southeast Whitfield 4
Spalding 4
Thomson 4
West Hall 4
White County 4
Cairo 3
Columbia 3
Dougherty 3
Gilmer 3
Jackson 3
LaFayette 3
Richmond Hill 3
Ridgeland 3
Washington County 3
Westover 3
Benedictine 2
Central (Carroll) 2
Chestatee 2
Columbus 2
Crisp County 2
Elbert County 2
Franklin County 2
Jackson County 2
Kendrick 2
Lakeview-Ft. Oglethope 2
Liberty County 2
Northside (Columbus) 2
Carver (Atlanta) 1
Eastside 1
Johnson (Gainesville) 1
Lumpkin County 1
Pickens 1
Ringgold 1
West Laurens 1
Worth County 1
Class AA
Buford 31
Greater Atlanta Christian 17
Blessed Trinity 12
Calhoun 10
Charlton County 10
Dublin 10
Decatur 9
Westminster 9
Dawson County 8
Lovett 8
Albany 6
Coosa 6
Henry County 6
Jefferson County 6
Brooks County 5
Gordon Central 5
Greene County 5
Laney 5
McIntosh County Academy 5
Model 5
Adairsville 4
Chattooga 4
Heard County 4
North Oconee 4
Northeast (Macon) 4
Pepperell 4
Putnam County 4
Southwest (Macon) 4
Thomasville 4
Armuchee 3
Dodge County 3
Riverside Military 3
Rockmart 3
Swainsboro 3
Vidalia 3
Calvary Day 2
Central (Macon) 2
Crawford County 2
Cross Keys 2
Dade County 2
Fitzgerald 2
Jefferson 2
Lamar County 2
Macon County 2
Manchester 2
Morgan County 2
Rabun County 2
Rutland 2
Toombs County 2
Appling County 1
Berrien 1
Bleckley County 1
Brantley County 1
Cook 1
Long County 1
Mitchell County 1
Monticello 1
Pierce County 1
Pike County 1
Screven County 1
Union County 1
Class A
Hawkinsville 11
Wesleyan 10
Pacelli 8
Landmark Christian 7
Lincoln County 7
Athens Academy 6
Darlington 6
Seminole County 6
Savannah Christian 5
Savannah Country Day 5
Bowdon 4
Washington-Wilkes 4
Whitefield Academy 4
Aquinas 3
Clinch County 3
Dooly County 3
Greenville 3
Johnson County 3
Treutlen 3
Trion 3
Turner County 3
Walker 3
Wilcox County 3
Bremen 2
Fellowship Christian 2
Holy Innocents 2
Telfair County 2
Twiggs County 2
Bacon County 1
Brookstone 1
Claxton 1
Commerce 1
Eagle’s Landing Christian 1
Georgia Military 1
Gordon Lee 1
Irwin County 1
Miller County 1
Mt. Pisgah Christian 1
Our Lady of Mercy 1
Pelham 1
Portal 1
Prince Avenue Christian 1
Randolph-Clay 1
Social Circle 1
Towns County 1
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