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David Mayo declared the Georgia Class AAAA championship baseball game was over before it even started. The Loganville shortstop said a pregame meeting left his team with no option other than victory. The junior then backed it up on the field, leading the Red Devils to a 14-4 six-inning win over Greenbrier in the deciding game in the best-of-three series.

The Class A championship baseball series between Providence Christian and Charlton County is on hold because of Tropical Storm Beryl. State titles in classes AAAA and AA will be decided Monday, while the AAA final between Columbus and Ringgold will begin with a double-header.

Grayson broke a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the sixth inning with a bases-loaded single by Jeril Dawson and defeated Gwinnett County neighbor Brookwood 3-1 on Monday to salvage a two-game split of a state Class AAAAA semifinal baseball series. Brookwood won the opener 10-0 despite scoring no earned runs.

Asher Clark, the second-leading rusher in Air Force football history, has been removed from the academy less than a week before he was scheduled to graduate, and sources indicated he was removed as part of the academy's investigation into illegal drug use.

One team’s national streak is on the line; another team’s coach inspires from his wheelchair. A third is seeking a seventh title. By any measure, today’s four state lacrosse finals — boys and girls games in Class AAAAA and A-AAAA — are expected to be compelling.

After coming close the last two years, the Milton golf team was finally able to close the deal and bring home the school’s first state golf championship. The Eagles, who lost by two shots a year ago, won the Class AAAAA boys championship at Champions Retreat Golf Club on Monday by a single stroke.

The girls track coach at Southwest DeKalb High School has been suspended with pay following allegations of inappropriate contact with a student, a school district spokesman said Tuesday. Antoinette Tyrell, a health and physical education teacher, was removed from the classroom more than two weeks ago after a parent complained, Walter Woods, spokesman for the DeKalb County schools, told the AJC.

One is a fluke, two a coincidence. But Tift County winning South Georgia’s third state gymnastics title Friday night at Westminster perhaps signaled a trend that metro Atlanta schools’ stranglehold on the sport is weakening. “That’s what we’re trying to prove, that we’re competitive with metro Atlanta schools,” Tift County coach Jodi Roberts said.

Fans might not be able to attend a game between the Warren County and Hancock Central high school football teams this fall, according to a report in the Augusta Chronicle Wednesday. The two east Georgia teams brawled after their game Oct. 14 last season at Hancock Central, and Warren County head coach David Daniel was severely injured when he was hit by a helmet.

Shiloh football coach Brian Montgomery resigned Thursday while maintaining his innocence in the controversy over whether he asked student-athletes to follow him from his former school, which is a violation of Georgia High School Association rules. Montgomery was reassigned from his teaching position Monday and told his contract would not be renewed.

The Georgia High School Association knows that illegal recruiting of high school athletes is going on. It’s lack of evidence that makes convictions rare. That’s why it was startling to have it arrive in the newspaper in the case of Shiloh quarterback Wil Larimore, who transferred last year from North Atlanta to join former coach Brian Montgomery at the coach’s new school in Gwinnett County.

Longtime high school reporter Todd Holcomb thinks these five basketball teams helped frame the transfer timeline. 2003 Wheeler The Wildcats were not the first team to win a state basketball title with a big-name transfer, but their 2003 team redefined what it meant to rebuild.

Charlie Hood knows more about how transfers have changed high school sports than most. He retired in 2009 after 30 seasons as Marietta's boys head coach. He won state titles in 1983 and 1999. By Charlie Hood At a public school, you used to look for that once-in-a-decade player and build around him.

We tried to tell you in a 2003 report that this trend of blue-chip athletes changing schools to play with other blue-chip athletes would destroy the integrity of high school sports. By any conservative estimate, more than a hundred of metro Atlanta’s best players have transferred since then to form “super” teams in various sports.

[Editor's Note: This story first was published in the AJC Sunday sports section as a Sports Extra on March 18 and is the main reason the GHSA is investigating the recruiting issue at Shiloh.] At the end of his freshman year at North Atlanta High School, quarterback Wil Larimore transferred to Shiloh in Gwinnett County.

Shiloh High School football coach Brian Montgomery has been reassigned pending an investigation into alleged recruitment violations. Sloan Roach, spokeswoman for Gwinnett County Public Schools, said late Monday that the reassignment came after the Georgia High School Association contacted the school in reference to its investigation into alleged recruitment violations.

Lumpkin County swept the GHSA Riflery Championships on Saturday at Fort Benning, edging Madison County by the narrowest of margins in the team competition. Lumpkin County and Madison County each finished with a team score of 1,130, and Lumpkin won by virtue of posting 46 “center 10” shots, to 45 by Madison.

Moved by the news that Georgia leads the nation in heat-related deaths of  football players over the past 15 years, the Georgia High School Association made sweeping changes Monday to make football practices safer. In its monthly meeting in Macon, the GHSA also took another step toward figuring out how Class A private and public schools will determine their state champions beginning in 2012-13.

Diamond DeShields scored 17 points, including four in a decisive 11-0run in the third quarter,and third-ranked Nor-cross (25-6) defeated second-ranked Parkview 63-46 in the Class AAAAA girls quarterfinals in Carrollton. Parkview (30-1) was one of three unbeaten teams remaining.

Unranked Washington got 21 points from Darius Miles and used its speedy, aggressive defense to upset No. 6 Allatoona 59-56 in the Class AAA quarterfinals at the Northwest Georgia Trade Center in Dalton. “Our guys just wanted it,” Washington coach William Faulkner said.

In a wild Class AAAAA second-round playoff game, North Cobb overcame a nine-point Stephenson lead in the fourth quarter to capture a 60-57 victory. Guard Lee Moore was clutch when it counted most, scoring 15 of his game-high 25 points in the final quarter when he was 8-for-8 from the free-throw line.

Heat-related deaths among football players have tripled since 1994, with Georgia recording more than any other state, University of Georgia researchers say. In the 15-year period before 1994, there was an average of one death per year nationwide; between 1994 and 2009 the number was almost three per year, according to the study, published in the International Journal of Biometeorology.

A former McEachern High School head football coach and Atlanta Falcons chaplain was mourned Friday after he was killed the night before while crossing a street in west Cobb County. A memorial service for Charles H. Collins, 66, is set for Monday at 1:00pm at Smyrna First United Methodist Church, 1315 Concord Road.

The only sure thing in the state high school basketball tournament used to be a championship for Wesleyan’s girls, who are seeking their fifth straight title. In a year of transition and unpredictability, even that presumption is now in dispute. Wesleyan, the Norcross private school that has dominated Class A, lost to St.

Chad Starnes of Alexander and Spencer Jones of Darlington gave fans their money’s worth at the state wrestling championships Saturday night at Gwinnett Arena. While Collins Hill, Pope, Jefferson and Bremen extended their streaks of team championships, Starnes and Jones became the 24th and 25th wrestlers in state history to win four individual championships.

McEachern girls basketball coach Phyllis Arthur was one of 11 coaches nominated Tuesday for the Naismith boy’s and girl’s Coach of the Year awards. Smith was joined by Diane Richardson of Upper Marlboro, Md.; Curtis Ekmark of Phoenix; Brian Rush of Clarksville, Tenn.

Class A high school football fans soon could find themselves asking the same question that college football fans ask: “Who’s No. 1?” When the executive committee of the Georgia High School Association voted overwhelmingly (36-12) earlier this month to hold separate playoffs and championships in all sports in Class A, the handful of voters on the short end of the decision predicted several unforeseen consequences.

Class AA has new No. 1 boys and girls high school basketball teams as the regular seasons enters its final two weeks. The No. 1 boys AA team is Jordan of Columbus, which avenged one of its two losses – to Manchester – with a 71-55 win on Friday. Jordan replaced Greater Atlanta Christian, which lost to Butler 66-65 in Augusta on Saturday.

Two years ago, the Georgia High School Association adopted national rules dealing with possible head injuries and gave explicit procedures for personnel to follow. More than 4,000 coaches in the state have taken an online course about concussion-like symptoms, according to GHSA executive director Ralph Swearngin.

The Georgia High School Association is getting another lesson in politics after it decided this month to hold separate state championships for small public and private schools. Legislators with enough clout to make things happen in the General Assembly filed a bill this week to form a 12-member board of state House and Senate members to oversee the private high school association.

A Buford High School assistant football coach suffered a fatal heart attack at the school early Thursday, the school district announced. Ryan Daniel, 30, who also taught special education students, had the heart attack before the arrival of students, the district said.

A grand jury has declined to issue any indictments in a brawl that left an east Georgia high school coach seriously injured. The Hancock County grand jury, which met Wednesday, decided that "no indictment be returned against anybody" in the Oct. 14 fight after a game between Hancock Central and Warren County, the Augusta Chronicle reported Thursday.

Fayette County and Greater Atlanta Christian are new No. 1 boys teams while Buford’s girls regained the their top spot in the high school basketball rankings this week. Fayette County’s boys, who made the Class AAAA semifinals last year but have never won a state title, replaced three-time defending champion Miller Grove, which lost Friday to Chamblee in a Region 6-AAAA game.

Collins Hill High School had its streak of eight consecutive state championships in wrestling snapped at Saturday night’s Team Duals in Macon. The dominating run by the Gwinnett County powerhouse in the state’s largest classification was ended by the narrowest of margins.

MACON -- Eighty-three coaches and administrators, representing 40 mostly Class A high schools, met Monday as they applied more pressure on the Georgia High School Association to readdress what they feel is a competitive imbalance between public and private athletic teams or face a massive membership defection.

Student athletes who suffer a concussion would be taken out of play and not allowed to participate until cleared by a health care provider approved by the state Board of Education under a bill filed by Rep. Billy Mitchell, D-Stone Mountain. House Bill 673, called the Return to Play Act of 2012, proposes to put new guidelines in place by July 2013 and would require parents of athletes to sign off on materials describing concussions and their effects on brain function beginning in January 2013.

After 135 interviews with coaches, players and fans, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation has completed its probe into an Oct. 14 melee that left a high school football coach with serious injuries after he was smashed in the face with a helmet. The east Georgia fight broke out between the Warren County and Hancock Central high school football teams after Warren’s 21-2 win.

Most of the time, after all the thunderous dunks, aerial wizardry and deep 3-pointers, basketball games come down to one boring, rudimentary element: free throws. Such was the case Thursday night as national power Oak Hill Academy of Mouth of Wilson, Va.

ROCHELLE -- A move to end athletic competition between public and private high schools in the state’s smallest classification took a significant step on Tuesday when more than half of the Class A public schools met and considered pulling out of the Georgia High Schools Association and forming their own organization.

It took Grayson 12 seasons of varsity football to get to its first championship game. It took less than a half to win it. Grayson (15-0) took a 24-point lead in the second quarter, held Walton to minus-19 yards in the first half and won the Class AAAAA final 24-0 Saturday night at the Georgia Dome.

Comebacks weren’t a big part of Burke County’s resume through the first 14 games, but it needed one in the Class AAA championship game and got it. Trailing by two touchdowns late in the first half, the Bears received two scores each from Corey Mayton and Donquell Green and rolled to their first state title with a 28-14 win over Peach County on Saturday night in the Georgia Dome.

After two consecutive unsuccessful trips to Atlanta and the Class A title game, Savannah Christian made the third time pay off on Saturday. The Raiders rode their punishing option offense and blunt-force defense to wear down a feisty squad from Landmark Christian, and claim a 20-3 victory.

Calhoun finally got a chance to turn the tables on its biggest tormentor. The Yellow Jackets ended three years of frustration against Buford on Friday, surviving a last-minute implosion to defeat the Wolves 27-24 in overtime and win the Class AA championship at the Georgia Dome.

Top-ranked Tucker proved once again that it plays defense pretty well, too. Tucker held Lovejoy to 207 total yards, got plenty of offense from Jordan Landry and the running game and rolled over the Wildcats 22-7 in the Class AAAA championship game Friday night at the Georgia Dome.

The weekend forecast calls lots of sunshine, along with a bunch of road construction on I-285 and a full slate of championship high school football. Afternoon highs will be in the mid-50s, with overnight lows in the mid-30s, according to Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Karen Minton.

What are the chances? Landmark Christian, which a month ago looked harmless as a fourth-place finisher out of Region 5-A, is going to the Georgia Dome on Saturday, playing for the championship of Class A. There have been 608 fourth-place teams in the high school football state playoffs since 1996.

Following a one-week delay, the Georgia High School Association on Monday divided its 440 schools into six classifications that will be used next year. Sixty-five schools, most from the metro Atlanta area, will compose the GHSA’s first Class AAAAAA group.

A Douglas County judge denied bond Thursday for a Lithia Springs High School assistant football coach who admitted to having sex with a student and who told a magistrate he was a sex addict. Dennis Keith Brown, 52, is accused of engaging in oral sex with the 17-year-old female student off campus and during school hours in September.

Valdosta won Region 1-AAAAA and a spot in the Class AAAAA rankings with its 27-24 overtime victory over Colquitt County on Friday. The Wildcats are No. 9 entering the state playoffs. Peachtree Ridge, which lost a similar region showdown in 7-AAAAA against North Gwinnett, is out of the rankings.

The top 10 in Class AAAAA remained the same this week as No. 2 Grayson, No. 3 Hillgrove and No. 6 Walton won games that clinched region titles. Get ready for some shuffling on Friday, though. Two metro Atlanta games match top-10 teams in region championship games.

Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy made an improbable rally by scoring the final six points in the deciding game Saturday to win the Class AA/Astate volleyball championship at Marietta High School. After both teams had won two games each, Greater Atlanta Christian led 13-9 in the deciding game and needed to score only two more points to win the state title.

Kayla Floor has battled a left quadriceps injury for most of her senior year in softball at Collins Hill, but she wasn’t going to let it get in the way of finishing the job. The senior right-hander gutted out the Class AAAAA championship Saturday, pitching a complete game in a 6-4 win over Mill Creek, giving Collins Hill (29-7) its third consecutive state title.

A coach from one of the two Georgia high school football teams involved in a Oct. 14 post-game brawl sent threatening text messages to opposing players before the game, according to the Warren County school system's attorney. The allegations are made in a letter sent last week by attorney Mike L.

Pep rallies before rival football games are so yesterday. A group of Gwinnett County students has ushered in a new era for metro Atlanta gridiron grudge matches by posting a cyber-spirit video on YouTube. The result: "Brookwood, Where You At?" Their clever rap hyping Friday night's game between the Grayson Rams and the Brookwood Broncos has already seen more than 200,000 hits since its release, turning its student stars into overnight sensations.

Decatur High School's football game ended early Friday night after a parent rushed onto the field to defend his son, officials said. Parent Dean Rodney was arrested for disorderly conduct after entering the field of play with 8:52 left on the clock. Rodney told Decatur police he "acted spontaneously" after seeing his son shoved by a larger Twiggs County player after a play ended, according to a police report.

St. Pius affirmed its No. 2 ranking in Class AAA with its 49-16 victory over Grady last week. After losing the game between unbeaten Region 5-AAA teams, Grady was dropped from the rankings. Peach County (7-1), which began the season No. 3, re-entered the rankings at No.

The beating of its high school football coach has prompted the superintendent of Warren County schools to seek the state's assistance in obtaining a "complete investigation" of the Friday attack. Warren County Superintendent Dr. Jean Carey said the school system has asked the Georgia attorney general's office to request a GBI investigation into the after-game fight that seriously injured head football coach David Daniel.

The sheriff of Hancock County has requested the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to look into the beating of a visiting high school football coach. GBI agents met Thursday with Sheriff Tomlyn Primus and Glenn Ingram, chief of the Hancock County Board of Education Police Department, to discuss the case, said GBI spokesman John Bankhead in a press release.

A brawl involving two Georgia high schools is prompting at least one other school district in the state to change its security policies for games. The Augusta Chronicle reports that the Richmond County Board of Education has amended its policy for post-game security and will now have two public safety officers on the field during the traditional handshake after athletic events.

Colquitt County and Peachtree Ridge cashed in upset victories for top-10 rankings this week. Colquitt County (6-1), last year's Class AAAAA runner-up, beat previous No. 10 Lowndes for the first time since 1999, 34-7. Colquitt is No. 9 this week. Peachtree Ridge (6-1) routed Norcross 41-14 and is No.

The possible heat-related deaths of two high school football players in August aren’t likely to spark a later start to the football season, a top state official said Wednesday. Ralph Swearngin, executive director of the Georgia High School Association, told the State Board of Education that a one- or two-week delay might be considered if there were evidence it could help.

A Gwinnett County high school basketball player was among four family members killed in a wreck that also injured four others early Saturday in Florida. The family was headed to Miami for the weekend when the 17-year-old driver, Darrian George, lost control of the Chevrolet Tahoe on I-75 near Ocala, Fla.

Camden County is the new No. 1 team in Class AAAAA after a weekend that brought down three ranked teams in the highest classification, including previous No. 1 McEachern. Camden County and Grayson, both 6-0 and nationally ranked in several polls, moved up one position to fill the top two spots.

Jeff Holloway, a three-time athletic director of the year, resigned from Fulton County Schools amid allegations that he misused school funds. Holloway was facing two separate investigations into parent complaints of misconduct when he left his $58,860-a-year job as a special education teacher and girls' basketball coach at Riverwood International Charter School in Sandy Springs.

A high school assistant principal and former coach died from a blood clot that formed in his leg, the Douglas County coroner said Tuesday. Jeffrey Henderson, 32, died Monday morning after being transported to the hospital, Douglas County Coroner Randy Daniel told the AJC.

Walton and M.L. King got a small boost in the high school football rankings after scoring big victories last week. In games between unbeaten teams, Walton beat Lassiter 34-10, and M.L. King defeated Valdosta 16-3. M.L. King is No. 7 in this week's high school football rankings.

Class A got a shake up this week in the Georgia high school football rankings after Clinch County, the defending champion, lost to previously winless Irwin County 32-31. Newly ranked are Landmark Christian, Prince Avenue Christian and Bowdon, all 5-0.

Five new teams are in the Georgia high school football rankings this week, each making its first appearance at least since 2008. For one, Stockbridge, it's been 43 years. In AAAAA, Walton (4-0) took the place of Colquitt County. It’s Walton’s first AJC ranking under coach Rocky Hidalgo, who is in his third season.

In an 18-5 victory against Lithonia last week, Chamblee shortstop/pitcher Kelly Strychalski was 4-for-4 with a homer and two triples and drove in an astounding seven runs in one inning. “It was pretty amazing,” Chamblee coach Adrienne Keathley said. “I would say for last week Kelly Strychalski was probably our MVP.

Ranked teams went 43-2 in high school football last week, resulting in few changes in the rankings. Cedar Grove, previously ranked No. 9 in Class AAA, dropped out after a 35-34 loss in overtime to LaGrange. Thomson (2-0) entered at No. 9. In Class A, No.

The 17-year-old football player accused of yanking off an opponent's helmet and beating him with it will face charges in the attack. The teen, Adam Chumley, of Acworth, will be charged with misdemeanor battery, Walton County Sheriff Joe Chapman told the AJC.

Four teens face criminal charges in Canton after much of downtown was tagged with graffiti, police said. The investigation began Aug. 9 when Canton city police received a complaint about graffiti. Officers found about 10 properties had been defaced. Victims included a shoe repair, a blueprint shop, a real estate office, a law firm and the Georgia Department of Corrections.

Police are seeking the driver of a vehicle that struck and critically injured a state championship wrestler from Peachtree Ridge High School over the weekend, Channel 2 Action News reported. Tsvetomir Petrushev, 17, a junior at the Suwanee high school and two-time Class AAAAA state wrestling champion, was walking home from his girlfriend’s house in Norcross early Sunday morning when he was struck on Williams Road.

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Five people were arrested after a fight that broke out at Savannah's Memorial Stadium after a high school football game. The Savannah Morning News reported that the suspects include a 17-year-old who was shocked by a Taser used by a Chatham County sheriff's deputy when the fight erupted Saturday night.

McEachern beat No. 1. Now, McEachern is No. 1. The Indians of Powder Springs are the new top team in the Class AAAAA high school football rankings after a 20-13 victory over previous No. 1 Lowndes in Valdosta. McEachern became the first team since 2003 to beat Lowndes --  a four-time state champion since 1999 --  in consecutive seasons.

The Georgia High School Association’s expansion from five to six classifications on Monday received a late alteration and then a unanimous vote, finally setting it in motion.  “Six classifications is a done deal; that is correct,” said Ralph Swearngin, the GHSA’s executive director.

CLASS AAAAA Region 1-AAAAA Team Reg. All Colquitt County 0-0 2-0 Lowndes 0-0 2-0 Tift County 0-0 2-0 Valdosta 0-0 1-0 Coffee 0-0 1-1 Region 2-AAAAA Luella 0-0 2-0 East Coweta 0-0 1-0 Hughes 0-0 1-0 Newnan 0-0 1-0 Newton 0-0 1-0 Stephenson 0-0 1-0 Westlake 0-0 1-0 M.

The heat-related policy for football, the legality of last spring’s reclassification vote and splitting Class A schools into two subdivisions by urban and rural areas are some of the top items to be discussed at Monday’s meeting of the Georgia High School Association.

South Gwinnett’s all-region quarterback has graduated, and the new quarterback suffered a broken arm in a scrimmage last week. And now, five-time state champion Lowndes is coming to Snellville for the season opener. But South Gwinnett coach John Small has resisted any opportunity to poor-mouth his team’s chances Friday night.

St. Pius defensive back Geno Smith, an AJC Super 11 pick, became one of the nation’s most heavily recruited college prospects after solid performances against an all-star cast of wide receivers. During his sophomore and junior years at the Atlanta private school, Smith was matched up against Gainesville’s Tai-ler Jones (signed with Notre Dame), Grady’s Damian Swann (Georgia), Greater Atlanta Christian’s Julian Horton (Arkansas) and Booker T.

The parents of a 16-year-old star defensive lineman are demanding the Georgia High School Association investigate the death of their son, who never regained consciousness following a practice earlier this month. "This was such a preventable death," said attorney Benjamin Crump, representing DJ Searcy's parents.

Defending champions Brookwood (Class AAAAA), Sandy Creek (AAAA) and Buford (AA) were ranked No. 1 in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s preseason football polls. Tucker (AAAA) and Eagle’s Landing Christian (A) took the top spots in the other classes ahead of defending champs Chattahoochee and Clinch County.

Kenyan Drake, Hillgrove ● Position: RB ● Height, weight: 6-1, 195 ● Class: Senior ● College choices: Committed to Alabama ● 2010 season wrapup: Rushed for more than 1,000 yards — including 170 in an upset of defending Class AAAAA champion Camden County in the playoffs – and caught 35 passes for a 10-3 team.

Here comes another batch of world beaters. The latest AJC Super 11 is out, alpha males all in the sprawling realm of Georgia high school football. Time, however, does not freeze in the pose of a teenager in all his glory. None of today’s Super 11 knows it yet, but life isn’t football and a fawning public for ever and ever.

Football teams across Georgia are practicing during one of the hottest summers on record. Two Georgia high school players died recently following summer practices, although the causes of death are still being determined. With the grueling heat likely to continue through August and into September, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution caught up with Dr.

A Cherokee County wrestling coach and former state champion has been charged with sexual assault and a teacher who failed to report it was also arrested, police said Thursday. Robert "Leslie" Morrow, 28, of Canton, is accused of assaulting a 16-year-old girl in his vehicle in December, according to Brittany Duncan, spokeswoman for Woodstock police.

During the preseason at Brookwood High School, the football players seemingly are lavished with a table of fresh fruit, along with a steady supply of popsicles and flavored sports drinks during breaks. The ripe bananas, pineapples, and red apples are not rewards for Brookwood winning last year’s state championship in Georgia’s largest classification.

YES: Guidelines are in place to protect players, and more measures may be added. By Ralph Swearngin It is tragic and shocking whenever a student sustains a serious injury or dies, whether it happens in an athletic situation or outside athletics. The Georgia High School Association is deeply saddened to have had two students die after their involvement in football workouts this month, and we are concerned about the well-being of our athletes in the future.

A number of emotions swarmed Nnenya Hailey as she stood on top of the podium, a gold medal hanging around her neck at the 2011 IAAF World Youth Championships in Lille, France, last month. But a sense of surprise wasn’t one of them. Hailey was confident about the race, telling her coach beforehand that she would win the girls’ 400-meter hurdles in a mere 57 seconds.

These are the most dangerous days of the year to be a high school football player. Practices ramp up just as summer’s blowtorch burns hottest. Kids who may or may not have been true to their off-season conditioning wrap themselves in heat-trapping pads and helmets and take to simmering fields.

At Blessed Trinity’s football practices, a man dressed in regular clothes is waving around something that looks like a TV remote. It’s an unusual scene at a football workout for new onlookers, but the players and coaches don’t even appear to notice. It’s just another day at the office for Preston Bazemore, Blessed Trinity’s certified athletic trainer.

Locust Grove High School football coach Clint Satterfield made a brief statement Wednesday calling the death of lineman Forest Jones “a tragedy” and said that the team will dedicate the season to him. But he did not answer any questions. “I’m just not ready to do that right now,” Satterfield said.

News spread quickly at metro Atlanta high schools after Tuesday’s deaths of two Georgia high school football players. Some coaches openly talked about the tragedies with their players at Wednesday’s practices, while others took the opportunity to review their team policy for hot weather conditions.

The father of Locust Grove High School football player Forest Jones, who died Tuesday night after passing out a week ago at a voluntary workout, said his son loved the game and "pushed himself too hard." “He wanted to do it for me, so that when I got older he could take care of me,” Glenn Jones said Wednesday.

There were 67 head coaches hired by GHSA schools in the off-season. This week, MaxPreps Georgia High School Football Daily looks at each of them class by class, starting with Class AAAAA. Campbell-Smyrna: Harris Rainbow, who was coach at Walnut Grove, replaces T.

Banneker High School offered the most creative way on Monday to hold the first day of football practice: Players gathered for a team dinner and short meeting, and then headed to the field in helmets and pads shortly after midnight for a two-hour workout.

Stephenson High School has one of the more talented football rosters in state history. Nearly a dozen seniors have both been offered and accepted football scholarships to FBS (formerly Division I-A) schools, including seven to the SEC, and that number could escalate to 14-15 seniors by February’s national signing day.

Seventeen players and two coaches were treated at hospitals after a bus carrying members of The Lovett School volleyball team wrecked Friday afternoon in Florida. No serious injuries were reported, school spokeswoman Kim Blass told the AJC. Those on the bus suffered minor injuries, such as cuts and bruises.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — An incoming South Carolina freshman linebacker has been charged with underage drinking in Columbia. Police said 18-year-old Edward Muldrow was in the Five Points entertainment district last Thursday when an officer noticed him with a bottle of beer.

Strangely, Georgia’s quarterback of the future has yet to start a high school game. Brice Ramsey is a rising junior who is still waiting to make a name for himself at Camden County High School. But the tall, lanky kid with the high-powered arm already has the stamp of approval from college scouts.

Maya Moore, the former Collins Hill High standout, has the top selling WNBA jersey despite being in her rookie season with the Minnesota Lynx. Entering the league just three months ago, as the No. 1 overall pick in April, Moore surpassed Candace Parker based on sales from October 2010 through June 2011.

Note: This story originally ran in the Journal-Constitution Sept. 9, 2006. Washington --- It doesn't matter how long you've coached or whether you've won 299 games or not, you can still get booed. The booing for Luther Welsh came with 1:35 left in the third quarter with his Thomson team trailing 10-7 to Washington-Wilkes.

The mother of Auburn University freshman receiver and Troup County High School football standout Quan Bray was shot and killed Sunday morning in LaGrange. According to WTVM-TV in Columbus, LaGrange police responding to a car accident found that the driver, Tonya Bray, had been shot in the head.

Ah, teenagers. They arrive home for the summer after their first experience with college, feeling all entitled, and shun household chores. Rolando Lamb got the “why me?” treatment from his son after a request to mow the family’s Norcross lawn. Before the video-game console was ordered unplugged or the cellphone confiscated, Jeremy complied.

Note to fans of Maya Moore: When she leads the Minnesota Lynx twice this weekend against the WNBA Atlanta Dream, she will not bring any bling. Her splash into the pro game, as the No. 1 draft pick and a deal as the first women’s basketball player to hawk Nike’s Jordan Brand, hasn’t changed her life much, her style even less.

With his head tilted back, 14-year-old Michael Bean leaned against a garage door in Canton to show a young niece and nephew how to catch raindrops in their mouths. "You do it like this," Bean told the children Wednesday night. Moments later, the teen was on the ground, clutching his mother's leg, the apparent victim of a lightning strike.

As fourth-graders do, Satrick Green tagged along with his older cousin to a recreation-league practice one day. What he saw was too weird for a youngster’s brain to digest: Face-masked kids wielding sticks with nets attached, whipping solid rubber balls at super-sized ice hockey goals.

Georgia landed two football commitments from within the state at Mark Richt Camp over the weekend. Pierce County High School fullback Quayvon Hicks and Cartersville High School punter Collin Barber both pledged to sign with Georgia in February. The Bulldogs now have eight commitments for their 2012 college football recruiting class.

Standout performances by these athletes led to individual and team success during the 2010-11 school year:

Baseball Brandon Leibrandt, Marist: The senior left-handed pitcher was 13-0 with a 0.71 ERA for a team that finished 33-4 and won Class AAAA for the second consecutive season.

Mel Kiper Jr.’s new 7-on-7 passing league tournament instantly became one of the more famous in the nation after controversy surrounding an ESPN investigative report on the activity. Kiper, the famed ESPN NFL draft analyst, has a new business venture, with his name on a national tournament.

Metro Atlanta private schools Marist, St. Pius, Westminster and Wesleyan continued their dominance of the state’s high school athletics for the 2010-11 school year, successfully defending their titles in the Regions Directors Cup competition, and Brookwood extended the hold of Gwinnett and Cobb counties on Class AAAAA.

Georgia high schools had another respectable showing in the MLB draft, which concludes Wednesday with 20 more rounds. Richmond Hill left-handed pitcher Kevin Matthews was the last pick of the first round, picked at No. 33 by the Texas Rangers. He was followed by two Georgia high schoolers in the Compensation Round A — Berrien outfielder Larry Greene by the Philadelphia Phillies at No.

Pitching was the storyline for Monday's MLB Draft. Georgia Tech's Jed Bradley was the first player drafted with local connections, with the junior left-handed pitcher selected at No. 15 overall by the Milwaukee Brewers Meanwhile, the Atlanta Braves went against their tradition of high school prospects to draft Florida State left-handed pitcher Sean Gilmartin at No.

Where are they now? Here’s an update on the five Georgia high school players selected in the first round of last year’s baseball draft: Delino DeShields, 2B, Woodward Academy: The son of the former major leaguer by the same name was the first Georgia player drafted, picked at No.

The son of a member of the Braves’ 1995 World Series champions may be the first Georgia high school player selected in this year’s major-league baseball draft, which starts Monday. McIntosh outfielder Dwight Smith Jr. carries the same name as the former Braves outfielder.

A Fulton County Grand Jury decided Thursday against indicting Kevin Pope, an assistant football coach at Banneker High School who was fired last month after he allegedly pointed a BB gun at a student. Pope, 36, had been arrested by Fulton County school police May 18 and charged with aggravated assault and reckless conduct.

In the Class AAA baseball championships Monday, the Columbus Blue Devils and Spalding Jaguars scored 33 runs as they split the first two games of their best-of-three series. It was obvious Tuesday from the start of the clinching game that the pitching depth of both schools would be tested.

The Jeff Francouer era might have been the pinnacle of Parkview baseball, but it was not the end for one of Georgia’s premier sports programs. Winning its first state title since Francoeur’s memorable 2001 and 2002 teams, and its fourth overall, Parkview delivered an epic 13-run seventh inning Monday night and defeated Hillgrove 21-10 in Game 3 of the Class AAAAA championship series at Parkview’s Hugh Buchanan Field.

Georgia Tech signee Josh Heddinger was masterful in his final appearance in a Buford uniform, allowing just two hits while striking out 10 in a complete-game 5-1 win over Pike County. That gave the Wolves (31-4) their first baseball state title since 1977.

COLUMBUS -- Columbus and Spalding split their Class AAA championship series doubleheader in a demonstrative fashion, with each team beating up on each other and taking mercy-rule wins. The Jaguars won the first game 18-1 in six innings; Columbus avoided elimination by capturing the second game 12-2 in five innings.

In what could be the final day of high school sports for the school year, baseball champions will be decided in classes AAAAA and AA in Gwinnett County on Monday while the AAA best-of-three series  plays out in Columbus with a doubleheader. In AAAAA, Hillgrove plays at Parkview in the deciding third game.

Marist was on the ropes in Game 1 of the Class AAAA championship series against Whitewater on Saturday, but erased two three-run deficits for an 11-5 win, then completed the sweep with an 11-strikeout performance by senior pitcher Brandon Liebrandt in an 8-1 Game 2 win.

Buford and Pike County each flexed their hitting and pitching muscles Saturday, splitting the first two games of the Class AA state championship series at Buford. They’ll decide who’s best on Memorial Day, at 4 p.m. in Buford. Pike County (31-7), the Region 4 champions, took the first game 10-3 on the strength of a crafty pitching performance by Georgia State signee Kody Adams.

Robert Stewart hit a three-run home run — his first homer of the season — in the bottom of the 10th inning of Game 2 on Saturday to give Hillgrove (29-8) a 13-10 victory over host Parkview (28-10) that evened their Class AAAAA best-of-three championship series 1-1.

Hebron Christian rode its superior pitching to the school’s first baseball championship, sweeping Providence Christian 6-5 and 6-3 on Saturday in Dacula to win the Class A title. Particularly impressive was Hebron Christian left-hander Mason Felt (11-1), who struck out 16 in the second game.

Five state baseball champions will be decided in best-of-three series that begin Saturday. Doubleheaders will be played on the first day. Here’s a quick look at the five finals: Class AAAAA Hillgrove (28-7) at Parkview (27-9) When: 4 p.m. Saturday (5:30 p.

Pitching got Marist to the semifinals of the Class AAAA baseball playoffs. Hitting put the defending champions in the finals as Marist scored Loganville’s staff for 17 hits Tuesday in a 13-6 victory at Marist’s Jerry Queen Field. Marist (31-4) will play Whitewater in a best-of-three championship series beginning Saturday at home.

Pike County’s baseball team had never advanced to the state semifinals before this season. Now, the Pirates can say they are going to the championship series after defeating Lovett 6-1 on Tuesday in the rubber game of a Class AA semifinal series. “It’s unbelievable,” Pike County coach Don Hanson said.

Some 214 miles away from their Gwinnett County home field fondly referred to as the Big Orange Jungle, Parkview advanced to the state finals by defeating Colquitt County 8-2 in the rubber game of a Class AAAAA semifinal series Tuesday afternoon. After dropping Game 1, the Panthers rallied to win the final two games.

Birthdays normally are not a big deal to Adam Cantrell. Tuesday was an exception. On the occasion of their coach’s 36th birthday, the Providence Christian baseball team hit a school-record three grand slams and overpowered visiting Treutlen 15-4 in the deciding game of their Class A semifinal playoff series.

Cobb County high school athletes will be tested this year as part of a concussion-management program, the school system announced Tuesday. The testing, to be funded by WellStar Health System, will be done prior to the fall sports season and may be administered to more than 8,000 athletes, according to a statement from WellStar and Cobb schools.

Trailing by a run in what could have been the final at-bat of its season, defending Class AAAA baseball champion Marist scored on a sacrifice fly in the seventh inning for a tie and came up with a bases-loaded walk in the eighth fora 4-3 win Monday. The comeback victory forced a deciding third game in this semifinal series with Loganville.

Through two at-bats, Hillgrove right fielder Tucker Ehmig saw curveball after curveball from Newnan starter Marc Frazier in Game 1 of the Class AAAAA semifinals Monday, and he grounded to short and struck out. His third time up, however, Ehmig got a Frazier fastball and got even, belting a three-run home run in the fifth inning for the key blow in the Hawks’ 8-6 win.

Staff reports Colquitt County High’s Vann Pitts did a little of everything for the host Packers in a 3-0 victory over Parkview in the first game of their Class AAAAA baseball series on Monday night. On the mound Pitts threw a complete game shutout and at the plate he hit a solo home run.

Buford High pitcher Jake Burnette, who has accepted a baseball scholarship with Georgia Tech, helped his own cause in the Class AA semifinals on Monday. Burnette went to bat with the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth inning and drew a walk to tie the game, helping Buford to a 3-1 win over Appling County in the first game of the best-of-three series.

Austin Hurt drove in the game-winning run with a two-out single in the top of the seventh inning to lead visiting Spalding to an 11-10, come-from-behind victory against Woodward Academy in the first game of their best-of-three Class AAA baseball semifinal series on Monday.

Providence Christian and Treutlen have well-deserved reputations as strong offensive teams. But it was a pair of pitchers in the Class A semifinal series in Lilburn who made the difference on Monday. Treutlen (30-5) won 8-1 behind left-hander Tyler Cauley in the first game, while Providence (25-11) squared things with a 10-0 win in the second game behind Alan Skinner.

Creekside High School's Josh Holsey, who is one of the state's top college prospects at defensive back, will pick between Auburn, Georgia, Virginia Tech and LSU on Tuesday afternoon. The 5-foot-9, 180-pound cornerback has been publicly favoring Auburn and was asked if that was still the situation.

The high school state baseball playoffs are down to 10 semifinal series that begin Monday in the five classifications. Each round is a best-of-three series with an opening doubleheader followed, if necessary,  by a third game the next day. The finals begin Saturday.

An assistant football coach at Banneker High School was being held Friday in the Fulton County jail after allegedly pointing a BB gun at a student. Kevin Pope, 36, was arrested by Fulton County school police Wednesday and charged with aggravated assault and reckless conduct, Channel 2 Action News reported.

In a Class AAAAA quarterfinal series, host Newnan clinched with a 7-5 win in Game 3. The Cougars led 3-0 after a first inning in which Brookwood made two errors. Newnan expanded the lead to 5-0 in the fourth. Clint Clark led off the seventh inning with a solo homer to give the Cougars their final margin of victory.

Tyler Weyenberg singled in Robert Stewart with the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning Wednesday to send Hillgrove to a 7-6 victory and into its first baseball semifinal. Hillgrove (26-7), an five-year-old school perhaps best known in sports for its upset of Camden County in the football playoffs last year, trailed 5-0 after three innings, tied the game 5-5 with a five-run fifth and then evened the score 6-6 in the bottom of the seventh on a home run by Tucker Ehmig to force extra innings.

Providence Christian took care of all the drama with two wild games Tuesday. On Wednesday, the Stars were ready for something a little easier. The Stars scored seven runs in the first two innings, and Patrick Smith gave up two runs over 4 2/3 innings to help Providence Christian to a run-shortened 12-2 win over King’s Ridge Christian.

Despite his lackluster performance as a starting pitcher, Colquitt County junior Austin Dykes had plenty to smile about Wednesday. Dykes slapped a double down the right-field line in the sixth inning to drive in the winning run and lead the Packers to a 9-6 win over Alpharetta in the deciding game of the Class AAAAA quarterfinals.

The Pike County Pirates had had a few near-misses through the years, but the state quarterfinals always were the limit to their season. Until now. Pike County got home runs from Zack Woods, Blake Edwards and Chris Long and outslugged visiting Blessed Trinity 11-7, winning the deciding game of the Class AA quarterfinal series Wednesday.

Marist got outstanding efforts from its two ace pitchers and swept Greenbrier in the Class AAAA quarterfinals Tuesday at Jerry Queen Field. The War Eagles (29-3) won the first game 6-2 behind senior pitcher Blake Stevens, then closed the series with a 10-1 victory in the nightcap, as Brandon Leibrandt struck out 10 and pitched a complete game.

The start for Pike County could not have been more shaky in the Class AA quarterfinals Tuesday. The Pirates surrendered 20 hits, including seven home runs, in an 18-4 loss to visiting Blessed Trinity, squandering an early 4-0 lead. But in the nightcap, the Pirates (27-5) bounced back, getting home runs from Blake Edwards, Kody Adams and Chris Long to win 5-4, forcing a deciding third game, which will start at 4:30 p.

Second-ranked Mill Creek put together five consecutive two-out hits in a four-run third inning and defeated seventh-ranked Hillgrove 8-5 on Tuesday in the second game of a doubleheader that evened their best-of-three quarterfinal in the Class AAAAA baseball playoffs.

Providence Christian and King’s Ridge Christian combined for 60 runs in their playoff doubleheader Tuesday. After a wild, wind-aided Game 1 and a dramatic game-winning hit in Game 2 on Tuesday, the teams are set for a rubber game Wednesday in the Class A quarterfinals.

Dillon Lee, one of the state's most heavily recruited college football prospects for 2012, on Monday committed to Alabama, picking the Crimson Tide over Florida State. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound linebacker from Buford High School also considered Georgia and USC.

The quarterfinals of the state baseball playoffs will be held Tuesday and Wednesday with 20 best-of-three series. Here’s a look at each classification’s elite eight: AAAAA The skinny: Six of the eight region champions reached the quarterfinals. That’s news because no region champ made the final eight last year.

Over the span of two football seasons, the story of the small-town high school coach persevering through the relentless withering of his limbs, his wind and his voice has been told in many forms. Word has spread, despite the remoteness of the school and the sometime spotty cell phone service in this part of west Georgia.

Chattahoochee won its first boys state soccer title Saturday night, shutting out visiting McIntosh (17-5-1) 3-0 in the Class AAAA finals. Chris Ryan scored two goals for the Cougars (21-3-1), striking first with 18 minutes to go in the first half and next with 15 minutes left in the game.

The St. Pius girls won their third consecutive Class AAA state soccer championship with a 4-0 decision over Woodward Academy on Saturday night. Four different St. Pius players scored goals, and the defense registered its fifth consecutive shutout in the playoffs.

After letting a big lead get away Wednesday, Westminster didn’t want to leave anything to chance with the state title on the line. The Wildcats controlled the action from the opening draw, taking a nine-goal halftime lead and running with it to defeat Holy Innocents’ 19-6 and earn their second consecutive Class A-AAAA girls lacrosse title.

The mother of M.L. King sprinter Felicia Brown sports a T-shirt that unabashedly declares, “Boys’ mothers don’t like my daughter because she’s FAST.” While being a “fast” young lady won’t help you win over many mothers, it definitely will help you win a state track title.

Girls track and field state championships Saturday’s results Team Class A: 1. Athens Christian, 84; 2. Darlington, 45; 2. Jenkins, 45; 3. Wesleyan, 38. Class AA: 1. Decatur, 45; 2. Therrell, 41; 3. Crawford County, 40. Class AAA: 1. Monroe, 82; 2. St. Pius, 53; 3.

McIntosh has been practicing penalty kicks every day for 20 minutes, but on Friday goalkeeper Kaitlin Deitrick still refused to watch until she had to take her line and try to stop Whitewater’s takers. After regulation ended 1-1, Deitrick stopped two kicks to lead the Chiefs to the state AAAA girls soccer championship.

As expected, Athens Christian and Southwest DeKalb are leading the pack in their respective classifications at the girls track and field state championships. The event was delayed several minutes Friday night by a severe thunderstorm late in the proceedings.

Delaney Fechalos scored on a penalty kick with 2:37 left in the second overtime period to give Blessed Trinity the Class AA state championship with a 1-0 victory. It is Blessed Trinity’s fifth title in eight years. “It never gets old,” Blessed Trinity coach Gilbert Jean-Baptiste said.

It looked like a matchup of the unstoppable versus the immovable when Pope traveled to Lambert for the Class A-AAAA state lacrosse championship. After 48 minutes, Lambert’s unstoppable offense overpowered Pope’s defense, winning 14-7. Senior All-American attacker Adam Seal started the Longhorns’ offense by scoring on the Greyhounds’ senior All-American goalie Matt Sommerfeldt 47 seconds into the game.

The Harrison girls soccer team did what it has done all season, but the result Friday night was something brand new. The Hoyas recorded their 19th shutout of the season, a 1-0 victory at home against North Gwinnett in the Class AAAAA championship game, to capture their first girls soccer state title.

The decision to bring in closer Lucas Sims to nail down Game 3 of Brookwood’s playoff series was the easy one. A junior with 90-mph heat, Sims struck out the side to finish Game 2 on Wednesday, and he did it again Thursday in a 4-2 victory that sent Brookwood (23-8) to the Class AAAAA baseball quarterfinals.

The Georgia High School Association passed its most radical legislation in more than 10 years Tuesday, voting to expand from five to six classifications to divide the state’s 433 member schools for athletic competition, effective July 2012. Here are some questions and answers about the controversial reclassification: Q.

The Collins Hill boys, North Gwinnett girls and St. Pius girls are one victory apiece from defending their state soccer titles, but they are not the only familiar faces who will play on championship weekend. Four other 2010 finalists made it back for another try this year, and 15 of the remaining 20 teams have won at least one championship since 2001.

A team with only one senior, Mount Pisgah Christian won its first GHSA state championship in any sport Saturday at the Clayton County Tennis Center. A private school that joined the GHSA five years ago, Mount Pisgah defeated Pace Academy 3-0 in the Class A girls championship match and finished an unbeaten season at 19-0.

Dillon Lee is one of the state's top college prospects at linebacker. He is also the younger brother of Georgia offensive lineman Dallas Lee. The 6-foot-4, 220-pounder from Buford High School said he will announce on Monday whether he will join his brother with the Bulldogs --  or commit to one of his other finalists, Alabama, Florida State or USC.

Zac Rinehart and Brian McGrath each had three hits, including one apiece in the winning five-run rally in the sixth inning, as Brookwood defeated Lassiter 11-6 on Wednesday to gain a split in a first-round Class AAAAA baseball series between ranked teams.

Thanks to goals from Corey Plasker, Ali El Khalil and Holden Fender, Walton defeated Parkview 3-0 on Wednesday night in the semifinals of the Class AAAAA boys soccer tournament. The win gave coach Bucky Boozer, who has led the Raiders since 1985,  a chance for a storybook ending to his career in his final season.

Collins Hill fired shot after shot at Lassiter in the Class AAAAA boys soccer semifinals Wednesday. Sooner or later, it seemed, those shots would start finding the back of the net. Eventually they did. Eli Carrasco scored on the Eagles’ 14th shot of the night with 18:40 remaining, and Amiri Abraham added a goal with 3:56 to play to give the Eagles a 2-1 victory at Lassiter that puts second-ranked Collins Hill (20-1) in the championship game for the fourth consecutive season.

After blowing a seven-goal lead, Westminster needed a change. It came from the defense. The Wildcats started pressuring more in the backfield to create turnovers and regain the momentum to defeat McIntosh 12-9 in the Class AAAA-A girls lacrosse semifinals Wednesday.

Last weekend the top male high school athletes in the state competed for track and field supremacy in the Georgia Olympics. This weekend the young ladies take center stage at the girls state track and field championships at Albany State. Here’s a look at the top teams and individual performers who will compete: Class AAAAA The favorite: Westlake.

It took more than 34 minutes, but the scoring dam finally burst for Roswell. The Hornets scored four goals in 4:32 of the second half — three by Mackenzie Schoen — to break open a back-and-forth game and win 10-7 in the Class AAAAA state lacrosse semifinals.

The Harrison girls soccer team has one of the state’s top defenses, so the Hoyas rarely need to score more than once to win a game. They got that goal less than three minutes into Tuesday’s Class AAAAA semifinal at Walton, then added an insurance goal early in the second half for a 2-0 victory against the Raiders.

The Georgia High School Association voted Tuesday to expand to six classifications for athletic competition, largely because of the unity of metro Atlanta. The GHSA’s Executive Committee approved the increase from the existing structure of five classes by a narrow 26-24 margin.

Thanks to Bria Washington, Woodward Academy will play for the Class AAA championship of the Georgia High School Association girls soccer tournament. Washington scored a goal and assisted on one by Lauren Culver on Tuesday at Grisham Stadium to lead the War Eagles past host Carrollton 3-0.

What: The GHSA’s Executive Committee approved expanding the state’s existing structure for athletic competition from six classifications to five. When: Unless the GHSA votes for another change in its August meeting, the expansion to six classifications goes into effect in August 2012.

Proposed new region alignments for the GHSA’s six classifications that would go into effect for the 2012-13 school year. The proposal is based on present enrollment and will change once new enrollment figures are available in October. (Proposed alignment provided by GHSA Reclassification Committee): Class AAAAAA Region 1 (5 schools) Warner Robins Northside-Warner Robins Lowndes County Tift County Colquitt County Region 2 (10) East Coweta Newnan Langston Hughes Westlake Luella Lovejoy Newton Morrow Alcovy Rockdale County Region 3 (5) Camden County Bradwell Institute Brunswick Coffee Effingham County Region 4 (9) Campbell Harrison Hillgrove Kennesaw Mountain McEachern Douglas County Pebblebrook South Cobb South Paulding Region 5-AAAAAA (8) Cherokee Etowah Lassiter Marietta Walton Wheeler Woodstock North Cobb Region 6 (8) Milton North Forsyth Alpharetta Roswell Lambert West Forsyth Centennial Johns Creek Region 7 (9) Collins Hill Duluth Mill Creek Norcross Mountain View North Gwinnett Peachtree Ridge Meadowcreek Habersham Central Region 8 (10) Archer Berkmar Winder-Barrow Brookwood Central Gwinnett Parkview Grayson South Gwinnett Shiloh Dacula Class AAAAA Region 1 (6) Valdosta Northside-Columbus Lee County Houston County Bainbridge Hardaway Region 2 (8) Greenbrier Lakeside-Evans Evans Glynn Academy Groves Ware County Richmond Hill South Effingham Region 3 (9) Jones County Forest Park Union Grove Mundy's Mill Mt.

The second round of the state baseball tournament starts Wednesday with 40 best-of-three series in five classifications. The first round largely went as expected as 36 of 40 region champions advanced. Here are five of the more intriguing matchups in the second round: -- Brookwood at Lassiter (AAAAA): Both are ranked in the coaches’ poll, Lassiter (21-8) at No.

The “4/8 Plan” Today, the GHSA’s Executive Committee will vote on the “4/8 Plan,” a proposal on how to divide the state’s high schools for athletic competition. Under the plan, the state’s existing five classifications would be reduced to four and there would be two state championships per class — one tournament for “Upper Tier” and one for “Lower Tier” — for an overall total of eight.

The Georgia High School Association's "special meeting" for Tuesday's vote on the controversial issue of reclassification is not looking too special for proponents of the "4/8 Plan." The plan hasn't seemed to generate much support in the Atlanta area in the two months since it was presented before the GHSA's Executive Committee.

After going just 8-7-1 last season, Pope's boys want what they've had for a while at Lovett: postseason success and a few state title trophies. Since the GHSA sanctioned lacrosse in 2005, Lovett has been the state's premier boys program, winning state title in three of the six seasons, more than any other school.

It’s state championship week for high school soccer and the long-anticipated showdowns between the No. 1 and No. 2 boys and girls teams in Class AAAAA have finally arrived. But there won’t be state titles at stake when the top-ranked Harrison girls meet No.

RINGGOLD -- The deep scar left by a tornado that barreled through North Georgia is visible at Ringgold High School. Broken glass is embedded in the football field. Light towers are bent in half, their tops almost touching the ground. A brick wall that lined the baseball stadium, known as "Little Wrigley," is gone.

Emmanuel Raji scored two goals to lead host Collins Hill to a 4-0 victory over Lowndes County on Saturday in the quarterfinals of the Georgia High School Association Class AAAAA boys soccer tournament. Playing on a field more suited to the bumpy rides of motocross than soccer, the Eagles (19-1) also got goals from Zak Wallingford and Nima Vojdani to win their 13th consecutive game.

In the 40-year history of the Georgia Olympics, no athlete had ever broken 1 minute, 50 seconds in the 800 meters, before Saturday. In the finals at Jefferson, two athletes in Class A — Holy Innocents’ senior O’Neal Wanliss and Whitefield Academy junior Cameron Thornton — accomplished the feat.

When it came time to choose a starting pitcher for his team’s biggest game of the season, Brookwood coach Rick Howard didn’t delay in appointing Allen Tokarz, even though the junior never had experienced such a pressure-packed situation. Tokarz didn’t disappoint his coach or his teammates, as the right-hander kept North Forsyth off balance through six innings and led the Broncos to an 8-4 victory in the deciding game of their Class AAAAA first-round series in Snellville.

Saturday’s calendar for McIntosh High School included the prom, but before they could don their tuxedos and patent-leather shoes, the Peachtree City school’s soccer team had some dancing to do in cleats. They trailed for nearly 50 minutes and found the scoring opportunities hard to come by in their Class AAAA quarterfinal at Lambert, but scored twice in the final 11 minutes to advance to the semifinals with a 2-1 win, keeping alive their hopes of a fourth state title.

In the words of that famed government agent Maxwell Smart: Cody Barger missed it by that much. The North Hall senior, who won the Class AAA 1,600-meter championship Thursday, missed breaking the 35-year-old state record in the AAA 3,200 meters by just 0.

In a game that could have been much more one-sided on the scoreboard, McIntosh broke through with a late first-half goal and held off visiting South Forsyth 3-1 on Friday in the Class AAAA girls state quarterfinals. McIntosh, which has appeared in two of the past three state finals in AAAA, won for the sixth consecutive game.

Teegan Van Gunst scored two goals to lead Whitewater past host Pope 2-0 on Friday in a game between top-five teams in the quarterfinals of the Class AAAA girls state soccer tournament. Whitewater (17-3-1) will face the winner of the game between Union Grove and Lambert in the semifinals Tuesday.

Jerad Curry had a double and a homer and drove in five runs to lead Mill Creek to a 10-3 win over Walton on Friday in the first game of the best-of-three opening round of the Class AAAAA playoffs. “We need Jerad to be good, and he picked a good game to do that,” Mill Creek coach Doug Jones said.

On a day when Walton, Marist and Woodward Academy extended their dominance of Georgia high school tennis, the boys from Pope won their first state championship in the sport Friday in Jonesboro. Trailing 2-0 against undefeated McIntosh, Pope (21-1) won the final three matches, twice coming from a set down, and took a 3-2 victory in the Class AAAA final at the Clayton County Tennis Center.

The boy who had the farthest throw in the shot put at Thursday’s state championship track meet did it with somebody else’s steel ball. Kell’s Jordan Chambers won the Class AAAA title with a throw of 61 feet, 7 1/2 inches. It was his personal record, a school record and the meet’s longest throw of the day.

The state’s high school baseball tournament begins Friday with 80 first-round series that will culminate in five champions crowned by May 30. Here is a look at the top teams and players to watch. Class AAAAA The favorite: There is none. Parkview, a team with seven .

The two regions that have dominated the first two rounds of the Class AAAAA girls soccer tournament will get a chance to go head to head Friday in the quarterfinals. Collins Hill, North Gwinnett and Mill Creek of Region 7 won their first two playoff games by a combined score of 14-3.

Walton’s girls tennis team is closing on its eighth straight state title with a winning streak that stands at 145 matches. On the other hand, Pope’s boys and Mount Pisgah’s girls are poised for their first championships in history. Here’s a look at their prospects and a class-by-class snapshot of the Georgia high school tennis final fours that will be played Friday and Saturday at the Clayton County Tennis Center in Jonesboro.

Parkview and Wheeler both needed penalty kicks to win their playoff openers last week in the Class AAAAA boys soccer tournament. Parkview’s Jonathon Jarrett made sure it didn’t come down to that Wednesday when the teams met in the second round at Wheeler.