First up are the initial Georgia High School Association/MaxPreps Power Ratings. Then we’ll take a quick look at a topic that has caused great discussion for the past few years: Which schools participate in the Georgia GOAL Scholarship program? Then we’ll check in with one of the state’s best two-sport athletes, Mt. Paran Christian senior Taylor Trammell.
First Power Ratings of the season
Here are the first power ratings of the season:
Private
Worst Record In: No. 11 First Presbyterian (0-1)
Best Record Out: No. 18 Tattnall Square (2-0)
First Team Out: No. 17 Mt. Pisgah Christian (2-1)
-- First Presbyterian in Macon holds the No. 11 spot, in spite of not having won a game, by virtue of its loss to Class AAAA Howard (3-0 for the first time in school history).
-- No. 3 Hebron Christian in Dacula and No. 13 Lakeview Academy of Gainesville are in search of their program’s first post season births.
Public
Worst Record In: No. 13 Hancock Central (0-2)
Best Record Out: No. 18 Randolph-Clay (2-1)
First Team Out: No. 18 Randolph-Clay
-- More than half of the teams in the top 16 – No. 1 Commerce, No. 2 Charlton County, No. 2 (Tied) Trion, No. 4 Turner County, No. 7 Central Talbotton, No. 7(Tied) Treutlen, No. 9 Clinch County (2-0), No. 10 Greenville and No. 15 Lincoln County – are undefeated.
-- Three teams – No. 13 Hancock Central, No. 15 Portal and No. 15(Tied) Twiggs County – have yet to win a game.
Who participates in Georgia GOAL?
The Georgia GOAL Scholarship program began in 2008, when then-Gov. Sonny Perdue signed into law the Qualified Education Expense Credit bill, which permits Georgia taxpayers to receive a state income tax credit for amounts contributed to qualified student scholarship organizations, which are, for all intents and purposes, private schools. The scholarships are awarded to students who are currently enrolled in a Georgia secondary or primary public school or who are eligible to enroll in a Pre-K4, Kindergarten or 1st grade program. Recipient students then use their GOAL Scholarships to attend the private K-12 schools of their parents’ choice.
Many have lamented that GOAL has given private schools an even greater advantage in athletics because the program gives student athletes whose families may not have been able to afford tuition, an opportunity to attend – and compete for – a private school. In fact, several coaches and administrators in Class A public schools pointed to GOAL as another reason they favored splitting public and private schools into two separate divisions for the playoffs.
But not all private schools participate in the GOAL program, which collected nearly $16.5 million in contributions from tax payers during the 2015 fiscal year, according to the GOAL website. In fact, here are the GHSA schools in Class A that participated in the GOAL program last school year, along with a few other facts, courtesy the GOAL website (www.goalscholarship.org):
Athens Christian School
Brookstone
Calvary Day
Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy
Fellowship Christian School
First Presbyterian
George Walton Academy
Greenforest Christian (no football)
Hebron Christian Academy
Lakeview Academy
Landmark Christian School
Mt. Paran Christian
Mt. Pisgah Christian
Mt. Vernon Presbyterian
Pinecrest Academy
Providence Christian Academy
Riverside Military Academy
Savannah Christian
Southwest Atlanta Christian (no football)
Stratford Academy
Strong Rock Christian School
Tattnall Square Academy
Whitefield Academy
• Since inception, the average adjusted gross income ("AGI") of the scholarship recipient families (as adjusted for family size) has been $25,525.
- GOAL has awarded over 50% of its scholarships to families with an AGI of less than $24,000 and over 90% of its scholarships to families with an AGI of less than $48,000.
- GOAL has awarded 36% of its scholarships to minority recipients.
- GOAL has awarded 2,182 scholarships in north Georgia; 5,951 scholarships in metro Atlanta; 4,360 scholarships in central Georgia; and 4,196 scholarships in south Georgia.
- The average value of the scholarship awarded to each student has been $3,721, with the balance of tuition costs being paid by scholarship families together with other financial aid provided by the participating private schools.
Taylor Trammell, Mt. Paran Christian
As proof, once again, that Class A features some of the top athletes in the state, here’s Taylor Trammell, arguably Georgia’s best two-sport stud. The 6-2, 205-pounder lines up all over the field for the Eagles on offense, defense and special teams. In the spring he patrols the outfield for the baseball team. After gaining more than 800 yards rushing and scoring 13 touchdowns last season for the private school state champs – even though he had to share the ball with Dorian Walker (Georgia Tech) and Emoni Williams (Jacksonville) – Trammell led the Mt. Paran baseball team to the state playoffs and then hit .500 with three homers, drove in more than 30 runs and stole more than 30 bases for his travel baseball team. He has committed to Georgia Tech to play baseball, and the Jackets are now recruiting him for football. After just two games, Trammell already has 11 touchdowns.
On when he started playing organized sports, and how video games factored in.
“I started playing baseball at four-years old and football at five. I knew even back then that I wanted to be good enough to be able to play myself on a video game. I always had the latest ‘Madden’ or ‘MLB’ game, and would always create a player with the size and speed and everything that I wanted to eventually have.”
On following in his brother Kyle’s footsteps (Kyle, now a starting linebacker at Mercer, was a senior at Mt. Paran during Taylor’s freshman year).
“He always played both sports and I wanted to do what he did. When he transferred to Mt. Paran I moved too. We wanted that [Christian] faith foundation and it was great to play together for one year.”
On which of the two sports he loves most.
“Until this year I would say they were always neck-and-neck. But now I’d have to say baseball. It’s because you fail more in baseball. I know that’s weird to say, but I think it relates more to real life. In life, you’re going to have some failures, but it’s all about how you bounce back. You can go 0-3 one game but then bounce back and be 3-3 the next game.”
On why baseball is not “boring” to him.
“Baseball is never boring. It’s always fun to me. I know it may not have as much action as football or basketball, but you have to always be thinking and I take enjoyment in that. You have to think about the tendencies of the pitchers you’re facing. You have to think about where another player hit the ball the last time he was up. Little things like that keep you thinking and I think it helps me in class, too. It helps me to stay focused more.”
On how he stays physically conditioned for both sports.
“For me to be my best I have to be strong and fast for both sports. If you play slow in either sport, you’re going to be in a deep hole. My strength coach does a great job of helping me work on my arm rotation and my back, so I don’t get too tight while still getting stronger.”
On how much time he devotes to baseball during football season.
“I’m strictly football now. I’ve been throwing and swinging all spring and summer, so my body needed a rest from that anyway. There’s a big [fall baseball] tournament in Juniper [Fla.] coming up, where a lot of college recruiters and MLB (Major League Baseball) scouts will out there watching. My travel team (Triton Rays) is going, but I won’t be able to go because it’s in the middle of football season.”
On the support group he relies upon for advice on how he should handle his two sport career.
“I lot of people have been giving me advice and telling me things like ‘Don’t get hurt,’ and people talk a lot about what I should do. But the people I listen to are my parents, my mentor David Lowery (Mt. Paran LB coach) and my speed trainer Mike Butler. I know I have a lot to think about in my future – playing baseball in college, maybe playing baseball and football in college, or going into the MLB draft.”
On whether he thought about not playing football his senior year.
“Oh I absolutely did. There was a lot of controversy about it. I thought there was not much happening (recruiting wise) for me in football, and everything was going well in baseball. I had all these offers for baseball, including Georgia Tech, but nothing in football. So I thought, ‘Why am I doing this? Why keep playing football?’ But when I talked to my parents and my mentors, they all told me why quit now. I’ve been playing both sports all my life, so why quit now in my senior year. They told me to go out, keep playing hard and have fun. So that’s what I’m focused on now, having fun and playing as hard as I can.”
On where he is projected to be taken in the June 2016 MLB draft and what it would take for him to forgo college to play pro baseball.
“You never know about baseball. I’ve heard everything, but probably what I’ve heard the most is somewhere in the third to fifth round. It’s a lot to think about so I really haven’t focused on it right now. I’ll pray a lot about [the decision] when the time comes.”
On being bounced from the first round of the state playoffs in baseball last season, after advancing to the finals his first two years.
“It was tough. We had such a tough year as a team. It was one of those years where nothing went right. So many injuries and rainouts and things we had to overcome. We could never get into a rhythm and build momentum. That [playoff] loss was just like our season. In the third game (series tied 1-1), we were leading 10-2 in the sixth inning at Savannah Christian and ended up losing 11-10.
On playing for state titles in football and baseball his senior year.
“I really think we have the potential to win a state championship in both. We have a lot of young, talented guys who are really dedicated in both sports. I’m all football now, but I stay in touch with the baseball team. After last season, I’m so motivated to achieve that goal. We don’t want the same feeling we had after last year. In football my teammates know I’m always going to play my hardest for them. Winning [a state title] last season was great and it would be great to do it again.”
On what would be the perfect senior year for him.
“I just want to be impactful on the freshman and the underclassmen. I love winning, but I look at it like a milkshake. The best part of it is the milkshake, not the whipped cream on top. Winning state championships would be the whipped cream. The milkshake is being a great leader on the field and in school, and being a great teammate. I’m blessed to be able to play both sports, so it’s important to be humble and be cool about it, not a jerk.
There’s more to life than high school sports, and I just think being someone that people look up to and respect is even more important.”
On where he gets his favorite milkshakes.
“Chick-fil-A, hands down has the best milkshakes. No question about it.”
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