2 Score Atlanta Get In The Game!

Transcription

1 April 1-7, 2011 CHECK US OUT at scoreatl.com Vol 7 NO 13

2 2 Score Atlanta Get In The Game!

3 APRIL 1-7, 2011 Score Atlanta 3 Starting Lineup Publisher/Editor I.J. Rosenberg GENERAL MANAGER Bob Houghton Managing Editor Stephen Black ART/CREATIVE DIRECTOR DJ Galbiati Business manager Marvin Botnick BEAT WRITERS Josh Bagriansky (Hawks), Stephen Black (UGA), Dave Cohen (Georgia State), Joe Deighton (Thrashers), Ricky Dimon (Falcons), Fletcher Proctor (Braves), Thomas Watson (Tech), Brian Jones (Preps) STAFF WRITERS Jay Thomason, Drew Collins, Sean Conway, Jack Morbitzer CONTRIBUTORS C.C., Brian Katrek, Alex Ewalt, Tad Arapoglou, Dean Zindler, Zander Lentz, Kevin Dankosky, Mitch Evans, Chris Dimino, Matt Stewart, Fred Kalil, Nick Cellini, Dave Marshall, Greg Smith, Steak Shapiro, Beau Bock, Roy Hickman, Dave Cohen, Bob Rathbun, Courtney Capps, Bill Hartman, Chuck Dowdle, Dan Kamal, Dennis Scott, Jeff Batten, Jeff Measor SPECIAL CONTRIBUTORS Mitch Albom, Dave Kindred, Barry Bloom School listing CHEROKEE/FORSYTH: Cherokee, Creekview, Etowah, Forsyth Central, North Forsyth, Sequoyah, South Forsyth, West Forsyth, Woodstock COBB: Allatoona, Campbell, Harrison, Kell, Kennesaw Mountain, Lassiter, Marietta, McEachern, Mt. Paran Christian N. Cobb, N. Cobb Christian, Pebblebrook, Pope, S. Cobb, Sprayberry, Walker, Walton, Wheeler, Whitefield Academy DEKALB: Arabia Mountain, Chamblee, Columbia, Decatur, Druid Hills, Dunwoody, Lakeside, Marist, Miller Grove, M.L. King, Paideia, Redan, St. Pius X, Southwest DeKalb, Stephenson, Stone Mountain, Tucker FULTON: Alpharetta, Blessed Trinity, Centennial, Chattahoochee, Douglass, Grady, John s Creek, Lovett, Mays, Milton, Mt. Pisgah, North Springs, Northview, Riverwood, Roswell, Tri-Cities, Westminster, Woodward Academy GWINNETT: Berkmar, Brookwood, Buford, C. Gwinnett, Collins Hill, Dacula, Grayson, Greater Atlanta Christian, Meadowcreek, Mill Creek, Norcross, North Gwinnett, Parkview, Peachtree Ridge, South Gwinnett, Wesleyan FAYETTE: Whitewater, Sandy Creek, Starr s Mill NEWTON: Eastside SHOT OF THE WEEK... HIGH FLYER: Former Dayton Flyers coach Brian Gregory was introduced as Georgia Tech s newest hoops skipper this past Monday. Gregory, a former Tom Izzo assistant, will look to turn Tech s program around sooner rather than later. Photo courtesy of GT Sports Information. Can t Miss The Fletch observes local coverage of the Brian Gregory hire. In our cover story, Ricky Dimon examines Tech s new basketball coach. Josh Bagriansky interviewed GADA presidents past and future recently, and wrote about it in this week s prep cover story. Our experts give their picks for the 2011 MLB season. How far do they have the Braves going? Team Scoop and Voices COVER design by DJ Galbiati Cover Photos courtesy of georgia tech sports information 6 SCORE LIST 8-9 prep coverage 11 Score More 12 GSU 13 CALENDAR 14 Tech - UGA THIS WEEK ON THE INSIDE AT SCORE BRAVES CATCHER BRIAN MCCANN Score Atlanta is looking for new sales associates as well as writing and graphic design interns. For sales positions, Bob Houghton at bhoughton@scoreatl.com. For writing internships, Stephen Black at sblack@ scoreatl.com. For graphic design internships, DJ Galbiati at djgalbiati@scoreatl.com. Feel free to call to speak with someone about any of these positions.

4 4 Score Atlanta Get In The Game! NCAA Tourney is an imperfect championship model; Nantz cheesy, but good I Can You Believe......He Said That? guess there is a reason they call it March Madness. The Final Four was set this past weekend and everyone s brackets were ruined with VCU and Butler advancing to the Final Four and heavyweights Ohio State and Kansas missing out on a trip to Houston. Is this seriously what we want for the national semifinals and the title tilt? UConn, who was ninth in the Big East entering the conference tournament, losers of seven down the stretch before winning five games in five days to claim a No. 3 seed? Is this really what we want in Virginia Commonwealth University, a team that finished fourth in the Colonial Athletic Association during the regular season and was one of the First Four? FLAWED SYSTEM The Official Visit co-hosts Scott Janovitz and Fletcher Proctor (that s me) have gone on the record before saying that the NCAA men s basketball championship should NOT be determined by a 64 (or 68) team singleelimination tournament that merely rewards the hottest team over six games spread over three weeks. You are throwing away November, December, January and February to simply crown a March champion. 680 The Fan s Perry Laurentino seems to agree. The day after VCU knocked off Kansas to earn a ticket to the Final Four, Laurentino made a great point: VCU and Butler are nice stories, but they just got hot at the end of the season. Perhaps he said it with tongue-in-cheek, but he was right. Upsets are fun and all, but at the end of the day, we want to see the best teams competing for a national title, not cute stories. Perry s co-host Sandra Golden said that after the title game won by whomever, she will remember VCU s run to the Final Four. That reminds me of the ending of Tin Cup and what Jalen Rose said in the recent Fab Five documentary. Rene Russo said that no one will remember the champion of the US Open, but people would remember Roy s shot. Rose said you can name the Fab Five, but you cannot name anyone on that 1993 UNC title team. Actually, if VCU DOESN T win the title, people will forget their run in a hurry. I had nearly forgotten about George Mason until CBS reminded me about their being an 11-seed making the Final Four in Laurentino wished for the Goliaths to be able to meet in the finals, and he wished that the two main Goliaths, Ohio State and Kansas could still be playing and I agree with him. A majority of people watching March Madness don t care about college basketball this time of year; they simply care about their bracket and winning money in an office pool. Those of us that have watched basketball all season long should be rewarded with a REAL title game, not one where a team that needed a buzzer-beater over a team from the CAA, followed by a foul 93 feet away from its own basket, and then, beat Florida to advance to the Final Four. With all due respect to VCU, according to the standings the Rams were the fourth-best team in the CAA this year. Now they may be the fourthbest team in the country? Really? No. Knock the BCS all you want to, but the fans are rewarded at the end of the season with the two best teams from the regular season playing for a national title. Basketball rewards the best teams of March with a title. NANTZ-Y BOY Hello Friends, as the very busy Jim Nantz would say. After Nantz polishes off the Final Four and the championship game this Monday, he ll be on a plane to Augusta for the PGA s first major: The Masters, a tradition unlike any other. Nantz does come off a little cheesy sometimes with the obviously prewritten lines he spouts out during the round in big moments, but isn t that what you sort of look forward to during the weekend coverage? I know I enjoy the semi-cheesy Nantz coming up with eye-rolling proclamations like One for the Family! after Mickelson s final putt last year. While attending the Masters is amazing, for my money, there is nothing better than camping out on your couch, watching Sunday s round on HDTV. So you have to endure a bit of Nantz, that s okay. DOMINO EFFECT Finally, it is interesting how one local coach impacts another in the Atlanta area. Georgia Tech hired former Dayton coach Brian Gregory and while that wasn t necessarily the sexy pick (like Richmond s Chris Mooney or VCU s Shaka Smart would have been), several writers in the area seem fine with that, almost excited. Georgia s Mark Fox is to thank for that, I do believe. At the time, Fox was Georgia s fourth(?) option for coach, but he took the gig and in year two had Georgia dancin. Now the AJC s Mark Bradley says of Gregory, Tech didn t need a hot coach. It needed a competent one. It found him. Bradley would go on to say Tech fans may be disappointed with the choice, but once they see the Yellow Jackets play, they will change their minds. Gregory s guys are going to get after it good. Doug Roberson, of the AJC, was quick to bring up Gregory s record against teams from the Big Six conferences over the last four years and his seven wins against ranked teams during his Dayton tenure. And Jeff Schultz declared of Gregory, You re gonna like the way he talks. That was the hard-hitting analysis from David Pollack in regards to Georgia Tech s new basketball coach Brian Gregory. Several years back Pollack & Bell interviewed the former Dayton coach and both remarked that he sounded like Joe Pesci. I guess the voice is all Pollack remembered. Perhaps next year you should go to the Cheetah and watch the basketball games instead of hanging out in your sin-free environment, so you can tell Yellow Jacket fans more than just he sounds like the bad guy from Home Alone. Does he get a lot of people excited? Judging by the reaction when his name leaked out on Twitter a few days ago, no.but that doesn t mean Gregory can t win everybody over. Schultz admitted that Georgia Tech whiffed by not securing Mooney. He also went on to once again throw out there that Georgia has passed Tech in terms of balance of power within the Peach State. Some may think that is unfair but Fox has taken his team to the tournament already. Perhaps the jury will be out until after Gregory s second season. Needless to say, the pressure is already on. Proctor can be reached at fproctor@scoreatl.com.

5 APRIL 1-7, 2011 Score Atlanta 5 Georgia Tech taps former Dayton coach, Izzo protege, to pave way to a brighter future eorgia Tech has a new head man to lead its Gmen s basketball program. Two weeks after firing coach Paul Hewitt, Tech hired the University of Dayton s Brian Gregory on Monday. Gregory, who spent eight seasons at Dayton, reportedly agreed to a six-year, $6 million contract to guide the Yellow Jackets. He compiled a record with the Flyers, including a clip in the Atlantic 10 Conference. OTHER CANDIDATES Athletic director Dan Radakovich maintained from the beginning that a new head coach would be in place before this weekend s Final Four, and he made good on his word after a brief series of interviews. Radakovich also met with Tulsa s Doug Wojcik and former Yellow Jacket players Craig Neal and Mark Price. None of those three candidates, though, managed to blow away Georgia Tech administration with their words or their resumes. Wojcik enjoyed steady improvement in his first few years since taking over the Golden Hurricane reigns in 2005, but his team has stalled as a perennial Conference USA also-ran. Tulsa has not been to the NCAA Tournament under Wojcik, and they have received an NIT bid in just two of his six campaigns. As for the two former players, Neal is currently an associate head coach at New Mexico while Price is a shooting coach for the NBA s Golden State Warriors. Multiple reports circulated last week that Neal and Price could return to Atlanta as a package deal, with Neal nailing down the head job and Price coming in as an associate. Radakovich and company, however, were likely turned away by a lack of toplevel head coaching experience. Neal began his career as an assistant to Steve Alford at Iowa and he followed Alford to New Mexico in Price was the head guy at Whitefield Academy when current Atlanta Hawks star Josh Smith played there in , and Price also held a top job in the Australian National Basketball League for one season in At the college level and in the NBA, Price has bounced around with various assistant posts, including at Georgia Tech under Bobby Cremins in If the Yellow Jackets wanted to go with one of the fast-rising college coaches, they could have targeted Richmond s Chris Mooney, Butler s Brad Stevens or Shaka Smart of Virginia Commonwealth. Mooney, who seemed to be the favorite for the Tech job during the first two weeks of the NCAA Tournament, led the Spiders to a pair of victories before they fell to Kansas in the Sweet 16. He signed a 10-year contract extension on Sunday. Stevens and Smart have made Cinderella runs to the Final Four, keeping them offlimits to the Yellow Jackets. Stevens never seemed to be a real possibility, as he reupped with the Bulldogs for 12 more years following their run to the 2010 National Championship game. GREGORY GETS THE NOD Enter Gregory, who came virtually out of nowhere when reports surfaced last Sunday that he had offer to become Georgia Tech s head coach. All parties denied the rumors, but Gregory did, in fact, have an offer and he accepted it on Monday morning. Who is Brian Gregory? That s a question most Yellow Jacket supporters probably had to ask when they heard the announcement. Gregory, 44, played one year at the Naval Academy for a David Robinson-led team that made it to the Elite 8. He then spent three seasons at Oakland University, where he starred as a threetime all-conference selection and was named an Academic All-American in He is not the big name or the instantbuzz generator that Tech s fanbase wanted to instantly propel the program out of the depths, but there is plenty to like. A longtime assistant prior to his Dayton days, Gregory had stints with Michigan State (twice), Toledo, and Northwestern. Under Tom Izzo, Gregory was an associate head coach when the Spartans won the 2000 National Championship. I think Brian is going to be the perfect fit, Izzo told 790 The Zone s Wes Durham. He can coach, he can recruit, he was an Academic All-American. He helped me win a National Championship, so he knows how to get that done and get to Final Fours; all those things that are important as Georgia Tech moves forward. Dayton had just one losing season during Gregory s tenure, made two NCAA Tournament appearances and won the NIT in While Gregory has the credentials, it would be foolish to pretend that money was not an issue in determining the candidates and the eventual choice for the job. Radakovich predictably denied such a notion, but there are 7.2 million reasons why we can be sure money was squarely on D-Rad s mind. Yes, that is the crippling cost in dollars of Hewitt s buyout. The fit was more important than paying the large dollars, ESPN.com reported Radakovich as saying. If there were someone we thought was a better fit, maybe we could have gone there. Is Gregory more than just a bargain hire? Only time will tell, but early indications are that he will do everything in his power to prove that he is the man for this job and was the first choice to succeed Hewitt. OFF AND RUNNING The hours he is going to work, that s the only area I can say for sure that he s No. 1, Izzo continued. No one can outwork him. In just a few short days at Georgia Tech, Gregory is already showing signs of living up to such high praise. He called heralded recruit Julian Royal of Milton High School within hours of signing a contract and met with Royal for two hours on Tuesday night. His visit to the Royal household followed individual workouts with Yellow Jacket players on Tuesday afternoon. I think that s big time, Royal s father, Charles, told the AJC. Gregory s actions have really spoken loudly to us. We couldn t stop thanking the man enough for coming over because we know he has been extremely busy over the last couple of days. Starting now, Gregory will be extremely busy over the next six years, and hopefully far beyond. Based on what we already know about him, though, that s exactly what he wants a task that requires a tireless effort. This is one such task, and it is one that Gregory will be able to do. Photo courtesy of Georgia Tech Sports Information. Dimon can be reached at rdimon@scoreatl.com.

6 6 Score Atlanta Get In The Game! Score List BY BRIAN JONES NEW JACKET ERA: He may not be the first choice on a Tech fan s wish list, but former Dayton head coach Brian Gregory is the new head coach for Georgia Tech basketball. He had some success with the Flyers, reaching the NCAA Tournament twice and winning the NIT Tournament last year. I think he will do great here and we can t wait to see him in action. ARE YOU READY: The WWE has made their way to Atlanta as Wrestlemania will take place at the Georgia Dome on Sunday. It should be a great show because superstars such as John Cena, Randy Orton, Edge, Triple H and the Undertaker will all be in action. I m a huge wrestling fan and I will definitely be there for the biggest spectacle in all of sports entertainment. THE FAB FOUR: After two weeks of very exciting action, there are only four teams left in the NCAA Tournament. Butler, VCU, UConn and Kentucky will do battle to see who will cut down the nets at Reliant Stadium on Monday. The general public thinks Kentucky or UConn will win the title, but how awesome (and funny) would it be if Butler or VCU cut down the nets? COACHING CAROUSEL: The high school football season is five months away and there are still a few schools in the metro area that are looking for a head coach. The most notable school is Peachtree Ridge who won a state title in 2006.Whoever the next head coach is should have a lot of success because that person will have plenty of resources to help the team win. NEW COVER BOY: That could be the case for Matt Ryan because he is a candidate to be on the cover of Madden NFL 12. He is one of the 16 finalists to be on the cover, and in order for him to be selected, fans have to vote on ESPN.com. But if you are a true Falcons fan, you should not vote for him. You want to know why? Haven t you heard of the Madden curse? TRIVIA QUESTION Prior to Thurday s game, what is the Atlanta Braves all-time Opening Day record? Answer on Page 14 crunching the NUMBERS BY RICKY DIMON Consecutive wins for Butler heading into Saturday s Final Four Consecutive wins for UConn heading into the Final Four Wins for Shaka Smart in 10 postseason games with VCU (CBI and NCAA combined) UConn head coach Jim Calhoun s record against rival John Calipari of UK Combined seed number of Final Four teams, a record-high Millions of dollars more Paul Hewitt s buyout is than Brian Gregory s contract Gregory s record in eight seasons as head coach of Dayton NCAA Tournament appearances for Gregory at Dayton, including one win Seniors, out of 23, who have graduated from Dayton under Gregory Thumbs up TO Wrasslin WWE in Atlanta It s not drama like the Tennessee basketball program, but it is the original reality television. Wrestling fans will be downtown this weekend to see what The Rock is cookin. Highlights will include Shawn Michaels Hall of Fame induction, Wrestlemania XXVII (hosted by The Rock) and finally, Monday Night Raw. UGA Hoops A good week for UGA basketball: in the NCAAs, the Lady Dogs made a run to the sweet16, upsetting no. 3 seed FSU along the way. It was their 27th tournament appearance. And, no news is good news: it looks men s head coach Mark Fox will be in Athens for another season, at least. Braves optimism They may not beat the Phillies on paper, but the Bravos are looking good. The starting pitching is excellent, Dan Uggla will really boost the lineup, the bullpen is more than adequate and, most importantly, everybody s pretty healthy. A division title might be a tough order, but a wild card spot is easily attainable. National Championship rings owned by Gregory 1 (MSU assistant in 2000) my two cents Play ball, y all! The Braves opened up their season with an exhibition against Minnesota Tuesday night at Turner Field, and traveled to Washington for Opening Day Thursday. Is anyone else walking around with a bit more pep in their step this week? Opening Day is one of the most exciting and highly anticipated days in the sports calendar, and Braves fans especially have a lot to look forward to this season. As we pointed out last week in these pages, the Bravos have a nice mix of veterans and youth. They appear to have the arms and the bats it takes to make the postseason. And, despite Philadephia s arsenal of pitching, many experts have the Braves going far in the Fall. This comes despite legendary Bobby Cox not being in the dugout since And that bodes well for the Braves, whose major weakness was supposedly the absense of Cox. We at Score feel that Fredi Gonzalez will erase any doubts about leadership very quickly. I ve got my fantasy teams drafted, my peanuts ready and my scorecards dusted off: I m ready for some baseball! See you guys at Turner Field! Black can be reached at sblack@scoreatl.com. Thumbs down to Road Trips Opening Day Away How can the Braves who last time I checked, were based here in Atlanta not be a permanent Opening Day host on the Major League schedule? Sure, spring weather in the ATL can be less than perfect, but snow should never be part of the weather outlook on baseball s first weekend. Vols Hoops In less than a year Tennessee has gone from Rocky Top (a perennial NCAA team), to rock bottom. This week they announced the hiring of Bruce Pearl s replacement, Cuonzo Martin, formerly of Missouri State. Should Vol fans think that the administration wants to get out of the basketball business for a while? Dog Crap Here s a little social commentary. Do walk your dog, or mine if you would like, in the park, any park. Don t ignore the signs everywhere and walk Fido on the athletic fields. If you just have to be a rule breaker, pick-it up. Seriously. SANITY at last What Brian has over me and everyone else is he s very smart and very, very organized. Meticulous would be a better word. He s got a great rapport with the guys. - Mich. St. coach Tom Izzo on what Brian Gregory brings to Tech

7 Bob Stinchcomb knows all about the stress and rigor of being an athletic director. After all, has held the post several times, and now holds the position at Darlington. Stinchcomb is also an essential member of the Georgia Athletic Director s Association, where he began his duties as president just over a week ago. The association, which held its annual conference and awards ceremony in Savannah, is dedicated to helping fellow AD s with their duties and provides networking opportunities for those holding the position. When we moved out of Jekyll Island and came to Savannah, our membership and people coming to the state conference moved up considerably, Stinchcomb said. A lot of AD s bring spouses and the like. It becomes more than just an educational opportunity. With Stinchcomb and others leading the way, the GADA is hoping their newfound momentum helps AD s all across the state in a plethora of areas. LEADING THE PACK Jeff Beggs is a member of the GADA s Executive Committee. And as the current Director of Athletics for Atlanta Public Schools and previous presisdent of the GADA, he knows a lot about the topics discussed. The Southwest DeKalb alumnus helps to advise AD s on many aspects of their job, but he sees their leadership qualities as the most important. You need to be a leader, he said. You are the expert in athletics in your school. You have to do everything you can to lead the program and not just manage it. That s easier said than done, especially at schools with a wide range of students and athletic programs. With that in mind, the GADA held a variety of workshops at their conference, counseling AD s on leadership and communication, among other things, regarding their jobs. It s easy to react on emotion, instead of basing it off what you know and doing the right thing for the program and the school, Beggs said. That sounds easy but it s really one of the hardest things to deal with. You have to follow the rules and guidelines, but you have to do what you know is the right thing to do. Finances There is no surplus money in school systems today, and Stinchcomb knows that AD s wrestle with their financial situation every day. The one thing that is always right on an athletic director s mind is budgeting, Stinchcomb said. People aren t spending the dollars to come to the games. That s become a problem at schools, especially those in South Georgia that are traveling huge distances just to play a region game. Transportation is a huge issue, Stinchcomb said. On some days you have to send your baseball, soccer, golf, tennis and lacrosse teams to their games. by JOSH BAGRIANSKY With that in mind, the GADA held sessions on how to budget, as well as time management and staff evaluation. THE FUTURE With a host of new issues ranging from transportation to leadership, it s not easy to be an AD. But with the likes of Stinchcomb and Beggs leading the way at the GADA, a new day is on the horizon. It s aday where AD s from across the state can connect, mingle, discuss and improve upon their jobs at any time. Over the past three years, the two have been instrumental in developing a new website, electronic newsletter and have secured Regions State Bank as a sponsor for the GADA Director s Cup. Now we need to reach out and keep the throttle down, Stinchcomb said, Our initiatives over the last three years have moved us light years ahead of where we were. Bagriansky can be reached at jbagriansky@scoreatl.com.

8 8 Score Atlanta Get In The Game! Action on Forsyth diamonds heats up n early season showdown between North AForsyth and West Forsyth, produced what longtime Braves announcer Skip Carey referred to as free baseball, as the Raiders used six errors by the Wolverines defense to pull out an 8-7 victory in extra innings of their region opener. They made some mistakes and we took advantage of them, North coach Jim Cahill told The Forsyth News. It was just a great game, everybody got their money s worth, that s for sure. The victory improved North s overall record to 8-2 and a 4-0 record among Forsyth schools, with victories over South, Cental and Lambert in the last two weeks. The Raiders have a spring break trip the first week of April to Tate, Fla., to participate in a tournement with Tate, Escambia and Pine Forest, Fla., before jumping back into region play. LAMBERT RALLIES A back and forth game with five lead changes between No. 8 Lambert and Woodland broke open on two late inning scoring surges by the Horns that netted eight runs in the fifth and sixth frames to take a 13-8 victory over the hosts. We did a good job of battling, getting the lead, giving up the lead and swapping again during the game, and never letting it get to us, Horns coach Jamie Corr told to The Forsyth News. I think that s a testament to our early season schedule, battling tough opponents that you know can test you early, and it paid dividends tonight. The Longhorns entered the top of the fifth inning trailing 6-5, after leaving the bases loaded in the two previous innings. Zach Schlosser (4-for-5, 2 2B, HR, 6 RBI), made sure that the offensive drought wouldn t continue with an RBI double in the fifth followed by a sixthinning grand slam to close the scoring. The top of the lineup came up big for Lambert as the first four spots of the Longhorn lineup, Caden Bailey, Schlosser, Justin Reichling (3-for-5) and David Broadus combined for 12 of Lambert s 15 hits and drove in 11 of the team s 13 runs. The victory upped Lambert s record to 7-4 and 4-1 in region play. Thomason can be reached at Greyhounds sprint to county track title Pope boys track and field team took up and they really exceeded all our projections for Ttheir first Cobb County championship in (Monday). school history on Monday in Marietta. The 85 total team points were 18 ahead of second place Sprayberry. Courtland Garrett finished second in the shot put for the second year in a row with a toss of 53 2, bettering his mark last year by three feet. Miles Slay was the top triple jumper with a leap of I m so proud of the kids right now, Pope head coach Jerad Johnson told the MDJ. This is very emotional for us. This is our first county championship for the school, and I m so proud of the boys. On the girls side, Wheeler scored to take the championship. This was also the first county championship for the Wheeler girls team in school history. Seniors Allison Bracklin and Alla Yoonis along with juniors Sam Kiblinger and Monica Kraeger took the 4x800 meter race with a time of 9:53.82 for a new meet record. It s just really amazing, Wheeler head coach Greg Mitchell told the MDJ. The kids have been working hard. They really stepped DIAMOND NOTES The Kell Longhorns have won three out of their last four games, including a 1-0 shutout win over Pope on Monday. Senior righthanded pitcher Chris Goershel pitched seven strong innings, striking out 13, while allowing just two hits and no runs. Junior second baseman Jake Jenson drove in the only run of the game with a double in the fifth inning. Austin Petrik scored the run after he had walked and stole second and third base. Kell totaled just six hits in the game, but it was good enough to get the job done. Parker Madden led the way for the Horns by going 2-for-4 at the plate. The win pushed the Longhorns overall record to 11-4 and their region mark to 3-1. They currently reside in second place in Region 5-4A behind Alexander and Douglas County. They will face Chapel Hill and South Paulding this week in two more region contests. Deighton can be reached at jdeighton@scoreatl.com. Marist girls rolling on tennis courts he Marist girls tennis team continued its Tundefeated match play this past week with 5-0 wins over Tucker, Lakeside (DeKalb), Dunwoody and Northview. The defending state champs have not lost a match since March 18 of last year, and have only dropped three individual contests in all of The Marist boys lost 5-0 to Northview last Thursday. The War Eagles were riding a three match winning streak, including victories over region foes Lakeside (DeKalb) and Dunwoody. The St. Pius X girls lost to Peachtree Ridge 3-0 Friday after posting victories over Brookwood and Woodward Academy. The boys club defeated Roswell Saturday 3-2, ending a three match losing streak. The Southwest DeKalb girls tennis club lost their match against North Springs 5-0 on Tuesday. The loss puts the Lady Panthers at 5-7 on the season (3-1 region), and they will probably need a good showing in the region tournament to make the state playoffs. After their loss to Marist last Tuesday, the Lakeside (DeKalb) girls tennis team bounced back to defeat Dunwoody 3-2 last Thursday. The Lady Vikings are now 11-2 on the season (3-1 region), and can finish the season strong if they beat Chamblee and Redan this week. DIAMOND NOTES In baseball, the Miller Grove Wolverines defeated Carver (Atlanta) 11-8 Friday to get back to their winning ways. The Wolverines lost a close one to region foe Redan the previous Wednesday 3-2 that interrupted a four game winning streak. The St. Pius X Golden Lions beat Druid Hills 7-4 this past Friday, extending their winning streak to six. Columbia lost to Class 4A opponent Meadowcreek 8-6 Saturday, extending their losing streak to three. The Eagles will try and bounce back against Stone Mountain Wednesday of this week. Lakeside (DeKalb) lost to Marist Tuesday. The Vikings were embarrassed 13-0 by the War Eagles in five innings. Marist is now 12-1 on the season with its only loss coming at the hands of Flanagan High School (Fla.) - Pembroke Pines. Collins can be reached at Ridge looking forward to football season he 2011 Peachtree Ridge Lions football Tteam will surely be ranked in the top 10 of Class 5A entering week one. The Lions will likely have several members of the Score 44 including tailback DiAndre Atwater and cornerback Ray Buchanan Jr. The Lions will also have a new coach after Bill Ballard resigned to take the White County head coaching position. Ballard spent the past four years at the Suwanee school, compiling a record and snaring a region title in That same season, the Lions made an appearance in the Class 5A championship game, falling to Camden County. Last year, Peachtree Ridge ended Newnan s 20-game regular-season home winning streak and peaked at No. 3 in the state before missing the playoffs with a 6-4 record, 3-4 in Region 7-5A. Ballard was Peachtree Ridge s third coach in eight seasons as a program. They shared the 2006 state title with Roswell. SOCCER NOTES The Class 5A girls soccer poll is dotted with Gwinnett County teams and No. 6 Col- lins Hill experienced the lowest of lows and the highest of highs last week. After dropping a 1-0 decision to Peachtree Ridge, the Lady Eagles responded with a 2-0 victory over No. 8 North Gwinnett as Miriah Dickey found the back of the net twice against the Bulldogs. Both teams had chances in the first half but neither team could capitalize on those opportunities. The Collins Hill win was the Lady Eagles first over North Gwinnett in three years. Earlier in the week it was the unranked Lady Lions that beat Collins Hill to win their fifth straight game. The Collins Hill boys exacted a measure of revenge for their female counterparts by laying it on No. 2 Peachtree Ridge 7-1. The No. 3 Eagles were led by Zak Wallingford s two goals. On the baseball diamond, Dacula s Tyler Jarvis did a little bit of everything in a recent 5-0 win over Archer. At the plate, Jarvis was 2-3 with one RBI but it was on the mound where Jarvis stood out. Jarvis went the distance, allowing just three hits while striking out 17. Proctor can be reached at fproctor@scoreatl.com.

9 APRIL 1-7, 2011 Score Atlanta 9 Region rivalries underway on diamond lessed Trinity s baseball team, which Bmade it to the Class 2A semifinals last season, was dethroned from its perch atop the PrepCountry.com/GACA Coaches Poll on Monday. The Titans fell to Region 6-AA rival Westminster 4-1 last Wednesday for their third loss of the season. Although it is not yet enough to regain the No. 1 ranking spot from Buford, Blessed Trinity took its frustrations out on Decatur and Clarkston. The Titans edged Decatur 4-2 last weekend before destroying Clarkston 28-0 on Monday. Westminster, meanwhile, is off to an outstanding 10-2 start and has surfaced in the Class 2A rankings for the first time at No. 8. The Wildcats only two losses of the season came during a spring break trip to Naples, FL. They have won five in a row and have not allowed more than a single run in any game during the streak. Westminster and Lovett squared off in a region showdown on Wednesday, but results were not available at press time. Region action is also heating up in 6-5A, where Milton is the highest-ranked team at No. 8 in the classification. The Eagles, though, are getting more than their fair share of competition. They suffered losses to Norcross and Grayson earlier in the month and currently stand with a 10-4 record. Milton kicked off its region schedule by getting blown out 11-1 at the hands of Alpharetta last Thursday before outlasting fellow region foe Northview 8-7 in extra innings on Tuesday. ACCOLADES All-state basketball teams were announced last week and a pair of Milton standouts found themselves on the Class 5A boys squad. Shannon Scott, an Ohio State signee, led the first team and was named player of the year for the entire classification. Julian Royal, headed for Georgia Tech unless he changes in mind following the coaching change, is a member of the second team. In Class 3A, Woodward Academy s Arlon Harper was named to the second team. On the girls side, Northview s Sydney Wallace earned Player of the Year honors on the North Fulton All-Metro Team. Chattahoochee head coach Eric Herrick, who led his team to a Class 4A semifinal berth, was named All-Metro Coach of the Year. Dimon can be reached at rdimon@scoreatl.com. IJ Rosenberg President World Series Champ Yankees Bob Houghton General Manager World Series Champ Twins Stephen Black Managing Editor World Series Champ Red Sox DJ Galbiati Creative Art Director World Series Champ Braves Brian Jones Big B World Series Champ Red Sox Fletcher Proctor The Fletch World Series Champ Red Sox NL Division Winners Phillies, Cardinals, Rockies NL Division Winners Phillies, Brewers, Dodgers NL Division Winners Phillies, Cardinals, Giants NL Division Winners Phillies, Cardinals, Giants NL Division Winners Braves, Reds, Giants NL Division Winners Phillies, Reds, Rockies NL Wild Card Braves NL Wild Card Braves NL Wild Card Rockies NL Wild Card Braves NL Wild Card Phillies NL Wild Card Braves Braves Finish NLCS Braves Finish Wild Card - 2nd in East Braves Finish 2nd in East Braves Finish Wild Card - 2nd in East Braves Finish NLCS Braves Finish Wild Card - NL Champs Surprise Brave Martin Prado Surprise Brave Freeman - Rookie of Year Surprise Brave Nate the Great Surprise Brave Nate McClouth Surprise Brave Nate McClouth Surprise Brave Alex Gonzalez Braves MVP Chipper Jones Braves MVP Dan Uggla Braves MVP Martin Prado Braves MVP Dan Uggla Braves MVP Brian McCann Braves MVP Brian McCann

10 10 Score Atlanta Get In The Game! AAAAA AAAA AAA AA A 1 Wesleyan Darlington Athens Christian Gordon Lee Savannah Chr George Walton Acad Turner County First Presbyterian Calvary Day School Pace Academy Greater Atl Christian Buford Westminster Lovett Blessed Trinity North Oconee Calhoun Morgan County Thomasville Vidalia St. Pius X Woodward Academy Allatoona Oconee County Carrollton Columbus North Hall Eastside Washington County Cartersville Pope Marist Chattahoochee McIntosh Creekview Loganville Whitewater Greenbrier Lakeside, DeKalb Starr s Mill Brookwood Collins Hill Mill Creek Parkview Walton Lassiter Peachtree Ridge Milton North Gwinnett Roswell Athens Academy Bremen Wilkinson County Whitefield Academy Landmark Christian North Cobb Christian Walker Providence Christian Wilcox County Our Lady of Mercy Pike County Bleckley County Cook Jefferson Rockmart Pepperell Tattnall County Carver, Columbus Fitzgerald Laney Sandy Creek Dalton West Hall Perry Riverwood Eagle s Landing Heritage, Catoosa Crisp County West Laurens Westover Union Grove Alexander Johns Creek Southwest DeKalb Kell Rockdale County Chapel Hill Northgate Dunwoody Lovejoy Grayson Harrison Valdosta Kennesaw Mountain Norcross Alpharetta Lowndes Tift County Hillgrove Centennial 321.0

11 APRIL 1-7, 2011 Score Atlanta 11 SCORE MORE Hawks earn much-needed victories A tlanta s wins may have been over inferior competition last weekend, but they needed the confidence boost sorely having lost four of five coming into a back-to-back with Cleveland and New Jersey. The Hawks jumped out to a fast start at Philips against New Jersey, leading after one quarter and by 26 points at the half en route to a win. Five players scored in double figures for the home team, with Al Horford and Josh Smith scoring 32 and 22 points, respectively. The win officially clinched Atlanta s fourth straight playoff appearance. It feels really good, Jamal Crawford said. We knew we would be in, but it s always good to actually know for sure. We ve been struggling a little bit, and we ll take any win we can get. Hopefully, this will catapult us. All Star Joe Johnson missed the trip to Cleveland the following evening, but Marvin Williams picked up the slack, notching a season-high 31 points in the win. Marv looked very confident out there, Horford said. He really just took what the defense gave him, and he was being aggressive and attacking the rim. I think when he plays at that level, not necessarily scoring, but just being aggressive like that, I think we really are a different team. LOOKING AHEAD Things won t be easy over the season s final two weeks, as the Hawks face four playoff teams in their final seven games. The suddenly floundering Boston Celtics are in town on Friday night. After leading the Eastern Conference for most of the season, they ve been passed by Chicago for the No. 1 seed and have been a.500 team for the last three weeks. Atlanta lost their first two matchups with the C s by double-digits, including a blowout home loss in late November that turned out to be the first of several embarrassing losses at Philips Arena. The Houston Rockets are chasing the No. 8 seed in the West, and they host Atlanta on Sunday at 7 p.m. The Rockets appear to be making a late run at Memphis for the last playoff spot, sitting just two behind the Grizzlies in the loss column. The defense on scorer Kevin Martin (23.2 PPG) will be crucial, with Kirk Hinrich and Johnson likely drawing the assignment. Bagriansky can be reached at jbagriansky@scoreatl.com. Blank says there will be a 2011 season tlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank Awrote a second letter to fans over the weekend, mostly to update them on the labor issues that are dogging the NFL offseason. Blank, though, assured that steps are being taken to end the lockout. I can speak for the NFL and its owners in telling you that we all want a quick resolution of the current labor dispute, and we are ready to get back to the negotiating table at any time, he wrote. While we re not where we would like to be at this point, we remain committed to reaching a new collective bargaining agreement that will guarantee the long-term future success of the NFL and the great game of football for its fans, players and clubs. Blank sounded even more optimistic when he and the rest of the team were honored by the Georgia Legislature on Tuesday for a third consecutive winning season. According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, he told lawmakers that he would be remiss if he did not say that in 2011, we will have professional football in Atlanta. An April 6 hearing in Minnesota is scheduled for the lawsuit filed by Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, and six other NFL players. MADDEN COVER BOY? Who will be on the cover for Madden 2012? This year it s all coming down to a bracket-format tournament, March Madness style. All 32 teams had one player representative in the field, which has been narrowed to 16. The first round of the Madden NFL 12 Cover Vote has wrapped up and Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan crushed Panthers offensive tackle Jordan Gross 89 percent to 11 percent. Ryan is going up against Browns running back Peyton Hillis in the Sweet 16. Voting is done over a four-week period at ESPN.com/MaddenVote and more than 6.8 million votes were cast during round-one action. The AJC website currently has a headline that reads, Vote to save Matt Ryan from the Madden Curse. In other team news, Atlanta s draft picks were made official on Tuesday. The Falcons have seven picks (one per round) in addition to two more seventhround selections via 2010 trades with Detroit and New England. Dimon can be reached at rdimon@scoreatl.com. Braves decide on fifth starter Thrash fall further back in Montreal ome teams enter Spring Training fter pulling out a thrilling come from Sscratching and pinching and try- Abehind victory over Ottawa on Sun- ing to figure out who will fill out the rotation from a list full of scrubs. The Braves were fortunate to have the first four spots of the rotation more-or-less locked in with several pitchers from last year s rotation competing to stay in the rotation. With Kris Medlen set to return from Tommy John Surgery later this summer, lefty Mike Minor battled Rodrigo Lopez and Brandon Beachy for the fifth starter s spot. It was announced last week that Brandon Beachy would be the fifth starter and Minor was optioned to Class AAA Gwinnett. Beachy and Minor both made starts for Atlanta last season and both were impressive this spring as Minor carded just a.90 ERA while Beachy held opponents to just a.143 average in ten appearances. Last season Beachy was 0-2 in three starts but yielded just a 3.00 ERA in 15 innings while striking out 15. Minor was 3-2 in eight starts with a 5.98 ERA. Minor could quickly be back with the team after projected No.3/4 starter Jair Jurrjens left his next-to-last spring tune-up with a pain in his right side. The team will play it by ear on whether Jurrjens will begin the season in the rotation or if Jurrjens, who made just 20 starts last season, will have to start the year sidelined. If Jurrjens can go and Minor sticks in Gwinnett, he will have some company as Atlanta made the final cuts to get down to the Opening Day 25 man roster. Outfield candidate Jordan Schafer, infielder Diory Hernandez and pitchers Jairo Asencio and Juan Abreau were all optioned down along with Minor. The team announced that Brandon Hicks and Matt Young, along with Brooks Conrad will join back-up catcher David Ross and re-signed Eric Hinske as the Braves bench. Off-season waiver claim Joe Mather was placed on outright waivers. Scott Proctor was released after Cristhian Martinez beat him out for the final spot in the Braves bullpen. Proctor was trying to make a comeback from Tommy John Surgery that forced him to miss all of the 2009 season and most of the 2010 season. Proctor can be reached at fproctor@scoreatl.com. day, the Thrashers put up a lackluster performance together in a loss at Montreal on Tuesday. The 3-1 defeat left Atlanta nine points out of the playoffs with six games to play. The players remain upbeat, despite the reality of the situation. It s 6-0, that s the reality of it, Ron Hainsey told the AP. It may have been 7-0, this may have been a must-win, too. The goal is to win every game the rest of the way and see where that takes us. The Thrashers have not won consecutive games since they beat Carolina back on March 9. AWARD WINNERS Zach Bogosian and Jim Slater were named the co-recipients of the 2011 Gilner-Reeves Community Service Award this week. This award has been a franchise tradition since the season. It is named in honor of Cobb County police officers Stephen Gilner and Steve Reeves, who were killed in the line of duty in It is given to the Thrasher player who goes above and beyond the call of duty in the community. Along with the award, the Thrashers donated $10,000 in Bogosian and Slater s names to Georgia s children s charities. Slater made a donation this season to Traveler s Aid of Metro Atlanta. He also brought a group of kids who are stricken with cancer to a Thrashers game. He participated with the rest of the team in a Hosea Feed the Hungry and Homeless event where players contributed food, toys and other goods to families that are not so fortunate this past holiday season. This is the second straight year that Slater has received this award. Bogosian donated $15,000 so that children from various different groups could attend every Thrashers game this season. He also took part in a Random Act of Kindness visit to Children s Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite hospital. This is Bogosian s first Gilner-Reeves Award. The team will finish their last road trip of the season when they visit Boston, Nashville and New York next week. Two home games remain with Carolina and then Pittsburgh to finish the season. Deighton can be reached at jdeighton@scoreatl.com. SCORE MORE

12 12 Score Atlanta Get In The Game! Panther baseball drops two to VCU, QB s Hill and Schlechter roles increase While VCU s basketball team was playing itself into the Final Four, the Rams baseball team was in Atlanta for a weekend CAA series with Georgia State. In a Friday doubleheader, the Panthers won the opener 11-8 behind Bryan Condatta s grand slam, but fell in the nightcap 10-6 in 11 innings despite eight strikeouts by starting pitcher Charlie Olson. I thought the team played hard on a very long day, head coach Greg Frady said. We did a good job of maximizing our opportunities in Game 1 and in Game 2. We just didn t play well enough to win. The loss in Game 2 ended the Panthers winning streak at 11 games. With a day off due to rain, VCU won the Sunday game SPRING DRILLS Panther football is in week two of spring practice leading up to the scrimmage in the Georgia Dome. With quarterback Drew Little sidelined due to suspension, Kelton Hill and Bo Schlechter are both looking at an increased role between now and early in the season. As a backup last fall, Hill played in every game and was the Panthers leading rusher with 416 yards (an average of 6.9 yards per carry) and three touchdowns, while throwing only 15 passes. I m trying to be more of a leader, Hill said after a recent practice. I wasn t a leader last season, so that s something I m working on. Coach Curry expects a lot out of us, and we re trying to give it to him, Hill added. The Blue-White Spring Scrimmage will be held at the Georgia Dome on April 14. It is a free event. (Listen on WMLB-AM 1690 and WRAS-FM 88.5) Softball s McCall Langford hurled her first career no-hitter, and the first for the Panthers since 2008, as the Panthers defeated Towson 3-0. Langford struck out six batters and only allowed one ball to leave the infield. I didn t realize I was perfect until the fifth inning or so, said Langford. The last inning was nerve-racking, but after I walked the batter I just refocused and struck the last batter out. Dave Cohen is in his 28th season as the Voice of Georgia State Athletics on WRAS- FM (88.5) and WCFO-AM, Newstalk 1160.

13 APRIL 1-7, 2011 Score Atlanta 13 BASKETBALL Hawks. April 1 vs. Boston 8 PM. April 3 at Houston 7 PM. April 5 vs. San Antonio 7 PM. April 8 at Indiana 7 PM. April 9 at Washington 7 PM. April 11 vs. Miami 7 PM. April 13 at Charlotte 8 PM. Club Sport, Where Atlanta Comes To Play! Registration Ongoing - Men s League plays on Sunday evenings at the Brookhaven Boys & Girls Club. For more info or to register visit Open Recreational Basketball. GSL Georgia Sports Leagues. Georgia s Best Sports Leagues. Registration ongoing. We offer Top Gun, B, C and Co-Ed styles of play around Atlanta. We play ALL year round. For more information please contact (678) or mark@georgiasportsleagues.org. Visit Roundtable Fundamental Basketball Camp Boys and Girls. Rising 6th-10th Graders (Current 5th-9th Graders) June am-2pm. St. Francis High School, Alpharetta. Contact Coach Huff stfrancisbball@yahoo.com. BASEBALL Braves. April 2 at Washington 1:05 PM. April 3 at Washington 1:35 PM. April 4 at Milwaukee 2:10 PM. April 5 at Milwaukee 8:10 PM. April 6 at Milwaukee 8:10 PM. April 7 at Milwaukee 1:40 PM. April 8 vs. Philadelphia 7:35 PM. April 9 vs. Philadelphia 1:10 PM. April 10 vs. Philadelphia 1:35 PM. April 12 vs. Florida 7:10 PM. April 13 vs. Florida 7:10 PM. April 14 vs. Florida 7:10 PM. Gwinnett Braves. April 7 vs. Durham 7:05 PM. April 8 vs. Durham 7:05 PM. April 9 vs. Durham 7:05 PM. April 10 vs. Durham 2:05 PM. April 11 vs. Norfolk 7:05 PM. April 12 vs. Norfolk 7:05 PM. April 13 vs. Norfolk 7:05 PM. April 14 vs. Charlotte 7:05 PM. Prospect Watch. Ongoing - Buckhead. Baseball pitching and hitting lessons by a former college and minor league coach. For information call or visit Adult Baseball League Metro Atlanta. Ongoing. MSBL 18+, 28+, 38+, and 48+. Sunday League contact info is , info@atlantamsbl.com. MSBL 18+ Saturday League contact info is , AtlantaMABL@aol.com. MSBL 18+ Midweek Wood bat league contact info is , AtlantaMABL@aol. com. MSBL 18+Fall League contact info is , AtlantaMABL@aol.com. For more information about our Atlanta Adult Baseball League, please visit our website at TNT Sports. Ongoing. Baseball pitching and hitting lessons by Rob Blair, former college coach, Snellville. To set up a free pitching or hitting analysis call Jack City Baseball. Ongoing. Baseball pitching and hitting. Instruction with former pro Keith Whitner. 18-y looking for high school players. The new location is inside Velocity Sports in North Gwinnett. For more information call or visit jackcity.net. Jack City Sports Center. Indoor T-Ball League being offered at Jack City Sports Center. 10 game season with games on Sundays. $125 per player. Team rates available and questions can be directed to FOOTBALL Force. April 2 at New Orleans 8 PM. April 8 vs. Dallas 8:05 PM. Collins Hill Athletic Association. Ongoing. Accepting applications for qualified coaches in all age groups. For informtion Craig Deneau at deneauc@charter.net Grayson Athletic Association. Ongoing. Football coaches needed for eighth grade and all age groups. For information call Duane Davis at or visit Flag Football. GSL Georgia Sports Leagues. Georgia s Largest Flag League. Registration ongoing. We offer 7-Man, 8-man, Youth and Co-Ed styles of play around Atlanta. We play ALL year round. For information please contact (678) or mark@georgiasportsleagues.org. Visit Arena Indoor Football. Ongoing. Youth and Adult Leagues. Youth 7 vs. 7; Adult 6 vs. 6. For information, call or info.indoor@atlantasilverbacks.com. Capitol City Officials Association. CCOA is accepting ongoing registration for the upcoming GHSA High School season in football. We hold weekly training meetings. For more information, contact Irvin Seabrook at or Irv_Seabrook@yahoo.com. HOCKEY Thrashers. April 2 at Boston 1 PM. April 5 at Nashville 8 PM. April 7 at New York Rangers 7 PM. April 8 vs. Carolina 7:30 PM. April 10 vs. Pittsburgh 3 PM. Gladiators. April 1 vs. Greenville 7:35 PM. April 2 at Greenville 7:05 PM. Peachtree Booster Club. Ongoing - Pickneyville Roller Hockey Rink. Fees: $95 for 12-game season, $30 out-of-county fee. For information visit SOCCER Challenged Soccer. Ongoing. For mentally and physically disabled youngsters. For information call Ken Higgins at Hall of Fame soccer clinics. Ongoing on Fridays Clarkston Community Center. For under-6 through under-12 players. Fees: Free. For information call or visit 5:30-7 PM. TENNIS Technique Clinics. Ongoing - Bitsy Grant Tennis Center. Tuesdays (serve/volley) and Saturdays (forehand/backhand). Fees: $18. For information call or jimhines01@yahoo.com. 2 PM on Saturdays, 6:30PM on Tuesdays. Tennis camps for kids. Ongoing weekly. Lost Mountain Tennis Center. For information call LACROSSE Lacrosse. Ongoing. Registration for 1st-8th grades. For information call , jasona@bagatawaylacrosse. com or visit Double Stixx Lacrosse. Ongoing - Leagues, Travel Teams and Tournaments for youth, high school and adult s boys and girls. More information about the best lacrosse programs in Georgia can be found at or by contacting Chris Smith at chris@doublestixxlacrosse.com or ṘUNNING 32nd Annual Sickle Cell Road Race 7K, 4K. Apr. 9. Atlanta, 9:00 AM Chick-fil-a Race Series 5K & Fun Run, Race #3. Apr. 9. Athens, 8:00 AM Operation Yellow Ribbon 5K & Mile. Apr. 9. Marietta, 8:30 AM Run Before You Crawl 5K. Apr. 9. Atlanta, 9:00 AM Torching the Trail for Burns 4 Mile and Mile. Apr. 9. Morrow, 8:30 AM. Bolt for PCOS 5K Run/Walk. Apr. 9. Atlanta, 8:30 AM Eagle s Talon 5K Obstacle Course and Mile Walk. Apr. 9. Mc- Donough, 9:30 AM th Annual Junk Yard Jog 5K & Little Landfill 1 Mile Fun Run. Apr. 9. Athens, 8:30 AM x 312. CAMPS Nike Basketball Camps. Camps located in Snellville, Roswell, Kennesaw, Oxford and Jonesboro. For more information or a free brochure, visit or visit Club Sport, Where Atlanta Comes To Play! Registration Ongoing for Sand & Indoor Leagues and Tournaments League games played every day and night at the Brookhaven Boys and Girls Club. For more info or to register visit Jack City Baseball. Ongoing. Atlanta Braves pitcher Vladimir Nunez is now conducting pitching lessons. To schedule a lesson, call VOLLEYBALL Gwinnett Sports Center. Registration ongoing. For information call Jerry Robison at or visit SWIMMING & DIVING Swimming lessons. Ongoing - Alpharetta City Pool - Alpharetta, Ga Old Milton Parkway. For information call Dynamo Swim School. DynaBabies, Preschool, Grade School, Adult Classes. Youth Swim Team. Call us (770) Ext 16 Gwinnett Aquatics. Ongoing Quinberry Drive and Bethany Church Road. For ages Swim team and lessons available. For information call Senior Water-Exercise class. Ongoing - Mountain Park pool - Lilburn, Ga. Fees: $1 per class. For information call :50 AM. SwimAtlanta Sugarloaf at Kid s Village. Ongoing. Swim team, lessons, lap swimming, master s program, water aerobics and scuba available. For information call YOUTH REGISTRATION Soccer-Soccer Alley. Ongoing Roswell Road- Atlanta. For information call or visit Tucker Youth Soccer. Ongoing Henderson Road Tucker, Ga. For information call or visit Track and Field - Peachtree City Flash Youth Track Team registration. Ongoing - Riley Field - Peachtree City, Ga. For ages For information call or ptcflash@ bellsouth.net. Gymnastics - Georgia Gymnastics Academy. Ongoing. For registration in Lawrenceville call ; in Suwanee call Gym Elite. Ongoing. Registration for ages 2 and older. Cheerleading for ages 6 and older. For information call Youth Soccer Training. Ongoing. Start age 3 and up. For information, call , info.indoor@atlantasilverbacks.com, or visit Corpus Christi Youth Basketball League Registration is now underway for our 29th season! Boys and girls ages 5 through 14, any skill level, are welcome. Cost: $90 per child/$85 for siblings. Fee includes uniforms, field trips, skills clinics, 9 games and maore! Register while space is still available Saturdays October 11 & 18, 2008, 10 AM to 12 PM. Location: Corpus Christi Church Sports Arena, 600 Mountain View Drive, Stone Mountain, GA For info, call , ccybl1@gmail.com or visit the league s website ( SOFTBALL AYSA Spring Season. Ongoing - North Park - Cogburn and Bethany - Alpharetta. Fees: If Alpharetta Residential Property Tax IS NOT PAID at the primary residence of the player, then the Non-City Resident Fee must be paid. After Jan. 13, $10 late fee is charged. GYMNASTICS Gymnastics Classes at Gymnastics AcademyofAtlanta. Ongoing Cobb Parkway Kennesaw, Ga. For information call or visit Gymnastics Classes at Gwinnett Gymnastics Center Ongoing Killian Hill Road Lilburn, Ga. For information call Atlanta School of Gymnastics in Lawrenceville. Ongoing. Classes for tots through teens. Cheerleading classes for ages 5 and older. For information call The Little Gym of Snellville. Ongoing. Noncompetitive gymnastics and motor-skills development classes and camps. For ages 10 months-12 years. For information call or visit RACING SpeedTech Racing School. April 2-3 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Buck Baker Racing School. April 8-9 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. OFFICIATING 9RCorp Sports Officials. Ongoing. Provider of sports officials for multiple sports including basketball, flag football, & softball. Looking for additional officials. For information call Dennis Reagan at or 9rcorp@150mail.com. Georgia Lacrosse Officials Association. Needs boys youth and High School officials for 2010 season. Games are played Spring, Summer, and Fall. Great way to earn extra money and get some fun aerobic exercise. For more information, please visit or recruit@galaxref.com. Atlanta Peachstate Football Officials Association. High School Football Officials needed. We are in need of people who want to officiate high school football in the Atlanta Metro area. No experience is necessary. We have weekly training sessions. For more information go on our web site or call ATLANTA SPORTS COUNCIL Chick-Fil-A Bowl. Dec. 31, Georgia Dome. For tickets, call To reach the Atlanta Sports Council call or visit MISC. Club Sport. Club Sport opens registration for summer leagues on May 1st with league play beginning in June. Club Sport is Atlanta s recreational sports and social group with over 10,000 participants each year on 1200 teams in 120 leagues. Each season Club Sport offers leagues in flag football, softball, soccer, sand and indoor volleyball, basketball and more. Club Sport is where Atlanta comes to play! For more information about Club Sport, upcoming events, photos or interviews with the owner, please contact Rich Alvarez at ext. 818 or visit GOkickball Atlanta s Premier Social Experience. Providing social, co-ed adult kickball leagues throughout metro-atlanta centered around having a good time, meeting new people, and playing recreational games of kickball at local parks. Registration is open now for spring season. Join the fun! For more information and to register, go to Special Score Atlanta 15% off discount code: Score15.

14 14 Score Atlanta Get In The Game! Baseball wins LSU series; softball sweeps No. 2 Florida fter losing a tough game to LSU this past AFriday, the baseball team was able to bounce back on Sunday with 9-5 and 3-2 wins over the Tigers in a doubleheader. In the first game, Georgia scored six runs on six hits in the second inning to go along with a complete game pitched by Michael Palazzone. Palazzone was great, and he was really poised, Georgia head coach Dave Perno said to Georgiadogs.com. That was pleasing because we didn t have to use a single other arm in the first game. In the second game, the Bulldogs were up 3-0 after three innings and they were able to hold on to the lead thanks to pitcher Tyler Maloof coming in at the top of the seventh to earn his eighth save of the season. It was a big day for us and we knew it, Perno added. We brought the guys here early this morning and let them know that you don t want to lose ground this early. This past Tuesday, the Bulldogs traveled to Clemson to take on the Tigers, but fell short of winning their third consecutive game, losing They will come back to Athens on Friday to take on Mississippi State for a threegame series. SOFTBALL IS HOT After getting swept by Alabama, the softball team looked to get some redemption against Florida. They were able to do that as they swept the Gators 10-7, 13-5 and 5-1 this past weekend. The Bulldogs came into the series as the No. 3 team in the country while Florida was No. 2. The Bulldogs took on Georgia Tech on Wednesday but results were not available at press time. They will face Tennessee-Martin on Saturday and Sunday. The women s basketball team reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year, but could not advance to the Elite Eight as they lost to Texas A&M last Sunday. Jasmine James led the Lady Dogs with 10 points. The football team resumed spring practice on Tuesday, but they did it without tailback Washaun Ealey because he has a strained hamstring. The Bulldogs will have their G- Day game on April 16. Jones can be reached at bjones@scoreatl.com. Brian Gregory named new men s basketball coach search is over; Georgia Tech has found Ttheir man. Brian Gregory was named the 13th head coach in Yellow Jacket history during a press conference Monday. Gregory comes to Georgia Tech after being the head coach at Dayton for the last eight seasons. While at Dayton, Gregory amassed a career record of Of those 172 victories, 97 have come in the last four years. Also, Gregory s team reached the NCAA or NIT tournament in five of his eight seasons, and winning the NIT championship a year ago beating North Carolina. Not only are Gregory s teams known for winning, but for academics as well. Every senior that has played under Gregory, 23 in all, has graduated; including seven seniors on last CHECK OUT SCOREATL.COM! trivia answer year s NIT championship team. Brian Gregory is not only an outstanding basketball coach, but he is a tireless worker and recruiter who cares deeply about his players, athletic director Dan Radakovich said. There is no question that he will succeed as basketball coach at Georgia Tech, and he will win by doing things the right way. Most recently, Gregory s Dayton team went with impressive road wins against Mississippi and Seton Hall. The Flyers advanced to the title game of the Atlantic 10 conference tournament after knocking off Xavier in the first round, but lost to the Richmond Spiders, who eventually made it to the Sweet 16. In , Gregory had his best TO ADVERTISE IN SCORE ATLANTA: season at Dayton. The Flyers went 27-8 which is the second most wins in a single season in Dayton history and even upset West Virginia in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Gregory has some history with the Yellow Jackets. To start the season, Dayton competed in the Puerto Rico Tip-off Classic against No. 21 Georgia Tech and beat the Yellow Jackets In Gregory s first season as a head coach during the season, he became the first and only rookie coach to win the prestigious EA Sports Maui Invitational championship. That year Dayton got off to a 9-0 start and won the A-10 s west division. Conway can be reached at Copyright 2011 Score Atlanta Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved. Score Atlanta is published every week on Fridays. Views expressed in Score Atlanta are not necessarily the opinion of Score Atlanta, its staff or advertisers. Score Atlanta does not knowingly accept false or misleading editorial content or advertising nor is Score Atlanta responsible for the content or claims of any advertising or editorial in this publication. No content (articles, photographs, graphics) in Score Atlanta may be used for reproduction without written permission from the publisher.

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