2 Score Atlanta Get In The Game!

Transcription

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

2 2 Score Atlanta Get In The Game!

3 January 7-13, 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 Jamie Walker, Jay Thomason, Drew Collins, Raj Prashad 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... GREENER PASTURES?: Georgia s A.J. Green comes down with what could be his final college reception in the Autozone Liberty Bowl. The junior star is expected to be one of the top wide receivers on the board for this spring s NFL Draft and may give up his final year of eligibility to go pro. Photo courtesy of Rob Saye. Can t Miss Team Scoop and Voices COVER design by DJ Galbiati Cover Photos courtesy of jimmy cribb/atlanta falcons 6 SCORE LIST - MY TWO CENTS 12 GSU 13 CALENDAR 14 Tech-uga THIS WEEK The Fletch thinks an Atlanta radio legend should retire and promotes a Young Gun. Walton s Blaylock twins are receiving serious interest from college football powers from around the country. Learn more about them in our Junior Bowl feature. In our cover story, Drew Collins previews the road to the Super Bowl for the Falcons. Read about the four Atlanta pro teams in our Score More section! ON THE INSIDE AT SCORE ATLANTA HAWKS JOSH SMITH 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! JUNIOR DAY For those wanting even more high school football featuring players from the 2010 season, you are in luck. On a local level, you can tune in this Saturday to the inaugural AT&T Junior Bowl, which features 90 of the best rising seniors from the state of Georgia. The game pits East vs. West and will be played at Hallford Stadium. Lowndes coach Randy McPherson will coach one side while Tucker s Franklin Stephens will be the head man of the other unit. Rising stars such as Greyson Lambert, Scott Hosch and Deion Bonner will be on display. You can catch the game, featuring myself and Bob Houghton on the call, on a number of platforms, including gpb.org/ sports, Fox5, and ajc.com. The game is also scheduled to be televised by CSS. The current class of seniors will also be on display Saturday in the US Army All- American Bowl. Georgia pledges Sterling Bailey and Corey Moore will be playing as will UGA targets Damian Swann, Ray Drew, Ste- Young Guns receive prime slot over holidays; Beau Bock should give it up phon Tuitt and Avery Walls. The game will be aired on NBC. The Under Armour All-America game was this past Wednesday and several Georgia athletes were on display. Quan Bray, Can You Believe......He Said That? Isaiah Crowell, Xzavier Dickson, AJ Johnson, Georgia and Georgia Tech each Malcolm Mitchell, Jay Rome, Thomas finished 6-7 after being ranked in the O Reilly, Justin Scott-Wesley, James Vaughters preseason Top 25, but that s all the and Gabe Wright all represented Georgia programs have in common. in the game, which aired on ESPN. Tech lacks players. Georgia lacks coaching. All things considered, you d rather be Tech. So much has happened over the last few weeks as the college football bowl season really kicked into high gear and the NFL football regular season came to a close. For starters, both of the major sports radio stations in town gave their regulars some time off, which led to a few interesting developments. First off on 790 The Zone, The Young Guns, at least three of them, received a major push, getting the Barnhart and Durham slot the week in between Christmas and New Years. There is some talent there on that show as Hunter gives some real opinions and seems to do a job fine handling point duties and keeping the other two in check. Sometimes it is hard to differentiate between Dags and Bax but 790 may have found a keeper in Hunter. I would like to hear him with other personalities such as Hans, Sam Radin or John Michaels. RETIREMENT PLANS Speaking of 790, Hans and Beau Bock having been subbing for Barnhart and Durham Tuesdays, but the duo moved into the Pollack and Bell slot for that post-christmas week, and as much as it pains me to say it because I think he is a fun guy in person, it might be time for Beau to step away from the radio. It seems for segments at a time that he is disinterested in the topics and will shut down, while others he brings up complete non sequiturs that make one scratch his/her head and wonder, where did that come from? Granted, he is an important part of Atlanta sports history, and I enjoy bumping into him occasionally on Sunday mornings when he is on his way out and I m on my way in, but he should be a third or fourth man on a radio show, not having to serve as Karl Malone to Hans John Stockton on a two-person show. He simply isn t what he once was. While Hans and Beau and the Young Guns were filling in on 790, 680 The Fan featured two former 790 hosts as Brandon Adams took Chuck Oliver s spot during the break to team with Matt Chernoff. As an admitted fan of Brandon Adams when he was a 790 weekend personality and then a midday host, I was pumped to hear BA back on the air. Adams reemergence was unsatisfying, though, as he was playing the straight man to Chernoff s running of the point, and Adams was mostly subdued. He still gave insightful viewpoints, but I didn t get very many of the classic Brandon Adams teases that I had come to look forward to during his time with 790. Regardless, let s hope that The Fan has plucked another one of the ex- 790 crew and Adams returns to the airwaves, at least on a part-time basis, perhaps during school s summer break. CAMPUS BLUES The bowls kicked into serious gear as Georgia Tech and Georgia both suffered losses, causing both programs to finish the year with sub-.500 records. While Paul Johnson and Georgia Tech appeared a bit red-faced and some people openly wondered whether Tech will ever compete for national titles without Chan Gailey s players playing for Johnson, Georgia s loss led to greater turmoil. The AJC had two very different viewpoints as Jeff Schultz openly questioned whether Mark Richt should even be allowed to fix the program he has seemingly driven into the ground. Meanwhile, Tony Barnhart believes Richt should still be allowed to stay but demanded he show more emotion as that is what he feels is missing from the Georgia coach and program. While I used to fall in the Barnhart camp, I am now thinking that I might just jump in the Schultz camp as I turned off my television completely frustrated from Georgia s lack of offense. Wait, does this mean that I am now also in the Mark Bradley camp? I can t do that. (Fighting the urge to call for Richt s head, like Bradley does on days ending in -ay ). Nope. Let Richt finish his drill. Finally, I may be the only one, but I wanted to throw my remote control through the television a few Mondays ago when the Falcons played the Saints. What was with the opening montage of the 2006 Monday Night Yep, despite the fact that he was on vacation, Mark Bradley still had his notebook open, ready to rip Mark Richt. Glad to see that some things never change. Let s just hope for his sake that Georgia never gets rid of Richt and Tech never gets rid of Paul Hewitt. Game at the Super Dome and the first game back in New Orleans since Katrina? Was that really necessary to bring that game up? So much has happened since that night. Talk about Ryan s rise. Talk about the Saints winning the Super Bowl. Talk about the two competing for the NFC South Division title. Don t bring up a game that holds no significance to this season. Why bring that up? And PS, the Falcons still won the NFC South Division and home field. ESPN should have pointed out that the Falcons didn t need the game. New Orleans did, but it still didn t matter as the Falcons beat the Panthers to claim home-field advantage. Next time ESPN, talk about THIS YEAR and the factors surrounding the game. Don t just slurp the Drew Brees/Saints Kool-Aid. Give the Falcons a bit of credit. Atlanta is the NFC s top team entering the playoffs. Deal with it. Proctor can be reached at fproctor@scoreatl.com.

5 January 7-13, 2011 Score Atlanta 5 Blaylock brothers compete with each other off the football field, work together on it aron and Zack Blaylock are twin brothers. D The pair plays football for Walton High School and start at the two safety positions. And they happen to be very good at it. In a lot of ways they remind me of Jermaine Phillips (former Roswell, UGA, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive back), said Walton head coach Rocky Hidalgo. They have that ability when they hit someone, they always knock them backwards. Hildalgo has enjoyed benefitting from having the brothers in his secondary for a full year. On the field, they re terrific tacklers, said Hidalgo. They re two of the most physical defensive backs I ve seen in high school football in a long time. They do a great job of limiting big plays and keeping people from getting those easy touchdowns on us. They not only excel on the field, but they are also stars off of it for the Raiders. The Blaylock s are solid in the classroom and as leaders at Walton. They re both very good young men, said Hidalgo. They re good students, they don t go out looking for trouble. They re very high-character kids. They re a great example for all of our players. The two well-rounded young men will suit up in today s Junior Bowl and are looking forward to going against some of the state s best. I m really excited, said Daron about the Junior Bowl. Just to hang out with a bunch of recruits and play with them, it s going to be a lot of fun. BROTHERLY LOVE Being brothers, Daron and Zack are compared to each other quite often. And, being athletes, they compete against each other in almost everything. The coaching staff at Walton uses the twins competitiveness to motivate them in practice and during conditioning. They can be hard on each other, said Hildago. It s kinda funny. We pit them TWIN TACKLERS: Daron and Zack Blaylock form a tough tandom in the Walton secondary and will pair up again Saturday at the Junior Bowl. The brothers are expected to receive scholarship offers from some of the top programs in the southeast before next fall. Photos courtesy of Highlight Reels. against each other all the time (in drills). And give them a hard time about who s the better football player, who s smarter than the other, who s better looking, and things like that. They ve got a good rapport with one another and I think they re very good friends. Despite almost always being together and competing against each other, the pair doesn t seem to mind. Zack thinks it is perfectly normal for brothers to be perpetually battling. We re very competitive, Zack said. We ve been competing our whole lives. We ve been on the same teams and have challenged each other. It s basically natural. Daron not only seems to feed off the competition with his brother, he actually prefers it. Yeah, I like (competing with Zack), he said. He may be smaller but he can hit hard. We re even when it comes to (playing) safety. It s fun to see who s going to win when we compete. RARE TALENTS The brothers, whose natural father is former NBA star Mookie Blaylock, are already drawing attention from major college scouts despite just completing their first years as starters. But, they are not projected to play the same position in college. All the schools we ve talked to say Zack s perfect for safety and I m most likely going to move to linebacker, said Daron, who will play linebacker in today s game. Zack has proved his wares at safety, and led Cobb County this year in interceptions, ahead of Tennessee commitment Brian Randolph of Kell. To the free safety prospect, this was a major achievement. It was pretty neat because I ve always compared myself to Brian Randolph, said Zack. He s a top recruit in 2011 and when I found out I had more interceptions, I felt pretty accomplished. While Zack will likely play safety at the next level, Daron may have to switch positions. College recruiters have told the slightly heftier Daron he will fit better at outside linebacker. But he won t mind the switch. I ll adapt to whatever (position), said Daron. I m a coachable person. Thus far in the process, Kentucky and Louisville have offered the twins as a package deal while many other colleges are showing significant interest. It is only a matter of time before more offers fill the mailbox at their East Cobb home. Aside from the two schools that have offered scholarships, South Carolina, Florida, Georgia Tech, Clemson and Ohio State are among those that have shown significant interest. But despite the massive interest in the twins, they likely won t keep colleges waiting long for their pledge. They re not the type of kids that would enjoy that type of process, said the twins stepfather, John Woods. They really want to OUT FRONT Falcons players celebrate their win over Carolina last Sunday. The win clinched homefield advantage and the NFC South title. Check out Drew Collins cover story about the playoffs on page 9. Photo courtesy Jimmy Cribb/ Atlantafalcons.com. commit somewhere this summer and enjoy their senior year. They re humble kids and I think they would look forward to making a decision. With interest coming from such highprofile schools, it would be normal in the world of recruiting for some programs to pursue just one of the twins. Not in this case. Every recruiter thus far has stated their interest in both Daron and Zack. And the twins won t have it any other way. Yeah, we re pretty sure we re a package deal, Zack said about potential college destinations. Wherever they end up, the Blaylocks will compete hard against each other off the field, and then knock around rival players together on it. Black can be reached at sblack@scoreatl.com.

6 6 Score Atlanta Get In The Game! Score List BY BRIAN JONES REACHING GOALS: With a win against the Carolina Panthers Sunday, the Falcons ended their regular season with a 13-3 record, clinched the NFC South, and earned the conference s No. 1 seed. They have achieved some of their goals and will go for the ultimate goal beginning Jan. 15 when they start their run for a Super Bowl. TOUGH SEASONS CONCLUDE: UGA and Tech ended their football seasons on sour notes, as they lost their respective bowl games to finish with 6-7 records. Tech lost to Air Force in the Independence Bowl because of turnovers by the offense. The Dawgs lost to UCF in the Liberty Bowl and I don t think anybody can come up with a reason why they lost to a team from Conference USA. BRAVE NEW DEAL: It looks like Dan Uggla will be a Brave for a while as he and the Braves agreed to a fiveyear, $62 million extension on Tuesday. Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez has already slated Uggla to bat fifth in the lineup for the upcoming season, which should give the Braves a much-needed boost in the heart of the batting order. GOING NATIONAL: Some of the state s best high school football players will take part in the U.S. Army All- American Bowl at the Alamodome on Saturday. The players from Georgia are Stephon Tuitt, Damian Swann, Avery Walls, Corey Moore, Sterling Bailey and Ray Drew. All six had outstanding high school careers and there s no reason they won t have success in college. CHAMPIONSHIP MONDAY: And speaking of college football, the final game of the 2010 season is on Monday as the BCS National Championship will finally take place in Arizona. Can Oregon pull off the upset, or will Cam Newton lead the Auburn Tigers to their first national title in over 50 years? This should be a great game and I m looking forward to it. TRIVIA QUESTION When was the last time the Georgia Bulldogs lost seven games in a season? Answer on Page 14 crunching the NUMBERS BY Brian jones Receptions by Roddy White this season which leads the NFL Rushing touchdowns by Michael Turner which leads the NFC Passes completed by Matt Ryan which is a franchise record Career touchdown receptions by Tony Gonzalez which puts him 10th all time Prior to 2010, the last time Georgia had a losing season Prior to 2010, the last year Georgia Tech had a losing season Games Georgia has won the last two seasons Games Georgia lost the last two seasons Fumbles the Yellow Jackets committed this season Passes the Jackets attempted all year Thumbs up to THE BIRDS Atlanta Falcons With the win over the Carolina Panthers last week, the Falcons clinched the NFC South and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. When they get back on the field next Saturday, the Georgia Dome will be just as electric as it was when they took on the Saints right after Christmas. Dan Uggla The Braves wanted Dan Uggla to stick with the team for a long time and they were able to accomplish that goal on Tuesday. Uggla and the Braves agreed to a five-year, $62 million deal which will keep him under contract until the 2015 season. Atlanta Spirit After years of turmoil, it looks as if things are looking up for the Atlanta Spirit. Not only were they able to settle their six-year legal battle, the Hawks are keeping pace with the top teams in the Eastern Conference while the Thrashers are having their best-ever start to a season. my two cents The Junior Bowl, being held Saturday at DeKalb s Hallford Stadium, is a great idea and a wonderful opportunity for rising senior football players. The exhibition game will give 100 Georgia players a chance to shine in the brightest of high school spotlights. GPB will be webcasting the game for the entire world to see. And this is great news for the players in the game, as scholarships may be earned when the East and West teams clash on the gridiron. The event is the brainchild of former Georgia Tech star Joe Burns and former Dallas Cowboy Izell Reese. With all of the summer camps and senior games out there, it is about time the Juniors got a chance to shine.... The bowl season is winding down and it only serves to remind local college football fans just how miserable this year was. Tech and Georgia combined for only 12 wins and each had their first losing season since After the Bulldogs made the 2008 Sugar Bowl and Tech made the 2010 Orange Bowl, it was tough to watch other programs battle it out in the BCS games this season. Here s to the two traditional powers making it back to prominence in Managing Editor Stephen Black can be reached at sblack@scoreatl.com. Thumbs down to FIRED ANNOUNCERS Ron Franklin The longtime ESPN announcer was fired last Friday for harassing sideline reporter Jeannie Edwards while working the Chickfil-A Bowl. Franklin was with ESPN for 23 years and has spent the majority of his career calling college football and basketball games. He has also done commentary for the Olympics and college baseball. Georgia Football With the loss to UCF in the Liberty Bowl, the Bulldogs ended their season with a 6-7 record. It s their first losing season under head coach Mark Richt and the program s first since Georgia has won just 14 games the last two seasons. Tech Football As bad of a season Georgia had this year, Tech did not fare any better. The Yellow Jackets lost to Air Force in the Independence Bowl and also ended their season with a 6-7 record. Turnovers killed the Jackets this year and it s something they will have to fix for SANITY at last We re not looking to blow anything up. In my opinion, we are very close. I mean, how many teams have what would be considered a down season one year and the next year they are right there? - Georgia coach Mark Richt when asked if any major changes were going to be made for next season

7 January 7-13, 2011 Score Atlanta 7

8 8 Score Atlanta Get In The Game!

9 January 7-13, 2011 Score Atlanta 9 Falcons prepare for familiar foes in playoffs; look to use homefield to their advantage For the second time in three seasons, head coach Mike Smith has taken the Atlanta Falcons to the playoffs. But, unlike in 2008, the Falcons (13-3) are NFC South Champions and the top overall seed in the conference. The Falcons last won the division in 2004, and have not been the top seed since the 1980 season when they played in the NFC West. With the No. 1 seed comes a bye in the first round of the playoffs. The Falcons will host the winner of this week s Saints-Seahawks game in Seattle, or Green Bay if the Packers win on the road at Philadelphia this Sunday. STEADY AS SHE GOES The Birds started off the season with a tough overtime loss at Pittsburgh, then reeled off four straight wins before losing at Philadelphia. Atlanta and quarterback Matt Ryan went on to win nine of their last 10, averaging 28 ppg in that stretch. We ve worked very hard to attain this position. Not only the players, but the coaching staff, the support staff and the whole entire organization, head coach Mike Smith said after the Carolina win. As I told the guys, we ve started our fifth quarter. We want to make sure that we play very efficient and effective ball throughout the [playoffs]. The Falcons were led by seven pro bowlers including quarterback Matt Ryan, who has had his best year as a pro, wide receiver Roddy White, who has done the same, and running back Michael Turner. Atlanta has beaten all three of their possible first-round opponents this season. The Saints and Seahawks victories were on the road while the Green Bay game was played at the Georgia Dome. New Orleans did beat Atlanta in the Georgia Dome in their second meeting this season in Week 16 in the Monday night game. Familiarity is always good, said Smith according to the AJC. But they are going to know about us as well. But there is a good chance, a really good chance that we re going to play somebody that we ve already played once before. SCOUTING REPORT The Seahawks win in Week 15 was a blowout and there is no reason to suspect that a home game against them would go any different. The Falcons won the first meeting with ball control, stuffing the run and getting pressure on the quarterback. Whether Seattle plays Matt Hasselbeck or Charlie Whitehurst at QB, the Falcons defense should have a field day yet again. Seattle s offensive line is injury riddled and inexperienced, which has contributed to their lack of a running game. Since the beginning of the season they have placed two guards, a tackle and starting center Max Unger on injured reserve. Green Bay is a dangerous team with all their pass rushers and Aaron Rodgers leading the offense, but they too have suffered a bevy of injuries on both sides of the ball and have struggled at times on offense. All-pro linebacker Clay Matthews is healthy after some hamstring issues early in the season, but Atlanta s O-line held Matthews in check in the Week 12 meeting. The Saints are another issue. Being a divisional opponent as well as the defending Super Bowl champions, a victory over the Saints in the Monday night game would have given the Falcons a lot of momentum going into the playoffs. However, the Falcons came up short and lost for just the fourth time at home in Smith s tenure. New Orleans has an incredible passing game with Drew Brees at quarterback and one of the best receiving corps in the nation, but their running game has been inconsistent because of injuries. [Chris] Ivory and Pierre Thomas both have been banged up and Julius Jones hasn t done much when given playing time, said ESPN s Pat Yasinskas about New Orleans running attack. The Saints have brought Reggie Bush back slowly from his broken leg,[ but] it might be time to give Bush a little added work. It looks like it will be up to Bush and Jones to carry the load in the playoffs because Foxsports.com has reported that the Saints put Chris Ivory on injured reserve Jan. 4, then put Thomas on IR the next day. The fact that none of their running backs have been able to stay healthy has kept the team from establishing a rhythm in the running game, and has put a lot of pressure on Brees and the passing game. The results have been an impressive 277 passing yards per game and 33 passing touchdowns, but 22 interceptions as well. POSSIBLE HOMECOMING Also in the playoffs, from the NFC are the No. 3 seed and NFC East Champion Philadelphia Eagles, and the NFC North Champion Chicago Bears, who own the second seed and are also off in the bye week. Should the Falcons play either of those teams it would be at the Dome in the NFC Championship Game. The Eagles beat the Falcons in Week in Philadelphia. Eagles QB Michael Vick did not play in that game because he had suffered a rib injury in a loss against the Washington Redskins two weeks before. The Falcons defense was still coming together in that game and the offense had yet to truly find the balance that it now has. If Vick does not get injured in the first two rounds and plays the Falcons, it may be to Atlanta s advantage as his play had suffered in the second half of the season. He did not throw an interception in his first seven games, but went on to throw six in the last five games he played in. He also lost six fumbles in that stretch. Chicago is another story. They started out incredibly inconsistent then went on to win seven of their last nine. The two losses were a blowout loss to the Patriots, which is really nothing to be ashamed of, and the final game of the season to a Green Bay team that needed the win to make the playoffs and that Chicago did not need at all. The team has gone as quarterback Jay Cutler has gone, as his QB rating for the last two losses were 32.9 and 43.5 respectively, but over 100 in the Bears last four wins. The Falcons won their last meeting with the Bears, a dramatic fourth quarter come-frombehind victory in Week 6 of last season at the Georgia Dome. Photo courtesy of Jimmy Cribb/Atlanta Falcons. Collins can be reached at

10 10 Score Atlanta Get In The Game! AAAAA AAAA AAA AA A 1 Wesleyan Savannah Chr Darlington Athens Academy First Presbyterian Our Lady of Mercy George Walton Acad Athens Christian Providence Christian Gordon Lee Lovett Westminster Blessed Trinity Buford Calhoun North Oconee Pike County Bleckley County Greater Atl Christian Morgan County St. Pius X Allatoona Woodward Academy Columbus Sandy Creek Oconee County North Hall Carrollton Eastside Riverwood Marist Pope Starr s Mill Chattahoochee McIntosh Whitewater Greenbrier Alexander Lakeside, DeKalb Creekview Brookwood Collins Hill Walton Harrison Grayson Parkview Mill Creek Lassiter North Gwinnett Peachtree Ridge ELCA Mt. Paran Christian Brookstone Bryan County North Cobb Christian Landmark Christian Galloway Prince Avenue Christian Savannah Country Day Irwin County Thomasville Rockmart Dawson County Pepperell Union County Vidalia Callaway Fitzgerald Pierce County Jefferson Cartersville Perry West Hall Grady Washington County Thomson White County West Laurens Central, Carroll Dalton Evans Kell Loganville Flowery Branch Union Grove Northgate Chapel Hill Johns Creek Lakeside, Evans Dunwoody Lowndes Roswell Kennesaw Mountain Newnan East Coweta Marietta Hillgrove Camden County Valdosta North Cobb 170.0

11 January 7-13, 2011 Score Atlanta 11 SCORE MORE Hawks win consecutive road games he Hawks started off 2011 in style, Tnotching road wins on back-to-back nights to raise their record to Atlanta responded from an early deficit and several highlight dunks from Blake Griffin to beat the Clippers in L.A. on Sunday. A fourth quarter helped Atlanta pull away for the victory. Joe Johnson led the way with 29 points, while Jamal Crawford checked in with 23 off the bench on 7-for-13 shooting. Atlanta took care of business early and often the following evening against a struggling Sacramento team. The Hawks jumped out to an insurmountable halftime lead, and led by over 20 points in the fourth quarter behind a host of fast-break points. The Kings would make a late run with both teams backups on the floor, but they never seriously threatened Atlanta s advantage. The final was Johnson and Crawford again were key, with Crawford dropping 31 and Johnson 29. Head coach Larry Drew continues to be thrilled with the play of sixth man Crawford. It s a coach s dream, he said, You can go into games knowing that if your starters get off to a slow start or things aren t going well, and you need point production, you got a guy you can throw in the game and you get instant offense. The Hawks have the weekend off after a busy holiday season. They return to the court on Saturday against Indiana. MOVIN MARVIN A nagging back injury forced Marvin Williams out of the lineup for at least four games in early January. With him out, Drew has employed a bigger starting five. Josh Smith moved into Williams position at small forward, and his much improved jump shooting has enabled him to do so seamlessly. Meanwhile, big man Jason Collins moved into the first five at center, with Al Horford playing his more natural power forward position. Drew is considering making the starting lineup change a permanent one. I ve given it some thought, he said. I haven t made a clear-cut decision if that s what I want to do across the board. Bagriansky can be reached at jbagriansky@scoreatl.com. Falcons clinch division and top seed he road to Super Bowl XLV goes Tthrough the Georgia Dome. Less than one week after suffering a temporarily painful home loss to division rival New Orleans, the Atlanta Falcons clinched the NFC South title and the conference s No. 1 seed with a rout of Carolina on Sunday afternoon. Atlanta wrapped up the regular season at 13-3, two games clear of both the Saints and the Chicago Bears. The Falcons finished in appropriate fashion, producing in all three phases of the game just as they had throughout the entire year. Matt Ryan, who did not even play the fourth quarter, passed for 236 yards and tossed touchdowns to Tony Gonzalez and Roddy White. Eric Weems continued his breakout campaign by returning a punt 55 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter. Michael Turner rushed for 67 yards on just 17 carries and put the game away with a three-yard scoring run late in the third. It was a fun day for the Falcons and Atlanta Falcon fans, head coach Mike Smith said in his postgame press conference. I am really excited for our football team. To go through the 17 weeks and be the division champs and to have a home game in the playoffs is going to be very beneficial for us. PRO BOWL BOUND... Seven Falcons were named to the Pro Bowl last week, which is tied for most in franchise history. Making the trip to Honolulu if the schedule permits will be Gonzalez, Ryan, Turner, Weems, White, John Abraham, and Ovie Mughelli. Pro Bowl veterans already include Gonzalez (11th selection), Abraham (fourth), White (third), and Turner (second). This season s Pro Bowl is set for Jan. 30, one week prior to the Super Bowl. The Falcons, of course, are much more interested in the latter of the two bowls. It s always special, Gonzalez said in an interview with the team s website. It s a big honor. At the same time, that s not the bowl we want to play in. That s not our goal. Our goal is to be busy during that weekend. Dimon can be reached at rdimon@scoreatl.com. Early lineup notions by Gonzalez ew Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez Nrecently was asked what his new lineup might look like if the season started tomorrow and the roster stayed as it was right now. One interesting tweak that has thrown some folks for a loop was the slotting of Nate McLouth in the No. 2 hole with Jason Heyward down the lineup at No. 6. Last season, McLouth began the year in the lead-off spot but was removed and eventually sent down to Class AAA Gwinnett after struggling mightily for a long stretch with Atlanta. Despite better numbers in Gwinnett, McLouth couldn t quite match numbers from his Pittsburgh years with Atlanta, finishing with a.190 average for Gonzalez though seems to like McLouth s speed and is perhaps counting on a bounce-back year from McLouth, a former All-Star and Gold Glove winner in 2008 with the Pirates. During his career, McLouth has hovered around.260 (last season brought his career average down to.252), and does have some pop, hitting 20-plus home runs twice in his career. Heyward meanwhile will drop down in the order to No. 6, which shouldn t be seen as a demotion, but rather an opportunity for the young rightfielder to produce more of the early season heroics from early on in After the Chipper Jones injury, Heyward was asked to be the No. 2 hitter and table-setter; from the No. 6 spot he can clear the table. In 27 games appearing in the No. 6 hole or lower, Heyward produced seven multi-rbi games, compared to 10 multi-rbi games while batting No. 2 or 3 over 115 games. Martin Prado is still slated to bat lead-off and shift to leftfield after the acquisition of Dan Uggla, who will play second, and Chipper Jones, who will play third base should his knee return to full strength. Jones will be penciled in to his familiar No. 3 spot and Uggla will bat in the five-hole after Brian McCann. Some eyebrows were raised when Gonzalez announced that his former second baseman with Florida and new second sacker with Atlanta would hit No. 5, but Uggla is more suited for the five-hole, where he spent most of his Marlins career. Proctor can be reached at fproctor@scoreatl.com. Thrashers break holiday losing streak he holidays were not jolly for the TAtlanta Thrashers, who lost four straight games. However, Craig Ramsay s squad got back in gear by going on the road and defeating Montreal 4-3 in overtime. Ondrej Pavelec was stellar in net and made 47 saves to lead Atlanta in the win. He s great every night, defenseman Dustin Byfuglien said on the team website. He s been stopping pucks for us all year long and that s what we need. He gets the first one and we get the second one for him. Our team s all about having fun, working hard and playing together. We ve been doing all right this year. Pavelec raised his save percentage to.936, which ranks second in the league. He also is fourth in the league with a 2.14 goals against average. SUPER BUFF Byfuglien played the role of superman once again, when he scored the game-winning goal in overtime. It was his league leading sixth game-winning goal and his team leading 16th goal of the season. Coming into Wednesday s game against Florida he had tallied a point in four straight games. Evander Kane is coming into his own as a second year forward for Atlanta. The coaching staff has given him more freedom this year by encouraging more shots on goal. Kane has responded by launching 128 shots at the net so far this season. He has been consistent with 13 goals and 13 assists. At the age of 19, Kane is only going to get better as he matures. The two points gained in the win over Montreal were important for the team s confidence and their position in the standings. Atlanta has 48 points, which puts them in third place in the Southeast division behind Washington and first-place Tampa Bay. They moved from seventh to sixth in the overall Eastern Conference standings. The Thrash will look to improve that mark with important conference games against Florida, Toronto and Carolina this week. It will be the third meeting against the Panthers, as the teams split the first two meetings this year. The Thrash came away with an OT loss at home to Carolina and a road win at Toronto. Deighton can be reached at jdeighton@scoreatl.com. SCORE MORE

12 12 Score Atlanta Get In The Game! Dante Curry named tournament MVP in Chattanooga; ladies split in GSU Invitational If the Panthers want to make sure they re a contender in CAA play this season, they might want to consider playing their home games at the McKenzie Center in Chattanooga. Just kidding! Last Wednesday and Thursday nights the Panthers shot lights-out and won the championship of the Dr. Pepper Classic at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, winning over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and then the host UTC Mocs. In the opener, Dante Curry, played 25 minutes in place of a hobbled Jihad Ali, scoring 18 points while shooting 6-for-10 from behind the three-point line as the Panthers blew out TAMCC In the title game, Curry again had the hot hand, shooting 7-for- 12 behind the line for 21 points, leading the Panthers to an win over Chattanooga to win the tournament. Eric Buckner finished with 23 points and 8 rebounds. I am so proud of our team, said head coach Rod Barnes after the title game. I am just so excited for this team. They came out and played hard. They deserve to be raising that trophy tonight. You have to give a lot of credit to Chattanooga. They kept fighting back and continued to play hard all night, but our guys just never gave up. We really got our hands up and altered their shots. They are a very good three-point shooting team, but we did a good job of defending them. Both Curry and Buckner were named to the All-Tournament team while Curry was named the tournament s MVP. Georgia State improved to 6-5 and has now won four of its last six games. The Lady Panthers went 1-1 in this year s 17th annual GSU Invitational Tournament. They beat Mississippi Valley State in the opener before losing in the title game to Hampton I am disappointed in losing, but more disappointed that we can t put two good games together yet this year, said head coach Sharon Baldwin-Tener. We are too inconsistent and have got to be ready to play aggressively on offense. Both Chan Harris and Angelique Burtts were named to the All-Tournament team. 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 January 7-13, 2011 Score Atlanta 13 BASKETBALL Hawks. January 8 vs. Indiana 7 PM. January 11 vs. Milwaukee 7 PM. January 12 at Toronto 7 PM. January 15 vs. Houston 7 PM. January 17 vs. Sacramento 4 PM. January 18 at Miami 7:30 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 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 Falcons. January 15 vs. TBA 8 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. January 7 vs. Toronto 7:30 PM. January 9 at Carolina 1:30 PM. January 14 vs. Philadelphia 7:30 PM. January 15 at Dallas 8 PM. January 17 at Carolina 7:30 PM. January 20 vs. Tampa Bay 7 PM. Gladiators. January 7 vs. Greenville 7:35 PM. January 8 vs. Greenville 7:05 PM. January 11 vs. Florida 7:05 PM. January 14 at Greenville 7:05 PM. January 15 vs. Florida 7:05 PM. January 17 vs. South Carolina 7:30 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 RUNNING Museum of Aviation Foundation Marathon/Half Marathon/5K. Jan 15. Warner Robins, 8:00 AM. Hogpen Hill Climb 5K &17K. Jan. 15. Helen, 9:00 AM. - 5K, 12pm - 17K. Etowah Soccer 5K. Jan. 15. Woodstock, 8:00 AM 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 Winter Flurry Off-Season Legends Race No. 3. Jan. 15 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! Liberty Bowl loss brings change to football program ow things are getting interesting. N In light of a frustrating 10-6 loss to non-bcs program UCF in the Liberty Bowl, Mark Richt s grasp on the head coaching job at UGA appears tenuous going into Richt s Bulldogs finished 2010 at 6-7, their first losing record since Rumors are flying about assistant coaches being fired and even Richt s job may be at stake. Along with the Bulldog Nation, new athletic director Greg McGarity was not pleased. People need to understand that I get it, McGarity said in an interview The AJC. I understand people are frustrated. I understand they re disappointed. No one is more disappointed than our staff and our players. We re moving forward. You ve got to flush it and move on. You ve got to learn from your mistakes, just like in any other situation. At his postseason press conference, Richt mentioned that he will not depart with any assistant coaches, but that the program has hired a nutritionist. Also, after hiring strength and conditioning coaches Joe Tereshinski, Jr., and John Kasay, Sr., Richt said he is looking into hiring former players as assistants in that area of the program. In the loss to the Knights, the Bulldogs seemed to be out-physicalled, as they were held to just 82 rushing yards and gave up three sacks. And the Liberty Bowl was not the first game this year in which the Bulldogs got pushed around. If Georgia is going to rebound quickly from two subpar seasons, they will need to drastically improve in several areas on and off the field. Next season s opener is against perennial top 10 program Boise State at the Georgia Dome, followed by 2010 SEC East champion South Carolina. HOOP HOUNDS While the gridiron squad has continued to struggle, the hoops team continues to win. Mark Fox s team is now 11-2 and has won eight games in a row. This weekend, however, conference play opens with a visit from No. 10 Kentucky. The Wildcats won the SEC last season with a 35-3 overall record and were 14-2 in the SEC. Black can be reached at sblack@scoreatl.com. Men s basketball slumps, while Lady Jackets soar eorgia Tech basketball is currently a Gtale of two teams. On the men s side, this is the worst shape the team has been in during Paul Hewitt s 11 years as coach. The Jackets lost at home to Charlotte in double overtime. The loss was Tech s third in the last six games, and two of those losses came at Alexander Memorial Coliseum. With conference play starting Sat. at Boston College, Georgia Tech has a 7-6 record and will need an outstanding performance in the conference to qualify for the tournament. Iman Shumpert, who has been one of the few bright spots for the Yellow Jackets, told reporters, The little mistakes we make, early, late, it s a headache for us. CHECK OUT SCOREATL.COM! trivia answer 1990, when Ray Goff s second team went 4-7. LADY HOOPSTERS On the other side of the coin, Georgia Tech s women s basketball team is having its best run since The Lady Yellow Jackets have won nine straight games after beating Jacksonville State on Jan 2. The win moves the team to 12-4 on the season entering conference play. They start their ACC schedule at home against the 13-0 North Carolina Lady Tar Heels. North Carolina will be a good measuring stick for freshman Tyaunna Marshall. Marshall tied a career-high with 25 points in the win over Jacksonville State and won freshman of the week honors in the ACC for the week ending Jan. 2. During the week TO ADVERTISE IN SCORE ATLANTA: Marshall scored more points, 66, than she had minutes played, 60. It was Marshall s fourth time winning the award this season, which is the most one player has won the honor since the season when Boston College s Carolyn Swords won the award four times and her teammate Stephanie Murphy won it five times in the same season. Head coach MaChelle Joseph had nothing but kind words to say about her star freshman, Ty is very deserving of being named ACC Rookie of the Week. She has worked very hard on both ends of the floor. I am excited about the impact she will have in ACC play. Watson 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.

15 January 7-13, 2011 Score Atlanta 15

16