CONCUSSION CLINIC INFO SEE BACK PAGE december 17, 2010 - JANUARY 6, 2011 metro atlanta s high school sports newspaper Vol 6 NO 16
2p Score PREP Get In The Game! 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 Drew Collins, Jamie Walker, Jay Thomason, Raj Prashad CONTRIBUTORS C.C., Brian Katrek, Alex Ewalt, Tad Arapoglou, Dean Zindler, Zander Lentz, Kevin Dankosky, Mitch Evans, Matt Judy, Tony Schiavone, Richard Diamond, Joe Haines, Chris Dimino, Mike Bell, Matt Stewart, Fred Kalil, Nick Cellini, Phillip Leopold, Dave Marshall, Greg Smith, Steak Shapiro, Mike Cather, Beau Bock, Hal Lamar, Chris Cotter, Roy Hickman, Dave Cohen, John Olah, Jeff Woolverton, Chris Voss, Bob Rathbun, Courtney Capps, Bill Hartman, Chuck Dowdle, Shannon Alderman, Dan Kamal, Dennis Scott, Hal Lanier, Jeff Batten, Micah Hart, Ben Wright, Alan Vasquez, Andrew Vedlitz 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, Hillgrove, Kell, Kennesaw Mountain, Lassiter, Marietta, McEachern, Mt. Paran Christian, N. Cobb, N. Cobb Christian, Osborne, Pebblebrook, Pope, S. Cobb, Sprayberry, Walton, Wheeler, Whitefield, Walker DEKALB: 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: Archer, Berkmar, Brookwood, Buford, C. Gwinnett, Collins Hill, Dacula, Grayson, Greater Atlanta Christian, Meadowcreek, Mill Creek, Mountain View, Norcross, North Gwinnett, Parkview, Peachtree Ridge, South Gwinnett, Wesleyan FAYETTE: Whitewater, Sandy Creek, Starr s Mill NEWTON: Eastside Barron Dixon chattahoochee high school Say this about senior defensive lineman Barron Dixon, he goes out in style. Dixon had one sack and three tackles for loss in Chattahoochee s 24-0 victory over Starr s Mill in the Class 4A championship on Saturday. Dixon is considering scholarships from SEC West teams Arkansas, Mississippi State and Ole Miss. Kaycee Cash etowah High School Senior forward Kaycee Cash has led Etowah to an 8-1 start in Region 5, Class 5A. Cash came up big for the Eagles on offense and defense, with double-digit points and rebounds in two games last week. She scored 22 points in a 61-52 victory over Blessed Trinity. Always at scoreatl.com
DECEMBER 17, 2010 - January 6, 2011 Score PREP 3P Metro football programs win 4 of 5 state championships at the Dome nother chapter closes in Georgia high Aschool football. The 2010 season drew to a close over the weekend at the Georgia Dome when the five classifications declared winners in their respective championship games. A-PLUS Clinch County wrapped up the fifth state title in school history and fourth undefeated season on Saturday with a 24-14 win over Savannah Christian. The Panthers won the Class A title game with defense and by creating turnovers three in the second half after being held to 38 rushing yards by the Raiders. In fact, neither team s offense excelled as each was held to less than 200 yards of offense. This should not come as a surprise, though, as Clinch County and Savannah Christian held opponents to 12 ppg and 8 ppg respectively during the season including the playoffs. Savannah Christian lost in the championship game last season as well, and has not won a state title since 1984 when the school won its seventh GISA title. This was the second meeting between the two schools; the Panthers knocked the Raiders out of the first round of the 1997 playoffs as well. This is head coach Jim Dickerson s second state title with Clinch County, the previous one coming in Dickerson s first season in 2004. DOUBLE TROUBLE For the third consecutive season, the Buford Wolves defeated the Calhoun Yellow Jackets 31-24 in the Class AA state title game. This is the fourth championship in a row for Buford, all under Jess Simpson, and eighth title overall. The Wolves finished the 2007 and 2008 seasons undefeated. Calhoun came in to both the 2009 and 2010 title games undefeated, yet went home with a loss. The Wolves are the second team to win four state titles in a row, joining the 1982-1985 West Rome Chieftains as the only teams to accomplish the feat. Also, with the win, Buford won the first title game in GHSA history to ever go to overtime. Calhoun kicker Adam Griffith tied the game with 10 seconds left on a 45-yard field goal. Buford scored first in the only overtime period, then stopped Calhoun on their possession. Calhoun was down 24-7 with 8:20 left in the third quarter, but managed to fight back and tie the game on Griffith s field goal. The Yellow Jacket s one and only state title came in 1952. The Jackets have lost to Buford all four times the two schools have played, all of which came in the playoffs. TRIPLE THREAT The Sandy Creek Fighting Patriots repeated as state champions Saturday with a 14-7 win over Carrollton in the Class AAA title game. Last year s title was the first in school history, but came when the school was still a member of Class AAAA. The win capped the first undefeated season in school history, and extended the Patriots 29-game win streak which dates back to a season opening, double-overtime loss to East Coweta in 2009. The Carrollton Trojans entered the title game undefeated. The Trojans had a chance to tie the game late in the fourth quarter but, junior running back Telvin Brown fumbled the ball away at the Patriots 1-yard line with 1:59 left in the game. Sandy Creek s Jamal Ware knocked the ball out of Brown s hands as he attempted to stretch the ball across the goal line. The defensive stand should surprise no one as Sandy Creek featured one of the top defenses in Class AAA this year, holding opponents to an impressive eight ppg. Carrollton boasted an impressive defense of their own holding opposing rushers to 67 yards per game, but Sandy Creek senior running back Derrick Alexander rushed for 131 yards on 27 carries. The Trojans last won a state title in the 1998 season, their seventh. Sandy Creek is now 2-1 against Carrollton. The two teams traded regular season wins in the 2006 and 2007 seasons. FOUR SQUARE The Chattahoochee Cougars took home the first state title in school history and secured their first undefeated season in the process Friday night in the Class AAAA title game. The 24-0 defeat of Starr s Mill was helped, in large part, by dual-threat quarterback Tim Byerly, who rushed for 109 yards and a touchdown and threw for 112 yards in a 7-for-12 passing performance. Coming in to the game, undefeated Starr s Mill had scored no fewer than 20 points all season, and the Panthers were averaging 31 ppg. Conversely, Chattahoochee had not shut an opponent out all year, though the Cougars had held opponents to an average of 12 ppg. Terry Crowder s Cougars showed up to play however, holding the Panthers to 195 yards of offense and nine first downs. Starr s Mill running back Zach Laskey was held to 19 yards on 10 carries despite entering the game with 1,464 yards on the season. Starr s Mill has not won a championship in the 13 years it has played football. The Panthers did make it to the semifinal round of the 2000 playoffs, but lost to Harrison. Chattahoochee s previous best season was their trip to the state semifinals in 1999 in which the Cougars lost to Brunswick. FIVE ALIVE Gwinnett County powerhouse Brookwood captured its second state title Saturday at the Georgia Dome, beating Colquitt County 52-38 for the Class AAAAA championship. The 90 points scored by the Broncos and Packers are the most ever scored in a Georgia high school state championship football game. The game featured over 200 yards of rushing by both teams. Colquitt s Tevin King ran up 205 yards on the Broncos, who countered with 144 yards and two touchdowns from Nick Tompkins, and 96 yards and three touchdowns from Jamaal Cole. The two teams combined for almost 1,000 yards of offense, with Colquitt County accounting for 609 of those yards. This is the first title for Brookwood under head coach Mark Crews, whose Broncos lost in the title game in 2002 and 2005. The schools previous title came in the 1996 season. Colquitt County s lone state title came in 1994 as part of the school s only undefeated season. Despite the loss, head coach Rush Propst has done an incredible job at Colquitt County during his three-year tenure. After going 4-6 in his first season, Coach Propst took the Packers to the semifinal game in 2009, and has now guided his team to the state finals for only the third time in school history. Collins can be reached at 404-256-1572. SCORE44 presented by Josh Clemons Whitewater (Fayetteville) RB Cameron Lynch Brookwood (Snellville) lb Eric Yang Brookwood (Snellville) K Timmy Byerly Chattahoochee (Alpharetta) QB Kane Whitehurst Chattahoochee (Alpharetta) WR Anthony McNeil Clinch County (Homerville) RB Ronnie Bell Sandy Creek (Tyrone) QB Troy Braswell lowndes (Valdosta) RB Ray Drew TCC (Thomasville) DE James Vaughters Tucker (Tucker) lb Nick Marshall Wilcox Co (Rochelle) QB/CB Martay Mattox Clarke Central (Athens) QB Isaiah Crowell Carver-Columbus (Columbus) RB Gabe Wright Carver-Columbus (Columbus) DT Stephon Tuitt Monroe Area (Monroe) DT Jared Boyd Stephenson (Stone Mountain) CB Jabari Hunt-Days Hillgrove (Powder Springs) LB Justin Garrett Tucker (Tucker) lb Corey Moore Griffin (Griffin) S Chris Sanders Tucker (Tucker) DB AJ Johnson Gainesville (Gainesville) lb Shannon Brown Cook (Adel) lb Terrence Smith SWD (Decatur) OLB CJ Uzomah N. Gwinnett (Suwanee) QB Kent Rollins S. Gwinnett (Snellville) QB Alan Posey Clarke Central (Athens) OL Xzavier Ward Colquitt Co (Moultrie) OL Xzavier Dickson Griffin (Griffin) DE Jay Rome Valdosta (Valdosta) TE Malcolm Mitchell Valdosta (Valdosta) S Chris Mayes Spalding (Griffin) DT Damian Swann Grady (Atlanta) DB Brian Randolph Kell (Marietta) S Avery Walls Eagle s Landing Christian Academy (McDonough) S Kyle Karempelis Wesleyan (Norcross) RB Kadetrix Marcus Stephenson (Stone Mountain) S Travis Richmond Peach County (Fort Valley) ATH Rory Anderson McEachern TE Taylor Heinicke Collins Hill QB Jeff Glover Collins Hill (Suwanee) WR Akeem Hunt Newton County (Covington) RB Marcus Caffey Grady (Atlanta) RB Matt Kiefer Chattahoochee (Alpharetta) OL Demarco Robinson ML King (Lithonia) WR Andre AJ Sims Brookwood (Snellville) WR IN: Anthony McNeil, Clinch County (Homerville), RB OUT: Chris Milton, Charlton County (Folkston), QB Always at gaprepnews.com
4p Score PREP Get In The Game! The criteria in choosing the top 44 senior football players in Georgia The first year of the Score 44 has been a pleasure to compile every week as we ve honored the best 44 seniors in the state. I tried to take into consideration performance on the field as well as potential at the next level when putting together each week s list. Before the season, the entire list was based on potential with some information gathered from Scout. com and Rivals.com as well as other media that I ve read/watched AND information I collected myself from interviews I ve conducted through Score Atlanta and 790 The Zone and games I ve watched them play in. As the season progressed, we were able to really sort through which players truly deserved the honor. I realize that with a fluid list and being limited to just 44 players, many players, parents and fans would be upset over the omissions. Seemingly every week we heard from fans clamoring for their favorite players to be included, and I also received emails from a few coaches wondering why their player was taken off the list. It seems crazy, but sometimes even 44 isn t enough. I tried to reward folks that played their way onto the team, but I couldn t leave off some players who are just at that next level and deserved permanent inclusion on the list. An example of a player that is just next level would be Carver s Isaiah Crowell. He missed several games this season due to a variety of injuries, but you could just tell by watching this back run that he deserved to be on the list regardless of whether he played that week or not. The list would have lost credibility if he had not been on it. I also chose to reward players that likely won t go to an SEC or ACC school, but still put up eye-popping numbers and were leaders on the field and in the classroom. Taylor Heinicke has only received offers from Old Dominion and Georgia State with Richmond and Valdosta State showing interest, but you could just look at his performance week in and week out and know that he was one of the best QBs in the state. Kent Rollins of South Gwinnett was in the same boat as Heinicke, in that he was constantly putting up large numbers, but was without a big-time offer like CJ Uzomah of North Gwinnett boasted from Auburn. Both players (Rollins and Uzomah) were permanent fixtures on the list because both deserved it through their play. I also never punished members by dropping them just because they fumbled twice or threw three interceptions. I would only take a name off to reward another deserving senior. If there was not a deserving member to be included then someone that struggled would be taken off, but kept in mind to return to the list. Sadly several players suffered injuries during the season and that led to them being replaced. Once the playoffs arrived, I ended the regular season list and locked it into place. I decided to emphasize playoff performance in the last four rounds of the Score 44 and most folks that lost early in the playoffs or failed to make the playoffs at all were bounced from the list. The playoffs really gave some names a chance at the list that came close but never made it in the regular season. Those players really showed their worth and potential in the playoffs and were thusly rewarded. One player that comes to mind is Cameron Lynch of Brookwood. Lynch certainly played well throughout the season, but in the playoffs, Lynch really stepped up and showed he is the heart and soul of the Broncos defense that won the state title. Timmy Byerly of Chattahoochee also showed that size doesn t matter during the Cougars undefeated state championship run and he might have earned himself a BCS-level scholarship. Without question, the best part of compiling this list was telling players that they made it. Hearing the excitement in their voices and seeing it on their faces reminded me that, at the end of the day and after all of the awards, rewards, honors and lists, these players are just kids. Kids get excited over recognition and I was proud that they were taking pride in our list. This list has been a labor of love all season long and I cannot wait to get it started for basketball!!! Proctor can be reached at fproctor@scoreatl.com. Always at scoreatl.com
DECEMBER 17, 2010 - January 6, 2011 Score PREP 5P Always at gaprepnews.com
6p Score PREP Get In The Game! Chattahoochee wins first football title hattahoochee captured the Class AAAA Cstate championship on Friday night at the Georgia Dome, routing Starr s Mill 24-0. The Cougars capped off a perfect 15-0 season for their first football state title in school history. Starr s Mill also went into the final with a 14-0 record, but if there was any question about which undefeated team was superior, Chattahoochee had an answer early and often. Ammon Lakip started the scoring with a 50-yard field goal, tying the distance record in a GHSA state championship game. Quarterback Tim Byerly gave the Cougars a 10-0 lead later in the first quarter with a three-yard touchdown run. A 10-0 halftime advantage would have been enough for Chattahoochee, as the defense posted its first shutout of the season. For good measure, though, Chase Nelson made it 17-0 in the third quarter with a one-yard scoring plunge and Kane Whitehurst iced the game in the fourth with a 12-yard touchdown scamper. Byerly completed seven of 12 passes for 112 yards and added 108 yards on 26 carries. He wrapped up a remarkable 2010 campaign with 2,665 yards through the air, 1,504 rushing yards and 51 total touchdowns. Heavily-recruited defensive tackle Barron Dixon had seven tackles (three for loss) and a sack in the win over Starr s Mill. We knew that they were a lot like us sizewise, Byerly said of the Panthers in an interview with Fox 5. We knew our skill players had the speed to get past them. It s incredible. I can t even explain how I feel right now. This smile [is not] coming off for a while, Cougars head coach Terry Crowder told Fox 5. 15-0 makes this special. It s unblemished, so that makes it special. Great season. Magical season. Chattahoochee is the first north Fulton school since Roswell in 1968 to go undefeated and untied for an entire season. The Cougars completed a remarkable turnaround after going a combined 7-13 in Class AAAAA over the previous two years. MILTON BACK ON TRACK Milton s boys basketball team, which was preseason No. 1 in the nation according to several national polls, has bounced back from a Dec. 4 loss to Miller Grove. The Eagles are in the midst of a three-game winning streak that includes blowouts of Region 6-AAAAA rivals Northview (94-40) and Centennial (96-58), and a destruction of Class AA powerhouse Greater Atlanta Christian (73-35) last Saturday. Dimon can be reached at rdimon@scoreatl.com. Wildcats stake their claim in Class 5A heeler clearly showed that they are the Wbest basketball team in 5A, at least to this point of the season, when they beat Walton 92-86. Senior point guard K.K. Simmons scored a game-high 30 points. Junior center Charles Mitchell had a double-double with 22 points and 11 rebounds. I m really proud of the effort given from both teams, and I m proud of our team for coming out with a victory, Wheeler head coach Doug Lipscomb told the MDJ. Our free-throw shooting really paid off in the end. You see the hard work that (the players) put in pay off in those clutch moments down the stretch. Wheeler (4-0, 2-0) hit 22 of 27 free throws in the fourth quarter. Simmons made all 12 of his shots from the charity stripe in the final period. Walton (3-1, 0-1) was led by junior power forward Sean Morgan with 18 points and 11 rebounds. The victory by Wheeler moved them into the No. 1 5A ranking in the gasports.com coaches poll. Campbell remained unbeaten at 6-0 with wins over Hillgrove, 100-89, and McEachern, 69-62. The win over Hillgrove was the third straight victory in which the Spartans scored over 90 points. It was also their second straight overtime win. Justin Seymour and Roderick Perkins had 30 points apiece to lead Campbell. Five of the six Spartans wins have either been decided in overtime or by less than 10 points. Campbell head coach James Gwyn told the MDJ that they are playing in a very tough region. It s going to be a very challenging region, Gwyn said. Hillgrove really outplayed us, but we were able to hit our free throws at the end. GIRLS HOOPS No. 6 Hillgrove improved to 7-0 with wins over North Cobb and Campbell. Reka Hall led the Lady Hawks with 19 points in the 67-64 win over No. 8 Campbell (rankings are according to Prep Country). Bria Smith and Maurissa Lester chipped in with 11 points each. Despite the three-point margin, the game was never in doubt, as Hillgrove led by double digits for most of the game. The turning point came when Hillgrove took advantage of some turnovers to go on a 12-1 run to start the third quarter. After that, Campbell was unable to recover. Chackecia Miller, who had 20 points, led the Lady Spartans. The Lady Hawks will put their unbeaten record on the line in two weeks at the Allatoona Christmas Tournament against North Clayton. Deighton can be reached at jdeighton@scoreatl.com. Two buzzer-beaters close out tourney unday afternoon s thrilling games left fans Swanting more at the DeKalb Elite Hardwood Classic. With a combined five girls state championships between Southwest DeKalb and Redan over the past six years, the two teams were battling to see who the true champion would be this season. Standout junior Olivia Gibbs drained a short jumper to give the Lady Panthers a two-point victory over Redan, 60-58, as the clock was running down. Southwest DeKalb knew the importance of the game and did not waste time, jumping out to a 7-0 lead before Redan s powerful inside presence of Aneesah Daniels took over for her squad to bring the score to 7-5. Gibbs, along with juniors Nekia Sockwell and Jasmine Coleman, were too much to handle as they would break open a 38-32 lead in the third quarter. Daniels again opened up her inside play with just under two minutes to go in the third. With time running down, the teams would trade baskets and leads before Gibbs drove to the basket with four seconds remaining and the score tied at 58-58. Gibbs would then drain the game-winning shot with 2.6 seconds remaining. GROVE SURVIVES In another epic game that Sunday afternoon, the Miller Grove Wolverines needed a buzzer beater to survive the Columbia Eagles, 66-64. The No. 3 team in the nation, and the defending two-time 4A champions, almost let one get away against the defending 3A Champions. The game was evenly matched with Tony Parker and Columbia s Stephon Allen trading baskets to give the Eagles a 12-10 lead early. Miller Grove would not lead late in the third quarter. Columbia let this one slip away with a turnover off the inbounds play up 64-62 with 31.7 seconds left in the game. Devin Provost drained two important free throws to tie the game at 64. The Eagles squandered another opportunity at closing the game out with 14.4 seconds left on the clock when they missed two open shots and gave the ball back to the Wolverines. Provost missed an open 18- foot jumper, but junior Brandon Morris hit the put-back as time expired. Prashad can be reached at 404-256-1572. Broncos, Wolves take home state gold ans of Brookwood were partying like it Fwas 1996 last Saturday night and Sunday morning after Mark Crews team hung 52 on the Georgia Dome scoreboard to take the Class AAAAA state title and finish 14-1. The Broncos won 12 straight games to wrap up the 2010 campaign and may have saved the best for last as Brookwood put up its secondhighest scoring output of the season in the 52-38 win over Colquitt County. Senior quarterback Ben McLane found eight different receivers, including Nathaniel Minor for a 21-yard score in the second quarter. Junior tailback Nick Tompkins toted the ball 23 times for 144 yards and two scores while Jamaal Cole carried nine times for 96 yards and three touchdowns. Also, Score 44 member Andre Sims returned a kickoff in the third quarter 87 yards for a touchdown. Fellow Score 44 member kicker Eric Yang was a perfect 7-for-7 on extra points and crushed a 41-yard field goal through the uprights. Brookwood only racked up 380 yards of total offense to Colquitt County s 609 yards, but the Broncos did snag two interceptions and recover one fumble, leading to easy scores. FOUR-PEAT Meanwhile, Buford won its fourth straight state title and seventh in the last 10 years with a 31-24 overtime win over Calhoun. The Wolves win over the Yellow Jackets was the third straight championship matchup between two teams, all Buford wins. Buford got on the board early thanks to a Seon Jones touchdown scamper, then added another score when Ryan Dillard scooped up a Calhoun fumble and rumbled 57 yards. A field goal gave Buford a 17-7 halftime lead and then Alex Ross found Kurt Freitag for a 24-yard score in the third quarter, stretching Buford s lead to 24-7. After watching Calhoun rally back to tie the game with a 45-yard field goal with seconds remaining, Buford took the opening possession in overtime. Dominique Swope played through a series of injuries to bull the ball into the endzone for a 31-24 lead. Kreitag came up with a big play on third down, forcing a fourth and long. One incomplete pass later and Buford was celebrating its fourth straight state crown. Proctor can be reached at fproctor@scoreatl.com. Always at scoreatl.com
DECEMBER 17, 2010 - January 6, 2011 Score PREP 7P Always at gaprepnews.com