FOOTBALL ANYTIME ON DEMAND SEE BACK PAGE OCTOBER 15-21, 2008 FULTON S HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS NEWSPAPER VOL 4 NO 6
02F I SCORE FULTON Get In The Game! STARTING LINEUP PUBLISHER/EDITOR I.J. Rosenberg MANAGING EDITOR Tad Arapoglou DIRECTOR OF SALES/MARKETING John Duke ART/CREATIVE DIRECTOR David Gaudio GRAPHIC DESIGNER D.J. Galbiati WEBMASTER Alex Ewalt VIDEO MANAGER/PREP EDITOR Scott Janovitz BUSINESS MANAGER Marvin Botnick SALES Zander Lentz, Brian Pruett OFFICE MANAGER Nakia Washington BEAT WRITERS Josh Bagriansky (Dream), Stephen Black (Silverbacks), Jason Boral (Thrashers), James Butler (UGA), Dave Cohen (Georgia State), Johnny Crosskey (Tech), Alex Ewalt (Preps), Erik Horne (Falcons), Scott Janovitz (Hawks/Recruiting), Fletcher Proctor (Braves) STAFF WRITERS Cranston Collier, Joe Deighton, Ricky Dimon, Rajesh Gupta, Brian Jones, Zander Lentz, Andrew McCarron, Corey Mitchell, Jessica Parker, Derek Wiley CONTRIBUTORS Dean Zindler, Kevin Dankosky, Mitch Evans, Matt Judy, Tony Schiavone, Richard Diamond, Joe Haines, Brian Katrek, Chris Dimino, Mike Bell, Matt Stewart, Fred Kalil, Nick Cellini, Phillip Leopold, Dave Marshall, Greg Smith, Steak Shapiro, Mike Cather, Beau Bock, Chuck Oliver, Hal Lamar, Chris Cotter, Matt Chernoff, Roy Hickman, Dave Cohen, John Olah, Jeff Woolverton, Chris Voss, Bob Rathbun, Courtney Capps, Bill Hartman, Chuck Dowdle, Shannon Alderman, Dan Kamal, Dennis Scott, C.C., Hal Lanier, Jeff Batten, Micah Hart, Ben Wright, Alan Vasquez, Andrew Vedlitz, Brian Jones 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, N. Cobb, N. Cobb Christian, Pebblebrook, Pope, S. Cobb, Sprayberry, Walton, Wheeler 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, Lovett, Mays, Milton, 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 THE HIGH SCHOOL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK SAM BURKHALTER BLESSED TRINITY The senior running back is the workhorse in a prolific Titans offense. Burkhalter put up 227 yards and three touchdowns in a come-from-behind win over Lovett last Friday, and has 817 yards and 12 touchdowns in 94 carries on the year. For his career, he has 2,977 yards and 39 touchdowns. The 5- foot-10, 200-pound back is receiving interest from Miami (Oh.) and Elon, among other schools. KYLIE WOMACK WALTON HIGH Womack took first at the Cobb County Championships back on Sept. 27 with a season-best time of 19:45.76. She also finished 11th in a very competitive field at the Berry High School Invitational on Sept. 6. Womack, a junior, hopes to improve on her 15th-place finish at last year s state cross country meet. She has been a runner since fourth grade and currently is a coach for Walton s 8- and-under girls. FOR FOR REAL-TIME REAL-TIME HIGH HIGH SCHOOL SCHOOL FOOTBALL SCORES GO TO SCOREATL.COM
OCTOBER 15-21, 2008 SCORE FULTON I 03F ive teams fight for four playoff spots out of difficult Region 6-AAAAA s the leaves begin to change color, play- talk begins to build up in the metro Aoff area. Region 6-AAAAA is no exception, with the playoff contenders separating themselves from the rest of the region. Unfortunately this tough region has only four open spots and five teams to fill them, leaving at least one qualified team out in the cold. Two years ago, the region produced one of the two state co-champions (Roswell) and this year the talent is such that several teams could make postseason runs. Roswell, Milton, Walton, Lassiter and Kell sit at the top of the standings, and are all strong contenders for the playoffs. Roswell started the season with questions about the team s future success after longtime head coach Tim McFarlin retired. New head coach Leo Barker has changed a lot about the team except the winning. After losing his first game to Tift County, Barker and the Hornets have won four of their last five, with the only loss coming to Kell. Defensively, the team has excelled, allowing 21 or less points in four of their six games, even against the high-powered Kell offense. In that game against the Longhorns, the Hornets were on their way to victory before the Longhorns found their offensive stride. Depending on how it is viewed, however, the schedule could be the deciding factor in whether the Hornets make the state playoffs. Three of Roswell s final four games are at home, but in consecutive weeks the team must face Milton and Walton, two of the top teams in the region. Thankfully, the Hornets have defensive talent to match any offense in the state. Track the performances of Rashaad Hoyle and Thomas Sexton to determine just how high the Hornets fly. Behind Roswell in the region standings is Milton. Though they have two losses to Walton and Campbell, the Eagles still boast the best individual talent in the metro area. Running back Toney Williams has helped the Eagles get off to a surprising start. The offense scored over 40 points in each of its four victories, while only managing an average of 21.5 in the two losses. Williams makes Milton dangerous because, on any given night, he can run wild. OVER IN COBB Kell might be the quietest of the five teams due to its lack of convincing victories. Wins by small margins of three and four points have kept most experts off the Longhorn bandwagon. That, however, might change after a dominating 37-17 performance over Centennial last Friday. Kell has lost to Walton but has beaten Roswell and Lassiter, leaving a matchup against Milton to close out the season. The Longhorns have been assisted by the steady play of quarterback Austin Petrik, a consistent and composed leader. While their victories haven t earned style points, their battle-tested mentality could be useful in the playoffs. Offensively, most teams will have trouble keeping up with surprising Lassiter, as the team has piled up huge passing numbers on its way to a 5-1 record. Quarterback Hutson Mason is protected by a stout offensive line that includes Stanford-bound Camden Wentz. Their three remaining matchups against Roswell, Walton, and this week s game against Milton will determine if the Trojans taste the playoffs or not. But the cream of the Region 6 crop has been Walton. The Raiders are undefeated on the season and have already defeated Kell and Milton. Their defense has been suffocating, especially against the run. Defensive end David Paulsen has solidified the defensive line, making big plays throughout the year. Offensively, the Raiders are led by running back Michael Boydston, who has rushed for over 1,100 yards and has kept his defense fresh by controlling the clock with a steady ground attack. Most importantly for the Raiders, in close games they have the upper hand after winning several nail-biters through six games (three victories have been decided by a touchdown or less). REGION CHAMP DECIDED? Last Friday, two of the region s top teams clashed in a game that went a long way in deciding the eventual champion. Two 1,000- yard rushers squared off, as Milton s Williams and Walton s Boydston lived up to the hype, each running for over 100 yards on the night. Walton fell behind early and trailed 13-0 going into halftime. The previously stout defense fell apart, allowing Williams to gobble up 93 yards in the first half alone. Milton looked well on its way to riding away with a comfortable and important victory, but Walton s coaching staff changed things up in the locker room and the Raiders showed the grit that could propel them to a long playoff run. Boydston scored twice in the second half from inside the 10-yard line, and Price Garrett caught a touchdown pass to give Walton its third second-half touchdown. On the other side, Williams only managed 50 more yards on the ground, giving the Eagles only seven second-half points and leaving the final score 24-20 in favor of Walton. If the rest of the Region 6 schedule is as entertaining as last Friday s tilt, fans in Fulton and Cobb are in for an exciting race to the finish. The cover photo of Walton s Michael Boydston is courtesy of Lily Lenox of Photographic Arts. The cover photos (left to right) of Roswell s Brian Hickman and Kell s Justin Randolph are courtesy of Photographic Arts. The inside photo is of Walton s Price Garrett (Courtesy of Photographic Arts). Boral can be reached at jboral@scoreatl.com.
04F I SCORE FULTON Get In The Game! Two DTs commit as Lott picks Georgia and McDaniel chooses Purdue fter starting the 2009 recruiting cycle Awith a flurry of high-quality commitments, the Georgia Bulldogs cooled off a bit. After receiving a verbal pledge in late August from Hargrave Military Academy defensive end Toby Jackson, a commitment that brought the Dawgs total to 14 at the time, Georgia went nearly two full months without adding another. Last Thursday, however, the Bulldogs got back to business, earning a pledge from North Cobb defensive tackle Derrick Lott. Thanks to the recruiting efforts of Georgia defensive line coach Rodney Garner, the 6- foot-4, 265-pound Lott decided the Dogs were the team for him despite receiving offers from Louisville, Michigan State, Mississippi, NC State, Oklahoma State, South Carolina, and UCF. Georgia is the home-town team, they are close to home, they have a great program, and I just feel at home every time I visit them, Lott explained in a recent interview with recruiting analyst Chad Simmons. I got an offer from a top-five program and I get to play for a great school, great coaches, and stay close to home. In the recruiting world today, verbal commitments have lost some value. As recruiting has become a year-round process, players have started feeling compelled to commit early and, as a result, often teeter on their decisions and many times experience multiple changes of heart. According to Lott, however, such indecision will have no place in his recruitment. All I can say is I am solid to Georgia and I am just going to commit to them, he said. You can tell everyone that I am 100- percent committed to Georgia and that is where I am going. On the field, despite having under four years of football experience, Lott plays with great speed and quickness. He shows an explosive release off the line and is skilled at finding a way into the backfield. Before making an impact at the next level, however, Lott must add weight to his smallish 265- pound frame and learn to play less upright and with better leverage on the line of scrimmage. In landing Lott, the Bulldogs earned a commitment from a three-star recruit, the 19th-ranked player in the State of Georgia, and the 49th-best defensive tackle in all the land, according to Rivals.com PEACH JOINS GOLD AND BLACK The Boilermakers from Purdue earned their second commitment from a Georgia athlete in the class of 2009, as Calhoun defensive tackle Eric McDaniel used last Thursday to join fellow Peach State recruit Shayon Green, of Tift County, among the Boilermaker ranks. The 6-foot-2, 295-pound athlete chose Purdue over offers from East Carolina, UAB, Louisville, and NC State. According to his recent interview with GoldandBlack.com, McDaniel simply felt comfortable around the Purdue program. I took my visit there and it was like the town wasn t that big a city; it had a homey feel to it, McDaniel said. But it still isn t far from Indianapolis or Chicago if you want to get away. The coaches were great and the players made me feel like I was already part of the team. They re a great academic school and they still win. On the field, Rivals.com s 67thranked defensive tackle shows great speed and quickness for a player of his massive size. In addition, McDaniel is relentless in pursuit, shows impressive strength, and is very physical at the point of attack. As of now, he is considered a solid pledge for the Boilermakers. Janovitz can be reached at sjanovitz@scoreatl.com.
OCTOBER 15-21, 2008 SCORE FULTON I 05F Indians, Warriors battle in region contest This week s 790 The Zone Game of the Week is a battle in Region 5-AAAAA between McEachern (3-3) and North Cobb (2-4). North Cobb leads the overall series 22-16-2 and has won the last two matchups 35-9 and 14-9. Head-to-head matchups this season favor the Indians. McEachern defeated Woodstock 17-3 on Sept. 12, while the Warriors fell to Woodstock 35-14 on Oct. 3. Both teams were defeated by region-leader East Paulding; the Indians lost 17-14 on Sept. 19 and the Warriors lost 31-26 last week. North Cobb s defense, led by defensive lineman and UGA commitment Derrick Lott, will have quite the challenge containing the Indians dual-threat quarterback Daniel King, tight end Terrell Mitchell and running back Quenton Martin The Indians defense will have to control North Cobb s passing game by covering quarterback Michael Emerson s favorite target Rico Mack, who caught six passes for 120 yards in the loss to Woodstock. Defensive back Nico Delaney should make that easier for the Indians. Head coach Shane Queen will try to keep North Cobb s offense balanced by giving the ball to running backs Lamar Bridges and Donatello Brown. Both coaches need a win to stay in the mix for one of those top-four positions in the region in order to make the state playoffs. Wiley can be reached at dwiley@scoreatl.com Knights try to snap skid against Broncos he Brookwood-Central Gwinnett series Thas been one-sided since the Broncos and Black Knights began playing each other in 1982. Central Gwinnett won the first three matchups but hasn t had much luck since, losing 10 in a row to Brookwood. The Broncos lead the overall series 18-5. On paper, it looks like the Broncos (3-3) may be in solid position to win their 11th straight against the Black Knights (1-5). If Central Gwinnett, coached by Ed Stokes, is going to turn not only this matchup but also its season around, the Black Knights are going to have to get Diante Drake going. Drake rushed for 208 yards on 16 carries on Oct. 3 against Parkview and had 1,500 yards with 18 touchdowns last season. Brookwood is 3-1 in Region 8-AAAAA and is looking to rebound after losing to Grayson 10-7 last week. The Broncos will continue to depend on their defense, led by linebackers Michael Brown and Chris Martin. Brown led the Broncos with 48 tackles in the team s first four games, while Martin led the team last season with 106 tackles. On offense, fullback Brice Smith looked good for the Broncos in their first five games, rushing for 486 yards. Central Gwinnett started the season 0-5 but picked up its first win last Friday with a 21-10 victory over Shiloh. If the Black Knights can ride last week s momentum, control the clock with their running game and keep the Broncos out of the end zone, they have a shot at handing Brookwood its second region loss. If not, the Black Knights will be forced to suffer their second straight losing season. Wiley can be reached at dwiley@scoreatl.com.
06F I SCORE FULTON ALPHARETTA RAIDERS After coming off a bye week, the football team was unable to hold off Lassiter, losing to the Trojans in the closing seconds of the game, 25-22. Lassiter built a 15-0 lead in the first uarter, but the Raiders came back to tie the game at 15-15 with back-to-back touchdowns rom James Mincey. The Trojans regained the lead with a 17-yard touchdown to make the score 2-15. On the next drive, Alpharetta quarterback Mikal Abdul-Saboor connected with Michael ennett for a 36-yard touchdown, but in the closing seconds of the game, the Trojans respondd with a long field goal to secure the three-point win. The team will head to Roswell for a ough Region 6-AAAAA matchup this Friday at 7:30 p.m. The softball team finished the eason with an overall record of 11-15-1 and a region record of 4-7. In their closing game gainst Roswell, the Raiders lost 4-1. The volleyball team will begin play in the Area 6- AAAA Tournament on Thursday after coming off a three-match winning streak. The Raiders defeated Dacula (2-1), Riverwood (2-0), and Forsyth Central (3-0). BLESSED TRINITY TITANS After a heartbreaking loss to Greater Atlanta Christian on Oct. 3, the football team rebounded with a big comeback victory over Lovett, 42-38. The loss to GAC removed the zero from the Titans loss column and took them out of the GPB/Score Prep Class 2A rankings. It wasn t easy against Lovett either, as the Titans came back from a deficit of 31-16 before pulling away for good. Sam Burkhalter led the charge, running for 277 yards and three touchdowns. Quarterback Kohl Hegetschweiler also had a big night, running for a score and throwing for another. He completed 10 passes for 246 yards. This Friday, the team hosts Cross Keys, followed by a trip to Buford. The regular season ended on a sour note for the volleyball team, as it lost three out of four matches to close it out. The lone victory was a win over Marietta in straight sets on Thursday. The team now looks to bounce back and turn things around in the Area 7-AA/A Tournament. CENTENNIAL KNIGHTS After a great start to the season, the football team has had a tough time getting back in the win column. The team had the week before off, giving the Knights two weeks to prepare or a tough Kell team. The game was close early, tied at 17-17 after three quarters. In the ourth, however, the Longhorns pulled away, taking advantage of Centennial turnovers to core two touchdowns in the final quarter. Quarterback Scott Laffler scored twice for the nights on runs from 1 and 32 yards out. The team looks to end its five-game losing streak ith a trip to Walton this Friday, followed by a home matchup with Campbell. This Thursday, the volleyball team will take on Northview to open the Area 6-AAAAA Tournament. The team won the final two games of its regular season in straight games over Woodstock and Peachtree Ridge. A 4-3 loss on Oct. 6 ended the season for the softball team. The game came in the opening round of the Region 6-AAAAA Tournament, leaving the Lady Knights out of the state playoffs this season. CHATTAHOOCHEE COUGARS The football team went into last Friday s game against defending state runner-up North Gwinnett with a chance of turning the team s season around, but could not pull out the pset in a hard-fought game. After falling behind 7-0 to North Gwinnett, the Cougars efense responded by forcing a fumble and moving within a few yards of a game-tying ouchdown. Instead, quarterback Brendan Cross had a pass intercepted and returned for a ouchdown, making the score 14-0. The Cougars fought back, but fell 28-13. The lone touchown for the Cougars was scored by Timmy Byerly on a 12-yard quarterback run. The team osts Mill Creek this Friday, and Northview the next week. The volleyball team had a reat week of action leading up to its trip to Florida to take part in the Chiles High School outheast Challenge. The Lady Cougars swept both Woodstock and Sequoyah in out-of-area atchups. After returning from Florida the team will prepare for the Area 6-AAAAA ournament, which begins on Thursday. DOUGLASS ASTROS Get In The Game! The football team lost its first region game to M.L. King on Oct. 3 by a score of 41-26. Running back Michael Patrick shined in the loss, scoring two touchdowns including a 92-yard gallop that brought Douglass to within eight points at 34-26. Quarterback Braylon Williams also accounted for two touchdowns. Last Friday, the Astros (2-4, 1-2) dropped another Region 2-AAAAA game, this time to Union Grove by a score of 22-0. The undefeated Wolverines returned an interception for a touchdown and kicked a 50-yard field goal in the shutout. Douglass returns to action this Friday night against Redan at Lakewood Stadium. The softball team ended its season with an 18-5 loss to Carver (Atlanta). The volleyball squad will compete in the Area Tournament this Thursday and Saturday. The cross country teams will take part in their region meets on Wednesday. The boys team finished sixth at the Tiger Trail Classic in Covington. Joshua White finished eighth overall to lead the squad while Darnell Coleman came in 11th place. Also placing for Douglass was Tajkhari Maxwell, who finished 26th, and Jared Santifer, who finished 44th. GRADY GREY KNIGHTS The football team stymied Riverwood s offense on Oct. 3 and won the Region 5B-AAA matchup, 12-3. Grady held the Raiders (1-5) to under 100 yards of total offense and won despite committing 12 penalties. Damian Swain s 18-yard pass to Rio McWhorter accounted for the game s lone touchdown. Diamonte Kendricks set up the touchdown with an interception deep in Raider territory. This past Friday, Grady (5-1) took out winless Therrell (0-7) by a score of 46-10. Damian Swann completed seven of 11 passes for 103 yards and a touchdown. The team rolled up 320 yards of total offense. Jordan Francaise caught a touchdown pass for the third-place Knights. Grady trails unbeaten St. Pius and Washington in the region standings. The Grey Knights will travel to Carver this Saturday night. The softball team s season came to an end with a 13-0 loss to Riverwood on Sept. 25. The volleyball squad split matches last week, losing to Forest Park and defeating North Atlanta. The cross country teams will compete in the Atlanta Public School Championships on Wednesday. LOVETT LIONS The football team won a huge rivalry game on Oct. 3 against its rival Westminster Wildcats by the score of 24-21. Lovett jumped out to an early 17-0 lead and held on for the dramatic victory. Quarterback Jonathan Carkhuff connected with Max Williams for the game-winning touchdown pass. This past Friday, the team suffered an equally dramatic loss to Blessed Trinity by the score of 42-38. Tailback Zach Boden had three touchdowns in the loss while Carkhuff threw for two touchdowns and 275 yards. With the loss, the team (4-3, 2-2) is now in fifth-place in Region 6-AA going into its bye week. The softball team earned the No. 4- seed in Region 6-AA for the state sections in Dalton. The sectionals will be held on Friday. The squad earned the bid by defeating Decatur in the region tournament before falling to GAC. The No. 3-ranked volleyball team (29-9) heads to the area tournament on Thursday to face Mt. Paran. The team is on a six-match winning streak, defeating Holy Innocents, Chamblee, and Decatur last week. MAYS RAIDERS Last week was a week of rest for the football team. On Oct. 3, the Raiders defeated Tri- Cities 19-6 to move to 6-0 on the season. So far, the defense has dominated for Mays, allowing no more than 20 points in all six games. Offensively, it has been a bit more of a struggle for the Raiders, ranked No. 2 in Class 4A. The Raiders have scored at least 28 points in only three games this year. Desmond Walker has carried the offense on the ground. In the victory over Tri-Cities he ran for 230 yards and three touchdowns. This Saturday, Mays will meet Banneker at Lakewood Stadium before traveling to Villa Rica to take on the Wildcats next Friday. It was a great ending to the regular season for the Lady Raiders softball team. After losing seven of its last eight games, the Raiders closed out the regular season with a big 10-0 shutout win over Tri-Cities. The shutout was the team s second of the year, and first since Aug. 20.
OCTOBER 15-21, 2008 C MILTON EAGLES oming off a bye week, the football team had its eyes set on upending Walton and moving to the top of Region 6-AAAAA. Despite a 20-3 halftime deficit, the Walton Raiders edeemed themselves in the second half by scoring 21 unanswered points to secure the 24-21 in. Eagles running back Tony Williams ran for 144 yards on 29 carries, but was slowed coniderably in the second half by the stellar Walton defense. The football team welcomes assiter this Friday for a 7:30 p.m. contest. As the softball season approaches the playoffs, he Eagles found themselves in a battle for the top spot in Region 6-AAAAA. In a 5-2 win ver Lassiter on Oct. 6, the Eagles demonstrated strong teamwork to secure the victory. aylor Disch, Kelly Texter, Murphy McConnell, and Korinne Raby each had multi-hit perormances. Korinne Raby led the way with three RBIs. On Thursday, the Eagles lost to Kell n a battle for the top spot in the region. The volleyball team is currently ranked third in rea 6-AAAAA. With recent wins over South Forsyth, Central Gwinnett, Marietta, and orth Cobb, the Eagles look to build momentum going into the region tournament. D NORTH SPRINGS SPARTANS espite having a bye the previous week, the football team had no answers for the highpowered Tucker Tigers. The final score on Friday night was 49-7 in favor of Tucker. orth Springs looks to rebound next week on the road against division foe Stone Mountain. he Spartans could use a win after losing to the top three teams (Marist, SW DeKalb, and ucker) in Region 6-AAAA in consecutive weeks. The softball team looked to enter the layoffs with a late season surge. After a 9-3 loss to South Cobb on Oct. 2, the Spartans finshed the regular season in winning form by beating Chamblee 6-3. In the first round of the egion Tournament, however, the Spartans lost 8-0 against top-ranked Marist. The team roceeded to beat SW DeKalb 3-2, but lost to Forsyth Central 8-0. The volleyball team inished the regular season with two losses (Riverwood and North Cobb) and two wins Forsyth Central and Tucker). In the first round of the Tegion Tournament last Saturday, the partans lost to Chamblee, 2-0. NORTHVIEW TITANS After a week off, the football team fell to Norcross last Friday, 45-0. Quarterback Sid Harrelson was effective in the loss, but as the deficit grew, Northview was forced to go to the passing game more, putting Harrelson in tough situations. The disadvantage was evident on a drive in which Harrelson marched the Titans 63 yards down the field, but threw an interception to end the drive without any points. Kane Whitehurst had a big game in the loss, ecording receptions of 43 and 26 yards on the night. This Friday, Northview hosts North winnett before traveling to Chattahoochee next week. After a trip to Florida ended the volleyball team s win streak, the Lady Titans rebounded by sweeping all of their in-state matches. The team then took on two more schools from Florida, defeating Choctawatchee and Sante Fe in straight games. After two big wins, the softball team lost a 1-0 thriller that lasted 11 nnings to Collins Hill. The game ended the team s regular season. RIVERWOOD RAIDERS The football team dropped a tough Region 5B-AAA game to Grady (5-1) on Oct. 3 by a score of 12-3. The Raiders looked sharp from the outset, taking a 3-0 lead on their first series. That would be the end of the scoring for the team, however, as Grady shut down the Riverwood veer offense. The Raiders only gained 91 yards on the night, and only one of the yards came in the passing game. This past Friday, the team fell to Carver (2-3) by a score of 48-0. Demond Dennis had 189 rushing yards on five carries for the Panthers. The Raiders (1-5, 0-3) take on Therrell (0-7) at Lakewood Stadium on Friday at 5:30 p.m. The softball team (18-11) finished the regular season with a three-game losing streak, but rebounded to make the Region 5-AAA Tournament finals before falling 3-0 to St. Pius X last Friday. The Lady Raiders will now advance to the Class 3A state sectionals, which begin on Friday. The volleyball squad (18-16) closed out its regular season with wins over Therrell and Washington and will compete in the Area Tournament this Thursday. T ROSWELL HORNETS SCORE FULTON I 07F he football team got off to a fast start on Friday night against Wheeler. The Hornets scored two touchdowns in the first quarter, propelling the team to a 28-12 victory over the winless Wildcats. The win was Roswell s second in a row and positioned the Hornets into a tie for second place in the Region 6-AAAAA standings. The offense was led by backup running back Duvall Smith, who scored twice after replacing an injured Reid Suhr. Defensively, the Hornets stifled the Wheeler attack throughout the game. This Friday, Roswell will face a stiffer test as the team hosts Alpharetta before traveling to Milton next week. It was a tough way to end the region schedule for the Hornets volleyball team. The team lost to Alpharetta and Chattahoochee in three games to end Area 6-AAAAA play. Roswell was two points away from victory against Alpharetta before falling, and then came out slow in the next match against Chattahoochee. The team would respond by winning the second set before falling in the third, 25-14. TRI-CITIES BULLDOGS First-year head football coach Kenneth Miller has done an amazing job turning around the Bulldog program, keeping it in the running for a state playoff spot. In his first season, Miller already has twice as many wins as last year s team in just six games. Last Friday, the Bulldogs used special teams and defense to win comfortably over Lithia Springs, 22-6. Duran Jones scored on a kickoff return, while Muhammed Saleem scored on runs of 4 and 56 yards. The defense did its part as well, allowing only six points against a team that has put up 44, 34 and 26 points this season. After the win, the Bulldogs sit at 1-2 in Region 5- AAAA, and now sit alone in fourth place in the region standings. This week, the team will travel to Alexander, followed by a matchup at home with Douglas County. The softball team lost 10-0 to Mays in its last regular-season game of the year. T WESTMINSTER WILDCATS he football team dropped a heartbreaker to rival Lovett on Oct. 3 by a score of 24-21. The team made a courageous second-half comeback to close within three points after trailing 17-0 in the third quarter. Running back Stephon Shelton had 115 yards and a touchdown in the loss. The team rebounded on Saturday night to defeat Avondale by a score of 31-6. Westminster (5-1) will now face Decatur (2-4) at home on Friday night. The No. 1-ranked volleyball team (33-1) continued its winning streak during the past two weeks with nine more wins, including the Dig in the Park Tournament Championship in Birmingham, Ala. The Lady Cats will host the Area Tournament on Oct. 16 and 18. The softball team saw its season end with a 6-0 loss to Greater Atlanta Christian in the Region 6-AA Tournament. The Lady Wildcats (14-13) dropped six of their last seven games. The boys cross country team finished second at the Wendy s Invitational in Charlotte, N.C. Mohamed Egal finished eighth overall. The girls cross country squad defeated Walker in a dual meet last Tuesday. T WOODWARD ACADEMY WAR EAGLES he football team spanked Spalding (1-4) 34-7 on Oct. 3 on the strength of two Delino DeShields touchdown runs. Greg Patton also rushed for a score while quarterback Will Madden hooked up with Henry Anderson for a 20-yard touchdown pass. The War Eagles (4-2) extended their winning streak to four games with a 56-6 win over Jackson-Atlanta (1-5) last Friday night. DeShields carried 10 times for 85 yards and two touchdowns. Woodward jumped out to a commanding 21-0 firstquarter lead and cruised to the region win. The team is now 4-0 in Region 4-AAA play and will take on Rutland at home this Friday. The No. 3-ranked volleyball team (23-11) will host the Area Tournament on Oct. 16-18. The War Eagles concluded their season by winning four of six matches. The wins came against Whitewater, McIntosh, Perry, and Eagle s Landing while the losses were against No. 3 Columbus and No. 2 Wesleyan. The softball team (4-16) won its final two games of the regular season, defeating Jackson and Eagle s Landing. The team s season ended, however, with a 4-3 loss to Mary Persons in the Region Tournament. Jason Boral Blessed Trinity, Centennial, Chattahoochee, Mays, Northview, Roswell, Tri-Cities Jessica Parker Alpharetta Stephen Black Grady, Lovett, Riverwood, Douglass, Westminster, Woodward Academy Rajesh Gupta Milton, North Springs