Archive for November, 2009

Chat with the AJC’s Michael Carvell every Friday night

It’s the first round of HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS. AJC high schools beat writer Michael Carvell will try to blog live and take your questions about high school football and related topics.

We are here to talk football, football and more football. Going to a game? Take the cellphone or PDA and let us know what’s going on at YOUR game. Got a score update, see a killer play? Keep it clean, and POST IT HERE.

Michael Carvell’s Video Spotlight: Greenville High Coach Jeremy Williams

MORE VIDEO with the AJC’s Michael Carvell on Georgia high school football: CLICK HERE!

PLAYOFFS RESULTS: Click here for first round scores and second round matchups

GHSA BRACKETS: AAAAA | AAAA | AAA | AA | A

Here are the first round playoff games you can find stories and photos from later tonight on ajc.com…

Northwest Whitfield vs. Southwest DeKalb
Collins Hill vs. Roswell
Brookwood vs. McEachern
Pelham vs. Greenville

Don’t forget to check …

Continue reading Free-For-All Forum: Georgia high school football first round playoff scores, updates, photos and chat – LIVE! »

Each day this week, we’ll look at the playoff draw for one of the five classifications, resuming today with Class AAAA. Here are five interesting facts about each of the 16 games, with an emphasis on playoff history.

Which school has won 25 region titles but never a state title? Find out below.

Favorite: Gainesville
Best draw: Carver (Columbus)
Worst draw: Cairo
Sleeper: Baldwin
Best first-round matchup: Creekview (9-1) at Carrollton (9-1)

Spalding (5-5) at Peach County (10-0)
- Spalding played Peach County in its last playoff game, the 2003 semifinals at the Georgia Dome. Peach won 28-3.
- Spalding has never played a road (non-neutral) playoff game.
- Peach County has lost in the first round each of the past two seasons after winning state titles in 2005 and 2006.
- Peach County is 25-9 at home in the playoffs and 34-21 overall.
- Peach County has never finished a season unbeaten.

Troup (6-4) at Washington County (9-1)
- Washington County defeated Troup 48-6 on Sept. 18.
- …

Continue reading Georgia High School Football Daily Spotlight: Class AAA Playoff Preview »

Each day this week, we’ll look at the playoff draw for one of the five classifications, resuming today with Class AAAA. Here are five interesting facts about each of the 16 games, with an emphasis on playoff history.

Which game this week matches the two oldest public high schools in the South? Find out below.

Favorite: Griffin
Best draw: Southwest DeKalb
Worst draw: Tucker
Sleeper: Westside
Best first-round matchup: Sprayberry at Marist

Alcovy (7-3) at Thomas County Central (9-1)
- Alcovy, which finished 0-10 in its opening season in 2006, is playing in its first state playoff game.
- All three Newton County teams are in the playoffs this season. The others are Newton and Eastside.
- Thomas County Central has made the state playoffs each season since 1992.
- Thomas County Central has won 32 of its past 35 home games in the playoffs.
- Thomas County Central lost at home in the first round last season to Ware County.

Glynn Academy (5-5) at Richmond Academy (7-3)
- These are the …

Continue reading Georgia High School Football Daily Spotlight: Class AAAA Playoff Preview »

Each day this week, we’ll look at the playoff draw for one of the five classifications, starting today with Class AAAAA. Here are five interesting facts about each of the 16 games, with an emphasis on playoff history. Which school has won 28 straight first-round postseason games? Find out below.

Favorite: Lowndes
Best draw: Stephenson
Worst draw: Camden County
Sleeper: Colquitt County
Best first-round matchup: Valdosta at Newnan

Newton (6-4) at Camden County (8-2)
- Newton has never won a state playoff game.
- Newton has never played a game south of Macon.
- Camden County has made the state playoffs each season since 1991, the longest streak of its kind in the highest classification.
- Camden County has won 17 of its last 19 playoff games at home.
- Newton and Camden County have never played each other.

East Coweta (7-3) at Lowndes (9-1)
- East Coweta has made the state playoffs each season since 1997, which is the second-longest streak in the highest classification behind …

Continue reading Georgia High School Football Daily Spotlight: Class AAAAA Playoff Preview »

Got rankings, got draws, got predictions, got it all.

Let’s go class by class:

AAAAA: The first round is a snooze, but the second round will be the most exciting I’ve ever seen, headlined by Lowndes vs. Camden County. Check it out below. I’m picking Lowndes to win the title, but I’m probably going to be wrong. Just too many good teams, too many realistic possibilities, to hook your wagon to one horse. I can see the Gwinnett County vs. Region 1-AAAAA rivalry heating up. It might be played out in the final (Lowndes vs. North Gwinnett or Northside vs. Grayson). Or we could see a Lowndes-Northside final. Or Grayson-North Gwinnett. Then there are the four teams that I don’t feel great about individually, but love them as a group because at last one figures to break through. Those are Lassiter, McEachern, Newnan and Stephenson. Note that Lassiter or Stephenson will make the semifinals if there are no upsets.

AAAA: No. 1 Griffin and No. 2 Southwest DeKalb have separated …

Continue reading Too close to call: Class AAAAA has many contenders »

Lithonia and Stone Mountain were found guilty of using ineligible football players by the Georgia High School Association on Thursday.

The two DeKalb County schools must forfeit a total of eight wins — knocking both out of playoff contention. Also, Lithonia head coach Earl White and Stone Mountain assistant Clifford Browning were “relieved of their coaching duties” related to the violations, according to DeKalb County spokesman Dale Davis.

“We take great pride in our athletic programs and are very disappointed to learn of these violations,” wrote Davis in a press release. “All appropriate steps are being taken to correct the violations and prevent this from happening again.”

The forfeits turned out to be good news for Miller Grove and Chamblee, which will play each other on Friday for Region 6-AAAA’s fourth and final berth in the state playoffs. Southwest DeKalb, Marist and Tucker — none of whom were affected by the forfeits — have already qualified for the …

Continue reading DeKalb County relieves two of coaching duties after forfeits »

Chat live on Fridays with the AJC's Michael Carvell

Note: The AJC’’s Michael Carvell will be blogging live from “Sims vs. Shaw” at Flowery Branch on Friday night. Please join us here on ajc.com

Two of the nation’s top high school quarterbacks will be on the same field in Georgia on Friday.

It’s Gainesville’s Blake Sims (committed to Alabama) vs. Flowery Branch’s Connor Shaw (South Carolina). Gainesville is ranked No. 1 in Class AAA, while Flowery Branch was last year’s state runner-up.

How rare is this QB showdown between Sims vs. Shaw? “I was talking to an old friend who used to recruit for Ohio State,” Gainesville coach Bruce Miller said. “He said he’d go through entire states without seeing a major-college quarterback … and to see two of them from the same county (Hall County) in the same game is something special.”

Here’s the tale of the tape between the QBs:

> Size: Sims had a growth spurt over the summer and stands at 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds, while Shaw has a nice frame …

Continue reading Michael Carvell’s Video Blog: Who is your pick for Georgia’s top QB? »

By CHIP SAYE
For the AJC

Since the start of the 1995 season, the Brookwood-Parkview rivalry has been the best in metro Atlanta and one of the best in the state. In that time, the Gwinnett County schools have combined for 12 region championships, many of which came directly at the expense of the other. They have combined for five state championships, including the 2002 game in which Parkview beat Brookwood 28-7 in the final.

This year they add a new dimension to the rivalry. Brookwood and Parkview enter tonight’s game tied for fourth place in Region 8-AAAAA, trailing Grayson, South Gwinnett and Dacula, all of which have clinched playoff berths. So for the first time in the history of the series, the winner of the Brookwood-Parkview game will go to the playoffs while the other’s season comes to an end. Parkview hasn’t missed the playoffs since 1993. Brookwood has missed the postseason just once since 1995.

Which team will travel to McEachern for a first-round playoff game …

Continue reading The Georgia High School Football Daily’s Weekend Predictions: Who’s winning and losing in Week Eleven »

Chat live on Fridays with the AJC's Michael Carvell

It’s Week Eleven of HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL. Whenever possible, AJC high schools beat writer Michael Carvell will try to blog live and take your questions about high school football and related topics.

Michael Carvell asks: Who’s Georgia’s best QB?

We are here to talk football, football and more football. Going to a game? Take the cellphone or PDA and let us know what’s going on at YOUR game. Got a score update, see a killer play? Keep it clean, POST IT HERE and SEND US GAME PHOTOS.

WEEK 11 SCOREBOARD: Results from state and metro games

Roswell vs. Lassiter | Photos
Peachtree Ridge vs. North Gwinnett | Photos
Douglass vs. Stephenson | Photos

Don’t forget to check out these high school football gamers and stories…

Gainesville vs. Flowery Branch
Parkview vs. Brookwood
Sandy Creek vs. Banneker (Region 5-AAAA championship)
A look …

Continue reading Free-For-All Forum: Georgia high school football Week Eleven scores, updates, photos and chat – LIVE! »

Here are 10 games the GHSF Daily staff considers not-miss this weekend.

Banneker at Sandy Creek
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, The Battlefield, Tyrone
Records, rankings: Banneker is 7-2 overall, 5-1 in Region 5-AAAA Div. B and unranked; Sandy Creek is 8-1, 5-0 in 5-AAAA Div. A and No. 3.
Last meeting: This is the teams’ first meeting.
Three things to know:
1. Sandy Creek is in the 5-AAAA championship game for the second consecutive year. Last season, the Patriots beat Villa Rica 23-0 for the region title. Banneker has never won a region championship since starting the program in 1988.
2. Sandy Creek has the No. 2-ranked offense in Class AAAA, averaging 37.8 points per game. Rajion Neal, who has rushed for more than 1,100 yards, leads the way.
3. Banneker’s Kowalski Kitchens had receiving touchdowns of 50 and 70 yards in the Trojans’ 51-7 victory against Alexander last week.

Colquitt Co. at Northside (Warner Robins)
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, McConnell-Talbert Stadium, …

Continue reading Georgia High School Football Daily Spotlight: Week Eleven’s 10 Best Matchups »

RivalsHigh 100, the national rankings that elevated Grayson to No. 2 in the country last week, has had a change of heart. The Rams are now No. 11, with the reasoning being that Grayson’s schedule isn’t shaping up to be that strong in the regular season.

Meanwhile, Colquitt County has shot into the top 100 at No. 66 with an 8-1 record. Northside of Warner Robins has been ejected from the national rankings.

Here’s a look at how Georgia teams are doing in the seven national rankings:

ESPN Fab 50
14. Grayson; 43. Lowndes (+1)

Massey Ratings
18. Lowndes (-2)

MaxPreps Freeman Rankings
10. Lowndes

MaxPreps Xcellent 25
11. Grayson

National Prep Poll
9. Grayson

RivalsHigh 100
11. Grayson (-9); 22. Lowndes (+3); 40. North Gwinnett (+5); 55. Newnan (+12); 66. Colquitt County (UN); 69. Northside (-53); 72. Gainesville (-3); 81. Stephenson (-2)

USA Today
14. Grayson; 21. Lowndes (+1)

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Continue reading Georgia High School Football Daily Spotlight: Grayson falls to No. 11 in national ranking »

The best 32 teams don’t always make the playoffs. Here’s a look at the five best teams in each classification that GHSF Daily is projecting will not qualify:

Class AAAAA
Two great scenarios here: First, Warner Robins must defeat Lowndes this week or likely finish fifth in tough Region 1-AAAAA despite a 6-4 record. Warner Robins beat arch-rival Northside of Warner Robins, which was ranked No. 2 at the time, 21-20 last week. Second, remember Brookwood vs. Parkview? The best rivalry in metro Atlanta? It’s still a pretty good rivalry, but instead of playing each other for state titles, as they did in 2002, they now are playing for their playoff lives in their game Friday at Brookwood. Parkview (5-4) hasn’t missed the playoffs since coach Cecil Flowe’s first season in 1993. Brookwood (4-5) missed in 2001, coach Dave Hunter’s last season.

1. Warner Robins (1-AAAAA)
2. Parkview (8-AAAAA)
3. Norcross (7-AAAAA)
4. Centennial (6-AAAAA)
5. Pope (6-AAAAA)

Class AAAA
Hillgrove was 6-0 and …

Continue reading Georgia High School Football Daily Spotlight: The best teams, class-by-class, likely to miss the 2009 state playoffs »

Region 1-AAAAA has re-emerged as the No. 1 region after a year in which that claim was called into dispute. Warner Robins or Valdosta figures to be the best team in the state that does not make the state playoffs.

Here’s the GHSF Daily’s ranking of the best regions in the state by classification. We used the Maxwell Ratings as a guide. It’s based 50 percent on region depth and 50 percent on the top four teams.

The teams we list aren’t necessarily our projections of the seedings for those regions.

Class AAAAA
1 – Northside, Lowndes, Colquitt County, Valdosta
7 – North Gwinnett, Peachtree Ridge, Collins Hill, North Forsyth
6 – Lassiter, Roswell, Walton, Kell
8 – Grayson, South Gwinnett, Dacula, Brookwood
5 – McEachern, Woodstock, Etowah, Marietta
2 – Stephenson, M.L. King, Union Grove, Newton
4 – Newnan, Westlake, East Coweta, Chapel Hill
3 – Camden County, Windsor Forest, Bradwell Institute, Jenkins

Class AAAA
4 – Griffin, North Clayton, Mount Zion, Alcovy
7 – Hiram, Dalton, …

Continue reading Georgia High School Football Daily Spotlight: 1-AAAAA making case again as strongest region in state »

Get ready to ramble edition as region title week is underway …

Only two teams can win AAAA. That’s Griffin and SWD. Just don’t so any other that’s worthy. …

In AAA, it’s almost as clear-cut: Gainesville or Carver, probably Carver. Peach has a shot. Nobody else. Carver jumped Peach and SPX to #2. Time to get real in the AAA rankings. …

Buford will win AA, but if not, it’s going to take a passing team to do it, like Calhoun. Tempted to say that Fitz and Thomasville are better than Calhoun, but Calhoun has the best shot head-to-head vs. Buford. No one-dimensional team will beat Buford. …

Lincoln County won’t win A, but news flash: This is a well-coached team. Only about a half-dozen starters returned, and the team’s best player is out for the season, and Lincoln finds ways to win. But the winner of Class A will have the letter ‘W’ in its name somewhere.

AAAAA is wide open. Lowndes is the best team, but won’t have the best draw. It’s one of those rare seasons when any team in …

Continue reading Ready to ramble: It’s region title week »