Archive for September, 2010

Continue reading 64-62: Valdosta-Brunswick game sets regular-season record for total points »

Kenny McKinley at South Cobb in 2005 (AJC file)

Kenny McKinley’s high school coach had a tough time dealing with the news of the NFL player’s death on Monday night.

McKinley, 23, who was a wide receiver with the Denver Broncos, died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, Colorado detectives told the AP.

“I’m shocked, devastated and in total disbelief because Kenny was one of the most pleasant and happy young men that I’ve ever been around,” former South Cobb assistant coach Derek Cook told the AJC on Monday. “Even when Kenny got in trouble at football practice and had to run, he was still smiling and laughing. I just can’t understand [his death] or believe it.”

At South Cobb, McKinley was one of the greatest players in school history, graduating in 2005. His quarterbacks coach for all four years in high school was Cook, who is now the head coach at Kell High School.

South Cobb’s current coach is Ed Koester, who was hired two years after McKinley’s graduation. However, …

Continue reading South Cobb High School saddened by the death of former football star Kenny McKinley (UPDATED) »

Hillgrove High’s Dominic Early committed to Furman on Monday.

The 6-foot-6, 175-pound small forward was also considering offers from Wofford, Western Carolina,and Gardner-Webb, among others. He got looks from Clemson, East Carolina and Winthrop.

“I think Furman got a steal with [Early],” said his AAU coach, Kenny Loyd of the Georgia Netburners. “Many games during the summer, he led us in scoring. He has NBA range with his 3-pointer, he leads the floor very well and he is starting to incorporate a very good midrange shooting game.”

Last year at Hillgrove, Early averaged 16 points and 7 rebounds. He has a 3.4 GPA and plans to major in Computer Science.

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Continue reading Hillgrove High SF Dominic Early commits to Furman on basketball scholarship »

South Atlanta power forward Nick Jacobs, who draws comparisons to his former teammate Derrick Favors, traveled to UGA over the weekend for his first official visit.

The 6-foot-9, 255-pound Jacobs is one of the nation’s top 100 high school basketball players and has narrowed down to UGA, Florida, Clemson, Alabama and Auburn.

South Atlanta PF Nick Jacobs has a family connection to UGA (Special)

“Nick said he had a real nice time up at Georgia,” South Atlanta coach Michael Reddick said. “Everything seemed to be positive. We only talked for a few minutes and he said he had a good time and enjoyed the visit.

“You can’t read too much into it it [though] because I’ve never heard a prospect say they had a bad official visit.”

Jacobs, who averaged 22 points and 12 rebounds last year at South Atlanta, had Georgia connections: Nick’s cousin is David Jacobs, who played defensive end for the Bulldogs and had his football career cut short in 2001 by a stroke.

The head coaches from four of …

Continue reading South Atlanta PF Nick Jacobs returns from UGA; Next recruiting trips are Florida, Clemson, Auburn and Alabama »

 Here are some of the top individual performances from last week. Let us know if we’ve missed a good one.

• Brookwood RB Nick Tompkins rushed for 199 yards and scored two touchdowns, one on a screen pass, in a 37-0 victory over Archer.
• Brunswick QB Chris Anderson was 30-for-43 passing for 344 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 195 yards and two touchdowns – giving him 539 yards of total offense – in a 64-62 overtime loss to Valdosta.
• Carver of Columbus RB Isaiah Crowell rushed for 185 yards and three touchdowns on 27 carries in a 21-7 victory over LaGrange.
• Chattahoochee WR Kane Whitehurst caught four passes for 198 yards and returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown in a 42-7 victory over Creekview.
• Chestatee FS/QB Scott Chewning intercepted three passes and returned two of them 74 and 98 yards for touchdowns in a 55-7 victory over Dawson County. He also recovered a fumble. On offense, he was 6-of-10 passing for 122 yards.
• Gainesville RB/LB A.J. Johnson rushed for 192 …

Continue reading Top individual performances in high school football last week »

- Former Duluth star and Heisman Trophy winner George Rogers, to the Gwinnett Daily Post, on Duluth’s rivalry against Norcross when Rogers played. Rogers, the 1976 Class A back of the year, had his number retired before Friday’s game against Norcross, which won 35-0.

“We were due like an 11-month pregnant woman.”

- Benedictine coach Mark Stroud, to the Savannah Morning News, after his team defeated rival Savannah 12-8 and broke an eight-game losing streak. It was believed to be Benedictine’s 500th football victory. Savannah has lost 27 consecutive games.

“All I saw was daylight, and I saw my brother, who died in 2001 due to a brain tumor. He was just telling me, ‘Come on, you can do it. Come on, come on!’ And that’s what I did.”

- South Cobb quarterback Johntavious Mullins, to the Marietta Daily Journal, after scrambling for a 17-yard touchdown run in the final minutes that gave his team a 20-19 …

Continue reading They said it: Quotes in high school football »

GHSF Daily’s Chip Saye ranks the most surprising upsets of the weekend:

Continue reading Saye it ain’t so: 10 statewide surprise from last week »

Cross Keys may have been this weekend’s biggest winner.

The Indians defeated North Cobb Christian 54-18, earning the DeKalb County school’s first win on the field since the 2006 season.

Last season, Cross Keys dropped a 28-0 decision to North Springs but was later awarded a win for that particular game due to a forfeit. It snapped a 28-game losing streak for Cross Keys.

The last time the Indians won on the field was a 30-28 win over Prince Avenue during the 2006 season.

On Friday, Cross Keys’ Diego Gaytan ran for 212 yards and two touchdowns and passed for 200 yards on 18 of 29 passes for three more touchdowns against North Cobb Christian.

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Continue reading Cross Keys wins on the football field for first time since 2006 »

We just a third of the way to the state finals, but Isaiah Crowell is the runaway favorite to win Georgia’s player of the year award.

The Carver of Columbus running back rushed for 185 yards and three touchdowns in a 21-3 victory over LaGrange last week. It was televised by ESPN2. Crowell is closing in on 1,000 yards rushing in just four games, and Carver is ranked No. 1 in Class A.

I can’t remember the last time a player in Georgia stood out from the pack so much so early.

Can anybody catch him?

In 2009, Calhoun’s Da’Rick Rogers and Lassiter’s Hutson Mason shared player-of-the-year honors with the AJC and AP, so that race went down to the wire.

In 2008, Washaun Ealey of ECI was expected to win it for the second year in a row, but Greg Reid of Lowndes prevailed in the end. While that pick was validated in post-season all-star games and now with Reid’s great start at Florida State, it was debatable at the time, as two-way star Jonathan Davis of Tucker had led his team …

Continue reading Poll talk: Crowell is No. 1 among player-of-year candidates »

North Paulding WR Christian Conley talks about being selected to the AJC Super 11 and his commitment to the University of Georgia.

What are your thoughts on Conley?

Continue reading Video of AJC Super 11 selection Chris Conley, the North Paulding WR who committed to UGA »

Did you miss the season-ending episode of ABC-TV’s “Extreme Makeover” featured Greenville High football coach Jeremy Williams and his family?

No worries, because the network is scheduled to show it again on Sunday at 8 p.m.

Williams has inspired many with his attitude toward the terminal illness of ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease. The “Extreme Makeover” crew leveled the Williams’ old house, and built a new one which is handicap accessible for both Williams and his son who is in his wheelchair due to spina bifida.

How is Williams doing this year? The coach is having some health problems. He is a wearing a “voice amplifier” because he can no longer speak very loud. It’s a headset with a microphone, along with an amplifier belt tied around his waist. Williams also sits in a wheelchair during games after being able to stand for last season’s games.

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Continue reading ABC-TV to show rerun of ‘Extreme Makeover’ with Greenville football coach Jeremy Williams »

Chat with Michael Carvell

It’s Week Four of HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL. This week, AJC high schools beat writer Michael Carvell blogs live and takes your questions about high school football and related topics. Michael will be checking in from Greenville High, where he is following around Patriots coach Jeremy Williams, who has inspired many with his attitude toward the terminal illness of ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease.

AT THE GAME: Michael Carvell just sent this picture of Greenville High coach Jeremy Williams from the sidelines:

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 your comments clean, respectful, limited to FOOTBALL TALK and POST THEM HERE. Personal insults won’t be tolerated and could get you banned from the board.

WEEK 4 SCOREBOARD: CLICK HERE to see the Week 4 results.

Here are the Week Four games you can find stories and …

Continue reading Weekend Forum: Talk Week Four Georgia HS Football LIVE! »

It’s still too early to tell how the economy is affecting high school football and whether things are better or worse than last year. But it is important to measure, since football programs generate a large portion of revenue for athletic programs at many schools.

It’s early but there have been some good signs — and not-so-good signs — out there so far:

• Buford athletics director Dexter Wood is encouraged by slight increases in corporate sponsorships and booster club memberships, along with taking “huge crowds to games at Gainesville and Carver-Columbus. Not so good? Attendance for Buford’s home opener against Westminster was smaller than normal, which affected concession sales. Also, advertising sales in the football program are down about 10 percent. Said Wood, “Overall, we are pleased that even during tough economic times, that we are doing well. We have not had to cut budgets, programs or equipment needs for our sports.”
• Creekside coach Johnny White said attendance is …

Continue reading How is the economy affecting high school football? Here are some early indicators »

Florida offers younger brother of UGA player, Milton High's Evan Nolte (Photo by Michael Carvell)

Florida coach Billy Donovan offered scholarships to a pair of Atlanta’s top junior basketball players — Milton’s Evan Nolte and Miller Grove’s Brandon Morris.

Donovan has been closely watching the 6-foot-8 Nolte since the summer, deciding whether or not to tender an offer. After seeing Nolte again in person at Milton High’s voluntary workouts this week, Donovan finally issued the scholarship on Wednesday. Nolte has around 15 early offers, including Georgia Tech and UGA. His older brother, Connor Nolte, plays at UGA.

“That’s good news for Evan,” Milton coach David Boyd said. “[Donovan] wanted to see him play a little more, have a chance to evaluate him more. When Florida saw him this week, they were sold. I think you have to appreciate college coaches doing a thorough job of evaluating players before making an offer.”

At Miller Grove, Brandon Morris is one of the state’s hottest …

Continue reading Florida Gators offer scholarships to Milton’s Evan Nolte and Miller Grove’s Brandon Morris »

Continue reading TD Club of Atlanta to honor Allatoona’s Varner, MLK’s Robinson, Apalachee’s Hill »