Archive for September, 2010

On GPB Sports Central Wednesday Night at 7:30 on Georgia Public Broadcasting …

*Former Georgia head football coach Vince Dooley stops by and talks with Gil Tyree about how high school football has changed over the years and his experiences as a player in high school.

*Niki Noto has a story on Falcons president Rich McKay and his son John, who is the quarterback at Holly Innocents’; it’s a tale of father and son, a quarterback and president and the bond that brings them together.

*Jon Nelson went down to Valdosta to talk with coach Rance Gillespie and his regenerated program, at one time one of the best in the nation, a school that has won 23 state titles and six mythical national championships.

*Mark Harmon popped over to Tucker High Schiool where three of their players on defense have committed to play college football at Georgia, Auburn and Stanford.

We also have the latest AJC/GPB Top 10 Football poll from the Georgia High School Football Daily, a volleyball report, …

Continue reading Lineup for Wednesday’s GPB Sports Central »

Here are some of the top performances we’ve found for last week. Let us know if there were some comparable games that we missed.

Two that stand out most to us are a freshman from Apalachee rushing for 262 yards, or basically anything involving the Apalachee-Flowery Branch game. Meanwhile, Hawkinsville’s Fabian Forrest is the suspected state leader in rushing yards now with 758 in three games.

• Allatoona RB Miles Jordan rushed for 225 yards and five touchdowns in a 55-14 victory over Southeast Whitfield.
• Apalachee freshman RB Stanley Williams rushed for 262 yards and two touchdowns in a 52-35 loss to Flowery Branch. Teammate Alex Camp, a senior, had 225 rushing and three touchdowns on 19 carries.
• Baldwin QB DeAndre Thomas was 10-of-11 passing for 113 yards and scored two touchdowns rushing in a 35-0 victory over Westside.
• Berkmar QB Xaviir Briggs threw for 200 yards and rushed for 142 in a 47-23 victory over Central Gwinnett.
• Calhoun QB Landon Curtis was 15-of-18 passing …

Continue reading Top individual performances last week »

How good is Carver-Columbus High’s Isaiah Crowell? Is he worthy of being considered the nation’s No. 1 tailback in high school? Or is that a bunch of hype?

We asked someone who would know: Buford coach Jess Simpson, who played college football at Auburn and later served as a graduate assistant at the SEC school. Simpson has led Buford to three straight Class AA state championships, and seen many of Georgia’s top running backs over the years as an assistant and head coach.

Two weeks ago, Crowell rushed for 188 yards, including a 90-yard touchdown, in a 14-0 win over Buford.

“We’ve played against some kids that have been really, really good,” said Simpson, reeling off an elite list that included UGA’s Caleb King (Greater Atlanta Christian), Brad Lester (Parkview HS and Auburn) and Monte Williams (Commerce HS), among others.

“I can honestly tell you, and no disrespect to any of those other guys, that the Crowell kid is better than any of them. You can’t look at him and say ‘He’s …

Continue reading Expert analysis of Carver-Columbus All-American Isaiah Crowell, the USA’s No. 1 high school RB??? »

Norcross High combo guard Josiah Moore has pledged to sign a basketball scholarship with Nebraska.

Nebraska-bound Josiah Moore (Special)

The 6-foot-5 Moore was also considering Auburn, Marquette, Georgia State and Georgia Southern. He averaged 9 points last year for Norcross.

“[Nebraska] is will be moving into the Big Ten conference and that was very appealing to me,” Moore said in a statement. “I think it will be a good opportunity to play my freshman year and against some good competition every night.”

Moore was a key player for Norcross, which posted a 27-3 record last year and nearly upset eventual state champion Milton High in the playoffs. Said Norcross coach Jesse McMillan, “Josiah was an integral part of our success last season. He understands the value of the team concept and knows how to contribute in all areas on the floor. He will be counted on to excel in a scoring role as well as improve on his rebounding and defensive leadership this year.”

Moore is ranked as …

Continue reading Basketball: Norcross High’s Josiah Moore commits to Nebraska over Auburn, Georgia State, others »

 Loading …

One of the nation’s top high school basketball players had the chance to sit down for dinner conversations with coaches from Georgia Tech and UGA on back-to-back evenings.

Milton High’s Julian Royal, who is ranked among the country’s top 100 players, has narrowed down to Georgia Tech, UGA and Wake Forest.

First up was Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt, who met with the 6-foot-9 power forward over the weekend. Royal’s family is fond of Hewitt, and they wanted to know about the coach’s future at Tech.

They are aware of Hewitt’s successes, such as guiding Tech to an appearance in the 2004 national championship game and a track record of sending players to the NBA. They also know about how Tech’s team fell short of lofty expectations last year, along with the coach’s flirtation with St. John’s.

“If I am going to send my …

Continue reading Basketball: Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt uses iPad for recruiting presentation with top Georgia prospect; UGA goes ‘old school’ »

The season is not a month old, so there’s no sense in what I’m about to do, but suspending logic and going on gut entirely, who are the teams that can win state titles this year?

AAAAA – Camden, North Gwinnett, Lowndes. Don’t think P’Ridge is good enough. Don’t think McEachern is experienced enough. Don’t think anybody else is good enough. I could see lots of teams reaching the final, though.

AAAA – Northside, Tucker, Clarke, Griffin. Marist and TCC are close, but I can’t see them winning five straight.

AAA – Peach County, Sandy Creek, Cairo.  Carrollton would make a great runner-up team. So might Baldwin.

AA – Carver, Buford. Nobody will beat both of ‘em.

A – Charlton, Wesleyan, Clinch, Wilcox, Lincoln, ELCA. Class A is about the best it’s ever been. I picked Clinch to beat Wilcox, by the way. I’m no good at predictions, so I really need to point that out.

The rankings …

AAAAA — In: Norcross, South Gwinnett. Out: Brookwood, …

Continue reading New rankings: Who can win it all? »

 Loading …

You know how before the NFL games on Monday Night Football, they let the starters do video introductions of themselves? You’ll see the Saints QB and he’ll say “Drew Brees, Purdue.”

Sometimes the players will say the darndest things, such as hometowns or high schools. Or even their colleges in a different way — “THE Ohio State University” or “The U” for Miami.

In last Thursday’s NFL opener between the New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings, former UGA standout Asher Allen made the start at DB. When it was time for the Vikings player intros, Allen told the national TV audience, “Asher Allen, Tucker High School.”

“I didn’t see it on TV because I was at a football game, but a lot of people were talking about it the next day at school,” Tucker coach Franklin Stephens said on Sunday night. “They were really …

Continue reading Ex-UGA football star Asher Allen, now with Minnesota Vikings, gives props to Tucker High School »

2010 Super 11: Thomas O’Reilly, Pope High Pope High’s offensive lineman Thomas O’Reilly talks about his early graduation coming up and excitement about attending Auburn. (Video by Ryon Horne/AJC)

• Please click here for the AJC’s latest news on FOOTBALL and BASKETBALL … and scroll down the page.
• Follow the AJC’s coverage of Georgia top high school teams and prospects, led by Michael Carvell, on FACEBOOK … and Twitter
• Got an item? mcarvell@ajc.com

Continue reading Video of AJC Super 11 Thomas O’Reilly, Pope HS offensive lineman (Auburn recruit) »

Nick O’Leary, who is one of the nation’s top high school football players and the grandson of Jack Nicklaus, has been suspended for two games for making an obscene gesture toward the stands after a game.

O

O’Leary is ranked as the nation’s No. 1 tight end by Rivals and plays at Dwyer High School in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. The 6-foot-4, 225-pounder is considering football scholarship offers from Miami, Florida State, Alabama, Georgia and North Carolina, among others.

O’Leary’s father, Bill, played football at Georgia, while his mother, Nan, was a volleyball player for the Bulldogs.

Dwyer lost to Ohio’s Glenville High 26-22 on Monday in a game televised by ESPN. The replays showed that Dwyer appeared to score the game-winning touchdown twice in the final seconds. O’Leary made a gesture as his team was leaving the field and it was caught on tape.

The Florida High School Athletic Association suspended O’Leary for two games for an “unsportsmanlike act.” Dwyer coach Jack Daniels …

Continue reading Grandson of Jack Nicklaus suspended for two football games after making gesture »

Chat with Michael Carvell

It’s Week Three 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.

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 3 SCOREBOARD: CLICK HERE to see the Week 3 results.

Here are the Week Three games you can find stories and photos from this weekend on ajc.com…

GAC vs. Holy Innocents’ | Photos
Westminster vs. Buford | Photos
McEachern vs. Marietta | Photos
South Gwinnett vs. Shiloh | Photos

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

Woodstock vs. Kell | Kell’s Brian Randolph
Peachtree Ridge vs. Newnan

In the metro …

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

Continue reading 10 best high school games this week »