Archive for October, 2010

Brookwood was the big mover this week in the rankings, moving to No. 4 after its victory over Grayson that probably will give the Broncos’ the title in Region 8-AAAAA.

Random thoughts as we move ahead …

Before anyone complains about Lowndes dropping only to No. 7 or ranking theee-loss Collins Hill over Woodstock, does anyone really have a handle on AAAAA? I don’t. 

You rank Camden and North Gwinnett 1-2. Either order is fine. You rank Stephenson, Brookwood and McEachern 3-5. Any order is fine. After that, just pick ‘em from a hat.

On to our top story … Region championship games. These are fun. Who remembers the era from about 1975 to 1989 where almost every region held a region championship game in the 12th week of the season? Nowadays, 10 regions give us region title games in week 10.

This is the schedule I’ve got -

3-AAAA (Griffin vs. Starr’s Mill)
7-AAA (Allatoona vs. Ridgeland)
6-AA (Buford vs. Westminster)
5-A (ELCA vs. Wesleyan)
 8-AAA (Gainesville vs. White …

Continue reading Rankings: Brookwood moves to No. 4 »

How about Parkview’s Nick Otazo?

The 5-6, 150-pounder plays wide receiver, along with returning all kicks and punts.

Said coach Cecil Flowe, “Nick worked his way on to the field.  He just kept showing up in practice and made some plays that earned him a spot to be on the field.”

Size isn’t everything in high school football. Here are some smaller players having success in the sport:

*Khalil Bell, St. Francis: The 5-7, 145-pounder plays all over the place, including halfback, quarterback and defensive back. In practices, he sometimes requests to go up against the team’s biggest players in tackling drills.

*Nick D’Amato, Blessed Trinity: The 5-8, 180-pounder had 90 tackles in eight games, including five tackles for losses.

*Kyle Holmes, Harrison: The 5-6, 143-pounder plays wide receiver, with his coach saying “his commitment and dedication are second to none.”

*Jamari Moore, Kell: The 5-4 and 135-pounder starts at cornerback, returns kicks and punts on special teams, …

Continue reading The Davids vs. Goliaths in high school football »

Etowah linebacker Christian Harris, Starr’s Mill lineman Alex Barr and Grady coach Ronnie Millen are the winners of the Touchdown Club of Atlanta’s weekly awards.

Harris, the back of the week, returned an interception for a touchdown and helped lead a goal-line stand from the 1-yard line in Etowah’s 17-14 victory over Woodstock in a key Region 5-AAAAA game. Harris, who has more than 100 tackles this season, is committed to Tennessee.

Barr, the lineman of the week, helped Starr’s Mill to 35-24 victory over Northgate. Starr’s Mill is 8-0, and Barr, the team’s top lineman, has committed to Vanderbilt.

Millen, the coach of the week, led Grady to a 7-6 victory over St. Pius in a Region 5-AAA game. Grady (7-1) is now the region front-runner.

The honorees will be recognized at noon Monday at the Touchdown Club’s weekly meeting at Fox Sports Grill in Atlantic Station. The guest speaker will be West Georgia head coach Darryl Dickey. The program, sponsored by the Army, can be …

Continue reading TD Club to honor Etowah’s Harris, Starr’s Mill’s Barr, Grady’s Millen »

Here are the latest projected state-playoff draws entering the Oct. 28-30 week of games. 

Class AAAAA

Projected first-round matchups:

R4 #4 South Cobb at R2 #1 Stephenson
R1 #3 Colquitt County at R3 #2 Jenkins
R7 #4 Peachtree Ridge at R5 #1 Etowah
R6 #3 Centennial at R8 #2 South Gwinnett
R2 #4 M.L. King at R4 #1 McEachern
R3 #3 Windsor Forest at R1 #2 Valdosta
R5 #4 Lassiter at R7 #1 North Gwinnett
R8 #3 Grayson at R6 #2 West Forsyth

R8 #4 Dacula at R6 #1 North Forsyth
R5 #3 Walton at R7 #2 Norcross
R3 #4 Groves at R1 #1 Lowndes
R2 #3 Newnan at R4 #2 Hillgrove
R6 #4 Roswell at R8 #1 Brookwood
R7 #3 Collins Hill at R5 #2 Woodstock
R1 #4 Coffee at R3 #1 Camden County
R4 #3 North Cobb at R2 #2 East Coweta

Class AAAA

Projected first-round matchups:

R4 #4 Tri-Cities at R2 #1 Statesboro

R1 #3 Lee County at R3 #2 Starr’s Mill

R7 #4 South Forsyth at R5 #1 Kell

R6 #3 Southwest DeKalb at R8 #2 Clarke Central

R2 #4 Effingham County at R4 #1 Lovejoy

R3 #3 Dutchtown at R1 #2 Thomas …

Continue reading State playoff draws: Grady, Brookwood now projected as No. 1 seeds »

How about McEachern’s DeNard Ford?

The 5-foot-5, 145-pounder plays cornerback and also serves as the team’s long snapper. “DeNard has great instinct, vertical jump and body control,” coach Kyle Hockman said. “He is a very smart player who never gets himself out of position. His toughness is probably the main factor for his success.” Ford has 5 interceptions.

Size isn’t everything in high school football. Here are some smaller players having success in the sport:

*Keyshawn Sibley, Redan: The 5-4 sophomore has six interceptions at defensive back and also returns punts.

*Jabril Young, Duluth: The 5-4, 140-pounder plays defensive back and tailback. He benches 270 lbs., runs the 40-yard dash in 4.4 seconds and has a 3.5 GPA.

*Ian Armstrong, Lakeside-DeKalb: The 5-6, 165-pound noseguard has a “motor that never stops,” according to his coach.

*Deion Sellers, Cedar Grove: The 5-6, 145-pounder plays tailback and also makes special appearances as “Wildcat Quarterback” to change …

Continue reading McEachern’s DeNard Ford has success against bigger players »

Using the Maxwell Ratings, here are this week’s expected margins of victory. The projected winning team is on the left. The projected victory margin is on the right.

Allatoona vs. Gilmer 24

Apalachee vs. Winder-Barrow 29

Aquinas at Washington-Wilkes 10

Armuchee vs. Coosa 16

Athens Academy at Riverside Military Academy 14

Baldwin vs. Rutland 41

Banks County vs. East Hall 16

Beach vs. Benedictine 13

Bleckley County vs. Dodge County 4

Blessed Trinity at South Atlanta 31

Bradwell Institute at Groves 0

Bremen vs. Bowdon 8

Brookstone vs. Marion County 3

Brunswick at Richmond Hill 31

Burke County vs. Butler 27

Cairo at Crisp County 36

Calhoun vs. Lakeview-Ft. Oglethorpe 47

Callaway at Temple 35

Calvary Day vs. Savannah Country Day 7

Camden County vs. Johnson-Savannah 47

Cartersville at Pickens 35

Carver-ATL at Lakeside-ATL 5

Cedar Grove vs. McNair 32

Cedar Shoals vs. Madison County 14

Cedartown vs. Murray County 12

Centennial …

Continue reading Computer says: Westminster by 5, Grayson by 2, Stephenson by 12, Cook by 9 … »

Elbert County at North Oconee

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Titans Field, Bogart

Records, rankings: Elbert County 7-1 overall, 5-0 in Region 8-AA South and unranked; North Oconee is 8-0, 5-0 and No. 7.

Last meeting: This is the teams’ first meeting.

Three things to know: 1. The winner of this game will be the Region 8-AA South champion and face the North champion next week for the region title. 2. North Oconee RB/DB Lane Thompson scored all four of his team’s touchdowns, one on a kickoff return, in a 28-0 victory over Oglethorpe County last week, while Elbert County’s Valdon Cooper rushed for 120 yards and ran a kickoff for a touchdown in a 20-0 victory over East Jackson. 3. Sid Fritts, in his first season as Elbert County’s coach, is trying to win region titles at three different schools in 10 years. He won four at Vidalia (2001-04) and two at Rome (2005-06).

Grayson at Brookwood
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Brookwood Community Stadium, Snellville

Records, rankings: …

Continue reading 10 best high school football games this week »

Chat with Michael Carvell

It’s Week Ten 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 10 SCOREBOARD: CLICK HERE to see the Week 10 results.

Here’s the AJC’s photos from Friday’s games:

Grayson vs. Brookwood

Lovejoy vs. Creekside

Walton vs. Marietta

Here’s recaps of Friday’s key games:

Lovejoy takes 4-AAAA title

Brookwood beats Grayson

Westminster rolls over Lovett

St. Pius defeats Washington

South Cobb survives

Friday’s other games

Watch high school football on demand! See Georgia High School sports both live and On …

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

Can anyone threaten Buford’s softball dynasty  in Class AA?

Buford is the three-time defending state champion and looks strong again this year. Pitcher Karly Fullem (Georgia Tech commitment) is 13-1 with a 0.77 ERA, and has a 6-0 record in Columbus over the past three seasons. Infielder Chelsie Thomas (Georgia Tech) has a .441 average, while stealing 24 bases in 25 attempts. Buford infielder Melissa Dickie (North Georgia) is batting .461, while catcher Lexi Overstreet has 37 RBIs. Outfielder Cara Cole set the school record with 17 sacrifice bunts. Said coach Tony Wolfe, “[Going to] Columbus never gets old. We always have new players experiencing it for the first time and old players who have such good memories.” Meanwhile, Greater Atlanta Christian has been peaking, led by infielders Sierra Lawrence (.456 avg., 21 stolen bases, 10 doubles and 6 triples) and Sarah Armstrong (.402 avg., 9 triples).

Favorite: Buford

Darkhorse: GAC

Best team not there: Lakeview-Ft. …

Continue reading Can anyone end Buford’s dynasty? If so, who? »

University athletics departments are beginning to get more protective of their logos. In this story published last week, the Washington Post chronicled schools such as Georgia Southern and Florida State that have gone after high schools using their logos without permission.

Today, we look at Georgia high schools that are using helmets or logos of college teams. This is not an attempt to hunt down trademark violators, as some Georgia schools have agreements with college teams, and many college teams don’t care if high schools borrow from them.

We just thought it would be interesting to see which college logos are the most commonly used in Georgia.

Special thanks to The Helmet Project and the Georgia High School Helmet Project.

lClemson’s paw: No fewer than 19 Georgia schools use a cat’s paw as the logo on their helmets. Clemson, the Tigers, first used a paw print on its helmet in 1970, according to the Helmet Project, and the shape has changed over the …

Continue reading Fear the paw: Most common college logos on Georgia high school football helmets »

One of Georgia’s top uncommitted basketball prospects said on Tuesday that he will sign with Alabama over Georgia, among others.

South Atlanta High’s Nick Jacobs announced his college decision, with Alabama edging out Clemson. Georgia and Florida were the other finalists. It was tough news again for Georgia, which lost Milton High power forward Julian Royal in a head-to-head battle with Georgia Tech last week. Both Jacobs and Royal are ranked among the nation’s top 100 college basketball prospects.

“I liked all the schools, but picked Alabama because it was the best fit for me,” Jacobs said. “I had built a close relationship with Alabama’s coaches and players. I like Alabama because it’s a winning program and I know we have the talent to win an SEC championship.”

The 6-foot-8, 255-pounder admitted that he was leaning to Clemson before taking his four official visits. After the whirlwind tour of recruiting trips, his mind changed several times before settling on …

Continue reading It’s Alabama over Georgia, Clemson and Florida for one of nation’s top prospects »

Macon County’s 70-64 victory over Pacelli last week set a state record for most total points in regulation in a high school football game.

Pacelli sophomore running back Brandon Thomas rushed for 283 yards and scored six touchdowns and had a seventh touchdown on a kickoff return called back on a penalty. He had 67 yards receiving and 183 on special teams for 533 all-purpose yards.

For Macon County, Vanshun James rushed for 263 yards and five touchdowns on 24 carries, and Glabian Rumph and Karltez Hooks each had more than 125 yards rushing and two touchdowns.

The game was 42-42 at halftime, and no team led by more than a touchdown in the game.

Macon County coach Henry Lester said he was proud for the victory but a little embarrassed as a longtime defensive coordinator to give up 64 points.

“It was absolutely ridiculous,” Lester said. “We chased that boy [Thomas] all night long. We couldn’t catch him. It makes you want to drink Pepto-Bismol and chase it with Maalox.”

Continue reading State record: Macon County’s 70-64 win is most points in one regulation game »

Over the next several issues, GHSF Daily will be looking at which Georgia high schools have the most players to college football today.

Today, we have the top 10 in each classification, courtesy of Steve Slay, a Georgia high school football fan and researcher with the Georgia High School Football Historians Association.

First, a couple of points about our data:

*Slay gathered his data from college rosters online. Those rosters may contain biographical mistakes or omissions. Some schools don’t include redshirt freshmen. Some include walk-on players. Others don’t. In other words, this research is impossible to compile with complete accuracy in a practical amount of time.

*There are 16 small-college rosters that haven’t been found. Most are insignificant, but one – Concordia College in Selma, Ala. – contains four Stephenson players from the 2010 signing class, so we do know that the school that leads the state with 42 college players is actually under-represented below.

Continue reading Stephenson leads Georgia high schools in college players with 42 »

Here are some of the top individual performances in Georgia high school football from last week. Let us know if we missed any.

*Calhoun RB Dustin Christian rushed for 201 yards and three touchdowns in a 43-8 victory over Dade County.

*Collins Hill QB Taylor Heinicke was 23-of-35 passing for 302 yards in a 24-0 victory over Mountain View.

*Dawson County LB Ethan Brown had 20 tackles, a fumble recovery, an interception and a touchdown reception in a 24-6 victory over East Hall.

*Forsyth Central QB Spenser Transue was 9-for-15 passing for 166 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 80 yards and a touchdown in a 21-20 upset of Creekview, Forsyth Central’s first victory of the season.

*Gilmer FB Jacob Teague rushed for 287 yards and six touchdowns on 33 carries in a 41-27 victory over Murray County. He also completed three of four passes for 40 yards.

*Glynn Academy RB/LB James Dean rushed for 176 yards on 26 carries and made 13 solo tackles in a 22-14 loss to Brunswick. …

Continue reading Top performances last week: North Paulding QB throws for 523 yards »

South Atlanta High’s Nick Jacobs, one of the state’s top college basketball prospects, just laughed when he was told about all the rumors circulating about him on Monday night.

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

Jacobs will announce his college decision after lunch on Tuesday at South Atlanta. Depending on which message board you read in the last few days, Jacobs was a “lock” for Clemson, or destined to sign with Georgia, Alabama, or Florida.

“There’s a lot on my mind,” Jacobs  said, without offering any hints. “It’s a tough decision. That’s all I’ve got to say … it’s a tough decision because they are all great schools.”

Landing Jacobs would be huge for UGA, which lost out to Georgia Tech on Milton High power foward Julian Royal last week. There’s a also a Georgia connection with Jacobs, as his cousin David Jacobs played football for the Bulldogs.

The 6-foot-8, 255-pounder averaged 22 points and 12 rebounds at South Atlanta as a junior.

Now …

Continue reading Will it be Georgia, Florida, Alabama or Clemson for Nick Jacobs?? »