Archive for October, 2011

The Florida-Georgia game on Saturday contains some Georgia high school football trivia. Will Muschamp, a former player at Darlington in Rome, is Florida’s head coach and the brother of Lovett head coach Mike Muschamp.

Will was injured in his senior season at Darlington in 1989 and not recruited heavily but walked on at Georgia and became a starter at safety. He became a graduate assistant at Auburn in 1995 and worked his way up from there.

Former Georgia high school players who have risen to prominence in college football or the NFL are not that common, but there are a few. In fact, three have coached Super Bowl teams.

Besides Muschamp, here are 10 Georgia natives you’ve probably heard about on the sidelines:

*Frank Broyles, Decatur: Broyles, a star halfback at Decatur High (1939-41), is the most successful Georgia coach at the college level, a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. He was the offensive coordinator for his alma mater, Georgia Tech, on the 1952 national …

Continue reading Prominent coaches with Georgia roots »

Forfeit

Dalton became the 37th team since 2000 to forfeit games because of ineligible players. Here are the 35 and the numbers of games they were forced to forfeit:

2011 – Athens Christian (4), Dalton (4), Henry County (1)

2010 – First Presbyterian (1), Mill Creek (1), Mount Zion-Jonesboro (5), Pelham (2), Seminole County (1), Towers (1)

2009 – Centennial (1), Etowah (6), Macon County (2), North Springs (1), Stone Mountain (5)

2008 – Montgomery County (1), Osborne (1)

2007 – Chapel Hill (2), Greenbrier (2), Seminole County (2)

2006 – Westside-Macon (1)

2005 – Griffin (2), Pacelli (1)

2004 – Douglas County (1), Dublin (2)

2003 – Avondale (3), Berkmar (1), Murray County (1), Telfair County (2)

2002 – Crim (1), Dunwoody (6), Riverdale (8), Southeast Macon (6), Wheeler (4)

2001 – Brookstone (1), Newnan (6), West Laurens (5)

2000 – Milton (1)

Source: GHSFHA.com

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Continue reading Teams that have forfeited games since 2000 »

Chattahoochee, the defending Class AAAA state champions, defeated South Forsyth 34-0 on Thursday night.

Chattahoochee sophomore C.J. Leggett scored the game’s first touchdown on a 17-yard run. On the final play of the first quarter, Jantzen Jeffrey threw a 78-yard touchdown pass to Marcus Sayles, who was wide open in the middle of the field.

A few minutes later, Chattahoochee’s Stephen Fullerton caused a fumble that was scooped up by teammate Conner Winn and returned for a 65-yard touchdown. In the final minute of the first half, Chattahoochee”s Chase Nelson broke free for a 97-yard touchdown run and 27-0 advantage.

In the third quarter, Winn had another big defensive play, intercepting a pass and returning it 44 yards for his second touchdown.

Continue reading Chattahoochee 34, South Forsyth 0 »

By S. Thomas Coleman
For the AJC

It’s Week 11. Here’s a look at some of Friday’s battles with big-time playoff implications in the second-to-last game of the regular season, a logjam in Region 3 West, and an update in the Warren County-Hancock Central brawl case, now in the hands of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Hancock County superintendent speaks out. On Monday, Hancock County Schools Superintendent Gwendolyn Jefferson Reeves returned a phone message from last week. As it turns out, Hancock County Schools were on fall break last week and no one was in the central office.

She said she plans to hold a press conference as soon as the GBI has completed its investigation into the fight that broke out on Oct. 14, after Hancock Central’s 21-2 home loss to Warren County in which Warren County head coach David Daniels was seriously injured. He suffered severe wounds and broken bones in his face that required surgery.

Warren County Superintendent Carole Jean Carey immediately …

Continue reading Class A blog: Games with playoff implications, a logjam in Region 3 West, a Warren County-Hancock Central update »

Several region titles can be decided Friday in Class AAAAA. Here’s a region-by-region look –

• Coffee (5-4, 2-1) can win Region 1 with a victory Friday over Colquitt County (7-1, 2-0). If Colquitt wins, the region title will be decided when Colquitt plays at Valdosta (7-2, 2-1) on Nov. 4. Colquitt is heavily favored, having routed Lowndes, which routed Coffee last week. Perhaps more interesting is the Lowndes-Tift County game Friday. Lowndes, ranked No. 3 in preseason, didn’t expect to be playing a must-win game in October. The loser is out of the state playoffs.
• Stephenson and M.L. King, both 8-0 overall and 5-0 in Region 2, will play for the region title on Nov. 4 – if Stephenson takes care of Newnan (5-3, 4-1) on Friday. In many ways, Stephenson-MLK could be the most hyped game of the regular season.
• Camden County has clinched its 11th straight title in Region 3-AAAAA.
• In Region 4, Hillgrove (8-0) can clinch its first-ever region title with a victory over Kennesaw …

Continue reading AAAAA blog: Five region titles can be decided Friday »

Region titles will be at stake across the state this weekend, but only two regions will have games in which the winner will be the champion and the loser is guaranteed second place – Marietta vs. Walton (5-AAAAA) and Fitzgerald vs. Brooks County (1-AA). Marietta’s recovery from an 0-4 start has been remarkable, but its four-game winning streak will come to an end in Raider Valley. Go with Brooks County to win what should be one of the best games of the weekend, and look for Grayson to clinch Region 8-AAAAA.

Congratulations go out to John McClellan of Rome, who was the Week 6 winner in the High School Football Pickoff contest. McClellan correctly picked the winner of 14 of the 15 games last week. Click here to sign up and participate in this week’s contest.

THE WEEKEND PREDICTIONS

Last week: 159-26 (.859); Overall: 1,264-310 (.803)

THURSDAY

Winner##Loser

Aquinas##Washington-Wilkes

Baldwin##Rutland

Brunswick##Richmond Hill

Carver-Columbus##Jordan

Chattahoochee##South …

Continue reading Predictions: Walton will end Marietta’s remarkable run »

No. 1 Sandy Creek (8-0) at Fayette County (1-7): Ordinarily this would look like no contest, and Sandy Creek may well turn it into a runaway. But the Patriots are not only facing the intracounty rival Tigers. They’re squaring off with a couple of bits of history. Their 37-game winning streak is tied for the fifth-longest in state history and they can move into a tie for fourth with a win. They also have an 11-game winning streak against teams in the county. Their last loss to a county rival came in 2007. Sandy Creek has won four straight in the series against the Tigers, including shutouts in 2008 and 2010. Last year, Sandy Creek won 10-0.

No. 2 St. Pius (8-0, 5-0) at Washington (5-3, 4-1): St. Pius flexed its muscles in a blowout win over Grady last week behind four touchdowns from T.J. Holloman and looks to extend its winning streak. The Golden Lions are one of four unbeaten teams in AAA. Last year: St. Pius won 40-6.

Dalton (2-6, 2-2) at Southeast Whitfield (2-6, 0-4): …

Continue reading AAA blog: Games to watch »

Here’s a look at the games this weekend with the most at stake in each Class AAAA region:

*1-AAAA: Northside-Warner Robins has all but locked up the region title, and the winner of Saturday’s Thomas County Central-Warner Robins game probably finishes in second place. Warner Robins would clinch the spot with a victory, but Thomas County Central would still need to beat fourth-place Bainbridge next week. Northside-Columbus still has a shot to make the playoffs, but the Patriots would need to upset the other Northside to remain in the race.

*2-AAAA: The winner of the Ware County-Wayne County game will win the Division A subregion title, earn a spot in the region championship game next week against fourth-ranked Statesboro and be guaranteed a berth in the state playoffs. The loser would have to win a play-in game next week to advance to state. Glynn Academy will take the third play-in spot from Division A if it beats Liberty County on Friday or if Brunswick loses to Richmond Hill …

Continue reading AAAA blog: Games to watch this week »

A pair of state-ranked teams will meet at the Granite Bowl in Elberton on Friday to determine the Region 8-AA South championship. No. 10 North Oconee (8-0) travels to No. 7 Elbert County (8-0) to see who gets the first seed and an automatic home game for the first round of the state playoffs.

This could be a defensive struggle, as both teams have become known for their efforts on that side of the ball. North Oconee allows only 8.0 points per game, which ranks fourth in Class AA. Elbert County allows just 7.4 points per game, which ranks third. (Only Buford and Calhoun have allowed fewer points.) Both teams have four shutouts this season.

North Oconee will need to slow down Elbert’s Tyson Dye, who scored five touchdowns as woeful East Jackson last week. Dye, who has rushed for 1,191 yards this season, scored the only touchdown in last year’s 6-0 win over North Oconee. Quarterback Hunter Blackmon (655 yards passing) adds another threat.

North Oconee’s offense revolves around …

Continue reading AA blog: Games to watch this week »

Chattahoochee is trying to make a run for its second Class AAAA state championship in a row with a lot of new faces.

The Cougars, which are 7-1, have only four returning starters from last year’s title team. Chattahoochee plays at South Forsyth (2-6) at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. The game will be broadcast live on WSB-TV’s digital channel 2.2 and at www.wsbtv.com.

“We’re not as experienced as last year,” Chattahoochee coach Terry Crowder said. “We’ve got some good players, and I think we can compete for another championship. It’s just a matter of how fast they can grow up. What they are showing me every day is that they are growing up.”

Chattahoochee got shocked in the season-opener with a 24-7 loss to Lambert but recovered to win seven in a row heading into Thursday’s game.

“That loss was more of a wake-up call for me than anybody else because I just stood around that game and expecting to win just because of who we were,” Crowder admitted. “I treated this year’s team like last …

Continue reading Advance of Thursday’s game: Chattahoochee vs. South Forsyth »

Class AAAAA

1. Brookwood

3. Lowndes

Class AAAA

5. Brunswick

6. Chattahoochee

7. Kell

9. Starr’s Mill

Class AAA

7. Cedar Grove

9. Eastside

Class AA

4. Cook

6. Westminster

9. Swainsboro

10. Thomasville

Class A

2. Clinch County

4. Wilkinson County

5. ECI

8. Darlington

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Continue reading Teams that were ranked in preseason but aren’t now »

Brookstone at Marion County

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Eagle Field, Buena Vista

Records, rankings: Brookstone is 7-1 overall, 7-1 in Region 4-A and unranked; Marion County is 8-0, 8-0 and No. 5.

Last meeting: Marion County won 10-7 in 2010.

Three things to know: 1. Marion County won its first region title in history in 2010 and would clinch 4-A this year with a victory. Brookstone would become the region frontrunner with a victory (with a “magic number” of one), but both teams must face the other 4-A playoff teams next week – Marion vs. Dooly County (6-2) and Brookstone vs. Greenville (6-2). 2. Brookstone has struggled with injuries this year and will dress out only 26 players. The team’s leading tackler, Jordan Farber, is a freshman with 67 stops. He also has 298 yards rushing and five touchdowns. 3. In the 2010 game between these schools, Brookstone missed two 27-yard field goals in the second half. Marion’s A.J. Wells – a preseason all-state kicker – made a 30-yarder in …

Continue reading Top 10 games of Week 11 »

The GHSA softball semifinals begin Thursday in Columbus with several programs looking to extend championship streaks.

In Class AAAAA, Collins Hill is back in Columbus after winning the past two GHSA softball crowns. The Lady Eagles are coached by first-year coach Paul Pierce and pitcher Kayla Floor, who is 12-4. The Eagles face East Coweta, which is competing in its seventh consecutive state tournament. Hayley Parkerson and Brandi McGregor lead the Lady Indians.

Brookwood will face Kennesaw Mountain, Hillgrove squares off against Mill Creek and North Cobb faces Milton. Mill Creek last won the GHSA softball crown in 2008.

In Class AA, Buford attempts to win its fifth consecutive championship with an opener against Southeast Bulloch. The winner of that game plays the winner of the Brantley County-Blessed Trinity game. Also, Bleckley County and Lakeview-Ft. Oglethorpe will meet, as will Pike County and Fannin County.

Defending Class A champion Gordon Lee will look to defend its …

Continue reading Championship softball streaks are on the line »

Dalton must forfeit four victories for using an eligible player who failed to make a legitimate move into the Dalton school district, the Georgia High School Association ruled Tuesday.

The result could mean the end of Dalton’s state record of 51 consecutive winning seasons.

The forfeits drop Dalton’s record to 2-6 from 6-2. Dalton remains in playoff contention in Region 7-AAAA. Before the forfeits, Dalton led its subregion with a 4-0 record, but at 2-2 still can rally and win a region play-in game Nov. 4 and qualify for the state playoffs.

But if Dalton fails to win an appeal, the football team would have to advance to the Class AAA quarterfinals to win seven games and salvage its streak of winning seasons, which is perhaps the longest active streak of its kind in the nation.

The ineligible player, linebacker Corey Smith, played at Southeast Whitfield last season. He was Dalton’s leading tackler through six games. He sat out the past two games, both Dalton victories, as the …

Continue reading Dalton forced to forfeit four games; state-record streak of 51 winning seasons is endangered »

Grayson moved up one spot to No. 5 in the USA Today national rankings this week.

CalPreps (MaxPreps Freeman)

30. Buford (49)

50. Colquitt County (62)

80. Grayson (69)

93. Hillgrove (NR)

95. North Gwinnett (NR)

97. McEachern (NR)

CNN/SI

9. Buford (9)

ESPN Rise 50

11. Grayson (11)

14. Camden County (14)

23. Stephenson (22)

35. Hillgrove (37)

MaxPreps Xcellent 25

13. Buford (13)

14. Grayson (14)

20. Camden County (20)

Prep Nation

15. Camden County (14)

RivalsHigh 100

8. Camden County (9)

15. Buford (18)

16. Grayson (21)

28. Colquitt County (33)

34. Tucker (28)

41. Sandy Creek (34)

64. M.L. King (68)

65. Stephenson (69)

77. Hillgrove (81)

78. McEachern (82)

Scout

8. Buford (8)

17. Camden County (20)

32. Sandy Creek (35)

36. Grayson (40)

USA Today

5. Grayson (6)

8. Camden County (8)

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Continue reading Grayson climbs to No. 5 in USA Today poll »