Archive for December, 2011

Deshaun Watson, the Gainesville sophomore quarterback who threw for 3,251 yards and rushed for 1,073, is the AJC’s Class AAA offensive player of the year.

The defensive player of the year is Troup junior linebacker Rubeun Foster, who had over 100 tackles for a 9-3 team. Foster has committed to Alabama.

CLASS AAAOffensive player of the year: Deshaun Watson, Gainesville
Defensive player of the year: Reuben Foster, Troup
Coach of the year: Eric Parker, Burke County
Offense
QB – Deshaun Watson, Gainesville, 6-3, 185, So.
RB – Miles Jones, Allatoona, 5-10, 205, Sr.
RB – Chaz Thornton, Stephens County, 5-9, 180, Jr.
WR – Demarcus Robinson, Peach County, 6-2, 195, Jr.
WR – JaQuay Williams, Sandy Creek, 6-3, 205, Sr.
TE – Zach Gordon, Carrollton, 6-5, 245, Sr.
OL – Anthony Mosley, Cairo, 6-2, 260, Sr.
OL – Brandon Greene, Cedar Grove, 6-6, 300, Sr.
OL – Antonio Garcia, Drew, 6-7, 253, Sr.
OL – Will Adams, Sandy Creek, 6-5, 280, Sr.
OL – Malcolm Aldridge, Burke County, 6-5, 295, …

Continue reading AAA all-state: Gainesville QB is offensive player of year »

Calhoun quarterback Taylor Lamb, who threw for 3,640 yards and 40 touchdown in leading his team to its first state championship since 1952, is the AJC’s Class AA offensive player of the year.

His teammate Alex Kirby, a linebacker who has committed to Tennessee-Chattahooga, is the defensive player of the year.

CLASS AA
Offensive player of the year: Taylor Lamb, Calhoun
Defensive player of the year: Alex Kirby, Calhoun
Coach of the year: Hal Lamb, Calhoun
Offense
QB – Taylor Lamb, Calhoun, 6-1, 190, Jr.
RB – Tyshon Dye, Elbert County, 6-1, 210, Jr.
RB – Marteze Waller, Putnam County, 6-1, 210, Sr.
WR – Ben Lamb, Calhoun, 6-0, 170, Sr.
WR – Travin Henry, Cook, 6-4, 215, Sr.
TE – Kurt Freitag, Buford, 6-3, 245, Sr.
OL – Vadal Alexander, Buford, 6-6, 310, Sr.
OL – Tyler King, Calhoun, 6-2, 280, Sr.
OL – Chase Roberts, Greater Atlanta Christian, 6-3, 285, Sr.
OL – Joseph Scelfo, North Oconee, 6-2, 285, Sr.
OL – John Thomas, Carver-Columbus, 6-1, 260, Jr.
ATH – Maurice Martin, …

Continue reading Class AA all-state: Calhoun’s Lamb, Kirby, Lamb sweep awards »

Brendan Douglas, who rushed for 1,802 yards and scored 30 touchdowns in leading Aquinas to its first state quarterfinal in history, is the AJC’s offensive player of the year in Class A. Douglas also was credited with 136 tackles on defense.

The defensive player of the year is defensive lineman DeAngelo Brown of Savannah Christian. The Louisville commit led the Raiders to their first state title in the GHSA. Only one team scored a touchdown against Savannah Christian when within 21 points of the lead.

CLASS A
Offensive player of the year: Brendan Douglas, Aquinas
Defensive player of the year: DeAngelo Brown, Savannah Christian
Coach of the year: Donald Chumley, Savannah Christian
Offense
QB – Makail Grace, Wilcox County, 6-3, 180, Jr.
RB – Brendan Douglas, Aquinas, 5-10, 210, Jr.
RB – Tre Hamilton, Charlton County, 5-7, 170, Sr.
RB – John Tatum, Eagle’s Landing Christian, 6-1, 195, Sr.
WR – Nigel Matthews, Darlington, 6-2, 190, Sr.
WR – Quez Mahogony, Wilcox County, 6-4, 200, …

Continue reading Class A all-state: Aquinas’ Douglas, Savannah Christian’s Brown are players of year »

Atlanta/South Fulton

Player of the year: Trevon Jones, Mays
Offensive player of the year: Cantrell Frazier, Landmark Christian
Defensive player of the year: Xavier Roberson, Tri-Cities
Coach of the year: Kenny Dallas, Landmark Christian

Offense

QB – Trevon Jones, Mays, 5-11, 165, Jr.
RB – Denzel Franklin, Pace Academy, 5-10, 175, So.
RB – Charles Purnell, Westlake, 5-8, 175, Sr.
WR – Josh Holsey, Creekside, 5-9, 170, Sr.
WR – Jonathan Williams, Mays, 6-4, 175, Sr.
TE – Darren Dowdell, Grady, 6-3, 225, Jr.
OL – Delando Crooks, Carver-Atlanta, 6-5, 250, Jr.
OL – Jeremi Hall, Tri-Cities, 6-5, 340, Jr.
OL – Josh Minor, Woodward Academy, 6-4, 270, Sr.
OL – Evan Thomas, Holy Innocents’, 6-1, 225, Sr.
OL – Dominique Threatt, Tri-Cities, 6-4, 330, Jr.
ATH – Cantrell Frazier, Landmark Christian, 6-0, 190, Sr.
PK – Harrison Butker, Westminster, 6-4, 175, Jr.

Defense

DL – Ian Crosby, Lovett, 6-5, 198, Sr.
DL – Adarian Dunmyer, Westlake, 6-0, 265, Sr.
DL – Larry Jefferson, Banneker, 6-3, …

Continue reading All-metro football: Players of year include Nkemdiche in Gwinnett, Tibbs in DeKalb »

By S. Thomas Coleman
For the AJC

A fledgling group of 32 public schools, presently in Georgia ’s smallest classification, moved forward on Wednesday with its plans to separate from the Georgia High Schools Association – even adopting a tentative name – in spite of the fact that the GHSA is continuing to work on a plan it feels addresses the schools’ grievances.

The eight-member advisory committee of the proposed new organization, tentatively calling itself the Georgia Public Schools Association, held a day-long meeting in a back room of a Macon steakhouse to begin to piece together its rules, policies and bylaws. The schools that would form the new GPSA are upset with what they feel is the GHSA’s failure to address the competitive advantage they feel private schools have over public schools.

The group, which is using both the GHSA and Georgia Independent Schools Association rules and bylaws as guides, discussed such rudimentary items as fee structure, membership …

Continue reading Group presses forward with plans to separate from GHSA »

By S. Thomas Coleman
For the AJC

Here is a look at what some of the top teams in Class A will be doing over the holiday break, before they dive into region play once classes begin again in January.

BOYS

Wilkinson County. The Warriors are one of the hotest teams in America. The defending state champs (8-0) are riding a 36-game winning streak and are 65-1 going back to the 2009-10 season. Wilkinson County will host Turner County (4-0) today before hosting its annual Wilkinson County Holiday Tip Off Classic, beginning Dec. 27, with a game against Class AAA Howard (7-1), a new school in Macon.

Whitefield Academy. The Wolfpack (4-0) will compete in the fourth annual Upward Classic, hosted by Dorman High of Dorman, S.C., Dec. 27-30. The tournament will feature a highly competitive field that features Norcross and Chattahoochee, along with traditional South Carolina powers Lancaster (6-0) and Hillcrest. Langcaster features one of the nation’s top juniors, guard Sindarius Thornwell, …

Continue reading Class A Basketball Blog: Top teams to stay busy during the holidays »

It was something nobody saw coming a year ago, but Shiloh enters the
Christmas break as Georgia’s No. 1 boys team in Class AAAAA. The Generals
are 7-0 after beating Wheeler 68-66 in a thriller last weekend.

Shiloh coach Kim Rivers called it perhaps the best victory in school
history. Shiloh has won only one state tournament game ever, and that was
1997, so Rivers probably is right. But Rivers has won bigger games. He was
315-50 in 14 seasons in Maryland as coach of Randallstown, where he won
five state titles. This is his third season at Shiloh.

It helped that Georgia Tech signee Robert Carter transferred from
Thomasville in the off-season. Carter scored 19 points and had 10 rebounds
in the Wheeler victory, which was on the road.
Shiloh plays next week in the Hoops in Overdrive tournament at Centennial.
The Generals’ opponents will be Carver of Montgomery on Dec. 30 and Rockdale
County on Dec. 31.

Now that Charles Mann is back in the lineup, Milton’s boys are still the
team …

Continue reading AAAAA basketball blog: Shiloh becomes a state power »

Last year, Eagle’s Landing boys coach Clay Crump had a young but talented team, and he was happy to keep his non-region schedule against local teams. A run to the state semifinals can change the scheduling mindset a bit, though, and so it is that Crump and Eagle’s Landing are in the Converse Invitational Classic at Columbia High School next week.

“We were honored to get the invitation,” Crump said. “It was a no-brainer.”

If you want to see a state championship team play, this is the event for you. At least half of the 18 schools in the event have state championship trophies, including Eagle’s Landing’s first-round opponent, Wenonah High School from Birmingham, Ala., last year’s Class 5A state titlist.

“You don’t want to find out the truth about yourself in March,” Crump said. “You want to find out early. What I’ve been telling the kids is that the math changes. When we play this level of competition, the height, the speed, all those things even out. At this level of …

Continue reading AAA basketball blog: Champions descend on Columbia »

The Buford boys have already tested the waters against top competition from North Carolina and the larger schools from Georgia. Now they’ll try their luck against the state champions from Alaska.

Buford will open the Converse Invitational Basketball Classic on Tuesday, Dec. 27, at 7:30 p.m. at Columbia High against West Anchorage High School. West went 25-3 last season and won Alaska School Activities Association’s 4A title. West Anchorage’s top player is 6-foot-2 point guard Devon Bookert, who has signed with Florida State.

Buford (7-1) has won four straight on the court since its lone lopsided defeat of the season, a 71-55 loss to Milton, the No. 1 team in AAAAA. That game has since been forfeited by Milton for playing a transfer before his eligibility was restored. Buford also got a win when its loss to Olympic High of North Carolina was overturned due to an eligibility issue.

Isaiah Williams, T.J. Shipes and Kyle Kellam have been the top scorers for the Wolves this …

Continue reading AA basketball blog: Buford boys take on Alaska champs »

Here’s a recap of some of the top holiday tournament action involving Class AAAA teams:

*Chick-fil-A Classic (at Columbia, S.C.): Southwest DeKalb’s boys lost to La Verne Lutheran of California 73-67 in a first-round game on Tuesday. Auburn signee Jordan Price scored 32 points to lead Southwest DeKalb, and Memphis signee William Goodwin had 22 points and nine rebounds. La Verne Lutheran was led by Grant Jerrett, a 6-foot-10 power forward/center who has signed with Arizona. Jerrett had 29 points and 15 rebounds and was 13-for-15 at the free-throw line. Two-time defending Class AAA champion Columbia also lost its first-round game, 62-45 against West Charlotte (N.C.). Southwest DeKalb faces Wilson (S.C.) on Wednesday, and Columbia plays Ridge View (S.C.). If both DeKalb County teams win or both lose, they would meet on Thursday.

*City of Palms Classic (at Fort Myers, Fla.): The Miller Grove boys team’s losing streak reached three games Tuesday night when the Wolverines lost to …

Continue reading AAAA basketball blog: Southwest DeKalb, Miller Grove drop tournament games »

Walton swept the Cobb County Quad Division I Meet by taking the boys and girls titles. Especially impressive was the Raiders’ win in the girls meet, which came against the three-time defending state champion Lassiter girls. Pope came in second in the boys meet. Kennesaw Mountain came in third in both meets. … Walton was led by Nathan Hufnagle, who won the 200 IM and the 100 breaststroke. David Sanchez won the diving competition for the Raiders. For the Walton girls, Charlotte Holtz won the 50 and 100 sprint freestyle races while the Raiders also took the 200 freestyle relay. … Harrison won the Cobb Quad Division II Meet by taking both the boys and girls meets. North Cobb finished second in both boys and girls while Hillgrove took third overall and Kell came in fourth. Connor Oslin won the boys’ 200 freestyle and the 100 butterfly while both Harrison squads took the 200-yard medley and the 400 freestyle. Olivia and Madison Jacobi each won two events (Madison won the 200 and 500 …

Continue reading Walton sweeps Cobb County Quad meet »

By Stephen Black

Score Atlanta

Archer won the Gwinnett County championship Saturday at Shiloh. The Tigers became the first program other than Collins Hill and Parkview since 1997 to win the title. The Panthers had won the past three. Former Parkview coach Tom Beuglas led Archer to the title, the school’s first. Brookwood came in second with 177.5 points, 42 behind Archer. North Gwinnett came in third with 162.5. DaQuan Olbert won the 120-pound class, Ernest Alexander took the 195-pound class and Hunter McCleskey captured the 220-pound class. Nick Hoang and Brandon Smith won titles for Peachtree Ridge while Grady Bryant and Ryan Mosley won for Shiloh. … Pope won the McCallie Invitational Wrestling Tournament in Chattanooga Saturday. The defending Class AAAA state champion Greyhounds edged Cleveland (Tenn.) 246.5 to 241.5. Cameron Muncey (113), Jake Henson (160), Billy Meek (170), Joey Tabachino (182), Brooks Climmons (195) and Trevor Stevens (220) won championships for Pope. …

Continue reading Archer takes first Gwinnett County title »

Scott Jackson of Rome is the winner of the 2011 Atlanta Journal-Constitution High School Football Pickoff contest.

Jackson finished the season with 155 points, one ahead of two contestants that tied for second place. There were 605 people entered this season.

Bart Phillips of Sharpsburg had the high score for the championship round, correctly picking four of the five champions and winning the tiebreaker for the closest guess of the score of the Calhoun-Buford game.

Thanks to all who participated this year.

Continue reading Rome’s Scott Jackson wins High School Football Pickoff contest »

Player of the year: RB Will Austin, Savannah Christian, Sr.

Offensive player of the year: QB Johnathon Chamblee, Savannah Christian, Sr.

Defensive player of the year: DL DeAngelo Brown, Savannah Christian, Sr.

Athlete of the Year: QB Jake Clemens, Calvary Day, Jr.

FIRST TEAM

Offense

QB – Michael Peel, Claxton, Sr.

RB – Nick Scott, Bryan County, So.

RB – Jalen Myrick, Savannah Christian, Jr.

WR – Bron Glover, Claxton, Sr.

WR – Jordan Walker, Calvary Day, So.

TE – Milan Richard, Calvary Day, So.

OL – Josh Gay, Savannah Christian, Sr.

OL – Tevin McNeal, Claxton, Sr.

OL – Justin James, Calvary Day, Jr.

OL – Trey Ross, Metter, Sr.

OL – Josh Garland, Savannah Christian, Sr.

OL – J.J. Rowe, Bryan County, Jr.

ATH – Nardo Govan, Savannah Christian, Sr.

PK – Harley Lichtenberg, Savannah Country Day, Jr.

Defense

LB – Will Hoskins, Metter, Sr.

LB – Eric Davis, Savannah Christian, Sr.

LB – Zenas Moore, Claxton, Sr.

LB – Matt Soss, Calvary Day, Jr.

LB – Noe Recendez, Metter, Sr.

DL – …

Continue reading All-region team for 3-A East »

Henry County head coach Mike Rozier, who twice won 10 games at a school that had never won a state playoff game, resigned after 11 seasons, the Henry Daily Herald reported Friday.

Rozier was 51-67 overall but finished with five straight winning seasons, the best run in school history. His 2007 and 2008 teams finished 10-2.

Rozier coaches three all-state wide receivers in Chris Jackson, Jamal Patterson and Markeith Ambles. Quarterback Drew Little, a senior in 2008, is ranked second all-time in career passing with 8,427 yards.

Henry County was 7-5 in 2011 and upset Thomson 28-7 in the first round of the Class AAA playoffs.

Rozier told the newspaper that coaching in college was a possibility. ”I absolutely want to coach again,” he said. “I haven’t made a decision yet on what I’m going to do. I’m looking into some things.”

Continue reading Henry County football coach Rozier resigns »