Archive for May, 2012

Caroline Heys’ six goals, Eve Knapp’s five and Sara McGahan’s four helped Westminster’s girls defeat visiting Chattahoochee 20-7 Tuesday and reach a chance Saturday to remain the only state champion in three years of Class A-AAAA competition.
The two-time defending champion Wildcats (19-2) led 12-5 at the half en route to their sixth consecutive victory. Aubrey Bausom’s two goals and one assist paced the Cougars (13-7).
Westminster coach Jay Watts credited a tough 10-9 quarterfinal against Holy Innocents’ with preparing his team.
“It feels really great,” he said. “Our offense was really clicking. We were ready for anything.”
In other games Tuesday:

AAAAA boys
Lassiter 14, Alpharetta 4: After falling behind 2-0, the Trojans (16-2) scored four goals in one minute to take a 4-2 advantage they never relinquished.
Hat tricks by Garrett Shank and Jack Fitzharris helped the Trojans to a 7-3 halftime lead against the Raiders (18-2-1) and a ninth consecutive win.
Milton 12, Etowah 3: …

Continue reading Lacrosse roundup: Westminster rolls »

Good things seemed to happen for top-ranked Centennial whenever the ball went out of bounds off Parkview in the Class AAAAA boys soccer semifinals.

The Knights scored twice off throw-ins and twice on corner kicks and went on to a 5-1 victory at home on Tuesday. It was the 14th consecutive win for Centennial (20-1-1), which will play for its first soccer state championship on Friday at Collins Hill.

Fischer Olliff’s goal less than six minutes into the game gave the Knights the lead for good. Cameron Bean took a corner kick from Amin El-Shami and headed it in front of the net to Olliff, who got the shot past Parkview goalkeeper Diego Casillas.

Centennial increased the lead over the next 14 minutes with a pair of goals off throw-ins by Ryan Spence. The first went to Connor Davis, who headed it to Kane Davis, who headed it in for the goal with 29:48 to play in the half. Six minutes later, Spence’s throw-in to Bean was headed in for a 3-0 lead.

“We do a good job taking advantage of …

Continue reading Boys soccer: Top-ranked Centennial beats Parkview 5-1 to reach AAAAA championship game »

By Score Atlanta

Collins Hill 1, Brookwood 0: In a Class AAAAA semifinal, visiting Collins Hill defeated Gwinnett County neighbor Brookwood 1-0 to advance to Friday’s finals. The Eagles came into the game having scored 14 goals in three playoff games, while the Broncos had scored 10. But this game was a defensive struggle with the lone goal not scored until 13 minutes remained when Eagles midfielder Eli Carrasco scored from 18 yards out.

In a fast-paced game, both keepers had to make several saves. But it was Collins Hill’s Jackson Taylor who kept a clean sheet with seven saves.

Continue reading Class AAAAA soccer roundup »

By Score Atlanta

Greenbrier 2, Starr’s Mill 0: Reed Norton contributed one goal and one assist as the host Wolf Pack advanced to the finals. Norton fed James Toombs 11 minutes into the contest to give Greenbrier a 1-0 lead it would take to halftime. With 11 minutes remaining, and after three yellow cards had been distributed, Scott Ball found Norton with a cross and Norton provided the clinching goal.

Lambert 2, Marist 0: Goalkeeper Michael Zambetti only needed to stop two shots all night for the host Longhorns to notch a shutout victory over Marist. Lambert took the lead in the first half on a redirected header by center back Brendan Everett with an assist from Trexler Bennett. Bennett added a goal of his own 10 minutes into the second half.

Continue reading Class AAAA soccer roundup »

By Score Atlanta

Class AAA

Gainesville 2, St. Pius 1: The Golden Lions jumped out to a 1-0 first half lead, which stood until midway through the second half. But the host Red Elephants tied the game midway through the second on a header by Charlie Bryant. Douglas Mejia then scored the game-winner on an assist by Ricardo Gomez with 1:45 left in the game.

Woodward Academy 3, Carrollton 2: The host War Eagles rallied from a 2-1 halftime hole to edge Carrollton in overtime. Cameron Moseley tied the game late in the second half after a weather delay and then Moseley netted the winner in overtime for Woodward Academy. Trey Camp scored Carrollton’s first goal and Homero Perez scored on a penalty kick for the Trojans.

Continue reading Class AAA soccer roundup »

The Parkview-Hillgrove baseball rematch is going three games, just as it did when it decided the 2011 Class AAAAA championship.

Matt Olson hit a two-run home run to break a 1-1 tie in the sixth inning of the second game Tuesday, leading Parkview to a 4-1 victory at Hillgrove in the quarterfinal series. Jesse Foster (10-0) scattered seven hits.

In the opener, Chad Adkins hit a lead-off homer in the sixth to break a 2-2 tie in a 6-3 Hillgrove victory. Adkins’ twin, Chase, pitched into the seventh and was the winning pitcher, improving to 9-0.

Game 3 will be Wednesday at 5:55 p.m. at Hillgrove.

“It’s two pretty good baseball teams competing at a high level,’’ Hillgrove coach Dave Richardson said. “Their top guy [Olson] hit a two-run homer. You’ve got to tip your cap. They’re the defending champions.’’

In Game 1, Hillgrove put the first pitching loss of the season on Olson (11-1), who has signed with Vanderbilt, with a four-run sixth. Dwayne Carroll’s two-run single broke it open, …

Continue reading Baseball: Parkview, Hillgrove split QF series; Game 3 on Wednesday »

By Score Atlanta

Blessed Trinity 2, Lovett 2 (7-6 PKs): Goalie David Guigou saved George Spencer’s penalty kick in the eighth round of PKs as the host Titans advanced to the finals. After Blessed Trinity led 2-0 at halftime on the strength of goals by Stefan Rizzo and John Collar, Lovett tied the game in the second half on penalty kicks by Colin Tucker.

Westminster 5, Greater Atlanta Christian 2: The visiting Wildcats used a pair of goals in quick succession by Harrison Butker and Paul Vicinanza to take a two-goal lead at the half. Trey Blasingame and Chandler Gray added two more goals before Greater Atlanta Christian scored their first goal. Chris Ottley scored Westminster’s final goal. Goalkeeper Andrew Freschi saved 11 shots by the Spartans.

Continue reading Class AA soccer roundup »

By Score Atlanta

Aquinas 2, Providence Christian 1: Marcus Wade and Justin Thompson scored in the second half to help the host Fighting Irish advance to the finals. Providence Christian opened the scoring 20 minutes into the game with a Caleb McQuaig goal assisted by Josh Platillero. It will be Aquinas’s second trip to the state finals, with the 2005 appearance also under coach Kevin Trammell.

Atlanta International School 4, Paideia 3 (5-4 PKs): Atlanta International won in penalty kicks at home, as both teams made their first four PKs but AIS capitalized on a Paideia miss to win 5-4 in sudden death. Paideia’s Alex Kirsch tied the game at 3-3 in the second overtime with less than 10 seconds to go. AIS led 1-0 at half, and Paideia tied it at 2-2 on a late regulation PK.

Continue reading Class A soccer roundup »

By Score Atlanta

Brookwood 11, Harrison 2: Lucas Sims went the distance in Game 1 as the host Broncos thumped the Hoyas 11-2 in a Class AAAAA quarterfinal. Sims struck out eight while allowing just two earned runs on four hits. Zach Moon hit two home runs and drove in five in the Game 1 win. The second game was delayed by a lighting issue in the top of the fourth as Harrison held a 7-3 lead. If the lighting issue is not fixed, Game 2 will restart Wednesday.

Grayson 14-5, North Cobb 1-3: The visiting Rams swept North Cobb thanks mostly to the efforts of their Game 1 starting pitcher Taylor Allum. On the mound, Allum went five innings and collected two hits while driving in four runs at the plate. In Game 2, Allum added two more RBIs and Korey Anderson pitched the final 2 1/3 innings to earn the win.

Mill Creek 7-1, Camden County 0-0: Cody Pugh (10-1) and Shane Seckinger (10-1) each had complete game shutouts for Mill Creek at home, with Seckinger giving up just one hit after …

Continue reading Class AAAAA baseball roundups »

By Score Atlanta

Greenbrier 7-5, Marist 2-3: The host Wolf Pack swept defending state champion Marist on the strength of complete games by Georgia Tech-commit Jordan Hunt and Austin Robinson. Greenbrier had a balanced attack, with nine hits in Game 1 and 10 hits in Game 2. The Wolf Pack scored in four innings of each game.

Loganville 2-3, Pope 5-2: Duane Underwood got the win for visiting Pope in Game 1, and Nate Lowe sparked the offense with a two-run homer in the first inning. Loganville’s Christian Miller picked up the complete-game win in Game 2. The Red Devils got a two-run homer from David Mayo and a solo shot from Clint Frazier to force Game 3 at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

Johns Creek 4-4, Harris County 2-1: The Gladiators advanced to the semifinals thanks to wins by Matthew Gorst, who went 6 2/3 innings in Game 1, and a complete game by Ryan O’Connell in Game 2. Skye Overton hit a solo home run in the first inning of Game 2, and scored a run in the third. Dylan Dore was …

Continue reading Class AAAA baseball roundup »

By Score Atlanta

Gainesville 11-12, Carrollton 1-1: David Gonzalez (11-0) threw a complete game in Game 1 and Michael Gettys (11-0) went four innings to win Game 2, both games lasting five innings. In Game 2, host Gainesville got two two-run home runs from Hunter Anglin, two solo homers from Luke Moore, and a homer each from Skyler Weber and Gettys, who was 3-for-3 in Game 1.

Continue reading Class AAA baseball roundup »

By Score Atlanta

Appling County 5, Blessed Trinity 4, eight innings: Byron Buxton was 2-for-4 with a two-run homer, a single and two runs – including the game-winner – for the host Pirates. Buxton also threw all eight innings, striking out eight and giving up four earned runs. Nathaniel Maggio hit a two-run homer for Blessed Trinity. Game 2 was rained out and will be played Wednesday.

Buford 6-14, Pierce County 8-2: The Bears and Wolves split the first two games, with Game 1 going to nine innings. Pitcher Sam Clay went six innings for Buford, striking out eight. Clay also had three hits (including a home run) and drove in a pair of runs. Pierce County capitalized on five errors committed by the Buford defense.

Continue reading Class AA baseball roundup »

By Score Atlanta

Eagles Landing Christian Academy 1-1, George Walton Academy 0-3: Jacob Heyward hit the game-winning homer in the seventh inning for the Chargers. In Game 2, Ben Parr pitched a complete game for the visiting Bulldogs, allowing just one run on two hits. Casey Schubert began a fifth inning rally with a triple, and Evan Alderman drove home two for George Walton.

Providence Christian 2- 2, Hebron Christian 0-1: In a rematch of last year’s state championship series, the visiting Stars got two RBIs from John Bailey in Game 1. For Hebron Christian, Jordan Hillyer took the loss despite striking out 12. Steven Slaughter struck out six batters in earning a complete game in Game 2 for Providence Christian. Mason Felt struck out 12 in the second game for the Lions.

Continue reading Class A baseball roundup »

There are some strong programs around the state in Class AA, but there really is no comparison to be made between regions.

There is Region 6-AA, and there is everybody else.

All four of the teams in the AA semifinals Tuesday are from 6-AA, and three of the four — Greater Atlanta Christian, Lovett and Westminster, have won state championships since 2003.

The region obviously provides ample competition and playoff success follows.

“You could have taken the top six in our region and they all would have done well in the state tournament,” Blessed Trinity coach Don Gillig said before the playoffs began. “The goal is always a winning record and a spot in the state tournament, and then see how far we can go.”

The region’s third seed, Westminster, the defending state champion, will play on the road in the semifinals against Greater Atlanta Christian – the Wildcats’ seventh straight road game. Despite that, they have two wins over region champions and two of their three playoff wins …

Continue reading Boys soccer: Region 6 rules in Class AA »

The girls soccer state tournaments have gone according to expectations, for the most part, as the top-ranked teams and defending champions in four of the state’s five classifications remain alive heading into this week’s semifinals.

The same can’t be said for Class AAA, where top-ranked St. Pius and No. 2 Woodward Academy were upset in the quarterfinals on Saturday. St. Pius won the past three Class AAA championships and beat Woodward Academy in the final last season.

“It’s anybody’s ballgame now,” said Allatoona coach Bill Perry, whose team knocked off Woodward Academy 4-0. “Pius and Woodward have been so dominant the past couple of years, it’s been hard to crack into that final round. It might be nice to see somebody else with that top billing.”

Willough Davis scored all for goals for third-ranked Allatoona, which will play at No. 6 Gainesville on Wednesday. The other AAA semifinal will match No. 4 Columbus against No. 7 Oconee County, which got goals from Alexis Thomas and …

Continue reading Girls soccer: Class AAA race wide open after losses by St. Pius, Woodward Academy »