Archive for September, 2012

Five things we learned this week –

- Parkview is the front-runner in Region 8 – Beating reigning state champion Grayson on Sept. 14 was the season’s biggest upset. Beating Archer on Sept. 21 avenged a 40-16 loss from last season. But beating arch-rival Brookwood 21-14 on Sept. 28 officially stamped Parkview as ‘’back’’ and the team to beat in Region 8. Chris Carson rushed for 257 yards and two touchdowns. Parkview – state champion in 1997, 2000, 2001 and 2002 – has not won a region title since 2004. Until Parkview beat Brookwood on Friday, many felt Grayson would still win Region 8 by winning its remaining games. Now, Parkview would need to lose twice. Not likely now.

- Camden County is a worthy No. 1 team – If anyone thought Camden was ranked No. 1 by default after 2011 champion Grayson was upended by Parkview, the Wildcats showed otherwise Friday, routing Valdosta 43-6. It was Valdosta’s most lopsided in its historic Bazemore-Hyder Stadium since 1974, when Thomasville, led …

Continue reading What we learned from Week 6 in AAAAAA: Camden is a worthy No. 1 … Parkview is back … Lowndes is legit »

By Michael Alpert

For the AJC

PARKVIEW 21, BROOKWOOD 14

Chris Carson ran for 257 yards and two touchdowns to help Parkview defeat Brookwood 21-14 in a Region 8-AAAAAA game at Parkview.

The No. 10 Panthers’ first victory over the Broncos in the teams’ last four meetings kept Parkview tied with South Gwinnett for the region lead.

Parkview also was opportunistic defensively, intercepting a pass and recovering two fumbles in their third straight win before their Oct. 12 region game at Dacula.

“We’re starting to play harder and harder, which is important at this point in the season,” Panthers coach Cecil Flowe said. “This group is beginning to grow and develop into a good football team.”

The Panthers (4-1, 3-0) led 21-7 on Carson’s second touchdown run, a 5-yarder with 3:38 left in the third quarter. Brookwood (2-2, 1-1) recovered a fumble on the second snap of the fourth and came as close as it would when Zach Moon passed 30 yards to Jamaal Cole with 9:35 left. As moments wore on, …

Continue reading Parkview 21, Brookwood 14 »

The Panthers’ homecoming game for 2012 was spoiled by the visiting Titans, who led nearly the entire game although it was by only a point until a clinching score in the final minutes.

The contest came down to a handful of key fourth-down plays. The Panthers drove to the Titans’ 15 in the second quarter only to be stop inches short of a first down on fourth-and-1. The same fate befell Starr’s Mill midway through the fourth quarter when, down 7-6, the Drew defense stiffened on a fourth-and-2 play on the Titans’ 26.

From there the Titans drove for the game’s final score, bolstered by a conversion on fourth-and-1 at the Starr’s Mill 43. Two plays later, Jordan Metts raced 36 yards down the left sideline to the 4, and Lester Knauls took the ball up the middle on fourth-and-goal from the 1 to put seal the victory for Drew.

The Titans’ Marquis Terry scored the game’s first touchdown on an 8-yard run with 4:00 to play in the first quarter. Daniel Rorick of Starr’s Mill nailed a …

Continue reading Drew 14, Starr’s Mill 6 »

By David Purdum / For the AJC

Chase Solomon’s fourth-quarter touchdown run lifted Johns Creek to a 30-16 comeback win over host Chattahoochee on Friday.

On a 4th and 2, Solomon took a handoff on an option play and sprinted 23 yards to give the Gladiators  (5-0, 2-0 6-AAAAAA) their first lead of the game with nine minutes left in the game.

Chattahoochee drove into Johns Creek territory on the ensuing drive, but Sam Arrington’s big hit on Chase Nelson jarred the ball loose, and Michael Salomon recovered the fumble.

Three plays later, Skye Overton hooked up with Bradon Fortin on a clinching 28-yard touchdown pass to secure the undefeated Gladiators’ first win over Chattahoochee in three tries.

“This is a great step for us, but we don’t have anytime to rest,” said Gladiators coach Mike Cloy. “We’ve got a week off and then face West Forsyth, who is scoring like 200 points a game.”

Chattahoochee (3-2, 1-1 6-AAAAAA) led for the majority of three quarters. The Cougars had multiple …

Continue reading Johns Creek 30, Chattahoochee 16 »

By S. Thomas Coleman
For the AJC

Blessed Trinity’s Spencer McManes was hit with the most dreaded double whammy for any quarterback late in the second quarter at Woodward Academy.

The senior’s last pass was tipped at the line of scrimmage and returned 38 yards for a touchdown by War Eagle safety Quincy Wolff – his second pick-six in as many games. And to make matters worse, McManes was drilled during the return by Woodward defensive end Ozzie Bunbury.

But the sting of the interception and the hit turned into motivation for McManes and his teammates, as they turned a 14-7 halftime deficit into a 21-14 win in the Region 6AAA opener for both teams. Blessed Trinity is now 4-1, 1-0 in the region, while Woodward fell to 3-2, 0-1 in league play.

McManes was steady in the first half, except for the interception, completing 6-of-8 passes for 73 yards, including a 33-yard touchdown pass to Robert McQuaid after a nifty ball-fake on a double reverse. But he was better in the second half, …

Continue reading Blessed Trinity 21, Woodward Academy 14 »

Allatoona used the running game to take control early against South Paulding on Friday but turned to the pass to save itself late.

Cody Sorrells scored what would be the game-winning points with 6:05 to play on a 48-yard reception from Jeremy Uzee as the Buccaneers escaped with a 28-14 victory.

Allatoona (5-0, 5-0), which has won 15 consecutive regular-season games, remained tied with East Paulding for first place in Region 5-AAAAA. South Paulding (2-2, 2-2) came in as one of three teams in the region with one loss but fell a game back in the race for one of the region’s four playoff berths.

Allatoona led 14-0 at halftime, but South Paulding came to life in the third quarter after being able to do nothing offensively in the first two quarters. Chandler Burks caught two touchdown passes – a 50-yarder from running back Jae Bown and a 16-yarder from quarterback Luke Norman, to even the score at 14-14 with 8:15 to play in the game.

But Allatoona recovered. On the sixth play of its …

Continue reading Allatoona 28, South Paulding 14 »

Griffin – The Griffin Bears had never lost to a school from Henry County, until Friday night, when Stockbridge finally broke through.

Andrus Guillen’s 27-yard field goal as time expired gave Stockbridge a 17-14 win in a shocker against Griffin, ranked No. 2 in Class AAAA. The Bears entered the game 28-0 all-time against schools from Henry.

“They don’t give you a ring for that,” said Stockbridge coach Kevin Whitley. “The Henry County thing is not a deal for us. We’re just worried about Stockbridge.”

After this win, everybody else in 4-AAAA will be worried about the Tigers too.

Quarterback Trent Earl rushed for 117 yards and passed for 155 for the Tigers (4-1), who won their fourth straight game since a season-opening loss to M.L. King. Stockbridge compiled 406 total yards to Griffin’s 273, but missed two earlier field goal tries and finished the first half on the Griffin 1-yard line.

“I’m always thinking our offensive line is going to get us through this,” said Earl, who broke …

Continue reading Stockbridge 17, Griffin 14 »

Using a balanced rushing attack, quick-strike passing game and stifling defense, Stephenson jumped out early and cruised to a 32-0 win over Southwest DeKalb.
The No. 4 Jaguars (4-0, 4-0 Region 6-AAAAA) set the tone from the start, taking the opening kickoff and marching 70 yards in nine plays, capped off by Austin Tevin’s 8-yard touchdown run.
The drive was highlighted by Tevin’s 44-yard run on 2nd and 12 from the Stephenson 40, which set up his own scoring run four plays later.
It was the first of three runs of 28 yards or more during the first half for the Jaguars, coming from three different running backs – Tevin, Evan Jones (49 yards) and Brandon Washington (28 yards).
“Right now, nobody can tell who our running backs are,” Stephenson coach Ron Gartrell said. “We had nine guys carry the ball last week, and seven of them scored touchdowns. We’ve just got a good group; our offensive line is doing a pretty good job.”
Stephenson followed up a Southwest DeKalb three-and-out …

Continue reading Stephenson 32, Southwest DeKalb 0 »

Al Hughes earned his 100th coaching victory Friday night as ninth-ranked Lovejoy overwhelmed Druid Hills 58-3 at North DeKalb Stadium in Chamblee. The Wildcats (4-1) won the 2-AAAAAA region opener for both teams in the first meeting between the schools.

After a three-and-out on their first possession, the Wildcat offense regrouped to score on five consecutive possession to lead 43-3 at the break. Quarterback Alejandro Bennefield threw four first-half touchdown passes, including three to 6-foot-6 tight end A.J. Jackson, an Auburn commitment. Jackson caught four passes for 82 yards overall, and Bennefield finished 5-for-7 passing for 118 yards.

“They started a little slow tonight, but they picked it up pretty quick,” Hughes said of the offense. “We don’t talk to our kids about scoring points. We just want to come out and dominate, and we did a little bit of that tonight.”

El Malik Roberson El recovered a blocked punt at the 35 and ran in untouched for a score, giving Lovejoy a …

Continue reading Lovejoy 58, Druid Hills 3 »

There was no suspense for Paul Standard Friday night on the way to his 100th career win as the head coach at St. Pius X Catholic High School – his alma mater.

The Golden Lions (4-1) looked every bit like the No. 5 team in Class AAA as they routed Towers 48-6 in George B. Maloof Stadium in the Region 6-AAA opener for both schools.

Seven different SPX players scored, the Golden Lions led 42-0 at halftime, and details like that didn’t matter much to the family and friends of Standard as they posed for pictures after the game.

Standard, who played at SPX under Maloof before graduating in 1980, has spent his entire head coaching career at  St. Pius X. His record is 100-35.

He decided to be a coach while he was in college. His path back to SPX was long, but he sure acted Friday night like it has been an abundantly worthwhile journey.

“When I came back I helped coach Maloof in the spring and the summer here. At The Citadel, I also was in charge of intramurals in our …

Continue reading St. Pius X 48, Towers 6 »

Discuss the games as they unfold in Week Five of Georgia high school football tonight. …

We have a scoreboard that gives you quarter-by-quarter scores through the night, but news of some of the top games can be found more quickly on the blog with the help of fans and the many online streams of games.

In no order, here are some of the more interesting matchups this week -

Brookwood at Parkview
Commerce at George Walton Academy
Heritage-Conyers at Gainesville
Stephenson at Southwest DeKalb
Washington-Wilkes at Union County
Camden County at Valdosta
Early County at Brooks County
Lowndes at Colquitt County
Norcross at Mill Creek
Wilcox County at Charlton County
Blessed Trinity at Woodward Academy
Glynn Academy at Richmond Hill
Johns Creek at Chattahoochee
Lincoln County at First Presbyterian
Perry at Baldwin
Pierce County at Tattnall County
Savannah Christian at Johnson County
South Gwinnett at Central Gwinnett
Stockbridge at Griffin
Wesleyan at Jefferson County

Continue reading Friday Night Chat VI: Report scores, find scores, talk live! »

Here is this week’s schedule with projected margins of victory courtesy of the Maxwell Ratings. The projected winner is on the left. The projected margin of victory is on the right. The Maxwell computer ratings take into account historical scores, weighing the more recent seasons the most heavily. Games involving out-of-state teams are not included because of lack of data on those opponents.

Friday’s games

Adairsville vs. Ringgold -2

Alcovy vs. Luella -6

Allatoona vs. South Paulding -17

Alpharetta at South Forsyth -13

Appling Co. vs. Savannah -29

Aquinas vs. Twiggs Co. -34

Archer at Dacula -5

Armuchee at Model -3

Athens Acad. at Lakeview Acad. -31

Baldwin vs. Perry -10

Beach vs. Brantley Co. -17

Benedictine vs. Atkinson Co. -39

Bleckley Co. at Putnam Co. -5

Bowdon vs. Manchester -16

Bremen vs. Jordan -38

Brooks Co. vs. Early Co. -19

Bryan Co. at Long Co. -5

Buford at Banks Co. -41

Cairo vs. Westover -16

Calhoun at Coosa -41

Callaway at Jackson, Atlanta -19

Camden Co. at …

Continue reading Maxwell Ratings: Projected margin of victories for this week’s games »

Today’s games

Alpharetta at South Forsyth

Americus-Sumter at Worth Co.

Arabia Mountain at M.L. King (PV)

Archer at Dacula

Armuchee at Model

Athens Academy at Lakeview Acad.

Atkinson Co. at Benedictine

B.E.S.T. Acad. at Central, Carrollton

Bacon Co. at McIntosh Co. Academy

Baconton Charter at Stewart Co.

Barbour Co., Ala. at Randolph-Clay

Bleckley Co. at Putnam Co.

Blessed Trinity at Woodward Acad.

Brantley Co. at Beach (SM)

Brookwood at Parkview

Bryan Co. at Long Co.

Buford at Banks Co.

Butler at Statesboro

Calhoun at Coosa

Callaway at Jackson, Atlanta (G)

Cambridge at Pope

Camden Co. at Valdosta

Cartersville at Coahulla Creek

Cass at Dalton

Cedar Shoals at Loganville

Centennial at West Forsyth

Central, Talbotton at Pacelli

Cherokee at Walton

Chestatee at Stephens Co.

Claxton at Wheeler Co.

Clinch Co. at Telfair Co.

Columbus at Carrollton

Commerce at George Walton

Creekview at Osborne

Crisp Co. at Dougherty (M)

Cross Keys at North Cobb Christian

Dade Co. at …

Continue reading This week’s high school football games »

Eman Westmoreland of Central Gwinnett (3-0) set a Gwinnett County record with his 61st career touchdown pass last week in the 51-24 victory over Berkmar. Westmoreland has thrown for 6,206 yards career yards and enters tonight’s game against South Gwinnett (3-1) standing 290 yards from the county record held by Mike Tamburo, formerly of North Gwinnett, now at Georgia. Westmoreland is one of four Georgia quarterbacks who have a shot at 8,000 career yards. Only seven quarterbacks in state history have done that, according to the Georgia High School Football Historians Association. The others with a shot are Johnathon McCrary of Cedar Grove (6,939), Eddie Printz of Lassiter (6,868), and junior Deshaun Watson of Gainesville (6,494).

Story produced by Georgia High School Football Daily, a free e-mail newsletter. To join the mailing list, click here.

Continue reading Central Gwinnett QB seeks county yardage record »

Michael Carson, the former M.L. King coach who effectively lost his job days before the first game this season amid a sexting scanding, is planning to open a prep school next fall that will help football players get scholarships.

Carson said he hoped that M.L. King supporters and the high school football community would forgive him for the incident that cost him his job in August.

Carson led M.L. King to two Region 2-AAAAA championships in his two seasons at the DeKalb County school. In August, he was suspended and then resigned after the parent of a player began showing inappropriate text messages and photos that the coach had sent her.

“I’m responsible enough to admit that I made a mistake, and all I can do is ask for forgiveness,” Carson said. “I’m guilty of being weak at a time when I should have been strong, knowing that I had a family here and a wife who has been supportive through this ordeal. All I can do is ask her and God for forgiveness and move on.”

Under interim …

Continue reading Former M.L. King coach to start prep school »