Archive for October, 2012

By Score Atlanta

The cream is rising to the top across the state as the top 24 teams remain with a chance at GHSA volleyball championships. McEachern and Marietta will be the site this week as the titles are decided with the semifinals Wednesday and the A-AAAA finals taking place Saturday, Nov. 3 and the AAAAA and AAAAAA finals on Monday, Nov. 5.

In Class AAAAAA, No.1 Harrison, No. 2 Walton and No. 4 North Cobb give Cobb County three chances to claim the first AAAAAA title. No. 3 Johns Creek is also still alive for a shot at the crown. Walton beat Harrison for the AAAAA title one year ago. Walton has won the last two AAAAA titles.

In Class AAAAA, No. 1 Whitewater is after its first title since 2009. McIntosh is aiming for its first crown since 2007. Starr’s Mill faces McIntosh in one semifinal match while No. 3 Lakeside-DeKalb faces Whitewater in the other.

In Class AAAA, No. 1 Sandy Creek is after a second straight crown and a third since 2008. The Patriots face No. 2 …

Continue reading HS volleyball poll: Playoffs separating contenders, pretenders »

Thursday’s games

Americus-Sumter at Dougherty (M)

Douglass at Callaway

Druid Hills at Morrow (T)

Glenn Hills at Hephzibah

Grayson at Archer

Kendrick at Jordan (K)

Luella at Newton

Perry at Rutland (ED)

Savannah Christian at Sav. Country Day

South Atlanta at Therrell (L)

Friday’s games

Albany at Crisp Co.

Allatoona at North Paulding

Aquinas at Georgia Military

Armuchee at Coosa

Athens Academy at Hebron Christian

Athens Christian at George Walton

B.E.S.T. Academy at Rockmart

Bacon Co. at Atkinson Co.

Banks Co. at North Hall

Banneker at Washington (L)

Beach at Johnson, Savannah (SM)

Berkmar at Parkview

Berrien at Cook

Blessed Trinity at St. Pius

Bremen at Temple

Buford at East Hall

Burke Co. at Butler

Cairo at Monroe

Cambridge at Sequoyah

Camden Co. at Lowndes

Carrollton at Sandy Creek

Cartersville at Sonoraville

Carver, Columbus at Peach Co.

Cedar Shoals at Salem

Cedartown at Gilmer

Centennial at Alpharetta

Central Gwinnett at Dacula

Central, Carrollton at Chapel …

Continue reading High school football schedule for Week 11 »

There are eight region games this week between ranked teams. That’s the most in one week this season. They don’t include No. 2 Marist against unranked Chamblee (8-0) in Class AAAA.

*No. 1 Camden County vs. No. 4 Lowndes (AAAAAA)

*No. 1 Northside-Warner Robins vs. No. 7 Warner Robins (AAAAA)

*No. 2 M.L. King vs. No. 5 Tucker (AAAAA)

*No. 1 Sandy Creek vs. No. 4 Carrollton (AAAA)

*No. 1 Peach County vs. No. 4 Carver Columbus (AAA)

*No. 7 Blessed Trinity vs. No. 9 St. Pius (AAA)

*No. 5 Lincoln County vs. No. 9 Wilkinson County (A)

*No. 7 Wilcox County vs. No. 8 Irwin County (A)

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Continue reading Eight games in Week 11 between ranked teams »

GHSF Daily’s Chip Saye ranks the surprises and games of note from the weekend:

1. Mount Zion 20, Darlington 17: Mount Zion of Carroll County moved into first place in 6-A Division A with a shocker against three-time defending region champion Darlington. The Eagles improved to 5-3 overall and can win the subregion title with a victory against Gordon Lee on Friday. Mount Zion was 0-10 in 2011 and outscored by an average of 48-9.

2. Central Gwinnett 30, Parkview 27: Parkview, which was ranked No. 6 in Class AAAAAA last week, fell into a four-way tie for first place in AAAAAA with a three-overtime loss to a Central Gwinnett team that had won just one of its first five region games. Parkview remains in the driver’s seat and can win the region title with victories in its final two games.

3. Chattahoochee 29, West Forsyth 28: West Forsyth, which was ranked No. 5 in Class AAAAAA last week, fell into a three-way tie for first place in 6-AAAAAA after suffering its first loss of the …

Continue reading Notable results of week 11: Mount Zion (0-10 in 2011) on brink of subregion title »

By Stephen Black

Score Atlanta

Marietta kept climbing in Class AAAAAA and landed at No. 3 after its second major win in as many weeks, this time at the Region 4-AAAAAA championships at Harrison. The Hoyas girls won the Region 4 meet and moved into the Class AAAAAA poll, debuting at No. 6 while North Cobb, which finished second, dropped to No. 8.

At the Carrollton Last Chance Invitational, Etowah finished second and was followed by Peachtree Ridge. The Eagles moved to No. 9 in Class AAAAAA and the Lions entered the poll at No. 10.

Dunwoody entered the Class AAAAA poll at No. 10 after a second-place finish at the Region 6-AAAAA championships at Druid Hills.

In the Region 5-A championships at Our Lady of Mercy in Fairburn, No. 3 Galloway won the race while Landmark Christian came in second and moved up to No. 4.

Blessed Trinity and Cartersville swapped spots in Class AAA, Model moved into the Class AA poll at No. 6, and Lovett fell to No. 8 as a result of finishes at the …

Continue reading Cross country rankings: Blue Devils keep rising »

By Score Atlanta

The GHSA softball titles have been awarded after three incredible days of action in Columbus. Archer, Union Grove, Northwest Whitfield, Buford, Dade County, Gordon Lee and Mt. Pisgah all claimed trophies as seven champions were crowned for the first time in GHSA history. Archer managed to end Collins Hill’s reign at the top of the state’s highest classification. Collins Hill had won the last three Class AAAAA titles before moving up to Class AAAAAA.

Union Grove claimed its first Class AAAAA title after winning three games Saturday coming out of the Losers Bracket. Union Grove was forced to beat Whitewater then Pope twice after falling to Pope 1-0 on Friday in the semifinals of the Winners Bracket. Northwest Whitfield also earned its first crown in Class AAAA. Buford won a sixth straight GHSA softball title but the first in Class AAA. The previous five came in Class AA.

Dade County’s title in Class AA was the program’s first since 2004. In Class A, …

Continue reading HS softball rankings: Champions headline final poll »

There are eight region games between ranked teams this week, the most of the season so far. That doesn’t include No. 2 Marist at unranked Chamblee in Class AAAA. Both are 8-0.

The games between ranked teams are:

-No. 1 Camden County vs. No. 4 Lowndes (AAAAAA)
-No. 1 Northside-Warner Robins vs. No. 7 Warner Robins (AAAAA)
-No. 2 M.L. King vs. No. 5 Tucker (AAAAA)
-No. 1 Sandy Creek vs. No. 4 Carrollton (AAAA)
-No. 1 Peach County vs. No. 4 Carver Columbus (AAA)
-No. 7 Blessed Trinity vs. No. 9 St. Pius (AAA)
-No. 5 Lincoln County vs. No. 9 Wilkinson County (A)
-No. 7 Wilcox County vs. No. 8 Irwin County (A)

In rankings news, seven ranked teams lost Friday, and none fell out of the Top 10. Most conspicuous among those will be Colquitt County (5-3).

The seven ranked teams that lost are West Forsyth, Parkview, Colquitt, Stephenson, Washington County, St. Pius, Cook.

Only the three AAAAAA teams (West Forsyth, Parkview, Colquitt) lost to unranked teams.

So, how does a three-loss …

Continue reading Poll Talk: Blockbuster Friday is coming this week; meanwhile, how is Colquitt County still ranked? »

Columbus – It wasn’t the prettiest of pitching lines by Archer’s Nani Cabrales, but when she needed an out, she got it.

Cabrales struck out four and allowed 10 hits, but stranded seven Kennesaw Mountain runners as the Lady Tigers won 7-4 the Class AAAAAA final, completing an unbeaten run in the state finals tournament.

Cabrales had some help. Center fielder Jacqui Switzer ran down a drive into the gap in the top of the fifth that would have scored a run for the Lady Mustangs (33-5-2).

Alliyah Williams had three hits and scored two runs for Archer, which won the state championship in just its fourth year of competition. Her RBI single in the sixth inning plated a key run.

Archer (33-7) scored a pair of runs in the second and two more in the fourth for a 4-0 lead.

In the bottom of the fourth Kennesaw Mountain capitalized on a two-out error, scoring runs on RBI singles by ReBekah Farris and Maddi Lewis to cut the lead to 4-2.

Archer scored single runs in the fifth and sixth to …

Continue reading Archer claims AAAAAA softball crown »

Here are five of the big stories from Week 10 in Class AAAAA:

*Region 6-AAAAA title picture a little clearer: M.L. King (8-0, 7-0) and Tucker (7-1, 6-1) moved to the top of the crowded field in the 6-AAAAA championship chase with victories on Friday against Stephenson and Miller Grove, respectively, and set up a huge matchup for next weekend when the Lions and Tigers meet at Hallford Stadium. A victory would give M.L. King the region title. Tucker will win the region if it beats M.L. King and then Mays the following weekend. Both should reach the playoffs. Miller Grove, Stephenson, Mays and Southwest DeKalb all have two or three region losses and will fight for the other two playoff spots.

*It’s rivalry week in Warner Robins: Northside and Warner Robins improved to 5-0 in 2-AAAAA on Friday to set up next week’s showdown that will determine the Region 2-AAAAA champion. Northside recorded its second consecutive shutout and fourth overall in beating Greenbrier 35-0. Warner …

Continue reading M.L. King, Tucker emerge in 6-AAAAA; Warner Robins, Northside tune up for showdown »

By S. Thomas Coleman
For the AJC

Here’s what went down in Week 10.

Mt. Zion pulls off a stunner over Darlington. How unlikely was the Eagles’ 20-17 win over the Tigers? Many respectable websites had the score backwards.  But it’s true.  Mt. Zion (5-3, 3-1)  trailed 10-0 early, but rallied to take a 14-10 lead after Nathan Bernhardt scored on a 20-yard touchdown pass from Tristan Puckett at the end of the half, according to the Times-Georgian.  After Darlington regained the lead early in the fourth quarter on a 9-yard run by Chandler Duggan, Mt. Zion recovered a fumble deep in Tiger territory late in the fourth quarter.  Bernhardt scored from one-yard out to put the Eagles back on top, and then grabbed an interception with a little over 2 minutes remaining to preserve the win.  New head coach Keith Holloway, a career assistant in west Georgia schools like Alexander, Central-Carrollton and Bowdon, has the Eagles in position to win Region 6-Division A with a win at …

Continue reading Class A Blog: UPDATED! Another week, another big upset — Mt. Zion over Darlington »

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The Region 5 showdown is on. No. 1-ranked Sandy Creek and No. 4 Carrollton avoided pre-showdown letdowns with big wins Friday night, setting up a de facto region championship game next week. Rushing for five touchdowns, including three by Eric Swinney, Sandy Creek throttled LaGrange to stay unbeaten. Meanwhile, Carrollton got four first-half touchdowns from Trey Chivers and rolled over winless Alexander.

Other things we learned in AAAA Friday night:

Marist does its part: No. 2 Marist whipped Stone Mountain Friday night to stay unbeaten in sub-region play. The War Eagles, who are 7-1 overall, play next week against Chamblee, which was unbeaten heading into Saturday’s matchup against struggling Lithonia.

Statesboro’s defense stands up: The No. 5-ranked Blue Devils (7-1, 2-0 Regio 3-AAAA Division A), ranked No. 5, held their fourth straight opponent to single-digit points in a 13-6 win over South Effingham, which went into the game averaging 32 points. Running back Quan Daniels …

Continue reading Sandy Creek, Carrollton turn eyes to battle royale »

The highly anticipated Game 10 showdown in two weeks between Lovett and Greater Atlanta Christian came into sharper focus Friday with both state-ranked teams remaining perfect in Region 6-AA at 2-0. The Lions (4-4) edged Wesleyan 24-21, while the Spartans (6-2) turned back Hapeville Charter 38-20.

Here are things Friday showed us about those squads, as well as others in AA:

– Lovett is resilient: The Lions overcame a 21-10 third-quarter deficit and didn’t lead until Grant Haley’s 1-yard run with 29 seconds left. Haley stole the show with three scores, his others being a 75-yard run and 96-yard kickoff return.

– Scales, Chapple continue to spark GAC: Kyle Scales’ two scores and 123 yards rushing and Rafe Chapple’s two TDs and 166 passing helped the Spartans jump to an insurmountable 24-6 lead at halftime.

– Ben Davenport has Pepperell on a roll: His 182 yards and two TDs rushing pushed the Dragons past Chattooga 28-21 and closer to the second playoff spot in 7-AA, …

Continue reading Lovett, GAC heightening excitement »

A lot was learned about the No. 2 Thomson Bulldogs on Friday night. Coach Milan Turner’s team proved itself as a worthy contender for the state title by going into Sandersville and beating No. 3 Washington County 28-14 at the House of Pain.

The biggest pain for the Golden Hawks turned out to be Thomson running back Chris Jordan. Playing on one good leg, Jordan rushed for 187 yards and scored four touchdowns. He now has 1,678 yards and 18 touchdowns.

But it was Thomson’s defense that saved the day. The Bulldogs forced Washington County into two costly turnovers in the second half. And Waco hurt itself with a penalty that negated a long kickoff return that would have been a touchdown.

Washington County’s William Walker lived up to his end of the deal. The quarterback rushed for 141 yards and threw for 194 yards, but had a very costly fumble.

The win secures the Region 3-AAA championship for Thomson, which has next week off before finishing against Jefferson …

Continue reading Thomson proves it is the real deal »

By Score Atlanta

Alpharetta 35, Lambert 7: Joshua Dobbs threw five touchdown passes to four different receivers. Carlos Burse caught two touchdowns for the visiting Raiders while Daniel Clements, Andre Harton and Rodney Morris each had one. Clements finished with 159 receiving yards and Dobbs threw for 423 yards.

Brookwood 41, Berkmar 27: Josh Brown blocked a field goal and returned it 77 yards for a score and also returned an interception 46 yards for a touchdown for the visiting Broncos. Dorren Miller scored on a 91-yard pass reception for the Patriots.

Centennial 27, North Forsyth 9: Quarterback Chase Rosenberg threw for 325 yards and three touchdowns, two to Christian Robinson and one to freshman Caden Herring. Centennial, winner of three straight region games, opened the scoring on a 37-yard field goal by Devin O’Neill in the first quarter and it was matched by a 37-yarder by Vince Sciorrotta. Then Rosenberg hit Robinson for a 17-yard touchdown score and O’Neill followed …

Continue reading AAAAAA roundup »

By Score Atlanta

Creekview 47, Forsyth Central 14: Quarterback Hayden Hall threw for a pair of touchdowns and ran for another for the host Grizzlies. Hall tossed a 6-yard pass to Dylan Harrison and a 41-yard strike to Joey Noll. Chandler Wold had two rushing touchdowns from seven and six yards out.

Flowery Branch 24, Clarke Central 13: The visiting Falcons took care of the Gladiators behind running back Justin Curry. Curry had a pair of touchdowns on the ground running the ball in from 25 yards and three yards. Jackson McDonald sealed the win with a 2-yard touchdown pass to Jamal Stephens with just over six minutes to play.

Kell 33 Sprayberry 21: In a battle of East Cobb rivals, running back Khalil Bell put the game away for the visiting Longhorns with three touchdowns. Jamari Moore also scored on the ground, and Terry Henkle caught a touchdown pass from Matt McGuigan.

Marist 34, Stone Mountain 8: Marist got first half rushing touchdowns from Marcus Miller, Myles Willis, …

Continue reading AAAAA roundup »