Archive for the ‘4ABlog’ Category

If the girls team at Woodland-Stockbridge isn’t turning heads, perhaps they should be. The Lady Wolfpack got off to a 15-1 start and they have two legitimate scoring threats in Lindsey Reed (14.4 points per game) and Morgan Jones (11.1), each of whom averages 1.6 steals per game.

Holiday tournaments: The Columbia girls visited Washington D.C. For the fourth annual National Title IX Holiday Invitational Classic and came away with a win over Providence Day (N.C.) and a loss to Our Lady of Good Counsel (Md.). Columbia’s Mia Spencer was named second-team all-tournament.

Columbia, which began the event in the Gold Division, switched to the platinum division to face Good Counsel after Hoover (Ala.) revealed to event officials that it could not face Good Counsel without being in violation of a Alabama High School Association rule prohibiting member schools from competing against schools not sanctioned by a state high school association, according to the Washington Post.

The Eagle’s …

Continue reading Class AAAA blog: Woodland girls rolling »

Last year, Eagle’s Landing played in the Converse Invitational Classic at Columbia High School, and Golden Eagles coach Clay Crump hoped the stiff competition would serve as preparation for an anticipated state tournament run.

This year, Crump appears to have taken the scheduling a step further. The Golden Eagles played in the Memphis/Atlanta Challenge. Without senior post player Desmond Ringer, who sat out while rehabbing from a knee injury, the Golden Eagles dropped both of their games in Memphis.

“He does a lot for us,” said Crump. We didn’t play very well without him. He was back against Griffin Friday night.”

That was a 74-41 win for Eagle’s Landing, which improved to 6-2 overall and 5-0 in Region 4B-AAAA play. Now, it’s back to the road for another high-powered tournament: The City of Palms Classic in Fort Myers, Fla., a weeklong event featuring teams from 10 states. The event starts today at Bishop Verot High School.

Eagle’s Landing is one of two Georgia schools in the …

Continue reading AAAA basketball: Eagle’s Landing heads to Fla. tourney »

The Columbia boys closed out the Memphis/Atlanta Roundball Classic over the weekend with a win over Germantown (Tenn.). Tahj Shamsid-Deen scored 25 points for the Eagles, according to the Memphis Commercial Appeal. The 10-game event finished with five wins on each side. Eagle’s Landing got 20 points from Eric Wortham in its second game Saturday, but the Eagles lost to Melrose 73-53.

In 6-AAAA girls play, Chamblee is 4-0 behind stellar play from Candace Rhodes, who scored 20, 19 and 16 points in the first three wins …

Dalton standout Maddie Howell has missed three games with an ankle injury. Without her, the Lady Catamounts suffered their first loss on Dec. 1, but bounced back with wins over Coahulla Creek and Pickens. Howell, who is averaging 18 points per game, is expected back against Cass tonight …

Price is right for Monroe: The Monroe girls are off to a 7-0 start, including a win last week over Crisp County in a game that featured two of the state’s better players. …

Continue reading AAAA basketball: Shamsid-Deen shines for Columbia »

Ridgeland defensive back Vonn Bell is one of two Super 11 players still playing — Dooly County’s Montravius Adams is the other — and he and his teammates get the task of defending the state’s most balanced offense. Bell defending against Sandy Creek’s Demarre Kitt could be one of the best individual matchups of the state finals.

Here are a handful of questions to consider leading up to the Class AAAA state championship between 13-1 Ridgeland and 14-0 Sandy Creek:

Which poison will Ridgeland pick? Stopping the Sandy Creek running game or stopping Sandy Creek passing game. The Patriots sport a 2,000-yard passer in quarterback Cole Garvin, who completed 12 of 16 passes for 207 yards and a touchdown Friday night against Monroe Area. They also have a 1,000-yard receiver (Demarre Kitt) and two 1,000-yard running backs (Eric Swinney and Delvin Weems). All that has translated to a team that averages 43.9 points per game.

How will Sandy Creek’s defense fare against Darrell Bridges and …

Continue reading Questions to mull about the AAAA final »

It’s about commitment …

A Ridgeland player gave up his seat at the Heisman ceremony to be available to play in the Panthers’ Class AAAA semifinal Friday night against Marist. Senior linebacker Daniel Johnson, a 4.0 student who was named a national finalist for the Wendy’s High School Heisman, turned down a trip to New York so he could take the field against Marist.

“It really was a no-brainer,” Johnson told the Chattanooga Times-Free Press.

Meanwhile, Sandy Creek had to bring in extra seating to meet the GHSA’s seating requirement and hold onto its status as host school for the semifinal game. Once the Patriots won the coin flip to secore home-field advantage this week — Monroe Area also was short of the requisite 4,000 seats.

A look at the AAAA semis:

Monroe Area (12-1) at Sandy Creek (13-0): Monroe Area quarterback Stanton Truitt presents the Sandy Creek defense with an X-factor offensive player for the second straight week. Truitt has put up more than 1,300 rushing yards …

Continue reading Breaking down the Class AAAA semifinals »

The Fayette County boys team is on a streak of seven straight 20-2in seasons, including going a combined 55-6 over the past two years. So it’s noteworthy that they’re off to a difficult start – they’re 1-2 – though it might say more about their strength of schedule than it does their strength of program.

The two losses came to AA power Greater Atlanta Christian and four-time AAAAA champion Miller Grove. Neither of those games was close at the end, but the Tigers, who have two seniors and eight juniors on their roster, got in the win column with a win over AAAAAA Parkview last week.

Turnovers fuel Carrollton girls: The Carrollton girls whipped Oxford (Ala.) 61-32 in their season opener Nov. 30, forcing 38 turnovers. Carrollton built a 28-point lead in the third quarter. Senior guard Kenyata Hendrix scored 16 points to go with four steals, and Brooklyn Emory added 12 points.

Hot start for Cross Creek girls: Keyed by Ashleigh Outler and Breanna Bryant, Cross Creek has sprinted to …

Continue reading AAAA basketball: Fayette boys look to continue success »

Quick observations on the AAAA semifinals: The gnat line is the dividing line between still playing and season over — the four semifinalists are the region champs from Regions 5, 6, 7 and 8 — and this is not the usual suspects.

Yes, Sandy Creek and Marist are playoff mainstays with two state championships each, all of those since 1998. Ridgeland and Monroe Area have numerous recent playoff appearances, but nothing in their past duplicates the success they’re enjoying this year.

The champions from Regions 7 (Ridgeland) and 8 (Monroe Area) have set school records for victories and have dynamic playmakers leading the way.

And now, something else new: Coin flips for home-field advantage.

In Monroe Area’s case, the coin flip for its game against No. 1 Sandy Creek is set for Sunday in Thomaston, when the two schools will hash out the details of the game. This was made necessary because neither school’s stadium has the required seating capacity of 4,000. Both are mulling their …

Continue reading AAAA semifinalists all above the gnat line »

This week’s installment of the History Channel series: Mankind, The Story of All of Us, detailed the circumstances of Christopher Columbus’ voyage to the New World. Columbus, as we all learned in grade school, took off across the Atlantic Ocean not knowing what he’d find, or, frankly, if he’d find anything other than water.

Which brings us to the Class AAAA quarterfinals. Three of the eight teams this week are looking to find land. Yes, Stockbridge, South Effingham and Ridgeland are … wait for it … in uncharted waters. None of the three has previously advanced this far.

Is that meaningful? Probably not as meaningful as talent and preparation, as well as the draw of the bracket. But it will be interesting to see how they fare. I’d rate Ridgeland as the most likely of the three to land in the semifinals. Whatever happens, this is a red-letter weekend in AAAA football.

The state quarterfinals in Class AAAA:

South Effingham (8-4) at Monroe Area (11-1): Shootout alert. South …

Continue reading Class AAAA quarterfinalists seek smooth sailing »

It goes without saying that by this point in the season, there are a lot of football players showing what they can do. Even so, the remaining eight teams in Class AAAA seem particularly star-studded.

A handful – opposing coaches might argue they’re more than a handful – of players to watch in the third round of the Class AAAA playoffs:

Donquell Green, Burke County: Green goes by the nickname “Gator”, but “Goodness Gracious” might be more appropriate. The junior quarterback has rushed for 1,626 yards and 31 touchdowns, scoring two or more touchdowns in nine of the Bears’ 12 games. He’s also passed for 1,202 yards and nine more Tds, and perhaps most impressive, he’s thrown just one interception in 115 pass attempts. Said Sandy Creek coach Chip Walker, “The best way to slow him down is to keep him on the sideline.”

Darrell Bridges, Ridgeland: While teammate and big-time recruit Vonn Bell has garnered a lot of attention, Bridges has his eye on 2,000 rushing. Going into this week’s …

Continue reading Stars come out in Class AAAA »

There were nail-biters in five of the eight games in the second round of the Class AAAA playoffs, and the kicking game figured prominently in three of them.

The best of the lot was the showdown between No. 2 Marist and No. 10 Carrollton. The 43-37 final score (Marist advanced) after five overtimes masked how much of a defensive struggle the game was. It was tied at 13 at the end of regulation, courtesy of a missed Marist extra point and a blocked Carrollton field goal attempt. Myles Willis’ 15-yard run in the fifth overtime provided the game-winning points for the War Eagles.

Kicker, exhibit 2: Mary Persons’ Kenny Miller booted a 20-yard field goal in overtime to give the Bulldogs a 3-0 win over Cairo, which had two chances at a field goal in its half of overtime and missed them both. It was the second shutout of the year for Mary Persons and the only shutout in the second round in AAAA.

Kicker, exhibit 3: A missed PAT in overtime resulted in the end to Grady’s season. The …

Continue reading Special teams play huge in AAAA second round »

Games to watch in Class AAAA this week:

No. 10 Carrollton (8-3) at No. 2 Marist (10-1): Carrollton’s Rayvan Teague and Marist’s Alan Chadwick have 516 coaching wins between them. Carrollton has scored 40 points or more eight times in 11 games, keyed by the running of Trey Chivers (790 yards, 11 touchdowns) and Jarvis Terrell (695 yards, 8 touchdowns). Marist’s Myles Willis has rushed for 831 yards and passed for 707, accounting for a combined 19 touchdowns.

Grady (9-2) at Monroe Area (10-1): This one carries multiple story lines. After missing multiple games with an ankle injury, Monroe Area quarterback Stanton Truitt returned to the lineup last week and scored the winning touchdown against Shaw. Monroe Area coach Matt Fligg has family ties to the Grey Knights’ program. His father, the late Jack Fligg, was head coach at Grady from 1958-1963 before moving to the college ranks.

Mary Persons (9-2) at No. 7 Cairo (9-2): Fresh off coach Tom Fallaw’s 100th career win, the …

Continue reading Class AAAA: Big second-round matchup between Carrollton, Marist »

Things we learned in the Class AAAA first round:

Playoffs are no problem for Marist defense: The War Eagles beat Gilmer 56-0, posting their fifth shutout in 11 games. Marist has allowed just 86 points (7.8 per game), and 50 of those came in the first three games.

Ditto for Carrollton: The Carrollton defense held explosive Stephens County running back Chaz Thornton to 62 yards on 19 carries and allowed just 131 total yards. While the Trojans scored 40 points for the eighth time in 11 games, they also held an opponent to two touchdowns or less for the eighth time.

Green continues to make plays for Burke: Donquell Green’s yardage wasn’t eye-popping, but when big plays got made Friday night for Burke County, it was Green who made them.

The junior quarterback passed for one touchdown, ran for two, returned a kickoff for a touchdown and intercepted a pass, which he returned 40 yards in the Bears’ 35-7 win over Perry in the first round of the playoffs.

“He’s a great player,” said …

Continue reading Class AAAA: Marist defense is lights out »

Five intriguing Class AAAA first-round games:

Eastside (7-3) at No. 1 Sandy Creek (10-0): The last two weeks have been a roller-coaster for Eastside, which dropped to fourth in Region 8-AAAA despite having only two losses in region play. The Eagles, who played Sandy Creek within a field goal in 2011, lost to Stephens County on Nov. 2 before shocking previously unbeaten Monroe Area 35-0 last week. So they have a modicum of momentum going against Sandy Creek, which allows less than 10 points a game and averages almost 46 points per

Statesboro (8-2) at Mary Persons (8-2): The Blue Devils face Mary Persons for the second time eveaennd the first since 1970, when Statesboro won a region championship against the Bulldogs. This one features two explosive backs in Statesboro’s Quan Daniels and Mary Persons’ Nick Davis. The Bulldogs enter the playoffs on a four-game winning streak and have won 10 straight home games.

Dalton (7-3) at Carver-Atlanta (9-1), Lakewood Stadium: The question …

Continue reading Intriguing games in Class AAAA »

Farewell regular season. It was good to know ye. Now the real fun starts. Here are some odds, ends and musings on the Class AAAA brackets:

Toughest bracket: The GHSA didn’t name or otherwise designate the bracket sections, so I will. The toughest is the Southwest Regional, (so designated because it’s on the bottom left portion of the bracket on the GHSA website). Three of the top five teams in the GHSF Daily final regular-season rankings are there – No. 1 Sandy Creek, No. 3 Burke County and No. 5 Griffin. It also features 9-1 Carver and running back Montravious Taylor and Eastside, which just ripped previously unbeaten Monroe Area 35-0. One of those top five teams will be out after the second round.

De ja vu: Jonesboro traveled to Albany and played Westover on Sept. 7. Sparked by a 75-yard kickoff return by Patrick Petty, the Cardinals overcame an early deficit and won 34-12. The Cardinals get to make the trip again this week with their season on the line.

Most likely 4th …

Continue reading Class AAAA playoff primer »

Five AAAA teams riding momentum into playoffs

Sandy Creek: Any discussion of the AAAA playoffs has to begin with the top-ranked Patriots, who completed their third straight undefeated regular season with a 65-0 win over Columbus Friday night. The only unbeaten team left in AAAA, Sandy Creek has allowed 20 points just once, has held six opponents to a touchdown or less and is averaging 45 points per game.

Marist: The War Eagles (9-1) enter the playoffs having won eight straight, and the last two weeks they’ve thumped previously unbeaten teams, winning 24-0 over Chamblee last week and 42-14 over Carver-Altanta Friday night. Quarterback Myles Willis, who accounted for 221 yards and three touchdowns against Carver, leads a talented group of skilled players on offense and like Sandy Creek, the Marist defense has allowed more than 20 points just once, that coming against Class AAAAA Thomas County Central.

Burke County: Last year’s Class AAA champions are one of three teams in AAAA …

Continue reading Class AAAA: Five hot teams entering playoffs »