Archive for the ‘AAAAA’ Category

By S. Thomas Coleman
For the AJC

They say it is good to save the best for last. Martin Luther King head football coach Cortez Allen hopes that is the case when it comes to the AJC.com 50-in-50 series.

The Lions are the final team on this year’s list. Allen hopes they are the final team left standing in Class AAAAA, at the end of the playoffs. In just 11 seasons of football M.L. King has established itself as one of the state’s top programs with a record of 105-29, and four region championships, including the 2012 Region 6AAAAA title.

But Allen, in his first year as head coach, wants more.

“That’s why you work so hard, because ultimately, you are working and competing to win a state championship,” Allen said. “Winning region championships is great, an outstanding accomplishment, especially in a region as tough as ours. But ultimately, it’s about winning state championships, making sure your kids graduate and go to college, and become successful men in life. …

Continue reading 50 in 50: Martin Luther King Lions »

By S. Thomas Coleman
For the AJC

Propelled by two huge innings, Pope swept the Class AAAAA Finals from Greenbrier, winning Game 1, 11-7 in eight innings, and Game 2, 15-5 in five innings. It gave the Greyhounds their second state title in four years (2009).

Game 1 had one of the most bizarre finishes imaginable for any ball game, let alone a state final.

Trailing 5-2 heading into the bottom of the seventh, Pope scored three runs to tie the game. The final two runs were plated on a two-out single to center by junior Patrick Wiseman that was misplayed into a double by the Greenbrier centerfielder.

But the Wolfpack retook the lead in the top of the eighth. Two walks and a single by senior Steven Maier loaded the bases, and after freshman Ty Snipes was fanned by Pope freshman hurler Cameron Allison, senior Clint Hardy’s sharp grounder ate up Greyhound shortstop Johnny Flading, which allowed Chris Michaels to score.

Greenbrier added what seemed like a key insurance run one …

Continue reading Class AAAAA Baseball Finals: Pope sweeps Greenbrier, 11-7 in eight innings and 15-5 in five innings »

Olten Downs, who led Riverdale to its first playoff appearance in seven years last season, is the new head coach at Creekside in Fairburn.

Downs was 13-10 in two seasons at Riverdale and 7-4 in 2012 as the Raiders had their first winning season since 2006.

‘’It was difficult to leave Riverdale,’’ Downs said Tuesday. “When I took it over, it wasn’t in the best of shape, and we got it turned around. We had a great senior class coming back, but I felt that at Creekside I could turn that program on the elite level on the state of Georgia. They have that type of talent.’’

Creekside has a talented rising senior class that includes quarterback Evan Berry and linebacker Elliot Berry, brothers of NFL safety Eric Berry.

Downs also said that he was attracted to a school that had its own stadium on campus. Riverdale and other Clayton County schools share stadiums.

Downs, 28, was a defensive coordinator at Carver of Columbus from 2006 through 2010,   during which his …

Continue reading Updated: Creekside hires Riverdale coach Downs »

New Mays head football coach Corey Jarvis says leaving Duluth was a family decision. The coach, best known for his time at M.L. King, already begun work at the Atlanta school and is busy hiring a staff.

‘’It’s closer to home for me,’’ said Jarvis, a graduate of old Harper High in Atlanta. “I’m closer to mom, closer to my house. I know the area well, so it’s like me going back home to be honest. I just had to make a sacrifice for my family time-wise.’’

Duluth was 4-6 in each of Jarvis’ three seasons playing in Region 7-AAAAAA. Duluth’s record was 2-28 over the previous three seasons.

Jarvis’ region doesn’t get much easier at Mays, which was 5-5 last season in 6-AAAAA. It is the region that features Stephenson, Tucker, Southwest DeKalb and Jarvis’ previous employer M.L. King. King was 49-11 in Jarvis’ five seasons (2005-2009) and won five playoff games.

Mays hasn’t won a playoff game since 2007 despite a 35-18 record over the past five years. …

Continue reading Former Duluth, MLK football coach Jarvis ‘going back home’ to Mays »

Here are the Maxwell Ratings’ computer-generated odds of winning the state championship for each of the 64 Class AAAAA boys and girls playoff teams.

The odds are based on team strength, but also the difficulty of each team’s draw. For example, Miller Grove’s boys are a 1.64-to-1 shot, according to Maxwell. Miller Grove’s girls also are the team to beat – winning the tournament 22.93 times out of 100 computer simulations.

Here’s a definition of terms:

Rating = Strength of the team.

Draw = Strength of opponents this team might face. (Low number means a favorable draw.)

Wins=Number of times team would win out championship in 100 tries.

Odds = Chances of this team winning the title.

Here are the odds for other classifications:

AAAAAA

AAAAA

AAAA

AAA

AA

BOYS

1. Miller Grove Rating: 92.4 Draw: 76.2 Wins: 37.94 Odds: 1.64

2. Effingham County Rating: 85.47 Draw: 75.79 Wins: 16.28 Odds: 5.14

3. Mays Rating: 81.13 Draw: 76.05 Wins: 7.38 Odds: 12.55

4. Northside (Warner Robins) …

Continue reading AAAAA odds: Computer expects Miller Grove to sweep boys, girls titles »

First-round matchups are unofficial. If you notice errors, please point them out.

Girls first-round games will be played Tuesday. Boys first-round games will be played Wednesday. Schools that have home games for both their boys and girls teams may schedule double-headers, putting both games on Tuesday or Wednesday, if the opposing schools agree.

CLASS AAAAAA

BOYS

(R3-#4) Douglas County at (R2-#1) Druid Hills

(R4-#3) Campbell at (R1-#2) Brunswick

(R2-#4) Luella at (R3-#1) Tri-Cities

(R1-#3) Valdosta at (R4-#2) Hillgrove

(R5-#4) Walton at (R8-#1) Shiloh

(R6-#3) Centennial at (R7-#2) Peachtree Ridge

(R8-#4) Dacula at (R5-#1) Wheeler

(R7-#3) Meadowcreek at (R6-#2) Chattahoochee

(R4-#4) McEachern at (R1-#1) Tift County

(R3-#3) Westlake at (R2-#2) Rockdale County

(R1-#4) Coffee at (R4-#1) North Cobb

(R2-#3) Morrow at (R3-#2) Newnan

(R6-#4) Lambert at (R7-#1) Norcross

(R5-#3) Cherokee at (R8-#2) Archer

(R7-#4) Collins Hill at (R6-#1) Alpharetta

(R8-#3) Berkmar (R5-#2) Roswell

CLASS …

Continue reading Basketball: First-round playoff games in all classifications »

Leroy Ryals, who led Clarke Central to a state championship game in 2009, is the new head football coach at Thomasville in south Georgia.

Ryals, a Sarasota, Fla., native, was 60-22-1 in his eight seasons in Athens. Clarke, a state power for two decades under retired coach Billy Henderson, had not won a playoff game since 1997 when Ryals’ 2009 team made the Class AAAA championship game against Sandy Creek.

Thomasville has a similar football history to Clarke Central as a former major player in the highest classification.  Thomasville, now Class AA, is one of the most winning programs in state history with nearly 700 victories and state five state championships, most recently in 1988. Prominent former Thomasville players include William Andrews, Mike Bobo, Eric Curry and Guy McIntyre.

“Thomasville reminds me a lot of Clarke Central,” Ryals told the Athens Banner-Herald. “It looks the same. It has the same kind of demographics. Even the school colors are the …

Continue reading Thomasville hires Clarke Central football coach »

McIntosh and sixth-ranked Mount Zion-Jonesboro, the boys regular-season subregion champions in 4-AAAAA, were upset in the region tournament quarterfinals at Ola on Monday and will not advance to the state tournament.

Subregion A champion Mount Zion was knocked off 62-57 by Creekside, the No. 4 seed from subregion B. Mount Zion won 71-62 when the teams met during the regular season on Dec. 4.

McIntosh, the top seed from subregion B, lost 40-33 to Northgate, the No. 5 seed from subregion B. McIntosh beat Northgate twice during the regular season by a combined 22 points.

Creekside (9-15) and Northgate (9-15) both won two games in three days to reach the semifinals.

Starr’s Mill is the highest seed remaining in the tournament. The Panthers, the No. 2 seed behind McIntosh in subregion B, will face Creekside in the semifinals at 8:30 p.m. Friday. Northgate will face Whitewater in the other semifinal at 5:30 p.m. Friday. All four teams will advance to the state …

Continue reading Top-seeded McIntosh, Mount Zion boys upset in 4-AAAAA quarterfinals »

Terry Crowder, who led Chattahoochee’s football team to a state championship in 2010, is the new head coach at Creekview in Cherokee County.

Crowder was 60-40 in nine seasons at Chattahoochee. The Cougars were 7-4 last season playing in Region 6-AAAAAA. Crowder came to Chattahoochee in 2004 from Camden County, where he was an assistant on Camden’s 2003 Class AAAAA championship team.

Chattahoochee’s 2010 team was 15-0 and led by all-classification state player of the year  quarterback  Tim Byerly.

Crowder will replace Al Morrell, who retired after 31 seasons as a high school coach. Under Morrell, who started the Creekview program in 2006, Creekview had only one losing season and was 9-2 in 2012 playing in Region 7-AAAAA.

Continue reading Creekview hires former Chattahoochee coach Crowder »

Dominic Callaway is out as head football coach at Mays of Atlanta despite a 40-19 record over five-plus seasons. His 2012 team went 5-5, the first time the school did not have a winning season since 2005, while playing in Region 6-AAAAA, generally regarded as the toughest in  its classification.

‘’It did surprise me, and I’m speechless a little bit, but they gave me a shot and they wanted to go in a different direction, so what can you say,’’ Callaway said. “I’m still taking it all in, and I’ll try to rebound somewhere else.’’

Principal Dr. Tyrone Smith was not immediately available for comment.

Callaway came to Mays in 2005 under head coach Rodney Hackney and became interim head coach during the 2007 season after Jesse Solomon was suspended amid a certification issue. Solomon later resigned.

Mays, 4-2 at the time, went on to finish 9-3 under Callaway.  Mays also made the playoffs in 2009, 2010 and 2011 under Callaway but lost in the first round.

Only …

Continue reading Mays makes change at football coach »

Below is a list of former Georgia high school football players from Class AAAAA schools who were on college rosters in 2012.

This list is the work of Tucker Tigers fan Steve Slay, a researcher with the Georgia High School Football Historians Association whose hobby is providing hard-to-find, fascinating information of all sorts about high school players and teams in the state. He’s compiled this information for the past four years, at least. It’s a remarkable effort. AJC.com is giving him a forum to share his work.

Here are the links to the lists for each classifications:

AAAAAA

AAAAA

AAAA

AAA

AA

A

College players by AAAAA school:

58 – Stephenson

39 – Tucker

38 – M.L. King

26 – Southwest DeKalb

23 – Whitewater

22 – Dunwoody

21 – Starr’s Mill

19 – Mays

19 – Sprayberry

17 – Clarke Central

17 – East Paulding

17 – Kell

17 – Pope

16 – Gainesville

16 – Miller Grove

16 – Mundy’s Mill

16 – Northside (Warner Robins)

15 – Creekside

13 – Heritage (Conyers)

13 – Houston County

13 – …

Continue reading Georgia players in college football (AAAAA) »

Six Georgia boys teams ranked in the top six in their classifications are playing out-of-state teams Saturday at Norcross in the Hilton Invitational.

Here’s the schedule:

1 p.m. – North Cobb (#1 in AAAAAA) vs. Carver (Montgomery, Ala.)

2:30 p.m. – Miller Grove (#1 in AAAAA) vs. Memphis East (Tenn.)

4 p.m. – Greater Atlanta Christian (#2 in AAA) vs. Olympic (Charlotte, N.C.)

5:30 p.m. – Eagle’s Landing (#4 in AAAA) vs. Flora MacDonald Academy (Red Springs, N.C.)

7 p.m. – Norcross (#6 in AAAAAA) vs. DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.)

8:30 p.m. – Wheeler (#3 in AAAAAA) vs. Christ School (Asheville, N.C.)

Just a little about the out-of-state teams …

Olympic is ranked No. 11 nationally by MaxPreps and No. 21 by USA Today. Akron signee B.J. Gladden is Olympic’s top player.

Carver is Alabama’s defending Class 6A champion. Carver’s best player is Jeremy Johnson, who as a quarterback was Alabama’s state player of the year. He’s a 6-foot-6 guard who some believe has …

Continue reading Basketball: Elite teams coming to Norcross on Saturday »

Compiled by Score Atlanta

Blessed Trinity 45, Lassiter 36

Cedartown 41, Rockmart 25

Columbia 57, Marist 52

Dalton 77, Murray County 55

Elbert County 51, Stephens County 39

Flowery Branch 68, Lanier 43

Forest Park 44, Drew 35

Habersham Central 38, Apalachee 21

Jones County 42, Georgia Military 29

McIntosh 37, Starr’s Mill 33

Mountain View 51, Archer 45

North Gwinnett 76, Alpharetta 50

Paulding County 47, South Paulding 36

Peach County 58, Taylor County 47

Providence Christian 32, Commerce 27

Redan 74, Lithonia 28

Rockdale County 44, Salem 34

Sonoraville 55, Pickens 50

Southwest Atlanta Christian 49, Wesleyen 46d

St. Francis 71, Mt. Paran Christian 27

St. Pius 57, Decatur 37

Stephenson 74, M.L. King 21

Treutlen 39, Montgomery County 27

Warner Robins 35, Northside, WR 28

Washington-Wilkes 60, Glascock County 32

Westover 37, Monroe 22

White County 32, Lumpkin County 25

Continue reading Saturday girls basketball scores »

Compiled by Score Atlanta

Blessed Trinity 50, Lassiter 48

Calvary Day 46, Episcopal, FL 37

Chattahoochee 61, South Gwinnett 50

Elbert County 82, Stephens County 59

Fayette County 69, LaGrange 66

Gilmer 54, Gordon Central 49

Grady 57, North Atlanta 53

Greenforest Christian 54, Westminster 40

Hillgrove 57, Woodstock 40

Jackson County 58, Riverside Military 54

Jones County 46, Georgia Military 43

LaFayette 55, Armuchee 43

Landmark Christian 54, Woodward Academy 50

Lithonia 57, Redan 43

McEachern 50, Brookwood 48

North Cobb 67, Kell 38

North Cobb Christian 58, Fellowship Christian 31

Northside, WR 63, Warner Robins 55

Rockmart 80, Cedartown 40

Shaw 73, Carrollton 53

St. Francis 74, Mt. Paran Christian 48

Vidalia 77, Richmond Hill 38

W.D. Mohammed 66, Lovett 43

Continue reading Saturday boys basketball scores »

Compiled by Score Atlanta

Allatoona 73, Rome 31

Calvary Day 59, Landmark Christian 54

Campbell 53, North Cobb 39

Chattahoochee 66, North Forsyth 45

Commerce 48, Towns County 36

Crisp County 43, Cairo 32

Dawson County 51, East Hall 43

Galloway 74, Walker 54

Hawkinsville 77, St. Anne Pacelli 47

Hillgrove 87, South Cobb 60

Johns Creek 61, West Forsyth 43

Marietta 55, Lassiter 48

North Gwinnett 63 Collins Hill 51

North Murray 77, Sonoraville 39

Northside, Warner Robins 69, Houston County 64

Pope 70, Northview 44

Rabun County 75, Washington-Wilkes 69

Savannah High 68 Tattnall County 59

South Gwinnett 82, Central Gwinnett 75

St. Pius X 78, Lovett 38

Stephenson 59, M.L. King 51

Union Grove 57, Woodland Henry 48

Continue reading Friday boys basketball scores »