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SEPTEMBER 17-23, 2008
ATLANTA’S
SPORTS
NEWSPAPER
FULTON’S
HIGH
SCHOOLTALK
SPORTS
NEWSPAPER
VOL 4 NO 3
02F I SCORE FULTON
Get In The Game!
™
STARTING
LINEUP
PUBLISHER/EDITOR I.J. Rosenberg • MANAGING EDITOR Tad Arapoglou • DIRECTOR OF SALES/MARKETING
John Duke • ART/CREATIVE DIRECTOR David Gaudio • GRAPHIC DESIGNER D.J. Galbiati • WEBMASTER Alex Ewalt
VIDEO MANAGER/PREP EDITOR Scott Janovitz • BUSINESS MANAGER Marvin Botnick • SALES Zander Lentz,
Brian Pruett • PHOTOGRAPHER Scott Cunningham • OFFICE MANAGER Nakia Washington
BEAT WRITERS Josh Bagriansky (Dream), Stephen Black (Silverbacks), Jason Boral (Thrashers), James
Butler (UGA), Dave Cohen (Georgia State), Johnny Crosskey (Tech), Alex Ewalt (Preps), Erik Horne
(Falcons), Scott Janovitz (Hawks/Recruiting), Fletcher Proctor (Braves)
STAFF WRITERS Cranston Collier, Joe Deighton, Rajesh Gupta, Keilah Johnson, Brian Jones, Zander
Lentz, Andrew McCarron, Corey Mitchell, Jessica Parker, Derek Wiley
CONTRIBUTORS Dean Zindler, Kevin Dankosky, Mitch Evans, Matt Judy, Tony Schiavone, Richard Diamond, Joe
Haines, Brian Katrek, Chris Dimino, Mike Bell, Matt Stewart, Fred Kalil, Nick Cellini, Phillip Leopold, Dave Marshall,
Greg Smith, Steak Shapiro, Mike Cather, Beau Bock, Chuck Oliver, Hal Lamar, Chris Cotter, Matt Chernoff, Roy
Hickman, Dave Cohen, John Olah, Jeff Woolverton, Chris Voss, Bob Rathbun, Courtney Capps, Bill Hartman, Chuck
Dowdle, Shannon Alderman, Dan Kamal, Dennis Scott, C.C., Hal Lanier, Jeff Batten, Micah Hart, Ben Wright, Alan
Vasquez, Andrew Vedlitz, Brian Jones • SPECIAL CONTRIBUTORS Mitch Albom, Dave Kindred, Barry Bloom
THE HIGH SCHOOL
SCHOOL LISTING
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
CHEROKEE/FORSYTH: Cherokee, Creekview, Etowah, Forsyth Central, North Forsyth, Sequoyah, South Forsyth, West Forsyth, Woodstock
COBB: Allatoona, Campbell, Harrison, Kell, Kennesaw Mountain, Lassiter, Marietta, McEachern, N. Cobb, N. Cobb Christian, Pebblebrook,
Pope, S. Cobb, Sprayberry, Walton, Wheeler
DEKALB: Chamblee, Columbia, Decatur, Druid Hills, Dunwoody, Lakeside, Marist, Miller Grove, M.L. King, Paideia, Redan, St. Pius X,
Southwest DeKalb, Stephenson, Stone Mountain, Tucker
FULTON: Alpharetta, Blessed Trinity, Centennial, Chattahoochee, Douglass, Grady, Lovett, Mays, Milton, North Springs, Northview,
Riverwood, Roswell, Tri-Cities, Westminster, Woodward Academy
GWINNETT: Berkmar, Brookwood, Buford, C. Gwinnett, Collins Hill, Dacula, Grayson, Greater Atlanta Christian, Meadowcreek, Mill Creek,
Norcross, North Gwinnett, Parkview, Peachtree Ridge, South Gwinnett, Wesleyan
MICHAEL BOYDSTON
AMANDA WINSLOW
WALTON HIGH
COLLINS HILL HIGH
The senior running back, who spent
his sophomore and junior years at
Kell, broke out in a big way last
Friday against Campbell. Boydston
rushed for 247 yards and five touchdowns in the Raiders’ 42-28 win over
the Spartans, his last score coming
from 59 yards out late in the third
quarter. He has 519 rushing yards
and seven touchdowns through the
first three games of the year.
A track and cross country star for the
Eagles, Winslow ran a season-best
18:48.27 at the Carrollton Invitational,
taking first at the race and helping her
team to a first overall finish. She is the
defending state champion in the
5,000-meter run, and also placed first
in both the 1,600- and 3,200-meter
runs at the GHSA Girls State Track
Meet back in May.
FOR REAL-TIME HIGH SCHOOL
FOOTBALL SCORES GO TO
SCOREATL.COM
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SEPTEMBER 17-23, 2008
SCORE FULTON I 03F
Showdown between two of state’s finest programs lives up to lofty billing
ast week was a dream for football fans.
The college game offered a matchup
between national powers Ohio State and
Southern California, while back in Georgia
the high-school game brought us a showdown between two of last year’s state champions: Carver-Columbus and NorthsideWarner Robins. In addition to defending
state championships, both teams are
absolutely filled with Division I talent,
including two of the state’s top players in
Northside’s Abry Jones and Carver’s Jarvis
Jones (pictured below), and heading into the
action, both schools boasted winning streaks
of at least 17 games.
One thing that was starkly different
between the two teams, however, was the
mindset of the two head coaches.
Of course, both Conrad Nix
(pictured far right) of
Northside and Dell McGee
of Carver wanted to win
the game, knowing how
much it could do for
their teams’ confidence.
“We’re going in to
give it our best shot, but win or
lose we’ll learn something about our
team,” McGee said before the game.
But in sitting with each of the
coaches, there seemed to be a familial-type of competition building
between the two schools.
Northside seemed to be playing the role of big brother, the
team expected to win as a
result of their excellent per-
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formance as frontrunners. As a result, and
considering their 5A classification when compared to Carver’s 3A rank, Northside entered
the game with more to lose than to gain.
“If we had anyone else to play, we might
have. But we have to fill out a schedule, and
this is a part of that schedule,” explained Nix
before the game. And while not explicitly
saying so, it would be surprising to see
Northside take on any of Georgia’s 2008
state champions outside of Class 5A.
As for Carver, it found itself playing the
role of little brother in this gridiron sitcom,
the team that has achieved its own success,
but is still looking to gain the
same notoriety as its big
brother. McGee and his
kids knew this game could
teach them a lot, win or
lose, even though it probably would not affect their
place in the standings.
“In the end, this game
doesn’t affect our standings
in the region, or our playoff
qualification,” McGee said.
But Northside is a wellcoached team, and I’m sure they’ll
present some form of adversity for
our team. It will be a great experience
for our players, to play in such a great
football game.”
THE ACTION …
A great game is just what those at
Memorial Stadium got. Northside
opened the door for the Tigers early,
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fumbling the opening kickoff and giving
Carver a short field of just 17 yards.
Eric Fields and the rest of the Eagles
defense made Carver struggle for their 17
yards, but eventually Tiger running back
Jarkius Morgan ran the ball in from 1-yard
out to give Carver the 6-0 lead. Carver
couldn’t keep the momentum it had
gained, however, as a blocked extra point
kept the score at 6-0.
At the time, it seemed as though the
blocked extra point would simply get lost in
the box score. As time ticked away, however,
and the game remained close, it became
apparent that a play that took place less than
two minutes into the game was going to
become its deciding factor.
The two defenses battled in gladiatorial
fashion for the rest of the game, though
Carver controlled the tempo throughout. The
Tigers used a spread formation to open up
Northside’s defense, leaving gaps for
Carver’s shifty running backs
to run through and pick
up chunks of yards.
Morgan and Isaiah
Crowell combined for
over 150 yards rushing on over 30 carries.
The spread offense also
kept the running backs
out of the neighborhood of Northside’s
best
defender,
defensive tackle
and
Georgia
commit Abry
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Jones, a player McGee mentioned his Tigers
would have to contain.
With Nix concerned about the speed of
Carver’s defense, talented Eagles running
back Xavier Bacon spent most of his day
running up the middle of the field. He managed only 80 yards on the night and was
denied the outside and the big play, one of
McGee’s keys to victory for the Tigers.
While Carver’s balanced running game
was able to control the clock, the scoreboard
did not reflect such dominance. Halfway
through the second half, the Tigers allowed
Bacon to set up the game-winning score with
a nifty 28-yard run.
Carver mustered one last gasp in the
fourth quarter, but missed wide on a 30-yard
field-goal attempt just before time expired,
giving Northside the 7-6 victory.
For all in attendance, the memories of the
game and its finish will last a lifetime. And
such memories may only gain in significance,
as last Friday’s showdown between Carver
and Northside may be the last for a long time.
The cover photos feature (left to right)
Northside defensive tackle Abry Jones (courtesy of Photographic Arts), Carver coach
Dell McGee (courtesy of Carver-Columbus
High School) and Northside defensive lineman Anton Williams (courtesy of
Photographic Arts). The photo of Jarvis
Jones is courtesy of Carver-Columbus
High School and the photo of
Conrad Nix is courtesy of
Northside-Warner Robins
High School. Boral can be
at
reached
[email protected].
04F I SCORE FULTON
Get In The Game!
Waters enticed by Alpharetta challenge, has Raider football on right track
with impressive wins over South Forsyth and
football program has not had near as much sucince the school opened in 2004, the
Much of the team’s hopes for a playoff
Wheeler, but was this going to be a repeat of
cess as Chattahoochee did under the veteran
Alpharetta Raiders football team has
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appearance will depend on the defense and
what happened after last year’s 2-0 start?
coach. In the last four seasons, the team‘s overmostly struggled. With no playoff appeartheir talented cornerback Vincent Williams.
ances and no region championships, some
may ask, “Who are the Raiders?”
Although the Alpharetta football program is young and inexperienced, their head
coach, Bill Waters, is a seasoned veteran in
high-school
football.
The
former
Chattahoochee head coach led the Cougars
to five region championships, made eight
state playoff appearances, and in 1999, took
his team all the way to the state semifinals.
With dreams of building a new program, however, Coach Waters left the
Cougars in 2003.
“It was a new opportunity, a challenge
to see what we could do,” Waters said. “And
[Chattahoochee] was in good shape.”
Since Waters has been at Alpharetta, the
all record is 13-25. The highest the Raiders
have ever finished in their region is third.
Yet despite the natural inclination to
compare his years at Chattahoochee to those
he has spent at Alpharetta, Waters explains
that is not fair to do.
“There’s a major difference. Alpharetta
is a new school and a new program. We had
to build a feeder program, and it’s just taken
some time.”
MAKING A RUN …
Now, in its fifth football season, Waters
has set some high goals for his Raiders team:
“We want to be able to compete at the state
level, get in the playoffs, and get things done.”
The Raiders started off the season 2-0
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In ’07, Alpharetta began the season similarly with a 2-0 record before losing eight consecutive games. In order to achieve its goals,
such as making the playoffs, the Raiders will
have to safeguard against a similar collapse.
“We’re a different team this year, and
although there are no guarantees, we are
much more focused,” Waters said when asked
how he would prevent a similar collapse.
And judging by last Friday, Waters has
done just that, as the Raiders advanced their
record to 3-0 and currently are tied for the
top spot in Region 6-AAAAA.
“We had some real doubts about how we
stacked up against other teams,” Waters said.
“But I like the way we’re practicing and how
hard the kids are pushing themselves.”
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“Williams is a very talented and
grounded kid,” commented Waters. “He’s
one of those exceptional players that every
coach would love to have.” So far, so good
for the Alpharetta defense: last year the
Raiders gave up over four touchdowns per
game, while this season the defense has
given up only 13.7 points per game.
Although the Raiders may not be a
household name just yet, they are steadily
making progress towards becoming a successful team in Fulton County; don’t be surprised to see the Raiders on the positive side
of some big “upsets” this year.
Parker
can
be
reached
at
[email protected]
SEPTEMBER 17-23, 2008
SCORE FULTON I 05F
First-year coaches face off in Cobb matchup Knights battle Yellow Jackets on GPB.org
hen the Campbell Spartans travel to
erennial South Georgia football power
“I know that they had a big win over
win the first one.”
Senior running back Shawn Bryant,
Milton and seem to be playing better [than last
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East Cobb to take on the Lassiter
Thomas County Central will travel to
P
linebacker Phillip Williams and defensive
year],” Lindsey said. “I’m hearing good things
Trojans for a Region 6-AAAAA matchup
Thomaston Friday night for a date with the
this Friday night, it will be a meeting of two
first-year coaches, each taking over programs on opposite ends of the high-school
football spectrum.
Head coach Shawn Campbell takes over
a Spartan program that has been to the playoffs several times in recent years, including a
2006 appearance in the state quarterfinals.
Chip Lindsey, who is trying to get his team
back to the state playoffs for the first time
since 2000, heads a Lassiter program that has
not had a winning record since 2005. Both
teams have gotten off to solid starts in 2008,
each sporting a 2-1 record thus far. And
Lindsey has been impressed with Campbell’s
start to the season.
through the coaching grapevine that they have
some really good athletes and it will definitely
be a really big challenge for us to be able to
compete with someone like Campbell.”
Lassiter will be led on offense by senior
quarterback Zach Walker and senior tight
end Philip Lutzenkirchen. Walker threw for
384 yards in last Friday night’s loss to Kell.
Lutzenkirchen is a highly recruited player
who has already committed to Auburn.
The Spartans are led by junior quarterback Tay Wright and senior wide receiver
Jerome Whiteman. The two connected for a
game-winning touchdown pass to beat
Milton in Week 2.
Black
can
be
reached
at
[email protected]
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Upson-Lee Knights. The No. 5-ranked Yellow
Jackets (1-1) will look to gain their first
Region 1-AAAA win of 2008 over a struggling Knights program.
Upson-Lee (0-3) is coming off a loss to
Westside-Macon, while TCC had the week
off, and both programs feature coaches in
their first season at their respective schools.
Head coach Bill Shaver takes over at Central
after holding the offensive coordinator role
for the previous 14 seasons. Most importantly, he looks to get off to a good start in
region play.
“It’s the first region game and if [we]
plan on continuing the tradition where we
always want to win the region, [we] have to
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end Caleb Heard lead the Yellow Jackets,
who advanced to the state semifinals in
2007. Williams led the team in tackles last
season, while Heard led the team in sacks.
The Knights, who run the split-back veer,
feature senior running backs Dare Coker and
Phillip Searcy. The pair is being recruited by
Troy and Middle Tennessee State.
As for scouting the Knights, Upson-Lee
head coach Tommy Watson said that the
Yellow Jackets run a familiar offense.
“They run the split-back veer and so
do we, so our defense has been seeing
[that offense] for many moons now,”
Watson explained.
Black
can
be
reached
at
[email protected]
ALPHARETTA RAIDERS
DOUGLASS ASTROS
06F I SCORE FULTON
By Jessica Parker
Get In The Game!
By Stephen Black
he football team advanced its winning streak to three games after beating Centennial 20-13 last
he Astros (1-2) played host to city rival Washington last Friday at Lakewood Stadium and
Friday. The momentum shifted during the second quarter, as Michael Bennett intercepted the ball Tcame away with an exciting 27-16 win. It was the first victory at Douglass for new head coach
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for the Raiders to end a major Centennial scoring threat. Tied late, the Raiders finally sealed the win Ken Barrow. After starting the season 0-2, a win overthe talented Bulldogs was crucial.
with a pass from quarterback Mikal Abdul-Saboor to Jordan Owens going for the winning touchdown. Junior linebacker Derrick Balkar had 19 tackles in the game and senior Anthony Guarcello
nearly kept Balkar’s pace, collecting 14 tackles of his own. “Overall the kids reacted well to adversity, and they played hard,” said head coach Bill Waters. The Raiders now lead their region at 2-0. They
head to Milton this Friday for perhaps the most anticipated game of the season. Kickoff starts at 7:30
p.m. … The volleyball team beat Riverwood 2-0 (25-22, 25-23) on Thursday and lost to South
Forsyth 2-0 (25-15, 25-14) the same day. They will travel to Collins Hill Thursday to play Central
Gwinnett and Collins Hill (6 p.m., 7 p.m.). … The softball team lost to Walton last Thursday 2-0.
They play Woodstock on Wednesday, Pope on Thursday, and Milton on Tuesday (all at 5:55 p.m.).
BLESSED TRINITY TITANS
GRADY GREY KNIGHTS
By Jason Boral
fter starting the season 2-0, the football team had the week off last Friday. This Friday the
team will host Washington-Wilkes as the Titans step down a classification. The week off
came at a good time for the Titans, as the team is just a week away from opening one of the
state’s toughest region schedules. … A sweep of Thursday matches against Chamblee,
Centennial and Berkmar extended the volleyball team’s win streak to eight matches. The
Titans’ last loss came in its last region game back on Sept. 3. During the eight-game win streak,
Blessed Trinity has only lost two sets, sweeping six of their matches and winning by at least
eight points in each of the two three-game matches. … The softball team got off to a perfect
start to the region schedule, as the team knocked off both Lovett and Decatur, 2-0 and 7-2
respectively. The pitching for the Titans has been stellar during the month, as the team has
allowed more than three runs only three times in the last ten games.
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Washington featured all-purpose player Branden Smith, who many consider one of the top 2009
recruits in the nation, and junior wide receiver Antonio Goodwin, who has already been offered
by UGA. “This week we worked hard on playing the deep ball. The kids […] accepted the challenge,” Barrow explained. After Smith caught an early 68-yard touchdown pass to give
Washington an 8-0 lead, the Astros scored the next 27 points. Linebacker Jonathan Atchinson, an
Auburn commit, returned a Bulldog fumble 51 yards for a score that gave Douglass an insurmountable 27-8 lead in the third quarter. Douglas has the week off to enjoy the win before facing Greenbrier on Sept. 27. … The softball team lost to Carver 16-4 last Wednesday. The Lady
Astros take on Mays on Wednesday and North Atlanta on Thursday.
CENTENNIAL KNIGHTS
By Stephen Black
he football team is now 3-0 after a convincing 40-16 win over the Towers Titans (0-2)
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Friday night. The Knights will now face Region 5B-AAA rival Washington, who is coming off a tough 27-16 loss to Douglass. The Bulldogs feature all-everything player Branden
Smith, one of the most highly recruited seniors in the state, as well as junior wide receiver
Antonio Goodwin, who already claims an offer from UGA. Washington is the first of sixstraight region 5B-AAA games the Grey Knights will play. Grady has not played Washington
since the 90s. … On Saturday, the boys cross country team finished eighth in the Altitude
Running Invitational, hosted by St. Pius X. The team was paced by Elshaddai Hailegiorg, who
finished 33rd overall. The girls team finished third at the event, highlighted by three runners
who finished in the top 17. Kelsey Roth finished 10th overall. The teams will travel to Conyers
for the Aubrae Gunderson Invitational, which is hosted by Heritage. … The volleyball team
faces Washington at home on Thursday. … The softball team faces St. Pius on Wednesday.
LOVETT LIONS
By Jason Boral
By Stephen Black
t took a half for the football team to wake up on Friday night, but when the Knights finally
he Lions traveled to Buford to face the defending Class 2A state champions in a rematch
IFriday.
came alive they put together a performance that will keep its fans buzzing up until this Tfrom the 2007 state final. It was the first Region 6-AA game of the year for Lovett.
Unfortunately, the second-half assault was too little, too late for the Knights. After a Unfortunately for the Lions, the result was similar to last year’s game, as the Wolves rolled
first half with no points, Centennial scored early in the third quarter on a Marcus Nabors
touchdown run from inside the five. The Raiders would respond, putting together two of their
own touchdown drives in the third quarter. The Knights seemingly took the lead for good on
a touchdown pass with a 1:30 to play, but the defense let the Raiders slip by for a 77-yard
drive and a touchdown to win the game 20-13. This week the Knights will host Pope at 7:30
p.m. … It was a good week for the volleyball team, as the Lady Knights continued their best
start in three years with a win early Saturday morning over Chamblee. Julie Garner served
three aces and Chelsea Foster set up points with 19 assists, as the Knights defeated the
Bulldogs 2-1 (17-25, 25-23, 25-18).
CHATTAHOOCHEE COUGARS
41-0. Lovett could only muster 160 yards of total offense. Quarterback Jonathan Carkhuff
completed 11 passes for 112 yards and connected with wide receiver Max Williams three
times for 65 yards. The Lovett defense didn’t fare much better, allowing 503 yards of total
offense to the Wolves. Head coach Mike Muschamp’s Lions (1-2) play host to Towers on
Friday night. … The No. 2-ranked volleyball squad lost a tough match to No. 1-ranked
Westminster on Saturday, 2-1 (rankings are according to the GaSports.com Week 4 rankings). The Lady Lions (18-6) defeated Northview and Athens Academy on Friday. Lovett
gets another crack at Westminster on Tuesday. … The softball team (8-4) lost to Blessed
Trinity and Dawson County. The team plays Westminster at home on Wednesday.
MAYS RAIDERS
By Jason Boral
By Jason Boral
he football team lost 20-16 to Collins Hill on Friday night, its third consecutive loss on the year.
he football team went to war with Whitewater last Friday in a battle between two undeT
The team put together its best defensive performance of the year, however, allowing half the Tfeated, highly ranked teams. In the end, No. 8 Mays defeated No. 3 Whitewater 17-14 on
number of yards it yielded in each of the first two games. Unfortunately, the offense did not back a last-second field goal. Mays’ kicker Mambay Kanu was able to hit the game-winning field
up the defense’s performance, scoring only 16 points, nearly 15 points less than its 30.5 average.
On the evening, five Cougar runners combined to gain 120 yards, with Brendan Cross scoring the
lone rushing touchdown and Justin Williams leading the committee with 41 yards. Cross was also
efficient throwing the ball, completing 63 percent of his passes for 165 yards and no interceptions.
This week the Cougars will host South Forsyth in the team’s opening region game. … It was a long
evening last Friday for the volleyball team, as it played two three-game matches, going 1-1 against
Kennesaw Mountain and Columbus. The first match saw the Lady Cougars claw back to tie the
score after losing the first game, but Chattahoochee would eventually fall short, losing the third
game. Against Columbus, the Cougars won the first and third games.
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goal after a muffed punt by Whitewater set up the Raiders on Whitewater’s side of the field.
The Wildcats dominated the first half and took a 14-7 lead into the locker room. In the second half, however, the Raiders were able to run the ball at will, going almost a full 99 yards
to score and tie the game at 14, setting up the late-game heroics that would ensue. This week
the Raiders will host Alexander. … The volleyball team lost its second region match in a row
last week, losing in straight games to McIntosh. The team is currently tied with three other
teams in the region standings. With the region schedule still young, however, the Lady
Raiders could move into a tie for fourth place with a victory on Tuesday over Region 5AAAA foe Sandy Creek.
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SEPTEMBER 17-23, 2008
MILTON EAGLES
ROSWELL HORNETS
By Rajesh Gupta
SCORE FULTON I 07F
By Jason Boral
he football team looked strong last Friday, blanking Wheeler 41-0. Senior running back
ll is right now in the minds of the Hornets football fans, as the football team won its secT
Toney Williams continues to show why he belongs at the next level (he has verbally com- Aond Region 6-AAAAA matchup in as many weeks, defeating Pope 37-21. After a loss
mitted to Tennessee), gaining 211 yards on 17 carries. Along with Williams, Taj Harris added to Tift County in head coach Leo Barker’s first game at the helm, Roswell has put together
a touchdown run of over 50 yards. The Eagles’ stingy defense gave up just 92 yards of total
offense to the Wildcats. The team hosts Alpharetta on Friday. … The softball team had a busy
week of games. The Eagles started with a 3-2 win over Pope on Tuesday, followed by a 4-1 win
against Lassiter on Thursday. On Saturday, the team lost to Cherokee 9-0 and Lakeview-Ft.
Oglethorpe 3-0. Pitcher Taylor Disch had an outstanding game against Lassiter, allowing only
one run. Kelly Texter also hit a three-run homer. … The volleyball team had a strong week,
going 6-2. Milton started the week beating Centennial 2-0 and losing to Chattahoochee 2-0. On
Friday and Saturday, the team beat Woodward Academy (2-1), Sandy Creek (2-0), Norcross (20), Northgate (2-0) and Chattahoochee (2-1), and lost only to Pope (2-1).
NORTH SPRINGS SPARTANS
two straight victories while allowing an average of 14 points. The offense has been fantastic
so far, scoring over 30 points in each of the last two games. Just as Barker envisioned, it’s
been the running game sparking the team’s offensive success and last Friday was no different. Reid Suhr carried the load for the Hornets, scoring four times and rushing for over 150
yards for the second consecutive week. This Friday the Hornets travel to play Kell. … One
up, one down was the story for the softball team last week, as they played two region games.
The first was a 9-3 loss to Lassiter, followed by a shortened 12-0 victory over Campbell. The
star of the week was Erin Vickery, who hit a three-run home run in the loss to Lassiter, her
third long ball of the season.
TRI-CITIES BULLDOGS
By Rajesh Gupta
By Jason Boral
fter losing 41-0 to Chamblee in Week 2, the football team redeemed itself by beating
t was a celebratory evening for the football team on Friday night, as Tri-Cities won just
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Lakeside-DeKalb 33-6 last Friday. Before and after the game, the coaching staff discussed Itheir second game in two seasons, defeating Starr’s Mill 14-13. The victory was the first
the importance of the team buying into the systems that they are trying to establish on offense for new head coach Kenneth Miller, and is just the latest step for this improving Bulldog
and defense. The team seems to be responding, because there were big plays on both sides of
the ball against Lakeside. Sophomore tailback K. Hudson had over 100 yards rushing. Despite
the Vikings being flagged for pass interference on the play, wide receiver Ricky Lang still made
a one-handed highlight-reel catch for a touchdown. On defense, Derrick Bowdy returned an
interception for a 65-yard touchdown. The Spartans head to Marist for a matchup on Friday. …
Last week, the softball team lost to Forsyth Central 10-2, beat Berkmar 13-0, and lost to
Dunwoody 4-3 in a tough eight-inning game. Pitchers Erica Burgess and Kali Gray combined
for a two-hit shutout against Berkmar. Megan Light hit her third home run of the season against
Forsyth Central. Liz Stowell and Peyton Glass played strong defense throughout the week.
NORTHVIEW TITANS
team. The defense was again excellent, as the Bulldogs allowed less than 14 points for the
second time this season. Surprisingly, however, the offense scored eight more points last
Friday than it had managed in its first two games combined. Last year, Tri-Cities didn’t score
two touchdowns in a game until Week 12, which was the last time the Bulldogs had won
before Friday. This week the Bulldogs will get a free weekend to celebrate, as they have a
bye week before hosting Banneker on Sept. 26. … It was a tough week for the volleyball
team, as it lost its two region matches last week. It started with a heartbreaking three-game
loss to Banneker, followed by a Northgate two-game sweep of the Bulldogs. The team will
host Banneker and Hardaway this Thursday.
WESTMINSTER WILDCATS
By Jason Boral
By Stephen Black
t was a less than perfect start for the football team on Friday night, as Peachtree Ridge drove
he No. 6-ranked football team had the week off this past week. The team travels to Class
IPeachtree
the ball down the field and stuffed it in from 1 yard out to open the game with a 7-0 lead. A T3A powerhouse Cartersville this Friday to face the Purple Hurricanes. Cartersville is 3-0
Ridge fumble and two consecutive Northview touchdown drives, however, put the and is coming off of a 17-7 victory over Calhoun. The Purple Hurricanes hold a 2-1 all-time
Titans ahead by a score of 14-7, as the team looked for its first win of the year. Quarterback
Sid Harrelson was the star on both drives. Harrelson connected with Samoir Patrick on a 25yard pass for a touchdown on the first drive, and also threw for a 53-yard bomb to set up the
second score, which was also credited to Patrick. Peachtree Ridge would score just before the
half, however, and continue pouring it on in the second, scoring 18 consecutive points for the
25-14 win over the Titans. … There was no shortage of excitement for the softball team last
week, as the team played in three consecutive one-run games. The Titans first lost a region
match to Peachtree Ridge, but then came back to win 1-0 over both South Forsyth and Collins
Hill for the team’s first and second region wins on the year.
RIVERWOOD RAIDERS
WOODWARD ACADEMY WAR EAGLES
By Stephen Black
he football team had the week off and will travel to Bremen on Friday to face the formerly Class 1A ranked Blue Devils. Bremen is 2-1 and is coming off their first loss of
the season, a 39-20 decision agaisnt Rockmart. It will be the last non-region game for the
Raiders, who will open Region 5B-AAA play the following week at North Atlanta. … The
cross country teams both competed at the Marist Double Dip Invitational on Saturday. Bret
McDaniel won the girls individual title with a time of 20:08, while Blais Hickey finished
12th. The girls team came in third overall. The boys team finished 19th and was paced by
Daniel Cohen, who finished 44th overall. The girls team is ranked 11th overall in the state,
and is No. 1 in Class 3A (rankings are according to Gatfxc.com ratings)… The softball team
(8-7) played seven games during the past week, winning three and losing four. The team
plays Northview on Wednesday and Washington on Thurday.
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advantage over Westminster, including a 43-7 victory over the Wildcats in last season’s meeting. … The No. 1-ranked boys cross country team won the Carrollton Invitational on Saturday
while the No. 3-ranked girls team finished third (rankings are according to Gatfxc.com 2008
Class 2A team scores). … The No. 1-ranked volleyball team (18-1) was handed its first loss of
the season but also won four more matches at the Lovett Block Party this past weekend. The
team defeated Sandy Creek, Woodward Academy, Athens Academy, and Lovett while losing to
St. Paul’s (Ala.). … The softball team (11-6) defeated Avondale 16-0 on Thursday. The team
plays at Lovett on Wednesday and at Pace Academy on Thursday.
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By Stephen Black
he football team (1-2) defeated Eagle’s Landing 35-6 on Friday night to earn their first
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victory of the season. The team got out to a commanding 21-0 first-half lead on the
strength of their powerful option attack. In the second half, the War Eagles extended their lead
to 35-0. Senior quarterback Will Madden rushed 12 times for 136 yards and three touchdowns, while fullback Juwan Thompson added 56 yards and two touchdowns. Junior halfback
Delino DeShields returned from a nagging thumb injury to rush for 66 yards on 12 attempts.
The War Eagles have the week off before returning to action on the road against South Atlanta
on Sept. 26. … The softball team dropped two games this past week, an 8-7 heartbreaker to
Holy Innocents’ and a 9-2 defeat at the hands of Rutland. Woodward is are rebuilding this season, as the team has no seniors on the roster. Sophomore second basemen Erin Owens homered in Wednesday’s game at Holy Innocents’, while Dari Robinson hit a triple on Thursday
against Rutland. The team’s next game is at Spalding on Tuesday.
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