prep football 24 hours a day see back page

PREP FOOTBALL 24 HOURS A DAY SEE BACK PAGE
SEPTEMBER 24-30, 2008
ATLANTA’S SPORTS
TALK NEWSPAPER
CHEROKEE/FORSYTH’S
HIGH SCHOOL
SPORTS NEWSPAPER
VOL 2 NO 4
02C I SCORE CHEROKEE/FORSYTH
™
Get In The Game!
THE HIGH SCHOOL
STARTING
LINEUP
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
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
SCHOOL LISTING
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
TYLER JARRY
ASHLEY VEACH
NORTH GWINNETT HIGH
NORTHVIEW HIGH
The senior running back was the spark
the Bulldogs’ offense needed to overcome a 19-0 deficit to Norcross last
Friday, as he gained 187 all-purpose
yards (110 rushing, 77 receiving) in
North’s 33-19 victory. Jarry had a rushing and receiving touchdown on the
night, and his efforts helped the
Bulldogs defeat Norcross for the first
time since 2005.
Veach, an outside hitter, is the senior
leader on a team that began the year
nationally ranked according to several
sources. On the Titans’ Class 5A championship squad last season, she finished the year with 316 kills and 59
aces. At press time, Veach had helped
lead the Lady Titans to a record of 221. She has also been involved with the
U.S Junior Olympic volleyball program.
FOR REAL-TIME HIGH SCHOOL
FOOTBALL SCORES GO TO
SCOREATL.COM
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SEPTEMBER 24-30, 2008
SCORE CHEROKEE/FORSYTH I 03C
High school football finally alive at Allatoona and North Cobb Christian
still learning and adjusting to our team. This
The lack of a weight room during summer
he Allatoona Buccaneers and North Cobb
Both teams can take a lot out of this
game is good for the community.”
workouts, on top of being a brand-new program,
Christian Eagles are in the same boat this
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game. Allatoona players and coaches rejoiced
has made things difficult for the young Bucs so
year. They are facing the challenge of playafter notching the school’s first-ever victory
ing their first season of GHSA football. The
test of building a football program has been
taken on by head coaches Gary Varner (pictured below) of AHS and Terence Lott (pictured right) of NCC. Both teams have played
limited schedules this year. With NCC playing a number of JV games and Allatoona
scheduling a handful of contests, the two
teams scheduled a game with each other that
would become a varsity contest, given the
nature of the two schools.
Both teams are still learning how to play
the game the right way while trying to develop their own identities. Allatoona is in its
first year of existence as a school, as well as
a football program. There are no seniors on
the team and no players have any varsity
experience. Most of the young team is still
learning the basics of football.
“With everyone being so young and so new
we’re concerned with the fundamentals and getting better,” Varner said. Building a new team
also involves getting new
uniforms, equipment and
workout facilities, and
Varner added, “Our
weight room was delivered the day before
school started.”
far. They have played games against South
Paulding and Chattooga, losing by a combined
score of 106-21.
“The first thing that we needed to do
was adjust to the speed and the aggressiveness of the game against those teams. I think
you learn a lot more from a loss,” Varner
said. “Our goal is to improve each week, not
so much during games as much as in practice
and in the weight room. We just need to
develop an attitude, a ‘work hard’ attitude.”
SOARING EAGLES …
Building a foundation has been more
important than winning games up to this point
for both schools, which is something that Lott
over at North Cobb Christian agrees with.
“We’re going to get better and each
week we’ve learned something from each
game,” Lott said.
Some of the players gained experience last year playing football against
“home-schooled teams.” None of them,
however, have had experience playing
varsity football before this season. The
games have gone pretty much the same
way as Allatoona’s: they lost their first
three games by at least 22 points. Still,
each week the Eagles have scored more
points than the week before, showing
signs of improvement.
“Our first game was a shock to our players, to see that many people out there watching us play. The second game we got knocked
around and got our ‘first bloody’ nose. The
third game we had a chance to win. So going
into this game, that gives us confidence,” Lott
added before Friday’s matchup.
The schools have had tremendous support from teachers, parents and students. The
first few games that the teams have played
have drawn a few thousand people.
“The atmosphere had been great,”
Varner said. “The parents and the school are
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THE BIG GAME …
Coming into last Friday’s game, it was
understandable that both coaches did not
know much about each other; they didn’t
even trade film. The matchup took place at
Allatoona and though the Bucs controlled the
game through three quarters, it turned out to
be a thriller. The early lead was due largely in
part to Allatoona running back C.J. Best, who
rushed for 120 yards on 13 carries and scored
three times. The Bucs led 34-7 heading
into the final quarter but the Eagles refused to
but know there is still work to be done.
“It feels good to win the game but we
didn’t close them out,” Varner said afterwards.
For NCC, it was another good learning experience.
“We just ran out of time,” Lott said.
“But it was a great game, great crowd, all
that you could want.”
This season is just the beginning for
these two programs and with all the support
they have, they should have good things to
look forward to in the future.
quit. North Cobb Christian running back
Chas Collett ran for 210 yards on 19 carries
and scored two touchdowns, while quarterback Eddie Denovellis chipped in by throwing for two touchdowns. The game was still
up for grabs in the final minute, but
Allatoona recovered an onside kick to stave
off the furious comeback, holding on to the
slim 34-31 victory.
The cover photo of Allatoona High
School’s football team is courtesy of
Photographic Arts. The inside photos are of
North Cobb Christian head coach Terence
Lott (courtesy of North Cobb Christian High
School) and Allatoona head coach Gary
Varner (courtesy of Allatoona High School).
Deighton
can
be
reached
[email protected]
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04C I SCORE CHEROKEE/FORSYTH
Get In The Game!
Four volleyball programs showcase their skills at Forsyth County Playday
With good teams in their path, Phillips
North Forsyth came into the tournament with
orsyth County volleyball was on display
junior Holly Hillenbrendt, who is the team
would like to see better play out of her
a loss to South earlier in the week still fresh
last Saturday as four cross-town rivals
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leader in kills.
team led by captains Kelsey Turchi and
in their minds.
took the court for the Forsyth County
Playday held at West Forsyth High School. I
spoke with each head coach about their programs, the Playday and volleyball in general
prior to play on Saturday.
The South Forsyth Lady War Eagles
were considered the prohibitive favorite,
boasting a No. 10 ranking in Class 5A and a
16-8 overall record. Head coach Kelly Wren’s
young team is led by seniors Katie Onushko,
Jordan Vinuda and Jenni Huff, as well as
dynamic junior Kinsey Williams, who has tallied over 50 service aces and 200 kills on the
season. Wren likes what this particular tourney does for the local volleyball programs.
“We are trying to build interest and
excitement for the sport and build the talent
pool for every school as a whole,” Wren said.
“For years, South Forsyth has been the
team to beat in Forsyth County,” head coach
Charles Crawford said on Friday. “We clearly showed we can play with South, now we
need to keep our composure and expect a
win against our cross-town rival.” All four
teams were scheduled for three-straight
matches, but Crawford was unconcerned
with fatigue for the 16-10 Lady Raiders: “We
train hard on a day-to-day basis. Three
[matches] will have no affect on our play.”
West Forsyth head coach Meredith Phillips
said her 11-11 Lady Wolverines were very
excited about the tourney.
“Our county is so small and our high
school is new, (so) many of the players from
each team know one another,” Phillips said.
“Thus, the competition is always very good.”
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Heidi Bonilla-Germer.
“The difference in being a good team
and a great team is the little things. I would
like to see (fewer) errors from our players
and more consistency,” Phillips said.
As for when I asked Forsyth Central
head coach Chuck Adams what his expectations was for his team in the tourney, he wasn’t quite sure.
“It depends on which team shows up,”
Adams said. “If our team is awake and playing, I expect to come in first or second. It
seems kind of arrogant, but I’ll go ahead and
say it. It depends on whether or not our team
comes out to play.”
The Lady Bulldogs came into the tourney with a 7-15 record overall and are led by
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THE RESULTS …
As it was, the Lady War Eagles ruled the
day, going 3-0 to win the Forsyth County
Playday. As expected, South was led by
Williams’s 22 kills, four aces and 12 assists.
Other contributors were Onushko with 14
kills, Alyssa Templeton with 11 aces and
Kelsey Dolan who had 45 assists on the day.
“We played well overall,” Wren stated
after her team’s three wins.
North took second with a 2-1 record,
followed by Central (1-2) in third and West
(0-3) in fourth. Forsyth County should be
proud of the level of play and mutual respect
for one another shown by all four programs.
Mitchell
can
be
reached
at
[email protected]
SEPTEMBER 24-30, 2008
SCORE CHEROKEE/FORSYTH I 05C
Region foes do battle on 790 the Zone Norcross, Chattahoochee have much to prove
en years ago, it would take plenty of pubT
licity and maybe some sort of free food to
get people excited about a game between East
Paulding and Marietta. In this millennium,
however, the schools are lucky enough to have
790 The Zone come to town to see two of the
top teams northwest of Atlanta square off.
East Paulding comes into this game
undefeated, having allowed only 31 combined points in its first three games. As good
as their defense has played, the Raiders will
continue to rely on their offense to move the
ball and keep the defense fresh for the end of
the game. Leading the offense are two
Division I talents in running back Jahron
Brown and wide receiver Edward Casenave.
On the other sideline, Marietta is hoping
that defense not only wins championships,
but big games within the region. Minus a
small misstep last week against Woodstock,
the Blue Devils’ defense has been stellar all
year. In consecutive weeks against
Northview and Cherokee, the Blue Devils
allowed just 16 points combined. The
defense features one superstar in safety Chris
Tanzy, who is being looked at by both
Louisville and Mississippi. It won’t be
Tanzy’s hard hitting that decides the game,
however, as his mental decisions in the pocket when at quarterback will determine how
well the Blue Devils perform Friday night.
Tanzy has played efficiently this season, and
he will be relied upon to keep the game close
while not allowing East Paulding to force
turnovers or give its offense a short field.
Boral
can
be
reached
at
[email protected]
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rom the outside, GPB’s Game of the
Week looks like one that might not keep
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fans interested for more than a quarter or
two, considering it doesn’t feature a team
with a record over .500. Upon delving deeper, however, you will find Friday’s contest
between Norcross and Chattahoochee as a
must-win game for two teams that have
faced bad luck early in the season, but sport
plenty of offensive talent.
Chattahoochee is coming off its first win
of the season, a 47-28 victory over South
Forsyth. Early in the year, the Cougars’
defense did them in, giving up 100 combined
points in the first two games. Lately, however, the defense has improved, giving the
offense plenty of time to lead the way. Up
until now, quarterback Brendan Cross has led
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the offense. The Wake Forest recruit leads the
team in every offensive category, and has
more rushing yards himself than every other
player on the team combined.
Their opponent, Norcross, might as well
be the next ride at Six Flags given the upand-down season the Blue Devils have had
thus far. After an opening week loss to
Camden County, the team won two in a row
before blowing a 19-0 lead against North
Gwinnett. Running back D.J Adams leads the
Blue Devils, and seemingly had the team set
up for a victory over the defending state runners-up before the defense gave away the
game. The Maryland-bound back could have
a career day if the Cougars’ defense reverts to
its old ways in Friday night’s showdown.
Boral
can
be
reached
at
[email protected]
CHEROKEE WARRIORS
WOODSTOCK WOLVERINES
06C I SCORE CHEROKEE/FORSYTH
Get In The Game!
he football team suffered another disappointing loss on Friday, falling 35-6 to their rivals
Etowah. With 3:17 left in the first half, quarterback Thomas Rhodes took a sack for a loss
of 14 yards and, worse yet, was injured on the play. Backup quarterback Josh Lemons played
the rest of the game for the Warriors and did very well. At the end of the half, the Warriors
marched down the field with two first downs and made it to the Etowah 30-yard line. The officials had some technical difficulties, however, and despite the clock reading 32 seconds, they
called the half and effectively ended the Cherokee drive. This Friday, the Warriors welcome
North Cobb for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff. … The softball team earned an impressive 2-0 win over
Etowah last Tuesday. Abbey Meixel had another extraordinary game, preventing Etowah from
passing second base at any point. Meixel had 12 strikeouts and also got on base all three times
she went to the plate. … Cherokee volleyball didn’t play last week due to the school’s fall
break. The team has two matches this Thursday against Walton and Kennesaw Mountain.
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he football team started off strong last Friday with a scoring drive on its first possession
followed by a 21-yard field goal on the next possession, giving the Grizzlies an early 100 lead. The team, however, was plagued by turnovers throughout the game, including three
interceptions and two fumbles. With less than 30 seconds remaining in the game, the
Grizzlies drew close with a 22-yard touchdown pass from Collins Wold to Dillion Mulkey.
Down by three, the Grizzlies failed to recover the ball on an ensuing onside kick, ending the
game in a 27-24 loss. The team plays North Hall (1-2 overall) Friday in its first region
matchup (7:30 p.m.). … The softball team went undefeated in the Brookwood Invitational
last week. The Lady Grizzlies beat Mill Creek 2-0 on Wednesday, Greater Atlanta Christian
7-2 and Jones County 5-1 on Friday, and then Loganville 2-1 on Saturday. The Grizzlies also
beat West Hall 1-0 in regular-season play last Thursday. The team closes out the regular season by hosting East Hall on Thursday (5:55 p.m.) and Gainesville on Tuesday (5:55 p.m.).
he football team improved to 2-2 on the strength of a shutout victory over the Stone
Mountain Pirates. With 6:59 remaining in the second quarter, Ryan Snyder drove home a
32-yard field goal to put the Bulldogs up for good. Two third-quarter touchdown runs by quarterback Dustin Canon would bring the total to 15-0, and that is where it would stay. The
defense was stout all night, holding Stone Mountain to just four completions on 21 attempts
and containing the Pirates’ leading rusher to 39 yards. Forsyth Central grabbed two interceptions, almost returning one for a touchdown. The Bulldogs will host Miller Grove in their
Homecoming Game next Friday at 7:30 p.m. … The softball team had a busy week, beating
Chamblee on Tuesday (8-0), Stone Mountain on Wednesday (15-0), Miller Grove on Thursday
(13-1) and Hart County on Friday (6-0). A 2-1 loss to White County in a second Friday game
brought the team’s record to 15-5-1 overall. The girls are a perfect 6-0 in region play this year.
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he football team was looking to keep its perfect season intact when the Eagles played
Cherokee at Eagle Stadium. The only thing that kept the Eagles from soaring was the
scoreboard which delayed the game for five minutes. After the game began, the Eagles blew
past the Warriors 35-6. The offense for the Eagles looked sharp as usual accumulating 437
total yards. Of those yards, 270 came during the first half. Brandon Boykin led the charge
with 123 rushing yards and two touchdowns. The defense looked just as good, giving up only
123 total yards and one touchdown. Most of those yards came late in the game. They will play
against Woodstock on Friday. … The softball team lost to Cherokee last Tuesday 2-0. Haleigh
Dickey was the only Lady Eagle to get a hit, which came in the seventh inning. They will be
at Sequoyah on Wednesday. … The volleyball team was off last week after winning six of its
last seven matches. The team will back in action on Thursday when the Lady Eagles travel to
Sequoyah to take on the home-standing Chiefs as well as South Forsyth.
he War Eagles Football team gave a valiant effort in its 34-23 loss to the Peachtree Ridge
Lions last Friday night. The heavily favored Lions defended their home field, but the boys
from North Forsyth made them work hard for it. North Forsyth led 17-7 in the second quarter
prior to giving up 14 unanswered points before the half. A third-quarter touchdown by the
Lions made it 28-17 in Peachtree Ridge’s favor. Instead of giving up, the Raiders bristled and
recovered a fumble, returning it to the 3-yard line. Jory Walsh’s subsequent run put the Raiders
in the end zone to keep the game closer than expected at 28-23. Peachtree Ridge would end the
game with a win, but North Forsyth will attempt to build on an overachieving performance
when they welcome Collins Hill Friday night for homecoming. … The Lady Raiders softball
team lost region matches to both Duluth (8-0) and Chattahoochee (7-6) last week. The girls will
finish up their schedule with home games Thursday against Mill Creek and Saturday against
Northview. … See our cover story to learn about the volleyball team’s weekend Playday.
tarting the season off 3-0, the football team refuses to be complacent about its early success.
The team continued practice as normal last week, which entailed weight lifting at 8:30 a.m.,
breakfast, and then practice until noon. Head coach Sid Maxwell commented: “Having the
week off worked out well because we were able to ease back and work on our fundamentals.”
Although an important region game loomed ahead, the team remained focused on themselves,
waiting until this week to gameplan for its upcoming showdown with Rome. The Chiefs hit the
road this week for an 8 p.m. contest with the Wolves. … A refreshed volleyball team played an
important area match against Woodland-Bartow last Tuesday, and head coach Kelly Audia
deemed the game “as big as they come.” Results were unavailable as of press time. The team
will host Etowah and South Forsyth this Tuesday (5:30 p.m., 7:30 p.m.), and play in the Blessed
Trinity Tournament on Friday and Saturday. … The softball team continued its winning streak
(4-0) when it beat Woodstock last Friday 4-0. The team plays Etowah at home on Wednesday
(6 p.m.), and will participate in the Milton Invitational on Friday and Saturday.
he football team (1-3) lost more than their Friday night tilt with Chattahoochee. Quarterback
and Kentucky commit Brian Adams went down with a shoulder separation in the second quarter of South Forsyth’s 47-28 loss. Prior to his departure, Adams had two scoring strikes of 61 and
75 yards as well as a rushing touchdown. The extent of the injury was unknown at press time. Head
coach Wendall Early hopes Adams will be ready for South’s next game this Friday at 7:30 when it
hosts Northview. ... The volleyball team won the Forsyth County Playday last Saturday. The Lady
War Eagles (19-8) defeated West Forsyth, North Forsyth and Forsyth Central in succession without losing a set in the three matches. South’s excellent middle hitter Kinsey Williams had 22 kills
and 12 digs on the day with the team piling up 30 service aces and 64 kills in all. The team now
prepares for a four-match week prior to the Over the Mountain Tournament held at Hoover High
School (Ala.) this weekend. … The softball team fell 4-0 to Collins Hill last Tuesday. The team
plays Lassiter and South Paulding on Wednesday and Norcross at home on Thursday.
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ETOWAH EAGLES
SEQUOYAH CHIEFS
n Friday, the football team took on the Marietta Blue Devils and were able to come away
with a 32-21 victory. The offense was on point, racking up 365 total yards. Running back
Justin Thompson led the way for the Wolverines with 18 carries for 79 yards and two touchdowns. Quarterback Taylor Trotter looked sharp with 110 passing yards and two touchdowns.
The Wolverines committed just three penalties the entire night and won the turnover battle.
They will look to make it two in a row when they face Etowah on Friday. Etowah is coming off
a 35-6 win over Cherokee. … The softball team had a rough couple of outings last week as they
fell to Harrison 8-2 and Sequoyah 4-0. They will try to get back on track this Thursday when
they travel to East Paulding. The team will then visit Lassiter on Monday before hosting Pope
on Tuesday for Senior Night. … The volleyball team was off last week. The team travels to
Wheeler on Tuesday for a dual match against the home-standing Wildcats and Etowah.
FORSYTH CENTRAL BULLDOGS
NORTH FORSYTH RAIDERS
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SOUTH FORSYTH WAR EAGLES
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• Corey Mitchell – South Forsyth, West Forsyth • Zander Letnz – Forsyth Central, North Forsyth • Brian Jones – Etowah, Woodstock • Jessica Parker – Creekview, Sequoyah • Andrew McCarron – Cherokee
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SEPTEMBER 24-30, 2008
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WEST FORSYTH WOLVERINES
he football squad stayed perfect on the season with a hard-fought 27-24 victory against winless Creekview last Friday. The game was still in doubt with 26 seconds remaining, as
Creekview mustered a late touchdown to bring the score to 27-24. The Wolverines had to recover
an onside kick before running the victory formation to close out the game. After going through
their non-region schedule unscathed. Head coach Frank Hepler’s 4-0 Wolverines will try to pick
up the program’s first-ever region win this Friday in their Homecoming Game against East Hall.
… The softball team is riding a three-game winning streak, picking up wins against East Hall and
Gainesville in region play last week. The victories brought the Lady Wolverines’ overall tally to 710 and region record to 4-6. The team finishes up its regular season next week with games against
Forsyth Central and White County before beginning a Region 7-AAA Tournament on Oct. 6. …
After defeating Pickens in two games on Thursday, the volleyball team had a tough time in the
Forsyth County Playday tournament last Saturday. The team went 0-3 during the event. The Lady
Wolverines have upcoming matches against Centennial and Creekview this Thursday.
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