Score Atlanta Vol. 11 Iss. 40

Time to look great!

VOLUME 11 ISSUE 40 | NOVEMBER 26 - DECEMBER 2, 2015

|

YOUR SOURCE FOR SPORTS IN GEORGIA

ONE Now and Then | Pg. 4 Kyle Sandy looks back at the opening week of the GHSA basketball season and what it taught us.

AND ONLY

Julio Jones shows no limits to his record setting pace. | Pg. 7

Hometown Glory | Pg. 9 Archer’s cross-county trip to Mill Creek highlights an epic quarterfinal slate.

STAND TALL. STAND PROUD. STAND ARMY STRONG.

There’s strong. Then there’s Army Strong. As a Soldier in the U.S. Army, you’ll develop the physical, mental and emotional strength to meet the challenges you may face today and in the future. You’ll gain unmatched leadership skills and on-the-job training—the kind that’s highly desired in both the military and civilian world. Plus, recruiter, goarmy.com or call 1-800-USA-ARMY.

Earn a salary and money for your education while you gain the strength to stand out. Visit your local Army Career Counselor today or visit us online at goarmy.com/bs02

©2009. Paid for by the United States Army. All rights reserved.

Vol. 11 Iss. 40 | Nov. 26 - Dec. 2, 2015

STARTING LINEUP PUBLISHER/EDITOR I.J. Rosenberg

04

COLUMNISTS

07

ON THE COVER

09

PREP COVER

ART/CREATIVE DIRECTOR DJ Galbiati Blalock

MANAGING EDITOR Craig Sager II

ASST. MANAGING EDITOR Kyle Sandy MARKETING/ Lauren Goldstein PARTNERSHIP DIRECTOR JUNIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER Rhonda Rawls

BUSINESS MANAGER Marvin Botnick

BEAT WRITERS: Ricky Dimon (Braves)

Colin Hubbard (GA Tech) Dan Mathews (UGA) Craig Sager II (Falcons,

Kennesaw)

Kyle Sandy (Transfer Corner, GSU, Hawks)

STAFF WRITERS Tyler Andrews

TO ADVERTISE IN SCORE ATLANTA:

404.256.1572

Copyright 2015 Score Atlanta Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved. Score Atlanta is published in print every other week on Fridays and a digital version is posted to ScoreAtl.com in-between print issues. Views expressed in Score Atlanta are not necessarily the opinion of Score Atlanta, its staff or advertisers. Score Atlanta does not knowingly accept false or misleading editorial content or advertising nor is Score Atlanta responsible for the content or claims of any advertising or editorial in this publication. No content (articles, photographs, graphics) in Score Atlanta may be used for reproduction without written permission from the publisher.

TEAM SCOOP AND VOICES

06 10 11

SCORE LIST | NUMBERS GEORGIA STATE | KENNESAW STATE GEORGIA | GEORGIA TECH BRAVES | FALCONS HAWKS | THE TRANSFER CORNER

COVER PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE ATLANTA FALCONS, TY FREEMAN AND SONNY KENNEDY.

ON THE INSIDE AT SCORE

STAY CONNECTED!

Score Atlanta is looking for interns.

Please visit www.scoreatl.com/ internships for more information on our program.

Visit our website, ScoreAtl.com for the our weekly fall sports rankings.

Download the free Georgia High School Scoring App www.scoreatl. com/mobile-app/ or in the app store for live scores all year long.

/SCOREATLANTASPORTS @SCOREATLANTA WWW.SCOREATL.COM WWW.GAPREPNEWS.COM

The Best or Nothing

Be The #NextFanUp

MercedesBenzStadium.com/NextFanUp 678-686-4400

FACEBOOK.COM/MBSTADIUM

@MBSTADIUM | #NEXTFANUP

3

4

SCORE ATLANTA | www.ScoreAtl.com

DAN’S DOCKETT

FALCONS REMAIN CONFIDENT, DESPITE STRUGGLES

BY DAN MATHEWS | DMATHEWS@SCOREATL.COM

our out of the last five weeks haven’t gone the way that the Falcons hoped. Sunday Fwasn’t any different, with the Indianapolis

Colts outscoring Atlanta 17-7 in the final 30 minutes of the game to win it 24-21.

That makes it three straight losses for the Falcons and the questions how to fix things continue to flood in after the most recent defeat.

Previously, the Falcons were having trouble forcing turnovers, but they were able to get three yesterday. The problem with that, is that Indianapolis got it back four times.

After the game, the Falcons locker room was deathly silent. The feeling of frustration was definitely noticed.

That said, players like second year safety Ricardo Allen says they’re still playing with their heads held high.

“We’ve got to keep going,” Allen said.

“We’ve got to keep building. We’re a team. We fight, we finish and we’re not going to tuck our tails under us at all. We’re ready for every challenge. We don’t really care what the outside (people) says, because we know who we are and what we can do. We’ve done it before and that’s all we’re going to do.”

The Falcons lost this game primarily because of their turnovers and the inability to put points up in the fourth quarter. This has been a problem the last few weeks.

Veteran wide receiver Roddy White agrees that the final 15 minutes are not going their way. That is why they find themselves at 6-4 on the season.

“It’s just the fourth quarter,” White said.

“We haven’t made any plays in the fourth

SANDY’S SPIEL

WHAT I LEARNED OPENING WEEK

BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

he first weekend of basketball already feaT tured tons of storylines, upsets and big performances. From the GHSA’s denial of transfers Isaac Kellum (McIntosh), Robert Hill (Berkmar), Kovi Tate (Henry County) and more, to a three-point barrage, here is how the weekend shook out.

through a 3-21 season in 2014-15, Coach Harris, who comes over after a ridiculous run at Laney, already has the Braves 2-0 with a monster upset of former 5A No. 9 Jones County, 68-41. Donta Justice scored 13 in the win while Keontay Miles and Dalton Strother chipped in 11 and 10 respectively.

FAST RISERS

Not ranking the Tift County Blue Devils to start the season had me catching some flack.

Their play this weekend will only add fuel to the fire as they defeated 4A No. 8 Worth County 77-61 and followed it up with a romp of Coach Eddie Martin’s Buford Wolves, 56-18. Tift faces a major test on Friday against McEachern as the Indians make the long trip south.

Buck Harris knows how to coach. Period.

That didn’t take long. After Baldwin suffered

NOTEWORTHY PERFORMANCES

Matthew Addis of 2A No. 9 Rabun County was absurd on Saturday, drilling 13 threes for 39 points to lead the Wildcats over Dawson County, 79-59. Initial reports claimed he went 15-of-16 for 45 points, but Coach Jeff Page gave us 39 points as the official total. Either way, it was a shooting performance for the ages.

Joby Boydstone is back in Georgia with his run-and-gun high scoring offense at East Paulding. He picked up a 106-85 victory over

quarter and it keeps getting us beat. We’re very optimistic that we can get these things to flip. You make a play here and a play there, then we win those fourth quarters.”

White had one of his better games of the season with nine balls thrown his way, but he was able to bring in four of them for 24 yards.

The Falcons defense was able to sack the Colts Matt Hasselbeck twice and hit him eight times. Indianapolis only finished the day with 276 yards of total offense and one of their touchdowns came on a pick six by linebacker D’Qwell Jackson.

The defense has kept them in games. This is why defensive lineman Jonathan Babineaux isn’t worried about this team spiraling out of control.

“We’ve just got to push each other every day at work,” Babineaux said. “Make sure we’re getting better every day. That is playing the way we want to play, the style we want to play and doing the things right.”

The Falcons get the Minnesota Vikings in town this Sunday, before they head on the road for three straight weeks. If they are to get the season back on track, then that will prove to be tough.

Also, keep in mind they still have two games left this season with the undefeated Carolina Panthers.

Sunday was a game the Falcons should have and could have won. Maybe this week will be a better result against a very good Minnesota team.

KEY MATCHUPS

There are plenty of individual matchups to watch when the Vikings come to town, but not all will be between young players despite both teams boasting a youthful presence. With 24 seasons between them, veterans Roddy White and Terence Newman are sure to bring out all the stops to best one another. The 37-year-old Newman has 39 career interceptions to his credit and always finds a way to fluster offenses. White holds the franchise record in receptions, yards and touchdown catches and has battled Newman throughout the years. These two heralded performers won’t only be trying to help their team win, but earn bragging rights in the process.

On the flip side, Atlanta’s Desmond Trufant will face Minnesota rookie Stefon Diggs.

It has took just seven games for Diggs to take over as Teddy Bridgewater’s favorite deep threat, supplanting Mike Wallace. The fifthround selection slipped due to a lacerated kidney in the draft but has shown he is a dynamic wideout when healthy. Trufant will be hunting his first interception of the year against the young quarterback-receiver duo.

Photos courtesy of the Atlanta Falcons.

Cass in his triumphant return. The Browder brothers powered the Raiders as Jalen scored 30 and Lennard added 23.

Class A-Private defending state champion No. 2 St. Francis has struggled out of the gate.

The Knights dropped a scrimmage to 2A No. 4 GAC 77-69, but rebounded with a 74-58 win over Sacred Heart Catholic (Ala.) to open the regular season. Saturday however, was a major blemish as unranked Cedar Grove closed out the Knights 72-69. Anthony Showell, a transfer from Duluth, will have to slot in as a consistent No. 2 scoring option behind five-star guard Kobi Simmons. He scored 11 in the win over Sacred Heart. The Knights fell to 5A No. 3 Gainesville 70-58 at the Jared Cook Classic on Tuesday while Simmons sat out with a sprained ankle.

8 Heritage-Conyers and No. 10 Cedar Shoals both look impressive early. The Patriots (40) already have notable wins over Rockdale County 75-70, 1A No. 5 Southwest Atlanta Christian 81-49 and former 6A No. 8 Berkmar 65-55. Jordan Thomas paces the team with 15.3 points per game while Charles Moore is pouring in 15 and Isaiah Banks 14.3, while leading the team with 6.8 rebounds. The Jaguars have made a statement as well, blowing out Tucker 62-38 before taking down Rockdale 7056. Phlandrous Fleming, Jerrick Mitchell and Snipe Hall are all averaging double digits.

3A No. 3 Morgan County didn’t necessarily get off to a great start at the Battle at the Rock. The Cherokee Warriors kept the Bulldogs at bay and held on 57-52. Life after Tookie Brown is going to be a whole lot different.

Devorious Brown and Jailyn Ingram, two FAU signees, must get things on track. The Bulldogs have dropped out of the rankings following the bad loss.

MOVERS AND SHAKERS

6A No. 10 Newton drilled 4A No. 7 Henry County in a scrimmage on Nov. 10, 86-63. The Rams proceeded to blowout Eastside 90-60 in the season opener before running into the Warhawks with the result counting this time.

Henry County took advantage of their second chance at the Rams and slipped by 67-66 as Javon Greene hit a free throw to win it. He finished with 20 points while Damion Rosser led the way with 24 points and 12 rebounds.

No. 3 Gainesville isn’t going to have a cakewalk to the Region 8-AAAAA title. No.

ON THE HORIZON

This weekend is pack full with great games and premier tournaments. Holy Innocents’ will be the scene for Holiday Hoopsgiving, one of the best tournaments in the entire nation. The two days are jammed with massive prospects and some of the best teams in the entire country.

Photo courtesy of Ty Freeman.

2015 DR PEPPER SEC FOOTBALL FANFARE Georgia World Congress Center | Building C

AT L A N TA , G A FRIDAY, DEC. 4: 2-8PM SATURDAY, DEC. 5: 9AM-4PM ADULTS: $10 KIDS 12U: $5

BRING THIS AD AND RECEIVE $5 OFF AN ADULT ADMISSION! (REDEEMABLE AT FANFARE TICKET BOOTH) 2015 SEC OFFICIAL SPONSORS

DPlogoOval5c.eps

6

The Bucs

Josh Norman

Westlake

Tampa Bay exploded for a 4517 road win on Sunday over the Eagles and notched the first winning streak since the 2013 season. The Bucs have won three of their last four games after a 2-4 start and sit one game behind the Falcons in the division standings with a 5-5 record.

The red-hot Panthers continue to excel on both sides of the football. Carolina cornerback Josh Norman added a forced fumble and four tackles to what has been a breakout season last Sunday. The ball hawk has intercepted four passes and notched 14 pass breakups. Two of Norman’s interceptions have been returned for touchdowns.

It was one of the most shocking upsets of the second round playoffs, but Westlake made it look easy. The Lions hosted Peachtree Ridge last Friday and dominated 28-9. The Lions have one nine straight games and get to host Grayson after winning the toss. Let’s just call it the Cam Newton effect.

SCORE LIST

By Ned Kaish

GOOD OLD FASHION HATE

It’s time for the Bulldogs and Jackets to square off in their annual clash this Saturday. This season has not gone well for either school, but this game is going to lift one program into the offseason. The most surprising stat heading into the game is that Georgia Tech (13) has thrown more touchdowns than Georgia (12) this year.

BACK IN THE DOME

The Falcons remain at home this Sunday against the 7-3 Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings dropped their first home game of the season on Sunday as the visiting Packers held on for a 30-13 victory. Adrian Peterson has had a huge month of November for the Vikings, rushing for 476 yards and three touchdowns off 88 carries (5.4 yards per carry) in four games.

CLOSING STRONG

The beginning of the Hawks season has had its ups and downs, but the team is looking to finish out the month strong and found success Tuesday with a convincing 121-97 victory over the visiting Celtics. Seven players finished in double-figures, including 25 points from Paul Millsap and the Hawks improved to 10-6.

JULIO JONES

Offensively, Julio Jones had another monster game with nine catches for 160 yards and fullback Patrick Dimarco proved to be a red zone threat with his two touchdown grabs. Jones (1189 yards) sits just 404 yards from tying his franchise-record 1593 receiving yards last season with six games still left to play.

Falcons

Matt Ryan

Browns

Atlanta suffered its latest setback Sunday at the Georgia Dome as the visiting Colts rallied for a 24-21 victory. In the loss, running back Devonta Freeman was sidelined with a concussion that will likely keep him out of action this weekend against the Vikings.

Atlanta can’t afford another loss, especially one at home.

Matt Ryan has been the NFC South’s winningest quarterback for much of his career, but the seven-year pro is being outclassed this season.

While Cam Newton and Jameis Winston were tossing five touchdowns apiece last weekend, Ryan finished with three turnovers as Atlanta dropped its fourth game in five tries.

Johnny Manziel decided to spend his bye week partying and now the Browns are back in a quarterback mess. Manziel was demoted to third-string, with Austin Davis serving as McCown’s backup. The Browns next play the Baltimore Ravens on Monday night in what is sure to be an ugly matchup.

NUMBERS

OUR TWO CENTS

By Ned Kaish

Our email newsletter is something we take a lot of pride in at Score. If you aren’t familiar with it, it is a high school sportsheavy publication that we produce each day to fill in our readers on the latest happenings in Georgia prep sports. We send it out Monday through Friday throughout the year and Monday through Saturday during the fall.

Not only do we cover popular sports like football, basketball and baseball, we also cover every other varsity sport the GHSA fields. If you like Georgia high school sports at all, sign up for our email newsletter by visiting www.tinyurl.com/scorenewsletter and enter your email address(es) that you’d like added to the distribution list.

?

TRIVIA QUESTION

“

SANITY AT LAST

HOW MANY DEFENDING CHAMPIONS REMAIN IN THE FOOTBALL STATE PLAYOFFS?

“The finish is such an important part of our messaging in our program, so for us to come down when we had the lead and not be able to answer is when it’s hard”

ANSWER ON PAGE 14

- Dan Quinn on Sunday’s loss to the Colts

QUARTERFINALS

Just two weeks of action separates us between the state championships. Across each classification, the quarterfinals will pair up state title contenders. In Class AAAAA, one of the must see matchups will be Archer at Mill Creek as the two Gwinnett powers meet for the first time.

WHO’S NOT

By Ned Kaish

WHO’S HOT

SCORE ATLANTA | www.ScoreAtl.com

1,189

Receiving yards by Julio Jones after 10 games

1,593

Franchise-record receiving yards by Jones last season

10

Interceptions by Matt Ryan through 10 games

12

Sacks by the Falcons this year (last place)

41.4

The Falcons Opponent conversion percentage on third downs this season

10

Games under .500 since the Falcons let go of Michael Turner

2

Top 10 teams Riverwood has beaten in basketball this year (Holy Innocents’ and GAC)

6

Games it took for SWAC to surpass their losses from last season

Vol. 11 Iss. 40 | Nov. 26 - Dec. 2, 2015 season, Jones caught 34 passes for 440 yards and four touchdowns. He became the first Atlanta player to start a season with three straight 100-yard games and the first player in NFL history with at least 135 receiving yards in each of his team’s first three games in a season. His 34 receptions stand as the most an NFL player has had three games into a season.

The fast start helped Jones join Antonio Brown as the only two receivers in the League to surpass 1,000 receiving yards just nine weeks into this season. Jones leads the League with 89 catches and 1,189 receiving yards. The 1,700-yard mark has been surpassed just five times in NFL history, but Jones is on pace to break that this season while leading the NFC in receiving.

ON THE COVER

COVER STORY

JONES SHOWS NO LIMITS TO RECORDSETTING SUCCESS

BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

I

t took just nine weeks into the 2015 season for Julio Jones to log the third 1,000-yard receiving season of his young five-year career.

Putting up numbers at a League-leading pace is something that is now expected from the 6-foot-3, 220-pound receiver. In a sport where film study dissects game plans and strategy, Jones continues to be one of the most unstoppable forces the League has ever seen.

Jones’s skill level is rare because he is embodies all the traits of what many consider a ‘complete’ receiver to have. When a defense puts size to defend Jones, he can match it with this powerful frame and then beat the coverage with game-breaking speed. When speedy defenders are put on Julio, he matches it with his own set of wheels before using his physicality to attack the ball and pluck it out of midair.

Teams can go with the more conservative plan and back off a couple yards to play it safe, but then Jones can take a quick screen pass and force a defender into a dangerous one-onone situation in the open field. Even when the correct coverage is called and defenders shad-

ow Jones’ every move, he can still be trusted to make plays. With veteran fundamentals, a voracious work ethic and his crisp route running, Jones is prepared for anything.

“I think it’s just that he [Jones] doesn’t back down,” said head coach Dan Quinn. “Any challenge there, he’s ready to go. It’s one of the things that I most respect about his game. He’s one of those kinds of competitors that is ready for it every time. He’s the guy that wants it thrown to him and wants to take the last shot. I can’t say enough about him as a competitor.”

RAISING THE BAR

Jones has made a tremendous impact on the franchise since being drafted in 2011 and was rewarded for it before this season. After a record-setting 1,593 receiving yards last year, Jones and the Falcons agreed to a five-year deal on Aug. 29 that would keep the Pro Bowl wideout in Atlanta for the long-term.

Jones showed his worth right away this season as he got off to one of the greatest starts in NFL history. In Atlanta’s first three games this

JONES THE TEAMMATE

There is a quiet confidence about Jones that manifests from an intense focus. Whether it is pre-game drills or a third and long in the fourth quarter, his positive outlook and confidence embraces any challenge. His lead by example attitude is something that is respected not only in the Atlanta locker room, but around the League. Former Falcon Harry Douglas knows first hand the type of player and teammate Jones is.

“I know how much he puts into it,” said Douglas of Jones. “I know how hard he works and how much he loves the game. He does everything in his power to be successful and help his team in any way possible. That’s not just catching balls. That’s blocking, putting in time at the complex and in the weight room. Being able to play with him for all those years I did, I know his work ethic. I know he’s an unbelievable player. Like I said, he has a chance to be the greatest player to ever play this game.”

Jones came into the League focused and wore a team-first attitude right away as he shared the spotlight with Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez. He starred as the offense’s explosive playmaker as he helped open up the rest of the playbook. It was not until the last couple seasons that Jones became an undeniable centerpiece of the offense. After proving his ability to take over games, defenses designed schemes to limit his effectiveness.

New offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan knew the type of player he had with Jones and has found ways to maximize his rare skillset.

In the season-opener, Jones gave a preview of

7

what to expect this season as he beat the defense in a variety of ways. Jones finished the opener with nine catches for 141 yards and notched the first of his two multi-touchdown games this season.

“Julio [Jones] is an awesome player. He shows that basically every time he steps on the field,” said Ryan after the win over the Eagles. “I thought he had a great night tonight. He pressed vertical a few times and showed his explosiveness there. In the quick game, he was able to catch it and get yards after contact. He’s as good as it gets and we’re lucky to have him.”

This is Jones’ 60th game with the Atlanta Falcons and the resume he has already built continues to etch its place in the record books.

Already, Jones holds the franchise record for receiving yards in a season (1,593). He has two Pro Bowl (2012, 2014) appearances and a Sporting News All-Pro finish (2014). Jones is on pace to lead the NFC in receiving for a second straight year. Despite all his success, the future is what stands out most with Jones. His improvement and productivity has been constant since his first start in 2011 and there is no limit to what Jones will accomplish during his career with the Falcons.

Photos courtesy of the Atlanta Falcons.

8

©2015 Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Inc. All rights reserved. For official contest rules, visit choa.org/comeback.

SCORE ATLANTA | www.ScoreAtl.com

This comeback athlete had a long road back. Today it’s 8.5 miles.

Know a young athlete who overcame a serious injury or illness? Nominate them for Comeback Athlete of the Month at choa.org/comeback.

ARCHER AT MILL CREEK

GWINNETT GREATS CLASH IN QUARTERFINALS

BY TYLER ANDREWS | INFO@SCOREATL.COM

G

winnett County has produced many of the state’s top football programs, but there is a new breed of schools making their name as not only the county’s finest but also the state’s best.

Only 16 miles separate Mill Creek and Archer, but they will square off for the first time in their school’s history Friday night at Markham Field. Although the two teams played to a 14-14 tie in a scrimmage game back in August, neither team showed much on either side of the ball making this matchup a true first time occasion. In what shapes up to be one of the most intriguing quarterfinal matchups in the state, the bright lights in Hoschton will play host to an incredible array of individual and team talent.

Bolstered by their ground attack, Mill Creek enters the game unblemished and hardly tested. They average just under 39 points per game, with a 31.5 margin of victory over

12 games. The team has also won every game by at least 24 points except their heavyweight bout against Peachtree Ridge (20-17 OT win).

The Hawks offense is lead by a pair of running backs who have a knack for finding the end zone. Joe Thomas leads the team with 706 rushing yards (4.3 yards per carry) and 15 touchdowns, while Daniel Leconte has added 580 yards on the ground (4.7 yards per carry) and 13 scores. Quarterback Cameron Turley has thrown for 1912 yards and 15 touchdowns, while only tossing three interceptions. His 58 percent completion percent and ability to take care of the football has been a nice compliment to their power run game.

Look for the Hawks to try and establish their running game early in the game. They average almost 35 rushes per game, and if they can get Thomas and Leconte going it will open up the passing game for Turley.

BALANCED ATTACK

Archer’s offense is a stark contrast to that of their opponent. They too have a power run game, but their offense is marked by balance.

Running back Jamyest Williams is having an exceptional year with 1249 yards (6.5 yards per carry) and 23 touchdowns. He has accounted for six 100-yard rushing games and is always a threat to beat a team on the ground.

His eight receptions on the year also make him a pass-catching threat out of the backfield.

Speaking of pass catching, the Tigers display one of the premier wide receivers in the entire country. Five-star Auburn commit Kyle Davis leads the team in receptions (47) and receiving yards (773). His big 6-foot-2, 218-pound frame gives opposing defensive backs nightmares. Davis has six touchdowns on the year and is a deep threat at all times during the game. Quarterback Will Bearden has quietly turned in a stellar senior season.

He is completing 69 percent of his passes and has racked up 2430 yards, 23 touchdowns and has only thrown three interceptions.

The Tigers will attempt to have balance with Williams and Bearden. The key for them will be to ground and pound early in the game to set up the play-action passing game. If that happens, they will surely take some deep shots to Davis.

KEY MATCHUP: ARCHER OFFENSE VS. MILL CREEK DEFENSE

Mill Creek displays one of the premiere defensive units in the entire state allowing a mere seven points per contest. Their numbers are off the charts accumulating 17 interceptions and 62 sacks this season. Linebacker Micah Bull has proven to be the leader in the middle racking up 86 total tackles and two fumble recoveries.

Tyler Vernon has shown unprecedented passrushing ability with his team-leading 16 sacks from his defensive end position. Also, defensive back Kishawn Miller leads the team with four interceptions and will have his work cut out for him with the talent at wide receiver from Archer.

The Tigers ability to beat team’s running the ball and through the air have made them one of the best offensive teams in Georgia this season.

While most of the attention will be paid to Davis, Bearden will need to look to seniors Aramis Bryant (21 receptions, 518 yards, eight touchdowns) and Dylan Singleton (22 receptions, 313 yards, four touchdowns) in the passing game. With the size advantage that Davis displays over the corners from Mill Creek, Bearden should take some downfield shots to him even if he is double covered. Establishing the presence of Williams running the ball will not only give him confidence, but it will also give the team a lift and prove they can score on this stout defense.

Photos courtesy of Sonny Kennedy.

10

SCORE ATLANTA | www.ScoreAtl.com

UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA

NO LOVE LOST FOR GEORGIA TECH IN ATHENS

BY DAN MATHEWS | DMATHEWS@SCOREATL.COM

happened very often in the Mark Richt Itoterahasn’t at Georgia, but last year it did. They went overtime with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jack-

ets and it was their rivals from Atlanta coming away with the 30-24 win.

During his career at Georgia, head coach Mark Richt has only lost to the Jackets twice since he took over in 2001. He has never lost back to back games against their rivals.

So needless to say, this loss was a shock to many in the Butts-Mehre Building in the days following their third loss of the 2014 season. Senior offensive lineman Kolton Houston says it still sticks with him.

“It stuck with me a lot,” Houston said.

“Just in the program’s standpoint you have to wait a whole month for that next game. All of last December you had to just stick with that loss to them. All offseason you hear about them raving about winning the game. So, we’ve got to beat them this year.”

Houston has been on the field for the last two games and knows what life is like winning/ losing in this rivalry.

GEORGIA STATE

WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE

BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

N

ick Arbuckle broke his own school-record for passing yards and touchdowns in a season on Friday as he led Georgia State (4-6, 3-3) to a 24-10 win over South Alabama (55, 3-3). Arbuckle threw for 311 yards and one touchdown while adding a score with his legs.

Arbuckle now has 3,446 yards passing, 3,381 yards of total offense and 26 touchdowns accounted for--21 TDs passing and five rushing-with two games to play.

Donovan Harden, Penny Hart and Robert Davis were Arbuckle’s favorite targets. Each caught seven passes with Harden recording 94 yards, Hart 77 and a touchdown and Davis 67.

As good as the Panthers were through the air, it was their defense that was the story. The 10 points and 284 yards allowed are both all-time lows under the Trent Miles era.

“I’m very excited for our young men, I thought it was an outstanding game especially on the defensive side of the ball,” Miles said.

With this being a rivalry between in-state schools, these players know each other very well. The majority of these rosters are comprised of players from Georgia.

It also allows for some good natured trash talking to be heard according to senior outside linebacker Jordan Jenkins. He says even when he sneaks back to Hamilton, he’s still getting bombarded with the “scoreboard talk.”

“I heard a lot about it in January,” Jenkins said. “Then, with all the preseason hype. One of my teammates in high school goes to Georgia Tech, (running back) JaQuon Marshall. He never let me hear the end of it.”

The preseason hype that Jenkins was referring to, is that Tech was supposed to have a huge season in 2015. Like Georgia, the Jackets have fallen short of those expectations this season.

Another story line from last season is the end of the game inside Sanford Stadium, when Richt decided to “squib” kick the ball in the final seconds of the game. This gave Tech a strong return and eventually put them in position for placekicker Harrison Butker to try a 53 yard field goal to send it to overtime.

Richt says he still takes the blame.

“Just I really think if I had to do it again, I would kick it deep and just see if we could get them on the ground a little bit farther away from that goal line,” Richt said. “But as far as a lot of people would say, you should do that. So it just depends on how it ends up I guess.”

If Georgia wins on Saturday, they’ll finish the 2015 season at 9-3. They would have a chance at their second straight 10-win season with a bowl victory.

“We started off a little tough with a first series touchdown but our kids responded and we battled. Not every game will be 45-42. Sometimes there will be defensive struggles, and our offense showed the resolve to be able to come back and get some scores to take the lead.”

BACK TO BALLIN

Coming off of a magical season, the Panthers have opened up 2015-16, 2-0 with their latest win coming against Emmanuel College on Thursday, 77-58. Indiana transfer Jeremy Hollowell continued to make an immediate impact, scoring a career-high 25 points. Senior Kevin Ware also provided a spark, scoring 19 points and sinking 9-of-11 free throws. Markus Crider added 12 points and six rebounds inside for coach Ron Hunter.

“The process continues, but I feel like we are starting to create our own identity,” head coach Ron Hunter said. “Going into a game, we always have a goal of holding a team under 40 percent shooting and 60 points and we were able to do both of those tonight. Regardless of how many we score, we feel as if we do both of those, we will be in great shape on any night.”

Georgia State will return to action next Wednesday traveling to Oxford, Miss., to face Ole Miss.

The game will air live on the SEC Network at 5 p.m. ET. The Panthers return home on Nov. 27 facing IUPUI at 7 p.m. ET.

GEORGIA TECH

JACKETS FACE FINAL TEST

BY COLIN HUBBARD | INFO@SCOREATL.COM

T

he Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets are one game away from putting their disastrous season behind them and moving on to next year. The Yellow Jackets have compiled over 30 injures from just about every position imaginable including quarterback, A-back, B-back, wide receiver, offensive line, cornerback, defensive tackle and so on. The season ended several weeks ago, but the last game on the schedule is always a game worth playing.

The rival Georgia Bulldogs will make the hour trip down to Atlanta to take on the Yellow Jackets in enemy territory this Saturday at noon. Both teams have had terrible seasons, so not a lot of people know what to expect heading into this game. Georgia Tech is coming off of a terrible loss at the hands of the Miami Hurricanes while the Bulldogs beat Georgia Southern in OT. Yes, Georgia Southern.

Georgia Tech knocked off the Bulldogs in 2014 in an epic OT thriller in which the Yellow

KENNESAW STATE

OWLS WRAP UP INAUGURAL SEASON

BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

K

ennesaw State fell to Presbyterian College 14-6 on Saturday and concluded the inaugural season with a 6-5 record. Despite a three-game losing streak to end the year, the Owls first year was a booming success. Thanks to a talented core and head coach Brian Bohannon’s first year at the helm, Kennesaw State became just the third Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) program since 2008 to post a winning season in its debut year.

“I told our guys that I’ve never had more fun coaching football in my 20-year whatever career than I’ve had this year. I told them this before the game. I’ve enjoyed every minute. I love these kids. They’re awesome and a great group of kids who bought into a vision and a plan. They fight, compete and play hard. I’m pleased where we are. The future is bright for Kennesaw State football.”

The Owls outgained Presbyterian 351-187 but could not overcome their three costly first-

Jackets picked off quarterback Hutson Mason to end the game in Athens but that was last year.

The Yellow Jackets may or may not have quarterback Justin Thomas available for Saturday after he suffered an injury against Miami which would be a huge killer for the Yellow Jackets.

OLD FASHION HATE

There is another big storyline heading into this game between the two schools. Georgia head coach Mark Richt very well could be coaching for his job against the Yellow Jackets this Saturday. If he is able to beat Georgia Tech rather convincingly, then he will likely be retained, but if he loses to the Yellow Jackets in back-to-back seasons, he could be on his way out.

Richt has been under a lot of fire this season after everyone expected them to make it to the SEC Championship game easily and have a good shot at making it to this years’ college football playoff but that did not happen.

The Bulldogs lost to Alabama, Tennessee and Florida this year and will likely have yet another mediocre bowl game after starting the year ranked in the top 10.

Georgia Tech on the other hand is playing for bragging rights and bragging rights only.

They have absolutely nothing to lose heading into this game. If they lose, nobody will care, but if they win, UGA will be the laughing stock of the SEC.

half turnovers.

Two first-quarter fumbles, including one inside the Presbyterian 10-yard line kept the Owls from taking an early lead.

The Blue Hose took advantage of the second turnover (a Trey White fumble) by driving 92 yards in four plays and scoring on a 3-yard toss from quarterback Ben Cheek to tight end Riley Hilton to open up the second quarter. The explosive drive was sparked by an 84-yard run

by Darrell Bridges.

The score remained locked at 7-3 until early in the fourth quarter when Presbyterian took advantage of a late-hit penalty against Kennesaw State following a third-down play that kept its drive alive and culminated with a 7-yard touchdown run by Daryl Wilson.

The Owls made it a one possession game with a 33-yard field goal with 3:40 remaining and had one final chance to potentially tie the game with a touchdown and two-point conversion but the decisive down and catch was ruled incomplete and out of bounds.

LOOKING AHEAD

Redshirt freshman and former Kell star Taylor Henkle led KSU this year with four interceptions, 65 tackles, four pass breakups and eight passes defensed. The Owls will open spring practice on Feb. 29 and will hold their second Black and Gold Game on Mar. 26 at Fifth Third Bank Stadium.

Vol. 11 Iss. 40 | Nov. 26 - Dec. 2, 2015 ATLANTA HAWKS

BUD TAKES A HIT

BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

familiar foe grounded the Hawks for AtlanA ta’s fourth time in five games as the Cleveland Cavaliers (10-3) blew past the Hawks

(9-6) on Saturday, 109-97 at Quicken Loans Arena. With the loss, Miami (9-4) has taken over first place in the division. Kent Bazemore missed his third straight game with a sprained ankle, but that was no excuse for Atlanta.

Kevin Love scored a season-high 25 points and pulled down 11 rebounds to lead Cleveland.

LeBron James added 19 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists in the win. Kyle Korver and Paul Millsap paced Atlanta with 14 points apiece.

Millsap also grabbed 11 boards. Jeff Teague returned to action after spraining his ankle last week and scored 13 points.

Head coach Mike Budenholzer was ejected in the second quarter for bumping official Ben Taylor.

“He threw me out and that’s his prerogative,” Budenholzer said. “If there was contact, it was 100 percent unintentional.”

“Give Cleveland credit, they played very well,” he said. “They were just better than us

ATLANTA BRAVES

BRAVES TRADE MAYBIN TO TIGERS FOR PITCHERS

BY RICKY DIMON | RDIMON@SCOREATL.COM

T

he Atlanta Braves traded center fielder Cameron Maybin to the Detroit Tigers last Friday. In return the Braves received left-hander pitchers Ian Krol and Gabe Speier.

Krol, 24, played for both the Tigers and Triple-A Toledo this past season. He appeared in 33 major-league games and went 2-3 with a 5.79 ERA while striking out 26 batters and walking 17 in 28 innings. Krol’s best year so far has come in 2013 with the Washington Nationals. In 27.1 innings spanning 32 appearances he won two games and lost one, finishing with 3.95 ERA. Speier is more of a project at 20 years old.

The Santa Barbara, Calif. native compiled a 4-2 record in 33 games during the 2015 campaign at Single-A West Michigan. He logged a total of 44 innings while striking out 36 hitters and giving 12 a free pass. Speier spent 2013 and 2014 in the Gulf Coast League, where he gave up a combined six earned runs and recorded 32 strikeouts in 33 innings of work.

Maybin performed well in his only year in

tonight. We have a lot to work on. That’s the task in front of us.”

ATLANTA FALCONS

BAD BUD

Budenholzer was fined $25,000 on Monday for what he determined was “incidental” contact with referee Ben Taylor.

The NBA referees’ union, in a statement Monday, said it deplored the league’s decision.

“Referees operate in an environment in which an influential NBA team owner has repeatedly mocked the efficacy of fines as means to change bad behavior,” Lee Seham, the National Basketball Referees Association general counsel, said in a statement.

Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich came to Budenholzer’s defense and said the statement was “comical” and followed up by saying, “I think it’s just a case of an anonymous suit trying to gain 15 minutes of stardom more than anything.”

Budenholzer did come out and apologize though to Taylor but did so privately.

FALCONS SPIRAL CONTINUES WITH LOSS TO COLTS

HOPEFUL HAWKS

Hitting a rough patch this year has been something the team and fans weren’t accustomed to last season, but Atlanta still has plenty of time to get back on track. They will look to finish the month of November strong as the host Boston on Tuesday and then hit the road for games in Minnesota, Memphis and San Antonio before returning home against the Thunder on Nov. 30.

A healthy Atlanta team could be just what the doctor ordered and help push the Hawks back into first place heading into the year’s final month.

Atlanta after arriving from the San Diego Padres in a deal involving former Braves’ closer Craig Kimbrel. The 28-year-old batted a career-best .267 to go along with 10 homers and 59 RBIs.

Krol and Speier may not be the last of relieving corps benefits reaped by the Braves for unloading Maybin. They freed up $6.5 million worth of financial flexibility thanks to Maybin’s departure and that is likely to be used on additional bullpen help. Veteran right-hander Darren O’Day, who spent 2015 with the Baltimore Orioles, is the most sought-after reliever on the market but could be out of Atlanta’s price range. O’Day logged 65.1 innings in 68 games last season and went 6-2 with six saves, 18 holds and a 1.52 ERA. More realistic options for Atlanta may include Ryan Madson, Joakim Soria and Tony Sipp.

OTHER POSSIBILITIES The Braves will still have veteran A.J. Pierzynski at catcher after he agreed to a one-year, $3 million contract. Now they must decide on a second player at the position. Youngster Christian Bethancourt remains a possibility or they could bring back familiar face Brayan Pena.

With Hector Olivera penciled in for left field, Adonis Garcia appears to be the Braves’ starting third baseman. Additional help there may come in the form of former Brave Kelly Johnson or Atlanta native Gordon Beckham.

Both are free agents. Beckham went to high school at Westminster before starring for the Georgia Bulldogs.

BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

A

tlanta suffered its latest setback Sunday at the Georgia Dome as the visiting Colts rallied for a 24-21 victory. In the loss, running back Devonta Freeman was sidelined with a concussion that will likely keep him out of action this weekend against the Vikings.

AROUND THE DIVISION

Tampa Bay exploded for a 45-17 road win on Sunday over the Philadelphia Eagles and notched the first winning streak since the 2013 season on Sunday. The Bucs have won three of their last four games after a 2-4 start and sit one game behind the Falcons in the division standings with a 5-5 record. New Orleans returns to action this Sunday after a much-needed bye week that followed the Saints disastrous 47-14 loss at Washington Week 10. Carolina remains the hottest team in the NFL at 10-0.

The Saints have had inconsistencies on the offensive side of the ball this season, but Brandin Cooks remains a reliable target in his

THE TRANSFER CORNER

ISAAC KELLUM RED-FLAGGED

BY GHSA

BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

C

lass 5A No. 2 McIntosh tipped-off its season with a ho-hum 89-68 win over Morrow last Tuesday night. The usual suspects did their normal damage with Will Washington scoring 20 points and dishing out eight assists, Jordan Lyons scoring 24 points and Dishon Lowery and Chase Walter doing their expected yeoman’s work inside.

One new Chief however was unable to suite up. Make that, not allowed.

Isaac Kellum, a 6-foot-4 swingman that averaged 13.8 points per game, transferred over to McIntosh in the offseason for his senior season. This wasn’t a crazy out-of-state transfer or someone moving in from a school that is hours away, but a 13-minute transfer over from Fayette County High School. With over 60 known transfers and plenty of more that slipped through the cracks, you would think a simple move such as this would go unopposed, but for some reason the GHSA threw a red flag

11

second professional season. The former Oregon State Beaver is leading the team in receiving with 50 grabs for 701 yards. Cooks has two multi-touchdown games in New Orleans’ last three games and six total touchdowns. Cooks caught both scores in the 47-14 loss to the Redskins while hauling in a team-high 98 receiving yards.

Cam Newton threw a career-high five touchdown passes as Carolina dominated Washington 44-16 but the Panthers defense continued to outclass opponents. Cornerback Josh Norman added a forced fumble and four tackles to what has been a breakout season.

The acrobatic ball hawk has intercepted four passes and notched 14 pass breakouts through 10 games. Two of Norman’s interceptions have been returned for touchdowns.

FAMOUS JAMEIS

Jameis Winston threw a career-high five touchdowns in Tampa’s 45-17 win last Sunday, but the Bucs defense continues to show improvement. Linebacker Lavonte David is having an incredible season in his fourth year out of Nebraska. David added six solo tackles against the Eagles to bring his total takedowns to 81 through 10 games. David has put together four double-digit tackle games this season, including 15 combined tackles against the Texans.

His pass coverage stole the show on Sunday, however, as the 6-foot-1, 233-pounder intercepted Mark Sanchez twice and returned one for a 12-yard touchdown.

against little old McIntosh.

From all accounts, Kellum is a great student in the classroom and a good kid. So why out of all the transfers along the state, is one of the most logical transfers getting the kibosh?

As of this week, the senior is still ineligible to play his final year of high school ball while seemingly every other transfer has already begun playing with their new team.

DOUBLE STANDARDS

I personally am not a huge fan of transfers, but I understand it is part of the game and it is not something I bemoan. Building super teams is good for the players to get exposure but of course bad for homegrown teams that have played together their entire life – like McIntosh. The Chiefs had a player fill out all the proper paperwork, but the GHSA won’t accept the simple move.

We can’t have double standards. If you are going to let almost every other school land their new move-ins, and ones that come from out of state, where is the reasoning behind a player who is 13 minutes away from his new school not getting the green light to play ball? And the worst thing about all this? It’s not that McIntosh has a realistic shot at a state title, but it’s the fact that basketball is being taken away from this 17/18 year-old, in his final season.

12

SCORE ATLANTA | www.ScoreAtl.com

STAY UP-TO-DATE We want to hear from you!

Find us on Facebook and Twitter. Give us feedback on your favorite articles, tell us what you’d like to see in upcoming issues and stay up-to-date on sporting news from Metro Atlanta!

/SCOREATLANTASPORTS

WWW.GAPREPNEWS.COM

@SCOREATLANTA

WWW.TINYURL.COM/ SCORENEWSLETTER

WWW.SCOREATL.COM

STAY CONNECTED!

?

TRIVIA ANSWER

5

MAKE YOUR OCCASION A SUCCESS! Great rates! Book your date!

Vol. 11 Iss. 40 | Nov. 26 - Dec. 2, 2015

13