Score Atlanta Vol. 9 Issue 25 by Score Atlanta

Time to look great! HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL FRIDAYS SOUTHEASTERN REGION PLAYOFFS best matchups in the south

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VOLUME 9 ISSUE 25 DIGITAL

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COMING TO COBB The Braves are moving and we’ve got all the details about the new location. | Pg. 5

For Real? | Pg. 4 Chris Schutter is impressed with the Hawks’ fast start to the season.

Playoffs Primer | Pg. 8 We get you ready for the first round of the football playoffs by looking at some of the best matchups.

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Vol. 9 Iss. 25 | November 15-21, 2013

STARTING LINEUP PUBLISHER/EDITOR I.J. Rosenberg

COLUMNISTS

ON THE COVER

INSIDE THE PREPS

ART/CREATIVE DIRECTOR DJ Galbiati Blalock SENIOR MANAGING EDITOR Stephen Black

BUSINESS MANAGER Marvin Botnick

DIRECTOR OF SALES Melanie Snare & MARKETING

BEAT WRITERS Ricky Dimon (Braves) Joe Deighton (Dream) Jay Underwood (Hawks) Brian Jones (KSU) Chris Nieman (UGA) Craig Sager II (Falcons) Stephen Black (Tech) Chris Schutter (GSU) STAFF WRITERS Ryan Caiafa Alex Ewalt

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Copyright 2013 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.

06 12 13

COVER DESIGN BY DJ GALBIATI BLALOCK COVER PHOTOS COURTESY OF DJ GALBIATI BLALOCK, LOVEJOY HS AND PAUL ABELL/ATLANTA BRAVES

ON THE INSIDE AT SCORE Score Atlanta is looking for writing interns. Please e-mail Stephen Black at sblack@scoreatl.com or call 404256-1572 for more information. Football All-Star Games will never be the same! The Georgia Elite Junior Classic will be held at McEachern High School on Dec. 28.

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SCHUTTER’S STANCE

HAWKS ARE ACTUALLY REALLY GOOD, NO REALLY BY CHRIS SCHUTTER | CSCHUTTER@SCOREATL.COM

still early in the season. November is not IinttheisApriltime to say what is going to be happening or May. There is so much more bas-

ketball to be played, it’s a fool’s game to make some outlandish prediction about how a season will turn out. Luckily for you, I am that fool. The Hawks are finishing fourth in the Eastern Conference this year, and here’s how I know this will happen: by assuming at least one, if not both, of the two teams in New York won’t be able to figure things out. The rosters for opening day were finalized on Oct. 28. The Hawks have known what guys will play alongside each other for barely three weeks. So forgive them if it seems like they’re sloppy. The main things that head coach Mike Budenholzer (and his mentor in San Antonio,

Gregg Popovich) stresses is finding the open man on offense and finishing defensive possessions by getting rebounds. It’s obvious why things will only get better from here. KNOW YOUR ROLE … First of all, the roles are easy to understand. It’s very evident watching this team that each player has a role, they know their role, and they have the ability to step up within the system. Kyle Korver is shooting threes at 54 percent, which is the highest of his career, Jeff Teague is second in the league in assists per game with 10.1, and Al Horford is averaging a double-double in points and rebounds. As far as rebounding and finding the open man go, the Hawks are already doing pretty well. They lead the NBA in team assists with

GONE SO SOON? BRAVES LEAVING TURNER FIELD BY JOE DEIGHTON | JDEIGHTON@SCOREATL.COM

What’s wrong with Turner Field? Why in Cobb County? Won’t that produce a greater traffic problem? Will they still be called the Atlanta Braves? Cobb County, the city of Atlanta and the Braves have until 2017, which is why people should not jump to so many conclusions, so quickly. Three years sounds like a short time, but it is also plenty of time to find solutions. The Braves have been a fixture in Atlanta culture since 1966, so adjustments will have to be made by the citizens of Atlanta. Some have already said that they are moving because the Braves are moving. Mayor Kasim Reed has to

ALL SYSTEMS GO … Another huge advantage for the current

seems to always rule the day in every aspect of life and especially in this situation. There are still many decisions to be made, but it sounds like the big decision is a done deal. The Braves are leaving Atlanta.

CUP OF JOE

he Braves are leaving Atlanta. This is shockT ing news and it seems to have happened so quickly. There are so many questions to ask.

28 per game. The reason that number is so high is because they’re finding the open man and knocking down those open shots. They’re shooting 46.7 percent from the field, good for sixth best in the association. Their shooting has been good, but their rebounding has been great. The Hawks are extremely undersized, with the average height on the team being 6-foot-5. They’re the second shortest in the league, just a little taller than the Mavericks, but that’s not why the Hawks’ offensive rebounding is so low. The system put in place by Budenholzer is set up to crash the defensive boards and focus more on stopping fast breaks. The idea is to get back on defense and send only one or maybe two guys for the offensive board. In addition to that, guys aren’t watching their shots, as pretty as some of Korver’s may look. They’re getting back on defense and more importantly taking the right angle to bring down defensive rebounds. Their offensive rebounding rate is second worst in the league at 19.5 percent. San Antonio is fourth worst at 21.5 percent. The Hawks’ defensiverebounding rate is second best in the league at 78.5 percent. As you could probably guess, the Spurs have the best defensive-rebounding rate at a ridiculous 80.3 percent.

put a plan in place that will benefit the residents that live around Turner Field after it is blown up. Blowing up Turner Field sounds weird to me. I attended the first-ever baseball game played in that stadium. It was an exhibition game against the New York Yankees in 1997. I remember how bright the stadium looked and how clean it was. I remember Kenny Lofton in center field, the only year he played as an Atlanta Brave. It doesn’t seem like that long ago to me, but I suppose I’m getting old. Turner Field seems like it is still a new stadium when you walk in today. The 1996 Olympics were held there. There have been all-star games, numerous concerts, the 1999 World Series and events that people will remember for the rest of their lives at Turner Field. Money

THE LEGEND OF GONZALEZ … As the Atlanta Falcons wind down this 2013 season, fans should appreciate what Tony Gonzalez has done and is continuing to do. I don’t know if everyone realizes that they are watching the greatest tight end to ever play in the NFL. Gonzalez has played 17 professional seasons, the last five for the Falcons. As he wraps up his career, you have to marvel at the way he has conducted himself. He has never demanded the ball. He has never demanded a trade. He has done everything with grace and class. Gonzalez has caught more passes than any other tight end in the history of the NFL. His 1,289 catches rank second only to the legendary Jerry Rice, who many regard as the greatest football player ever. To catch that many passes from the tight-end position is astounding. Gonazlez ranks sixth on the all-time receiving yards list with 14,773 and could easily move up to fourth by the end of this season. There is only one other tight end, Shannon Sharpe, who has even 10,000 yards. A toe injury threatens to keep him out of

Hawks is that their players seem smarter than in years past. Not to say players who used to be on this team were dumb (Josh Smith), but these players understand the system put in place and what shots are most beneficial to the team’s goal of winning. In last week’s win over the Kings, Paul Millsap takes a shot from the free-throw line off a pick and roll—with pretty bad help defense from Patrick Patterson—to nail a two-pointer. Millsap looks up and doesn’t point to Teague, who passed him the ball, but he points to Cartier Martin—whom he left open for three in the corner, as if to say ‘my bad.’ This team, Millsap included, understands the most efficient shooting comes from under the basket, from the charity stripe and from corner threes. I’m not trying to compare this Hawks team to the Spurs because that would be an injustice to both San Antonio and Atlanta. The philosophy was obviously effective in San Antonio and it appears it will only get better in Atlanta. This team is actually fun to watch and the playoffs this year will feel much different than in years past. Atlanta isn’t depending on one or two players. It’s depending on a basketball system that has resulted in playoff series wins and even championships for the past 15 years. Photo courtesy of the Atlanta Hawks.

this week’s game against Tampa Bay, but rest assured if he misses this game he will be back to finish his Hall-of-Fame career in style. DEEP SOUTH’S OLDEST RIVALRY … It’s that time of year again. Auburn vs. Georgia. This is the oldest rivalry in the south, dating back to 1892. These two teams have met 116 times and there have been many memorable games. Everyone will recall UGA V trying to take a bite out of Auburn receiver Robert Baker in 1996. The 2002 game was memorable with quarterback David Greene throwing to Michael Johnson in the corner and putting the Bulldogs in the SEC Championship for the first time ever. Nick Fairley had many questionable hits against UGA in 2010, but that game helped Auburn eventually win the BCS National Championship that season. The 2013 game is not without significant implications. Georgia can still win the SEC East with a victory and two Missouri losses. Auburn can still make a bid for the BCS Championship game if it can beat both Georgia and Alabama. Again, this is a great matchup between two old rivals and will be fun to watch on Saturday. Photo courtesy of the Atlanta Braves.

Vol. 9 Iss. 25 | November 15-21, 2013 faithful resides outside the perimeter to the north and to the west. Even the new location, 14 miles north of Turner Field, is still toward the southern end of the most active ticket-buying areas—although it is a major hot spot relative to its predecessor. Furthermore, the area surrounding Turner Field is far from an ideal setting for a baseball game and other entertainment activities. Fans flock to the site for one reason and one reason only: to watch the Atlanta Braves. There is literally nothing else to do. The Braves do not have ownership of the surrounding area, so changes are out of their hands. Another reason is the facility itself. Turner Field is the fourth-oldest stadium in the National League, younger than only Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Wrigley Field in Chicago and Coors Field in Colorado. In order to be sustainable, it would reportedly need $150 million of infrastructure work on repairs and upgrades such as with seating and lighting that would not directly enhance the fan experience. If implemented, additional projects of luxury as opposed to necessity could exceed $200 million.

ON THE COVER

BRAVES NEW STADIUM

COBB COUNTY TO BECOME NEW HOME OF THE BRAVES’ BY RICKY DIMON | RDIMON@SCOREATL.COM

urner Field will be no more. In fact, downtown Atlanta’s title as the home of the Atlanta Braves will soon be a thing of the past. Team president John Schuerholz delivered an absolute bombshell on Monday morning by announcing that the Braves will move to Cobb County for the start of the 2017 baseball season. According to the plan, a new stadium costing $672 million will be located near the northwest intersection of I-75 and I-285 in the Cumberland Mall and Galleria area. Turner Field, which has hosted the franchise’s games since the spring of 1997, will be demolished. WHY MOVE? … “The reason for moving is simple,” the team said in a statement on its official website. “The current location has certain issues that are insurmountable and will only become more problematic over the years.” That says next to nothing, but the bottom line for the move is not hard to figure out. A simple fact, but one that is important to understand, is that the Braves are not suddenly up-

rooting themselves in the middle of their Turner Field lease. Owned by the City of Atlanta and the Atlanta-Fulton County Recreation Authority, Turner Field is leased to the team through the 2016 season. The Braves are choosing not to extend the contract beyond its expiration. Accessibility—or lack thereof—is one of Braves officials’ primary concerns. Mike Plant, Executive Vice President of Business Operations for the team, identified traffic and parking problems around Turner Field as the number one reason why some fans will not attend games. Not only is it missing the benefit of a nearby MARTA stop, but Plant says the stadium is at least 5,000 parking spaces short. Those transportation issues especially come into play because a vast majority of ticket-buyers are commuting from outside the inner city. The Braves released a heat map indicating from where their ticket sales have come. Only one or two zip codes to the east of Turner Field generate significant sales. The vast majority of tickets are sold to the north of the current venue. A huge percentage of Braves’

IN WITH THE NEW … The Braves simply believe this new location will have the answers for most if not all of those problems. Like Turner Field, however, the yet-to-be-named stadium is nowhere near a MARTA stop. In fact, MARTA does not even operate in Cobb County. Team executives hope I-75, I-285 and US41/Cobb Parkway will make a difference by scattering the traffic flow and limiting congestion. A much different surrounding scene may solve multiple issues by itself. Sixty acres of land are available for the project and the space will not be limited to a baseball stadium alone. A planned multi-purpose development sharing those sixty acres will include entertainment, retail, restaurants and possibly even hotels. Officials hope that a more complete gameday experience will result in fans both arriving to the site early and leaving late. Somewhat curiously, the Braves are building a smaller stadium at a time when they are implementing measures to jolt attendance. The new, open-air site is expected to have a seating capacity of 41,000 to 42,000—around 10,000 less than that of Turner Field. “It’s an exciting project,” Derek Schiller,

Braves’ Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing, told the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “It’s ambitious, and it is in many ways first of it kind in that it links the stadium and the mixed-use development opening all at the same time.” Construction is likely to begin in the late summer or early fall of 2014. The grand opening of both the stadium and the first phase of the adjoining amenities is scheduled for early 2017. DONE DEAL? … The Braves, who will be a “significant investor” in the stadium according to Schiller, have not yet signed a deal with Cobb County. Approximately $450 million of public financing from the county is anticipated, although team officials are disputing that number. It is not clear how the funding will be divided between raising taxes on Cobb County residents, a hotel tax that brought in $10 million in 2012 revenue, money generated from a community improvement district and/or a budget surplus. The Braves are also planning to sell naming rights on the stadium, but the search for a partner has so far proved fruitless. A relocation vote will be presented to the Cobb County Commission on Nov. 26, when—if approved— the financing package will be finalized. The 60 acres of land will also have to be purchased from the Saul Real Estate Investment Trust. Atlanta mayor Kasim Reed and Georgia governor Nathan Deal met with the Braves on Wednesday (Deal was not expected to intervene in the proposed move). John Lewis, who has represented Atlanta in Congress for more than 25 years, said earlier this week that the city should fight to keep its team. Reed, however, seems resigned to the Braves’ fate. “The Atlanta Braves are one of the best baseball teams in America, and I wish them well,” the mayor revealed in a statement. “We have been working very hard with the Braves for a long time, and at the end of the day, there was simply no way the team was going to stay in downtown Atlanta without city taxpayers spending hundreds of millions of dollars to make that happen…. That was something I, and many others, were unwilling to do.” Photos courtesy of the Atlanta Braves.

Cobb County

Jeff Teague

College Basketball

It remains to be seen how Cobb County will do it, as it will cost the county roughly $450 million of the $672 million total. Barring any snags, however, the Atlanta Braves will have a new home starting in 2017 and it won’t be downtown. If the move works out, it will be a huge coup for Cobb.

Mike Budenholzer’s brand of basketball is working well so far this season, but don’t refer to Teague as simply a product of the system. The Hawks’ point guard has been playing stellar, scoring 17.1 points per game while dishing out an average of 10.1 assists. That puts Teague second in the NBA in assists behind Chris Paul.

When it comes to regularseason basketball, it doesn’t get much better than what was on display at Chicago’s United Center on Tuesday night. Games featuring four of the time five teams in the nation saw Michigan State hold off Kentucky and Kansas edge Duke. It’s just a shame a lot of those players will be oneand-done.

SCORE LIST By Brian Jones

SMYRNA BRAVES

The Braves made the biggest splash out of any local pro team this year as they announced they are moving to Cobb County starting in 2017. The new stadium will be located a few blocks away from Cumberland Mall and it will cost around $670 million. I have to say as a Cobb County resident, I love the move because it will only take me 15 minutes to get to a Braves game.

FREE FALLING

Things just keep getting worse for the Falcons. Not only did they get blown out by Seattle on Sunday, they had to put another player (Sam Baker) on injured reserve. The one thing about the Falcons is they will fight to the very end and they will look to get win No. 3 on Sunday when they face Tampa Bay at Raymond James Stadium.

OLD RIVALS

The Bulldogs and the Auburn Tigers will do battle on Saturday and it’s a must-win for the Bulldogs in order to stay in the hunt for the SEC East title. It will not be an easy task because former Bulldog Nick Marshall has become one of the most dangerous quarterbacks in the country. I’m not sure who is going to win, but something tells me the game should be a classic.

KEEP STREAKING

The Yellow Jackets have won their last three games and they look to make it four straight when they travel to Clemson on Saturday. It will be a tough test for Paul Johnson’s group because they are facing a Clemson team that has looked sharp since the beating they took against Florida State. But the Jackets have dominated this series recently, so it should be an interesting contest.

PLAYOFF ACTION

It’s finally here. The high school football playoffs start on Friday and it’s the beginning of the best five weeks of the year. Can Walton upset Collins Hill? Can Nick Chubb lead Cedartown to a win against defending Class AAAA state champion Sandy Creek? Be sure to get the scores and updates from all 80 first-round games at scoreatl.com.

WHO’S NOT

By Ricky Dimon

WHO’S HOT

SCORE ATLANTA | www.ScoreAtl.com

Atlanta

Rushing Offense

One Year Late

It’s not like the Braves are leaving entirely. In fact, they aren’t really leaving at all. But they won’t be downtown after their Turner Field lease expires three seasons from now. Instead, the Braves will play their baseball games 14 miles north of the current location. Opinions vary, but a lot of fans are not happy.

Just when you thought it could not get any worse, Steven Jackson rushed for 11 yards on nine carries in Sunday’s 33-10 blowout loss to Seattle. As a team, the Falcons gained a mere 64 yards on the ground. They are dead last in the NFL with 64.3 rushing yards per game. Yes, that’s even worse than Jacksonville (65.0).

As it stands right now, the fourteam college football playoff that will be implemented next season would work perfectly. Alabama, Florida State, Ohio State and Baylor are all undefeated and looking like championship material. But we won’t be able to find out if OSU would “wipe the floor” with ‘Bama or FSU, as one Buckeye suggested.

NUMBERS

OUR TWO CENTS

By Craig Sager II

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 PLAYOFF SERIES HAVE THE BRAVES WON IN TURNER FIELD?

“I’m glad they are going to stay in Georgia and we want to make sure that happens. And I have fairly good predictivity that that’s going to occur.”

ANSWER ON PAGE 14

Georgia governor on the Braves’ plans to move to Cobb County.

151

Rushing yards gained by Steven Jackson this season

Years since the Braves christened Turner Field for their inaugural season

Hawks’ NBA ranking in assists this season

Teams in the NFL with less wins than the Falcons

Tackles by Falcons rookie Paul Worrilow in the last two games

4.5

Team-leading sacks for Osi Umenyiora

Points scored by Auburn during its 38-0 loss to UGA last season

Points scored by Auburn in its win over Tennessee last Saturday

SCORE MORE

suffered its only defeat to Norcross. Walton has the talent to play with Collins Hill, but can it keep up with the Eagles’ highpowered offense? The teams have not met since Collins Hill’s 16-13 win over Walton in the 1999 playoffs.

FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS

COBB POWERS LOOK TO SPRING FIRST-ROUND UPSETS (now at LSU), Marietta looks better than it has been in quite some time in Burton’s fourth season. Most expect Lovejoy to win convincingly, but Marietta can move the ball and is battletested.

STEPHENSON AT FLOWERY BRANCH ... This one will be a contrast in styles as Stephenson brings a strong running attack, led by Vandy-commit Dallas Rivers, and seven Division-1 commitments to Hall County where the Jaguars face the Falcons’ prolific passing offense. Quarterback Jackson McDonald will try to throw the ball all over the field against Stephenson’s athletic defense. McDonald threw for 254 yards last week against Gainesville and tallied five total touchdowns.

WALTON AT COLLINS HILL ... Another Cobb County team faces a tough road game as coach Rocky Hildalgo’s bunch travels to Gwinnett. The Raiders will not be shell-shocked in playing an elite Region 7 team as Walton has been to the playoffs almost yearly over the past two decades. The Raiders got valuable experience opening up the season with Peachtree Ridge and Hillgrove. Collins Hill, meanwhile, is a bit of a surprise after earning the No. 2 seed in Region 7. The Eagles are the only team to have beaten North Gwinnett, which was at the top of the polls for weeks. Coach Kevin Reach’s bunch

EAGLE’S LANDING AT MARY PERSONS ... Both schools lie just off I-75 between Atlanta and Macon. Both teams were in and out of the rankings this season and each has the potential to make a deep run in the Class AAAA playoffs. The Golden Eagles are in the playoffs for just the third time and have a chance at winning their first playoff game ever under coach Joe Teknipp (according to GHSFHA. org). Teknipp has orchestrated a remarkable turnaround at the Henry County school after winning just three games in the previous four seasons.

WESTMINSTER AT JEFFERSON ... Jefferson won the state title last year but have taken a slight step down following the departures of QB Bryant Shirreffs and coach T. McFerrin. However, the Dragons come into the playoffs ranked No. 8 in Class AA. They will face a worthy first-round foe in Westminster, which has played a rigorous schedule but emerged from it to make the playoffs from a quality Region 6. The Wildcats are 5-5, but three of those losses are to Class AAA playoff teams and the other two came to highly-ranked GAC and Lovett. Jefferson plays Shirreffs brother, Evan, at QB and also features RB Tristen Jackson, who starred on last year’s championship squad. Westminster counters with junior DE Russell Ude, who has interest from multiple Division 1 programs, including Georgia Tech and Miami. Photos courtesy of Lovejoy HS, Terance Johnson, Kim Holderfield and Stephenson HS.

Class AAAAA

Class AAA

Class A-Private

BY STEPHEN BLACK | SBLACK@SCOREATL.COM

ere is a brief look at some of the more inH teresting first-round games of the football state playoffs. While some of the early playoff

games appear to be one-sided with fairly predictable outcomes, the following games look like they will each be competitive. MARIETTA AT LOVEJOY ... The Wildcats from Clayton County have made the state finals the past two seasons: the AAAA final in 2011 and the AAAAAA final last year. Lovejoy, however, is still looking for its first state title. Marietta, on the other hand, won Cobb County’s last state football title in 1967, but struggled in recent years until coach Scott Burton came in and turned the Blue Devils around. Last year, the two programs played in the second round with Lovejoy cruising to a 36-15 win. Despite the loss of QB Anthony Jennings

Score Atlanta Football Rankings

1..............................Tucker 2.................................. Kell 3...................... Gainesville 4........................Creekside 5................Warner Robins

Class AAAAAA

Class AAAA

1...............Camden County 2..........................Norcross 3................Colquitt County 4................North Gwinnett 5....................... Collins Hill

1....................Sandy Creek 2.............................. Griffin 3................... Monroe Area 4........................ Carrollton 5.............................. Marist

6..........................Hillgrove 7............................Lovejoy 8............................. Archer 9...................... North Cobb 10.........................Marietta

NORTH OCONEE AT WOODWARD ACADEMY ... The Titans began the season in the top 10 before losing to a Woodward rival - St. Pius X - in the season-opener. The War Eagles, meanwhile, took losses to Lovett and Blessed Trinity prior to earning their way into the top 10 with five straight wins. Senior Terry Googer leads Woodward as a dual-threat player. He is projected to be either a WR or TE at South Carolina next season.

6.................Northside-WR 7.. Thomas County Central 8................North Paulding 9....................Ware County 10................Harris County

1............................. Buford 2.........Washington County 3......................Cartersville 4...........Carver-Columbus 5..........................Callaway

6................Appling County 7...................Elbert County 8.......Woodward Academy 9..................... Hart County 10...................... North Hall

Class AA 6.................. Burke County 7.....................Stockbridge 8.......................Statesboro 9................. Wayne County 10................Mary Persons

1...............................Lovett 2..................Lamar County 3..................................GAC 4........................... Calhoun 5........Washington-Wilkes

1................................ ELCA 2........................... Aquinas 3..................Mount Pisgah 4.................Prince AveChr. 5....................Mount Paran

6.....................Calvary Day 7...........Christian Heritage 8................ Landmark Chr. 9....................... Darlington 10.............Holy Innocents’

Class A-Public 6.................Brooks County 7.....................Benedictine 8.........................Jefferson 9.................. Heard County 10........................... Vidalia

1.............Seminole County 2....................Irwin County 3..................Clinch County 4.................Marion County 5.............. Johnson County

6...................Dooly County 7.............. Charlton County 8................... Hawkinsville 9.......................Commerce 10............. Mitchell County

Score Atlanta/AJC Basketball Rankings AAAAAA Boys

1.........................Norcross 2.......................... Wheeler 3.......................Tift County 4......................... Hillgrove 5............... North Gwinnett 6......................North Cobb 7.............Peachtree Ridge 8..............................Shiloh 9......................... Berkmar 10.......................Westlake

AAAAA Boys

1....................Miller Grove 2...........Effingham County 3.............................Tucker 4..................... Whitewater 5...........................Jenkins 6.................... Stephenson 7.........................Allatoona 8............................... Mays 9..... Northside, Columbus 10.......... New Manchester

AAAA Boys

1........................ Columbia 2..................South Atlanta 3..............................Marist 4.......................Jonesboro 5...................... Glenn Hills 6...................... Statesboro 7........................... Monroe 8..............Eagle’s Landing 9.........................Westover 10......................... Rutland

AAA Boys

1........................Savannah 2.............................Buford 3......Woodward Academy 4........................ St. Pius X 5........................North Hall 6........ Washington County 7................Tattnall County 8.....................Cartersville 9........Johnson, Savannah 10.............Morgan County

AA Boys

1................................. GAC 2..............................Laney 3.............................Vidalia 4.............................Jordan 5.................... Manchester 6......... Westside-Augusta 7.......................... Spencer 8..................Taylor County 9..............................Model 10............Bleckley County

A Boys

1...................... St. Francis 2...........................Aquinas 3.............Athens Christian 4.....Greenforest Christian 5.................Wilcox County 6............... Excel Christian 7........... Wilkinson County 8......North Cobb Christian 9............ Seminole County 10............WD Mohammed

AAAAAA Girls

1.........................Norcross 2.........................Parkview 3.......................Tift County 4............... North Gwinnett 5......................... Hillgrove 6..................... McEachern 7........................ Cherokee 8.......................Alpharetta 9............................Etowah 10..........................Hughes

AAAAA Girls

1..........Southwest DeKalb 2.............................Tucker 3.....................Forest Park 4.................... Stephenson 5....................Miller Grove 6..................................Kell 7.......................... Osborne 8...........Effingham County 9.........................Allatoona 10.......................McIntosh

AAAA Girls

1........................ Columbia 2.................Mary Persons 3...................Sandy Creek 4................Fayette County 5..............................Marist 6..............................Redan 7.......................Jonesboro 8..Woodland-Stockbridge 9....................Cross Creek 10......................LaGrange

AAA Girls

1........................ St. Pius X 2........ Washington County 3.............................Buford 4...........Southwest Macon 5...............Dawson County 6..............................Beach 7...........................Decatur 8...................... Chapel Hill 9..................... Sonoraville 10................North Oconee

AA Girls

1........................ Wesleyan 2..............................Laney 3...........................Calhoun 4.........................Kendrick 5..............................Lovett 6................................. GAC 7..............Bleckley County 8.................... Thomasville 9............................Pelham 10........................... Dublin

A Girls

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1 ..................... St. Francis 2 ............. Holy Innocents’ 3 ..... SW Atlanta Christian 4 .............. Randolph-Clay 5 ................... Calvary Day 6 ....................Gordon Lee 7 .....George Walton Acad. 8 .......... Wilkinson County 9 ......................Darlington 10 .............. Towns County

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UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA

DAWGS TRAVEL TO SUDDENLY-ELITE AUBURN BY CHRIS NIEMAN | CNIEMAN@SCOREATL.COM

he No. 25 Georgia Bulldogs (6-3, 4-2) have an opportunity to accomplish a feat that they have not managed since 1966: beat three top-10 teams in the same season. Georgia travels to Auburn to take on the seventhranked Tigers in a top-25 matchup that will be nationally televised on CBS. This rivalry isn’t called the “Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry” for just any reason. Georgia and Auburn have played each other 117 times dating back to 1892. The series is currently deadlocked at 54-54-8. However, in recent memory, the Dawgs have owned the series, having won six out of the last seven contests. Auburn’s lone win in that span was in 2010 when it went on to beat Oregon in the BCS National Championship Game. This season marks the second straight year the Dawgs are playing at Jordan-Hare Stadium. The reason behind this is because the SEC had to make a few minor tweaks to its scheduling in order for conference newcomers

GEORGIA STATE

PANTHERS HOSTING ANNUAL FOOD DRIVE BY CHRIS SCHUTTER | CSCHUTTER@SCOREATL.COM

he holidays are almost upon us. Georgia T State athletics will hold its annual canned food drive this season. Students, faculty and

fans have two great opportunities to help donate non-perishable items to the cause. Those opportunities will come on Saturday, Nov. 16, when the Panthers’ football team takes on ULL, and on Tuesday, Nov. 19, when the women’s basketball team faces Central Florida at the Sports Arena. Fans are encouraged to volunteer or donate and everyone who donates a canned food item will receive a free ticket to a men’s or women’s basketball game of their choice in November or December. STUDENT-ATHLETE … Abigail Tere-Apisah is this week’s GSU Student-Athlete of the week for her performance in the 2013 USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate tennis tournament. TereApisah advanced all the way to the finals this past weekend by defeating three more highlyranked opponents. After losing to the No. 2 player in the country, Tere-Apisah beat the

Texas A&M and Missouri to fit in the rotation. Conference officials considered this 2013 campaign to be somewhat of a “bridge.” Head coach Mark Richt expressed his sentiment on the scheduling tweak. “We’re getting ready to play Auburn,” said Richt. “We’re going back there twice in a row. The quirk in the schedule didn’t really work to our favor, but that’s what happens when you add two new teams and you are trying to make the scheduling work, so we are going back and looking forward to that opportunity. We are playing a top-10 team.” With Todd Gurley back healthy and the offensive line showing vast improvement from the start of the season, the Bulldogs have a fighting chance to upset the Tigers. In the first two games of the season the Dawgs’ offensive line surrendered six sacks. Since then the big hogs up front have only given up five sacks, ultimately keeping Aaron Murray clean. The defense showed progress in each of the last two weeks. Inside linebacker Ramik Wilson is a man on a mission, leading the SEC with 92 total tackles. That number also ties the junior for 14th in the nation. UNDER THE KNIFE … Sophomore tailback Keith Marshall underwent surgery to repair a torn ACL that he suffered against Tennessee on Oct. 5. Director of sports medicine Ron Courson thought “it went well” according to Richt in a Tuesday press conference.

No. 4 player in the country, California’s Zsofi Susanyi, in straight sets. She went on to beat Michigan’s No. 36 Ronit Yurovsky and Auburn’s No. 18 Pleun Burgmans. Tere-Apisah will probably be ranked in the Top 30 for the spring season and the Panthers will try to capture a Sun Belt conference championship behind her stellar play. TOUGH LOSSES … Georgia State football is still in search of its first win this season. Coach Trent Miles’ team has just not been able to put the pieces together and the Panthers have lost their first nine games. On the opposite side of the spectrum is Louisiana-Lafayette, which is 7-2 on the season and leading the Sun Belt with a 4-0 record in conference play. The Ragin’ Cajuns head into this one on a seven-game winning streak. Georgia State’s offense will likely struggle against this team as the Panthers have played eight different offensive line combinations of the season. Kickoff is set for Saturday at 2:00 p.m. at the Georgia Dome. The men’s basketball team fell to Vanderbilt in a close 86-80 game last Tuesday. Kentucky transfer Ryan Harrow dropped 27 points on the Commodores, but it wasn’t enough to get the win. There were 16 lead changes and 10 ties in a game that was a battle until the very end. With 2:18 to play the score was tied at 7373 before Vandy pulled away for the win.

GEORGIA TECH

FOOTBALL TEAM FACES CLEMSON; HOOPS UNDEFEATED BY STEPHEN BLACK | SBLACK@SCOREATL.COM

he football team will play at Clemson ThursT day night in what is potentially an ACC elimination game for the Yellow Jackets. Tech

is technically in first place in the ACC Coastal, but are tied in the loss column with Miami and Virginia Tech, which each beat Tech. Clemson will be a tough out for coach Paul Johnson’s crew, as the Tigers are at the top of the conference in many statistical categories. Quarterback Tajh Boyd is second in passing with 2,620 yards while receiver Sammy Watkins is tops in the conference with 982 receiving yards. Defensive end Vic Beasley leads the league with 10 sacks. TECH WINS TWO ... Tennessee-transfer Trae Golden led all scorers with 16 as Tech beat Delaware State 68-50 Monday to improve to 2-0. Marcus Georges-Hunt scored 12 points and grabbed eight boards while Robert Carter, Jr. had 11 points and five blocks. The Yellow Jackets led 31-18 at the half before Delaware State cut it to

KENNESAW STATE

HOOPS TEAM FINDS THE WIN COLUMN BY BRIAN JONES | BJONES@SCOREATL.COM

he basketball team recently played four T games in four days as it hosted the Kennesaw State Tournament as the Convocation

Center. On Friday, the Owls faced Youngstown State and lost 73-57. The results were not better on Saturday as the Owls came up short against Eastern Kentucky 68-60. Florida International was the Owls’ Sunday opponent and the Golden Panthers handed the Owls a 66-58 loss. But the Owls were able to get their first win of the season on Monday by blowing out Warren Wilson 92-48. It was an historic day for KSU as the margin of the win was their largest since joining Division I. “It was good to finally watch the ball go in,” Kennesaw State head coach Lewis Preston told ksuowls.com. “Some guys came off the bench and gave us some added energy and I’m looking forward to taking this into Thursday night against Mississippi State. I want to thank all of the fans and students that came out today.” Orlando Coleman led the Owls with 26 points and 10 rebounds. Nigel Pruitt added 23

eight with 5:29 left in the game. Tech opened the season Friday with a 88-57 win over Presbyterian. the victory was coach Brian Gregory’s 200th in his career. Georges-Hunt scored 17 points and added nine rebounds while Carter had 13 points and 10 rebounds. The Jackets travel to Athens Friday to take on arch-rival Georgia (2-0). Tech has won the last two meetings against the Bulldogs. GREGORY EXTENDED ... Tech coach Brian Gregory has signed a one-year extension to push his contract through the 2017-2018 season. “I’m very thankful to President Peterson, Mike Bobinski, and the Georgia Tech Board of Trustees for their confidence in my leadership and their support of our program,” said Gregory. “I’m proud of the foundation we are creating academically, in the community, and on the court. I am also extremely excited about our future success and humbled by the commitment made by this great institution.” Gregory began his career on the Flats in 2011-2012, when his team finished 11-20. Last season the Jackets went 16-15. “With this extension we recognize Brian’s leadership and progress in re-building the Tech basketball program over the past two years,” said athletics director Mike Bobinski. “Under his direction, we have greatly improved the team’s academic standing and have seen positive growth on the court.”

points in the win. Both players and the rest of the Owls played their first road game on Thursday against Mississippi State. Their next game will be on Tuesday against UT-Chattanooga. SEASON ENDS … The soccer team concluded its season Friday as it fell to Jacksonville 2-0 in the Atlantic Sun Semifinals in Fort Myers, Fla. “It was a game that could have gone either way,” head coach Rob King said following the game. “After the first 20 minutes we began to dominate but could not put one away. The team that scored first was likely going to it win and we pushed to try and get one after their goal.” Both of Jacksonville’s scores came in the second half. Jacksonville had 17 shots while Kennesaw State had 14. The Owls, who were a No. 3 seed in the tournament, finished the season with a 9-9-1 mark. NEW OFFICE … On Wednesday, the KSU athletic department hosted an open house for the media to showcase the newly renovated space that houses the football coaching staff. Head coach Brian Bohannon and the rest of his staff moved into the new office space—which is 29,500 square feet—on Oct. 29. Along with Bohannon and KSU athletic director Vaughn Williams, the construction company Albion-Saccia of Sandy Springs was on hand as well as the architecture firm Croft and Associates to answer questions about the new office space.

Vol. 9 Iss. 25 | November 15-21, 2013 ATLANTA HAWKS

REINFORCEMENTS ON THE WAY FOR HAWKS BY JAY UNDERWOOD | JUNDERWOOD@SCOREATL.COM

wo Hawks are approaching their return from injury and should give a boost to a team that has already shown glimpses of being really good. Gustavo Ayon has been added to the active roster and should begin seeing game action before next week. Having recovered from a shoulder injury sooner than expected, he is expected to give a boost to a frontcourt that struggles when both of the starters are on the bench. The other Hawk on the recovery trail is Lou Williams, who is rehabbing a torn ACL. He began 5-on-5 drills this week and is participating in minimal-contact drills. Williams should take part in full-contact drills and practice soon enough and that will be the true test of his surgically-repaired knee. Once he passes all of these tests he will work his way into the rotation, slowly moving back into his sixth-man role. OFFENSIVE FIREPOWER … Jeff Teague is thriving in head coach Mike Budenholzer’s offense, seeing his average as-

ATLANTA BRAVES

BRAVES HEADED TO COBB IN SHOCKING MOVE BY RICKY DIMON | RDIMON@SCOREATL.COM

f all goes according to plan, the Atlanta Braves will be playing in Cobb County starting in the spring of 2017 and Turner Field will be no more. Team executives made the announcement from straight out of left field on Monday morning, blindsiding just about everyone in the city. Mayor Kasim Reed was one of the few who saw it coming. “We have been working very hard with the Braves for a long time, and at the end of the day, there was simply no way the team was going to stay in downtown Atlanta without city taxpayers spending hundreds of millions of dollars to make that happen,” Reed explained in a statement issued a few hours after the story broke. “It is my understanding that our neighbor, Cobb County, made a strong offer of $450 million in public support to the Braves and we are simply unwilling to match that with taxpayer dollars.” The new stadium will be located near the northwest intersection of I-75 and I-285, virtually next door to Cumberland Mall and Galleria.

sists number rise into double-digits. Teague is averaging 10.1 dimes per game, which is second in the NBA behind Chris Paul and tops in the Eastern Conference. In turn, Atlanta’s offense averages 28 assists on 39 field goals per game. This is one of the reasons that the Hawks have scored over 100 points in each of their first seven contests. The leading scorers for the team have been Al Horford, Paul Millsap and Teague, who are all averaging more than 17 points. Another key to the offensive success is the play of the bench during crucial stretches. Led by Dennis Schroder, who pushes the pace and creates havoc in transition, the reserve unit uses mismatches to create offense. Mike Scott has shown the offensive game that the Hawks were hoping for when they selected him out of Virginia in the 2012 draft. Scott is averaging 7.3 points per game, but more importantly he is scoring his points when other options have stalled and the Hawks need a spark. He scored 17 key points against the Magic, converting on an efficient 7-of-11 shooting. Another player who has the ability to take over games off the bench is Cartier Martin, who has scored at least seven points in all but one game and had a season high of 17 in the opener. Kyle Korver extended his streak of games with a three-pointer to 80 against the Bobcats Monday. He is now nine treys behind Dana Barros for the most all-time in the NBA.

Approximately 60 acres of land are available for the project. To be built in partnership with Cobb County, the new ballpark is expected to cost $672 million. “We think this is going to be a remarkable, positive development on all sides,” Braves president John Schuerholz told the team’s website. “It will make it far greater for our fans, with a far more enjoyable experience. It should be successful.” MCCANN DECLINES … As expected, catcher Brian McCann declined Atlanta’s one-year, $14.1 million qualifying offer on Monday. In the second year of the new qualifying-offer system, the amount is the average of the top 125 MLB salaries from 2013. McCann can likely command more annual dollars and certainly more years. “Absolutely expected,” general manager Frank Wren told the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “B.B. (McCann’s agent B.B. Abbott) and I have touched base today. We’ll continue to talk.” So will a whole host of other teams. The bidding war for the seven-time all-star is expected to be one of the most furious chases of this baseball offseason. Abbott said that at least 10 teams have already expressed interest in McCann and big spenders like the Rangers, Red Sox and Yankees are thought to be major players. Since the start of 2006, his first full season in the majors, McCann leads all catchers with 171 home runs and 638 RBIs.

ATLANTA FALCONS

FALCONS HOPE TO AVOID ROCK BOTTOM BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

been difficult to grasp that a team with Itheta has Super Bowl-or-bust mentality heading into year is now in contention for the first pick of the 2014 NFL Draft, but that is how far the 2-7 Falcons have fallen. Undrafted rookie receiver Darius Johnson scored the Falcons’ only touchdown on Sunday and the Seahawks steamrolled the home team 33-10. Steven Jackson gained 11 yards on nine carries and Atlanta’s league-worst rushing attack turned in a 64-yard effort, while Matt Ryan was held to a season-low 172 yards passing. The Falcons’ once-explosive offense has been stagnant recently, and on the longest play of the game—a 31-yard reception by Harry Douglas—Seattle’s Walter Thurmond stripped and recovered a Douglas fumble. Pointing the finger and questioning the effort or leadership is not the issue. A lack of physicality up front is the root of the Falcons’ problems. “I do feel like our guys are playing hard,” said head coach Mike Smith. “We just physically didn’t win the line of scrimmage [against

ATLANTA SILVERBACKS

SILVERBACKS LOSE SOCCER BOWL BY CHRIS SCHUTTER | CSCHUTTER@SCOREATL.COM

he NASL season is over following a 1-0 loss to the New York Cosmos’ in the Soccer Bowl last Saturday. Atlanta has historically been one of the worst teams in the league, but it had an incredible run to the championship game. In 2011, the Silverbacks finished dead last in the NASL and had an abysmal negative-38 goal differential. Last season was a little better as they climbed all the way up to second to last. Things really came together this season as they won the spring season and hosted the first Soccer Bowl between split seasons champions in more than 80 years. The Soccer Bowl features the spring champion hosting the fall champion for that season. New York did not participate in the spring season, which Atlanta won, but the Cosmos absolutely dominated this fall. They won the league by eight points and were heavy favorites to win the Soccer Bowl with almost no

the Seahawks], on both sides of the football. It’s definitely not the type of football we’re accustomed to playing around here.... [There are] a lot off disappointed people.” ROUND 2 … On Sunday Atlanta will visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who are coming off their first win of the season after beating Miami 22-19 on Monday. Atlanta relied on two Jacquizz Rodgers receiving touchdowns when it held on for a 31-23 win over the Bucs on Oct. 20. During the game, Tampa Bay limited the Falcons running attack to 18 yards on 18 carries and Douglas posted a career-high 149 receiving yards and scored a touchdown to offset the non-existent rushing. Without another heroic performance from Douglas, Atlanta may move into the basement of the NFC South along with Tampa Bay. ROOKIE OF THE YEAR … Paul Worrilow led the Falcons’ defense with 19 tackles for the second straight game. The undrafted rookie logged 10 solo tackles and has now posted 38 total tackles in the last two games. Worrilow’s performance joins him with Falcons Ring of Honor member Jesse Tuggle as the only players in franchise history to record 15 or more tackles twice in one season. Worrilow and Dallas linebacker Sean Lee are the only players to post two games with 16 or more tackles so far in 2013. With outside linebacker Sean Weatherspoon returning to the lineup, the linebackers could become a strength of this team.

contest. Atlanta would have to play their best game of the year just to contend. CLOSE GAME … The first half was exactly what the Silverbacks needed. They played great defense, anchored by ridiculously good goalkeeping by Joe Nasco, and they were aggressive for the majority of the half. The second half was a different story as Atlanta’s defense struggled just to keep up with Cosmos’ attackers and fans were just waiting for the inevitable New York goal. It came when an Ayoze free kick was deflected and Marcos Senna had a gift-wrapped shot from 18 feet out in the 51st minute. Senna put it into the back of the net just out of reach of Nasco’s gloves. This match was decided by one goal, the same as when these two teams faced off a week earlier in Atlanta. Atlanta had a disappointing second half of the season, but somehow it held its own against New York all year. The series went 2-1-0 in favor of New York with both wins being 1-0 shutouts. The tie was a 1-1 contest, so it seemed like the Silverbacks had a shot of scoring a goal and taking home the title. This hope was lost after the Senna goal as New York called timeouts, made substitutions and did whatever it could to essentially run the clock out. Atlanta will now have to wait until March to prove that it belongs in the championship game for years to come.

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