Score Atlanta Vol. 9 Issue 30

Time to look great!

VOLUME 9 ISSUE 30 DIGITAL

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DECEMBER 23, 2013

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YOUR SOURCE FOR SPORTS IN GEORGIA

ICE-COLD KORVER

Falcons Growing | Pg. 4

Ricky Dimon breaks down Kyle Korver’s incredible streak of three-pointers. | Pg. 5

Despite their first losing season since 2007, the Falcons’ young players are growing up in a hurry.

Prep News | Pg. 8 We update you on all the latest news in high school swimming and wrestling.

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LAST YEAR SHE HAD THE WINNING

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Vol. 9 Iss. 30 | December 23, 2013

STARTING LINEUP PUBLISHER/EDITOR I.J. Rosenberg

04

COLUMNISTS

05

ON THE COVER

08

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 (Gladiators) 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.

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SCORE LIST | NUMBERS GEORGIA STATE | KENNESAW STATE GEORGIA | GEORGIA TECH BRAVES | FALCONS HAWKS | SILVERBACKS

COVER PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE ATLANTA FALCONS, BRIAN L. MORGAN AND REID B. KELLEY/NBA GETTY IMAGES

ON THE INSIDE AT SCORE Score Atlanta is looking for writing interns. Please e-mail Stephen Black at sblack@scoreatl.com or call 404-2561572 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. Check out www.EliteJuniorClassic.com for more information.

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4

SCORE ATLANTA | www.ScoreAtl.com with the growing pains they are going through now, it will pay dividends in 2014 and beyond.

KEEPING UP WITH BIG B

FALCONS’ YOUTH DEVELOPING QUICKLY; TV SHOW PROFILES OWLS FOOTBALL

BY BRIAN JONES | BJONES@SCOREATL.COM

he 2013 season for the Falcons is one they T will likely forget when it’s over. After winning nine or more games in each of the last

five seasons, the Falcons will end the year with their first losing season since 2007.

But over the last three weeks they have shown what they can be in 2014. Winning two of the last three games, Mike Smith’s group have not given up on him and they are ready to finish the season on a high note.

Even though it has been hard to watch this team from time-to-time, it has also been fun to watch the young Falcons grow. Desmond Trufant and Robert Alford and the rest of the young defensive players have gotten better each time they have stepped onto the field.

Trufant has two interceptions this season and

he had a big pass breakup against the Redskins late in the game last Sunday to help the Falcons come away with a win. Alford also has two interceptions on the year and had a big fumble recovery against the Buffalo Bills, which also resulted in a win.

Safety Zeke Motta has been seeing more playing time and while he has made his mistakes, he has shown glimpses of what he can be.

But the one young player that has stood out is linebacker Paul Worrilow. The rookie free agent from Delaware leads the Falcons in tackles with 109 and has not had less than nine tackles in a game since Oct. 27.

Because of injuries and the youth movement, the Falcons are not going to go to the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year. But

THE A-TRAIN

DESPITE AVERAGE BOWL BERTHS TECH, UGA HAVE SOMETHING TO GAIN

BY ALEX EWALT | AEWALT@SCOREATL.COM

eading up to middle-tier bowl games, the media is bombarded with an endless string of Lbland quotes from coaches and players alike ex-

pressing their desire to “prove something,” “beat a quality opponent,” or “go out on a high note.”

College football games inherently have meaning: Win, and that first column in the record increases by one. But bowls are tougher to define. Georgia meets Nebraska for the second straight year in the Gator Bowl on New Year’s Day in Jacksonville, and Georgia Tech plays in Nashville two days prior against Ole Miss in the Music City Bowl. Bowls go a long way in affecting perception – that of the fans, media and recruits – heading into the offseason.

GOODWILL HUNTING ...

A win for Georgia, like last year’s shootout

45-31 bowl victory, puts the Bulldogs back on track to the top of the SEC with an offseason to heal from their litany of injuries. A win for Georgia Tech, like last year’s 21-7 beat-down of Southern Cal in the Sun Bowl, will help Paul Johnson and the Yellow Jackets win back some goodwill after another brutal loss to their hated rival.

It’s an old trope at this point, but the Yellow Jackets will be scrutinized in yet another postseason game that offers the opposing defense “time to prepare” for Tech’s spread option attack. The Rebels have a legitimate defensive stud in former mega-recruit and Grayson alum Robert Nkemdiche, a massive and athletic defensive end. The Jackets encountered elite defensive-line talent against Virginia Tech and rushed for just 129 yards while scoring 10 points.

WORTH A WATCH …

With the Falcons’ season winding down, it’s now time to focus on the Hawks. And if you haven’t been to a game yet, you have to check them out because they are fun to watch.

The only real star on the squad is Al Horford who is having another strong season, averaging 17 points and eight rebounds per game. But it has been the play of Paul Millsap, Kyle Korver and Jeff Teague that has been the difference.

Millsap is the replacement for Josh Smith, and while Millsap is not a highlight machine like Smith, he is more fundamentally sound and will give the Hawks 16 points and eight rebounds per game consistently. Korver is known for his three-point shooting and when he gets hot, the Hawks are a tough team to stop. Korver is shooting an impressive 52 percent from the arc to go along with his 12 points and four rebounds per game. And Teague has struggled at times this year, but he is averaging 16 points and nearly eight assists per game. In fact, he’s the reason the Hawks are ranked second in the NBA with 24.8 assists per game.

The Hawks have had some very good wins along with very bad losses this year. With

Both the Rebels and Jackets were left reeling after crushing losses last month, with the Jackets falling to the Dawgs 41-34 after two overtimes and the Rebels losing to Mississippi State after one extra period. Tech ended a horrific run of bowl failures last year that started in 2005. Ole Miss, however, is a program on the rise. Two bowl victories in a row would be a nice boost and help silence some of the criticism surrounding Johnson. Quarterback Vad Lee needs to continue his development, and it will be interesting to see if Johnson works in speedy redshirt-freshman Justin Thomas in a bowl scenario.

THE UNDERACHIEVERS ...

Georgia fans need to see a marked improvement in defensive coordinator Todd Grantham’s unit against the Huskers.

Head coach Mark Richt’s decision to retain Grantham has met with loud criticism, but holding Nebraska to a reasonable point total would generate some optimism for a defense that will be much more experienced next year.

The critics will be howling with a performance similar to the one against Georgia Tech.

Quarterback Hutson Mason’s first career start taking over for the injured Aaron Murray saw the fourth-year junior step in and lead a massive second-half comeback against the Jackets. He knows the offense and will be look-

a new head coach in Mike Budenholzer along with new players, that is going to happen. But what fans did not expect is this team to be playing so well in the early stages of the season. So once they get more comfortable with each other, they will be a team to watch in the Eastern Conference when February and March come around.

LEARNING THE PROCESS …

If you are an alum, student or fan of Kennesaw State, make sure to watch the documentary “It’s Our Time: The Building of Kennesaw State Football” on CSS Dec. 29. The series will provide a look at the official announcement of the program, the hiring of head coach Brian Bohannon and the invitation to join the Big South Conference.

This will be one of four episodes that air on CSS the next two years. The second episode will air next year and the last two will air in 2015. Even if you are not a fan of KSU, this is worth checking out because watching a college football program being built from the ground up is something fans don’t get to see every day.

Photo courtesy of the Atlanta Falcons.

ing to improve timing with his weapons like wide receiver Chris Conley. A solid performance building on his rivalry-game heroics will be the expectation, in the least. The Dawgs dropped 41 on Nebraska last season; if Mason were able to bombs-away against the Huskers (who gave up 38 in a loss to Iowa to close the regular season), excitement would spike for a 2014 offense that will feature the returns of the injured Malcolm Mitchell and Keith Marshall. A strong overall performance in Jacksonville will help Georgia faithful forget the emotional, injury-riddled 2013 season that could have been.

Bowls are showcases for draft-eligible players before the senior all-star games, and even though much of the upperclassman talent for these teams is considered either an NFL long-shot or is on the mend from serious injury, several players will be looking to impress.

Tech pass-rusher Jeremiah Attaochu comes into his final collegiate game with 31 career sacks and a lot of momentum. He’ll be looking to prove he’s worthy of a first- or second-day selection. Georgia will not be playing many seniors, but offensive linemen Chris Burnette, Kenarious Gates and Dallas Lee, as well as senior defensive end Garrison Smith, are auditioning for late-round selections or freeagent signings.

Photo courtesy of Jon Barash.

Vol. 9 Iss. 30 | December 23, 2013 contests. Korver’s most prolific long-distance assaults featured eight three-balls in a Jan. 25 visit to Boston (the 32-year-old nailed all eight of his threes in the second half to help the Hawks force extra time before they finally prevailed 123-111 in double-overtime) and last Wednesday against Sacramento.

ON THE COVER

LONG-DISTANCE LEGEND

KORVER AT THE CORE OF HAWKS’ SUCCESS

BY RICKY DIMON

D

espite losing Joe Johnson in 2012 and Josh Smith prior to this season, the Atlanta Hawks sit nicely in third place in the entire Eastern Conference as of Monday. Their record may be a modest 15-12, but they will take any assists they can get from East rivals in Mike Budenholzer’s first year as head coach. Speaking of assists, the Hawks are getting a whole lot of them from point guard Jeff Teague. They are getting a whole lot of everything from Al Horford. But one teammate has shot—quite literally—into prominence this year. Relatively new to a starting role, Kyle Korver has made the most of a big opportunity in Atlanta. And that’s putting it mildly.

THE RECORD …

When Korver drained one three-pointer in a win at Oklahoma City on Nov. 4, 2012, little did anyone know that it would start a record streak in NBA history. Since then, Korver has

made three-pointers in 96 straight regularseason games. He broke the previous mark of 89 (set by Dana Barros of the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics in the 1994-95 and 95-96 seasons) with a pair of treys in a Dec. 6 home victory over Cleveland.

“It’s never been about a streak,” Korver told the Atlanta Journal Constitution after extending it to 90. “It’s about making the shots you get. I don’t want to be a high-volume shooter. I try to be efficient. You get a shot and you try to make it. I didn’t even know this streak existed until halfway through last year when people started talking about it. It’s a cool thing. It was never the focus.”

But it’s worth focusing on; what feat unaccomplished by anyone else in history isn’t?

During this ongoing streak, Korver has converted an incredible 257 of 546 three-point attempts (46.3 percent). He has made at least four shots from beyond the arc in 23 of the 96

SIGN OF THINGS TO COME …

Hawks’ center Al Hoford revealed just before Korver broke the record that he heard players on other teams, hoping to stop the steak, insisting they would not let him get off any three-pointers.

“I’ve heard it,” Horford told the AJC. “You’re not going to get a three-point shot off tonight.’ I’ve definitely heard it. It gives credit to what he’s been able to do.”

Of course, attempting to body up Korver away from the basket is not exactly an enlightening recent development. The current stretch of beyond-the-arc barrages has only confirmed what everyone already knew. It’s something well-known since the Pella, Iowa native took his talents to Creighton University in 1999. In four years at Creighton, Korver led the Bluejays to four straight NCAA Tournaments and a berth in the second round of the Big Dance in 2002 following an upset of Florida. He averaged 14.1 points per game in college and shot 45.3 percent from downtown. As a senior in 2003, Korver posted 17.8 points per outing and made an awesome 129 of 269 three-pointers (48.0 percent) while repeating as Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year.

After being drafted in the second round of the 2003 NBA Draft (his rights were traded from New Jersey to Philadelphia), Korver averaged double-figures in each of his last four seasons with the Sixers. Starting in 2008 he spent almost three full seasons in Utah, where he drained a ridiculous 53.6 percent of his threepoint heaves in 2009-10. In two years with the Bulls, he averaged more than eight points per game and made at least 41 percent of his threes on both occasions.

STEAL OF A DEAL …

The Hawks acquired Korver from Chi-

5

cago prior to the 2012-13 campaign for…wait for it…a trade exception and cash considerations. General manager Danny Ferry has made a number of shrewd moves during his short time in Atlanta (signing Paul Millsap for $19 million over two years among them), two involving Korver. After Korver’s contract expired at the end of his first season with the Hawks, Ferry inked him this summer to a fouryear, $24 million deal.

The 10-year veteran was rewarded for putting up 10.9 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game in 2012-13—all season-bests since 2006-07. So far this season he is averaging 12.7 points per night to go along with 3.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists while shooting 51.5 percent from three-point land, on pace for the second best three-point performance of his career.

“I think we’re all just happy to see Kyle healthy,” Budenholzer told atlantahawks.com following the game in which Korver, who had missed the four previous contests due to a rib injury, set the new record. “He’s a heck of a shooter and he showed that tonight. He really adds to us. I think he’s really underrated as a team defender and what he adds to both ends (of the floor).”

For his efforts, Korver has been given 83 starts in 97 games—including 23 of 23 this season—during his tenure with the Hawks.

Like it or not, no matter how much he is bringing to the table for a team that is currently one of the NBA’s surprises, Korver’s streak will remain in the news as long as it’s still in progress.

At least now, though, he no longer bears the burden of the chaser as opposed to the recordholder.

“It feels good,” he told the team’s website.

“Glad it’s done. I’m proud of it for sure. I just said ‘Thank you.’ I’m not out there creating the shots. I’m the product of good team basketball; of setting screens and good passes, floor spacing and all that. A lot of these guys have been here throughout this whole streak. I just had to say ‘thank you.’”

Then again, maybe it’s Atlanta that should be saying a big ‘thank you’ to Kyle Korver.

Photo courtesy of the Kevin Cox/Getty Images Sport.

6

Turnover ratio

Tony Gonzalez

Kyle Korver

Once the team’s strength, Atlanta has been near the bottom of the NFL in turnover differential throughout this season.

However, the Falcons snagged seven takeaways against Washington and gave the ball away just twice in a 27-26 victory. They are now -6 for the year, better than four teams in the NFC and three in the AFC.

Two games remain in the Hall of Fame career of Tony Gonzalez.

To say the tight end is still going strong at 37 years old would be an understatement. He led the Falcons in catches (six) and receiving yards (62) while catching Matt Ryan’s only TD pass against the Redskins. Gonzalez has 71 receptions for 740 yards and seven scores in 2013.

Korver set the NBA record for most consecutive games with a three-pointer (90) earlier this month and he has since extended his streak to 94.

The veteran sharpshooter is averaging a career-high 34 minutes per game this season to go along with 12.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists while shooting 48.7 percent from beyond the arc.

SCORE LIST

By Brian Jones

HEATING UP

With the Week 15 win over the Washington Redskins, the Falcons have won two of their last three games. It may not mean anything since they are out of the playoff picture, but they have shown improvement over the last month, which is always a good thing. That said, can they keep it up against San Francisco on Monday?

HANDILING KOBE

The Hawks scored a big win last Monday as they took down Kobe Bryant and the Lakers 114-100. The Lakers are not who they once were, but this win shows the Hawks are a team to watch out for in the Eastern Conference. If you have not seen Mike Budenholzer’s squad play yet, check the Hawks out because they do play an exciting brand of basketball.

ALL-AMERICAN DAWGS

Four Bulldogs players were named to the SI.com AllAmerica Team last week. Aaron Murray, Arthur Lynch, Ramik Wilson and Marshall Morgan were all part of the honorable mention team and all four players were the reason the Bulldogs won eight games this season.

Congrats to all four players on a solid season and good luck to Murray and Lynch.

ATTAOCHU HONORED

But wait, Tech also has an All-American on its roster.

Defensive end Jeremiah Attaochu was named to the AP All-America Third Team last week, making him the first Tech All-American since Derrick Morgan and Demaryius Thomas in 2009. This is really impressive considering Attaochu was an outside linebacker last year in the Jackets’ old 3-4 scheme.

CHAMPS CROWNED

Congratulations to Aquinas, Marion County, Lovett, Buford, Griffin, Creekside and Norcross for winning their respective football state championships. It was a long but fun Dec. 13-14 weekend at the Georgia Dome and all the teams that competed did a great job representing their school. All I can say now is I can’t wait for the next season and it starts with the Kell Classic in August.

WHO’S NOT

By Ricky Dimon and Stephen Black

WHO’S HOT

SCORE ATLANTA | www.ScoreAtl.com

Falcons’ draft position

Braves’ offseason

College Hoops

Neither Atlanta nor Washington is going anywhere this season, but last Sunday’s game was a big one for positioning—in the NFL Draft, not the playoffs.

A loss would have dropped the Falcons to 3-11, putting them in the No. 2 spot at the moment for next April. A win, however, leaves them at 4-10 and currently selecting sixth.

So, about that ace…. On the bright side, it’s clear general manager Frank Wren is not willing to overspend—especially not with Craig Kimbrel— for a pitcher like David Price or Jeff Samardzija. On the downside, all the Braves have done this offseason is lose Tim Hudson and Brian McCann while signing an injured Gavin Floyd.

Tech and Georgia are each suffering from mediocre seasons thus far, and that is a familiar sight to local college hoops fans. Georgia State has its most talented team in a while, but has struggled to a 6-6 start.

Meanwhile, Kennesaw State is floundering at 3-10. With all of the talent in the metro area, one would think someone would be doing well.

NUMBERS

OUR TWO CENTS

By Ricky Dimon

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

IN WHAT YEAR DID THE FALCONS BEAT THE CHARGERS AND RAIDERS AS WELL AS SWEEPING THE 49ERS AND LOS ANGELES RAMS, THEREBY WINNING WHAT COACH JERRY GLANVILLE CALLED “THE CALIFORNIA STATE CHAMPIONSHIP?”

ANSWER ON PAGE 14

“

SANITY AT LAST

“I thought it was hilarous.”

Former Falcons linebacker Jessie Tuggle in an interview on 92.9 The Game on the California State Championship trophy coach Jerry Glanvile gave to the team after going 6-0 against California teams (see trivia question).

257

Total three-pointers made by Kyle Korver in his 96-game streak with at least one.

18.2

Points per game being averaged by Al Horford, the most in his seven-year career.

25.6

Assists per game by the Hawks (including 8.0 by Jeff Teague), most in the NBA.

3

The Hawks’ current winning streak, its longest of this season and first of its kind since March 13-17.

7

Falcons’ takeaways against Washington, their most in a single game since Nov. 6, 1988.

11

Falcons’ takeaways in their last three games. They had eight in their first 11 games.

5

Rushing touchdowns by Steven Jackson this season, all scored in the last four games.

15,000

Career receiving yardage eclipsed by Tony Gonzalez, the fifth NFL player to do it.

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PREP SPORTS

LAMBERT WINS AT MEET OF CHAMPIONS; ARCHER AIMING HIGH ON THE MATS

BY RICKY DIMON AND CRAIG SAGER II

ambert’s girls won and its boys finished second to prevail overall at the Madeleine J. LBrown Meet of Champions, held on Dec. 14 at

Emory University. Marist finished second with 649 points to the Longhorns’ 713 after the War Eagle girls placed second and the boys came in third.

Alpharetta’s boys won their meet going away (399-301.5 over runner-up Lambert), mainly thanks to freestyle domination. Max Lee won the 100-yard freestyle and 200 freestyle, Ryan Loushin won the 500 freestyle and the Raiders swam to victories in both the 200 and 400 freestyle relays.

WESLEYAN, WESTMINSTER WIN MEETS …

The Dec. 13 Wesleyan Invitational saw the host Wolves triumph over a field that also

Score Atlanta Football Rankings FINAL

included Centennial, Holy Innocents’ and Roswell. Wesleyan’s girls dominated the competition while its boys finished runner-up to Holy Innocents’, 283-272. Caroline White led the Lady Wolves with individual triumphs in the 50 freestyle and the 100 freestyle and also anchored a victorious 200 freestyle relay team.

Mark Kale played a major role in the Holy Innocents’ boys’ victory. Kale took home top honors in the 50 free and the 100 free in addition to his participation on a winning 200 freestyle relay foursome.

Swimming at home last Tuesday, Westminster’s girls edged Lassiter 169-145 while the Wildcat boys had a much easier time of things and romped 242-67. Isabella Issa, Maddie Downs and Alex Clark all won two individual events to help the Lady Wildcats hold off

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

Class AAAAAA

Class AAAA

1..........................Norcross 2................North Gwinnett 3................Colquitt County 4..........................Hillgrove 5............................. Archer

1.............................. Griffin 2....................Sandy Creek 3........................ Carrollton 4.............................. Marist 5................. Wayne County

6......................McEachern 7....................... Collins Hill 8...............Camden County 9..........................Lowndes 10..........Langston Hughes

6................North Paulding 7....................Ware County 8............... Northside-W.R. 9.. Thomas County Central 10..............South Paulding

Lassiter. The boys were led by three swimmers who triumphed in a pair of individual events— Gabriel Bellott-McGrath, Sam Beadles and Erek Cox.

Mill Creek and Peachtree Ridge faced off in a dual meet on Dec. 13 at the West Gwinnett Aquatic Center. They split the two competitions, with the Mill Creek girls winning by a greater margin than that of Peachtree Ridge’s boys. The end result was a 324-294 combined score in favor of the Hawks. Mill Creek sophomore Anna Guynes earned victories in the 200 medley relay, the 50 freestyle, the 100 freestyle and the 400 freestyle relay. Kent Yang and Reed Wynn both won a pair of individual races to lead the Lion boys.

ON THE WRESTLING MATS …

Action on the mats earlier this month proved there is a wealth of wrestling talent in Class AA. Greater Atlanta Christian won the Yellow Jacket Duals on Dec. 14 and moved to 19-8 with wins over Adairsville, South Paulding, Rockmart and Marist. Social Circle, which finished fourth in state last season, placed first ahead of defending Class AA state champion Jefferson at the Panther Invitational. The Redskins gathered the most points in the tournament without having a single grappler win an individual title.

Allatoona scored a title at its Parlay In-

GRAYSON, ARCHER IMPRESS …

Grayson continues to show its strength and depth this season. The Rams finished first at the Hoya Invitational on Dec. 7 and placed 12 wrestlers in the semifinals. Elijah Mackey, Zachary Mooney, Logan Kadel and Demetrius Williams all won their classes. On Dec. 10 the Rams won a significant area match over Parkview 39-38 and on Dec. 14 they placed first at the Eric Hill Memorial. Seniors Ben Sewell, Davion Radford and Junior Logan Kadel were individual champs.

Defending Class AAAAAA champion Archer is still the team to beat in Gwinnett County and in the state of Georgia. The nationally-ranked Tigers went 5-0 to win the Al Miller-Cleveland Duals on Dec. 14 as they improved to 15-0 for the season. They handed Baylor (Tenn.) its first loss of the season with a dominating 47-20 victory in the championship match.

Photos courtesy of Brian L. Morgan, Sonny Kennedy, Lassiter HS and Rob Saye.

Class AAA

Class A-Private

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

6..........................Ringgold 7.......Woodward Academy 8................Central-Carroll 9................ Blessed Trinity 10.......................St. Pius X

Class AA 6.......................Statesboro 7................... Monroe Area 8.....................Stockbridge 9.................. Burke County 10........................Veterans

vitational over the weekend with a 17.5-point edge over Woodland, Bartow. The Buccaneers survived a field that included third-place Chattahoochee, fourth-place Cass, Etowah, Walton, Hillgrove and Pebblebrook. Allatoona’s Jack Woods won at 138 pounds and Jacob Robinson took first at 160 pounds.

1...............................Lovett 2..................Lamar County 3.................Brooks County 4.....................Benedictine 5........................... Calhoun

1........................... Aquinas 2.....................Calvary Day 3................................ ELCA 4..................Mount Pisgah 5....................Mount Paran

6................Prince Ave Chr. 7...............Holy Innocents’ 8....................... Darlington 9................ Landmark Chr. 10.........Christian Heritage

Class A-Public 6..................................GAC 7.........................Jefferson 8........Washington-Wilkes 9........................... Bowdon 10.............................Laney

1.................Marion County 2....................Irwin County 3.............. Charlton County 4.............Seminole County 5................... Hawkinsville

6..................Clinch County 7...................Dooly County 8.............. Johnson County 9.......................Commerce 10..............Lincoln County

Vol. 9 Iss. 30 | December 23, 2013

9

GEORGIA

Classic

ELITE JUNIOR CLASSIC PREVIEW

PRESENTED BY

NORTH SQUAD

METRO ATLANTA’S BEST MAKE UP NORTH ROSTER

BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

backfield of this high school football allIingnstarthescorers team are two of the most prolific and excitin the state. Allatoona’s Josh Bettistea

surpassed the 100-yard rushing mark in every game this season and finished the year with 27 rushing touchdowns to go with his 1,938 yards.

Running mate Kawon Bryant of North Oconee scored a whopping 21 times in the month of September and finished the year with a ridiculous 41 rushing touchdowns. In 11 games, Bryant racked up 2,555 rushing yards. Each of these workhorses had a pair of games in which they carried the football more than 30 times.

OFFENSIVE FIREPOWER ...

Paving the rushing lanes will be a group of linemen that averages 6-foot-5, 290-pounds tackle-to-tackle and features some of the top prospects in the country. North Gwinnett of-

fensive tackle Mitch Hyatt is a consensus fivestar recruit and the No. 1-ranked junior prospect in Georgia. Four-stars Kaleb Kim and Nick Wilson will join Hyatt and 6-foot-7, Mays star Malik Mackey.

Tight end Connor Redmond is a 6-foot-4 target that hauled in six touchdowns this season, none bigger than his 36-yard go-ahead score against North Gwinnett in the playoffs.

Redmond will rotate with Walton’s Davis Pidgeon, who stands 6-foot-6 and caught three touchdown passes this season. Pidgeon’s tremendous size and athleticism projects him to be a highly-regarded offensive tackle prospect.

At wide receiver are five tough and gifted playmakers. Almonzo Brown helped pace North Gwinnett’s explosive offense with eight touchdowns this season and teammate Daniel Imatorbhebhe owned the middle of the field as

SOUTH SQUAD

SOUTH GEORGIA PLAYERS MAKE UP CORE OF TALENTED SQUAD

BY RICKY DIMON | RDIMON@SCOREATL.COM

T

he South side features a pair of 2013 state champions in Griffin’s Keyston Fuller and Jordan Colbert. Griffin’s high-powered offense helped the Bears outscore Carrollton 56-35 in the Class AAAA title game. Fuller caught two passes for 111 yards and one touchdown—an 80-yarder—and Colbert made two solo tackles to go along with one assist in the winning effort. A threat all over the field, Fuller blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown during a second-round playoff win over Statesboro. He has scholarship offers from Georgia Tech and North Carolina. Colbert, a linebacker, recorded more than 70 tackles for Griffin in 2013 while tallying five sacks and four interceptions.

QUALITY QB’S ...

Cal King of Mary Persons and Coffee’s Tyree Paulk will share quarterback duties for

the South in this game. King, who transferred from Thomasville after his sophomore year, led the Bulldogs to a 10-2 record and a berth in the second round of the Class AAAA playoffs. Focusing on both books and ball, King is a member of the National Honor Society and he attended 13 different college football camps over the summer.

Paulk was named to the all-region first team for Region 1, one of the most competitive regions in all of GHSA football. He finished the season with 24 touchdowns, 1,693 passing yards and 134 rushing yards. With one season still to play, Paulk is already the all-time leader in career touchdowns and passing yards for Coffee. One interesting dynamic on both the Coffee squad and the South team at the Elite Junior Classic is that Paulk and his brother, tight end Jalen Wilkerson, are teammates.

STAR-STUDDED DEFENSE ...

Defensively, a dependable North secondary should allow the linebackers and linemen freedom to play aggressive football against the South team. Receivers will have to think twice before coming over the middle against this group. Khalil Brooks and Darius Slayton are lockdown cornerbacks and Christopher Fredrick, Lewis Cousins III, Taquar Stewart and David Curry are safeties that are effective in run support. Curry helped lead Buford to its 25th

consecutive win and a Class AAA state title this year. The safety is the son of Buddy Curry, a former Falcons’ linebacker and 2-time All-Pro selection.

On the defensive front are ends Andrew Butcher, Jean-Baptiste Kouassi and North Gwinnett teammates Luis Sobh and Anree St. Amour. Butcher is a four-star Tennesseecommit. Kouassi finished the season with 27.0 tackles for loss. St. Amour is a four-star prospect who helped the Bulldogs reach the state finals. At defensive tackles are Norcross’ D’Andre Plantin and Cedar Grove’s Quentez Johnson. Plantin posted three of his 23.0 tackles-for-loss this season in the Blue Devils’ 31-14 win over North Gwinnett in the state championship. Johnson disrupts opposing lines and has NFL size at 6-foot-4, 332 pounds.

The five North linebackers are all 6-foot4 or taller and have the strength to fight off blockers and the speed to cover the perimeter.

Six-foot-four outside linebacker Chris Calhoun out of Centennial adds a capable pass rush to the corps. Chase Middleton and Robert Muschamp are the other two natural outside linebackers and both are mature beyond their years in both size and fundamentals. Grayson three-star linebacker Daniel Fennell and St. Pius X middle linebacker Dalton Wilson will man the middle.

Photo of Connor Redmond courtesy of Sonny Kennedy.

Wilkerson, not surprisingly one of Paulk’s favorite targets throughout this past season, also played his way onto the all-region first team.

“Playing with my brother is awesome,” Paulk said. “This is something that we always dreamed about as we were growing up. We have been playing sports with each other ever since we played [recreational] ball, so we have a bond that can’t be broken. It has been an honor to play with him.”

Two Region 4-AAAAAA rivals—Marietta’s KirVonte Benson and McEachern’s Taj Griffin—will be sharing part of the workload in the backfield. Benson rushed 208 times for 1,430 yards (6.9 yards per carry) and 16 touchdowns this season while also catching 20 passes for an additional 256 yards. He gained more than 100 yards on the ground in 10 of the Blue Devils’ 11 games. Griffin stands at just 5-foot-9 but is one of the fastest players in the state. With less than a minute remaining in the Indians’ quarterfinal game against Collins Hill, Griffin returned a punt 85 yards for the gamewinning touchdown.

Another dangerous offensive weapon on the South squad comes in the form of Willie Jordan. The Northside-Warner Robins running back is coming off a 2013 campaign in which he rushed 139 times for 1,067 yards and 19 touchdowns. He also turned 11 receptions into 145 yards and three more scores.

DAUNTING DEFENDERS ...

On the other side of the ball, LakesideEvans defensive back Rashad Roundtree will be part of the effort to stop the North’s passing attack. Roundtree had 97 tackles, four interceptions, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries this season and was named the Region 2-AAAAA Defensive Player of the Year. Joining Roundtree in the secondary is Camden County’s Antonio Wimbush, who was named Athlete of the Year in Region 1-AAAAAA. Camden County captured the region title before falling to Hillgrove in the second round of the playoffs.

To say the South has a decided Region 1 flavor would be an understatement. Fellow Lowndes linebackers Brian Bell and Nathan Brantley are also on the squad. Both Bell (first team) and Brantley (honorable mention) earned all-region honors.

Among those battling in the trenches on defense for the South are Quinton Hampton and Cordarro Stoute. Hampton and Colquitt County reached the semifinals of the Class AAAAAA playoffs before losing a close game to eventual-champion Norcross. Stoute led Glynn Academy’s defensive line this season with 33 tackles to go along with four sacks and 16 quarterback hurries.

Photo of Quintin Hampton courtesy of Ty Freeman.

the Bulldogs’ slot guy. Sean Harper could also start for almost any team in the southeastern United States at safety, but he will take his snaps as a receiver for the North squad. Nekyle Lundie, is another reliable target who made arguably the biggest play of Tucker’s season in 2013. The Tigers trailed Stephenson 28-24 when Lundie hauled in a 35-yard Hail Mary with 13 seconds remaining to give the Tigers a 31-28 win. Samuel McDade from Cross Keys has breakaway speed and provided one of the season’s memorable highlights when he leapt and reached over double coverage to snatch a 21-yard touchdown against Clarkston.

Quarterbacks Daniel David and Hampton McConnell can do damage through the air as well as on the ground. David scrambled for 672 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns this season while McConnell took 138 carries for 794 yards and 11 rushing touchdowns.

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UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA

BOWL PRACTICE, RECRUITING IN FULL SWING

BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

G

eorgia began its bowl practice last Saturday morning and it was a busy weekend for head coach Mark Richt and his staff. As the coaches prepared Georgia for its Jan. 1 meeting with Nebraska in the Gator Bowl, they balanced trips to Atlanta to watch the Georgia high school state championships at the Georgia Dome. Richt was among the dozens of college coaches in attendance over the weekend and Offensive Coordinator Mike Bobo attended both days of the state finals.

The Bulldogs’ former Heisman Trophy winner Hershel Walker’s nephew, Milan Richard, is a four-star tight end from Class A Calvary Day and is committed to Clemson. Richt and assistants Brian McClendon and John Lilly were at the Dome Friday morning to watch the top prospect compete in the state championship in hopes of persuading the young tight end to follow in his uncle’s collegiate path.

NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED …

Bobo was named the nation’s Offen-

GEORGIA STATE

PANTHERS HEATING UP ON THE HARDWOOD

BY CHRIS SCHUTTER | CSCHUTTER@SCOREATL.COM

fter a slow start to the season, the men’s A basketball team at Georgia State is starting to find its rhythm, winning three in a row and

four of its last five games. The current streak began on Dec. 14, when the Panthers took down visiting Old Dominion, 79-73.

Georgia State’s hero was former Walton High School standout Ryan Harrow, who scored 33 points in the victory. Harrow also went 14-of-15 from the free-throw line and his point total was one shy of his career mark he set last year against Elon.

“This is a win that we definitely needed,” head coach Ron Hunter said after the game.

“I thought that some of our guys really played well. With final exams last week, I think it took a little bit of time for some of our guys to get going, but once they did, I thought we did a lot of good things.”

Three other Panther scored in doublefigures. Manny Atkins had 15 points, Devonta White had 13 and R.J. Hunter added 11. White also had six assists and three steals.

The Panthers followed up that perfor-

sive Coordinator of the Year on Thursday by 247sports.com. Despite a season filled with injuries on the offensive side of the football, the Bulldogs’ attack was able to set multiple school records this season. The records included most points per game (38.2) in a 12 game season, Completion percentage (64.76), yards per game (489.84 yards), most first downs passing (169) and most total first downs (302).

Senior quarterback Aaron Murray was at the forefront of the Bulldogs’ offensive success this season and will be watching from the sideline in Georgia’s trip to the Gator Bowl as he recovers from his ACL surgery. Hutson Mason will get his second start at quarterback after leading the Bulldogs to a 41-34 double overtime win at Georgia Tech. Mason will have a healthy Todd Gurley in the backfield and the usual assembly of wide receivers to lead the offense.

In last year’s bowl game against Nebraska, wideout Chris Conley torched the Cornhuskers for 136 receiving yards and two touchdowns and will likely receive extra attention this time around from Nebraska’s 54th ranked defense.

“They’ll [Nebraska will] definitely remember what happened last year,” said Conley in an interview with the AJC about his success in last season’s matchup. “The opportunity to play this team is going to help our younger guys and give them more experience and get them ready for next year.”

mance by earning another home win last Friday, 73-61 over Georgia Southern. They made a quick trip out to Texas on Sunday and took care of UT-San Antonio, 99-63.

RECRUITING TRAIL …

Last week, two junior college players verbally committed to play for Georgia State’s football team starting next season. The Panthers have been hard at work from a recruiting standpoint and they currently have eight junior college players that will play in 2014. The two recent commits are Steve Wolgamott, an offensive lineman from Butler Community College, and Terrious Triplet, a safety from Holmes Community College. Wolgamott is originally from Wichita, Kan. and is a two-star recruit.

Triplet originally signed with Arkansas State, but he was kicked off the team by former head coach Gus Malzhan.

ALL-AMERICAN …

The football team did not have the season it wanted, but one of the bright spots was the play of Albert Wilson. Last week, Wilson was named to the SI.com All-America team.

He made the list as an honorable mention allpurpose back.

Wilson’s average of 190.2 yards per game this past season was the second highest in the FBS. He had 71 catches for 1,177 yards and eight touchdowns along with 2,283 all-purpose yards. His career total of 6,235 all-purpose yards ranks among the top 30 in NCAA History.

GEORGIA TECH

TECH RETURNING TO FORM WITH THREE WINS

BY RICKY DIMON | RDIMON@SCOREATL.COM

T

he Georgia Tech men’s basketball team won its third straight game by defeating Kennesaw State 74-57 at McCamish Pavilion on Monday night. Tech ended the first half on a 17-2 run, storming in front of the Owls 38-26 at the break. KSU pulled within seven points with 4:14 remaining in the game but could get no closer. Robert Carter, Jr. recorded a doubledouble consisting of 15 points and 15 rebounds for the Yellow Jackets. Daniel Miller added 16 points and eight boards, Trae Golden scored 15 and Marcus Georges-Hunt chipped in 10.

“I thought we did some things well tonight,” head coach Brian Gregory told ramblinwreck.com. “But we weren’t as consistent as I’d like to be. I thought our defense overall was pretty good, but not as good as it needs to be.

We take a win like that where you didn’t play as well and we need to start getting better. We need to just keep working. We have two very difficult road games coming up.”

KENNESAW STATE

TOUGH ROAD COMPETITION TOO MUCH FOR OWLS

BY BRIAN JONES | BJONES@SCOREATL.COM

A

fter a two-week break, the men’s basketball team was back in action last Monday as it faced Georgia Tech at McCamish Pavilion.

Howeve, the hiatus did not help as the Owls fell to the Yellow Jackets 74-57.

Kennesaw State had a lead as late as 14 minutes into the first half and came back from an 18-point deficit to cut it to seven points late in the second half. But the depth and experience for Tech took over and handed the Owls their eighth loss of the year.

“For 32 minutes we did a very good job,” Kennesaw State head coach Lewis Preston said. “We were aggressive and attacked the basket and put a lot of pressure on them. But you can’t leave 15 free throws on the line on the road and expect to win. We had a couple good individual performances, but this is a team game. We have to get back in the gym and recommit and making some shots.”

KSU’s losing streak hit five with setbacks

The Jackets will visit Vanderbilt on Saturday before playing at Charlotte on Dec. 28 to round out the non-conference schedule. They have not lost since dropping a pair of games in the Barclays Center Classic to Ole Miss and St. John’s on Nov. 29 and Nov. 30, respectively.

Georgia Tech’s current three-game winning streak also includes home victories over Illinois and East Tennessee State.

ATTAOCHU AN ALL-AMERICAN …

Senior defensive end Jeremiah Attaochu was named a third-team All-American by the Associated Press on Tuesday. Having previously played outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme, Attaochu clearly benefited from a move to defensive end in Ted Roof’s 4-3 defense. The Washington, D.C. native tallied 12 sacks in the regular season, including 10 in the last five games. His four sacks in a Nov. 30 loss to Georgia were the third most in a single game in school history. Attaochu is the Yellow Jackets’ first AP All-American since Derrick Morgan and Demaryius Thomas earned the same honor in 2009.

Up next for Attaochu and company is the Music City Bowl against Ole Miss on Dec. 30.

The Rebels feature an All-American of their own in junior safety Cody Prewitt, who was named to the AP’s first team. They also boast freshman defensive end Robert Nkemdiche, who starred at Grayson.

at Georgia Southern last Wednesday and at Indiana on Sunday. The Owls fell to the Eagles 73-55 and they succumbed to the Hoosiers 90-66. Orlando Coleman put up 18 points and nine rebounds against Indiana.

IN-STATE WOES …

The women’s basketball team did not fare better in its in-state contest with Georgia as it fell to the Bulldogs 91-32 on Dec. 15. Georgia opened the game with a 7-0 run and ended up leading 45-11 at the half. KSU opened the second half on a 9-4 run, but the Bulldogs answered back with a 25-0 run of their own.

“It is all a growing process,” head coach Nitra Perry told ksuowls.com. “In the second half we broke it down to four-minute increments. We won the first four minutes. They are buying in more and more, so that was something positive to take away today. That was a really good Georgia team.”

OWLS ON CSS …

KSU was on TV last Friday night, with the beginning of a documentary on the football team. CSS is airing is series that focuses on the process of building the program. This four-part documentary series is called “It’s Our Time: The Building of Kennesaw State Football.” The next three episodes will air over the next two years.

Vol. 9 Iss. 30 | December 23, 2013 ATLANTA HAWKS

HAWKS CREATE MISMATCHES WITH UNIQUE LINEUP

BY JAY UNDERWOOD | JUNDERWOOD@SCOREATL.COM

his season the Hawks have been impleT menting a lineup that utilizes three smaller guards to create mismatches on the wings. By

putting Lou Williams, Jeff Teague and Shelvin Mack on the floor at the same time, coach Mike Budenholzer is able to space the floor to his advantage. The quickness on the outside complemented by the athleticism of the post players allows for the pick-and-roll game to work very efficiently. This means that the guards are getting to the rim for highly effective shots while Paul Millsap and Al Horford are finding open midrange jump shots that fit nicely into the repertoire.

UNSELFISH ...

This lineup also allows the Hawks to dictate who the opposing team puts on the floor, since it is difficult for the bigger wing players to matchup with the quick point guards the Hawks are employing. The spacing also allows Horford and Millsap to work in the post without the ability of the other team to provide quality help defense. This has allowed the kick-

ATLANTA BRAVES

BRAVES ADD FLOYD, BRING BACK BEACHY

BY RICKY DIMON | RDIMON@SCOREATL.COM

T

he Atlanta Braves signed veteran righty Gavin Floyd to a one-year, $4 million contract on Monday. According to sources, the deal also includes up to an additional $4.5 million in incentives. Floyd, 30, underwent Tommy John surgery in May after going 0-4 with a 5.18 ERA in 2013. His recovery has progressed ahead of schedule and he could be on the mound by May. Floyd’s best season came with the Chicago White Sox in 2008 when he compiled a 17-8 record with a 3.84 ERA.

“It just seemed like a lot of arrows were pointing to Atlanta,” the Atlanta Journal Constitution quoted Floyd as saying. “And it felt good for (my) family. I like the fact that they’re always a competitive team, always in the hunt and have a good pitching coach and a good ballpark to pitch in. It seemed like I could have an impact.”

Also on Monday Atlanta avoided arbitration with Brandon Beachy by agreeing to terms on a one-year, $1.45 million contract. Beachy

out pass to open up the shooters on the outside, and faster ball movement has increased the number of open three-point shots.

The Hawks lead the league in assists per game and, as they pick up the concepts Budenholzer brought over from the Spurs, these numbers should continue to grow. He has also limited the minutes of the stareters and no player is averaging more than 33 minutes a game, which allows the starters to be fresher during back-to-backs and at the end of games.

D-LEAGUE DENNIS ...

The D-League has also been vital to the Hawks’ development plan this season, as three different players have had multiple stints with Bakersfield this season. John Jenkins, Jared Cunningham and Dennis Schröder have all seen time with the D-League affiliate and had success. This allows them to continue getting reps and working on their game, even though it is difficult for them to break into the line-up with the Hawks. This rotation also allows for us to keep players on the active roster based on the needs at the time, which can keep the roster fluid and not allow any one rotation to grow stagnant.

By making sure that everyone is seeing the floor, it shows haw the Hawks are focused on winning now while still keeping an eye on the future. It is one of the qualities that makes Danny Ferry and his staff a great fit with a Hawks team that is trying to rebuild and retool while still staying competitive right now.

made just five starts last season after returning from a Tommy John procedure that halted what had been an outstanding 2012 campaign.

AT WHAT PRICE? …

Earlier in the offseason it looked like the Braves would go after an ace starting pitcher to anchor the top of their rotation, such as David Price of the Tampa Bay Rays. At this point, however, it sounds like Wren has shied away from the value of that trade market (if Craig Kimbrel has to be included in any deal for Price, Wren is obviously making the right decision not to pull the trigger). Then there was a chance Atlanta would look one tier lower, most notably at Chicago Cubs’ right-hander Jeff Samardzija. Now, though, Wren sounds content to solidify a ballclub that won 96 games and won the NL East title last season with nothing more than depth.

“There are a lot of positives with our team,” Wren told atlantabraves.com. “We have a lot of things in place that helped us win 96 games. And we have a lot of young core pieces that should only get better. It’s not like we have a lot of guys on the downside of their careers.

We have guys on the ascent. So we should get better just because these guys have four or five years in the big leagues now. That doesn’t mean we stop trying to add. But we have a really good core.”

ATLANTA FALCONS

FALCONS HEAD TO ‘STICK ONE LAST TIME

BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

T

he Falcons survived a 27-26 victory over the Washington Redskins that ended with Atlanta rookie Desmond Trufant swatting a potential game-winning 2-point conversion thrown by Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins.

Trufant added his second interception of the season in the fourth quarter and the Atlanta defense forced a season-high seven turnovers.

William Moore intercepted Cousins and has now forced a turnover in three consecutive games after causing just two in the first 11.

Atlanta got the win, but the lack of touchdowns out of the receiving corps is a cause for concern. Tony Gonzalez, who has two games left before his retirement, has caught a teamhigh seven touchdowns this season. Out of the receiving corps, Julio Jones, who has been sidelined since Oct. 7, is tied for the most receiving touchdowns with two and Drew Davis’ 36-yard touchdown against Green Bay Week 14 is the only touchdown scored by a Falcons receiver in the last four games.

GWINNETT GLADIATORS

GLADS UPSET STINGRAYS, ADD FIVE NEW PLAYERS

BY JOE DEIGHTON | JDEIGHTON@SCOREATL.COM

T

he Gladiators finished last week with one win over South Carolina and one loss against Orlando. The Glads now have seven wins and 16 points this season.

In the 3-2 win over the Stingrays, the Glads managed to beat the team with the best record in the ECHL for the second time this season. Five new players were in the lineup for Gwinnett and goalie Matt Cooper had 16 saves and a rare assist, after taking over for starter Peter Delmas.

Joey Haddad scored on a pass from Evan Bloodoff in the first period. It was Haddad’s second goal of the season and first since October 18. Haddad added an assist in the second period on Maxime Legault’s fifth goal of the season. Marshall Everson made the score 3-0 on a slap shot from the blue line. Gwinnett would give up two goals in the third, but hung on for a much-needed win.

NEW BLOOD ...

There were five players added to the ros-

13

WHERE IT HURTS …

Atlanta ranks eighth in the NFL in first quarter defense (3.6 points allowed), but is last in the second quarter, allowing 11.1 points per game. Last season, the Falcons gave up just 6.4 points per game in the second quarter. On the offensive side of the football, the Falcons are scoring a 10th-best 12.9 points per game in the first half, but drop off to 8.9 points per game in the second half (27th in the NFL). The team has been shut out three times in the second and the two scoring drives last week came on a short two-yard touchdown drive and a sixyard, three-play field goal drive set up by interceptions and returns.

“THE STICK” …

The Falcons will play their final road game of the season tonight at San Francisco’s legendary Candlestick Park. January’s NFC Championship and the 34 seasons Atlanta shared with its former division opponent San Francisco in the NFC West (1967-2001) provides historical significance as San Francisco bids farewell to its 52-year-old stadium. The franchise will unveil the new Levi’s Stadium 40 miles down the road in Santa Clara next year. The 49ers hold a 44-29-1 all time record over Atlanta. The Falcons will play for payback after last season’s heartbreaking loss.

ter last week and it seemed to spark the team in the win against South Carolina. Gwinnett traded forward Mike Embach and defenseman Nathan Martine for forward Bobby Hughes, defenseman Rob Kwiet, and the rights to forward Brett Lyon from the Fort Wayne Komets last week. It was a move that the team needed to shake up a locker room that has been lacking fire this year.

Bobby Hughes gives the Gladiators a proven defenseman. Hughes is in his fifth year of professional hockey after being drafted by Carolina in 2006. In 12 games with the Comets, Hughes scored five goals and had four assists.

Kwiet is also in his fifth year of pro hockey. The 25-year old has seven assists in 20 games with Fort Wayne before coming to Gwinnett.

MORE NEWS ...

The Glads also traded for defenseman Antoine Corbin from Cincinnati for future considerations. Corbin had a goal and three assists for the Cyclones in 12 games this year.

Goalie Paul Karpowich was signed on Tuesday. Karpowich was originally drafted by the St. Louis Blues in 2008 and comes over from the Southern Professional Hockey League’s Peoria Rivermen. Farmington Hills, Mich. native Brad Philips was also signed after playing goalie for the Stockton Thunder in three games this season. Philips had a 1-1-1 record with a 3.50 goals against average while with Stockton.

14

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