Score Atlanta Vol. 10 Issue 13

Time to look great!

VOLUME 10 ISSUE 13 |

APRIL 4-10, 2014

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YOUR SOURCE FOR SPORTS IN GEORGIA

ON THE BRINK Stadium Memories | Pg. 4 Craig Sager II revisits his youth spent at the Georgia Dome and Turner Field.

Would the Hawks be better off missing the postseason? | Pg. 5

DeKalb Track | Pg. 8 We update you on track and field and other spring sports in this week’s prep notebook.

sat, APRIL 12 @ 7:30PM

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YOU SEE A STRONGER SOLUTION. WE SEE A STRONGER LEADER.

Vol. 10 Iss. 13 | April 4-10, 2014

STARTING LINEUP PUBLISHER/EDITOR I.J. Rosenberg

GENERAL MANAGER Melanie Snare ART/CREATIVE DIRECTOR DJ Galbiati Blalock SENIOR MANAGING EDITOR Stephen Black

BUSINESS MANAGER Marvin Botnick

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Marcus Nabors

BEAT WRITERS Ricky Dimon (Braves)

Joe Deighton (Gladiators) Jay Underwood (Hawks) Brian Jones (KSU) Joe Deighton (UGA) Craig Sager II (Falcons) Vic Temple (Tech) Jay Underwood (GSU)

STAFF WRITERS Paige Morton Alex Ewalt Paris Freeman Robert Tinter Jalisa Smith

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Copyright 2014 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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COLUMNISTS

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

COVER PHOTOS COURTESY OF PAUL ABELL/ATLANTA BRAVES, TY FREEMAN AND NBAE/GETTY IMAGES.

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ON THE COVER

ON THE INSIDE AT SCORE

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INSIDE THE PREPS

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SCORE ATLANTA | www.ScoreAtl.com Georgia Dome over my career.

I have seen SEC championships, SEC tournaments, Final Fours, state championships, Falcons games, Peach Bowls, Chick-fil-A Bowls, concerts, etc. at the Dome, and I can remember it all. There are a lot of memories that can be made in these next three years and I urge everyone to make sure they do not miss it.

SAGER SAYS

SCHEDULED DEMISE OF STADIUMS BRINGS BACK SPECIAL MEMORIES

BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

T

he new Braves’ and Falcons’ stadiums set to open in 2017 are old news for some. For me, the reality is just starting to settle in. With Turner Field opening its gates for the 2014 season on April 8, I have begun to consider what this experience will be like and how different it will be three short years from now. The same is to be said about the new Falcons stadium as more drawings, features and progress circulates the news.

I am 25-years old and was born and raised in Atlanta. I grew up with these two stadiums from their beginnings. Even though I was young when they opened and probably did not realize how big of a deal a new stadium was, I still remember the moment. I was only four-years old when the Dome opened and my mother, father

and two sisters posed for a family photo on the hood of our navy blue Astro van in front of the newly-christened Dome. We used the picture for our Christmas card that year.

My mom would take my two sisters (ages six and one) and I to every Falcons home game until I was at the age where my own sports and activities began taking up a lot of my weekends.

I learned the game of football during this time by watching it in the Dome. I still remember that “Eureka” moment when I understood what the down markers on the sideline were for the first time. The place where I learned the game of football became the same place that my sophomore season of high school football opened in the 2003 Corky Kell Classic. I was lucky enough to play in three high school football games in the

DRAFT DAY

FALCONS TAKE IN SNEAK PEAK, DISCUSS FILM BUSINESS

BY STEPHEN BLACK | SBLACK@SCOREATL.COM

ometimes fantasy can resemble reality. And some of the Atlanta Falcons players, adminisStration, their majority owner and some very lucky

fans found this out Monday in Atlantic Station.

The movie “Draft Day,” a parody on life behind the scenes in the NFL front office, will open April 11 nationwide. As one of the chosen few at Regal Cinemas Atlanta Station Monday, I was able to take in the film with some of the NFL’s most prominent figures. Most, if not all, saw some similarities to the real thing.

“It’s very realistic,” head Falcon Arthur Blank told me after the screening. “I’ve seen (Falcons general manager) Thomas (Dimitroff) go through days like that or some version of days like that.”

When Blank says “days like that”, well, you’ll have to see the movie to understand exactly what he means. In simple terms and without spoiling the film, I can tell you that one draft day

is like a lifetime to those involved in the process.

The tight relationships from owner to GM, GM to coach, GM to potential draftee and GM to GM could each be a movie or novel with in itself.

SILVER SCREEN REALISM …

While fans can be fooled about how accurate a sports movie is, players, administrators and the top brass cannot. They live it day-today. However, the gaggle of Falcons personnel at the showing was quite complimentary of the latest Ivan Reitman-directed movie.

“NFL fans want to get an insight into the game,” Blank said. “As far as what happens on draft day and some of the nuances and the pressures that the organizations, franchises, general managers and coaches are under, it’s pretty realistic.”

Falcons defensive lineman Peters was entertained by the film, which received a ton of

THE TED …

As a football fan, I can seem partial to the Dome, but Turner Field is just as special to me. I remember life before Turner Field when I’d watch Fred McGriff play in the old Fulton County Stadium. I sat in Centennial Olympic Stadium for opening ceremonies in 1996 and watched the venue transform to a new, fun and exciting place to watch the Braves. With a giant firework-shooting Coca-Cola bottle in left field and tomahawk-chopping neon lights on top of the scoreboard in center field, this place looked and felt like home. With the Atlanta skyline and the Olympic torch right outside the stadium, it doesn’t get more “Atlanta” than that.

Turner Field’s birth came during the same period of the maligned, but must-see steroid era of baseball. I was one of the spectators at the 2000 Home Run Derby watching Sammy Sosa hit NASA-worthy homers. Sosa’s macho-

man performance was punctuated with a 508foot blast that sailed over the center-field TV cameras. I remember every second of that ball’s path from home plate to oblivion and I don’t now if I’ll ever see someone hit the baseball as hard as he did that day.

In 2002, I was sitting behind the Braves’ dugout days before my birthday. It was a July afternoon game, so as you can imagine, it was miserably hot. I was surviving the heat with my frozen lemonade. As I looked down to take another spoonful, John Smoltz sliced a foul ball that took a direct path to my finger. The ball chipped the bone in my middle finger and spilled my lemonade before bouncing half a section away. A man who eventually grabbed the ball came down to make sure I was okay and he gave me the ball. Nine years later, I finally got Smoltz to sign it at Tim Hudson’s golf tournament. The good memories of our stadiums outweigh the bad and even the ugly, and the birth of two new stadiums in Atlanta will summon the same excitement felt in the 1990s when the Ted and the Georgia Dome first became our homes.

Photo courtesy of Pouya Dianat/Atlanta Braves.

cooperation not only by the NFL, but also by multiple franchises.

“I thought it was pretty good,” said Peters.

“Very entertaining. It’s good to see the other side of things and have some good interaction between front office and some of the players and that sort of thing. I think that’s a great viewpoint that not a lot of people get to see.”

Without spoiling any of the storylines, I can tell you that character comes to play in how Kevin Costner’s character (the Browns’ GM) makes decisions on draft day. Not many people know what actually is said in behind-the-scenes draft day phone calls, but few movies prior to “Draft Day” have been quite as accurate in displaying just how crucial character is in draft analysis.

“(Character) is always very important,” said Blank. “The culture is what underlines the franchise, and that’s true with our front office, it’s true with our coaches, it’s true with our players, it’s true in every part of our locker room. It’s true throughout. We pay a lot of attention to character off the field, character on the field, and, obviously, ability.”

Another part of the movie centered around a potential draftee sitting at home with family, waiting for the call that would change his life. Falcons linebacker Sean Weatherspoon saw similarities in that portion of the film.

“That brought back memories just being with your family and everybody is excited,” said Spoon about his draft day. “It kind of took me back to when I got the call from the Falcons. It was pretty cool.”

THE NEW HOLLYWOOD …

Atlanta has seen its share of movies and shows filmed here in recent years to the point that businesses whose only function is to provide extras for filming have sprung up in the area. The city certainly has its share of major celebs in its midst, and the Falcons are no exception.

“I would say it’s up-and-coming with movies, they’re doing everything here,” said Weatherspoon after the sneak peak. “There’s a lot of opportunities. Hopefully, some day I’ll get a call to be in one of those movies.”

As one of the more magnetic and charismatic personalities on the team, going into the movie industry is a natural question for Weatherspoon in the future.

“I don’t know, man, I think I could do it,” he said. “I could remember my lines and act it out.

That’d be pretty cool.”

Peters, who said he likes to live more in the behind-the-scenes world, will probably skip a career on the silver screen.

“I’ve been invited to some things, but I’ve always turned it down,” said the former Kentucky Wildcat. “I don’t think so. (Hollywood) is not really my style.”

Photo courtesy of the Atlanta Falcons.

Vol. 10 Iss. 13 | April 4-10, 2014 taking a shooting guard—two votes for Michigan’s Nik Stauskas and one for Michigan State’s Gary Harris. Stauskas and Harris are nice, but they aren’t Wiggins, Embiid, Parker, or Randle.

ON THE COVER

HAWKS BASKETBALL

HAWKS HAVE DILEMMA BETWEEN WINNING AND LOSING

BY RICKY DIMON | RDIMON@SCOREATL.COM

N

ine games remain in the Atlanta Hawks’ 2013-14 regular season as of Wednesday afternoon. From the looks of it, they will need all nine before determining their ultimate fate.

Atlanta stands one game ahead of New York for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Will the Hawks make the playoffs? That’s a very real question with exactly two weeks remaining. But it may not be the most important question. More interestingly, do the Hawks want to make the playoffs?

TAKE A DIVE …

There are some perks to missing the playoffs. Least importantly, the Hawks would be spared from almost certain humiliation at the hands of either Miami or Indiana. Atlanta beat Miami 121-114 at home on Jan. 20, but it is still 1-9 in its last 10 games against the Heat and the recent win came with Dwyane Wade on the sideline. The Hawks have lost four of their

last five against Indiana dating back to last year’s playoffs and their Jan. 8 victory came at the expense of a Pacers club that was playing its fourth game in five days and missing Lance Stephenson. In other words, a postseason appearance could get ugly in a hurry.

A greater benefit of elimination, of course, is that the Hawks would find themselves in the lottery for what is an enticingly top-heavy NBA Draft. Kansas freshman Andrew Wiggins declared on Monday and he is expected to be joined by teammate Joel Embiid, Duke’s Jabari Parker and Kentucky’s Julius Randle. Almost every move general manager Danny Ferry has made since June of 2012 suggests he is more concerned with the future than the present, so wouldn’t he prefer a shot at Embiid than a shot at the Miami Heat?

If the season ended today, Atlanta would own the 15th pick as the worst playoff qualifier behind the 14 lottery teams. All three CBS mock-draft gurus currently have the Hawks

DON’T GIVE UP …

Those names may be on the minds of woeful teams like Milwaukee and Philadelphia, but Atlanta’s players are in a different business.

Although they have not won much of late (1-6 in their last seven, 7-20 in their last 27), they are leaving everything they have on the court despite a myriad of injury issues. Their effort finally paid off with a come-from-behind 103-95 win over the Sixers on Monday at Philips Arena.

“Well, myself and everybody else feels like this game and every game from here on out is a must win,” Paul Millsap told the team’s website after the victory. “We need these games. It’s as simple as that.”

There is, of course, something to be said for winning. In the famous words of former New York Jets’ head coach Herman Edwards, “You play. To win. The game.” You also play to make the playoffs, because that’s where anything can happen, right? Well, if we’re talking about the eight-team Major League Baseball free-for-all, yes. In the NBA, not so much. No team seeded worse than fourth in its conference has reached the NBA Finals since the lockout-shortened 1998-99 campaign, when New York accomplished the feat as the East’s No. 8 seed.

But could this year be different in the Eastern Conference? Miami and Indiana are once again dominant, but both teams have recently been dreadful by their standards. While a series upset is way too much to expect, competitiveness to the point of luring fans to the Highlight Factory for two (or dare I say three?) games is not entirely out of the question.

Landing a top-three draft pick is also not entirely out of the question if the Hawks miss the playoffs, but it’s close. If New York and New York alone passes the Hawks and knocks them out of the postseason, they would end up being the 10th worst team in the league.

That would give Atlanta a 1.1 percent chance

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of winning the lottery, a 1.3 percent chance of snagging the second pick and a 1.6 percent chance of selecting third. For those counting, that means Atlanta would have a four percent chance at a top-three pick and a 96 percent chance at picking 10th or worse.

Those numbers are nothing Hawks’ fans have had to concern themselves with since 2006-07, the last time their team failed to make the playoffs. Atlanta’s streak of six straight postseasons is tied for fourth best in the entire NBA, trailing only San Antonio (16, all with Mike Budenholzer as an assistant), Denver (10) and the Los Angeles Lakers (eight). None of the six has resulted in a championship or even in an NBA Finals appearance, but this is still a commendable stretch of success.

VERDICT …

Like it or not, the Hawks are probably going to make the playoffs. They play four of their final seven games at home, where they are 21-14 compared to 11-27 on the road. All eight are against the Eastern Conference and four of those opponents are currently on the outside looking in on the playoff picture. The Knicks, meanwhile, have seven games to go and all seven are also against the Eastern Conference.

However, every one of their remaining opponents (counting Toronto twice) is comfortably in playoff position.

“I think the only thing they have going for [the Hawks]…is [playing at home against bad teams],” Chris Vivlamore, beat writer for the Atlanta Journal Constitution, said last week.

“When you look at this recent slide and the eighth spot slipping from their grip a little bit, I think that’s what they’re relying on. If they can beat those bad teams…they might just be able to keep the Knicks at bay.”

Ah, the classic back door into the playoffs.

Vivlamore’s attitude isn’t defeatist; it’s realist.

And the reality is that these Hawks are not going to win a championship. If a championship is the ultimate goal, what result gives them the best chance of reaching that goal sooner rather than later? You know the answer.

Photos courtesy of the Atlanta Hawks.

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SEC

Freddie Freeman

Keith Marshall

Georgia’s third-place finish in the SEC at 12-6 is looking better and better with each passing day of the NCAA Tournament. The conference put just three teams in the Big Dance, but it boasts two Final Four teams (Florida and Kentucky) and a combined record of 11-1 (Tennessee won three games before losing to Michigan).

Freeman hit .368 in spring training and he is up to more of the same now that the real thing has begun. Fresh off a new contract, the first baseman is 3-for-7 through two games in Milwaukee. He went deep twice in the second contest of the series on Tuesday, a 5-2 victory by the Braves after they had been shut out in the opener.

There is still a chance that Marshall, coming off an ACL injury last season, could redshirt for the Bulldogs in 2014.

However, the running back’s recovery is progressing better than expected and he is on the field for spring practice.

Marshall dressed out in full pads on Tuesday even though he did not participate in contact drills.

SCORE LIST

By Brian Jones

SOUTHERN ON ESPN

Georgia Southern will make its way on national television this fall, as ESPN U will broadcast two of its football games. The first game will be on Sept. 25 against Appalachian State and the second on Oct. 30 against Troy. This is big for the school and hopefully the Eagles will show the country why they are a winning program.

R.J. ALL STAR

Georgia State may have missed out on the NCAA Tournament, but that doesn’t mean its season went unnoticed. R.J. Hunter was named to the Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American team this week.

He averaged more than 18 points per game and led the Panthers to a 25-9 record. Congrats, R.J., and we hope you do ever better in 2015!

HOME OPENER

The Braves will open their home schedule on Tuesday when they face the New York Mets. If you’ve never been to a Braves home opener, it’s something you have to do because it’s as close to a football atmosphere you can find in March when it comes to tailgating. I’m sure many fans will be leaving work early to get to the Ted.

PANTHERS ON TOUR

Georgia State football has been taking its show on the road as the Panthers held spring practice at McEachern last Saturday. They will have another practice off-site at Lanier this Saturday. I think this is a good idea because it gives fans who don’t live close to the city an opportunity to see the Panthers up close and personal.

DRAFT DAY

Some of the members here at Score got a chance to see a special screening of the movie “Draft Day” earlier this week. If you are a fan of sports movies, this is one you have to see when it comes out on April 11. It’s a good look at what a NFL team goes through during the biggest day of the NFL offseason.

WHO’S NOT

By Ricky Dimon

WHO’S HOT

SCORE ATLANTA | www.ScoreAtl.com

ACC

Upton Brothers

Atlanta Hawks

Unlike the SEC, the ACC for the most part laid an egg in the NCAA Tournament. The six representatives went 6-6 and not a single one reached the Elite Eight. Duke even lost to Macon’s own Mercer University in the first round and Syracuse fell to Dayton in the second round. And to think Georgia Tech finished 11th in the ACC….

Two games into the regular season is no time to hit the panic button, but B.J. and Justin Upton were a combined 1-for-15 as of Wednesday afternoon. B.J. is 0-for-8 with four strikeouts and Justin is 1-for-7 with three K’s.

The start is especially concerning for B.J. given that he batted .184 in 2013 with 151 strikeouts in just 391 at-bats.

If fans want the Hawks to snag a lottery pick, the team is doing its best to oblige. If the Hawks want to make the playoffs, they better get their act together. Whatever the case, the basketball is bad in Atlanta right now. The Hawks are 1-6 in their last seven and 7-20 in their last 27 and lead ninth-place New York by only one game.

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.

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TRIVIA QUESTION

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME THE HAWKS MISSED THE POSTSEASON? ANSWER ON PAGE 14

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SANITY AT LAST

“As an offense we knew we weren’t going to get shut out all 162.”

Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman after Atlanta’s 5-2 win in the season’s second game.

5

Career multi-home run games for Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman

23

Home runs hit by Freddie Freeman last season

6

Straight seasons the Atlanta Hawks have reached the playoffs (2008-2013)

67

Weeks since the Falcons’ last true road win

38

Consecutive victories by the McIntosh boys soccer team

83

McIntosh boys soccer goals scored in 2014 compared to just four allowed

2009

The last year the Falcons played their season opener at home

1994

The last year the Masters was played without Tiger Woods

al March 26-29. Milton and Parkview each split four games, and Gainesville finished 1-3.

SPRING UPDATE

MILLER GROVE WINS FIRST-EVER GIRLS COUNTY TRACK TITLE

BY RICKY DIMON, BRIAN JONES, ROBERT TINTER & CRAIG SAGER II

T

he DeKalb County Track and Field Championships concluded on Tuesday at Panthersville Stadium. The Miller Grove girls took first place with a score of 119 to win the Wolverines’ first-ever girls county track title. Redan came in second place with 71 points and Arabia Mountain came in third place with 56 points. On the boys’ side, Stephenson edged Lakeside-DeKalb for the top spot, scoring 102 points.

Both Westlake teams won the Fulton County Track and Field Championships, which ended on Monday. The girls scored 173 points and the boys scored 143 points.

BASEBALL …

In a bigime showdown, ELCA (No. 1 in Class A) beat Class AA defending champ Lovett 7-1 on March 27 to improve to 17-1 overall. Another defending state champion, Redan, cruised to an 8-2 win over Chamblee Thursday

in Class AAAA action. Daren Osby pitched a complete game, and recorded three hits and an RBI to lead the Raiders.

Walton hit North Gwinnett hard for 13 runs and a 10-run win on March 27. Jason Rooks had three RBIs to lead the Raiders.

In Friday’s action, Mountain View pulled off a 4-3 victory against North Gwinnett. Starr’s Mill upset No. 1 Whitewater 2-1. No. 1 Lambert stayed undefeated (14-0) by throttling No. 6 West Forsyth 11-1. Class AAA No. 1 Buford remained undefeated by shutting out West Hall 10-0. Connor Bennett threw a one-hitter, and added two hits to help his own cause. Buford then defeated Westminster 1-0 (No. 2 AA) on Saturday as well. Griffin Jolliff worked four scoreless innings, and Austin Wilhite’s 2-out double drove in the game’s only run.

Three of the state’s top teams competed in the 16-team National High School Invitation-

SOCCER …

A Class AAAAAA showdown took place last Friday at Grayson where Parkview experienced a rare and unwelcomed occurrence.

The Panthers had not allowed more than two goals in a game since 2012 and they had not surrendered more than three in a game since 2010. Grayson, however, notched five to win the Region 8 battle with Parkview 5-4. Sophomore Jennifer Westendorf, a U.S. Under-17 National Team member, scored three goals and hit either a post or the crossbar with three other shots to lead Grayson. The Rams scored four unanswered goals to take a 5-2 advantage in the second half before hanging on for their first-ever win over Parkview.

GAC scored a 2-1 victory at Wesleyan on March 25 in a Region 6 clash. Greater Atlanta Christian faced Class AAA-power Blessed Trinity last Friday and prevailed 2-0 at home.

The game was tied heading into the final five minutes, but Perry Bitzer scored twice down the stretch on assists from Reagan Glisson and Danielle Marcano. Keeper Melissa Gray recorded the shutout.

Lambert’s boys squad picked up a huge win at Walton on March 27 as senior Zack Davis scored with 13 seconds left in the final

overtime period. It was the Raiders’ first loss of the season and vaulted coach Chris Wilson’s squad to No. 2 in the state. It was each team’s final game prior to Spring Break.

GOLF …

Saturday was a good day for the Oconee County boys team as they placed second in the Athens Academy Invitational at the University of Georgia Golf Course. They shot a 315 and Ben Huckaby led the way, shooting a 73. Rob Padgett shot a 79 while Jackson Keene recorded 85. … Athens Academy, the host school, had two teams competing. The Green team finished third and the White Team finished eighth. … On the girls side, Anna Buchannan of Athens Academy shot a 78 and finished second overall in the invitational. The team finished third with a score of 211.

RIFLERY …

Parkview advanced to the riflery state championship by the slimmest of margins after defeating Upson-Lee 1,135-1,134 in a semifinal showdown last Wednesday.

There will be a new state champion in 2014, as Union Grove was bounced by Ware County 1,126-1,124 last Friday.

Photos courtesy of Ty Freeman, ELCA and Sonny Kennedy.

Score Atlanta/AJC Lacrosse Rankings BOYS

GIRLS

Class AAAAAA

Class AAAAA-A

1.............................. Milton 2.......................... Harrison 3................North Gwinnett 4............................. Walton 5...........................Lambert

1........................Northview 2....................Westminster 3...............................Lovett 4................ Blessed Trinity 5..................................GAC

6.......................Centennial 7............................Roswell 8............. Peachtree Ridge 9..........................Hillgrove 10................. John’s Creek

6................Whitefield Aca. 7................................ Pope 8.............................. Marist 9.........................St. Pius X 10............. Fellowship Chr.

Class AAAAAA

Class AAAAA-A

1.............................. Milton 2........................... Lassiter 3............................. Walton 4................Chattahoochee 5.............................Etowah

1.................................. Kell 2....................Westminster 3......................... McIntosh 4................................ Pope 5........................Northview

6.......................Centennial 7........................Mill Creek 8................... John’s Creek 9................North Gwinnett 10................. West Forsyth

6...................... Cambridge 7................ Blessed Trinity 8.........................St. Pius X 9.........................Wesleyan 10.....................Starr’s Mill

Vol. 10 Iss. 13 | April 4-10, 2014

Score Atlanta/AJC High School Baseball Rankings Class AAAAAA 1...................... Lambert 2.....................Parkview 3.........................Walton 4............Mountain View 5...............West Forsyth

Class AAA 6........................ Etowah 7.......................... Milton 8...................Tift County 9......................Harrison 10................McEachern

Class AAAAA 1................. Whitewater 2.....................Allatoona 3.................Houston Co. 4....................Hardaway 5.................. Starr’s Mill

6.....................White Co. 7.....................St. Pius X 8..................... Callaway 9...................Chapel Hill 10................Oconee Co.

Class AA 6.................. Gainesville 7..................Sprayberry 8.................Stephenson 9................... Loganville 10..................Northgate

1.......................... Lovett 2............... Westminster 3.....................Jefferson 4....................... Bremen 5.......................Calhoun

6............................Cook 7.................Benedictine 8.................... Wesleyan 9..............................GAC 10..................Fitzgerald

Class A

Class AAAA 1..........................Marist 2..................... Crisp Co. 3....................Columbus 4....................Alexander 5.................... Worth Co.

1......................... Buford 2....................Pierce Co. 3.......................Pike Co. 4............Blessed Trinity 5..................... Thomson

6..........................Redan 7.........South Effingham 8.....................Columbia 9...............Locust Grove 10........................Griffin

1............................ELCA 2............... Mount Paran 3................ Charlton Co. 4............Pace Academy 5........ King’s Ridge Chr.

6..................Athens Chr. 7...............................ECI 8...................Schley Co. 9................. Brookstone 10............. Hawkinsville

Score Atlanta/AJC Soccer Rankings 1..................... Brookwood 2.......................... Lambert 3.............................Walton 4............................. Duluth 5....................... Mill Creek 6.......................Collins Hill 7.........................Parkview 8........................ Campbell 9...........................Lassiter 10........................Harrison

AAAAA Boys

1.........................McIntosh 2................................Pope 3......................Gainesville 4........... Lakeside-DeKalb 5.............. Glynn Academy 6......................Greenbrier 7................ Clarke Central 8.................Lithia Springs 9...............................Rome 10............ Houston County

AAAA Boys

1..............................Dalton 2......Johnson-Gainesville 3.............................. Grady 4........................LaGrange 5........Southeast Whitfield 6....................... Columbus 7....... Northwest Whitfield 8........................Chestatee 9...............................Perry 10....................... Spalding

AAA Boys

1........................ St. Pius X 2......Woodward Academy 3............... Oconee County 4................Blessed Trinity 5...............Dawson County 6..................North Murray 7.....................Cartersville 8........................North Hall 9.........................West Hall 10.............Coahulla Creek

AA Boys

1................................. GAC 2................... Westminster 3...........................Calhoun 4................Murray County 5........................ Wesleyan 6... Chattahoochee County 7...........................Bremen 8.................... Benedictine 9...........Morris Innovative 10....... Westside-Augusta

A Boys

1.........Atlanta Int’l School 2............ Hebron Christian 3.......... First Presbyterian 4...... Fellowship Christian 5........Pinecrest Academy 6............................Paideia 7.....................Brookstone 8..........Our Lady of Mercy 9............................ Walker 10.................Mount Paran

AAAAAA Girls

1..........................Harrison 2.......................... Grayson 3.........................Parkview 4.............Peachtree Ridge 5..................... Brookwood 6...........................Lassiter 7.............................Walton 8............................. Duluth 9.......................Collins Hill 10............... South Forsyth

AAAAA Girls

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ARMED AND DANGEROUS FOOTBALL

TOP QB COACH BRINGS HIS CAMP TO GEORGIA FOR THE FIRST TIME

BY JAMES REESE

S

teve Calhoun is a top five college football quarterback guru according to Bleacher Report. His modest start as a QB in California has taken him from Santa Ana College to New Mexico State, and nearly ten years as a pro in Germany. He ultimately landed in coaching in 2005 and has been at it ever since teaching the art of playing quarterback and receiver as the lead instructor and owner of Armed & Dangerous Football.

Calhoun’s pupils hail from all over the country. His prize student at the time happens to be Russell Wilson, yes the Russell Wilson of the Superbowl Champion Seattle Seahawks.

His other NFL QB students include – E.J. Manual (Bills), Nick Foles (Eagles), Mike Glennon (Buccaneers), and Terrelle Pryor (Raiders).

E.J. Manual says, “Steve pushed me to

new heights in just a few workouts, and told me what I needed to hear, not necessarily what I wanted to hear. That’s what you want from your coach when you want to be great. Armed & Dangerous is the real deal.”

Every week Calhoun can be found conducting camps for QBs, WRs, TEs and RBs in and around Southern California. A visit to his website armedanddangerousfootball.com reveals the extent of his training regimen. Because he’s worked with some of the best young QBs in the nation Calhoun is a regular instructor at the Manning Passing Academy each year.

Playing QB at the pro, collegiate, high school and middle school level requires one thing – great mechanics. Calhoun provides hands on detail instructions guaranteed to improve your skills. After a brief instruction period students will have a

lot to take home to work with.

“Steve Calhoun is a great coach and great friend of mine. His passion and attention to detail in coaching the quarterback position is second to none. To this day I credit a lot of my recent success and work ethic to him”, said Keith Price, University of Washington Huskies QB (2009-13).

Calhoun has some connections to the state of Georgia through relatives, Deshaun Watson, Clemson signee and former UGA backup Christian Lemay and has always come out to conduct camps with friends at Riverside Academy in Gainesville each year. For the first time, Calhoun is conducting his own camp entitled The Premiere QB Camp in the Country at Chestatee High School in Gainesville, Georgia April 26 and 27. The camp is designed for middle school (6th – 8th grade) and high school (9th – 12th grade) quarterbacks. Space is limited to 50 QBs in each group. Players are encouraged to register online at http://armedanddangerousfootball.com.

When collegiate players are getting ready for the NFL Combine they call Calhoun. Your young QB has a chance to be instructed by the “NFL Combine Ready Coach” don’t miss out.

Photos courtesy of Armed and Dangerous Football.

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UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA

FOOTBALL SPRING GAME APPROACHES, SOFTBALL CRUISING

BY JOE DEIGHTON | JDEIGHTON@SCOREATL.COM

S

pring practice is underway for the football team and it has been an eye-opening experience for the defensive players with new coordinator Jeremy Pruitt running things. Pruitt recently helped capture the 2013-14 BCS National Championship as the defensive coordinator of the Florida State Seminoles. This year, he is trying to improve a defensive unit that ranked 78th in scoring defense (29 points per game) in 2013. So far, the practices have been at a quicker pace and Pruitt expects this defense to perform at a championship level in every practice rep.

“Our guys are learning how we want them to practice,” Pruitt told espn.com. “They’re trying to finish and trying to do what we ask them to do. We’re going to have to play with a lot of toughness and effort. We’re going to have to make fewer mental mistakes. That’s how we’re going to play this year. That’s our focus—effort, toughness and eliminating mental errors.”

G-Day is approaching quickly and it will

GEORGIA STATE

HUNTER EARNS ALL-AMERICAN HONORS

BY JAY UNDERWOOD | JUNDERWOOD@SCOREATL.COM

A

ll-American teams for the 2013-14 college basketball season have come out and R.J. Hunter has been listed been listed as an honorable mention by the Associated Press. This is another huge accomplishment for a player who is continuing to put Georgia State athletics on the map. Hunter, the son of Georgia State head coach Ron Hunter, averaged 18.3 points per game as a sophomore this season while leading the Panthers to a regular-season title in the Sun Belt Conference.

WARE ON THE WAY? …

Next season, Hunter and Ryan Harrow may be joined by a transfer with a national title pedigree. Kevin Ware, a Rockdale County High School graduate, spent the past three seasons at Louisville and has two years of eligibility remaining. He has been granted his release from the Cardinals as he tries to recover from a gruesome broken leg during their run to the 2013 National Championship.

be interesting to see which side of the ball is more prepared for the annual spring game on April 12.

HURRICANE HUGO …

Sophomore Alex Hugo hit her 15th home run of the season to lead the Bulldogs to a 6-2 win over Missouri last Sunday. Hugo leads the nation in homers and she was a key to UGA’s victory, going 2-for-3 with three RBIs and two runs scored. Anna Swafford set the table with a leadoff triple that led to a run on a sacrifice fly by Paige Wilson. The Bulldogs added three more runs and jumped out to a 4-0 lead after two innings. Pitcher Chelsea Wilkinson threw a complete game, giving up two runs on eight hits while striking out four. Gerri Ann Glasco sealed the win with a single that drove in two runs in the seventh inning.

The victory salvaged a three-game set for the Bulldogs, who dropped games one and two to Missouri last Friday and Saturday. Missouri pulled out wins by 8-6 and 6-3 margins before Georgia gained a measure of revenge.

UGA’s softball team is now 30-5 overall and 6-3 in SEC play. After facing Georgia Tech on Wednesday (results were not available at press time), the Bulldogs are back in SEC action this weekend against rival South Carolina in Athens. The Gamecocks are visiting for a three-game series on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Ware spent much of the past year rehabbing and he was allowed to take a medical redshirt even though he appeared in nine games for Louisville earlier this season. The 6-4 guard and could play along the wing with Hunter. He has announced that he is considering Auburn as well as Georgia State, so the recruitment season has begun.

SPRING PRACTICE …

By all accounts the Panthers are getting more physical this offseason as a football team. This can be seen in the way that running back Duvall Smith is performing early in spring practice. Instead of looking to make defenders miss, he is setting the tone by going right at them and seeking out contact. This type of play is infectious and can change an entire mentality around a program.

The defense is following the same approach and the coaching staff is placing the best players in the middle in an attempt to shore up that part of the field and force the opposing teams to work the ball more to the outside. Bryan Williams is especially standing out in film review with his physical presence in the secondary. He is stepping up in the run game to fill the gaps while also punishing receivers that attempt to go over the middle. It will be interesting to see how the defense looks when all of its players are healthy and they become even more comfortable with the inside-out approach.

GEORGIA TECH

TECH HOOSTER A FINALIST FOR TOP DEFENSIVE AWARD

BY VIC TEMPLE | VTEMPLE@SCOREATL.COM

M

en’s basketball center Daniel Miller was named a finalist for the 2014 Lefty Driesell Award, given annually to the nation’s top defensive player on Tuesday. If chosen, Miller will become the first ACC and Georgia Tech player to earn the honor since it was first handed out in 2010. The winner will be presented with the Driesell Award at the Collegeinsider.com Awards Banquet held in Dallas on Friday, April 4.

Miller finished second in the ACC to Clemson’s K.J. McDaniels this season with 2.4 blocks per game. He placed second and third in the ACC in field-goal percentage (.578) and defensive rebounds (7.8 per game), respectively. Miller has secured a prominent place in Tech history, having passed former Yellow Jacket and Detroit Pistons’ bad boy John Salley in career blocked shots at 286.

MATCH PLAY …

The Georgia Tech men’s golf squad will face three of the best golf teams in the country on Saturday, April 19 in the first annual Capital

KENNESAW STATE

BASEBALL, SOFTBALL HAVE BAD LUCK IN JACKSONVILLE

BY BRIAN JONES | BJONES@SCOREATL.COM

A

fter getting swept by Lipscomb and losing a tough game to Auburn, the baseball team looked to get back on the winning track this past weekend when it visited Jacksonville for a three-game series.

The Owls won 10-4 on Friday in an opener in which they knocked 18 hits. Max Pentecost, Bo Way, Chris McGowan and Matt Bahnick each had three hits while Travis Bergen and Justin McCalvin combined to strike out eight batters to give the Owls their 13th win of the year.

KSU was able to produce on offense again on Saturday by tallying 10 hits, but it was not enough as the Dolphins came away with a 10-5 win. Although Jacksonville recorded the same number of hits as the Owls, a six-run second inning and a four-run fourth inning made the difference. Way hit a home run for Kennesaw and Bahnick drove in two runs in the loss. Sunday was more of a defensive battle as Jacksonville got past Kennesaw State with a 4-3 win.

City Club College Match Play Championship in Milton, Ga. The one-day, winner-take-all event will tee off at 7:30 a.m. with the four teams matched against each other in order of rank (highest against lowest). The championship and third-place matches will begin at 1:30 p.m.

Also taking part in the head-to-head showdown are Florida State, Auburn and Georgia. All four participants are ranked in the top 25 according to Golfstat.com. Tech leads the way at No. 4, followed by Georgia (fifth), Florida State (12th) and Auburn (24th).

Eighteen of the top 200 college golfers in the nation (as rated by Golfstat) will be competing. Tech has two players in the top 100 in Ollie Schniederjans (fifth) and Seth Reeves (27th).

LOSING STREAK …

Georgia Tech’s baseball team has hit its longest losing streak of the season with four consecutive setbacks. The Yellow Jackets fell at home to Mercer on March 25 then got swept in three straight games at Pittsburgh last weekend. Tech lost to the Panthers 4-3 (13 innings), 5-0 and 4-2 in succession. After Georgia Tech tied the extra-inning game at 3-3 with a run in the top of the fourth, both teams were held scoreless for eight full innings.

The Jackets had a chance to stop the streak on Wednesday against visiting Georgia State (results were not available at press time).

Tech was looking to beat the Panthers for the second time in as many tries this season after scoring a 9-4 road victory two weeks ago.

Pentecost was the top Owl, as he went 3-for-4 and drove in two runs.

SOFTBALL FALTERS …

Kennesaw State’s softball team also played a road series against Jacksonville and the results did not go as expected. The first two games were played on Sunday and the Owls won the opener 8-3 but lost the second game 4-3 in eight innings. In the opening contest, the Owls registered 13 hits—including three apiece from Taylor Denton, Sara Sikes and Kara Chambers. Denton and Chambers also scored two runs in the win.

In game two, the Dolphins took an early 3-0 lead. With the help of Denton, Angie Dascoli and Courtney Stuffer, however, the Owls tied the score at 3-3 in the third inning. The Dolphins scored the winning run in the eighth when Victoria Brown hit a walk-off homer. It was a similar scenario on Monday, when Jacksonville won the game in the final inning. The Owls scored three runs in the first, but Jacksonville answered with two runs in the bottom of the opening frame. The Dolphins added a run in the fourth and the game-winner came in the seventh to earn the 4-3 win.

KSU, which is 18-17 as of Wednesday, will travel to Florida Gulf Coast this weekend for a three-game set. Two games will be played on Saturday and the third game will be on Sunday.

Vol. 10 Iss. 13 | April 4-10, 2014 ATLANTA HAWKS

HAWKS FACE FINAL STRETCH WITH PLAYOFFS AT STAKE

BY ROBERT TINTER | RTINTER@SCOREATL.COM

he Atlanta Hawks are doing their best to T make the race for the final spot in the Eastern Conference interesting. The Hawks entered

Monday’s game against Philadelphia, a team that had just snapped an NBA record tying 26game losing streak, looking to snap their own losing streak. The Hawks had to come from behind to halt the six-game slide, and remain one game ahead of the charging New York Knicks.

The return of Kyle Korver after a sevengame absence, Paul Millsap’s continued allstar play and a breakout game for sixth man Lou Williams led the Hawks to a 103-95 win at home. This season has been a struggle for Williams as he continues to recover from his knee injury, however on this night he looked like the Lou of old, scoring 22 points, grabbing five boards and dishing out five assists.

FINISHING STRONG …

Including Wednesday night’s game against defensive-minded Chicago, the Hawks have nine tough games left. The Hawks’ records against the remaining nine teams on

ATLANTA BRAVES

BRAVES BOUNCE BACK FROM SHUTOUT TO WIN SERIES

BY RICKY DIMON | RDIMON@SCOREATL.COM

T

he Braves’ 2014 campaign got off to an inauspicious start in Milwaukee on Monday, when they were shut out by the Brewers 2-0.

Disgraced steroids user Ryan Braun received a standing ovation in the bottom of the first inning and things only went downhill from there—at least for the Braves. They managed only five hits and B.J. Upton and Evan Gattis went a combined 0-for-8 with four strikeouts. Julio Teheran kept Atlanta close by giving up just two runs in six innings, but a two-run fourth for Milwaukee proved to be the difference.

Atlanta bounced back on Tuesday with a 5-2 victory in which Alex Wood allowed only one run in seven innings to get the win. The Braves struggled through four more scoreless innings before their bats finally woke up. Freddie Freeman hit home runs in both the sixth and eighth innings after Jason Heyward put a stop to his team’s goose-egg with a two-run shot in the fifth. Dan Uggla also had a multi-hit performance with two doubles and an insur-

the schedule are: Chicago (0-3), Cleveland (2-0), Indiana (1-2), Detroit (2-1), Boston (12), Brooklyn (0-2), Miami (1-2), Charlotte (3-0) and Milwaukee (2-0). Miami, Indiana, Chicago, Brooklyn and Charlotte are all playoff teams. However, the games against Chicago, Miami and Charlotte are at home, as are the games against Cleveland, Detroit and Boston.

To compare, the Knicks have seven games left all against Eastern Conference playoff teams.

The Knicks have a 3-9 combined record against their remaining schedule, whereas the Hawks have a 12-11 record against theirs. This should give the Hawks a great chance of clinching their sixth straight playoff appearance.

THE FUTURE IS NOW …

Over the past few weeks, rookies Dennis Schröder and Mike Muscala have been playing significant minutes. Schröder, the 17th pick in last year’s draft, played in 16 games in March, averaging around 13 minutes a game. To put that in perspective Schröder had played in only 27 games before the month of March. Muscala, the Hawks’ second-round pick from the 2013 draft, wasn’t even on the team at the beginning of the year. The Hawks have wasted no time throwing Muscala into the fire since buying out his Spanish League contract at the end of February. Muscala has played in 13 games averaging 10.8 minutes per game. The more experience these three young Hawks get, the better the bench will be for the playoffs and beyond.

ance run scored in the top of the ninth.

“The last three or four years we haven’t really done well against the Brewers here at Miller Park,” Freeman told the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “It’s nice to get the first one out of the way. As an offense we knew we weren’t going to get shut out all 162. We let them sweat for the first 15 innings.”

The Braves won the rubber game of the season-opening series at Milwaukee 1-0 Wednesday as four Atlanta pitchers combined to give up just two hits. Atlanta is visiting Washington for three games this weekend before the Mets come to town for a home opener on Tuesday afternoon.

A FIRST FOR FREDI …

Manager Fredi Gonzalez made history Monday. He became the first manager to successfully challenge a call after Braun was called safe at first while trying to beat out a grounder to third baseman Chris Johnson. A one-minute and 38-second review process resulted in an overturned ruling, as Braun was deemed to have been out.

“It worked exactly the way they wanted it to work,” Gonzalez told the team’s website. “It just didn’t feel like baseball. It felt weird. When you come out of the dugout, you’re looking to protect your players; you’re looking to yell at the umpire or get into a confrontation. But that never even occurred. [Gibson and I] were like two civil guys talking.”

ATLANTA FALCONS

FULL NFL SCHEDULES TO BE RELEASED IN MID-APRIL

BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

B

efore the NFL Draft begins on May 8 there is one more important offseason event that the Falcons and football fans should be aware of. Sometime in mid-April (usually between April 11-20) the NFL will announce the dates and times of every team’s schedule. The 2013 schedule was released on April 18 of last year, but it is never a set date.

The home and away opponents were already released and now the league will work on the date and times. The Falcons will get the Panthers, Saints, Bucs, Bears, Cardinals, Browns and Steelers in the Dome this season. The Falcons have their eighth home game against the Detroit Lions in London for the NFL’s International Series game. This is the only game set with a date at this point and that kickoff will be at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 26 during Week 8 of the 2014 NFL season.

DOME COOKING …

The Falcons hope that this year will finally

GWINNETT GLADIATORS

GLADIATORS ERASE DEFICIT TO GET PAST GREENVILLE

BY JOE DEIGHTON | JDEIGHTON@SCOREATL.COM

N

ot often does a team trail by three goals and come back to win, but that is what the Gwinnett Gladiators did against Greenville last Saturday night. The Gladiators looked sluggish to begin the game and trailed 3-0 with just two minutes and 35 seconds gone by in the first period. The good news was that there was plenty of time left for Gwinnett. The team responded by scoring six unanswered goals and eventually winning 6-4.

A major reason for the comeback was the Gladiators’ relentless pursuit to the net.

Gwinnett outshot Greenville 14-7 in the first period and 33-22 in the game. Forward Mike Merrifield scored two breakaway goals; one of the shorthanded variety to tie the game and the other giving the Glads a lead with just under two minutes remaining in the second period. Forward Dirk Southern scored the eventual game-winner with 10:40 left in the third to give the Glads a 5-3 lead. Not more than a minute later, Max Legault scored on a wrist shot that dipped slightly below the crossbar.

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give them a home game to open the season.

The last time Atlanta had its season opener at home was in 2009. The past four seasons Atlanta has had to start the year with visits to Chicago (2010), Pittsburgh (2011), Kansas City (2012) and New Orleans (2013). The Falcons are just 1-3 in those games.

This year’s road games will be against the Panthers, Saints, Bucs, Packers, Vikings, Giants, Ravens and Bengals. Atlanta was 1-7 away from the Georgia Dome last season, but the win came on a neutral field against the Buffalo Bills in Toronto. The Falcons last “true” road win came on Saturday, Dec. 22, 2012 against the Detroit Lions (31-18), more than 67 weeks ago.

MULTIPLE LOOKS …

The addition of the mammoth 6-foot-4, 340-pound defensive tackle Paul Soliai from Miami gave the Falcons an anchor to the defensive line. Soliai is a run-stopping specialist that eats up double teams. While it appeared the addition would be used to shift to the 3-4 defense, that is not the case. According to Mike Smith, this is still a passing league and the defense will continue running a multiple scheme.

“You play 65 percent or more in five (defensive back) sets,” Smith said. “So, when you start talking about four linebackers, three linebackers, or two linebackers, there are more times that you’re going to have two linebackers in a ballgame…that’s just the way offenses present right now.”

It was a rough beginning for Glads’ goalie Mark Guggenberger, who gave up three goals on Greenville’s first three shots. Most goaltenders would have been pulled at that point, but Guggenberger recovered to stop 18 of the next 19 shots and pick up the win.

HOT STREAKS …

Brendan Walker has been the most consistent player on the team lately. In the past seven games, the Phoenix Coyotes’ prospect has six goals and two assists. Walker is a plus7 in that span. Southern has also stepped up with four goals and five assists in the past seven games. Marshall Everson scored two goals last week to give him 19 on the season, which leads the team.

Guggenberger has mostly been great since coming over to the Gladiators last month. In 13 games with Gwinnett, Guggenberger is 8-5 with a .911 save percentage and a 2.84 goals-against average. He has quickly earned the nickname ‘Guggenburglar.’

SCHEDULE THIS WEEK …

The Glads will play Greenville again this Friday and Saturday. The Road Warriors are fighting for a playoff spot, but the Gladiators are hoping to knock their division rival out of the postseason. If Gwinnett can beat the Road Warriors and keep them out of the playoffs, it will give the team something to hang its hat on in an otherwise disappointing season.

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