Score Atlanta Vol. 10 Issue 19

Time to look great!

VOLUME 10 ISSUE 19 |

MAY 16-22, 2014

|

YOUR SOURCE FOR SPORTS IN GEORGIA

Draft Wrap-up | Pg. 4 Dan Mathews reviews the Falcons’ draft picks

WWE SUPERSTAR On to the Finals | Pg. 8 We get you caught up on the prep lacrosse and soccer playoffs

Antonio Cesaro is an up-and-coming pro wrestling superstar | Pg. 5

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SCORE ATLANTA | www.ScoreAtl.com

FEARLESS ATHLETES DESERVE

NATIONALLY-RANKED

SPORTS MEDICINE. From repairing broken bones to rehabbing torn ligaments, Children’s Sports Medicine helps young athletes get back to full speed. For more information visit choa.org/sportsmed.

©2014 Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Inc. All rights reserved.

Vol. 10 Iss. 19 | May 16-22, 2014

STARTING LINEUP PUBLISHER/EDITOR I.J. Rosenberg

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COLUMNISTS

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ON THE COVER

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INSIDE THE PREPS

GENERAL MANAGER Melanie Snare

ART/CREATIVE DIRECTOR DJ Galbiati Blalock SENIOR MANAGING EDITOR Stephen Black ASST. MANAGING EDITOR Craig Sager II

BUSINESS MANAGER Marvin Botnick

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Marcus Nabors

BEAT WRITERS Ricky Dimon (Braves)

Matthew Cason (Dream) Robert Tinter (Hawks) Brian Jones (KSU) Dan Mathews (UGA) Craig Sager II (Falcons) Alex Ewalt (Tech) Paige Morton (GSU)

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

COVER PHOTOS COURTESY OF AP IMAGES, GREG SPELL AND WWE.

ON THE INSIDE AT SCORE

STAY CONNECTED!

Score Atlanta is looking for interns. Please visit www.scoreatl.com/internships for more information on our program.

/SCOREATLANTASPORTS

For state playoffs coverage, go to ScoreATL. com and AJC.com throughout the rest of spring season. On AJC.com, we are updating dropdown menus that feature brackets, scores and schedules for baseball, lacrosse and soccer.

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On ScoreATL.com, you can find our comprehensive scoreboard, which will have every final score from the playoffs on it the night of the games. Also, read our stories on the baseball, lacrosse and soccer playoffs for up-todate information.

WWW.SCOREATL.COM WWW.GAPREPNEWS.COM

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DAN THE MAN

FALCONS USE DRAFT TO GET BETTER ON DEFENSE, O-LINE

BY DAN MATHEWS | DMATHEWS@SCOREATL.COM

T

he Falcons used nine picks in this year’s NFL Draft to attempt to make their football team better. From beginning to end, they did exactly that.

BIG JAKE …

Starting with the very first day, Atlanta added one of the best offensive tackles in the draft, going with Texas A&M’s Jake Matthews.

The team added Matthews to an offensive line that desperately needed capable blockers and quarterback Matt Ryan’s massive five-year contract kicks in this season. Needless to say, owner Arthur Blank doesn’t want his QB getting sacked over 40 times again this season.

The second day, the Falcons added defensive end Ra’Shede Hageman out of Minne-

sota and then safety Dezmen Southward out of Wisconsin. Hageman adds to Mike Smith’s wish this season of a bigger and stronger football team. He is a player that has played all three positions on the defensive line during his career with the Golden Gophers. Hageman is ready to see what he can do in the NFL. Especially playing a position where the Falcons are looking for some depth.

“I’m ready, I wouldn’t say I’m ready yet, but I will take that challenge,” Hageman said.

“I’m ready to take on that. Obviously, with the good coaching staff they have, I’m in good hands. I’m looking forward to it.”

With Southward, there is some concern about whether or not he’s injury prone. At the combine, he had a wrist injury that kept him

THE DIMON CLUB

KING’S RIDGE CHRISTIAN HEATS UP WHEN IT MATTERS MOST

BY RICKY DIMON | RDIMON@SCOREATL.COM

he King’s Ridge Christian baseball team T has been playing like kings of late, no matter the competition. On Monday the team

ousted Class A-Private No. 1 Eagles Landing Christian Academy by surprisingly routine scores of 11-3, 7-2. The Chargers went into their semifinal doubleheader on a 28-game winning streak, their longest such run in school history. They were, however, no match for fifth-seeded King’s Ridge. Brandt Stallings of the visiting Tigers set the tone for the series with a two-run homer to pace his team to a quick 2-0 lead in the opener. Stallings also homered in the sixth inning for a comfortable 10-3 margin. Lawson Hill delivered a two-run blast in the second game to maintain the momentum for King’s Ridge.

Up next for the Tigers starting on Saturday is the championship series against Mt. Paran Christian (29-3), which got past Hebron Christian by scores of 8-6 and 11-0. The Eagles’ trademarked power hitting is exacerbated by an extremely small field that measures 310 feet down each line, 335 feet to each power alley and 350 feet to straightaway center. As the No. 2 seed, they will enjoy home-field advantage once again on Saturday and for a Game 3 if necessary on Monday. The Eagles went deep six times and mustered 10 extra-base knocks during the twogame sweep of Hebron Christian.

Boston College-signee Jake Palomaki leads Mt. Paran Christian. The senior second baseman and pitcher tossed a complete game in the semifinal opener before belting two ding-

from doing some of the on-field workouts.

Also, a spine issue was brought to light. Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff isn’t too concerned about either issue, saying that they have checked out with their medical staff.

The third and final day of the draft was filled with one position for the most part. That would be linebacker, with the Falcons picking up four out of their six picks on the final day.

The one who comes into camp with the most attention surrounding him is Notre Dame outside linebacker Prince Shembo.

The other three linebackers picked up on day three were Marquis Spruill out of Syracuse, Yawin Smallwood from UConn and Tyler Starr out of South Dakota. These three plus Shembo will help boost the depth of a position that had its injury issues last season, with Sean Weatherspoon going down for much of the year as well as the release of veteran Stephen Nicholas. Plus, keep in mind that for this season and beyond, the defense is going to a 3-4 set. So they will need more linebackers than in the past for rotation purposes.

FOLLOWING WARRICK …

On the final day of the draft, the Falcons also added Purdue cornerback Ricardo Allen and Florida State running back Devonta Free-

ers and tallying four RBIs in the clincher. Junior first baseman Jack Rowan homered in each of the two contests for the Eagles, who are 2-0 this season against King’s Ridge Christian.

They rolled to wins of 7-0 and 9-1 on March 25 and April 10, respectively.

TROJANS BUY IN …

In Class A-Public, Gordon Lee is the only team through to this weekend’s title series after Monday’s proceedings. The fifth-seeded Trojans picked up 10-2 and 4-2 victories over No. 9 seed Treutlen. As usual, they showcased a style of play that has now taken them to the championship round on two consecutive occasions (they finished runner-up to Charlton County last year). Gordon Lee likes to play small ball, manufacture runs on offense and back up a stellar pitching staff with rock-solid defense.

“To me, from the beginning of the year to now, the guys are buying in,” head coach Mike Dunfee told the Chattanooga Times Free Press following the semifinals. “We’re getting better at-bats throughout the lineup and we’re being what I call patiently aggressive. In the second game, what won it were the bunts. We work on bunting a lot and in that game we laid down some pretty ones. Earlier in the year I felt we had to do it, and though we’ve swung the bats better

man. Freeman is an interesting pickup in the fourth round and is hoping to come in to help a running game that was not very good in 2013.

He’s also very excited to join the Falcons.

“I took a visit up there once, and I promise I was like I want this to be my home,” Freeman said. “I love the atmosphere. It reminds me so much of Miami. When I was at school, I was like please to God… I’m so happy. God works so good.

I’m just so blessed. Thank y’all. Y’all don’t understand. It’s just a blessing just for y’all to call my name. I’m going to work. I promise that. I promise I’m going to go to work every single day.”

Freeman is also excited about joining the Falcons, as he attempts to follow in the footsteps of another Florida State running back, Warrick Dunn.

Ricardo Allen is a player that comes in after a long career at Purdue, where he showed the ability to make plays on the football and make tackles. Those are two things that hurt the Falcons on defense last season.

All in all, the Falcons became a better football team over these last three days. They added a franchise offensive tackle, defensive line help, linebacker depth, and a possible future franchise running back. Things are looking good for Atlanta going forward.

Photo courtesy of Atlanta Falcons.com.

late in the year, we never stop practicing it.”

The Trojans’ pitching staff includes Chaney Rogers, Jake Rogers and Conrad Broom. Through six games of their postseason run (all three series have been 2-0 sweeps), the team has not allowed more than two runs in any contest. Gordon Lee features only one senior, shortstop Zack Cobb. Dunfee saw 10 seniors graduate from the 2013 squad, but his team clearly put to rest any ideas that this might have to be a rebuilding year.

The Trojans have a rematch with Charlton County in the state finals. Game 1 of that semifinal series went the way of No. 3 seed Charlton County 5-2 before host ECI forced a decisive showdown with a 9-1 victory. Charlton County then won Game 3 on Tuesday night 5-0 Gordon Lee will be the visitor on Saturday for the two-game series.

The Indians are defending their 2013 Class A-Public state championship. Gordon Lee, meanwhile, has won championships in 1979 and 1984. Neither King’s Ridge Christian nor Mount Paran has won a GHSA baseball championship.

King’s Ridge was founded in 2001 while Mount Paran held its first classes in 1976.

Photo courtesy of Kings Ridge.

Vol. 10 Iss. 19 | May 16-22, 2014 title meant a lot to me.”

For 239 days, Cesaro was the U.S. Champion before losing to Kofi Kingston. But Cesaro had bigger plans and that was being a part of Wrestlemaina XXX. And not only he was able to be a part of the biggest wrestling event of the year, he made history by winning the inaugural Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal by body slamming the Big Show (who’s over seven feet and 475 pounds) out of the ring.

“Wrestlemania is the biggest show of the year,” Cesaro said. “That was a huge milestone.

For me to win the Andre the Giant Battle Royal, that was the tip of the iceberg. It was a great launching pad for me.”

ON THE COVER

WWE WRESTLING

SWISS-GERMAN WRESTLER IS A RISING STAR IN THE WWE

BY BRIAN JONES | BJONES@SCOREATL.COM

T

he WWE is always looking for up-andcoming superstars. Over the last year, Daniel Bryan has become a very solid midcarder to being the main event at Wrestlemania. The same thing can be said for trio The Shield, who seems to close out every Monday Night Raw Show.

But there is another Superstar that is on the rise and he will be in Atlanta when WWE Smackdown comes to Philips Arena on May

27. Antonio Cesaro made his WWE debut in the fall of 2012 and has never looked back.

Cesaro first caught the attention of the WWE Universe by winning the U.S. Championship at Summerslam in 2012. That was an important moment for him because it proved that he was worthy of being in the WWE.

“That was very early on in my WWE career,” Cesaro said. “I thought I had the best U.S. Championship reign in a long, long time. That

MAKING THE JOURNEY …

So how did Cesaro get to the point where he’s making history at Wrestlemania? How did he get involved in the crazy world of professional wrestling?

“It was 14 years ago in Germany,” Cesaro said. “I just started wrestling all over Germany and Europe. Then I came over to the United States.”

Cesaro started in 2000 and wrestled all over Europe for four years. But during that time, he wrestled in Chikara, which is an organization based in Pennsylvania. He was with the organization from 2003-2009 and won the tag-team title twice.

From there, Cesaro spent two years at Combat Zone Wrestling and he won the tag team title twice with Chris Hero. He was also spending time in Ring of Honor where he and Hero not only won the tag team championship twice but were top contenders for the World Heavyweight Championship.

During his time in Combat Zone Wrestling and Ring of Honor he spent a little time at Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, where he won the World Heavyweight title. One of his last independent stints came in 2008 where he was a part of Pro Wrestling Noah with Hero as his tag team partner. He wrestled there until 2011.

And when 2011 came around, the WWE was knocking on the door.

“Once I travel all over the world and did everything there was out there, the next logical step was the WWE,” Cesaro said. “As long as I keep getting better and keep evolving, WWE was going to be in my future.”

Cesaro signed a WWE contract in September of that year and began working in its developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling. He made his debut at a live event later that month in a loss to current WWE superstar Seth Rollins. He worked in FCW for seven months before making his making his WWE television debut.

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STANDING OUT …

But how was Cesaro able to make his television debut in a short amount of time? What was the difference between him and other members on the FCW roster?

One of the things that stands out with Cesaro is his strength and his conditioning.

Cesaro is one of the strongest superstars on the roster because he is constantly training his body. But when it comes to a workout regimen, Cesaro doesn’t have one.

“I don’t have a daily routine because it changes every day,” Cesaro said. “I work out five days a week and that’s the key. You always have to challenge your body and always try to improve.”

And his results in the gym pay dividends in the ring. Not only was Cesaro able to lift a near 500-pound man, he has done it to The Great Khali, who is over seven feet, and to Mark Henry, who is also over 400 pounds.

But one of his trademark moves that also shows his strength is the Cesaro Swing where he takes his opponent by the legs and swings him around for as long as he likes. In fact, when Cesaro was wrestling in Chikara, he did the Cesaro Swing to an opponent and swung him around 100 times.

“It’s a very old school wrestling maneuver,” Cesaro added. “I just did it one day and it just caught on. It’s a great maneuver and it’s very effective. You only see that move in comics or movies and I think that’s the beauty of professional wrestling.”

The swing and his strength have led him to work with some of the best managers in the business. When Cesaro was tag team partners with Jack Swagger, Zeb Colter was his manager and he’s a guy that has seen it all and done it all in the wrestling industry.

When Cesaro and Swagger disbanded, that led to Cesaro teaming up with Paul Heyman who ran ECW and has managed the likes of C.M. Punk and Brock Lesnar.

And that’s where Cesaro is now. Heyman and he will look to take over the WWE and Atlanta fans will have to chance to see them in action at the end of May. And Cesaro can’t wait to come to Atlanta because of his past experience.

“I’ve been to Atlanta a few times,” Cesaro said. “It’s a great wrestling town and I’m looking forward to it.”

Cesaro will be in action along with Shemus, Kane, Evolution, the Shield and the Wyatt Family.

Photos courtesy of the WWE.

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UGA Softball

Kennesaw State

Michael Sam

The Bulldogs’ softball program captured its first SEC tournament title in school history by defeating Kentucky 5-2 on Saturday. Georgia has won six straight games, all against top 25 teams, and was selected as the No. 4 overall seed and one of 16 regional host sites for the 2014 NCAA Division I Softball Championships.

The Owls increased their nation-best winning streak to 16 games prior to falling to the Western Carolina Catamounts 8-6 on the road Tuesday. Junior catcher Max Pentecost continues to swing a hot bat, increasing his hitting streak to 32 games. The projected first-round pick is batting .419, fourth best in the entire nation.

Sam became the first openly gay player to be selected in the NFL Draft when he was taken by the St. Louis Rams in the seventh round, 249th overall. Some backlash—or just sheer stupidity—came in the inevitable form of tweets, most notably from a Dolphins’ lineman, but for the most part the pick was well-received.

SCORE LIST

By Brian Jones

DRAFT CLASS

The Falcons came away with some strong picks in the 2014 NFL Draft. Jake Matthews and Ra’Shede Hageman lead the nine-man class and both players look to be starters right away. Personally, I can’t wait to see these guys in action because I think they will be superstars.

ROOKIE MINICAMP

I won’t have to wait long to see Matthews and Hageman in action because both players along with the rest of the draft picks and the rookie free agents will be at Flowery Branch over the weekend for a mandatory rookie minicamp. It will be fun to see the young players get adjusted to the ways of the NFL.

WIGGINS GONE

Georgia cornerback Shaq Wiggins is no longer with the team as he has decided to transfer. Wiggins had a solid year for the Bulldogs in 2013 as he led the team with two interceptions. I hate to see him go, but the secondary needs a new look. Wiggins will find a place sooner than later.

STREAK OVER

The KSU baseball team fell to Western Carolina on Tuesday and its winning streak came to an end. The Owls won 16 consecutive games, the longest winning streak in the country by any team this season. It was a nice run by the Owls and they should have success in the postseason, which starts next week.

CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKEND

It will be another busy weekend in high school sports as championship weekend is upon us. The Class A baseball finals will start on Friday, the soccer finals will take place over the weekend and the lacrosse finals will be on Saturday. Make sure you go to ScoreAtl.com and AJC.com for the latest scores and recaps from each game.

WHO’S NOT

By Ricky Dimon and Matt Cason

WHO’S HOT

SCORE ATLANTA | www.ScoreAtl.com

Dan Uggla

Transfers

Tommy John Surgeries

Uggla is in yet another cold spell and he may be forcing Fredi Gonzalez’s hand to work him out of the lineup.

The second baseman has two hits in his last 28 at-bats dating back to April 25. He is hitting .184 on the season with just two homers and 10 RBIs. Gonzalez gave him an off day during Tuesday’s win over the Giants.

Georgia Tech’s basketball team is losing one of its best players and its most heralded NBA prospect in Robert Carter Jr. It was announced on Tuesday that the rising junior power forward is transferring. Meanwhile, Georgia’s football team recently lost defensive back Shaq Wiggins and receiver Uriah LeMay to transfer.

Pitchers continue to drop like flies as the Tommy John epidemic has now claimed the Miami Marlins’ ace. Fernandez, the 2013 National League Rookie of the Year, was diagnosed with a UCL tear following a rough outing against the San Diego Padres and is expected to undergo surgery and miss the remainder of the season.

NUMBERS

OUR TWO CENTS

By Stephen Black

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

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SANITY AT LAST

FOR HOW MANY YEARS DID JAKE MATTHEWS’ FATHER BRUCE PLAY IN THE NFL?

“Throughout this whole process whether it was doing workouts or visiting, Atlanta always felt like the right place. Secretly and honestly, I was really hoping I would end up here.”

ANSWER ON PAGE 14

Falcons first-round selection Jake Matthews.

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Braves’ wins when scoring first

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Braves’ losses when scoring first

9

Picks by the Falcons in the NFL Draft

20

College free agents signed by the Falcons

5

Former Wisconsin Badgers now on the Falcons’ roster

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Jersey number that will be worn by Falcons’ firstrounder Jake Matthews

255

Overall pick in which the Falcons selected linebacker Tyler Starr of South Dakota

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Athletics teams at Tech and UGA that had perfect APR scores

LACROSSE, SOCCER FINALS

MULTIPLE FULTON TEAMS MAKE LACROSSE FINAL; GWINNETT SOCCER TOPS IN 6A

BY STEPHEN BLACK AND CRAIG SAGER II

L

ambert and Roswell advanced to the boys lacrosse Class AAAAAA state championship on Tuesday by eliminating teams that they had previously beat in the regular season. Lambert was the only in-state school to beat Milton this season (13-11 on March 18) and grabbed another two-goal victory (10-8) Tuesday night over the Eagles to advance to the state championship for the fourth straight season.

The Longhorns were paced with a pair of first-half goals by Sean Curruthers and took a 10-2 lead heading into the fourth. Milton scored six unanswered to make it a 10-8 game, but Lambert was able to hold the comeback attempt short.

Roswell also used an early lead to hold off its opponent in the semifinals and defeated visiting Walton 12-8. The teams traded goals

early and the score was tied 2-2 before Roswell netted five consecutive goals to take a 7-2 lead.

Walton did its best to rally back and used a 4-1 run to cut the deficit to 8-6 entering the final quarter. Peter Kavney opened the fourth quarter with a Walton goal to make it 8-7, but Roswell was able to pull away. The Hornets swept the season series with Area 2-rival Walton with their 12-9 victory on April 23.

Roswell and Lambert faced once this season and the visiting Longhorns won the March 12 matchup with a 9-8 edge.

Class A-AAAAA set its girls state championship on Tuesday as Kell and Westminster advanced to the finals. Kell survived Blessed Trinity with a 12-11 victory and advanced to the program’s first state championship. Westminster, the four-time defending state champs

dominated St. Pius X with a 19-9 win to return to the finals.

Westminster has lost one game to an instate opponent all season and it was a 14-9 loss to the high-powered Longhorns. Kell’s semifinals victory moved the school to a record 19 wins. Leslie Ferguson netted five of Kell’s 12 goals in the semis and teammates Haley Swift and Izzy Palermo both tabbed hat-tricks. Swift led Kell in the first round with four goals and six assists and the potent Kell offense is averaging 16.6 goals per game this season.

SOCCER SEMIS …

Gwinnett is assured of taking home another boys soccer championship in the highest classification as Mill Creek and Brookwood will meet in Friday’s final. Berkmar won the Class AAAAAA title last year while Collins Hill took home the AAAAA trophy in 2009, 2010 and 2012. Walton is the lone non-Gwinnett program since 2009 to win the state title in the highest classification.

McIntosh drew one step closer to winning back-to-back state titles in Class AAAAA. The Chiefs shut out a game Greenbrier squad 3-0 in the semifinals last night. It was the second time this season McIntosh had beaten

the Wolfpack. The Chiefs have now won 43 straight games and will face Houston County in the semifinals.

Dalton is back in the Class AAAA finals after beating Spalding 5-0 Tuesday night in the semifinals. The Catamounts have beaten four playoff opponents by the combined score of 29-1.

St. Pius X, also a defending state champ, made the finals once again in Class AAA after a 4-0 win over fourth-seeded North Hall. The Golden Lions sent the Trojans home, who had been on a Cinderella run until last night.

Westminster and GAC make it an allRegion 6 final in Class AA. The Wildcats have won three straight Class AA titles, but GAC has been ranked No. 1 all season and has beaten Westminster twice this season.

In Class A, Area 5 has proven to be the best this season as defending champion Paideia shook off an early-season malaise to make the final where it will play AIS. The Eagles were ranked No. 1 for much of the season, but was knocked off its perch by the Pythons on April 23, a 4-2 Paideia win.

Photos courtesy of Roswell HS, Deanna Fiveash, Glenn Martin Photography and Westminster HS.

Score Atlanta/AJC Lacrosse Pre-Playoff Rankings BOYS

GIRLS

Class AAAAAA

Class AAAAA-A

1.............................. Milton 2.......................... Harrison 3............................Roswell 4....................Johns Creek 5...........................Lambert

1....................Westminster 2........................Northview 3...............................Lovett 4............................Decatur 5.............................. Marist

6.......................Centennial 7................Chattahoochee 8............................. Walton 9............. Peachtree Ridge 10..............North Gwinnett

6..................................GAC 7................ Blessed Trinity 8......................... Allatoona 9......................... McIntosh 10.......................St. Pius X

Class AAAAAA

Class AAAAA-A

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

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

6.......................... Harrison 7................... West Forsyth 8........................Mill Creek 9.............................Etowah 10..................Johns Creek

6.........................St. Pius X 7......................... McIntosh 8................ Blessed Trinity 9.......................Starr’s Mill 10.............Holy Innocents’

Vol. 10 Iss. 19 | May 16-22, 2014 ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY

THURSDAY THUNDER GETS UNDERWAY AT ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY

BY DAN MATHEWS | DMATHEWS@SCOREATL.COM

O

n Saturday night, race fans should head on out for the first Thursday Thunder of the summer. This event is the track’s grassroots racing series of legends and bandolero cars going around a quarter-mile oval.

This is a track that has given current NASCAR drivers like Chase Elliot, Joey Logano, Reed Sorenson and David Ragan a chance to take part in Atlanta Motor Speedway’s Thursday Thunder series. Names like this are a huge selling point for people to come out and watch these races, says Dustin Bixby, Director of Marketing and Promotion for AMS. “Your opportunity to come out and see everybody before they become big NASCAR stars is really what you get to see with Thursday Thunder,” Bixby noted.

Georgia racing fans will know Sorenson and Ragan very well, as they are both from our

great state. Peachtree City native Sorenson is still looking for his first career Sprint Cup win. However, Ragan picked his first one up last year at Talladega. These two names, plus the others mentioned, should be motivation enough to come out and see the racers of the future take part in this great series.

Following this Saturday’s race, Thursday Thunder will be on its usual night almost every week starting June 5. Just like we talked about last week with O’Reilly Auto Parts Friday Night Drags and Show-n-Shine, tickets for Thursday Thunder are very affordable. Adult admission is just $6 and kids (ages 6-11) get in for just $2. Children under the age of six get in for free.

Just like we told you last week with the drag races, Thursday Thunder includes tons of activities for the family. You can play games, take part in any of the contests going on during the

race, or win any of the giveaways happening those nights at the track.

Atlanta Motor Speedway also wants you to bring your birthday parties to Thursday Thunder. How about a group outing to the speedway? If you want to do this, then head over to www.AtlantaMotorSpeedway.com for more information on how to make that happen for your group. You can also call the speedway at 770-946-4211 to find out how to get your group out to the races.

Last Friday night was the first of two nonpoint races as part of the O’Reilly Auto Parts Friday Night Drags and Show-n-Shine. Part two is happening this week at Atlanta Motor Speedway. There are 18 different divisions of drag races that are taking place on these Friday nights. Vehicles are anywhere from the supercharged ones we think of racing down the drag strips, all the way down to just normal stock vehicles we see every day on the road.

Registration to take part in the drag races is $20. Drivers who wish to race need to register at the speedways main infield tunnel starting at 6 p.m. on the night of the race. All competitors must sign a safety waiver and have a Department of Transportation approved helmet in order to race.

As for minors ages 16 and 17 who want to

partake in Friday Night Drags, they must have a safety waiver on file with the speedway prior to the race. Parents can find those forms on www.

AtlantaMotorSpeedway.com.

As for the Show-n-Shine part of this Friday night event, participants can show off their prized vehicles on these nights. Just like for Friday Night Drags, registration for the Shown-Shine starts at 6 p.m. at the main infield tunnel gates. If you take part in the Show-nShine, then you can participate each week in the Speedway Cruise in your vehicle around the Atlanta Motor Speedway track. That gets underway each week at around 8:05 p.m.

The entrance fee for the Show-n-Shine is also $20. However, drivers who want to take part in both the drag races and Show-n-Shine must pay $30 to do both. Again, O’Reilly Auto Parts Friday Night Drags and Show-n-Shine is great for the family. Adults get in for $8. Kids five and under get in for free. Parking outside the track is free, while infield parking is $20.

These are tons of great deals for the family and a lot of exciting things are happening out at Atlanta Motor Speedway. So get on out there Atlanta and enjoy the high-speed fun!

NIKE TENNIS CAMPS SERIOUS. FUN.

JUNIOR OVERNIGHT AND DAY CAMPS Boys & Girls | Ages 6-18

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Rollins College Ocean Reef Club Tournament Tough at Ocean Reef Club University of Tampa University of West Florida

GEORGIA Emory University

SOUTH CAROLINA Furman University Charleston

MISSISSIPPI University of Southern Mississippi

LOUISIANA

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Southeastern Louisiana University

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ON SALE NOW! JUNE 3-8 FoxTheatre.org/Evita

Score Atlanta/AJC High School Baseball Pre-Playoff Rankings Class AAAAAA 6................ East Coweta 7......... Peachtree Ridge 8...Kennesaw Mountain 9...................Tift County 10...................... Etowah

Class AAAAA

Class AA 6...................Dunwoody 7................... Loganville 8...........................Rome 9.....................McIntosh 10................Sprayberry

1.....................Jefferson 2....................... Bremen 3.................Benedictine 4.......................Calhoun 5............................Cook

6....................Fitzgerald 7............... Westminster 8........................Berrien 9.............. Union County 10.................. Jeff Davis

Class A

Class AAAA 1..........................Marist 2..........................Redan 3...............Locust Grove 4....................Columbus 5............... Crisp County

6............Blessed Trinity 7..................... Callaway 8....................North Hall 9................. Cartersville 10....................Ringgold

6.............. Worth County 7....................Carrollton 8..........................Griffin 9......................Veterans 10..Northwest Whitfield

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

6.................Hebron Chr. 7..George Walton Acad.

8.............Schley County 9................. Gordon Lee 10............... Brookstone

Score Atlanta/AJC Pre-Playoff Soccer Rankings AAAAAA Boys

1..................... Brookwood 2....................... Mill Creek 3........................ Campbell 4.............................Walton 5...........................Lassiter 6.............. Douglas County 7.............Central Gwinnett 8............................. Duluth 9.......................... Lambert 10...........Peachtree Ridge

AAAAA Boys

1.........................McIntosh 2......................Greenbrier 3.............. Glynn Academy 4................ Clarke Central 5........... Lakeside-DeKalb 6......................Gainesville 7...................... Starr’s Mill 8...................... Riverwood 9.............. Houston County 10................ North Atlanta

AAAA Boys

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

AAA Boys

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

AA Boys

1................................. GAC 2...........................Calhoun 3................... Westminster 4......... Westside-Augusta 5........................ Jefferson 6...........................Bremen 7................Murray County 8.......................... Spencer 9...............Toombs County 10............................Coosa

A Boys

1............ Hebron Christian 2...................................AIS 3........Pinecrest Academy 4...... Fellowship Christian 5............................Paideia 6.....................Brookstone 7..........Our Lady of Mercy 8...................Mount Paran 9.......... First Presbyterian 10..............Pace Academy

AAAAAA Girls

1..........................Harrison 2.......................... Grayson 3..................... Brookwood 4.........................Parkview 5.............Peachtree Ridge 6.............................Walton 7..............................Milton 8...........................Lassiter 9.........................Norcross 10........................... Duluth

AAAAA Girls

1.........................McIntosh 2................................Pope 3...................... Starr’s Mill 4........................Northgate 5.......... Heritage-Conyers 6....................... Northview 7............... North Paulding 8.......................Loganville 9.........................Villa Rica 10.......................Allatoona

AAAA Girls

1..............................Marist 2......................... Veterans 3....................... Columbus 4.............................. Grady 5......................... Spalding 6............................... Cairo 7.....................River Ridge 8....................... Chamblee 9....................... Alexander 10.........Heritage-Catoosa

Disney characters and artwork ©Disney, Disney/Pixar characters ©Disney/Pixar.

1................. Whitewater 2.....................Allatoona 3.................. Greenbrier 4.................. Gainesville 5.......... Houston County

1.................Pike County 2......................... Buford 3............. Pierce County 4..................... Thomson 5.....................St. Pius X

AAA Girls

1........................ St. Pius X 2................Blessed Trinity 3.............................Buford 4............... Oconee County 5......Woodward Academy 6.................... Pike County 7...............Dawson County 8..................North Oconee 9...........................Decatur 10...................Cartersville

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MAY 14 – 18

AA Girls

1................................. GAC 2..............................Lovett 3................... Westminster 4...........................Calhoun 5.......................Armuchee 6....................St. Vincent’s 7.............................Vidalia 8........................ Wesleyan 9........................ Jefferson 10...........................Jordan

A Girls

1... First Presbyterian Day 2............ Hebron Christian 3............................Paideia 4...... Fellowship Christian 5.............. Holy Innocents’ 6.................... Calvary Day 7..... Providence Christian 8........ Mt. Paran Christian 9................Pace Academy 10.................................AIS

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1...................... Lambert 2.......................... Milton 3.....................Parkview 4............Mountain View 5.........................Walton

Class AAA

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UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA

DIAMOND DAWGS APPROACH FINAL SERIES; FOOTBALL PLAYERS TRANSFER

BY DAN MATHEWS | DMATHEWS@SCOREATL.COM

eorgia is 25-26-1 entering their final series G of the regular season, starting Thursday night when Kentucky comes to Foley Field. On

Tuesday night the re cord fell below .500 on the season, with a 2-0 loss to Georgia Tech at Turner Field.

A wild pitch by relief pitcher Ross Ripple is what ended up giving the Jackets their first run in the seventh inning.

Georgia Tech would add the second and final run of the night with a leadoff single from left fielder Matt Gonzalez in the eighth. He then came around to score on a pair of wild pitches by Ripple.

The Bulldogs also ran up against a very tough pitcher in Matt Grimes for the Yellow Jackets.

The starting pitcher picks up the win on seven innings, four hits, and two strikeouts.

Georgia now has one day to get ready for the final regular season SEC series against Kentucky. As of right now, Georgia is just percentage points in front of Auburn for the 12th and final spot in the conference tournament.

GEORGIA STATE

PANTHERS HOLD FINAL SPOT FOR SUN BELT BASEBALL TOURNEY

BY PAIGE MORTON | PMORTON@SCOREATL.COM

T

he baseball team played in-state rival Kennesaw State on May 7 in what would be their final home game of the 2014 season.

The Panthers led the game against the Owls through seven innings, 6-2. Sophomore Wayne Wages contributed tremendously to the Panthers’ start by only allowing two runs in four innings before retiring and allowing the bullpen to shut out the Owls for the next three innings.

Kennesaw State took the lead at 7-6 when GSU pitchers Garret Ford and Jerry Stucky allowed five runs. The Owls extended their lead further when they scores four more runs in the top of the ninth. The Panthers were unable to respond to the Owls’ surge and fell 11-6.

Hoping to recover from the KSU loss, the Panthers traveled to Louisiana where they took on Louisiana-Monroe in a three-game, Sun Belt Conference series. Prior to the weekend, Georgia State and ULM were tied for seventh place within the Sun Belt and were playing to earn

LEMAY AND WIGGINS TRANSFER …

Sophomore cornerback Shaq Wiggins and redshirt freshman wide receiver Uriah LeMay have both decided to leave Georgia’s program to find opportunities elsewhere. Their decisions to leave the program come just days apart from each other.

On Friday, Wiggins decided to leave the program after playing in 12 games last season. He started eight of those contests with a 39 yard interception return for a touchdown against Vanderbilt serving as one of his biggest highlights of the season. Wiggins did find himself outside of the starting defense during much of the spring, with new defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt coming to Athens. In his place senior Damien Swann and redshirt freshman Aaron Davis were getting the starting reps for the base defense at cornerback.

As for LeMay, the redshirt freshman has decided to leave after making news the wrong way during the offseason. He was involved in an illegal check cashing scheme with three other Bulldogs players, for “double-dipping” university athletic association checks.

Through a statement from the school, head coach Mark Richt says that LeMay’s decision to leave is for him to pursue better opportunities for playing time elsewhere.

LeMay did score a touchdown on a 41 yard pass from back-up quarterback Faton Bauta in the annual G-Day game.

Georgia’s players will start workouts in June to get ready for fall camp.

one of the top eight positions in the conference tournament.

In the first game of the series, the Panthers were able to set the pace and beat ULM 6-5. The following day, Georgia State fell 10-6 evening the Sun-Belt Conference series at one game each. Panther star Nic Wilson hit his 17th home run of the season, which tied the game at 6-6 in the eighth. ULM responded by scoring four in the bottom of the eighth to hold on for the win.

In the final game of the series, Panthers outfielder Chris Triplett scored the team’s only run in the fourth inning. While Georgia State was unable to get anyone else home ULM scored in every inning winning the game 11-1 and taking the series. The Panthers have only one more weekend to play and are currently in the eighth and final position to qualify for the Sun Belt Tournament. The Panthers’ next game of the series will be against Western Kentucky this weekend.

NET NOTES …

Junior tennis player Chaimaa Roudami was named GSU Student-Athlete of the week.

Roudami defeated her Tennessee counterpart, making this the first NCAA tournament match win in Georgia State history. In the doubles match, Roudami also won 8-5 with the help of her partner Linn Timmerman.

GEORGIA TECH

JACKETS LEAD STATE IN DRAFT PICKS; BASEBALL CLINCHES TOURNEY SPOT

BY ALEX EWALT | AEWALT@SCOREATL.COM

eorgia Tech led the state with three selections in the 2014 NFL Draft last weekend, G as outside linebacker Jeremiah Attaochu (second round, 50th overall to San Diego) was the first Peach State prospect off the board. New England took defensive back Jemea Thomas in the sixth round, and linebacker Brandon Watts went to Minnesota in the seventh. After the draft, three more defensive players signed as free agents: Louis Young (Denver), Euclid Cummings (Tampa Bay) and Emmanuel Dieke (New York Giants).

A-back Robbie Godhigh was not picked up by an NFL team, but before the draft the AJC reported he had a contract offer from the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL.

Attaochu is the first Tech draft pick since 2012 when the New York Jets selected receiver Stephen Hill in the second round.

BEESBALL …

Georgia Tech baseball won the annual Turner Field matchup with Georgia 2-0 on Tuesday to take the season series 2-1. A.J. Murray and Matt Gonzalez scored runs in the

KENNESAW STATE

OWLS BASEBALL LOSES FOR FIRST TIME IN A MONTH

BY BRIAN JONES | BJONES@SCOREATL.COM

K

ennesaw State’s baseball team has been on fire for the last month, winning 16 consecutive games from April 6 through May 11. The Owls looked to make it 17 in a row on Tuesday night against Southern Conference leader Western Carolina, but for the first time in more than a month they did not come away with a win, falling at WCU 8-6.

KSU was up 4-0 in the fifth inning. And after the Catamounts scored a run in the bottom half of the inning, the Owls scored two more runs to give them the 6-1 lead going into the bottom of the seventh. That’s where the Catamounts made their move. They scored seven runs on just one hit but they also walked five times in addition to two hit batters. For the Owls, Kal Simmons and Jacob Bruce lead the offensive attack , as each had two hits. Brennan Morgan drove in three runs and Max Pentecost got a single to extend his hitting streak to 32 games.

seventh and eighth innings, respectively, both on Ross Ripple wild pitches. The game, which each year benefits Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, drew 21,310 fans.

The Jackets moved to 30-23 overall with the win. They are 14-16 in ACC play after getting swept at No. 1 Virginia last weekend, and close the regular season with a three-game home series against non-conference South Florida this weekend. The Jackets currently sit in ninth place in the 14-team league ahead of NC State and Pitt, both 11-16, and have clinched a place in the 10-team ACC Tournament, which starts May 20. All other ACC teams, except for sixth-place Maryland, are playing their final conference series this weekend.

HOOPS NEWS …

Rising junior forward Robert Carter Jr. has announced his intention to transfer from the men’s basketball program and has received his release, head coach Brian Gregory announced Tuesday night. Carter missed 10 games last season after undergoing surgery in January for a torn meniscus in his left knee. He returned to action in February, and averaged 11.4 points and 8.4 rebounds on the year including 16.7 points over the final six games.

The 6-foot-8 Carter, who has an emerging post game and range out to the three-point line, should be a coveted transfer this offseason. He was expected to be a team leader along with fellow junior Marcus Georges-Hunt next season; the Jackets currently have only one scholarship senior for 2014-15, reserve Stacey Poole.

The last time the Owls had lost was back on April 5 when they split a series with none other than Western Carolina. Kennesaw State has two more regular-season games as they face North Florida on Friday and Saturday. The three-game series started on Thursday but results were not available before print.

PENTECOST ON WATCH …

Speaking of Pentecost, it has been a very good week for the catcher. He picked up his third Atlantic Sun Conference Player of the Week Award and he grabbed a spot on the Gregg Olson Award Watch List on Tuesday.

The award is named after former Auburn pitcher Gregg Olson, one of the top college players in the country. He was a two-time AllAmerican, a first-round Major League Baseball draft pick, 1989 American League Rookie of the Year and an All-Star in 1990. The award is given to college baseball’s best “breakout” performer.

Pentecost is well on his way to becoming an All-American. He is batting .421 to put him on pace to break the KSU single-season record. He also has 20 doubles, 53 RBIs and eight home runs. He is a finalist for the Johnny Bench Award, as well, which is handed out to the nation’s best catcher. Additionally, he is a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award, given to the top college player.

Vol. 10 Iss. 19 | May 16-22, 2014 ATLANTA HAWKS

OFFSEASON RUMOR MILL UNDERWAY

BY ROBERT TINTER | RTINTER@SCOREATL.COM

he Hawks’ season ended on May 3 and alT ready the rumors surrounding what team will do this offseason have already started to

fly. According to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders, the Hawks are interested in signing former Cavalier and Bull Luol Deng. Signing Deng would immediately upgrade the Hawks starting five. Deng saw his numbers dip this past year in Cleveland, but he still averaged 16 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game.

The risk with Deng is he has played heavy minutes in his career and they could catch up to him. Even with a dip in his production, Deng would provide an upgrade in the offensive department from DeMarre Carroll. Carroll would still be an important piece for the Hawks as a bench player who could come in and defend multiple positions.

Another rumor swirling around is that the Hawks are trying to bring Greg Monroe over from the Detroit Pistons. Monroe is a true center who was on the cusp of stardom before this past year. The signing of Josh Smith left Monroe in an odd situation with center Andre

ATLANTA BRAVES

BRAVES STARTING TO EMERGE FROM SLUMP

BY RICKY DIMON | RDIMON@SCOREATL.COM

L

eave it to the Chicago Cubs to cure all ills of the Atlanta Braves. As of Wednesday afternoon, Chicago owns the worst record in the National League and is tied for the fewest wins in all of baseball (13) with Houston. The lovable losers played like their normal selves last weekend against the Braves, who needed a reprieve from a significant slump of their own.

Atlanta got it, taking all three games against visiting Chicago to begin an emergence from a slide that saw the team lose eight of nine games. Fredi Gonzalez’s club gave up only four total runs against the Cubs, winning 3-2 in 10 innings last Friday, 2-0 last Saturday and 5-2 on Sunday.

“It was nice to get back and finish the homestand with a little kind of momentum,” Gonzalez said in his postgame interview following the sweep. “We didn’t start it real well but we finished it real well. Now we go to San Francisco to start a six-game road trip and hopefully we keep swinging the bats and im-

Drummond exploding onto the scene to stunt Monroe’s growth. Despite the tumultuous season for the Pistons, Monroe still averaged 15.2 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. Getting Monroe would give the Hawks a true center and allow Al Horford to play his natural power forward position for the first time in his NBA career. However, that domino effect would require Paul Millsap to move to the small forward position. Millsap has the offensive ability to play small forward, but he may not be able to guard this position. Although it would be a risky move, with Millsap under contract for just one more year it may be a risk the Hawks should take.

IT’S TIME …

The Atlanta Hawks and Audemars Piguet, based in Switzerland, announced a new relationship that will see Audemars Piguet become not only the official timekeeper of the franchise but also the official timekeeper for Philips Arena. According to Forbes, luxury brands have moved their focus from China and Canada back to the United States. The Asian markets are still important, but research shows that many of the Asian purchasers travel to America for their luxury goods.

Audemars Piguet already sponsors LeBron James, but the deal with the Hawks allows them to focus on a niche market and not just an individual. The contract is designed to promote brand awareness, especially to those fans sitting in box suites or courtside.

proving that part of it and winning series.”

The Braves had a chance to win another series on Wednesday after splitting the first two games against San Francisco. They lost 4-2 on Monday but bounced back for a 5-0 victory on Tuesday behind a strong start from Mike Minor. Results of the finale were not available at press time.

A CALL TO ARMS …

Minor and Gavin Floyd have given Atlanta some reasons to be encouraged upon their returns from injuries. Shoulder soreness pushed Minor’s season debut back to May 2, when he took the loss in a 2-1 home setback against the Giants but allowed only two runs in six innings.

After a disappointing performance in a home loss to St. Louis last Wednesday, the southpaw bounced back in style in his second chance at San Francisco. He gave up no runs and just three hits while striking out six in 6.2 innings.

“I didn’t throw a lot of breaking balls in the last game,” Minor explained afterward. “Tonight, I felt like I mixed it up pretty well. For the most part I didn’t think they knew what was coming…. I felt in any situation and any count, any batter, I felt I could throw whatever.”

Floyd, who returned from Tommy John surgery last Tuesday, has turned in two quality starts in two outings. With Minor and Floyd on board and in fine form, Alex Wood has been moved to the bullpen.

ATLANTA FALCONS

DRAFT PICKS RAISE EXPECTATIONS FOR 2014 FALCONS

BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

A

tlanta finished 2013 tied for the second worst record in the NFL. The team finished 1-7 on the road and its “road” win came on a neutral field against the Buffalo Bills in Toronto.

In fact, the Falcons have not won a true road game since 2012’s 31-18 win over Detroit 75 weeks ago, or one year and five months. Despite the recent struggles, the Falcons’ stock skyrocketed in the latest ESPN NFL Power Rankings more than any team this offseason.

Free agency, coaching changes and a solid 2014 draft has restored high expectations in Atlanta. The Falcons made a jump from No. 26 to No. 14 in the post-draft rankings released this week.

Arthur Blank believes vast improvements and added toughness are in the forecast this upcoming season and he stated that the Falcons are carrying a ‘worst to first’ attitude this offseason. Atlanta drafted Jake Matthews with the No. 6 overall pick and the offensive tackle will be a key to lifting the Falcons this season.

ATLANTA DREAM

DREAM ACQUIRE ALL-STAR

BY MATTHEW CASON | MCASON@SCOREATL.COM

G

eneral Manager Angela Taylor continued to aid the Atlanta Dream on their quest to get back to the WNBA Finals when she acquired 4-time WNBA all-star forward Swin Cash from the Chicago Sky in exchange for guard Courtney Clement on May 7. The teams also swapped picks for the 2015 draft with Atlanta gaining a third-round pick and Chicago obtaining a second-round pick.

Taylor was ecstatic about this acquisition.

“We are thrilled to add an outstanding player like Swin to our roster,” said Dream Executive Vice President and General Manager Angela Taylor. “Her accomplishments in basketball speak for themselves. She will be a tremendous asset to our team and gives us another piece to the puzzle as we continue to strive for a WNBA Championship.”

CASH BRINGS SUCCESS …

The 13-year veteran comes to Atlanta after two seasons with Chicago, where she

13

“Throughout this whole process whether it was doing workouts or visiting, Atlanta always felt like the right place,” Matthews said. “I think this pick was a steal…. This is a team that can compete for the Super Bowl next year.”

Matthews will begin working on Friday as the Falcons commence their three-day rookie mini-camp at Flowery Branch. Joining Matthews will be the one defensive end, one running back, two defensive backs and four linebackers Atlanta drafted with its nine picks.

These nine selections will be joined by 20 college free agents signed that were brought in by the team on Monday.

TANDEM BACKFIELD …

With the third pick of the fourth round, Atlanta selected Florida State running back Devonta Freeman. Freeman earned All-ACC first-team honors last season and with 1,106 yards rushing and 15 total touchdowns he became the first FSU running back to rush for more than 1,000 yards since former Falcons’ running back Warrick Dunn eclipsed the mark in 1996. Atlanta has Antone Smith from Florida State in its current backfield and the five-year pro took five carries for 145 yards and two touchdowns in his limited action last year.

The remaining Falcons’ backfield also features another pair of backs that share the same alma mater. Third year pro Jacquizz Rodgers and Atlanta’s starting running back Steven Jackson both hail from Oregon State.

guided the Sky to the best record in the Eastern Conference last season while averaging 9.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 34 games. Already one of the more decorated players in WNBA history, Cash has achieved success at every stop in her professional career. The 4-time All Star, and two-time Olympic gold medal winner started her career with the Detroit Shock where she was twice named second-team All-WNBA (in 2003 and 2004) and winning WNBA championships in 2003 and 2006. After a trade sent her to the Seattle Storm, Cash won her third championship in 2010, defeating the Atlanta Dream in three games. Cash is one of only two players in WNBA history to accumulate career totals of at least 4,500 points, 2,000 rebounds and 1,000 assists WRAPPING UP PRESEASON …

Atlanta defeated the New York Liberty 63-58 in exhibition play on Sunday as they wrap up their final few days of the preseason.

The Dream was able to preserve the win despite a strong run by the New York offense, which outscored Atlanta 20-13 in the fourth quarter. Guard Tiffany Hayes led the way with 14 points while Erika De Souza chipped in with 10 points and seven boards. Atlanta is set to begin regular season play on Friday when they take on the San Antonio Stars at home. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m.

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