Score Atlanta Vol. 10 Issue 36

Time to look great!

VOLUME 10 ISSUE 36 | OCTOBER 3-9, 2014

Dawgs Dawdling | Pg. 4 Despite championship potential, Georgia is struggling.

Speedy Angoras | Pg. 8 Clarkston harriers sweep DeKalb championships.

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YOUR SOURCE FOR SPORTS IN GEORGIA

WRESTLING MAVEN AJ Lee makes a name for herself in WWE. | Pg. 5

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Vol. 10 Iss. 36 | October 3-9, 2014

STARTING LINEUP PUBLISHER/EDITOR I.J. Rosenberg

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COLUMNISTS

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ON THE COVER

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PREP COVER

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

BUSINESS MANAGER Marvin Botnick

BEAT WRITERS Ricky Dimon (Braves) Matthew Cason (Hawks, Tech) Brian Jones (KSU) Dan Mathews (UGA) Craig Sager II (Falcons)

Kyle Sandy (Silverbacks) Jalisa Smith (GSU)

STAFF WRITERS Darrin Heatherly

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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.

TEAM SCOOP AND VOICES

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

COVER PHOTOS COURTESY OF ROB SAYE, MARK BROCK/DEKALB COUNTY AND THE WWE.

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SAGER SAYS

FALCONS SEARCH FOR DEFENSE; EPIC SLATE HIGHLIGHTS WEEKEND

BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

no team in the NFL this season has Pthanerhaps seen bigger swings on a week-to-week basis the Falcons. Two impressive home victo-

ries were each followed by excruciating road losses. This past week saw the Falcons give up 558 total yards of offense to the Minnesota Vikings. Atlanta faced the explosive Saints in the opening week, but games against Cincinnati, Tampa Bay and Minnesota should have fared better for the defense. Instead, the Falcons are on pace for the second worst defense in NFL history with 429.8 yards per game.

FIXING HOLES …

I saw a chart on Tuesday that showed all the great players the Oakland Raiders have missed out on in the first round of the draft. On the left side were the Raiders selections and

the right side was the very next player picked in the draft. Rolando McClain, JaMarcus Russell, Fabian Washington and Robert Gallery were each drafted by Oakland with the picks ahead of C.J. Spiller, Calvin Johnson, Aaron Rodgers and Larry Fitzgerald, respectively.

Curiosity drove me to see what the Falcons looked like in this scenario and it taught me that the first round has not been the problem. Desmond Trufant, Jake Matthews, Matt Ryan, Sean Weatherspoon, Roddy White and Julio Jones were all solid first round picks in recent years.

Other moves have left this Falcons team thin and scrambling the past couple seasons.

Atlanta has not been considered a defensive football team for quite some time, but the steady decline on that side of the football is still uncharacteristic. The slide started in 2012 and

SANDY’S SPIEL

DAWGS CAN GO FAR, BUT IMPROVEMENTS WILL BE NEEDED

BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

very college football season breeds new life into fan bases across the country. “This Ecould be our year!” is echoed throughout the

nation with students, boosters and supporters all feeling their team has a chance to win the national championship, especially this year with the new four-team playoff system.

Living in Georgia my entire life, no fan base is ever more vocal than the true die-hard Georgia Bulldog fans. I love the optimism, even when it seems there shouldn’t be as much as there is. Being a fan, I understand what it means to be cautiously optimistic and to be a realist. As much as I love UGA fans already planning their trips to Arlington, I think they must take it one step at a time.

No doubt Georgia has been an upper echelon team in the SEC; a school good for

eight to 10 wins a year. Sometimes you have to realize that your team is very good, but not great. After the week one drubbing of Clemson, Athens could be heard across the nation screaming that this is the team to beat in the SEC this year. The sample size was much too small and I knew the true test would lie in Columbia. The Dawgs flunked the test 38-35, romped Troy 66-0 and then survived against Tennessee 35-32.

Georgia is a dangerous team, but the problem in my opinion rests upon the quarterback and the defense. Hutson Mason is not going to lead any team to a national championship, let alone a conference title. The homegrown senior from Lassiter High School has looked skittish in his starts this season.

The numbers may not exactly show it, but by

the Falcons decision to part with Curtis Lofton following the 2011 season. Lofton was fresh off a career-high 147 tackles and two-interception season. Lofton has since found his home in New Orleans, where he carries the load as the Saints middle linebacker.

The scapegoat for getting rid of Lofton was that he was great in the run game but could not cover tight ends in the passing game.

The truth is, no one can cover in the passing game without consistent quarterback pressure. We’ve seen tight ends and wideouts continue to hurt the Falcons over the middle of the football field the past three seasons and the lack of push up front is the main issue.

In the loss to Minnesota, former Sprayberry and Georgia Southern running back Jerick McKinnon accounted for 135 of the Vikings 241 rushing yards. Atlanta did not go heavy on the pass rush because the focus was stopping the run. The gameplan backfired and with playaction working and little pressure from the Falcons, rookie Teddy Bridgewater’s job got a lot easier. That is why the bleeding didn’t seem to stop. Expect the Falcons to go back to the drawing board and start making the proper adjustments. With the offensive line suffering a string of injuries, the defense is going to have to start playing better to keep the Falcons in the win column.

EPIC WEEKEND …

Football has been relatively quiet this season in terms of major upsets. Missouri’s comeback over South Carolina was one of the best games this season. This weekend, however, sets the stage for the most eventful weekend this season. The SEC West is 25-0 outside the division and 7-0 against teams in the Power 5 conferences (including SEC East). Six teams from the SEC West are in the top 15 in the AP poll and Arkansas has a solid team despite being the only school from the West outside the top 25.

The powers finally collide this weekend and the playoff picture starts to become a little clearer.

LSU at Auburn, Alabama at Ole Miss and Texas A&M at Mississippi State set up one of the best weekends of SEC football in recent memory and probably the only time you will ever see three top 15 matchups in one weekend from the same half of a conference.

At the varsity level, Friday night is packed with must-see action between the state’s southern heavyweights. Region 1-AAAAAA carries a 29-0 record into region play and we’ll see Colquitt County vs. Lowndes, Camden County vs. Valdosta and Tift County vs. Lee County.

Photo courtesy of the Atlanta Falcons.

watching the games it seems that offensive coordinator Mike Bobo must put the majority of the load on Todd Gurley’s back. Mason is under center to hand the ball off to his running backs and not make mistakes. In the win against Clemson, he was unspectacular but did what he needed to do: complete 18 of 26 passes for 131 yards and no turnovers. In the loss to South Carolina, Mason was 16 of 22 for 191 yards and two scores.

This past week illuminated Mason’s weaknesses when he tossed two picks and was lucky to survive against an up-andcoming Volunteers team. If Georgia wants to make a run for the title, Mason must play better. Gurley is a Heisman frontrunner, but he can’t be expected to carry the ball 30 times a game and shoulder the entire load. To stop Georgia, the defensive game plan is simple: load the box and make the quarterback beat you. If Bobo is unable to build confidence in his senior play caller, this team will continue to be a one-trick pony. The dynamic rushing attack of Gurley, Sony Michel and Nick Chubb should open up plenty of play action passes for Mason to pick apart the defense; it is just a matter of him having the confidence to do so.

Five-star freshman Lorenzo Carter has only recorded eight tackles in four games. Take out the shutout over lowly Troy and the Bulldogs are allowing 29 points per game, good for third worst in the conference. South Carolina’s Dylan Thompson and Tennessee’s Justin Worley both shredded the Dawgs’ secondary for 250-plus yards and three touchdowns.

New defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt came from Florida State this past offseason, but hasn’t been able to replicate the Noles’ defense from a year ago here in Athens. Georgia has been decent getting to the quarterback corralling 11 sacks; the secondary, however, has struggled in intercepting just three passes this year. Fans have murmured about the weak passing defense due to soft coverage allowing receivers to pick their spots in the defense.

With these problems, you have to remember that UGA is still 3-1 and there is plenty of football left to be played. A very favorable schedule lies in front of the Bulldogs with the SEC being weaker than years past. If Mason can find his touch behind center and Pruitt can smooth out the kinks in the defense, this Bulldog team just might sneak into the final four.

Photo courtesy of Rob Saye.

ALL BARK, NO BITE …

Aside from the limited aerial attack, the defense has not lived up to its talent level.

Vol. 10 Iss. 36 | October 3-9, 2014 left them living in their car, while AJ worked up to three jobs just to make ends meet. When she received word of a wrestling school located less than a mile from her house, the future WWE Diva enrolled, beginning a three-year journey that would see her train and perform for independent wrestling companies across the Northeast as she looked to make her mark in the industry.

ON THE COVER

PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING

DIVAS CHAMPION AJ LEE STANDS OUT IN THE WWE

BY MATT CASON | MCASON@SCOREATL.COM

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n the long and distinguished history of World Wrestling Entertainment, the superstars of past and present always featured certain characteristics that appealed to fans. Whether it be the strong, chiseled frame of John Cena, the anti-authority persona of Stone Cold Steve Austin, or the gorgeous model-look of Stacy Keibler, the standard for who would pass as a possible big-time star always fit within a certain mold.

Enter WWE Diva’s Champion AJ Lee, a 27-year-old out of Union City, N.J. whose deep passion for professional wrestling and sports entertainment, alongside an unbreakable will, allowed her to overcome the rigors and pressures of the wrestling industry to become one of the faces of the WWE. AJ, whose real name is April Mendez, doesn’t have the stereotypical look of some of her fellow WWE Divas. She doesn’t have the tall, supermodel frame, as she stands just 5-foot-2 with “girl next door” looks, and while most women find joy in shopping and jewelry, AJ prefers science fiction, com-

ics and video games. What separates the Diva from all other competitors is her undying love for the business of professional wrestling.

The proclaimed “Geek Goddess” attributed her love for wrestling to her older brother, who got AJ hooked while watching the wild, crazy world of professional wrestling when she grew up. That eventually motivated the thenteenage AJ to be like the Divas of that time. “(WWE) had Lita, Trish (Stratus), Molly (Holly), and Stephanie (McMahon) at that time and they were these women who were so capable, so strong, and different. It was so inspiring for me,” said AJ.

When her brother went overseas to serve in the military, AJ continued to watch wrestling as a tribute to him, budding the love for the business and creating her aspirations to become a professional wrestler.

It was not an easy journey growing up for the future superstar. Her childhood has been previously documented of troubling times that saw her family deal with poverty that, at points,

BACK TO BASICS …

A few years into her infant wrestling career, AJ came across a tryout opportunity for Florida Championship Wrestling in 2009, a developmental league for WWE at the time.

She was one of more than 100 entrants and the former indy star would come out signing a contract with the sport-entertainment empire, and was assigned to FCW.

It was during her time in WWE’s developmental territory when AJ admittedly had to make the biggest adjustment.

“I just kind of got my feet wet when I was on the independents and I was in no ways skilled,” AJ chuckled. “FCW was where I really learned everything that I know now.”

She mentioned the likes of Norman Smiley and Billy Kidman among others, who helped find her personality and come out of her shell while relearning the basics of wrestling. The future Diva’s time in the developmental territory was undoubtedly rewarding as she won the FCW Divas Championship along with the title proclaiming her as the ‘Queen of FCW’.

RISE TO FAME …

In the fall of 2010, AJ debuted to the WWE Universe while taking part in the NXT ‘Rookie Challenge’ for a chance to win a spot on the main roster. The young superstar reflected on that opportunity, saying the time spent on the program was important for her career.

“I feel like if it wasn’t for NXT, I wouldn’t have been brave enough to be me,” said AJ. “There weren’t many rules in regards to what character I could portray and I took full advantage of it. I could say, ‘Hey, I’m a goofball, I like to wear (unique) shoes, I like to talk about video games, and I don’t wear a lot of makeup’ and it could have bombed but it helped make me successful.”

It would be that generic personality that

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endeared her to the WWE Universe, beginning a remarkable run for the “Black Widow.”

AJ made her television debut alongside her best friend and former WWE Diva, Kaitlyn, on May 24, 2011 in an emotional moment while reflecting on the road she travelled up to that point. “It was such a long journey to get there and to debut with my best friend Kaitlyn, it was one of the happiest moments of my life,” she remarked.

Soon after her debut began a meteoric rise as she became a staple on WWE programming in 2012, working alongside the likes of WWE superstars Daniel Bryan, Kane and John Cena, among others. Her on-screen persona transformed from being the shy, innocent girlfriend of Bryan, to becoming the General Manager of Raw, to a flirtatious vixen, and most notably, the proclaimed “crazy chick” of WWE. AJ would establish herself as arguably the top Diva in the company, but she claimed it wouldn’t have been the case if not for her first role as Bryan’s girlfriend.

“We were both big underdogs and nobody really saw upside to us. We proved everyone wrong together and it was the best thing that ever happened for me,” said AJ.

Her main-event run would be capped off with a WWE Divas title, when she defeated her best friend, Kaitlyn, at the Payback pay-perview in June of 2013 in a lengthy feud that captured the attention of the WWE Universe that the now three-time Divas Champion called a “dream scenario”.

“That (time) was so amazing. My debut was with Kaitlyn. She was my best friend and we stumbled into this rivalry, which will forever be my favorite work, and the thing that I’m most proud of,” AJ reflected. “It was kind of the (WWE) Universe’s way of rewarding me for 14 years of working for it.”

AJ now stands as the one of the main faces of WWE, as she travels around the world entertaining millions of fans. She will have the opportunity to perform at Philips Arena on Oct. 13 for a live Monday Night Raw event featuring the likes of Cena, Randy Orton, and Triple H, among others. Not too bad for a small-town girl from Union City.

Photos courtesy of the WWE.

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Woodstock Wolverines

MLB Postseason

The Heisman contender rushed for a career-high 208 yards and tallied two touchdowns in the Dawgs’ win over Tennessee. Gurley had an explosive 51-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter.

No one has boosted this season NFL draft stock more than Gurley. His performance thus far makes him a lock to be the first tailback drafted this May.

The surprise AAAAAA team is off to its best start in school history. The Wolverines defeated their bitter cross-town rival Etowah in a classic 47-44 double-overtime affair. Brent Budde’s squad is in the Region 5 driver’s seat but has some stiff tests ahead. Woodstock has not won more than five games since 2010.

Tuesday night featured one of the wildest postseason games in recent memory with the Royals rallying three times in Kansas City to defeat the Athletics in 12 innings. With the addition of a second wildcard team, more fan bases get to enjoy the post-season.

It has been a great addition and games like this make us thankful as fans.

By Kyle Sandy

WHO’S HOT

Todd Gurley

SCORE LIST

By Brian Jones

WHO’S NOT

SCORE ATLANTA | www.ScoreAtl.com

Billy Beane

Falcons

Greg Walker

The Oakland Athletics GM destructed his team’s chance at making the World Series. The A’s had the best record in the MLB before making a trade for Jon Lester. Oakland had the lowest winning percentage in the second half of any team in history to make the postseason. Lester gave up six earned runs in the loss to Kansas City.

The offensive line woes continued this Sunday losing Joe Hawley and Lamar Holmes for the season. Atlanta got thumped by rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and Matt Asiata in Minnesota.

Giving up 41 points to a team like the Vikings just reiterates the ugly Dr. Jekyll-Mr. Hyde quality of this Falcons’ team on the road.

Atlanta continues to make changes as the Braves’ hitting coach resigned on Tuesday.

Walker oversaw the league’s second worst offense and did nothing to help fix the issue.

The team finished fourth in the MLB with 1,369 strikeouts led by career highs from B.J. Upton and Justin Upton tallying 173 and 171 Ks.

NUMBERS

OUR TWO CENTS

By Kyle Sandy

RUN OVER IN MINNESOTA

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.

INJURED BIRDS

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.

The Falcons scored 28 points against the Vikings on Sunday, but allowed more than 500 yards of offense and fell to 2-2 on the year. The defense has struggled all season and the group needs to improve in a hurry if it wants to stay in the NFC South race. And because of that, the game on Sunday against the Giants is very crucial.

But the loss to Minnesota is secondary because the Falcons lost three key players to injuries. Offensive linemen Joe Hawley and Lamar Holmes will miss the rest of the season and William Moore will miss the next eight weeks.

Things are looking down for the Falcons, but as long as Matt Ryan is healthy, this team has a chance to win.

SUPER GURLEY

The Bulldogs got a big win against Tennessee and a large part had to do with the play of Todd Gurley. The junior running back rushed for 208 yards and carried the team in the fourth quarter. I know there are some talented players that deserve Heisman talk, but there is no player more outstanding than No. 3 for the Bulldogs.

SEASON OVER

The Brave’s season has come to an end and they finished with a 79-83 record. It was the last month that killed them as they won only seven games. Now, they have to make some decisions for next season. Will Fredi Gonzalez be the manager? Will they keep Evan Gattis? And will they ever learn how to score more than two runs a game?

REGION 1-AAAAAA WAR

South Georgia will be on fire on Friday night when it comes to high school football. Valdosta will travel to Camden County and Lowndes will visit Colquitt County to face the Packers. Be sure to visit scoreatl.com for scoring updates on those two games as well as all the games across the state.

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TRIVIA QUESTION

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME GEORGIA TECH STARTED A SEASON 5-0?

ANSWER ON PAGE 14

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SANITY AT LAST

“Antone (Smith) is an explosive player. When he gets into the open field, he has that incredible speed to take it to the house. He’s a big part and hopefully he’ll (continue) to be a big part of what we do offensively this year.”

- Falcons QB Matt Ryan on RB Antone Smith, who has three TDs in 13 total touches this season.

1,369

Strikeouts the Braves accumulated this season, good for fourth in the MLB

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Touchdowns given up to Matt Asiata this Sunday

3

Falcon offensive linemen out for the season

47 246

Saves by Craig Kimbrel, which led the NL Total points scored

by Todd Gurley in his career at Georgia

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Rushing TDs by Gurley, tied for third most in Georgia history

1,263

Passing yards by Matt Ryan this season, second-most in the NFL

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Win in the past 10 road games by the Falcons

Vol. 10 Iss. 36 | October 3-9, 2014

IT DOESN’T TAKE A GENIUS TO KNOW THAT WHEN YOU PLAY,

GEORGIA’S KIDS WIN.

It’s elementary, actually. See, every time you play the Lottery, you’re helping our kids get one step closer to their dreams. For over 20 years the Georgia Lottery has contributed over $15.5 billion to education. On top of that, more than 1.6 million HOPE scholars have gone to college and more than 1.3 million 4-year-olds have attended a Lottery-funded Pre-K Program. Add those numbers up and, well, let’s just say that’s a hair-raising number of happy kids.

galottery.com

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by finishing its top seven racers in the top seven while the girls won their first meet of the season.

FALL SPORTS

CLARKSTON HARRIERS WIN COUNTY; WESLEYAN SOFTBALL CONTINUES SUCCESS

BY STEPHEN BLACK & RICKY DIMON

C

larkston won the boys White Race in the Aubrae Gunderson Invitational Saturday in Conyers while Starr’s Mill won the White Race in the girls meet. The White races indicated the top 10 most competitive teams at the events.

Clarkston was trailed by Lakeside-DeKalb, which totaled 80 points, and Starr’s Mill, which totaled 106. Davis Stockwell of LakesideDeKalb won the race in a time of 16:03.40 ahead of second-place finisher Abbas Abbkar of Clarkston, who turned in a time of 16:07.10.

Allatoona’s Page Colton took third in 16:07.85.

In the girls race, Flowery Branch was the runner-up with 54 points while LakesideDeKalb totaled 67. Allatoona took fourth and Archer fifth. Shannon Fair of Aquinas took first with a time of 19:11.27 ahead of McKenzie Knudsen, who finished with a time of 19:48.31.

Oconee County won both the boys and girls Blue Races (A-4A teams) while Locust

Grove freshman Madison Allie won the girls race in a time of 20:50.95 and Michael Hans of Oconee County won the boys race in a time of 16:48.07.

Winder-Barrow on the boys Red Race (5A-6A) while Richmond Hill won the girls race. Winder-Barrow took second in the girls race and Richmond Hill took second. Christian Nix won the boys red race with a time of 17:06.90 while fellow East Paulding Raider Alyssa Sheffield won the girls race with a time of 20:15.00.

DEKALB’S FINEST …

Clarkston followed up its win at Conyers with a sweep of the DeKalb County Championships Tuesday at Arabia Mountain. It is the Angoras’ second consecutive sweep of the county championships.

The boys team had a perfect score of 15

IN THE CIRCLE …

Wesleyan extended its winning streak to six by winning all four its games at last week’s Decatur High School Bulldog Bash. The Wolves kicked off their stretch of four contests in two days by defeating Lakeside-DeKalb 8-0 in five innings last Friday. Jameson Kavel allowed just one hit and struck out eight to lead Wesleyan on the mound.

Saturday saw the Wolves take care of Chamblee 11-0, Westlake 14-8 and Decatur 4-2. Kavel starred in all three contests. She combined with Cassie Henning for a no-hitter against Chamblee, went 3-for-3 versus Westlake and picked up the win over Decatur while adding seven strikeouts to her season total.

Lauren Morales and Riley Henning hit home runs in the blowout of Chamblee. Henning, who earned two wins and a save on the day, tied the showdown with Decatur thanks to an RBI single in the fifth inning before Meredith DiStasi hit what proved to be a game-winning RBI double.

Buford also went 4-0 last week, winning its four games by a combined score of 38-3.

The Wolves clipped Grayson 4-3 in addition to shutouts of Etowah (8-0), Chestatee (12-

0) and Madison County (14-0). It was the final game of the Elite Sports Classic for Buford when the No. 1 team in Class AAAA clashed with Grayson. Buford scored all of its runs in the first inning and the Rams scored all of their runs in the last inning. The Wolves’ Logan Caymol got a hard-earned save by striking out the final two Grayson batters with the tying run on third base and the winning run on second.

Brookwood posted three shutouts of its own last week in beating Archer 3-0, Etowah 8-0 and Mill Creek 7-0. Amanda Ablan continued her dominance on the bump by hurling a complete game against Mill Creek while mowing down 15 hitters. Ablan is now 17-0-1 on the season. Both Kallyn Glasser and Tori Gunn went 2-for-4 and Glasser drove in three runs.

In 2013, North Cobb won the Warrior Classic for the first time in 10 years. The Warriors defended their home turf and went backto-back by winning two games last Saturday.

They handled Lowndes 6-1 and edged Northside-Columbus 5-3 to claim the championship.

McKenzie Krause drove in two runs to help North Cobb overcome an early 2-0 deficit in the finale against Northside-Columbus.

Photos courtesy of Mark Brock/DeKalb County, Walter Pinion, Sonny Kennedy and Buford HS.

Vol. 10 Iss. 36 | October 3-9, 2014

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UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA

RECEIVERS RETURN AS BULLDOGS PREPARE FOR VANDY

BY DAN MATHEWS | DMATHEWS@SCOREATL.COM

O

ne day after the Georgia’s 35-32 win over arch-rival Tennessee last Saturday at Sanford Stadium, head coach Mark Richt told the media in a teleconference that the plan is for wide receivers Malcolm Mitchell and Justin Scott-Wesley to practice and play this weekend against Vanderbilt. Both players are coming back from ACL tears that forced them to miss most of the 2013 season.

As of Wednesday afternoon, both Mitchell and Scott-Wesley along with fellow receiver Jonathan Rumph have practiced with the team in green non-contact jerseys. Richt is convinced that Mitchell and Scott-Wesley will be on the field Saturday barring any setback. In terms of how much they will play, that is really anyone’s guess according to Richt.

“Sometimes an injured body part as its coming back just tends to fatigue a little bit faster than the rest of your body,” Richt explained. “So that’s what we have to keep track of. By Thursday I think we’ll have a really good

GEORGIA STATE

MEN’S SOCCER BEATS LIPSCOMB; WOMEN WIN SUN BELT OPENER

BY JALISA SMITH | JSMITH@SCOREATL.COM

T

he Georgia State men’ s soccer team defeated Lipscomb 3-1 last Friday night in Nashville, Tenn. With the victory, the Panthers improved their winning streak to four in advance of a 2-1 loss to South Carolina on Tuesday. In Friday’s win, Rashid Alarape scored the opening goal for Georgia State before Tyler Alexander and Stephen McGill also found the back on the net.

“This was a huge win,” head coach Brett Surrency said. “Not only does it keep the win streak going, but Lipscomb is a very good team. It was great to get a victory on the road after a long day of travel and this is great to keep the team confidence high.”

The Panthers applied pressure on the host Bison starting in the 18th minute, when Conor Acheson fired a shot on target only to be denied. In the 26th minute, Aaron Jones tested opposing keeper Micah Bledsoe could not extend the Panthers’ lead. GSU goalie C.J. Co-

idea of whether or not it’s just, ‘hey let’s just play ball or hey we better be strategic.’”

So far this season, Georgia is averaging 162.2 yards passing per game in 2014. Senior wide receiver Michael Bennett is the leading pass-catcher, with 14 receptions on the season. Bennett assured, however, that he is willing to give up some catches to get Mitchell and Scott-Wesley back in the fold.

“Yeah, absolutely,” Bennett said when asked about the situation. “Especially when they’re great receivers. [They] go out there and get the job done.”

Richt mentioned during his Tuesday press conference that he would like to see quarterback Hutson Mason have a little more fun on the field. Offensive coordinator Mike Bobo even had a similar conversation with Mason, in which his advice to the senior was to “let it rip.”

Maybe now that the Georgia offense is getting Mitchell and Scott-Wesley back, the “let it rip” mentality could become a reality for Mason.

BACK IN THE SEC RACE …

Hours after the Bulldogs picked up their first SEC win of 2014, Missouri did them a huge favor by upsetting South Carolina 21-20 in Columbia. That is the Gamecocks’ first SEC East loss and second in the conference. It almost means that next Saturday’s meeting between Georgia and Missouri will be especially huge for both the visiting Bulldogs and the Tigers.

chran made an outstanding save of his own in the 37th minute.

In the second half, Alexander scored his first goal of the season and McGill successfully converted a penalty kick in the 49th minute to extend the visitors’ advantage to 3-0. The Bison had six chances over the final minutes of the match, but none was on target and Georgia State held on for victory.

WOMEN’S SOCCER NEWS ...

In its first Sun Belt match of the season, the Georgia State women’s soccer team defeated Louisiana-Lafayette 2-1 last Friday night.

Jenna Moore and Nikki Fedele provided the goals as the Panthers earned their first victory in a Sun Belt opener since 2010.

“It was fantastic to score the early goal,” head coach Derek Leader explained. “We worked really hard executing the correct tactics to beat UL-Lafayette tonight. We wanted to win the first match of the conference season.”

The Panthers went on the first attack in the fifth minute but could not get find the back of the net. In the 10th minute, Georgia State grabbed a 1-0 lead on Moore’s first goal of the season. Eight minutes later, Louisiana-Lafayette tied the match at 1-1 on Kimberly Grasso’s successful strike. The Panthers eventually reclaimed the lead in the 44th minute when Fedele scored her first goal of 2014.

GEORGIA TECH

GREGORY DISCUSSES APPROACHING HOOPS SEASON AS PRACTICE BEGINS

BY MATTHEW CASON | MCASON@SCOREATL.COM

en’s basketball head coach Brian Gregory M spoke to the media on Tuesday with his team set to begin preseason practice on Friday.

Gregory is entering his fourth year with the Georgia Tech program but has not been able to win more than 16 games in any of his first three seasons. He was asked how important this year was and responded by recalling an experience he had as head coach of the University of Dayton.

“When you look at everyone (currently) in our program, they have all been brought in by us,” Gregory said. “I’ve been through this process before at Dayton.”

After his fourth year with his previous employer, Gregory started a run that saw the Flyers win 97 games over their next four years, which included a NCAA Tournament appearance. He continued by addressing which player he expects to take the leadership role for the Yellow Jackets. That expectation falls on the shoulders of junior forward Marcus GeorgesHunt, who leads all returning scorers having contributed 11.7 points per game in 2013-14.

KENNESAW STATE

FOOTBALL CONCLUDES PRACTICE; SOCCER LOSES FIRST GAME

BY BRIAN JONES | BJONES@SCOREATL.COM

W

e are a week away from the football team taking the field and showing the fans a glimpse of what it will look like in 2015.

On Saturday, Oct. 1, the Owls will host an intrasquad scrimmage at Fifth Third Bank Stadium.

But before that happens, they did a mini dress rehearsal at the stadium this past Saturday as they concluded the first phase of fall practice with a scrimmage.

The full team scrimmage lasted for one hour and the defense made big plays at the start, picking off two passes and forcing two fumbles. But as the scrimmage rolled on, quarterbacks Chandler Burks and Jaquez Parks broke off long runs.

“It’s been a great three weeks,” head coach Brian Bohannon told ksuowls.com. “We call it Phase I. We definitely made a lot of improvement from Day 1 to Day 12. That was our goal each and every day—to make a lot of improvement.”

This was the second time Kennesaw State

Gregory hopes Georges-Hunt will take on the challenge during the times when adversity hits the team.

“That’s when you need the leadership,” the coach explained. “That’s where you need the direction. That’s where you need one voice in the locker room making sure everyone is on the same page, and that’s one of Marcus’ main jobs this year.”

Georgia Tech is set to begin the 2014 season when the rival Georgia Bulldogs travel to McCamish Pavilion on Nov. 14 for a hardwood version of “Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate.”

HURRICANES AHEAD …

Head football coach Paul Johnson and his squad will go into Bobby Dodd Stadium on Saturday night with an undefeated record of 4-0.

However, that mark will be tested when the Yellow Jackets take on Miami, a team to which they have lost five straight games. For Johnson, the key is minimizing mistakes on offense.

“Offensively we’ve got to do a good job of taking care of the ball to minimize turnovers and put points on the board ourselves,” Johnson explained.

Quarterback Justin Thomas will undoubtedly be a big factor, having totaled 302 rushing yards in his last two games. The redshirt sophomore has also passed surprisingly well entering the fifth game of the year. He has totaled 610 yards through the air with seven touchdowns and just one interception.

practiced at Fifth Third Bank Stadium and it gave the team a much-needed boost of energy since it has been working out six days a week since Aug. 18.

“It’s awesome,” defensive back Taylor Henkle, who had an interception on Saturday, said about playing in Fifth Third Bank Stadium.

“We’ve been back there (The Perch) for a couple of weeks and then you have something to look forward to on Saturday morning.”

The second phase of fall practice has begun for the Owls as they are currently working out in the weight room all week. They will be back on the practice field next Monday to get ready for the public scrimmage on Oct. 11.

FALLING SHORT …

The women’s soccer team took part in its first conference game last Saturday when it took on Lipscomb. Normally, the Owls find a way to win against the Bisons, having taken the last nine of 10 meetings. This past Saturday was a different story as the Lipscomb defeated Kennesaw State 3-0.

There was no score in the first half, but Lipscomb got the game’s first goal when Jade Abarca scored in the 51st minute. Baylee Linnell scored the second goal with 20 minutes remaining and Carolyn Springsteen scored in the 81st minute. The Owls only had two shots on goal and goalkeeper Olivia Sturdivant notched three saves in the loss.

Vol. 10 Iss. 36 | October 3-9, 2014 ATLANTA HAWKS

HAWKS MOVE PAST DISTRACTIONS, OPEN TRAINING CAMP

BY MATTHEW CASON | MCASON@SCOREATL.COM

F

or the first time in September, the Atlanta Hawks had the opportunity to focus on just basketball. The Hawks opened training camp on Tuesday at the University of Georgia as they looked to put away the distractions caused by the racially-insensitive remarks of part-owner Bruce Levenson and general manager Danny Ferry that were made public earlier in the month. Ferry is currently on indefinite leave from his position with the team, but he has met with various Atlanta players to address the issue, including all-star forward Al Horford.

“He was very remorseful,” Horford remarked to Myrtle Beach Online. “He understood what he had done and he’s trying to move forward and make it right.”

As for on-court basketball matters, Atlanta currently has 17 players on its trainingcamp roster after extending invitations to center Dexter Pittman and former Virginia Tech guard/forward Jarell Eddie. Pittman has played sparingly over five NBA seasons with three teams, including the Hawks in 2013-14 when

ATLANTA BRAVES

LOSING SEASON ENDS; HITTING COACH RESIGNS

BY RICKY DIMON | RDIMON@SCOREATL.COM

T

he Braves wrapped up their 2014 campaign on a two-game winning streak, but it was nowhere near enough to prevent them from turning in their first losing season since 2008.

Atlanta finished with a 79-83 record, putting it tied for second with the Mets in the National League East and 17 games back of the Nationals.

“Collectively, we didn’t produce offensively,” manager Fredi Gonzalez said in a Q&A with several writers on Monday. “I think our pitching was good the whole year. But offensively we just didn’t do the same thing we did last year.”

Bats went especially silent in September, during which the Braves compiled a disastrous 7-18 record to end their playoff hopes. However, they won at Philadelphia 4-2 last Saturday and two runs were enough to beat the Phillies in Sunday’s finale. B.J. and Justin Upton homered in the first victory and Emilio Bonifacio led off the next game with a dinger en route to a 2-1 Braves’ win. Craig Kimbrel saved each

he appeared in two games, playing just three minutes.

“It is right at home and it feels right,” Pittman told Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “It’s a great family atmosphere here and you don’t see that a lot with professional teams. I’m going to work my butt off every day and whatever happens, happens.”

For Eddie, he heads into camp off the end of a four-year college career with Virginia Tech, including a senior season that saw the guard/ forward average 13.3 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.

“Going into the season I felt my best opportunity to make a roster and have an impact on the game is with the Hawks,” Eddie stated.

HUMAN-HIGHLIGHT ADVISOR …

The team announced on Monday that Atlanta Hawks’ legend and NBA Hall of Famer Wilkins will become the special advisor to Hawks’ CEO Steve Koonin. Wilkins was signed to a long-term deal and will also continue performing his duties as the team’s vice president of basketball operations.

“Steve Koonin and I are going to be doing a lot of things together on the business side as well as basketball,” Wilkins said during the team’s media day. “For me, I’m excited about it because, to me, the most important thing is how we continue to build our brand in light of some of the things that have happened of late.”

of the last two contests, giving him 47 for the season. That mark led the National League and Kimbrel finished second overall behind Detroit’s Fernando Rodney, who had 48 saves.

WALKER WALKS ...

Likely to be heading out of Atlanta one way or the other, either by getting fired or resigning, hitting coach Greg Walker announce his resignation on Tuesday. Walker, 55, spent three years in the position after taking over for Larry Parrish following the 2011 campaign.

“A huge disappointment would be an understatement; especially when a majority of the issues came on my side of the ball,” Walker told reporters on Monday, prior to his official departure. “We went into the season with expectations, which we created by the season we had last year with basically the same players.

So, disappointing is… I don’t want to use another word, but it’s an understatement.”

There is really no argument to the contrary. The Braves were second to last in the majors in runs scored (573) and they finished 26th in batting average (.241) and 24th in onbase percentage (.305). One year after leading the National League with 181 home runs, Atlanta went deep just 123 times—tying for 22nd in the whole league. Things went from bad to worse in September, with the ballclub hitting a majors-worst .206 during the final month with a mere 59 runs in 25 games.

ATLANTA FALCONS

FALCONS FILL VACANCIES, PREP FOR NEW YORK

BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

hile preparing for a game plan for this W Sunday’s trip to MetLife Stadium to take on the Giants, the Falcons had to move pieces

around to fill the vacancies from an injuryplagued Week 4 loss. The Falcons lost starting center Joe Hawley for the season with a torn ACL and starting right tackle Lamar Holmes is out for the season with a foot injury. Safety William Moore went on short-term injured reserve with a shoulder injury.

With Hawley sidelined, the Falcons will start Peter Konz at center. Konz lost the starting job to Hawley last season and comes in with 25 career starts.

“The only thing you do different is try to build your confidence up,’” said Konz about starting again. “I’ve done it before. I know I can go in there and do a great job.”

The Falcons promoted guard Harland Gunn and safety Sean Baker from the practice squad and signed tackle Cameron Bradfield to add depth. The offense moved Gabe Carimi to the starting right tackle role to replace Holmes.

Kemal Ishmael will fill in the starting safety role

ATLANTA SILVERBACKS

‘BACKS SHUT OUT BY SAN ANTONIO, WINLESS IN SEPTEMBER

BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

W

ith nothing to lose, the Silverbacks went into last Saturday’s match against second-place San Antonio as heavy underdogs. Head coach Jason Smith made numerous changes to the starting lineup in order to energize the Atlanta scoring attack. It worked to some extent, as the Silverbacks out-shot the Scorpions 16-3, but nonetheless they were shut out and fell 1-0 in front of their home crowd. The shutout marked the club’s second consecutive scoreless effort after a string of scoring in 17 straight games. Atlanta is now 3-7-2 in the fall season and 6-12-3 in the combined NASL standings.

Smith moved to a more attacking lineup against San Antonio, opting for a diamondshaped midfield while moving Deon McCaulay up front to attack the net with fellow striker Jamie Chavez. The new 4-1-2-1-2 formation did well to control the ball in the first half while refusing to let the Scorpions get off even a single shot. McCaulay and Lucas Paulini had real

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and has 15 total tackles and an interception return for a touchdown in his limited action this season. Safety Kimario McFadden and guard Adam Replogle were signed to the practice squad.

Most of the moves were settled by Tuesday afternoon and head coach Mike Smith made it clear that the team was looking to replace what has been lost and keep focus on facing the Giants.

“This is a no-blink mentality,” said Smith.

“You just move on and keep working. We look forward to seeing these guys going out and playing.”

WIN COLUMN …

The Giants and Falcons enter Sunday each boasting a 2-2 record. New York comes off a long week after dominating the Redskins 45-14 last Thursday. The Giants have won two straight games after falling to Detroit and Arizona to open the season and have outscored their last two opponents 75-31.

Rashad Jennings has been huge for the Giants offense and leads the team with 341 rushing yards and a 4.2 yards per carry average.

Jennings has also gotten involved in the passing game and has nine receptions for 92 yards this year. Eli Manning threw four interceptions in the first two weeks but has been on a roll since.

Manning has tossed six touchdowns and just one pick the last two weeks. Atlanta leads the all-time series 11-10 over the Giants.

chances to get a go-ahead goal in the first half, but San Anotnio keeper Josh Saunders turned them away. Fans had to feel confident heading into the final 45 minutes.

SECOND-HALF WOES …

Just four minutes into the second half, the Scorpions were able to take the lead on their first shot of the game. Midfielder Cesar Elizondo booted a ball from the top of the box and found the back of the net. The rocket barely avoided the far post with keeper Eric Ati having no chance to make a play.

After going down a goal, Atlanta began searching for an equalizer and put the pressure back on Saunders. Alex Harlley had a golden opportunity right in front of the net after a nice pass from Ryan Roushandel. It should have been an easy chip-in right in front of Saunders, but Harlley miss-struck it and sent it wailing over the crossbar—surely giving fans flashbacks of Chris Wondolowski’s easy miss against Belgium in this year’s World Cup. The Silverbacks last chance to tie the game came from Junior Sandoval in the 74th minute, when his volley attempt pinged off the crossbar and fell harmlessly away.

The shutout marked the Scorpions’ ninth clean sheet of the season. Atlanta has now dropped four straight matches, meaning it went winless in September. The Silverbacks visited Ottawa this Wednesday in their next game (results not available at press time), hoping to avenge a 3-0 loss at home nearly two weeks ago.

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TECH LAST BEGAN A SEASON 5-0 IN 2011. THE JACKETS FINISHED THE SEASON 8-5.

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Vol. 10 Iss. 36 | October 3-9, 2014

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TODAY IT’S 8.5 MILES. Know a young athlete who overcame a serious injury or illness? Nominate them for Comeback Athlete of the Month at choa.org/comeback.

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