Score Atlanta Volume 9 Issue 27

Time to look great!

CHECK OUT BACK PAGE! VOLUME 9 ISSUE 27

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NOVEMBER 29-DECEMBER 5, 2013

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YOUR SOURCE FOR SPORTS IN GEORGIA

Looking Good | Pg. 4 Chris Schutter discusses the Hawks’ rosy outlook in the Eastern Conference.

Swim/Wrestling News | Pg. 8 Check out our high school sports notebook.

SAT, NOV 23 @ 7:30 PM

FREAK SHOW Despite injury, Julio gives Falcons fans something to look forward to. | Pg. 5

WED, DEC 4 @ 7:30 PM

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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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Vol. 9 Iss. 27 | Nov. 29 - Dec. 5, 2013

STARTING LINEUP PUBLISHER/EDITOR I.J. Rosenberg

04

COLUMNISTS

05

ON THE COVER

08

INSIDE THE PREPS

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

BUSINESS MANAGER Marvin Botnick

DIRECTOR OF SALES Melanie Snare & MARKETING

BEAT WRITERS Ricky Dimon (Braves)

Joe Deighton (Gladiators) Jay Underwood (Hawks) Brian Jones (KSU) Chris Nieman (UGA) Craig Sager II (Falcons) Stephen Black (Tech) Chris Schutter (GSU)

STAFF WRITERS Ryan Caiafa Alex Ewalt

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404.256.1572

Copyright 2013 Score Atlanta Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved.

Score Atlanta is published in print every other week on Fridays and a digital version is posted to ScoreAtl.com in-between print issues.

Views expressed in Score Atlanta are not necessarily the opinion of Score Atlanta, its staff or advertisers. Score Atlanta does not knowingly accept false or misleading editorial content or advertising nor is Score Atlanta responsible for the content or claims of any advertising or editorial in this publication. No content (articles, photographs, graphics) in Score Atlanta may be used for reproduction without written permission from the publisher.

06 12 13

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

COVER ART OF JULIO JONES COURTESY OF MATT LANGE/ATLANTA FALCONS. PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE ATLANTA HAWKS AND KATHY CIOFFI,

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

Football All-Star Games will never be the same! The Georgia Elite Junior Classic will be held at McEachern High School on Dec. 28. Check out www.EliteJuniorClassic.com for more information.

STAY CONNECTED! /SCOREATLANTASPORTS @SCOREATLANTA WWW.SCOREATL.COM WWW.GAPREPNEWS.COM

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SCORE ATLANTA | www.ScoreAtl.com

JAY’S JOURNAL

YOUTHFUL BRAVES LOSE LEADERSHIP CORE

BY JAY UNDERWOOD | JUNDERWOOD@SCOREATL.COM

A

year ago the Braves watched as their franchise player, Chipper Jones, walked away into retirement leaving an opening in the Braves’ clubhouse. Two players, Tim Hudson and Brian McCann, assumed leadership positions on the team. At that time, they were the two longesttenured players on the team and had played alongside Chipper long enough to understand what worked and what didn’t. The 2013 season saw some successes and some misfortunes.

VETERAN VACUUM ...

Brian McCann made headlines for the wrong reasons during different points in the season, when he thought other players weren’t playing the game with the respect that they should. He had two separate incidents with

Carlos Gomez and Jose Fernandez. This is how his 2013 season will be remembered, but not how in his tenure in Atlanta should be. Since he broke into the league in 2005, McCann has been one of the best offensive catchers in the game. Starting in 2006, McCann went to six straight All-Star games and slugged 20 or more home runs in all but one of them.

After signing a five-year deal with the New York Yankees worth $85 million, McCann will take his offense and move to the American League where his skill set can be more adequately utilized. This leaves two holes in the Braves’ lineup, and two separate players should fill them.

This is not the only hole that has been created this offseason. Tim Hudson announced

HAWKS SUCCEEDING

BY LETTING OTHER TEAMS FAIL

BY CHRIS SCHUTTER | CSHUTTER@SCOREATL.COM

Eastern conference in hopes of getting eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. Following the Derrick Rose injury, it’s a different story.

The Heat, Pacers, Bulls, Knicks and Nets were almost certainly going to finish with a better record than Atlanta, but this season is panning out a lot differently than expected.

BIG APPLE BUSTS ...

The nicest way to describe the Knicks ‘and Nets’ seasons is to call them overrated teams that bunched together overrated players. The Nets have 35 combined all-star appearances just between their starters. The only

YOUTH MOVEMENT ...

Now the longest-tenured player on the roster is Kris Medlen. He has been with the team for over four years and some of that time was taken away by injuries. Jason Heyward has manned his position the longest, which may seem shocking because not too long ago

fore January. The other player who is vital to the Knicks success, according to Melo, is Iman Shumpert. Knicks owner James Dolan has expressed for some time now that he is eager to trade Shumpert to the highest bidder after Shumpert declined an invitation to play for the Knicks’ summer league team. Mike Woodson is coaching the Knicks this year, but by year’s end, it might be a different story.

SCHUTTER’S STANCE

hen the NBA season began it looked like W the Hawks would be fighting for their lives to get the seventh or eighth spot in the

that he would be leaving the Braves’ organization after nine seasons to move back to the Bay Area. Hudson agreed to a two-year deal with the San Francisco Giants worth $23 million.

Hudson was the ace of the staff the past few years even if he wasn’t the most productive pitcher on the roster. During his nine years with the Braves, he quietly put up solid numbers and provided quality starts while staying durable except for two major injuries. His last season was cut short when he broke his ankle covering first base against the Mets. His experience in instructing the Braves’ young pitchers was invaluable and will be missed this upcoming season and the ones to follow. Not only will he be missed, but he will miss the Braves. This past Sunday, Hudson released an open letter to the fans thanking Braves Country for their support during his time here and also thanked the organization for the chance to pitch for his childhood team.

problem is that means all of their starters have been around a while. The Nets average age is 29.5! That’s the second-oldest team in the league, and most of their old players are being expected to start every game. If that weren’t enough, Deron Williams and Brook Lopez are both struggling with injuries. Maybe first-year coach Jason Kidd will figure it out. Maybe they’re tanking for a draft pick. The Hawks own Brooklyn’s first-round draft pick this year, so tank away, Brooklyn.

The Knicks can’t win with the roster they have. Injuries aside, the locker room is nothing less than toxic. Carmelo Anthony can opt out of his contract at the end of the season, and if things keep going this way, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him quit on the team be-

FLYING HIGHER ...

Enter your Atlanta Hawks! Terrible conference or not, the Hawks are doing their thing.

Coach Mike Budenholzer is making the game really simple. Make the shots you take and don’t let the other team get second chances at their shots. Atlanta is third in scoring in the conference with the second-best field goal percentage. This high percentage is thanks to the team leading the Eastern Conference in assists this season. They’ve scored the second-most points in the conference, just behind Philadelphia. When Atlanta gets more settled into the defense, you can only expect the record to get better. Atlanta is also the third-best rebounding team in the East, rebounding 77 percent of their defensive rebound opportunities.

The Bulls just lost Derrick Rose for the season, again, and weren’t playing particularly well with him. Chicago is playing .500 ball

he was launching his first hit into the right field bleachers at Turner Field. Now these two players must take on the leadership role that McCann and Hudson inherited from Chipper last season. The Braves hope that these two players along with Freddie Freeman and others will be able to lead the team back to prominence and have the same success that it sustained during the 1990s.

One of the other veteran players on the team is Dan Uggla and after his past two disappointing seasons, Frank Wren and the whole organization are analyzing their options at second base moving forward. One option would be another young homegrown player in Tommy LaStella. More importantly the Braves must fill the void behind the plate. They have two in-house options that will probable be the most likely scenarios. Evan Gattis took the baseball world by storm last season and will be given every opportunity to prove he can do it again on an everyday basis this season. There is also rising prospect Christian Bethancourt in the minors, but he is still probably a year away from the majors. Finally, they could trade for a proven commodity.

One option would be another hometown guy in Matt Wieters of the Orioles, who still is two years away from free agency.

Photo courtesy of Pouya Dianat/Atlanta Braves.

right now and is barely ahead of the Sixers in the standings. Cleveland and Detroit are two young teams that had a chance to figure things out this year, but they’ve been less than impressive. The Hawks might win the third spot in the playoffs just by default. Right now teams from the east are avoiding the playoffs like the plague, and the Hawks are just going out playing simple basketball in hopes of ending up in the postseason. This season could see multiple Eastern Conference teams in the playoffs that have a losing record.

In an abysmal conference of teams struggling to stay alive, a new coach is making a team of new players thrive and continue to get better in Atlanta. With a strong draft next June, the Hawks might end up as a top four team in the East, and it won’t matter how the rest of the conference plays. So the conference playing like garbage doesn’t take away from Atlanta’s achievements. It only means Atlanta will end up with a better draft pick and it means the Hawks will host more playoff games this year.

It’s time to jump on the bandwagon because the Ferry/Budenholzer tandem does not seem to be slowing down anytime soon.

Photo courtesy of the Atlanta Hawks.

Vol. 9 Iss. 27 | Nov. 29 - Dec. 5, 2013

ON THE COVER

THE X-FACTOR

FALCONS STAR WR HAS LIMITLESS POTENTIAL

BY RICKY DIMON | RDIMON@SCOREATL.COM

T

he jury was out when the Atlanta Falcons traded five picks—including first-rounders in both 2011 and 2012—before the 2011 NFL Draft to the Cleveland Browns to move up to No. 6 overall, where they selected Julio Jones.

PROVING HIMSELF ...

It wasn’t out long. Jones caught five passes for 71 yards in his professional debut, a loss to Chicago at Soldier Field on Sept. 11, 2011. The former University of Alabama standout eclipsed the 100-yard mark in three of his first six games, including an 11-catch, 127-yard performance during a Week 4 win at Seattle. In a Week 6 victory at Indianapolis, Jones hauled in 131 yards worth of receptions to go along with two touchdowns. He finished the year even more impressively than he had started it, finding the endzone six times in Atlanta’s last four regular-season games. Jones wrapped up his rookie campaign with 54 catches for 959

yards and eight touchdowns while helping the Falcons snag a playoff berth.

The 6-foot-3, 220-pound receiver may not have been recognizable when he showed up for training camp in the summer of 2012.

Jones had sported an impressive set of dreadlocks at Alabama and during his first season with Atlanta, but he succumbed to a haircut that took away the dreads before Jones donated his hair to a charity that makes wigs for cancer patients.

“We do a lot of community service here, and from going to a lot of hospitals and seeing all the kids who are fans of mine, I just cut my hair and donated it for leukemia patients,” explained Jones, who insists his old style is permanently a thing of the past.

His game—and his team—soared to even greater heights in 2012. Jones made 79 catches for 1,198 yards and 10 touchdowns as Atlanta captured the NFC South title and compiled

the best record in the conference at 13-3 (tied for the top mark in the entire NFL with Denver). Twice he caught two touchdown passes in a game, first in a season-opening win over Kansas City and again in a 34-0 blowout of the New York Giants in Week 15. He eclipsed the 100-yard mark four times prior to the playoffs, including a 147-yard effort that also featured a touchdown in a 24-23 win at Tampa Bay on Nov. 25. In a thrilling 30-28 postseason triumph at the Georgia Dome over Seattle, the Seahawks had one final play from Atlanta’s 48-yard line following Matt Bryant’s go-ahead field goal.

Because of his size, Jones was thrown into the defensive alignment to play deep safety. He promptly sniped a game-ending interception in the endzone to preserve the Falcons’ dramatic victory and give head coach Mike Smith, quarterback Matt Ryan and Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez—among many others—the first playoff win of their careers.

Jones, though, saved his best for last.

In the NFC Championship game against San Francisco, he had 11 receptions for 182 yards and two scores. The Falcons scored the first 17 points of the game, with each of their two opening-half touchdowns going from Ryan to his second-year target. Jones hauled in a 46-yarder for a 7-0 lead fewer than four minutes into the showdown and he caught a 20-yarder to make it 17-0 six seconds into the second quarter.

“Julio was on fire,” Smith said in his postgame press conference following Atlanta’s 28-24 setback. “We had some opportunities to make some plays and he made the plays when they were presented to him. Julio is an outstanding player. We have many guys that fit into that category.”

A whole host of those outstanding players have gone down to injury in 2013 and Jones, much to the chagrin of both the team and Falcons fans, is no exception. The Foley, Ala., native suffered a broken right foot during a Monday night showdown against the New York Jets at the Georgia Dome on Oct. 7. He made what is without question one of the best catches of the NFL season—a lunging one-hander with

5

cornerback Antonio Cromartie all over him— before being sidelined.

SUPER FREAK ...

If Smith thought Jones was on fire against the 49ers, something like “a steady burn” would have accurately described the wideout’s exploits through the first five games of this season. He produced in all five contests, catching at least six passes and gaining at least 76 yards every time he took the field. Jones found the endzone in each of Atlanta’s first two games and in Week 2 he also gained 182 yards on 11 receptions. At the time of his injury, Jones was on pace to make an outrageous 131 catches for 1,856 yards over the course of the 16-game 2013 campaign.

“The guy is a freak, as far as I’m concerned,” Gonzalez said of Jones earlier this year. “As a defense, you have to respect that this guy can go over the top at any moment. So defenses may think they know a screen is coming but in the back of their mind they’re like, ‘Okay, wait a second, I can’t just really crowd this guy because if I do, if the screen’s coming, I’m going to get burned deep.’ That’s what he brings to the table.”

His prolific college numbers, combined with his daunting physical presence, were exactly why Arthur Blank, Thomas Dimitroff and company expected big things from Jones at the next level. They have come and come in bunches, stalled only by the recent injury. In just a few months, though, a well-rested Jones will be back on the practice field plotting his 2014 conquests. Stymied in 2013 to reach the pinnacle of the NFL both individually and as a team, Jones and the Falcons will be back on track to reach unprecedented heights soon enough.

“I think he can be as good as anybody,” added Ryan. “He’s smart. He works really, really hard. He’s got an unbelievable physical skill set. He’s capable of being the very best.”

Photos courtesy of Jimmy Cribb/Atlanta Falcons.

6

College Football Weekend

Knowshon Moreno

Last Thursday’s outcome was not a terrible one. The Falcons played hard, suffered no major injuries, almost beat the best team in the conference…but lost. A five-game losing streak is painful, to be sure, but Atlanta is suddenly tied for the worst record in the NFL at 2-9. Is our team in line for the No. 1 overall pick?

It’s Thanksgiving week, which means one thing for certain: the college football slate is awesome. The Iron Bowl is the big one nationally, but another installment of Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate will be played on the Flats. What once looked like a blowout on paper, Georgia vs.

Georgia Tech should be a thriller.

Things may not be going well for his alma mater, but the former UGA star is emerging as the feature running back for arguably the best team in the NFL. Moreno has rushed 64 times in Denver’s last two games and he gained 224 yards to go along with his ninth touchdown of the season in Sunday’s overtime loss at New England.

By Ricky Dimon

WHO’S HOT

Falcons’ Draft Position

SCORE LIST

By Brian Jones

TORONTO FOOTBALL

After a very tough loss to the Saints, the Falcons are looking to get their first road win of the season when they face the Buffalo Bills in Toronto. The Falcons have not won a road game in nearly a calendar year and they are facing a team that is coming off a bye. I don’t know how they’ll do it, but the Falcons will come away with the win.

OLD-FASHIONED HATE

It’s that time of year again when two old rivals go at it.

Georgia and Georgia Tech will square off on the Flats on Saturday and both come in with 7-4 records. Despite losing Aaron Murray to a torn ACL injury, I think the Bulldogs will pull off a win because Hutson Mason will show everyone he is ready to be the leader of the Dawgs.

TOUGH ENDING

And speaking of Murray, it was very tough to see him get injured in the final home game of his college career. He was on pace to have a career game as he threw for four touchdowns in only a quarter and a half. No matter what happens, Murray has a bright future ahead of him and we will hear from him again real soon.

HEADING NORTH

Brian McCann is no longer a Brave as he agreed to a fiveyear deal with the New York Yankees. As much as I hate to see him leave, the Yankees offered him a deal he could not refuse. And with Evan Gattis playing the way he did the past season, the Braves are in good shape at the position.

Good luck, Brian. Everyone in Atlanta will miss you.

ELITE EIGHT

It’s down to the quarterfinals of the high school football playoffs and the matchups are going to be intense. Some of the top games this round are Griffin vs. Sandy Creek, North Gwinnett vs. Hillgrove and Lowndes vs. Norcross.

As always, be sure to go to scoreatl.com and ajc.com for the scores and updates from all 28 quarterfinal games going on in Georgia.

WHO’S NOT

SCORE ATLANTA | www.ScoreAtl.com

Aaron Murray’s ACL

UGA and GT Hoops

Braves’ Offseason

The injury onslaught continued at Georgia and this time it struck the most well-known Bulldog of them all. Murray’s career ended abruptly when he went down with an ACL tear last Saturday night in his home finale, a 59-17 UGA win over Kentucky. Murray, of course, will miss the last two games— vs. Tech and the bowl.

Speaking of torn ACLs, Georgia Tech freshman point guard Travis Jorgensen suffered one last week. Since starting 3-0, Tech has lost at home to Dayton and has needed a secondhalf comeback from 11 points down against North Carolina A&T—also at home. Georgia is an awful 1-4 with losses to Tech, Davidson, Temple and Nebraska.

Neither move came as a huge shock, but Tim Hudson signed with the San Francisco Giants and Brian McCann—even more expectedly—left for richer pastures with the New York Yankees. So far, all the Braves have done is create a firestorm of stadium news and sign former Texas GM John Hart to a senior advisor’s role.

NUMBERS

OUR TWO CENTS

By Craig Sager II

Our email newsletter is something we take a lot of pride in at Score. If you aren’t familiar with it, it is a high school sportsheavy publication that we produce each day to fill in our readers on the latest happenings in Georgia prep sports. We send it out Monday through Friday throughout the year and Monday through Saturday during the fall.

Not only do we cover popular sports like football, basketball and baseball, we also cover every other varsity sport the GHSA fields. If you like Georgia high school sports at all, sign up for our email newsletter by visiting www.tinyurl.com/scorenewsletter and enter your email address(es) that you’d like added to the distribution list.

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TRIVIA QUESTION

“

SANITY AT LAST

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME TECH BEAT GEORGIA IN ATLANTA?

“It’s just unique and funny how things work out. I still only get 16 games in my career, so it’s not a lot of time to leave a legacy and leave a mark. But I’m very thankful for the opportunity I have now to get some experience.”

ANSWER ON PAGE 14

Georgia QB Hutson Mason on replacing Aaron Murray.

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Defending football state champions that have advanced to the 2013 quarterfinals

1

Win last season by Dacula, which made this year’s quarterfinals at 8-4

20

Consecutive home playoff games won by Calhoun

2008

The last time Sandy Creek lost a home football game

2009

The last time UGA quarterback Hutson Mason started a football game

5

Touchdown passes thrown

by Mason in his college career

316.1

Rushing yards per game by Georgia Tech this season (Fourth in the NCAA)

49

Weeks since the Falcons’ last road-win

PREP SPORTS

HOOCH TRIPLETS INK WITH DAWGS

BY RICKY DIMON AND CRAIG SAGER II

set of triplets is on its way to the University A of Georgia. Chattahoochee High School swimmers Jay, Kevin and Mick Litherland last

week signed national letters of intent to join the Bulldogs.

Jay, a member of the United States National Junior Team in the individual medley events, was the bronze medalist in the 400yard individual medley at the Junior Nationals in August. Kevin is a member of the United States National Junior Team in the 1500 freestyle. He was the bronze medalist in the 1500 freestyle at the Junior Nationals. Mick was a finalist at the Junior Nationals in the 200 butterfly and the 400 individual medley. He has also been recognized as a Scholastic All-American.

Chattahoochee finished runner-up to Parkview

Score Atlanta Football Rankings PRE-PLAYOFFS

in Class AAAAAA last year and its next meet is on Dec. 7 against Milton and Northview.

“We are extremely excited about having these three young men join us,” Georgia head coach Jack Bauerle said in a university press release. “They are all great swimmers, and they are highly thought of in the swimming world nationally. Each one is a talented young man, and they will have a profound effect on our program, particularly at the NCAAs level.

They all had extremely successful summers, and they are all on their way up. I am looking forward to seeing what they do for Georgia and for themselves.”

St. Pius X is also sending two male swimmers to Georgia, as Gunnar Bentz and Basil Orr inked national letters of intent. Bentz owns six

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

Class AAAAAA

Class AAAA

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

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

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

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

individual school records for the Golden Lions in freestyle, butterfly and medley events. He is part of three school-record relay teams, two of which also feature Orr (the 200 freestyle and the 400 freestyle).

As for in-water developments over the past week, Pope hosted the Greyhound Invite last Saturday and it swept the boys and girls meets. Sixteen schools participated in the event, but the Greyhounds had too much speed for all other competitors. The Pope girls edged runner-up Woodstock 452-439.5 while West Forsyth came in third with 426.5 points.

Pope, Woodstock and West Forsyth also finished one-two-three on the boys’ side. The Greyhound boys won by a more comfortable margin of 452-284 in part due to the efforts of Tyler Garvey, who finished second in the 100 and 200 freestyle, swam the opening leg of a 200 freestyle relay win and paced his team to second in the 200 medley relay.

ON THE MATS ...

Defending dual and traditional Class AAAAA state champion Pope was dominant this weekend in the Winder-Barrow duals with nine wrestlers finishing 5-0. Mack Haskin, Josh Tazzetta, Sam Skinner, Tyler Haskin, Jake Adcock, T.J. Collins, Davis Burson, Jake Henson and Zeke Weber each went unbeaten. The

Greyhounds scored a 66-12 edge over West Hall and also rolled through Apalachee (6912), Winder-Barrow (77-0) and East Hall (6012) en route to the finals where they topped North Hall 54-7.

The Greyhounds finished second in the Trojan Invitational to open the season. Beating the Greyhounds in the Trojan Invitational was Class AAAAAA defending dual and traditional champion Archer, which earned 263 points over Pope’s 254.

Chattahoochee entered the rankings after dominating the Cherokee Duals this weekend with a 4-0 performance and first-place finish as the 2013 Suzuki Warrior Rumble Champions. In pool play Brookwood, a very strong duals team, beat Morgan County 49-27 and Walton 51-27. In the semifinals, the Broncos were outmatched by the Cougars and fell 5029. Brookwood wrestled Marietta for the thirdplace trophy and won 56-12.

Defending Class AAA dual state champion Banks County moved to 3-0 at home this season with wins over East Jackson (80-0), Rabun Gap (78-6) and Cartersville (63-18). A total of 12 Leopard wrestlers went undefeated in their first three matches.

Photos courtesy of Kathy Cioffi, Sonny Kennedy and The Athletic Image.

Class AAA

Class A-Private

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Score Atlanta/AJC Basketball Rankings AAAAAA Boys

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

AAAAA Boys

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

AAAA Boys

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

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AAA Boys

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

AA Boys

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

A Boys

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

AAAAAA Girls

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

AAAAA Girls

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

AAAA Girls

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

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AAA Girls

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

AA Girls

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

A Girls

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1 ..................... St. Francis 2 ............. Holy Innocents’ 3 ..... SW Atlanta Christian 4 .............. Randolph-Clay 5 ................... Calvary Day 6 ....................Gordon Lee 7 .....George Walton Acad.

8 .......... Wilkinson County 9 ......................Darlington 10 .............. Towns County

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UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA

MASON READY TO FACE GEORGIA TECH

BY CHRIS NIEMAN | CNIEMAN@SCOREATL.COM

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his past Saturday the Georgia Bulldogs (7-4, 5-3) lost veteran signal-caller, Aaron Murray, for the remainder of the season due to an ACL tear in his left knee. The injury occurred in his last start between the hedges at Sanford Stadium against the Kentucky Wildcats. On Murray’s longest run of the year, the quarterback made a sudden cut back up the field and that is when he sustained the injury. Murray had surgery this week to repair his knee.

Georgia head coach Mark Richt addressed the severity of the injury on Sunday.

“When the MRI was done, the only injury that he sustained was an ACL injury,” Richt explained. “It’s not like he added cartilage damage or bone chips; nothing like that. From what I understand, it was his ACL, so it was pretty clean in that regard. It was a non-contact injury resulting from a change in direction, and that’s when it happened.”

GEORGIA STATE

SOFTBALL STARS ON AND OFF THE FIELD

BY CHRIS SCHUTTER | CSCHUTTER@SCOREATL.COM

he Panthers softball team encourages a T unique team-building opportunity through the Panther Challenge. Head coach Roger

Kincaid and his staff divide the team into two groups and they compete in a variety of events.

According to Kincaid, the competitions range from weightlifting and conditioning to climbing the rock wall or a Halloween costume contest.

It shows how to come together as a team and bring out the best in one another.

It’s been effective as the Panthers have gone 7-1 in the fall, their only loss to reigning ACC champion Florida State. They scored 65 runs while only allowing 18 over the eight games. Kincaid says it helped them mentally feel like they weren’t overmatched, letting them come in and compete like they belong here.

ANOTHER LOSS …

Georgia State football lost its 11th straight game last Saturday with a heartbreaking defeat to Arkansas State. The Panthers lost 35-33 on the road for their fourth loss of the season

MASON’S TURN …

The next man in line to replace Murray is redshirt junior Hutson Mason. Mason has certainly earned his keep at Georgia and he has an opportunity to show his coaching staff along with the Georgia faithful what they may have in store for the 2014 campaign. The next two starts are essentially a preview of what could be.

“He’s been through a lot of games and a lot of gameplans,” Richt said of Mason. “He’s gone through the mental process of watching game film afterwards. Obviously, he’s played a little bit here and there along the way, so he does have experience, but as far as being a starter, this will be his first start. I’m sure there will be some excitement. I’m sure he’s not really wanting to have it in this circumstance, but he knows he’s ready, and I’m sure he’ll do a good job preparing like he always does.”

CLEAN, OLD-FASHIONED HATE …

The Yellow Jackets won the inaugural game against the Bulldogs in 1906. However, this series has not been much of a rivalry in the past decade. Before Richt came in to the picture in 2001, the Dawgs had lost three consecutive contests to the Jackets for the first time since 1961, 1962 and 1963. Richt came to Athens in 2001 and has won 11 of 12 against Tech. Kickoff is slated for Saturday at 3:30pm on ABC.

by seven or fewer points.

Albert Wilson did all he could, including forcing a turnover while on offense. After a Panthers fumble, Arkansas State’s Kyle Coleman scooped the ball and looked clear to get a touchdown, but Wilson punched the ball out into the endzone for a touchback. On the ensuing play, Wilson ran the ball 80 yards for a touchdown—the longest run in Georgia State history. The Panthers even executed a halfback pass in which former quarterback Kelton Hill caught the pitch from Ronnie Bell and then connected with Wilson on a 70-yard bomb for a touchdown. Down two with two minutes to go, Bell overthrew Wilson in the endzone on a two-point conversion attempt and Arkansas State ran out the clock to win the game.

Georgia State plays Alabama State in the last game of the season at the Georgia Dome this Saturday.

FAMILY AFFAIR …

Monday’s men’s basketball game was a family affair as Georgia State’s Ron and R.J. Hunter faced another father-son duo in Canisius’ Jim and Billy Baron. Last week to open the NIT Season Tipoff, the Panthers lost to Alabama 75-58 after routing McNeese State 96-70. In their matchup with Canisius on Monday, the Panthers fell 79-71 thanks in large part to going 3-of-20 from three-point range.

Redshirt junior Ryan Harrow had 23 points in the loss and Canisius’ Baron hit 8-of-14 from the floor for 26 points.

GEORGIA TECH

GEORGIA WEEK IS HERE; VOLLEYBALL WINS ON SENIOR NIGHT

BY STEPHEN BLACK | SBLACK@SCOREATL.COM

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t’s “Hate Week” in Georgia. That’s the “clean, old-fashioned” variety for those of you unfamiliar with the Tech-Georgia football rivalry.

The programs meet on the gridiron Saturday at Bobby Dodd Stadium for the 108th time.

The Jackets have won just once in the past 12 meetings and have lost four straight since their last win against the Bulldogs, which came in 2008.

However, the Jackets have had much more success in conference play, as they finished the season 5-3 in the ACC and have now enjoyed winning seasons in ACC play for 19 consecutive years, the longest active streak in the nation.

The Jackets enter the Georgia game off a 66-7 blasting of Alabama A&M Saturday on the Flats. Tech roared to a 52-0 half-time edge on the overmatched Bulldogs. Six different Jackets scored in the first half (Synjyn Days, Zach Laskey, Robert Godhigh, Quayshawn Nealy, David Sims and Matt Connors) and an-

KENNESAW STATE

HOOPS TEAM DROPS ONE, ADDS ASSISTANT

BY BRIAN JONES | BJONES@SCOREATL.COM

he men’s basketball team looked to get its T third win of the year against IPFW on Sunday afternoon. And despite a strong second-

half performance in which the Owls outscored the Mastadons 37-36, it was not enough as they came up short 76-66.

IPFW jumped on the Owls early as it started the game with a 17-5 run. The Owls were able to cut the deficit to single digits right before the half, but that would be as close as they would get as the Mastadons held on to a 10-point lead the majority of the second half.

“As a coach I have to have our guys ready to play,” Kennesaw State head coach Lewis Preston told ksuowls.com. “I’m going to give IPFW credit; they did what we talked about before the game. They were the most defensive team we’ve played these first seven games and they played just like that.”

Nigel Pruitt led the Owls with 15 points and five rebounds. Orlando Coleman had nine points and seven rebounds while Yonel Brown scored 11 points and also had seven assists. The loss dropped the Owls to 2-5. They faced Tru-

other, Tim Byerly, scored in the fourth quarter.

The Yellow Jackets dominated the line of scrimmage by rushing for 428 yards while holding A&M to 47. Tech only threw six passes and completed two for just 48 yards. The Bulldogs passed for 205.

Sims led all rushers with 111 yards while Broderick Snoddy had 69, Byerly had 52 and Dennis Andrews contributed 51.

Jabari Hunt-Days led the Jackets’ defense with five tackles, a sack and a forced fumble.

ON THE COURT ...

Tech’s volleyball squad defeated Syracuse 3-2 on Senior Night on the Flats. With the win, Tech improved to 12-18 overall and 6-12 in the ACC.

“What a special weekend for our four seniors; four very special people,” head coach Tonya Johnson told RamblinWreck.com. “For them to finish their career at home 2-0 and it be senior weekend, I’m proud of those four. I’m proud of the effort that the team gave for them and they should be very proud of themselves for the effort they gave this weekend, going 2-0. It’s certainly something to build on.”

Chanell Clark-Bibbs led the Jackets with five aces while freshman Annika Van Gunst had four. Jennifer Percy led Tech with 20 kills.

The Yellow Jackets end their regular season on the road next week at Miami (Wed.) and Florida State (Fri.).

ett-McConnell on Tuesday, but results were not available before this went to print. That was the final home game for the Owls until they return to the Convocation Center in January.

NEW BASKETBALL COACH …

KSU announced on Monday that the men’s basketball team hired Mike Scutero as its newest assistant coach. Scutero joins the Owls with nine years of coaching experience in the college ranks. He spent the last four seasons at Middle Tennessee State and before that he spent five years at Odessa College in Texas.

“We’re very excited to have Mike as part of our staff,” Preston said of his new assistant.

“His prior experience, most recently at Middle Tennessee State, will be invaluable to us as well as his recruiting connections in the southeast and southwest.”

Scutero started his coaching career at Lake Howell High School in Winter Park, Fla. He helped the school earn five state playoff appearances in seven seasons.

VOLLEYBALL NEWS …

The volleyball team took part in the Atlantic Sun Championships last Thursday at the Convocation Center. They could not get past the first round, falling to Lipscomb 3-1. Kelly Marcineck led the Owls with 14 kills and 14 digs while Cierra Royster had 11 kills. The Owls will conclude the 2013 season with a match against Georgia in Athens on Friday.

Vol. 9 Iss. 27 | Nov. 29 - Dec. 5, 2013 ATLANTA HAWKS

KORVER NOT JUST ABOUT LONG-RANGE SHOTS

BY JAY UNDERWOOD | JUNDERWOOD@SCOREATL.COM

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yle Korver’s streak is at 87 straight games with a three-pointer made which is two shy of the record. The streak is impressive, but most people get caught up in his ability to shoot the ball. What gets lost in his game is his overall basketball IQ. This season, he has been playing with the starting unit at the shooting guard and is a key to coach Mike Budenholzer’s offense.

Korver’s ability to shoot helps stretch the floor since defenders have to stay out on the perimeter to defend his open looks. His range allows for alleys in the defense that guards Lou Williams and Jeff Teague can drive through creating options under the basket. If the defender digs down then Korver is open for the shot, but if he stays outside, then the help defender has to leave his man allowing for an easy dump-off pass to a post player for the layup. He also moves well without the ball, set-

ATLANTA BRAVES

MCCANN BOLTS FOR THE BRONX

BY RICKY DIMON | RDIMON@SCOREATL.COM

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o the surprise of absolutely no one, the Yankees inked former Atlanta Braves’ catcher Brian McCann to a five-year, $85 million deal last Saturday. Those are more years and more dollars than the Braves were ever going to give the Athens native, who spent nine years with the franchise.

During his tenure in Atlanta, McCann hit .277 to go along with a .473 slugging percentage and a .823 OPS. He hit at least 20 home runs seven times, including in each of the past six seasons. McCann’s best year came in 2008, when he batted .301 with 23 homers, 87 RBIs and 68 runs scored. Not unlike many of his teammates, McCann struggled in this season’s divisional playoff series against the Dodgers. In the last four games of his stint with the Braves, McCann went 0-for-13.

HUDSON’S NOTE …

McCann is the Braves’ second free agent to leave this offseason for a more lucrative contract. Tim Hudson signed a two-year, $23

ting screens and running off picks to help the ball move more fluidly through the offense.

On the defensive end of the floor, many people focus on his inability to defend most of the quicker guards one on one. However, Korver does have a knack for placing himself in passing lanes and using active hands to come up with steals that lead to points on the fast break.

He also plays great help defense and shows on screens allowing the primary defender to catch up and defend the ball. While the biggest part of his game is the three ball, he does provide other assets to the team that have helped them maintain the No. 2 spot in the Southeastern Division behind the Miami Heat.

SWEET LOU ...

The longer that Lou Williams is back, the better his chemistry with the reserve unit will be. Since most of the bench are in their first season with the Hawks, it has taken some time for them to develop the understanding it takes to effectively run an offense designed around players looking ahead and knowing where their teammates will be before they get there. He is also getting back to game speed and should see some of his limitations lifted as the season goes along. This will allow for another dimension for a team that already has an effective offense.

million deal with the San Francisco Giants last week. Hudson spent nine seasons in Atlanta and had a huge impact both on the field and off it through his Hudson Family Foundation. Upon his departure, he wrote a note to fans printed in the Atlanta Journal Constitution last Saturday.

“It’s hard to find a good starting place,” it read. “My goal is to genuinely thank everyone who had a hand in making my time as a member of the Atlanta Braves some of the best that I’ve ever had, and to attempt to convey the true depth of my gratitude…. Winning divisional championships, clinching playoff spots, hitting the “occasional” home run and winning my 200th game were just a few of my favorite memories in a Braves uniform. But nothing compares with the memories that I have of meeting and spending time with some remarkable children and families fighting battles much bigger than the game of baseball…. Thank you…everyone…for an unforgettable nine seasons as part of the Atlanta Braves organization. It will always be a significant part of who I am, both as a baseball player and as a person.”

DELIVERY MAN OF THE YEAR …

Craig Kimbrel was named Major League Baseball’s Delivery Man of the Year last Thursday. He is the first Atlanta player to win the award, which has been given annually since 2005 to baseball’s best closer. Kimbrel compiled a 1.21 ERA while converting 50 of 54 save opportunities.

ATLANTA FALCONS

FALCONS FACE BILLS IN CANADA

BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

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unday will mark the first time in franchise history that the Falcons will step outside the United States to play a regular-season game. The 4-7 Buffalo Bills await the 2-9 Falcons for a Week 13 matchup in Toronto’s Rogers Centre.

The Bills have played eight times in Rogers Centre, including five regular-season games and three preseason games since 2008. They have struggled with a 1-4 regular-season record in the series. Their only win came in 2011 against the Redskins (23-0). Last season, Seattle beat Buffalo 50-17 in the Sky Dome.

Buffalo comes off a bye week and a 3714 beatdown of the New York Jets in the week prior. Quarterback E.J. Manuel returned to the starting lineup from injury and completed 20 of 28 passes for 245 yards and two touchdowns (121.9 QBR). While Manuel puts pressure on Atlanta’s pass defense, Buffalo’s seventh-ranked rushing attack features a rotating backfield with C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson.

GWINNETT GLADIATORS

GLADS STRUGGLE AGAINST DIVISION FOES

BY JOE DEIGHTON | JDEIGHTON@SCOREATL.COM

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ontinuing the trend this season, the Gwinnett Gladiators lost three of four games against division rivals Greenville and South Carolina. Goaltender Peter Delmas had 33 saves in the loss to the Greenville Road Warriors at Gwinnett Arena last Saturday night. The game was scoreless after one period, but Greenville took over in the second period, scoring three goals on the way to a 3-0 win over the Glads.

The power play has been hapless this season for Gwinnett and it looked the same way on Saturday, as the Glads went 0-for-6 on the man-advantage. Gwinnett was shutout for the second time in the past five games. As a team, Gwinnett has scored a total of six power play goals in 17 games.

TRANSACTIONS …

Goalie Chris Rawlings was recalled from AHL Portland last week. In six games with Gwinnett this season, Rawlings has posted a

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Wideout Steve Johnson is expected to return from his groin injury and can play at a Pro Bowl level. Kiko Alonso, a rookie linebacker who has 10 tackles for loss, 112 total tackles and a team-high four interceptions, leads Buffalo on the defensive side of the ball. Mario Williams has a team-high 11.0 sacks this season and will require attention all game from a Falcons offensive line that allowed a season-high 5.0 sacks last week in a 17-13 loss to New Orleans.

DRIVE SLOW …

While Atlanta has been an explosive in the past, the strength of this team remains its ability to put together long drives. Atlanta opened the New Orleans game with a physical 10-play, 76-yard drive that resulted in Steven Jackson’s first rushing touchdown of the season. Atlanta has scored 19 times on its 26 drives this season that have lasted more than 10 plays and the Falcons’ 89 points on 10-play drives are the third most in the league.

Since 2008, Atlanta has scored on 81.4 percent of its 10-play drives (134 of 167), which ranks second in the NFL. Atlanta was held scoreless in the second half against the Saints, but when Matt Ryan had time he was on target. Ryan completed 30 of 39 passes, including a stretch of 11 straight, and finished with a season-high 76.9 completion percentage against New Orleans.

1-5 record with a .879 save percentage. Meanwhile, forward Elgin Pearce was claimed off of waivers. Earlier this season while with the Road Warriors, Pearce scored two goals and added two assists in 10 games. He has two shots on goal through two games with the Gladiators.

A familiar face is back with Gwinnett as Louis Domingue was recalled from Portland after three games in the AHL. Domingue was the starter for the Gladiators last year during their run to the playoffs and also in the postseason. In 44 games last year, Domingue posted five shutouts, including two in the playoffs.

Domingue should settle in as the starter for now, but he could be recalled to the AHL or the NHL’s Phoenix Coyotes, if need be.

THANKSGIVING SHOWDOWN …

The Gladiators will host the Evansville IceMen on Thanksgiving evening. Evansville comes in with an 8-3-0-3 record, good enough to rank fifth in the ECHL’s Eastern Conference.

Former Gwinnett head coach Jeff Pyle is now at the helm with the IceMen after they finished in last place a year ago. This will be the first of three straight games against Evansville, all of which will be played at Gwinnett Arena.

The Glads will have to keep forward Matt Schepke in check if they want to have success against Evansville. Schepke leads the IceMen with six goals and eight assists in 14 games this season.

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