Score Atlanta Vol. 11 Issue 34

Time to look great!

VOLUME 11 ISSUE 34 | OCTOBER 15-21, 2015

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YOUR SOURCE FOR SPORTS IN GEORGIA

A Well Respected Man | Pg. 4 Dan Mathews reflects on the great Steve Spurrier following his retirement.

Tired of Waiting For You | Pg. 9 Kyle Sandy hits up Gwinnett County media day as basketball season quickly approaches.

COME DANCING Week 9 provides region rivals first opportunity to clench postseason berths. | Pg. 6

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Earn a salary and money for your education while you gain the strength to stand out. Visit your local Army Career Counselor today or visit us online at goarmy.com/bs02

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Vol. 11 Iss. 34 | October 15-21, 2015

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

MANAGING EDITOR Craig Sager II

ASST. MANAGING EDITOR Kyle Sandy MARKETING/ Lauren Goldstein PARTNERSHIP DIRECTOR JUNIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER Rhonda Rawls

BUSINESS MANAGER Marvin Botnick

BEAT WRITERS: Colin Hubbard (GA Tech) Dan Mathews (UGA) Craig Sager II (Falcons)

Kyle Sandy (Transfer Corner, GSU, Hawks)

Ned Kaish (Kennesaw, Braves)

STAFF WRITERS Tyler Andrews

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Copyright 2015 Score Atlanta Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved. Score Atlanta is published in print every other week on Fridays and a digital version is posted to ScoreAtl.com in-between print issues. Views expressed in Score Atlanta are not necessarily the opinion of Score Atlanta, its staff or advertisers. Score Atlanta does not knowingly accept false or misleading editorial content or advertising nor is Score Atlanta responsible for the content or claims of any advertising or editorial in this publication. No content (articles, photographs, graphics) in Score Atlanta may be used for reproduction without written permission from the publisher.

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TYLER TELLS ALL

BREAKING SPORTS’ MOST WELL-KNOWN CURSES

BY TYLER ANDREWS | INFO@SCOREATL.COM

n sports, superstition is a fan’s way of feeling IThere like they have a role in the outcome of a game. are those people that feel that sitting

in the same seat each game will propel their team to victory. Others turn watching their team lose into a season-long reason to use Tivo. These are the fans that believe that if they tape the game and watch it after the outcome has already been decided, then they have done their part in allowing their team to win.

Athletes also take superstition seriously.

The most common example comes during the postseason. In every major professional sport, the playoff beard seems to hit the locker room. Groups of teammates will grow out their beards to extreme lengths until they are eliminated or win a title. Whether it is the NHL, MLB, NFL, or even the NBA thanks to James Harden, this playoff beard signifies the super-

stition living inside these athletes. But why is superstition such a big deal in sports? Often times it has to do with breaking a curse.

BREAKING IT DOWN

The word ‘curse’ is an Old English term that means “a formula or charm intended to cause such misfortune to another.” Whether you believe in curses or not, there is a long history of the word that comes out in many different occasions in society.

The Presidents of the United States face Tecumseh’s Curse, which from 1840-1980 killed seven out of nine presidents elected on year’s divisible by 20.

The 27 Club is a curse that identifies famous musicians who died at the age of 27. This club has claimed upwards of 50 people including Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain, and

DAN’S DOCKETT

STEVE SPURRIER: THERE WILL NEVER BE ANOTHER LIKE HIM

BY DAN MATHEWS | INFO@SCOREATL.COM

can truly say that today is a sad day. Yes, Steve Spurrier hasn’t departed us on this Earth.

IHowever, we will no longer be able to see or

hear what made him who he is. Whether it was his words, actions, or the looks that he would make on the sidelines, we all had an opinion of the “Head Ball Coach.” Many hated him and many more loved him.

He was the prototypical “love ‘em if you’re with them or hate ‘em if you’re against him” type of guy.

THE VISOR Many coaches in football have chosen this hat as their headwear of choice on game day’s, but none made it iconic like Steve Spurrier. Much like Tom Landry or Bear Bryant made the fedora famous, Spurrier did the same with a hat half that size.

It wasn’t so much that Spurrier wore the

visor, as to what he would do with it. On plays or calls that didn’t go his way, we would sometimes see him throw it to the ground. Other times, we might see him give the visor a huge tug down over his eyes to show his disgust.

The visor is so iconic, that they even came out with his own collection of them at South Carolina. I should know, because I bought one on my first trip to cover a game in Columbia.

ONE-LINERS

During this time of remembering the career of Steve Spurrier, you cannot look over what made him different from other coaches.

In the age of “coach speak,” the HBC was a breath of fresh air.

He had his way of “trolling” the rivals.

When he was at Florida- it was Georgia, Tennessee and Florida State. At South Carolina it was Georgia and Clemson.

Amy Whinehouse.

And of course there are sports curses.

Perhaps the most famous is the ‘Curse of the Billy Goat.’

Legend has it that the Curse of the Billy Goat started in 1945 when Billy Sianis, the owner of the Billy Goat Tavern in Chicago, was asked to leave Game 3 of the World Series at Wrigley Field because his pet goat’s smell was bothering fans. Upon his departure, he was outraged and said that the Cubs would never win another World Series title.

They went on to lose the series and so began years and years of troubling seasons for the Cubbies. From 1946-1983 the team did not reach the postseason once. Since 1983, they have made it to October only six times, never reaching a World Series.

So how do you break this curse?

On opening day in both 1984 and 1989, the nephew of Sianis was asked to bring a goat out onto Wrigley Field in an attempt to break the curse. Although the team won the division in those years, they ended without titles.

On multiple occasions, fans have placed the head of a butchered goat on the Harry Carey statue. Maybe animal sacrifice can help this team. In the end, it did not.

If the fans cannot break the curse who can?

The team hired Theo Epstein in 2011 as the president of baseball operations. The man that broke the curse of the bambino in Boston was sure to help the Cubs. Prior to the 2015 season,

they hired manager Joe Maddon who took the Tampa Bay Rays to the World Series in 2008. If there was any doubt in Maddon before the season, the team put that to rest quickly.

The team has a slew of players under the age of 26 that have not only helped the team but have lifted them. Kris Bryant is on his way to winning NL Rookie of the Year. Kyle Schwarber has 16 home runs in just 69 games, including three in five postseason games. Starlin Castro, Addison Russell, and Javier Baez have manned the middle of the infield throughout the season. And, all-star Anthony Rizzo has been the clubhouse leader. Couple that young talent with the 22-6, 1.77 ERA posted by NL Cy Young candidate Arrieta and they have found their recipe for success.

Following the team’s 6-4 victory Tuesday over the St. Louis Cardinals, the Cubs did not only advance the National Championship Series. They also propelled themselves one step closer to finally ending the curse. Chicago fans have seen this story many times before, but this season has just felt different. Many times in sports a winning team feels destiny on their side. All it takes is one Cubs team to break the curse. Once the curse is broken, World Series titles will begin to show up on their doorsteps.

Just ask the Boston Red Sox about that.

Photos courtesy of ComcastSports.net.

Who can forget about his line, “you can’t spell Citrus, without U-T?” He said this in regards to Tennessee going to the Citrus Bowl three out of the four years that Peyton Manning was the quarterback for the Volunteers.

When it came to Georgia, the heavyweight champion of jabs against the Bulldogs came with this line, ”I don’t know. I sort of always liked playing them that second game because you could always count on them having two or three key players suspended.”

This upset Georgia fans, but it didn’t really upset their head coach Mark Richt. He even admitted during his Tuesday press conference that he’d get a laugh out of them.

“He was fun to compete against because you just never know what was going to happen or you never knew what he might say,” Richt said. “Some people got real bent out of shape with a lot of things he said. I never really did.

I just figured, the thing I liked the most about Coach Spurrier, and as far as a relationship as a fellow head coach, is that he was always just honest about everything. What he was saying is what he was thinking, and he wasn’t going to pull any punches one way or another. I appreciated that about him. So I didn’t always agree with everything he said (laughing) but I never really took anything too personally if he was trying to have little fun here and there.”

Who could forget about his most famous jab at Florida State? “You know what FSU stands for, don’t you? Free Shoes University.”

Then of course, Clemson wouldn’t be left

out on the fun. If you’ve ever seen the Kenny Chesney documentary about Spurrier that aired on the SEC Network, you’ll remember this scene. There was a Chesney concert in Columbia, in which Spurrier took to the microphone on stage to deliver a message.

“To all the Clemson fans out there… It’s only just beginning.”

This came after the 2006 meeting between South Carolina and Clemson, with the Gamecocks winning 31-28. Spurrier won five of the next eight games against the Tigers.

THE WINNING

His career record on the college level was 228-89-2. That means he won about 71 percent of the games he coached on that level.

Who can also forget about the eight SEC East titles, six SEC Championship wins, one ACC Championship at Duke and one National Championship in 1996 at Florida?

He also won Coach of the Year, SEC Player of the Year and first-team All-American honors two years in a row. He also won THE trophy, the Heisman in 1966 with the Gators.

There is no doubt that Saturday’s just won’t be the same without Spurrier’s mannerisms on display. There might still be some that have the same characteristics he has, but there will never be another one like Steve Spurrier.

Photo courtesy of AP Images.

Vol. 11 Iss. 34 | October 15-21, 2015

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SCORE ATLANTA | www.ScoreAtl.com a 172-102 record over his time on West Paces Ferry Road.

Senior quarterback Rankin Woley runs the show on offense and lines up at linebacker on defense. In last week’s 49-16 win over Decatur, Woley threw two touchdowns, ran for one and also intercepted a pass. The slippery 5-foot-5 junior Zay Malcome may be an x-factor in Fridays’ game if he can slip through some tackles and find a crease. Malcome showed off his homerun ability last week with an 85-yard touchdown run and an 8-yard trip for six.

The game will be streamed live Friday night at ScoreAtl.com.

ON THE COVER

COVER STORY

TOP-RANKED TITANS VISIT RIVAL WILDCATS IN GAME OF THE WEEK

BY KYLE SANDY AND CRAIG SAGER II

NO. 1 BLESSED TRINITY (6-0) AT WESTMINSTER (3-3)

Coming off a 12-2 season, which was the most wins in school history since 1978, the Westminster Wildcats have stumbled to a .500 record through the first six games of the season. Losses to Laney, Elbert County and Therrell have marred the Cats season, but anything goes when facing Blessed Trinity.

After winning five straight over a young and growing Blessed Trinity program, spanning from 2006-10, the Wildcats have dropped four straight meetings from ’11-14. Last season both teams enjoyed banner years, with the Titans eclipsing the double digit win mark for the first time with a school-record 13 wins before suffering their only loss of the season in a 28-17 defeat to eventual state runner-up Washington County in the semifinals.

The Titans held off the visiting Wildcats 23-11 in 2014 in a series that has recently been dominated by defense, with the winning team not cracking the 30-point barrier since Westminster did in 2009’s 35-7 rout. In last year’s game, Blessed Trinity quarterback,

now a senior, Conor Davis threw for 168 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Davis will once again power the state’s top-ranked team’s offense with seniors Milton Shelton and Garrett Dupuis leading the charge on the ground.

So far this season, Davis has thrown for over 600 yards and has completed over 54 percent of his passes. Junior Colin Davis is Conor’s favorite target and leads the team in catches and receiving yards with over 300.

Through the first five games of the season, Shelton carried 68 times for 637 yards and 11 touchdowns. On defense it’s Dupuis and fellow senior Logan Craighead leading the team in tackles.

Now in his fifth season as head coach, Tim McFarlin is trying to add another state championship to his mantle after winning a share of the 5A title in 2006 when his Roswell Hornets tied 14-14 with Peachtree Ridge in the Georgia Dome.

Westminster is led by veteran head coach Gerry Romberg, who is now in year 24 at the helm of the Wildcats. Romberg has amassed

BEST OF THE REST In Region 5-AAAAAA, Woodstock will try to keep its playoff hopes alive with a critical trip to Walton. Roswell sits atop the Region, where Walton is in position for the No. 2 seed.

Etowah, Wheeler, Lassiter, Cherokee Woodstock and Milton are all still alive for the final two playoff berths. Woodstock lost to Wheeler, Etowah and Lassiter and finished the season with Walton, Roswell and Milton. Walton can clinch a playoff berth with a victory and will close out the season with Milton and Cherokee following a bye.

After losing its last two outings with Pope (44-36 in 2014 and 24-16 in 2009), Walton steamrolled the rival Greyhounds 49-10 last Friday, jumping to a 49-0 lead just six minutes into the second quarter. Walton held Pope’s offense to just seven yards in the first half and forced four turnovers. Walton quarterback Addison Shoup ran in a 21-yard touchdown and passed for two scores. Freshman Dominick Blaylock returned a punt for a touchdowns and K.K Brooks ran in two early Walton touchdowns. Walton held a 287-to-7 advantage in first half yardage.

Liam Byrne threw for 340 yards and three touchdowns as Woodstock never trailed in a 37-22 win over Cherokee last Friday.

EAGLE’S LANDING AT LOCUST GROVE

Locust Grove has a chance to make another statement on Friday and possibly move into the Class AAA top 10 for the first time. Locust Grove sits atop Region 4AAAA and quietly moved to 6-0 with another dominating victory last week, 42-13 over Eastside. Champ Leddon did it all on offense for Locust Grove. He totaled three catches for 37 yards and a touchdown. He added three rushes for 57 yards, and he threw a 64-yard halfback pass for a touchdown. Quarterback Cameron Maddox was ef-

ficient passing going 5-of-7 for 75 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed 11 times for 27 yards with two goal line scores. Running back Caleb Huntley rushed for 85 tough yards on 19 carries.

Eagle’s Landing is 4-2 under first-time head coach Shawn Jones and is coming off a buy week that followed the Golden Eagles’ 38-2 win over Hampton. Eagle’s Landing has posted two consecutive eight-win seasons, the highest win total in school history. Locust Grove won last year’s contest 20-17 in overtime and holds a 4-1 all-time edge in the series.

HOUSTON COUNTY AT JONES COUNTY

Top-ranked Houston County visits No. 5 Jones County in a must-see Region 2 showdown. Jones County manhandled Jones County last year, 45-15 before the Greyhounds caught fire. After the loss, Jones County won five straight games before suffering a heatbreaking 44-41 loss to Mays in the state quarterfinal. Houston County dropped region losses to Lakeside-Evans and Northside-Warner Robins last year and was also knocked out in the quarterfinals, by Stockbridge 42-22. Houston County holds a 4-1 all-time record in its series with the Greyhounds. The only loss was a 6342 defeat in 2012.

Photos courtesy of Blessed Trinity, Elisa Herring and HoCoFootball.com.

Leonard Fournette

Josh Dobbs

The Falcons are off to their second 5-0 start in franchise history after a dramatic overtime win over the Washington Redskins on Sunday.

Their last 5-0 start was in 2012 when they finished the season 13-3 and made an appearance in the NFC Championship game.

Fournette has rushed for over 150 yards in every game this season including over 225 yards three times.

Fournette has eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark already after just five games and helped LSU get off to a 5-0 start. He joins 10 other players in college football history to reach 1,000 yards in five games.

The Alpharetta native helped Tennessee upset Georgia over the weekend 38-31.

Dobbs accounted for 430 yards and five touchdowns on his own. For his efforst Dobbs was named the Walter Camp Offensive Player of the Week. Dobbs has 1,469 combined yards and 13 total touchdowns on the season.

By Ned Kaish

WHO’S HOT

Falcons

SCORE LIST

By Ned Kaish

GRIER SUSPENDED

The NCAA has suspended University of Florida starting quarterback Will Grier for the remainder of the 2015 season after failing a drug test that showed a banned substance in his system. Grier, a freshman, had led the Gators to a 6-0 start and had them ranked in Top 10 going into their meeting with No. 6 LSU. Grier has thrown for over 1,200 yards and 10 touchdowns.

SPURRIER STEPS DOWN

The Old Ball Coach, Steve Spurrier, resigned this week as the head coach at South Carolina. Spurrier is the South Carolina all-time leader in wins as well as the all-time leader in wins at the University of Florida. The Old Ball Coach is the only college football coach to win a Heisman Trophy and coach a Heisman Trophy winner.

Spurrier was clear in a press conference Tuesday that he was resigning, not retiring.

CUBS MAGIC SEASON CONTINUES

The Chicago Cubs are off to their first NLCS appearance since 2003 after a 6-4 win on Tuesday that clinched the series 3-1 over the Cardinals. The Cubs key to success so far this postseason has been the long ball as the team has 12 home runs through five games. Chicago will have an extra day to rest as the Mets and Dodgers battle it out in Game 5 of the other NLDS series.

MICHEL TIME IN ATHENS

Sophomore running back Sony Michel will get his chance to show that he can be an every down back. With the loss of Nick Chubb to a broken leg for the rest of the year Michel will likely become the workhorse for the Bulldogs.

After Chubb’s injury on the first play of the game, Michel stepped up and rushed for 145 yards on 22 carries. 10 more carries than his previous season high. Michel has seven total touchdowns on the season.

FALCONS PREP FOR SHORT WEEK

The Atlanta Falcons have a short turnaround after their dramatic overtime win on Sunday. The team will travel to New Orleans to take on the Saints in an NFC South matchup. A win for the Falcons would move the team to 6-0 and all but bury the Saints chances of a playoff appearance this season. Star wide receiver Julio Jones is nursing a hamstring injury but is expected to play.

WHO’S NOT

Vol. 11 Iss. 34 | October 15-21, 2015

Georgia’s college football

Matt Stafford

USC Football

Georgia, Georgia Tech, and Georgia State all lost this weekend. The teams are a combined 6-9 on the season. Kennesaw State was the lone winner this weekend with Georgia Southern having the week off. UGA, GT, and GSU are all on current losing skids.

The former University of Georgia quarterback was benched in the Detroit Lion’s week five loss to the Arizona Cardinals 35-7. The loss moves the Lions to 0-5 and the only team in the NFL without a win. Stafford on the season has only six touchdowns to his eight interceptions.

After a tough loss to Washington on Thursday night the Trojans moved to 3-2 on the season, a season in which they were expected to compete for a playoff spot. Making matters worse, head coach Steve Sarkisian took an indefinite leave of absence after he showed up to the facility Sunday still intoxicated.

NUMBERS

OUR TWO CENTS

By Ned Kaish

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

WHO IS THE ONLY OTHER FLORIDA STATE RUNNING BACK BESIDES CURRENT FALCON DEVONTA FREEMAN THAT RUSHED FOR 1,000 YARDS IN A SEASON? ANSWER ON PAGE 12

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SANITY AT LAST

“I thought today was a really clear demonstration of our toughness, grit, and a mindset to finish today”

- Dan Quinn after Atlanta’s overtime win against Washington.

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NFL teams who are below 90% on extra points this season.

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Remaining unbeaten teams in Class AAAAAA, including two regions with two undefeated teams.

71

Total rushing yards for Georgia Tech and their triple option attack in Saturday’s loss to Clemson.

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Receptions for Falcons tight end Jacob Tamme who tallied 94 yards as Matt Ryan’s favorite target on Sunday.

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Pass yards in Texas upset of No. 10 Oklahoma, however the Longhorns did post 313 yards on the ground.

91

Total carries for UGA running backs Sony Michel and Keith Marshall, they will be replacing Nick Chubb and his 92 carries.

8 11

Rushing touchdowns by Devonta Freeman this season.

Total rushing touchdowns by the Falcons all of last season.

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PREP SPORTS

GWINNETT COUNTY MEDIA DAY RECAP

BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

O

ctober 13 was Gwinnett County Media Day for the upcoming basketball season which starts in less than a month. Norcross High School held the event in its Media Center and coaches, players and of course members of the media filed in. It’s rare to have as much great talent – coaches and players – in the same location at once, making the event one that couldn’t be missed.

To wrap up the event, three-star forward and rising prospect, Shiloh’s Josh Okogie, took the stage to announce that he is committing to Georgia Tech.

At the event, four schools were seated at different tables across the room, ready to give access to the media that would approach them. The event started around 3:15 p.m. and lasted till after 6:30.

GETTING THE SCOOP

I had a chance to talk with a handful of coaches to figure out what each team’s outlook is heading into the 2015 season. With such a big county and schools as to close to each other as they are, one of the major storylines heading into Media Day was the movement of transfers in the area.

At least 13 transfers are expected to make impacts right away. One program that was hit hard by the moving van was Duluth, the Wildcats coming off a 20-9 season with two seniors graduating and key juniors Anthony Showell (St. Francis) and AJ Cheeseman (Collins Hill) transferring away for their final season.

Coach Eddie Hood kept a positive outlook for the upcoming season and even said there might be some “addition by subtraction” regarding the shakeup of the roster. Back is senior

shot blocker Obinna Ofodile and highly-touted incoming freshman, 6-foot-10 Alex Powell, is expected to make a major impact right away.

Hood described Powell as a high-major prospect that already has an advanced skill set.

Over at Meadowcreek, new head coach Willie Reese comes over after leading Sandy Creek to a state playoff appearance two consecutive season. Reese didn’t get a lot of time with the program over the summer, but he already envisions the type of team he wants, stating that he “loves” big guards, something that coach Paul Hewitt was known for while at Georgia Tech. Reese said ideally if he could build a roster it would consist of all players ranging from 6-foot-2 to 6-foot-5 which could use their length defensively and pose matchup problems on offense.

At Greater Atlanta Christian, the Spartans welcome home alumni and former two-time region champion from back in his playing days in 1998-2000, coach David Eaton. The early 30’s coach is excited to be back in his stomping grounds but added that he isn’t worried about filling the shoes of the great Eddie Martin. Eaton said that he doesn’t really try to compare himself to Martin or anyone because, “whenever you try and measure yourself up to someone, you usually fall short,” in terms of each coach being different and having their own style.

Junior guard Brian Coffey is expected to have a big season and has spent his time training with specific and situational drills to get better, working on his strength and explosion. Three schools have offered the guard: North Florida, Presbyterian College and UNC-Asheville.

Collins Hill has added three new pieces in AJ Cheeseman, Chris Parks (Lanier) and TeShaun Hightower (Towers), but in attendance were junior guards Max Clark and JD Ozoh.

Devin Watson led the team in scoring from his guard position last year, but has now graduated. Ozoh said he doesn’t feel any pressure to pick up his slack and said that it will be a team effort this year to get the job done.

Berkmar added two new starters to the backcourt in Zach Cooks (Norcross) and Jay Estime (Peachtree Ridge). Coach Greg Phillips says he has about seven guards who are all starter material and now gives the Patriots great depth. Big man Robert Hill, a Duluth transfer, is working to become eligible for the season.

New program Discovery under Cory Cason, feels like they can be competitive starting year one. Cason, a former Norcross assistant, is excited about the chance to build a program and is constantly reminding the kids that “they represent the school” when trying to leave a legacy.

Photos courtesy of Ty Freeman.

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UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA

CHUBB LOST FOR YEAR IN CONSECUTIVE DEFEAT

BY DAN MATHEWS | DMATHEWS@SCOREATL.COM

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or the first time since 2009, the Georgia Bulldogs have found out what life is like to lose to the Tennessee Volunteers following a 38-31 final inside Neyland Stadium. The game could have seemed doomed from the very first play of the game, when sophomore running back Nick Chubb suffered a gruesome knee injury that will sideline him for the remainder of the 2015 season.

In the second quarter, the Bulldogs squandered a 21 point lead, with Tennessee outscoring Georgia 35-7 the rest of the way after Georgia got out to a 24-3 lead.

It was a 39-yard touchdown pass from Alpharetta native Joshua Dobbs to wide receiver Josh Smith. The following kickoff, Georgia running back Sony Michel received the kick and had the football knocked out of his hands.

Tennessee would recover then score on a few plays later when Dobbs found Norcross product Alvin Kamara from two yards out to make it 24-17.

GEORGIA STATE

PANTHERS OFFENSE CAGED VS MOUNTAINEERS

BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

nother season is beginning to slip down the A tubes it seems as Georgia State (1-4, 1-1) was blown out by Appalachian State (4-1, 1-0)

on Saturday at the Dome, 37-3. The Mountaineers led 20-0 before Wil Lutz sank a 25-yard field goal as time expired in the second quarter.

Taylor Lamb outplayed Nick Arbuckle at the quarterback position and led his Mountaineers offense nearly flawlessly. The sophomore from Calhoun, Georgia finished 18-of-24 with 291 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Arbuckle, a senior, went 21-of-37 for 166 yards and an interception.

With Arbuckle struggling to find his groove, the offense fell flat thanks to a lack of a running game to support the aerial attack.

The Panthers managed just 59 yards on 21 carries and Georgia State gained only 225 yards of total offense. On the other side, App State racked up 498 total yards with 207 coming on the ground.

“Hats off to Appalachian State. We got beat by a better football team today,” head

From there, the Vols outscored Georgia 21-7 in the final 30 minutes of the game.

It can be said that the game turned at that point and Michel says that’s why he feels like he is responsible for this loss.

“I kind of want to take this game upon myself,” Michel said. “I felt like we lost this game because of me.”

Michel did finish the game with 145 yards rushing on 22 carries. Plus, he was able to bring in three catches for 26 yards. He became the main running back once Chubb went down with injury.

MISSED OPPORTUNITY

The Bulldogs also had to deal with the dropped potential touchdown pass by junior wide receiver Reggie Davis.

It was an over the shoulder throw to Davis and it would have been a 44 yard touchdown pass to potentially tie the game. It was a dropped pass and Davis was also beating himself up over the play.

“It’s going to be a tough thing to get over,” Davis said. “As of right now, I’m real upset at myself. My team put faith in me and I let them down.”

Davis had three catches for 101 yards and a touchdown catch in the loss. He also took a punt return 70 yards to the end zone.

Now the Bulldogs will get the Missouri Tigers in town, trying to avoid their first threegame losing streak since 2010.

coach Trent Miles said. “They are one of the top teams in the conference and they completely controlled us today. We weren’t able to move the ball on offense and couldn’t stop any of their throwing when they attacked our perimeters.”

A bright spot on the offense continued to be the play of freshman wide receiver Penny Hart, who caught five passes for 47 yards and now has a team-leading 29 receptions worth 440 yards and four scores.

DEFENSIVE WOES

Georgia State’s defense continues to betray a usually competent offense. The Panthers rank 117th in points allowed with a 38.8 average. They rank 15th in passing yards allowed per game (289.4) and give up over 205 yards on the ground. App State’s defensive average now drops to just 11.4 points per game allowed.

Senior linebacker Joseph Patterson finished with 14 tackles on the day and has been steady on defense. Safeties Bobby Baker and Tarris Batiste have been the cornerstones to the back end of the defense and have been tested throughout the season.

Out of GSU’s six class of 2016 commits, three are slated to play on the defensive side of the ball. Cornerback Cedric Stone, defensive end Terry Thomas and defensive tackle Clifford Amazan are all expected to help out the struggling defense. Out of the three, Thomas (Luella) and Amazan (Archer) are local products while Stone hails from Charlotte, North Carolina.

GEORGIA TECH

TIGERS CRUSH TECH’S ACC HOPES

BY COLIN HUBBARD | INFO@SCOREATL.COM

he Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets headed T into their annual match-up with the No. 6 ranked Clemson Tigers last Saturday with the

hopes of getting back in the win column.

The Yellow Jackets were coming off of three straight losses including two ACC conference games and needed a win over the Tigers to get back in the hunt.

However, Clemson made short work of the reeling Yellow Jackets en route to a 43-24 victory in Death Valley.

With the loss, the Yellow Jackets’ losing streak grew to four games, the longest losing streak in school history since the 1996 regular season. Georgia Tech also rushed for the fewest yards since 2008 with 77.

“I’ve never experienced a year like this in my coaching career, being as inept as we are,” Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson said.

“It’s one thing to be physically dominated. It’s another thing to not even give yourselves a chance.”

Georgia Tech came into the game leading the ACC in rushing yards with 308 per game,

KENNESAW STATE

OWLS OFFENSE FLIES HIGH

BY NED KAISH | INFO@SCOREATL.COM

K

ennesaw State wrapped up its fourth win of the season in dominating fashion over Point University 56-17 in a game they led 35-10 at the half. The Owls offense was clicking on all cylinders while they totaled 699 yards of total offense with 391 in the rush game and 308 in the passing game. The 308 yards totals a new program high for pass yards in a game.

The offensive onslaught began early as the Owls, coming off their first loss of the season two weeks ago, jumped out to a 28-0 lead with three of the four touchdowns being passes off the hands of quarterback Trey White.

White would finish the game 9 of 14 passing for 239 yards and three scores while adding 55 yards on 11 rushes and was in total control of the offense.

“With the spread option that we run, my job is to get the ball into the hands of our best

but managed just 56 in the first half.

Marcus Marshall led the Yellow Jackets in rushing with 45 yards on 11 carries while quarterback Justin Thomas managed just three yards on 14 attempts.

Thomas completed 6-of-14 passes for 159 yards and two touchdowns, one to running back Clinton Lynch and the other to wide receiver Ricky Jeune.

The Yellow Jackets were forced to punt seven times on the day and turned the ball over once. Georgia Tech was outgained in total yards by the Tigers, 538 to 230.

Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson completed 21-of-30 throws for 265 yards and two touchdowns while running back Wayne Gallman carried the ball 13 times for 115 yards and two touchdowns.

The Tigers out rushed the Yellow Jackets 202 to 71, something that hasn’t happened all too often in the Johnson era.

“We really don’t have anywhere we can rely on,” Johnson said. “You can’t count on the offense, for sure. You can’t count on the defense, special teams either. So it’s really frustrating.”

Good news for the Yellow Jackets is their second half performances in 2015 have been respectable. Combined, Notre Dame, Duke and Clemson outscored Georgia Tech in last three quarters 62-60.

The inability to score points in the first half have doomed the Yellow Jackets’ season and all but put them out of any chance to win an ACC title in 2015.

receivers and athletes,” White said. “We know if we do our job, the game plan that our coaches put together we work. We just have to lock in.”

Running back Chaston Bennett stole the show totaling four touchdowns on the day as he eclipsed 150 all-purpose yards. Running backs Darnell Holland and Jae Bowen each tacked on a touchdown with Holland’s coming through the air and Bowen’s a 49-yard run.

TENACIOUS DEFENSE

Defensively the Owls continued to be led in the secondary by Derrick Farrow and Taylor Henkle who are tied for the team lead in tackles at 23. Linebacker Anthony Gore Jr. finished the game with two tackles for loss, which brings his season total up to six. The Owls defense has been stingy all season allowing a measly 16.2 points per game and creating 11 turnovers through the first five games.

Kennesaw State will finally dip their toes into conference play this Saturday when they take on Gardner-Webb at Fifth Third Bank Stadium and look to remain unbeaten at home. They will look to compete for a conference championship and knock off co-defending champs Liberty and Coastal Carolina this season.

Vol. 11 Iss. 34 | October 15-21, 2015 ATLANTA HAWKS

TAVARES IMPRESSES IN TWO HAWKS W’S

BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

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tlanta picked up win No. 2 in the preseason on Friday with a 103-93 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans in Jacksonville. Four Hawks reached double figures with Al Horford, Kyle Korver and Kent Bazemore all scoring 10 points while Dennis Schroder led the charge with 11. Sixteen Hawks appeared in the game and 14 scored. Anthony Davis and Tyreke Evans powered the Pellies with 20 and 17 points respectively.

The three-ball was kind to Atlanta as the Hawks drilled 11-of-26. Horford buried two long balls as did Lamar Patterson and Tim Hardaway Jr. New Orleans however, was the hotter side of the two to open the game. The Pelicans led 7-0 out of the gate and would carry a 49-42 lead into the half.

After shooting only 30.8 percent in the first half, the Hawks revved up the offensive attack in the second half and would close the third quarter on a 12-4 run to take a 72-71 advantage into the final period – their first lead of the game.

Atlanta used another 12-4 spurt to gain a 90-82

ATLANTA BRAVES

EXCITING DIVISION SERIES WRAPPING UP

BY NED KAISH | INFO@SCOREATL.COM

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he 2015 MLB playoffs may not have the flair or big name franchises you might expect, but one thing it does have is excitement and young talent. With three of the four series going to a decisive Game 5 it sets up for a postseason with fans on the edge of their seats.

The Chicago Cubs wrapped up their series 3-1 Tuesday night with a win over their division rival the St. Louis Cardinals 6-4. The first time in franchise history that the Cubs had won a clinching game in a series at Wrigley Field. The offense this postseason has been led

by Kyle Schwarber who has three home runs and five RBI’s in the postseason. Pitchter Jake Arietta has been as good as advertised with a 2-0 start including a win in the one game wild card playoff.

The second NLDS series is headed to Game 5 in Los Angeles. The Dodgers gutted out a Game 4 win on the road in Shea Stadium Tuesday night which sets up a Jacob deGrom

lead with 4:58 to play led by four points apiece from Mike Scott and Walter Tavares.

Atlanta will face San Antonio on Wednesday at 8 p.m. at Philips Arena.

VIVA LA TAVARES

Chris Vivlamore of the AJC wrote about rookie Walter Tavares impressing his teammates early on: “Tavares has played some effective minutes for the Hawks in two exhibition games – much to the delight of teammates. ‘It was nice,’ Tavares said Saturday of the reaction of players. Tavares played in Spain last season after the Hawks selected him in the second round of the draft. This year he is getting a chance to play in the NBA. Tavares is averaging 9.5 points and five rebounds in 11 minutes of playing time in wins over the Cavaliers and Pelicans. The 7-foot-3 center is a combined 8 of 10 from the field. He also had two steals, a block and an assist. Several of his plays brought the Hawks’ bench to its feet. Much of Tavares’ playing time has come late in games against second and third units. Still, he’s shown improvement in the step up in competition from his two stints with the Hawks in summer league.”

SAFE BET?

Last Wednesday Las Vegas sportsbooks released updated odds to win the Eastern Conference. The defending Eastern champs Cleveland are 1:4, Chicago is second at 6:1, while Atlanta places third at 9:1.

versus Zack Greinke winner take all Game 5.

Both pitchers are 1-0 in the 2015 postseason.

Adrian Gonzalez and his 5 RBIs have vaulted the Dodgers offense while Daniel Murphy leads the charge for the Mets offense with his two home runs. deGrom will look to recapture some Game 1 magic when he stuck out 13 Dodgers.

AMERICAN LEAGUE In the American League the Rangers jumped up 2-0 in the first two games on the road in Toronto, only to have the Blue Jays sweep the two games in Texas. This sets up a rematch of Game 1 when Cole Hammels and Marcus Stroman dueled it out on the rubber.

Hammels would finish the night with a line that read 7 IP, 2 ER and six strikeouts while outdueling Stroman who finished 7 IP, 3 ER and five strikeouts. Troy Tulowitzki has been the spark plug for the Blue Jays offense as he enters Game 5 with four runs batted in during the postseason.

The Astros, who knocked off the Yankess in the AL Wild Card one game playoff, are looking to keep their World Series hope alive as they travel to Kansas City for the fifth and final game of the series Wednesday night. The pitching matchup will be Johnny Cueto and his five strikeouts in Game 2 for the Royals against the 1-0 Collin McHugh for the Astros.

ATLANTA FALCONS

UNDEFEATED FALCONS OPEN DIVISION PLAY

BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

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he Falcons completed their fourth and most dramatic comeback of the season on Sunday with a 25-19 walk-off overtime win against the visiting Redskins. The clinching play came when Washington received the ball to open overtime and Robert Alford intercepted Kirk Cousins and returned it for a game-winning 59-yard touchdown.

“We never had any doubt.,” Alford said.

“We kept talking to each other and we knew the game wasn’t over. We just went out there, grinded and believed in each other and believed in the coaches and we pulled it out.”

Alford pulled in two interceptions in the win.

SEIZING THE MOMENT

On the offensive side of the ball, running back Devonta Freeman had another gritty performance with 27 carries for 153 yards and one touchdown. He scored his touchdown when it mattered most, on a 6-yard run, that left 24 seconds on the clock.

THE TRANSFER CORNER

GUARDS, GUARDS, GUARDS

BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

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ach week I will highlight some GHSA basketball transfers across the Peach State here at The Transfer Corner.

FALCONS LAND MAJOR TALENT TO BACKCOURT

Hillgrove took a major blow in losing Collin Sexton. The rising junior was a major piece to Hillgrove’s 23-win season and was a big-game performer when the Hawks needed him the most. He will join last season’s state runner up Pebblebrook, who needs to reload after losing Ty Hudson (Clemson), Derek Ogbeide (UGA), Trhae Mitchell and glue guy Kevin Murph.

Sexton will team up with Auburn-bound point guard Jared Harper and will form one of the best back courts in the state.

The Pebblebrook Falcons swooped in late in the transfer scene and landed a potential game changer in the already deep Region 3-AAAAAA picture. Jatrious “JJ” Smith has transferred from E.E. Smith, NC. The four-star guard who is a Top 50 national recruit, was originally slated to play at Word of God Chris-

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“I never get a ball thinking I’m going to loss this play or get negative yards,” Freeman said.

“I’m thinking touchdown every play. Whenever I get the ball, seize the moment.”

Freeman is averaging about five yards per carry to go with seven touchdowns and 362 yards in the past three wins.

The Falcons also started 5-0 in 2012 and ended up going to the NFC Championship.

Wide receiver Roddy White was part of that team and senses similarities with this year’s squad.

“We haven’t been on a roll like this in a couple of years,” White said. “It feels like that year we went 13-3 (2012) and everybody just thought we were going to win every game no matter what it was. That’s the feeling in this locker room, we don’t ever feel like we’re going to get beat. Even times when we put ourselves in a difficult situations, we always feel like we’re going to win the game.”

BIG EASY

Up next for the Falcons was a trip to New Orleans Thursday night to take on the struggling Saints. Atlanta has all six division games left and this will open up NFC South play. The Saints fell to 1-4 last Sunday, with a 39-17 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Atlanta has won two straight over New Orleans, after sweeping the Saints last season.

tian Academy in North Carolina according to the Fayetteville Observer, but on Oct. 7 the news broke that the ultra-talented scorer is coming to Georgia. Last season as a sophomore he averaged 19.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. ACC and SEC schools have been hot after the guard, who gets to the line at will, averaging almost six freethrow attempts a game last year. Smith played with the Southern Stampede of the EYBL which sported the likes of Al Durham (Berkmar) and Jay Estime and Zach Cooks who transferred to Berkmar to play with Durham this year. The addition of Smith makes Pebblebrook the owner of arguably the most talented backcourt in a state that has seen the balance of power shift with each move. Smith, Harper and Sexton are a lethal trio for coach George Washington.

RELOADING THE DYNASTY

ETSU-commit Aaron Augustin (Peachtree Ridge), Tae Hardy (Southwest DeKalb) and Colin Young (Laney) have all landed at Miller Grove to join UConn-commit Alterique Gilbert in the backcourt. Young was a part of the break out Laney Wildcats who won 29 games last year.

The 6-foot-3 guard was named Region 3-AAA Second Team after pitching in 11 points per game.

Augustin poured in 16.6 per contest while in Gwinnett County and Hardy chipped in 16.5 for the crosstown rival Panthers. Joshua Jackmon is a non-transfer to watch who projects to play a major role in a crowded guard rotation.

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Vol. 11 Iss. 34 | October 15-21, 2015

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Watch the nation’s

sunday

top D1 wrestlers participate in a dual meet format

Nov. 1

MAIN EVENT 5:00-7:00PM ON ESPNU UNDERCARD MATCHES AT 3:00PM at McCamish Pavilion at Georgia Tech

PLEASE GO TO WWW.THEALLSTARCLASSIC.COM FOR MORE INFORMATION