Score Atlanta Vol. 11 Iss. 36

Time to look great!

VOLUME 11 ISSUE 36 | OCTOBER 29 - NOVEMBER 4, 2015

I’m Sure Of It | Pg. 4 Kyle Sandy looks at the diminishment of good football across 2015’s NFL and college landscape.

Never Satisfied | Pg. 9 Gwinnett powers show no mercy in latest week of domination.

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YOUR SOURCE FOR SPORTS IN GEORGIA

TURN ON THE LIGHTS We report from DeKalb County Media Day as basketball season quickly approaches. | Pg. 7

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Vol. 11 Iss. 36 | Oct.29 - Nov. 4, 2015

STARTING LINEUP PUBLISHER/EDITOR I.J. Rosenberg

04

COLUMNISTS

07

ON THE COVER

09

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: Ricky Dimon (Braves)

Colin Hubbard (GA Tech) Dan Mathews (UGA) Craig Sager II (Falcons,

Kennesaw)

Kyle Sandy (Transfer Corner, GSU, Hawks)

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.

TEAM SCOOP AND VOICES

06 10 11

SCORE LIST | NUMBERS GEORGIA STATE | KENNESAW STATE GEORGIA | GEORGIA TECH BRAVES | FALCONS HAWKS | THE TRANSFER CORNER

COVER PHOTOS COURTESY OF AP IMAGES, SONNY KENNEDY AND TY FREEMAN.

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DAN’S DOCKETT

FALCONS ARE LOOKING TO GET EVEN BETTER

BY DAN MATHEWS | INFO@SCOREATL.COM

though the 2015 record in the wins colEevenven umn at six, the Falcons are still looking to get better following their 10-7 win Sunday

against the Tennessee Titans. The proof is in the pudding that the NFC South is not the same division it was just a year ago.

The Carolina Panthers continue to be one of the league’s best, with their Sunday night win over the Philadelphia Eagles. Quarterback Cam Newton has carried an offensive unit lacking star power and accounted for 10 passing touchdowns and four rushing scores through six games. The Pathers’ 6-0 start is the best in franchise history. The New Orleans Saints are also showing that things are starting to improve for them, following their start to the season.

FOCUSING FORWARD

The Falcons win on Sunday at Tennessee wasn’t pretty by any means, but it still counts the same as any other win. A day after that win, head coach Dan Quinn addressed the media in his normal Monday press conference.

He opened by saying that this Monday is “Tell The Truth Monday.”

“Our challenge is to find out what we can be and not settle for what we already are,” Quinn said. “I think that message resonates with me a lot, because we’re always looking for a constant state of improvement.”

Quinn went on to point out the improvements defensively on third downs and in the pass rush. Plus, the Falcons were even in the turnover category this week.

SANDY’S SPIEL

THE DIMINISHMENT OF GOOD FOOTBALL

BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

oes anybody want to standout and make a D statement? Across the NFL and the college ranks, no teams outside of the New England

Patriots and the Green Bay Packers in the pros have caught my eye and made me think, “Yeah, this is the team to beat”.

In the NCAA, rankings have shuffled more than the Penguins in Happy Feet. Dead and gone are the days of the truly dominant dynasties. Back when I was growing up, the USC Trojans were the greatest show on turf. Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart, Lendale White and more were the juggernauts of the nation. At one point while riding back-to-back national championships, the Trojans won 34-straight games, a streak that will never be outdone in today’s day and age of parity--or what I’m starting to call, lack of consistency.

No teams have dominated and defeated

high quality opponents. Ohio State squeaks games out, both Baylor and TCU have given up way too many points and everybody else has looked good at times, but at others, pedestrian.

All these SEC schools beat up on each other and look sloppy doing it while the rest of the country hasn’t been able to pass tough tests.

FRANCHISE QUARTERBACKS?

Throwing the ball is the craze in both college and now the NFL, but looking at quarterbacks in college right now, where are all the “can’t miss” prospects? Andrew Luck was the last unanimous top quarterback selected, but he has always dealt with turnover issues in the pros. Who are the most highly touted signal callers for this upcoming draft? Connor Cook (Michigan State), Jared Goff (California) and Paxton Lynch (Memphis). Don’t know those

The Falcons have struggled lately in the red zone and that will be another area they need to improve in going forward this season. Quinn said on Monday that four of their 10 turnovers this season have happened in this part of the field.

“For one, lets get rid of some of the penalties that start at drive at first and 20,” Quinn said. “It’s so hard to convert when you get to that. We’re at our best when we have the managing third downs that we like. As far as the red zone, when we’re heading down there it’s touchdowns and not field goals.”

Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan has struggled in two of his last three games, with ratings of about 55 against the Washington Redskins and 64 against the Titans. He also threw two interceptions each in those games.

Quinn was asked about whether or not Ryan might be getting frustrated with these turnovers, he said it’s tough to tell with him because of his competitive nature. He also isn’t worried about him.

“When we’re trying to constantly get better, he’s somebody at the front of that list that is trying to do that,” Quinn said. “I think the first player that I met coming in here on the day that I was announced here and he was right there waiting. That shows you the type of competitor (he is), how much he wants to be good and how much he wants to work at it to get it right.”

BACK TO WORK

The Falcons will get today off from onfield work and got back to work on Wednesday.

On the injury front, we can expect that both wide receiver Leonard Hankerson and William Moore will not be on the field.

Moore has a groin strain and Hankerson is dealing with a hamstring strain. In the midst of this week’s preparation, the Falcons announced several roster moves and shuffled the lineup once again.

The Falcons signed safety Charles Godfrey to the active roster, and running back Gus Johnson and wide receiver Devon Wylie to the practice squad. In addition to those moves, the team released Allen Bradford and waived linebacker Derek Akunne and running back Juhwan Edwards from the practice squad.

The veteran Godfrey was originally selected by the Carolina Panthers in the third round (67th overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft out of Iowa. He was originally signed by the Falcons as a free agent on October 28, 2014 after spending six-plus seasons in Carolina.

Johnson spent part of the 2015 season on the Cowboys practice squad and Wylie spent part of the 2014 season as a member of the St. Louis Rams practice squad.

Photos courtesy of the Atlanta Falcons.

guys? Don’t worry, not many casual fans do either unless they stayed up late to watch Goff screw the pooch against Utah two weeks ago en route to a five interception performance.

Just going by the eye test, you can see the Packers and Patriots look head and shoulders above the competition. The Broncos are also 6-0, but how many more lame ducks will Peyton Manning throw before a team is able to make him pay? Denver has only one win in which they won by more than one score.

Nailbiters over the Ravens (1-5), Chiefs (2-5), Vikings (4-2), Raiders (3-3) and Browns (2-5) are less than impressive. The Bengals are 6-0 but they are still the Bengals in the playoffs and Carolina has played extremely well but Cam Newton’s lack of pass catchers may eventually come back to bite them.

THE PROS No doubt it is a quarterback hungry league. You can’t win a Super Bowl without a competent quarterback who makes the right decision. Those types of quarterbacks can be hard to come by, but if you do have a legit ace behind center, you’re in outstanding shape.

The Packers (6-0) and Patriots (6-0) look like the clear cut favorites in the NFL. Tom Brady at 38 has proven to be the greatest quarterback of all-time while Aaron Rodgers might be the most talented QB in history. With solid defenses behind them, in my opinion unless something drastic happens, they appear to be locks to meet in the Super Bowl.

Every other team with a winning record has done it with smoke and mirrors and haven’t impressed like Green Bay and New England.

They will seemingly come away with a great win, but follow it up by struggling to put away a bad team the following week. Outside of the Packers and the Patriots, only nine teams are above .500 in the NFL. The gap between the league’s elite teams and the rest of the pack has continued to grow larger and larger with this season the worst it’s ever been.

THE STATE OF THE LEAGUE

So is there a direct correlation between the lack of dominant teams in the NCAA to the lack of overall good teams in the NFL? I don’t think so, but when the best quarterbacks coming out of college look worse and worse every year, bad teams needing QBs are bound to stick in a rut and continue to hurt. The game has changed. Running backs have gone by the wayside and slinging the ball around is the future of football. I just hope that future holds more than just two teams that can play the part of NFL royalty.

Photo courtesy of AP Images.

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6

Christian McCaffery

Jacob DeGrom

The Falcons NFC South rivals are off to a 6-0 start after beating the Eagles on Sunday night. Carolina has a one game lead over the Falcons who are breathing down their necks at 6-1. Luke Kuechly and the Panther defense will put their perfect mark on the line Monday night against Andrew Luck and the Colts.

The Stanford running back has put his name in the Heisman conversation over the last two weeks. McCaffery has 352 rushing yards the last two games and added 112 yards receiving against Washington this week. On the season the Cardinal running back has 1,237 total yards and eight touchdowns for the 8th ranked team in the country.

The Mets ace has been almost unhittable this postseason giving up just four runs in three starts. DeGrom is 3-0 in the postseason recording an ERA of 1.80 and 27 strikeouts including 13 against the Dodgers. DeGrom will be on the bump for the Mets in Game 2 as they look to bounce back from an extra innings loss in Game 1.

By Ned Kaish

WHO’S HOT

Panthers

SCORE LIST

By Ned Kaish

ROYALS TAKE GAME 1

In a game that took over five hours to complete the Kansas City Royals finally broke through in the bottom of the 14th inning to capture Game 1 over the Mets 5-4.

With the bases loaded and no outs Eric Hosmer hit a fly ball to deep right field that would score shortstop Alcides Escobar from third for a walk-off sacrifice fly.

Alex Gordon’s bottom of the 9th solo home run sent the Royals into extra innings.

MIRACLE ON TECHWOOD

Georgia Tech had been reeling, and they needed a win more than ever even if it took a miracle. With the game tied at 16 and just seconds remaining Florida State kicker Roberto Aguayo, who had never missed a 4th quarter kick, lined up for a game winning field goal. His attempt would be blocked and was scooped up by Lance Austin who returned the ball 78 yards for a game winning touchdown as time expired.

GEORGIA-FLORIDA

The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party will be played Saturday in Jacksonville with the winner having the inside track to the SEC East title. Georgia even with its two conference losses can take ahold of first place by knocking off the Gators. Both teams are without one of their stars as the Bulldog’s Nick Chubb suffered a broken leg and Florida quarterback Will Grier was suspended for testing positive for a banned substance.

NBA SEASON TIPS OFF

The NBA season is here and started with a bang as the Golden State Warriors and reigning MVP not only got a win on Tuesday but also received some hardware. Curry was in midseason form finishing with 40 points including 24 in the first quarter. The Hawks would come up short at home versus the Pistons and LeBron James and the Cavaliers got off to a 0-1 start falling to the Bulls 97-95.

WAMBACH RETIRING

One of the most influential soccer players in the United States is stepping away from the game, no it’s not Landon Donavon, its Abby Wambach. Wambach has played in four World Cups and is the all time leader in international goals, both male and female, with 184. Wambach is best known for her ability to put the ball in the net with her head totaling over 75 career headers for goals.

WHO’S NOT

SCORE ATLANTA | www.ScoreAtl.com

Ryan Mallet

Cowboys

FOX

The 5th year quarterback was off to a rough start on the season with four interceptions thrown to just three touchdowns but things got worse last week. Mallet missed a team meeting and then missed the team’s flight to Miami. This resulted in Mallet being cut by the Texans. Mallet had been in a constant quarterback competition with Brian Hoyer.

The Dallas Cowboys are now 2-4 on the season and winless since starting quarterback Tony Romo went down with an injury in Week 2. After Branden Weeden started three games with no success the team turned to Matt Cassel as a saving grace. Cassel ended with three picks in the loss to the Giants. To make matters worse defensive end Greg Hardy got into a confrontation with players and staff during the loss Sunday.

In the middle of the fourth inning of Game 1 of the World Series a power outage in the broadcast truck forced the game off the air. The game was forced to stop for seven minutes, as the umpires needed video review to continue the game. The managers agreed to continue the game without replay. The game would come back on the air in the sixth inning and be on air through all 14.

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.

?

TRIVIA QUESTION

HOW MANY UNDEFEATED TEAMS ARE LEFT IN CLASS AAAAAA ENTERING WEEK 11?

ANSWER ON PAGE 12

“

SANITY AT LAST

“I go from yelling, ‘Get away from it’ to ‘Run, run, run! That’s what it’s all about.

It’s college football.”

-Tech head coach Paul Johnson on the game-winning return.

13

Pitchers used by the Mets and Royals in Game 1 of the World Series.

1,661

Combined total yards for Devonta Freeman and Julio Jones through seven games.

2,354

Passing yards for Walton junior quarterback Addison Shoup who now leads the state in that category.

46.1

The Falcons 3rd down percentage which is good enough for second in the NFL.

368.9

Rushing yards per game Georgia Southern is averaging to lead the NCAA.

20

Seasons Kobe Bryant has been with the Lakers, making him the longest tenured player with one franchise.

-25

Total yards Norcross gained in the first half of its 31-0 loss to Peachtree Ridge.

38.2

Average margin of victory by 9-0 Grayson this season.

Vol. 11 Iss. 36 | Oct.29 - Nov. 4, 2015 truly a scorer of the basketball. He can score in so many different ways and then you got Naquante Hardy, who’s quietly kept as probably one of the best players in the state with his ability and what he can do with the basketball.”

As great as Miller Grove’s guard play projects to be, long forwards Raylon Richardson and Aidan Saunders are the night in and night out grinders who can do the dirty work defensively and score when called upon. Richardson was a double-double guy last year and White expects the same this season.

A historic run of six straight championships was brought to an end last year when Warner Robins edged Miller Grove in the quarterfinals 63-57.

ON THE COVER

COVER STORY

TUCKER HOSTS ANNUAL TALENTPACKED MEDIA DAY

BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

T

ucker High School was host to DeKalb County Media Day on Oct. 22 for the upcoming GHSA basketball season, which officially kicks off in roughly two weeks.

Twenty-two programs packed into William S. Venable Gymnasium with optimism aplenty and sights set towards building upon the 2014-15 season.

DeKalb County has become notorious for its annual basketball powers on both the boys and girls side. Combined, 42 state titles have been claimed by the county. It has been 12 years (2003) since a DeKalb County school has not won a state championship in basketball.

Focusing on the boys side, I targeted three teams which I feel could add onto that streak of success. I was able to catch up with Miller Grove’s Sharman White, who enters my Preseason Class AAAAA poll ranked No. 1, Lithonia’s Wallace Corker, my No. 1 in AAAA and Aaron Parr of St. Pius, my No. 6 ranked team in AAAA to see how they feel about the 2015-16 season.

MILLER GROVE The Wolverines re-loaded this offseason and added even more talent to a great backcourt. UConn-commit Alterique Gilbert welcomes in ETSU-commit Aaron Augustin (Peachtree Ridge), Tae Hardy (Southwest DeKalb) and Colin Young (Laney) to form an exciting guard rotation.

But with so much talent, is it difficult to manage playing time? Coach White doesn’t think so.

“It’s not really that hard. These are some high character kids. Having Alterique for all four years and adding Aaron Augustin to the mix, another high character kid with a high basketball IQ, it’s not hard,” explained White.

As far as what Augustin, Young and Hardy can bring to the table, White is excited about the possibilities. “They are new, but these guys have come right in almost like they’ve been here since the beginning and they bring a lot.

When you talk about Aaron, you talk about a great guy who has a great feel for the game from the point guard position. Colin Young is

LITHONIA

Coach Wallace Corker’s team saw a vast improvement last season, leaping from a 12-13 record to a powerhouse 27-3 season. A great senior class has me feeling like it could be championship or bust this season for the Bulldogs.

As good as Lithonia projects to be on offense, Corker understands that it all begins on the defensive end of the court. “Defense wins championships. If you don’t play defense ultimately you’re going to feel it. Shots may fall, and that’s ultimately what happened to us last year in the Elite Eight, we didn’t finish the game playing defense, but I think we got a good group of kids. Seniors that understand what is expected and are going to work hard.”

The senior class of Rodney Chatman, Tyleen Patterson, Tyheem Freeman, Derious Wimberly and new addition Jacara Cross from Cedar Grove, will ultimately be the group that decides how far the Bulldogs go. Corker noted that Chatman has had a great summer and has seen his recruitment pick up. The 6-foot-2 guard is also one of the biggest leaders on the team.

The Bulldogs will look to push the tempo with their guard play but also dump it inside to Cross whenever they get the chance. The 6-foot-7 Cross gives Lithonia a true weapon that can score inside and out.

Lithonia will have no easy games on the schedule playing in the extremely difficult Region 6-AAAA. “Oh my God it’s amazing,” exclaimed Corker before listing off a slew of competitive teams. “Every game is going to be tough and if we don’t prepare ourselves and don’t come

7

ready to play, we can be subject to lose a game.

I think it’s all going to boil down to region play, so I’m really excited about this year.”

ST. PIUS

One of Lithonia’s biggest competitors for the Region 6 crown will be the Golden Lions of St. Pius. Coach Aaron Parr’s team battled tooth and nail with the Bulldogs to garner a regular season split before falling 51-49 in the region championship. After a 25-5 season, expectations are rightfully high for St. Pius.

Much like Coach Corker of Lithonia, the Golden Lions are focused on doing as well as possible in region as their region alone is a strong litmus test for how strong the team is heading into state. “It’s an incredible region,” noted Parr.

Seniors Kerney Lane and Christian Merrill will be the centerpieces to Parr’s offense but a nice blend of youth is also expected to see playing time.

Merrill has started since he was a sophomore and Parr describes him as the “heart and soul” of the team with his character and leadership.

“We talk about trying to be a winner and he [Merrill] does all the things: he’s a winner on the court, in the classroom, he’s a student ambassador, he’s a leader among his peers and he’s somebody that you want to be teammates with.

You want to be in a foxhole with Christian.”

Lane was characterized as, “A workhorse.

He’s an absolute gym-rat. I’ve never quite been around somebody who loves the game as much as him. He loves it, he lives it, sleeps it, breathes it and he’s somebody that when the lights turn on and when the crowds big, his game rises.”

Coach Parr believes after an excellent offseason that 6-foot-7 senior Jakob Spitzer can take the next step into becoming a consistent low post threat.

“Jakob has had a great offseason. He has worked hard in the weight room, hard on his game. He has now become much stronger and confident and we’re hoping for a breakout year from him from the center position.”

Staying mentally locked in and focused will be the key for St. Pius. By eliminating wasted possessions, Parr thinks that the close games they lost last year can transform into victories in 2015-16.

Photos courtesy of Ty Freeman.

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

PREP SPORTS

PEACHTREE RIDGE SHINES IN WEEK 10 SHUTOUT

BY KYLE SANDY & CRAIG SAGER II

P

eachtree Ridge and Mill Creek stand alone at 5-0 in Region 7-AAAAAA and have one week left before closing the season in their must-see showdown. Peachtree Ridge faces Collins Hill on Friday and Mill Creek will host Norcross. Peachtree Ridge went on the road and dominated Norcross from start to finish last Friday.

The Lions set the tone early by reducing Norcross to minus-11 total yards in the first quarter and minus-25 in the entire opening half before the home team finished with a mere total of 75 yards. The Blue Devils found themselves trailing 10-0 after the opening frame of play thanks to a field goal by Peachtree Ridge’s Zaniel Phillips and a one-yard touchdown run

by Marquez Jackson. From there the visitors steadily pulled away by finding the endzone once in each of the next three quarters.

Norcross botched a punt snap and hur-

riedly tried to get the kick off only to see a shank get returned 10 yards for a touchdown

by Breon Dixon. A steady rushing diet of Jackson and Malik Staples salted the game away for the Lions throughout the second half. Staples scored touchdowns from 21 yards and five yards away before the two runners combined to finish with 317 yards on the ground. Jackson rushed for 148 and Staples gained 169 on 24 carries.

Dixon added to his special-teams heroics by recording two sacks on defense. DeAngelo Gibbs had an interception that led to Jackson’s touchdown run. It was Norcross’ first loss of the season.

BALL HAWKS

Mill Creek’s four-straight shutout streak ended, but the Hawks moved to 8-0 with a dominant 42-17 victory over Collins Hill.

The Hawks outgained the Eagles 387 to 273 and it was another efficient outing for quarterback Cameron Turley. Turley finished 13of-22 for 299 yards and three touchdowns, including two to Edmond Graham. Graham finished with four catches worth 163 yards.

Joe Thomas scored on a 16-yard touchdown rush to open up the game’s scoring and finished with 53 yards on 18 carries. Preston Norwood caught three passes for 79 yards and a score and Jamar Hall returned an interception 36 yards for a touchdown and also added a blocked extra point.

Undefeated Grayson flexed its prowess in a 40-0 rout over Dacula last Friday. Dimetrios Mason returned the opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown and Grayson was off to the races against the visiting Falcons. The Rams took a 40-0 halftime advantage before a running clock brought a swift end to the second half. Grayson racked up 321 yards of total offense to the Falcons’ 118. Mason accounted for each of the Rams’ first two scores, catching a 24-yard touchdown pass from Chase Brice in addition to his kickoff return. … Brice also threw scoring strikes to Ryan Carriere and Ernest Tiller. … Grayson’s impressive special teams also featured a 52-yard punt return for a touchdown by Evan Sturgill. … The Rams’ dominant defensive performance included fumble recovery in the endzone by Bryce Smith and an interception by Sam Mitchell.

GAMECHANING PLAYS

The biggest thriller came in Lambert’s 3531 victory over West Forsyth. The game saw four non-offensive scores and six lead changes before Lambert finally secured the lead for good with a game-winning 5-yard quarterback keeper by Bobby Gabriel with 2:20 left.

Gabriel gave Lambert its first lead on a 1-yard run in the opening quarter, but West Forsyth answered back with a blocked punt returned for a score and a fourth down 24-yard touchdown pass from Kiernen Hamilton to Garrett Broxton. Lambert snapped a punt through the end zone on its next possession and the West Forsyth lead grew to 16-7.

Lambert looked for a score before the half to begin chipping away at the deficit and got one on the final snap before the break with a Richie Kenney quarterback keeper that cut it to 16-14. Jarrett Wright opened the second half with a 50-yard interception return for a touchdown and Lambert regained the lead at 21-16.

Hamilton answered with his second touchdown pass to Broxton, this one from 35 yards and West Forsyth reclaimed a 24-21 lead with 4:25 left in the third. Will Kohlins scored on a 4-yard run to give the Longhorns a brief 28-24 lead before Luke Lingo returned a tipped pass 53 yards for a Wolverine touchdown with 7:38 remaining. After Gabriel’s touchdown, West Forsyth fumbled in the final seconds.

Photos Courtesy of Sonny Kennedy.

10

SCORE ATLANTA | www.ScoreAtl.com

BY DAN MATHEWS | DMATHEWS@SCOREATL.COM

to be loud. It’s going to be as loud as any SEC game that you’ll be at. Of course, when Florida has the ball, it’s going to be just as loud when our fans are doing their thing. So I guess if you hear only half the stands are your opponent, maybe you might think it will be half the noise, but it’s not true. It’s going to be loud enough where we’ve got to do all of our nonverbal cadence, and that’s one thing they’ve got to focus on.”

t is finally here! The game all Bulldogs and Gators fans wait for every season! All the attention turns this weekend to Jacksonville, Florida and for good reason. The winner of this game pulls into the lead to win the SEC East with two conference games remaining.

For Georgia, this would give fans a glimmer of hope for a season that has been mediocre to this point. The month of October has especially been rough on them with two losses, a huge injury to a key player and a touchdown-less win over Missouri.

Now after the bye week, this team has a chance to salvage this rough month with a win on the final day of it.

It will also be the first time for many Bulldogs that they will be playing against Florida inside EverBank Stadium. Head coach Mark Richt says they’re in for an experience.

“I guess the main thing is don’t let the fact that only half of the stands are full of Gators fool you,” Richt said. “I mean, it’s going

REVENGE IN SIGHT...

Not that much motivation is needed for this game, but Georgia fans don’t forget the 38-20 domination by the Gators last year.

Florida ran for 418 yards in that win.

A couple of weeks ago, a Gators win over the LSU Tigers would have made this game meaningless in the SEC East race. Now, the hopes are back on the table and senior defensive tackle Chris Mayes is happy about that.

“At first it was out of our control,” Mayes said. “But now with the losses and everything that happened, the situation is back in our power. We control our destiny from here.”

Georgia is hoping to get senior outside linebacker Jordan Jenkins back for this game after missing the Missouri game with a groin/ abdomen issue. Right says that he practiced on Monday and will be full strength by the end of the week. Sophomore wide receiver/ return man Isaiah McKenzie is expected back from the hamstring issue.

UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA

GEORGIA REGROUPS BEFORE BATTLE WITH FLORIDA

I

GEORGIA STATE

ENDING ON A HIGH NOTE

BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

eorgia State women’s soccer (10-5-3) G picked up a win in their final regular season game, 1-0 over Appalachian State in Boone,

N.C. on Sunday. Senior forward Ashley Nagy found the back of the net just one minute into the match and the Panthers were able to hold on and shutout the Mountaineers the rest of the way. After grabbing an early lead, head coach Derek Leader elected to park the bus and shift to a primarily defensive alignment to prevent App State from finding an equalizer.

The strategy worked as the Mountaineers were unable to score on any of their 11 attempts.

Senior Christa Fox held up her end of the match, saving all five shots she was faced with.

Fox now has 55 saves and five shutouts this season.

“That’s the way we wanted to end the regular season. This win was huge for us leading into the conference tournament,” Leader said.

Georgia State finished the regular season with 13 points in conference to earn the No. 6 seed, and will play No. 3 Texas State at 7 p.m. on Nov. 4.

The Panthers will host the tournament in Panthersville Nov. 4-8.

ON THE PROWL

The Georgia State men’s golf team shot up the leaderboard during the second round of the UNCG Bridgestone Golf Collegiate on Sunday afternoon after shooting its lowest round in relation to par this fall. The Panthers 7-under 281 leaves them at 2-under and in sixth place with 18 holes to play on Monday.

Junior Nathan Mallone has carried the Panthers thus far. He shot 71-70 to stand at 3-under par and tied for 11th entering the final round of play. Mallonee has shot par or better in nine of his last 11 rounds. He already has three top 25 finishes this fall and one top 10.

“We definitely did not get off to the start we wanted,” head coach Joe Inman said. “However, once the birdies started falling, we were able to put together a really nice run over 27 holes. We have now put ourselves in position for a nice finish and some great momentum heading into the spring if we can play well on Monday.”

12 STRAIGHT A Saturday night loss to Appalachian State 3-1 has sunk the volleyball team to 12 straight losses and a 4-16 overall record with an 0-10 mark in Sun Belt play. Georgia State is back at home next weekend as South Alabama and UL Lafayette visit the Sports Arena.

GEORGIA TECH

TECH STUNS SEMINOLES WITH EPIC 22-16 VICTORY

BY COLIN HUBBARD | INFO@SCOREATL.COM

F

lorida State field goal kicker Roberto Aguayo lined for a 56-yard attempt with six seconds left with a chance to win the game for the No. 9-ranked Seminoles, but what happened next is something nobody in the country expected.

Tied at 16-16, Aguayo drilled a low kick that was blocked by lineman Patrick Gamble and picked up by defensive back Lance Austin who with the help of his teammates ran it back for a stunning 78-yard touchdown to win the game 22-16 as time expired.

“A game like this is going to go down in history,” Gamble said. “I’m going to be old and grey one day and I can tell my child about this.”

Without hesitation, the crowd stormed historic Grant Field as the Yellow Jackets sent the Seminoles home with their first regular season loss in their last 30 games and likely puts them out of any chance to win a bid into the College Football Playoff.

KENNESAW STATE

OWLS SUFFER FIRST CONFERENCE DEFEAT

BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

K

ennesaw State traveled to Lynchburg, VA last Saturday, where the Owls fell short 45-35 to the Liberty Flames. The Owls were outscored 17-0 in the second quarter and fell behind 24-7 at the half. Each team found the end zone in the third quarter and the Owls put up 21 points in the final frame to cut it to a 10-point deficit.

Liberty was led by two-time All-Big South Conference quarterback Josh Woodrum, who threw four touchdown passes.

I’m proud about the way our guys fought tonight,” said Kennesaw State head coach Brian Bohannon. “I mean you’re talking about a team coming in with maybe half the amount of scholarships and our guys went toe-to-toe and fought pretty hard tonight. There is no quit in our football team. We beat ourselves a lot tonight. I give Liberty a lot of credit. They’re a good football team.”

HOME CELEBRATION

Many of the Georgia Tech players celebrated the block thinking that the play was dead and so did Yellow Jackets’ head Coach Paul Johnson.

“When I picked it up and started running up the field, I saw a lot of green,” Austin said. “So I was like, ‘Ok, I can return it.’”

Johnson didn’t know how to react after the block, but it all worked out for the best.

“I go from yelling, ‘Get away from it’ to ‘Run, run, run!’” Johnson said. “That’s what it’s all about. It’s college football.”

The game started very sloppy for the Yellow Jacket’s offense. On Georgia Tech’s first possession of the game, quarterback Justin Thomas threw a pass that was batted into the air and intercepted by the Seminole defense.

The Seminoles had a chance to seal the deal on a third-and-goal play from the 10yard line late in the fourth quarter but Everett Golson’s pass attempt was tipped and eventually picked off by Jamal Golden to give the Yellow Jackets new life.

With one last chance for the Yellow Jackets to tie the game or win it, Thomas connected with wide receiver Brad Stewart on a 36-yard completion on fourth-and-six from the Georgia Tech 41-yard line. The play set up a game-tying field goal off the leg of Butker to deadlock the game at 16-16 with 54 seconds left.

COSTLY MISTAKES….

The Owls will look to clean up the penalties after getting flagged 11 times for 105 yards last weekend.

“You can’t go beat the defending Big South Conference champion with 11 penalties,” said Bohannon. “We’ve got to do a better job of that. They did a good offensively and got to a point where we couldn’t stop them. If we could have got one stop, I feel like we could have got back in it in the second half, but we couldn’t get a shot. I am proud of our football team. We can build on this and learn from this as we continue to grow our program, but I am proud of the way we came out and competed.”

There were still plenty of positives as Trey White put together another solid performance.

White ran the ball 29 times for 94 yards and three touchdowns and added a touchdown pass to Jake McKenzie. Trey Shivers added 97 yards rushing off 14 carries and McKenzie also found the end zone on the ground.

The Owls will return home to Fifth Third Bank Stadium on Saturday (Oct. 31) when they host Monmouth in the first of two straight Big South Conference games. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. and the contest has been designated as Military Appreciation Day. Kennesaw State concludes its inaugural regular-season home slate on Nov. 7 when it welcomes Charleston Southern to Kennesaw.

Vol. 11 Iss. 36 | Oct.29 - Nov. 4, 2015 ATLANTA HAWKS

MOTOWN SHOWDOWN AT PHILIPS

BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

fter compiling a 4-3 preseason record, winA ning their first four games before dropping their last three, the Hawks are set to take flight officially for the 2015-16 season as they open at Philips Arena this Tuesday against the Detroit Pistons at 8 p.m. Expectations will be high for coach Budenholzer and with expectations means that Atlanta will now get every teams’ best shot as they gun for the reining Eastern Conference No. 1 seed.

PREVIEWING THE PISTONS

Last season’s starting point guard Brandon Jennings is still rehabbing a severe achilles tendon tear but Reggie Jackson who was acquired in a trade last season is a more than competent guard who might not relinquish the starting role once Jennings is back. After years of playing second fiddle to Russell Westbrook in Oklahoma City, Jackson finally is penciled in as the full-time starter. In 27 starts with Detroit, Jackson averaged 17.6 points, 9.2 assists and 4.7 rebounds, making him one of the most

ATLANTA BRAVES

WORK CONTINUES FOR SEVEN PROSPECTS IN ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE

BY RICKY DIMON | RDIMON@SCOREATL.COM

players in the Atlanta Braves’ organizaSna even tion are currently participating in the ArizoFall League. Among them is starting pitcher Lucas Sims, who attended Brookwood High School and was drafted by Atlanta in round one of the 2012 draft. Sims, 21, started this season in Class A before sustaining an injury in a Carolina Mudcats’ bus crash that sidelined him for one month.

“It was definitely hard—more the trauma part of it,” Sims recounted. “Looking at it in the big picture, everyone’s alive. That’s really all you can ask for. You hate that it happened, but it could’ve been worse. Minor-league baseball has all sorts of adversity and this is just a little bump in the road.”

Sims returned and eventually climbed to Double-A. He is now with the Peoria Javelinas of the AFL, joined in the league by Braves teammates Mauricio Cabrera, Andrew Thurman, Daniel Winkler, Johan Camargo, Connor Lien and Joseph Odom. The former three are pitchers and the latter trio consists of position players.

effective guards in the league.

At shooting guard, former UGA Bulldog Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is slated to start.

KCP started every game last season and showed nice improvement over his second season, upping his average from his rookie campaign from 5.9 points to 12.7 per game.

He is a high volume three-point shooter that Atlanta will need to keep an eye on. CaldwellPope attempted 5.4 threes a game and sank 1.9 a game.

Newly acquired Marcus Morris is expected to start at small forward to begin the season, but eighth overall pick Stanley Johnson will have opportunities to take over throughout the season. Morris averaged 10.4 points and 4.8 rebounds in Phoenix and is more of a power forward than a small forward.

Ersan Ilyasova was traded to Detroit on June 11 in exchange for Caron Butler and Shawne Williams. The Pistons added Ilyasova to replace long-time power forward Greg Monroe. The Turk is now 28-years-old and has played all seven seasons in Milwaukee. He has had some fine seasons as a stretch four and is coming off an 11.5-point 4.8-rebound season.

Inside, Al Horford and Tiago Splitter must keep Andre Drummond off the glass. The athletic big man had a career-year with averages of 13.8 points and 13.5 rebounds to go along with his 1.9 blocks per game. Atlanta should not hesitate to hack Drummond inside if they need to. He is a 39 percent freethrow shooter over his career.

LOSSES LEAD TO LOSSES Games were not the only thing the Braves lost in 2015. Fans and television ratings plunged just as rapidly as the team did from NL East contention.

Atlanta endured the second-largest drop in all of Major League Baseball in home attendance and the largest dip in local TV ratings.

From last year to this one, attendance fell by an average of 4,048 fans per home game—more than any ballclub aside from the lowly Philadelphia Phillies. Ratings in the local market nosedived 36 percent.

The Braves ranked 24th out of 30 MLB teams with an announced total of 2,001,392 fans (per MLB policy, teams reveal only the number of tickets sold as opposed to the actual number of people who go through the turnstiles). Even by more recent standards when the team no longer racked up division title after division title, the 24th-place standing was far worse than in 2013 (13th) and 2014 (18th). The attendance figure was the Braves’ lowest since 1990 and a mere 52 percent of the record-high 1993 total (3.88 million). Not coincidentally, their 67-95 record was their worst since 1990.

On Fox Sports South and Fox Sports Southeast this season, an average of 1.81 out of 100 households in the Atlanta market watched tuned into games, according to a Sports Business Journal study. That 1.81 TV rating was a far cry from the American League champion Kansas City Royals’ 12.33 mark.

ATLANTA FALCONS

DIVISION PLAY INTENSIFIES AS SEASON REACHES MIDWAY POINT

BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

A

s the heart of the season arrives, play around the NFC South has continued to impress and the Falcons face five more difficult tests against their neighboring rivals. The New Orleans Saints have found life after an 0-3 start and have won three of their last four games. Carolina remains unbeaten at 6-0 after handing Philadelphia a 27-16 road loss Sunday Night. And while the Bucs sit in the basement of the division at 2-4, the record is deceiving. Tampa Bay has already beaten the Saints in New Orleans Week 2 (26-19) and had a 24-point lead before losing a 3130 heartbreaker to the Redskins on Sunday.

The Saints have an opportunity to return to .500 today against the visiting Giants and the Panthers await a prime time Monday Night matchup with the struggling 3-4 Colts.

RUNNING WILD

Tampa Bay running back Doug Martin notched his third consecutive 100-yard

THE TRANSFER CORNER

BERKMAR BOASTS BRILLIANT BACKCOURT

BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

week I will highlight some GHSA basketETheach ball transfers across the Peach State here at Transfer Corner.

PATRIOTS ON THE MARCH

Berkmar could be in line for a resurgence this season behind junior guard Al Durham and three important transfers. Guards Zach Cooks (Norcross) and Jay Estime (Peachtree Ridge) should revamp the Patriots backcourt. Both are juniors and can knock down the three-ball.

Cooks is a quick little point guard who can push tempo and find the open man. Estime averaged over 10 points per game and led the Lions in three-pointers made last year. The perimeter should be a strength for the Patriots, but the interior got a major boost as well adding big man Robert Hill Jr., who comes over from Duluth. Hill stands 6-foot-9 and has started to blossom into a reliable low post presence.

With Obinna Ofodile and A.J. Cheeseman getting the majority of the minutes inside in 2014 at Duluth, Hill’s move to Berkmar should see him take on a major role as a top option in the

11

rushing game in Sunday’s loss to the Redskins. After going for 106 yards against the Panthers Week 4, Martin increased his totals in both outings since. The 4-year pro took 24 carries for 123 yards and two scores against the Jaguars Week 5, while adding his first receiving touchdown of the year.

Last Sunday, Martin rushed for 136 yards off of just 19 carries and raised his season average to 5.0 yards per rush.

Former Georgia Bulldog Benjamin Watson had a career game against the Falcons during Week 6’s clash with the Saints.

Watson caught 10 balls for 127 yards and a touchdown and kept Drew Brees and the Saints offense moving from start to finish.

Watson was a spark once again in the Saints 27-21 win over Indianapolis last week and finished with four grabs for 59 yards in an offense that saw nine players catch passes.

Cam Newton’s leadership role continues to grow as the Panthers play impressive football on both sides of the ball. Trailing 23-14 in Seattle Week 6, Newton orchestrated two 80-yard touchdown drives to seal a 27-23 victory. Newton led Carolina off the emotional win with a rushing score and passing touchdown against the Eagles.

Newton has thrown nine touchdowns and rushed for four touchdowns during Carolina’s franchise-record 6-0 start.

low post for coach Greg Phillips if he can gain eligibility.

WESTOVER ADDS A GARDNER Kris Gardner will bring stability to the Westover backcourt this season after transferring from 6A Lee County. In his freshman season Gardner was named All-Region 1AAAAAA First Team. Now at the AAAA level, Gardner brings strong ball handling and decision making to a Westover team that was bounced in the first round of the state playoffs last year.

BIG BRYANT

Dawson County landed a huge player with big time upside in Gabe Bryant. The 6-foot-8 big man comes from South Carolina and will make an immediate impact with the Tigers, who won just 7 games last season (7-19).

Bryant protects the paint with ease and can rebound outside of his zone. His offense has continued to improve and he will enter Dawsonville as the Tigers’ go-to guy on day one.

HOCO LOCOS

Houston County continues to trend upwards after adding Marquis Traylor from Knob Noster High School in Missouri. The Bears finished the regular season 0-7 in Region 2-AAAAA, but stunned cross-region foe Grovetown (17-7, 9-1) in the region tournament and sent the Warriors home early without a state playoff berth. The Bears featured just four seniors last year and Traylor should help with his athleticism. As a junior he averaged 7.7 points and 6.3 rebounds while showing off his hops, blocking 1.3 shots per game.

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Vol. 11 Iss. 36 | Oct.29 - Nov. 4, 2015

13

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