Score Vol. 12 Issue 15

Time to look great!

VOLUME 12 ISSUE 15 | Apr. 20 - Apr. 26, 2016

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YOUR SOURCE FOR SPORTS IN GEORGIA

THE ROAD AHEAD Kyle Sandy breaks down the Falcons 2016 schedule | Pg. 7

Under the Radar | Pg. 9 Defending champion Atlanta International’s grueling slate results in deceiving win-loss record.

Purposeful Participation | Pg. 4 Craig Sager II recalls the lessons learned from playing college football

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This comeback athlete had a long road back. Today it’s 8.5 miles.

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Vol. 12 Iss. 15 | Apr. 20 - Apr. 26, 2016

STARTING LINEUP PUBLISHER/EDITOR I.J. Rosenberg

ART/CREATIVE DIRECTOR DJ Galbiati Blalock

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Rhonda Rawls

MANAGING EDITOR Craig Sager II

04

COLUMNISTS

07

ON THE COVER

09

PREP COVER

ASST. MANAGING EDITOR Kyle Sandy

MARKETING/ Lauren Goldstein

PARTNERSHIP DIRECTOR

BUSINESS MANAGER Marvin Botnick

BEAT WRITERS: Ricky Dimon (Braves) Dan Mathews (UGA) Craig Sager II (Falcons, GHSA, Kennesaw)

Colin Hubbard (GA Tech)

Kyle Sandy (GSU, Hawks)

STAFF WRITERS Tyler Andrews Ned Kaish

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TEAM SCOOP AND VOICES

06 11 12

SCORE LIST | NUMBERS GEORGIA STATE | KENNESAW STATE GEORGIA | GEORGIA TECH BRAVES | FALCONS HAWKS | HIGH SCHOOL HAPPENINGS

COVER PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE ATLANTA FALCONS, CRAIG SAGER II, AND AIGSCHOOL.ORG

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SAGER SAYS

THE POWER OF PURPOSEFUL PARTICIPATION

BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM ight years have passed since I put on a GeorEannual gia football uniform for the first time at the G-Day spring scrimmage. With each

passing year, I seem to yield more lessons from my experience as a walk-on, and by now, it has become clear to me what worked and what didn’t work during this chapter of my life.

Participating without a purpose is meaningless and unfulfilling. In order to take something away from an experience, there must be a purpose to your participation. That sounds simple, but getting stuck going through the motions is a habit that the most driven and goal-oriented people can fall into when they start to focus only on finish lines and the distances between them, and not on the purpose of each action. (Just look at most failed relationships).

LOST DAWG…

I always had goals ahead of me, but my college football experience lost meaning when I only focused on the goals, and what I thought I had to prove. My attention was never on the experience itself and I spent everyday unknowingly distancing myself from my own enjoyment.

After my second season ending surgery, I was so determined to prove that I was back to full strength, that it consumed my every thought.

Before I arrived in Athens, my only goal was to have the experience and the experience itself filled my heart with joy and excitement for the next day, and the next day, and the next day of opportunity. Once I knew this routine inside and out, I shifted focus on breaking weight room records and trying to knock the hell out of

SAGER SAYS 2

EAST COWETA CLAIMS RIFLERY STATE TITLE

BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

ast Coweta captured the 2016 GHSA RifErecord ery State Championship with a new state score of 1,168 to clinch the program’s first state title since 2000. Allatoona set the previous championship record of 1,162 in 2014.

Saturday’s state championships presented by Georgia Army National Guard hosted 14 teams at the Pool International Shooting Complex on Fort Benning that competed for the title. The Indians comfortably outscored second place and defending state champion Northside-Columbus (1155) and third place Walton (1150). East Coweta was favored going into the championship after shooting a playoff-best score of 1171 in the semifinals. Northside-Columbus’ score of 1,155 is the highest score posted by a team other than the state champs this postseason.

East Coweta’s five-man team consists of Tanner Whitehead, John Satterfield, Cayla

Mcleod, Nate Peterson and Austin Barber.

Whitehead walked away as the biggest winner of the weekend after taking home the individual state title with a mark of 395.4 in the finals. Satterfield finished second with a 394.7 and Amy Delgado of Gainesville shot a 393.3.

BOYS SOCCER

No. 4 Mill Creek dropped an out-of-state match and Parkview slid ahead of them to No. 3 in Class AAAAAA. Norcross fell from No. 7 to No. 10 after three straight losses. The Blue Devils are now 10-3 after a 10-0 start. All three losses have come to ranked teams.

Not much happened in classes AAAAA through AA. No. 3 Houston County took care of Class A No. 9 Stratford Academy 3-2. No movement occurred in 5A-3A. The only change in Class AA was Putnam County swapping with

someone. I wanted more and every routine day of practice and rehab I spent trying to prove my body was healed and back to full strength became less fulfilling than the previous day. Any day where I did not prove something spectacular or see a measurable improvement, was a day of failure in my mind. My football career spiraled into an exhausting chase of the initial high I felt making the team for the first time and running out of that tunnel. I was convinced that only a touchdown or something ‘heroic’ would bring me back to that feeling, and I’d consume this belief as I gripped all the weight I could and ran fearlessly into collision after collision.

I think back to my life before college football when my only goal was to make the team and when every action and everything I did to reach the goal was driven by a purpose to improve any possible way I could. Every football game I watched on television was an opportunity to learn and every trip to the gym was an opportunity to prepare myself for that first snap at spring practice I dreamed about day and night.

Even turning the corner of a hallway, or walking up a flight of stairs could seem like breaking off a dig route or striding into the end zone when you were as dedicated as I was to achieving this initial goal. There really was meaning in everything I did.

I know that other athletes get lost down similar paths and it is why so many struggle when they have to walk away from the game.

When I started covering football again in 2011, my restoration process began. I was able to associate football with something positive again.

It was amazing how quickly my positive memories began to resurface and the failures that I thought defined my experience became nothing more than lessons for me in the real world.

I watch thousands of high school athletes go off to college each year to work towards similar goals and dreams that I once had. I wonder how many will have what it takes to continue to find meaning in their actions through the ups and downs. How many will be able to handle the external and internal pressure of collegiate sports and just enjoy the ride? How many will let their goals consume them and overshadow the joy of the experience?

So for those taking this step remember; without purpose to your participation, your participation will be purposeless to you.

Photo courtesy of Craig Sager

Riverside Military to take over the No. 5 spot.

Riverside drew with Dacula 0-0 while Putnam crushed both Greene County and Georgia Military.

Some interesting results took place in Class A. Back from the dead is defending state champs Atlanta International. The Eagles knocked off No. 4 Whitefield Academy 2-0 and now jump from No. 10 to No. 6, even though they sport just a 5-8-1 record. While AIS is peaking at the right time, No. 3 St. Anne-Pacelli has been solid all year long. The Vikings’ only loss came to Mt. de Sales early in March, 3-2. They haven’t played too many teams with sexy records, but Pacelli has beaten No. 7 First Presbyterian Day 3-1 back on March 9 and just picked up a 3-2 win over No. 9 Stratford Academy. The Vikings visit Class AAAAA’s Shaw (10-1-1) on Wednesday and host 5A’s No. 5 Columbus (10-1) on the 20th to boost their resume and see how they stack up against two of the state’s better teams.

bine for a 29-7-1 record, so the Blue Devils only slipped to No. 5. Allatoona debuts at No. 9 after its statement win over Columbus and a 12-game winning streak that has followed the Bucs’ 0-3 start.

Buford improved to 12-2 on Tuesday with a 5-1 win over Lumpkin County and jumped Woodward Academy in this week’s poll for No. 4.

In Class AA, Pace Academy remains No. 1 with a 12-0 record and rivals Greater Atlanta Christian, Lovett, Wesleyan and Holy Innocents’ log jam the top 6 with St. Vincent’s. Holy Innocents’ fell 1-0 in a competitive match with the top-ranked Knights and then battled with No. 3 Lovett in a 3-2 loss Tuesday night. Greater Atlanta Christian’s 3-1 victory over Lovett on March 29 is still enough to keep the Spartans at No. 2 ahead of the Lions. No. 4 Wesleyan sits at 12-2-1 and owns a 1-0 victory over Holy Innocents’ but now must close the season against GAC (April 15), at Pace Academy (April 19) and Lovett (April 22) to guarantee an intriguing end of the regular season in Class AA. In Class A, Calvary Day used a 4-2 win over Savannah Country Day to take over No. 6.

Photo courtesy of eastcowetamcjrotc.com

GIRLS SOCCER

In Class AAAAAA, Pope dropped to No. 10 after a 1-0 loss to Collins Hill. Grayson jumped to No. 8 and Parkview climbed to No. 9.

In Class AAAAA, McIntosh (13-0) and Starr’s Mill (13-2) remain No. 1 and No. 2 respectively, and Columbus dropped out of the top 3 after opening the month of April with three consecutive losses. The losses came to Marist, Parkview and Allatoona, which com-

Vol. 12 Iss. 15 | Apr. 20 - Apr. 26, 2016

PLAY. GROW. WORK. SUCCEED.

“I told myself that

I’m going to do something and that this organization would help me. From that day, I stuck to it.”

—Adam Adam, a Soccer in the Streets graduate and current coach in the program

888-436-5833 | soccerstreets.org | info@soccerstreets.org |

@soccerstreets |

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6

Kobe Bryant

NFL

Jamal Crawford

Even though it took a whopping 50 shots to get there, Kobe Bryant went out in some kind of style, dropping 60 points in a meaningless come from behind Lakers victory. It will be a final chapter to an incredible career that will never be forgotten.

The 2016 NFL schedules have been released and the Draft is next Thursday. Optimism will run rampant as all 32 teams look to wheel and deal and get one step closer to winning a Super Bowl. Also its time to start getting your fantasy draft big board ready.

The Los Angeles Clipper won his third Sixth Man of the Year award on Tuesday, an NBA record. Love him for his wicked handles and unconscionable shot attempts or hate him for his ole style defense, you have to admit that Jamal has had a great career out of Michigan and looks like he has plenty left in the tank at age 36.

SCORE LIST

By Craig Sager II RECORD EFFORT

East Coweta captured the 2016 GHSA Rifery State Championship with a new state record score of 1,168 on Saturday. East Coweta’s five-man team consists of Tanner Whitehead, John Satterfield, Cayla Mcleod, Nate Peterson and Austin Barber. Whitehead walked away as the biggest winner of the weekend after taking home the individual state title with a mark of 395.4 in the finals.

SPRING BALL

The GHSA’s executive committee approved Monday that Georgia high school football teams may have spring games against each other beginning in 2017. Schools still have the option of bypassing spring practice and having two preseason games against other teams in August. Those that have a spring game may also have one fall preseason game.

SLOW-PITCH RETURNS

Slow-pitch softball is back. By a 34-24 roll call vote, softball was reinstated as a varsity-only state-championship sport beginning in the spring of 2017 with one classification broken into four designated areas. Girls will be allowed to play fast pitch (fall) and slow pitch (spring). Slow pitch was discontinued as a GHSA state-championship sport after the 2008 season because of low participation.

MORE CHANGES

Other GHSA changes include, a new fee structure for the state swim meet. It will cost schools a flat fee of $9 per entrant in state meet. Part of this will go for more officials and a new timing device at Georgia Tech so that both ends of the pool can be used at one time. That will speed up qualifying sessions. Also, the state golf tournaments will be two-day, 36-hole events beginning in 2017. They are 18-hole events currently.

INTERLEAGUE ACTION

Also, GHSA schools may play GISA and GICAA member schools provided that there is a written cross-play contract and that the GISA and GICAA schools comply with all GHSA safety rules and requirements. Football teams will be limited to attending no more than three summer camps that entail contact, and they may not total more than eight days. That is effective this summer.

MAKING A RUN

The Atlanta Hawks returned to Philips Arena for Game 2 of their opening round series against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday. The Hawks survived Game 1 with a 102-101 victory, but saw the men in green surge back from a 19-point deficit to nearly steal the win. The Hawks maintain the edge, but no game will be easy in this best of seven.

WHO’S NOT

By Kyle Sandy

WHO’S HOT

SCORE ATLANTA | www.ScoreAtl.com

Kevin Durant

Russell Westbrook

Julio Teheran

One of the worst shooting performances in playoff history? KD missed 26 shots on his way to a 7-for-33 performance in an OKC 8584 loss. It’s incredible how in the past two years the narrative has shifted from Russell Westbrook taking too many shots to Durant needing to pass more.

Kevin Durant isn’t the only one at fault here in the Game 2 defeat. Westbrook shot 8-of-22 but more importantly got abused by Raymond. Felton. Yes, that Raymond Felton, who went for 21 points and 11 rebounds. OKC should still win the series, but it was not a good showing for the duo.

Sorry folks but the Teheran extension years back was a bad deal. I said it then back in 2014 that he wasn’t an ace. Luckily it was a team friendly deal, but still the six-year extension doesn’t look the best. He has a 6.35 ERA after posting a 4.04 one last year.

NUMBERS

OUR TWO CENTS

By Kyle Sandy

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

“

SANITY AT LAST

WHAT SCHOOL WON ITS FIRST-EVER FOOTBALL AND BASKETBALL STATE TITLES THIS SEASON?

“I’ve been in the league a long time. I know I have to focus on my team and this is the playoffs, we’re in a great position and we have a great opportunity, so we’ll be ready to go tomorrow.”

ANSWER ON PAGE 14

- Al Horford

50

Kobe Bryant shot attempts in his final game.

12

RBIs in 12 games for Nick Markakis.

19.2

Percent from beyond the arc the Hawks shot in Game 1.

28

The Braves rank 28th in team ERA.

3

Hawks scored over 20 points in Game 1 against the Celtics.

3

Homeruns for the Braves in the first 12 games, the least in the MLB.

27

Free throws made by the Hawks in Game 1.

3

Straight Braves wins after a sweep of the Marlins.

Vol. 12 Iss. 15 | Apr. 20 - Apr. 26, 2016

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ON THE COVER

FALCONS 2016 SCHEDULE PREVIEW

BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

SEP. 11 1:00 PM FOX OCT. 9 BUCCANEERS

4:05 PM FOX NOV. 3 8:25 PM

BRONCOS

NFL NETWORK

BUCCANEERS

DEC. 11 4:25 PM FOX RAMS

GEORGIA DOME

SPORTS AUTHORITY FIELD AT MILE HIGH

RAYMOND JAMES STADIUM

LOS ANGELES MEMORIAL COLISEUM

After being swept last year by the up-andcoming Buccaneers, the Falcons look to start off the 2016 NFL season on the right foot, hosting Tampa Bay in the Georgia Dome for one final time. The Bucs defeated the Falcons in the two teams’ first meeting at the Dome, 31-24 in 1993. Craig Erickson tossed four touchdowns in the win.

Atlanta squares off with the Super Bowl 50 champion Denver Broncos in the Mile-High City for the first time since 2004. With no Peyton Manning under center, Coach Dan Quinn will try to devise another devastating defensive game plan, much like the one Seattle used in Super Bowl 48. In 2012, Atlanta protected its home turf with a 27-21 victory.

The last time the Bucs and Falcons played on Thursday night, Atlanta cruised 56-14 at the Georgia Dome in 2014. Both teams will don Color Rush uniforms as they light up televisions across the nation. The Falcons will need to avoid lucky number 23. The Bucs won both games last year scoring 23 in each.

Football is back in L.A. The trip to beautiful California marks the first time in 22 years that the Falcons will suit up in Los Angeles.

In 1994, the last time Atlanta played the Los Angeles Rams, the Falcons pulled out an 8-5 victory as Bobby Hebert hit Ricky Sanders from 13 yards out in the fourth quarter to seal up the low scoring win.

SEP. 18 4:25 PM CBS OCT. 16 4:25 PM FOX NOV. 13 1:00 PM FOX DEC. 18 4:05 PM FOX RAIDERS

SEAHAWKS

EAGLES

49ERS

OAKLAND COLISEUM

CENTURYLINK FIELD

LINCOLN FINANCIAL FIELD

GEORGIA DOME

Atlanta returns to Oakland Coliseum after eight years and looks to extend a three-game winning streak against the Raiders that dates back to 2004. In their latest clash back in 2012, Matt Bryant saved the day with his golden leg. Bryant sailed in a 55-yard field goal with one second left to deny the Raiders a shot at overtime.

Coach Dan Quinn’s homecoming will come in front of a raucous fan base. The Seahawks lead the series 9-5 with Seattle scoring a 33-10 win in the Dome back in 2013. While Quinn was in charge of the Legion of Boom, the ‘Hawks led the League in fewest points and yards allowed in back-to-back seasons, just the fourth time ever.

Last season, the Falcons kicked off the Dan Quinn era on Monday Night Football versus the Eagles and came away with a 26-24 victory. Fast forward to 2016 and they will be invading the City of Brotherly Love.

Atlanta won for the first time in Philadelphia since 1988 when they clipped the Eagles 30-17 in 2012.

The 49ers visit the Dome for the first time since the 2012 NFC Championship game.

Atlanta lost at Levi Stadium 17-16 last year pushing the 49ers head-to-head series lead to 46-29-1. Blaine Gabbert replaced a benched Colin Kaepernick and got the start, going 15of-25 for 185 yards and two touchdowns in the win, surviving two interceptions.

SEP. 26 8:30 PM ESPN OCT. 23 4:05 PM FOX NOV. 27 1:00 PM FOX DEC. 24 1:00 PM FOX SAINTS

MERCEDES-BENZ SUPERDOME The bitter rivals do battle in the Big Easy in what will be an emotional game. It will be the 10-year anniversary of New Orleans’ first game back in the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina. Atlanta will try to play the role of spoiler, something they couldn’t do a decade ago as they fell 23-3.

OCT. 2

CHARGERS GEORGIA DOME

Playing the Chargers has been a fun time for the Falcons dating back to their first meeting in 1973. Only having played nine times, Atlanta owns an 8-1 record against the Bolts and the best winning percentage (.889) against any opponent. The last time the Falcons hosted the Chargers, Atlanta squeezed out a 21-20 win.

CARDINALS

PANTHERS

GEORGIA DOME

BANK OF AMERICA STADIUM

Matt Ryan threw for 361 yards and hit Julio Jones for 10 catches, 189 yards and a score in the Falcons 29-18 win in the Dome two years ago. Back-up quarterback Drew Stanton nearly eclipsed the 300-yard mark through the air, but hurled two interceptions. Matt Bryant hit five field goals in the upset.

Christmas Eve sets up a showdown between the Falcons and Panthers. Atlanta will be searching for their first victory in Bank of America Stadium since 2011. Last season in Charlotte the Panthers handed out a 38-0 shutout to the Falcons. Cam Newton threw for 265 yards and three touchdowns will misfiring on just six throws.

1:00 PM FOX OCT. 30 1:00 PM FOX DEC. 4 1:00 PM CBS JAN. 1

PANTHERS GEORGIA DOME

Expect Carolina to be hungry for revenge after the Falcons spoiled the Panthers quest for a perfect 16-0 season. The Georgia Dome was a house of horrors Week 16 for Carolina as they were stunned 20-13. Julio Jones was a workhorse with nine catches, 178 yards and one touchdown. Vic Beasley came away with the game-clinching strip-sack of Cam Newton with 1:08 left.

PACKERS

GEORGIA DOME

Green Bay visits Atlanta for the first time since 2011 during Week 8 of the season. In 2014 at Lambeau Field the Packers beat the Falcons 43-37. Julio Jones set a new career high with 259 receiving yards during that game. His monster performance ranks as the fourth best total for a receiver in a Monday Night Football contest.

CHIEFS

GEORGIA DOME

Week 13 will see the Falcons set sight towards a third consecutive victory over Kansas City. The Falcons last played Kansas City in the Georgia Dome in 2008, coming away with a 38-14 victory. In their latest meeting coming in 2012, the Falcons hung 40 points on Kansas City in a 40-24 rout.

1:00 PM FOX

SAINTS

GEORGIA DOME

New Year’s Day signifies the final regular season game in Georgia Dome history and the 199th all-time since 1992. Last year’s season finale didn’t go as planned with Kai Forbath drilling a 30-yarder as time expired to put a close to Atlanta’s roller coaster season. Julio Jones closed his record setting season with nine catches and 149 yards.

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SPRING SPORTS

NORCROSS CONTINUES TURNAROUND; EAGLES FLY UNDER RADAR

BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

N

o. 3 Norcross in Class AAAAAA is making waves. After winning just nine games last season at 9-17, the Blue Devils are now 19-4 after defeating No. 4 Collins Hill 1-0 and No. 7 Mountain View 7-5. Football quarterback Baron Radcliff leads the team in runs batted in from his corner outfield and first base position.

Zack Walch and Patrick Hutton both have provided a spark from the plate as well. Graeme Stinson, a 6-5, 245-pound lefty committed to Duke, has anchored the pitching staff at 6-0 with a 1.99 ERA. Cooper, his sophomore brother, is a 6-4 righty with four wins. Elsewhere in the state, No. 10 Northview debuts following Harrison’s exit.

Class AAAAA has become a shuffle between teams trying to separate themselves behind No. 1 Allatoona who has distinguished itself as the team to beat. Northside-Columbus

jumps from unranked to No. 6 after sweeping No. 7 Columbus. Starr’s Mill falls out of the top ten after being swept by McIntosh, but its No. 10 Union Grove who replaces the Panthers instead of the Chiefs while Ola, another Region 4 team, drops out as well.

No. 2 Buford is hot on No. 1 Locust Grove’s trail for the top spot in AAAA. The Wolves shellacked AAA’s No. 3 Westminster 10-4 this past week. Spalding no longer holds the No. 7 ranking after two straight losses. Coming in at No. 9 is West Laurens. It is the Raiders’ debut this season in the top ten.

From unranked all the way to No. 4 is Appling County in AAA. The Pirates from Baxley, Ga. have won nine-straight including a 1-0 shutout of No. 6 Pierce County. Appling is 16-11 in Region 1.

Once again Region 6 titans clashed as No.

1 Wesleyan took 2-of-3 from No. 3 Holy Innocents’. No. 2 GAC took its series with Lovett, 2-of-3 as well. No. 4 Bowdon is still rolling at 23-0 and continues to throttle opponents as they search for respect. Union County and Bacon County are replaced by No. 9 Bryan County and No. 10 Lamar County in the bottom of the poll in AA.

Tattnall Square Academy took a tumble in Class A after losing to First Presbyterian Day 3-2 and ELCA 3-2. The Trojans find themselves at No. 7 while Mt. Paran enjoys the biggest leap, moving up two spots to No. 4 after a 9-2 win over No. 5 Trion. No. 3 Schley still looks like the king of A-Public after a 6-3 win over No. 10 Taylor County. No. 9 Charlton County has won 16-straight as they creep up the rankings.

EAGLES SPOTLIGHT… Last year Atlanta International captured its first ever state title in soccer. This year the defending Class A champs haven’t had as smooth a road as they did last season going 16-2-1, but the Eagles still shouldn’t be counted out. At 5-9-1, Atlanta International’s record doesn’t look like much. Heck, they haven’t had a winning record since they started 1-0, but if you delve deeper into the results and schedule, you will find that the Eagles are still prepping

for flight.

Nine losses? How has AIS been ranked all season long? Well the No. 6 ranked Eagles have gone through a gauntlet like none other.

The combined record of the eight teams that have beat them? Try 77-15-12.

The Eagles’ losses have come against 2A No. 1 Pace Academy (10-0), 4A No. 6 Southeast Whitfield (11-1-3), 2A No. 1 Wesleyan (14-0-1), 5A No. 9 North Atlanta (9-2), Hoover, AL (15-5-2), Farragut, TN (7-2-2), 1A No. 4 Whitefield Academy (10-3-1) and 1A No. 1 Paideia (9-2-3)

The Eagles have taken their lumps but have sights set on the playoffs. No. 1 Paideia has handed them a pair of 2-1 losses coming on March 31 and April 12, but AIS recently defeated No. 4 Whitefield Academy 2-0 on April 4. The win over Whitefield has been Atlanta International’s only victory over a team with a winning record. They wrap up the season at 3A No. 6 Blessed Trinity with a chance to boost their resume. The defending state champions won’t go down without a fight and remain a dangerous team come the state tournament.

Photos courtesy of aischool.org and norcrossbluedevils.org

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SCORE ATLANTA | www.ScoreAtl.com

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Vol. 12 Iss. 15 | Apr. 20 - Apr. 26, 2016

BASEBALL CRUISES, G-DAY MAKES STATEMENT

season. Freshman catcher Michael Curry delivered a pinch-hit, three-run blast against Charlotte at BB&T Ballpark. Currently, Curry is tied for the team-high with six home runs with five of those solo shots. He is heating up after batting .412 (7-for-17) last week to earn SEC Freshman of the Week honors

BY DAN MATHEWS | DMATHEWS@SCOREATL.COM

HISTORIC G-DAY…

UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA

G

eorgia baseball continues a schoolrecord 22-game stretch against ranked opponents by going to No. 22 Clemson (2412) Tuesday. First pitch will be at 6:30 p.m.

(ESPN3). Georgia improved to 6-8 against ranked teams after its SEC series win over No. 2 South Carolina. It marked the highest ranked series win since 2001 when the Bulldogs knocked off No. 2 LSU two games to one. After the Clemson game, Georgia heads to No. 2 Florida (33-5, 11-4 SEC) for an SEC series starting Thursday with all three games set to be televised. One of the most bizarre Bulldog streaks of the season continued this past weekend as Georgia extended its stretch of consecutive solo home runs to 20.

The Bulldogs crushed six home runs against the Gamecocks, including four in Sunday’s series-clinching 5-3 win. The Bulldogs have hit 29 home runs for the year, and the last time a runner was on base for a home run came on March 8 in the 13th game of the

GEORGIA STATE

ROACH A HIT

BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

W

hile Joey Roach continues to blast homeruns, the Georgia State Panthers (16-19, 5-10) continue to lose. The senior catcher finished 3-of-5 from the plate with three RBIs and cracked his 10th homer of the year, but the Panthers dropped the series finale with UL-Monroe on Sunday 5-3. Pitching failed Georgia State as Bryan White lasted just 3.1 innings giving up five hits, two runs and five walks, dancing in and out of trouble. Bryce Conley tried to solidify the game out of the bullpen tossing 4.2 innings but he was roughed up for six hits and three runs. The Warhawks received 4.1 scoreless innings from their bullpen to shut down the game.

Both teams left 12 men on base. The Panthers had runners at second and third with two outs in the fifth and sixth and then runners at first and second with two outs in eighth but couldn’t get a key hit.

GSU begins a 10-game homestand by

Tae Crowder rushed for two touchdowns and Aaron Davis returned an interception 98 yards for another as the Black team defeated the Red team 34-14 in the annual G-Day Game on Saturday. A record 93,000 fans attended the game at Sanford Stadium.

The 93,000 fans almost doubled Georgia’s previous G-Day attendance record of 46,815 set in 2015. Georgia-native and notable rapper Ludacris performed just before the teams ran onto the field on a stage behind the East end zone.

“[It’s] A special moment to know that the fan base has your back and has got your programs’ back,” said head coach Kirby Smart. “But they came and they came in droves and I appreciate that. Our kids appreciate that...It speaks volumes for where Georgia is heading and what Georgia can do...What a great atmosphere to come out and compete in. I can’t say enough about our fan base and what they were able to do.”

hosting Georgia Tech Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the GSU Baseball Complex.

THE DRAKE

Georgia State (24-22, 7-8) finished off a series sweep of Appalachian State with a 9-3 win on Sunday. Five Panthers collected two hits in support of Katie Worley who went 3.2 innings allowing three runs. Kensey Caldwell and Arden Jobe both pushed across two runs.

Amanda Chance was excellent out of the pen to earn the win and move her record to 5-5.

She tossed 3.1 innings of no run softball while allowing one hit. Appalachian State is now 9-36. Their starter lasted only one inning after being chased by three Panther runs. Georgia State went ahead early as Caldwell doubled with one out to score Reagan Morgan for the first run. Then, with two outs, Jobe delivered a two-out line drive into left field that scored two runners and put the Panthers up 3-0.

Ivie Drake had one hit on the day but on Monday she was honored with her second Sun Belt Player of the Week award. Drake hit .438, tallying seven hits and drawing six walks over GSU’s five game winning streak. Drake’s best performance came in Game 1 against App State Saturday. The catcher went 3-for-4 with five RBIs on a grand slam and two doubles.

The grand slam was her 33rd career home run, good for second on GSU’s career list.

GEORGIA TECH

BASEBALL COOLS OFF, FOOTBALL AWAIT SPRING SCRIMMAGE

BY COLIN HUBBARD | INFO@SCOREATL.COM

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he Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets’ baseball team had put themselves in great position to at the very least finish in sole possession of third place in the coastal division by seasons end. But things just got a little more interesting after a shaky week.

Georgia Tech dropped two out three against No. 12 ranked North Carolina State to drop their ACC record to an underwhelming 8-9. And as a result, the Yellow Jackets have given up their third spot in the division and now find themselves in a tie for fourth place behind the Virginia Cavaliers.

Georgia Tech has just four series remainingwith ACC teams, two of which come against teams that sit above them in the coastal division. The Yellow Jackets will host the first place Miami Hurricanes for a 3-game series starting on May 7 and will travel to take on the Cavaliers on May 13.

Despite stumbling a bit in the past week, the Yellow Jackets are still in good

KENNESAW STATE

OWLS BLANKED

BY FLORIDA GULF COAST

BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

K

ennesaw State softball fell behind early and was never able to generate anything at the plate as the Owls fell 8-0 to Florida Gulf Coast in the finale of Sunday’s Atlantic Sun Conference series in Fort Myers.

The Eagles (23-21, 7-5) clinched the series win and moved one game ahead of the Owls (2319, 6-6) in the A-Sun Conference standings.

The Eagles struck first scoring two runs in the first inning and adding three more in the second take a 5-0 lead. FGCU took advantage of seven hits, a walk and two errors in the first two innings against three KSU pitchers. FGCU scored three more times in the bottom of the fourth to take an 8-0 lead.

For the second time in the series, Eagles starter Riley Randolph held the Owls in check as she allowed two singles, one each to Kara Chambers and Taylor Denton.

The Owls will be back in action on Wednesday (April 20) when they host Alabama State

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position to enter into the ACC tournament with a solid seed and will be able to compete for a conference title. However, the ultimate goal will be to make it back to the College World Series.

RAMBLING WRECK….

Are you ready for football to be back?

Well, if you are then you’re in for a treat this coming Saturday at noon. Georgia Tech will hold their annual spring game in which the coaching staff will configure two teams and have them battle it out. This will cap off spring football for the Yellow Jackets and will better help the coaching staff get a feel for what their team will look like come next season.

Georgia Tech is coming off of an extremely disappointing season and will be looking to rebound in a big way. The Yellow Jackets lost several defensive starters, but others are ready to step up and fill their shoes. Those players include defensive ends KeShun Freeman, Roderick Rook-Chungong and Anree Saint-Amour.

This will be a very exciting trio of pass rushers to watch during the Yellow Jackets’ Spring game. Also featured in the game will be quarterback Justin Thomas as well as a young group of A-backs and B-backs. This makes for a very interesting game and could very well determine who starts next season.

in a doubleheader at Bailey Park beginning at 4 p.m. (ET).

TOURNAMENT PREVIEW

The Kennesaw State men’s golf team will look to carry the momentum built throughout the spring season into the Atlantic Sun Conference Championships that open Sunday (April 17) at The Legends Club at Chateau Elan in Braselton, Ga.

The Owls, under first-year head coach Bryant Odom, are seeking their second conference championship after winning the A-Sun Conference Championships in 2011. KSU has finished second in each of the last two years.

The seven-team, 54-hole tournament at the par-72, 7,032-yard The Legends Club opens on Sunday beginning at 8:30 a.m. (ET). Kennesaw State is grouped with defending champion North Florida and Lipscomb and scheduled to tee off at 10 a.m. The second round is slated for Monday (April 18) and concludes on Tuesday (April 19).

“We have a great opportunity ahead of us to contend for the Atlantic Sun Conference title,” said Odom. “Our play has consistently improved this spring and we are coming off our best finish of the year. Although we did not win at Irish Creek, getting into contention and leading going into the final round was a great experience that will benefit us down the road. We have had a great week of preparation and the team is hungry for this victory.”

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ATLANTA HAWKS

HAWKS SURVIVE GAME 1

BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

I

saiah Thomas scored 27 points and Avery Bradley added 18 before going down with an injury but it wasn’t enough as the Hawks squeaked past the Celtics 102-101 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference first round. Three Hawks cracked the 20-point barrier as Al Horford (24), Jeff Teague (23) and Kent Bazemore (23) lifted Atlanta. Horford posted a double-double with 12 rebounds as did Teague with 12 assists.

Atlanta nearly coughed up a 19-point lead and led 51-34 at the half as the Celtics were ice cold from beyond the three-point line, going 2-of-16 and shooting 23 percent overall in the first half.

“We can’t put ourselves in that big of a hole,” Thomas said. “It just takes so much energy and so much time to get back in the game.”

The Celtics had chances late but the wrong player ended up taking wide open looks that wouldn’t fall in Marcus Smart and Jonas Jerebko. Bradley was playing extremely well on the perimeter but pulled up lame in the fourth

ATLANTA BRAVES

BRAVES LOSE FIRST SEVEN GAMES OF 2016 SEASON

BY RICKY DIMON | RDIMON@SCOREATL.COM

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he Atlanta Braves were not officially the worst team in baseball through Tuesday night’s action. Thanks to some help from the Minnesota Twins, Atlanta was merely tied for such an ignominious distinction. Both clubs were 0-7 through the first seven games of the 2016 campaign, with the Braves getting outscored by 24 runs compared to the Twins’ minus-17 differential.

Atlanta has dropped two contests by a single run—on Opening Day via a 4-3 decision against the Washington Nationals and on Tuesday at Washington by a 2-1 margin. The Braves came especially close in the most recent outing, thanks in part to a stellar start by Jhoulys Chacin. The 28-year-old Venezuelan pitched six innings of scoreless ball while striking out eight batters. Atlanta had a chance to break a 0-0 tie in the top of the eighth, but Jeff Francoeur grounded into a double-play with the bases loaded and the Nationals promptly scored twice in the bottom half.

“Losing sucks, no matter how you lose,”

quarter with a hamstring injury that will sideline him for the rest of the series.

“He’s very, very sore,” said Celtics coach Brad Stevens. “He said on the court that he heard a pop.”

With Bradley hurt, Jeff Teague and the rest of Atlanta’s guards started seeing more open looks and were able to get their teammates involved.

“In the fourth quarter, you’re going to get a high dose of me and Al in the pick-and-roll, and me and Paul in the pick-and-roll,” Teague said. “Those are times when I have to be aggressive and try to make plays.”

Mike Scott played a key role off the bench for Atlanta, providing them with 14 points and five rebounds in 18 minutes. Game 2 comes Tuesday night back at Philips Arena, where Game 1 was covered with a Volt Green crowd.

GAME 2 OUTLOOK

Atlanta hit just 5-of-26 three-point attempts in Game 1, large in part to Kyle Korver’s poor shooting night. The long distance specialist shot 1-of-10 from the floor and 0-7 from deep. The Hawks will need to get him going in able to stretch the floor and create driving lanes for Bazemore and Teague. It’s been an up-and-down season for the 12-year veteran coming off ankle surgery. He has shot 39 percent from deep, the lowest in a season since 2008-09 with the Utah Jazz.

catcher Tyler Flowers told the Atlanta Journal Constitution. ” It’s been a tough stretch. I feel like we’re playing good ball; we just can’t get that big hit or get that big out, or we come up with a little miscue or something that kind of snowballs an inning on us. We’re getting close.

I mean, we’re all still very positive in here.”

ENDER’S GAME …

Center fielder Ender Inciarte’s first season in Atlanta is off to an inauspicious start. Acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks this past offseason in the trade involving starter Shelby Miller, Inciarte suffered a hamstring injury in last Friday’s game against St. Louis and was placed on the 15-day disabled list.

Inciarte’s absence has, at least temporarily, opened the door for highly-touted prospect Mallex Smith. The 22-year-old, whom the Braves acquired the previous offseason in a deal with San Diego Padres that featured Justin Upton, made his major-league debut at Washington on Monday. In a season that has been plagued so far by both bad play and bad luck, Smith left early following a bizarre incident during which he was caught stealing and had his helmet fly off and hit him in the face, causing a significant gash.

Five stitches later, Smith was back out there on Tuesday. “I came here to play,” Smith told the team’s website after going 0-for-4 with one walk and one strikeout. “So, as long as nothing is stopping me from physically being able to play, I’m here to play.”

ATLANTA FALCONS

FALCONS 2016 SCHEDULE RELEASED

BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

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he National Football League released the 2016 regular season schedule. This year, Atlanta will be featured nationally on ESPN’s Monday Night Football against the New Orleans Saints in Week 3 and on Thursday Night Football against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Week 9). Atlanta’s opponents in 2016 combined for a 114-94 overall record during the regular season in 2015. The Falcons will also face six teams that qualified for the 2015 playoffs (Carolina, Arizona, Kansas City, Green Bay, Seattle and Denver) including the two teams that made it to Super Bowl 50. In addition to their yearly home and away contests with their NFC South opponents, the Falcons will face teams from the AFC and NFC West.

NFC BATTLES…

Based off of its second place finish in their divisions last season, Atlanta will take on the Green Bay Packers at home (Week 8) and the Philadelphia Eagles on the road (Week 10).

GHSA BEAT

GEORGIA ELITE CLASSIC ADDS FIFTH GAME

BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

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he fourth installment of the Georgia Elite Classic is poised for an all-star marathon on December 29 at McEachern High School that will showcase five games for the first time.

Last year saw the annual junior all-star game add a sophomore game for the first time. The sophomore and junior all-star games will once again cap off the three days of activities, practice and competition. Before the final two games, however, will be a seventh grade game, an eighth grade game and a senior game for the first time.

The seventh grade game will start at 9 a.m., and with neighboring practice fields surrounding the stadium, the next teams can start warming up on schedule to keep the event running seamlessly. The eighth grade game is slated for an 11 a.m. kickoff. At 1 p.m. is an intriguing new format that will showcase the state’s top uncommitted seniors. The selection process for the senior game will begin in November and this will give college football

The Falcons will also make four west coast trips this season, which will also include going against, Head Coach Dan Quinn’s former team, the Seattle Seahawks in CenturyLink Field during Week 6.

The Falcons first hosted the Buccaneers in the Georgia Dome during Week 9 in 1993, and they will host the Buccaneers in the Georgia Dome for the final time to kick off the 2016 season. Atlanta and Tampa have split the alltime series in the Dome 9-9, with Atlanta winning six of their last eight matchups at home. In 2015, the Bucs swept the season series against Atlanta for the first time since 2007.

The Falcons will travel to Oakland to face the Raiders for the 14th time and the first time since 2012 in Week 2. The Falcons have won the last three meetings versus the Raiders, but Oakland still leads the all-time season series 7-6. The two teams last met in the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum back in 2008, where the Falcons won 24-0, which was the Falcons first road win against the Raiders since 1988.

In Week 3, the Falcons will head south to the Big Easy to face the Saints on Monday Night Football for the 10-year anniversary of the Saints’ first game back in the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina.

The Falcons will face the Panthers in the Georgia Dome for the final time in Week 4.

hopefuls a chance to gain interest and boost their rank as National Signing Day sits several weeks away.

Born to Compete is teaming up with the Georgia Elite Classic to put on the seventh and eight grade games. Born to Compete or (B2C) is a media website for youth sports that offers coaches, family members, and young athletes from ages 6-14 an outlet to celebrate and support their athletic endeavors. B2C’s media coverage spans several states including Georgia, Maryland, Virginia, California, Alabama, New York, Rhode Island, Delaware, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Arizona, Florida, Louisiana, Texas, Ohio, and Tennessee.

With five all-star games, the Junior Elite Classic Showcases currently touring the state will present opportunities for players to earn a place in December’s games.

Two showcases remain in April starting the 17th at Walton High School and the 24th at Devaul Henderson Park in Richmond Hill. The showcases are spread throughout the spring and across the state to give each region of Georgia the proper exposure. Gwinnett County’s event will be held on May 1 with the location still to be determined and on Dec. 18 it will be Cobb County’s time to shine again as McEachern holds the final showcase of the year with more roster spots on the line.

Vol. 12 Iss. 15 | Apr. 20 - Apr. 26, 2016

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Vol. 12 Iss. 15 | Apr. 20 - Apr. 26, 2016

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