Score Atlanta Vol. 10 Issue 21

Time to look great!

VOLUME 10 ISSUE 21 |

MAY 30 - JUNE 5, 2014

|

YOUR SOURCE FOR SPORTS IN GEORGIA

PREPARING FOR FLIGHT Director’s Cup News | Pg. 7 Read Craig Sager II’s story on the top athletics programs in Georgia high school sports

Finals Frenzy | Pg. 8 Baseball champs were crowned earlier this week as the prep athletics season came to a close

Falcons hit OTAs with younger, tougher team | Pg. 5

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Vol. 10 Iss. 21 | May 30 - June 5, 2014

STARTING LINEUP PUBLISHER/EDITOR I.J. Rosenberg

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COLUMNISTS

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ON THE COVER

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INSIDE THE PREPS

GENERAL MANAGER Melanie Snare

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

BUSINESS MANAGER Marvin Botnick

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Marcus Nabors

BEAT WRITERS Ricky Dimon (Braves, GSU)

Robert Tinter (Dream, Tech) Brian Jones (KSU) Dan Mathews (UGA) Craig Sager II (Falcons)

STAFF WRITERS Alex Ewalt Matthew Cason Darrin Heatherly

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Copyright 2014 Score Atlanta Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved. Score Atlanta is published in print every other week on Fridays and a digital version is posted to ScoreAtl.com in-between print issues. Views expressed in Score Atlanta are not necessarily the opinion of Score Atlanta, its staff or advertisers. Score Atlanta does not knowingly accept false or misleading editorial content or advertising nor is Score Atlanta responsible for the content or claims of any advertising or editorial in this publication. No content (articles, photographs, graphics) in Score Atlanta may be used for reproduction without written permission from the publisher.

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

COVER PHOTOS COURTESY OF JIMMY CRIBB/ATLANTA FALCONS, TY FREEMAN AND WHITNEY REDDIN.

ON THE INSIDE AT SCORE Score Atlanta is looking for interns. Please visit www.scoreatl.com/internships for more information on our program.

Visit our website, ScoreAtl.com, for the final rankings of each spring sport as well as stories on each of the baseball finals from the past week.

On ScoreAtl.com, we will continually be updating you, our readers, on the progress of the Falcons this offseason as they move towards what looks to be a promising 2014 season. We will have reporters at OTAs as well as training camp and Friday Night Lights.

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

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SCORE ATLANTA | www.ScoreAtl.com The Braves better hope this is just a weird hiccup for their bullpen. They can’t afford for it to be anything more than that.

DIMON CLUB

UNCHARACTERISTIC BRAVES NEED TO GET BACK ON TRACK

BY RICKY DIMON | RDIMON@SCOREATL.COM

he Red Sox really aren’t as bad as recent T results suggest. They can’t be. After all, they’re the defending champions and that

team is largely intact for 2014. Regardless, though, losing two straight games to an opponent that had just dropped 10 in a row is a borderline disaster.

Atlanta’s two-game stretch against Boston on Monday and Tuesday is arguably tied for its worst such span of the season to date.

Only once in a seven-game skid of their own did the Braves drop two straight in such disappointing fashion (9-0 and 9-3 setbacks at Miami to begin the slide). The Sox seemed to be well on their way to an 11th consecutive notch in the ‘L’ column, but Atlanta squandered all of a 6-1 lead. They also blew advantages on 2-1 and 3-2 on Tuesday.

It is the way in which the home team lost those two contests that is especially concerning. B.J. Upton striking out at least once every three plate appearances and Dan Uggla making his biggest contributions by sitting on the bench are unfortunate circumstances that can be accepted as givens. Relief pitchers blowing leads, however, is something that comes out of the blue and likely cannot be overcome by a team that relies on its mound work. But blow leads they did, with the culprits being Ian Thomas on Monday followed by Anthony Varvaro and Luis Avilan on Tuesday.

“Yeah, with the way we’ve been pitching all year you think when we score six runs it’s enough,” catcher Gerald Laird said in an interview after Monday’s game. “But it’s one of those things where it was a weird game today.”

DAN THE MAN

FALCONS YOUNG AND OLDER GETTING FAMILIAR WITH THE FIELD

BY DAN MATHEWS | DMATHEWS@SCOREATL.COM

ednesday marked the second day of FalW cons OTAs, as they start their first week of three-day workouts. This also serves as the first times the veterans and rookies have worked with each other on the field since the draft earlier in the month.

As you would expect from the second practice featuring veterans and rookies, head coach Mike Smith saw some positives and negatives.

“It was better than the first one (Tuesday OTA’s),” Smith said. “The guys have a better understanding. This was the second day our rookies and veterans got an opportunity really to work together. I thought there were some bright spots and things we’ve got to get fixed.”

NEW TO THE NEST …

Wednesday also served as the first day

for newly signed defensive linemen Paul Soliai and Tyson Jackson to be on the field during our media viewing session for the week. Soliai as expected is getting first-team reps as the team’s nose tackle in the 3-4 defense. Jackson is the team’s starting left defensive end in this base front. Jackson says that he’s been relying on Soliai’s knowledge of defensive coordinator Mike Nolan’s scheme.

“He played in this defense a couple years back in Miami and he’s able to help me transition a little bit faster than I was expecting,” Jackson said of Soliai. “I’m relying on that guy a lot, because he’s played in this league for a long time.”

Soliai and Tyson Jackson come to this team, as part of an offseason plan to get the Falcons bigger and stronger on both the offensive/defensive lines. Whether pressure comes

UPON FURTHER REVIEW …

Meanwhile, it was announced on Tuesday that Ervin Santana won an appeal of a scorekeeping decision made during his start on May 16 in St. Louis. Matt Adams of the Cardinals had been credited with an RBI double, but his hit off B.J.’s glove was changed to a sacrifice fly and an error. That’s all well and good for Santana, you would think, but here’s the thing: the reversal did not even lower his ERA. It’s still an earned run. All it did was lower Santana’s relatively inconsequential WHIP by an entirely inconsequential margin, while also handing an error to B.J. and taking away a double from Adams.

Can someone please tell me what the point of that appeal was? If the Braves were 51-0 at this point and winning every game by seven runs, I could see how the team might be bored enough to worry about such trivial matters. Needless to say, they aren’t. Focus, guys.

You’re 1.5 games up on the Miami Marlins, one of the least-talented teams in the majors. Focus.

BASEBALL’S BEEN VERY GOOD TO THEM …

The college diamond, however, was extremely kind to local teams last weekend.

Georgia Tech won the ACC tournament as the No. 9 seed and Kennesaw State continued its incredible hot streak by sweeping through the Atlantic Sun tournament.

You know, maybe this rare underdog status is just what the Tech program needs. It has lost in regional action each of the last six years despite hosting a regional on four of those occasions. In nine tournament appearances over the past 10 seasons the Yellow Jackets have reached the College World Series just once.

They lost in Super Regionals at home in both 2004 and 2005. Similar pressure should be off this time around, because Tech would not have even made it to the tournament without its ACC title and it is a No. 3 seed out of four in the upcoming Oxford Regional.

Kennesaw State may be even better than the traditional power that is Georgia Tech, but it has no experience. The Owls are making their first-ever appearance in the NCAA tournament. Let’s hope they get a shot at Jameis Winston and Florida State (assuming the Seminoles win their opener against Georgia Southern), no matter the outcome.

Photo courtesy of Kennesaw State Athletics.

with being an emphasis for that change, Soliai says he’s not looking at it that way.

“I kind of take it as I’m just happy to bring my talent here,” Soliai said. “I’m blessed that Atlanta gave me another opportunity to play.

I’m here, I’m really thankful, and I’m just ready to play.”

On the offensive side of the ball, firstround pick Jake Matthews has been plugged into the right tackle spot on the field. This is not a surprise given that general manager Thomas Dimitroff said on the night Matthews was drafted that he would be slated to be their right tackle. New offensive line coach Mike Tice is encouraged by what he’s seen out of Matthews in the early going, especially with the mature approach he brings both on and off the field as a rookie.

“He knows how to prepare as a young guy, he knows how to take notes, and knows how to ask the right questions,” Tice said. “He doesn’t like making mistakes, so he’s very diligent in that regard. So who are we kidding, are we going to make a competition for him?”

ON THE SIDELINES …

The Falcons did not have wide receiver Roddy White on the field for practice on Wednesday. About a week and a half ago, White’s younger brother Tyrone Moore Jr. was shot and killed outside a South Carolina nightclub. Roddy has been given time to grieve the

loss of his younger brother.

Wide receiver Julio Jones was also absent from practice on Wednesday. He is not expected to return to the field until at least training camp, after undergoing season ending foot surgery in 2013. Linebacker Sean Weatherspoon is trying to recover from a knee issue and is also not participating in OTA’s. However, he continues to be a vocal presence from the sideline, by yelling play calls to the defense and coaching the inside linebackers as they come off the field. In his place on the inside of the linebacker group, second year players Paul Worrilow and Joplo Bartu are getting plenty of first team reps.

Another note from Wednesday’s OTAs is that Kroy Biermann is solely playing outside linebacker and former defensive end Jonathan Massaquoi is lined up on the opposite side of Biermann with the first team defense.

Second-round pick and defensive end Ra’Shede Hageman is getting second team reps as a defensive tackle in nickel defense situations. His base defensive work is coming as a 3-4 left defensive end with the third team at the moment.

Falcons will wrap up this week’s portion of OTA’s on Thursday.

Photo courtesy of AtlantaFalcons.com.

Vol. 10 Iss. 21 | May 30 - June 5, 2014 again and they were inserted into the starting lineup. Wide receiver Julio Jones and Weatherspoon will be limited for most of the offseason and are not expected to get back into full participation until right before the season.

“Jones and Weatherspoon won’t be doing a whole lot in the offseason conditioning program or the full-team minicamp scheduled to begin later this month,” confirmed Smith. “Our focus is strictly on getting them ready to go for training camp.”

Weatherspoon’s absence gives the three linebackers picked in the draft a chance at some extra reps and also gives Worrilow and Bartu bigger roles until Weatherspoon’s return.

Worrilow finished tied for 12th in the NFL last season with 127 total tackles. Worrilow led all rookies in the category despite not seeing action until injuries thrust him into the lineup mid-season. Worrilow had just one tackle the first four games of 2013 before stepping into the starting role. Had Worrilow started the whole season, he would have been on pace for 169 tackles, just two off the NFL’s leader Vontaze Burfict’s 171.

Three of the four top tacklers on Atlanta’s defense last season were rookies and that experience began in offseason OTAs. Bartu, Worrilow’s fellow rookie linebacker, had 86 total tackles. Rookie starting cornerback Desmond Trufant finished fourth behind William Moore’s 86 tackles with 70.

ON THE COVER

BIRD WATCH

FALCONS HEAD INTO OTA’S WITH NEW FACES, QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED

BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

onstruction to the Dome’s surrounding C parking lots is not the only change Falcons fans can expect to see when heading to games

this season. There is a noticeable difference in attitude and personnel with this 2014 team.

Atlanta has been motivated during the past couple years during OTA’s to bounce back from its tough playoff losses. But this offseason it is not just a desire to make the playoffs and string together a run to the Super Bowl that is driving the team. It is a focus on becoming a tougher team each day. Rookies no longer are joining a veteran roster and waiting their turn. Young players are competing for spots, filling roles and bringing the physical assets missing from offseasons in the past years.

YOUTH MOVEMENT …

The Falcons began their organized team activities (OTA’s) Tuesday after a week off following rookie minicamp. Not often does anyone credit the glorified walk-through known as rookie minicamp for setting the tone for a season, but this class of rookies did their best this past week. Falcons owner Arthur Blank openly admitted after last year’s 4-12 record that his team was not tough enough and Day 1 of the minicamp saw first-round draft pick Jake

Matthews and second-round pick Ra’Shede Hageman going at it during one-on-one combat drills. The competition became so intense that head coach Mike Smith had to remind the players that it wasn’t a live scrimmage.

“Everyone was getting after it today,” said Matthews after the first day of minicamp.

“Coach Smith had to tell us that this is a walkthrough because guys were going full speed and we were busting lips and hitting guys and I busted my nose up. … We were getting after it and that’s the big thing I’ve taken away from this group is that these guys love to work.”

Smith has always stressed that the priority in the offseason is staying healthy. This year’s goal is the same, but the Falcons do not have the same experience as they did with 17year pros like Tony Gonzalez last season.

PROTECTING THE VETS …

Falcons linebacker Sean Weatherspoon missed OTAs last season with an arthroscopic knee surgery and recently-released linebacker Stephen Nicholas was out as well. Their absence allowed undrafted free-agent rookies Paul Worrilow and Joplo Bartu to see a lot of reps and it ended up preparing them for the season when Spoon and Nicholas were hurt

NUMBERS WATCH …

Atlanta was somewhat of a traveling history show last season with Gonzalez. The future Hall of Fame tight end broke his own record with every reception he made. This season, starting receiver Roddy White approaches a key milestone that would solidify his place as the best receiver in franchise history. White is healthy this offseason and is seeing a ton of action as the offense prepares to open the season for its first game without Gonzalez in the lineup in 2,079 days (Dec. 28, 2008).

White is the Falcons’ all-time receiving leader with 9,436 yards (2,087 ahead of second-place Terance Mathis) and the career receptions leader (685) ahead of Mathis by a staggering 112 receptions. However, White sits third all-time in touchdown receptions with 55 behind Andre Rison’s 56 and Mathis’ 57.

White has hauled in at least three touchdown receptions in each of the past seven seasons. The 10-year pro suffered through a string of injuries last year, but managed to haul in 20 receptions for 232 yards and a pair of touchdowns in Atlanta’s final two games once he was healthy.

THE SCHEMES …

Offensively, Matt Ryan will once again be the centerpiece of the offense and he will have

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plenty of weapons to distribute the football to. The receiving trio of Gonzalez, Jones and White was considered the best in the league in past years and there will still be a dangerous trio this year thanks to slot specialist Harry Douglas.

Douglas filled in last season after Jones suffered his season-ending foot injury and finished the season with 85 catches for 1,067 yards. Douglas’ previous career highs for a season were 39 catches and 498 yards.

Ryan will have an improved offensive line with Matthews anchoring the right side and the elusive Devin Hester to mix into the playbook. Hester is not only the game’s top return man, but like Gonzalez, he can get open and sit in the hole to give Ryan a reliable check down option during his progressions. Gonzalez drew double-teams on nearly every play and that attention will be nearly impossible to match, but a home-run threat like Hester coming out of the backfield or from the slot will certainly keep defenses honest.

PREPARING FOR BATTLE …

The Falcons have a difficult schedule. Last year, Atlanta took on the AFC East in its nonconference matchup and went 1-3, beating Buffalo and losing to the Patriots, Dolphins and Jets. This year, Atlanta faces the physical AFC North with Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Baltimore and Cleveland. The Falcons led the NFL in onepossession losses last season with seven and no stone is being left unturned this offseason to regain their edge.

Photos courtesy of Jimmy Cribb/Atlanta Falcons.

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Justin Upton

College Baseball

Shoni Schimmel

Justin Upton has remained hot and is leading the Braves in batting average (.311), home runs (13) and RBIs (33) as of Wednesday afternoon.

The left fielder is on a fivegame hitting streak that includes three doubles, seven RBIs, three runs scored and five hits in his last two contests. Upton is third in the NL in home runs.

Georgia Tech and Kennesaw State punched their tickets to the NCAA tournament regionals with wins in their respective conference tournaments last weekend. The Yellow Jackets became the first No. 9 seed to win the ACC title by beating Maryland 9-4 in the championship. KSU completed an A-Sun sweep, clinching the title vs. Lipscomb.

The Atlanta Dream are off to a mediocre 2-2 start, but they have a number of individuals at or near the top of major statistical categories.

Schimmel, a rookie, tops the WNBA in assists per game with 9.3 as of Wednesday.

All-star Angel McCoughtry is second in points (22.3) and Erika de Souza is fifth in rebounds (10.3).

SCORE LIST

By Brian Jones

MAKE IT NINE

The Georgia Tech baseball team made history again by winning its ninth ACC tournament title. And because of their efforts, they will travel to Mississippi to face Washington in the Oxford Regional on Friday. It’s a tough draw for the Jackets, but they are battle-tested and there is no reason they can’t make a run at the title.

FIRST CHAMPIONSHIP

But wait. The Kennesaw State baseball team is no slouch, either, as the Owls have won 23 of their last 24 games and their first conference title in school history. They will travel to Tallahassee to face Alabama on Friday. Because the Owls have a potent offense, I really like their chances to make it to the Super Regionals.

BACK TO WORK

The Falcons had their first OTA session on Wednesday, marking the first time in which veterans and rookies worked together. This was the first of three sessions the Falcons have before minicamp in mid-June. I’m excited to see the Falcons back on at work because they have a chance of bouncing back from last season.

DEAL APPROVED

Cobb County commissioners voted 5-0 on the agreement that would bound the county to borrow close to $400 million to build the new Braves stadium that is slated to open in 2017. Commissioners also approved the deal that would keep the Braves in Cobb County for 30 years. I can’t wait for this new stadium to open in my backyard.

NEW CHAMPS

The high school sports season has come to an end and it concluded with new baseball champs. Congrats to Lambert, Houston County, Carrollton, Blessed Trinity, Benedictine, King’s Ridge and Charlton County for winning state titles. Now the countdown is on for the 2014 football season.

WHO’S NOT

By Ricky Dimon

WHO’S HOT

SCORE ATLANTA | www.ScoreAtl.com

Atlanta Braves

Red Sox “Fans”

Donald Sterling

The Braves briefly heated up with a stretch of five wins in six games last week, but they have lost two straight and three of four heading into Wednesday’s tilt with Boston. The Red Sox ended a 10-game losing streak on Monday by coming back from a 6-1 deficit in Atlanta to prevail 8-6. They also won from behind on Tuesday.

Yes, we are sure all 20,000 or so of the so-called Red Sox fans on Monday and Tuesday at Turner Field have been Sox fans their entire lives – not. The Braves and Red Sox have played numerous times in interleague play and rarely sold out until recent years.

It would be nice to see how many of them show up out of nowhere once the Sox have a few bad seasons in a row.

Sterling’s attempt to get accepted back into the NBA may be a lost cause, but he is not treating it as such. The disgraced owner of the Los Angeles Clippers responded to the league’s ban and forced sale of his team with a 32-page response in which he referenced “draconian penalties” and “sham proceedings” surround his punishment.

NUMBERS

OUR TWO CENTS

By Ricky Dimon & Stephen Black 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

HOW MANY FIRST-TIME BASEBALL STATE CHAMPIONS WERE CROWNED THIS SEASON? ANSWER ON PAGE 14

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SANITY AT LAST

“They fired me, but they fired the team as well.”

GAC baseball coach Cliff Shelton, who was fired with one week left in the regular season. The Spartans then made an unlikely run to the state finals.

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Assists by Dream point guard Shoni Schimmel, most in the WNBA NCAA regional bids by Kennesaw State University after this year’s berth

20,000

Approximate amount of Red Sox fans at Turner Field during Boston’s 8-6 Memorial Day win

1,016

Rushing yards by Falcons’ fourth-round pick Devonta Freeman at Florida State last season

542 3

Rushing yards by Steven Jackson last season in his Falcons debut last season Hits allowed by Ervin Santana in 33 at-bats with two outs and runners on base this season

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Sacks compiled in three years by Falcons seventhround pick Tyler Starr of South Dakota

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Combined homeruns by Evan Gattis and Justin Upton this season

Vol. 10 Iss. 21 | May 30 - June 5, 2014 field and tennis.

Westminster claimed its 14th Director’s Cup this year and edged Region 6 rivals Lovett (1219.5), GAC (1213) and Wesleyan (1160) with a grand total of 1431 points. The Wildcats claimed five total state titles and earned points in a total of 21 sports. In 2013, Westminster scored 1513.0 points with a state-record 11 state titles and four runner-up finishes.

In Class A, Holy Innocents’ dethroned Gordon Lee for its first-ever Director’s Cup. Gordon Lee improved from a 13th-place finish in 2012, to a first-place finish last year with 1188.00 total points, almost doubling their 2012 total of 553.00. However, Holy Innocents’ used depth to win this year’s race and edged Gordon Lee in total points 1127.5-1041. Holy Innocents’ only state title came in volleyball, but a finals appearance in girls basketball (90 points) and top-four finish in golf (87.5) lifted the Golden Bears.

DIRECTOR’S CUP

POPE, HOLY INNOCENTS’ CLAIM FIRST CUPS

BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

W

alton and Brookwood have combined for 10 GADA Director’s Cups, and in the state’s highest classification, Walton edged the Broncos 1228.5-1048.0 for the 2014 cup, the school’s seventh. The Raiders edged the Broncos last year 1110.5-1108.0 (just 2.5 points).

A school earns points for a top-eight finish overall in the state, and there are 18 different sports that dish out points. State championships reward schools with 100 points. Walton won state titles in boys swimming and girls volleyball and tennis. The Raiders’ lacrosse teams earned 173 total points as the boys reached the semis and the girls fell in the championship.

In Class AAAAA, Pope won its first-ever Director’s Cup with a 1060-point advantage over runner-up McIntosh (1012) and thirdplace Starr’s Mill (1009). The Greyhounds earned 100 points in wrestling and took 90 points in boys tennis and girls track and field.

Cambridge placed 10th with 700.5 total points in just its second year since opening as a school. The Bears claimed state titles for the

Overall Winners A

Holy Innocents’

AA Westminster AAA

St. Pius X

AAAA Marist AAAAA Pope AAAAAA Walton

first time this season and grabbed 100 points in wrestling and girls golf.

Marist has won the Director’s Cup every year since its inception in 1999-00 and brought another cup to its Atlanta campus with 1416 total points this year. Carrollton finished a distant second place with 1099. Marist evenly split eight state titles and two runnerup finishes between the boys and girls, including sweeps in track and field, tennis and cross country.

St. Pius X saw its three-year Director’s Cup streak ended in 2012 by Woodward Academy, but the Golden Lions reclaimed the cup last year and added another top finish this year to give the school a fifth cup in six years.

St. Pius X edged second-place Buford 14411284.5, which was the Wolves’ best finish in school history. The St. Pius boys claimed state titles in cross country, swimming, tennis, track and field and soccer. The girls took state in basketball, volleyball and soccer and added runner-up finishes in cross country, track and

Class A Region 1 Seminole Co.

2 Irwin Co.

3 Savannah Chr.

4 Brookstone

5 Holy Innocents’

6 Gordon Lee

7 First Presbyterian

8 Commerce

Class AA

1 Thomasville 2 Vidalia 3 Westside, Augusta 4 Bleckley Co. 5 Bremen 6 Westminster 7 Calhoun 8 Jefferson

FIRST-TIMERS …

The 2013-14 was another historic school year for Georgia high school sports and, out of the 141 team state championships handed out, there were 35 first-time champs. Creekside, Aquinas and Marion County grabbed their first titles in football and basketball saw four first time champs with Jonesboro, Morgan County and the St. Francis boys joining the Tucker girls as first-time champs in Macon. Buford not only won its first wrestling state title this year, but swept the dual and traditional titles. Cambridge won the traditional state wrestling title and added the girls state championship in golf for the school’s first-ever titles. King’s Ridge, Lambert and Houston County wrapped up championship seasons in baseball this past week.

Buford took the state title in gymnastics in the programs second year of competition, Track and field saw six of the 14 state champions win first-ever titles. Shiloh, Lamar County and Hancock Central were first-time representatives for the boys and Miller Grove, ELCA and Gordon Lee took home gold for the girls. Three of the four lacrosse state champs were firsttimers as Roswell and Northview took the boys titles and the Kell girls stunned Westminster 11-10 in the title game.

Photos courtesy of Ty Freeman, Sonny Kennedy, Walton HS, Buford HS and Pope HS.

Class AAA

1 Pierce Co. 2 Pike Co. 3 Washington Co. 4 Central, Carroll 5 Cartersville 6 St. Pius X 7 Buford 8 Oconee Co.

Class AAAA

1 Westover 2 Veterans 3 South Effingham 4 Eagle’s Landing 5 Carrollton 6 Marist 7 Dalton 8 Chestatee

Class AAAAA

1 Northside, Col. 2 Greenbrier 3 Glynn Academy 4 McIntosh 5 Allatoona 6 Lakeside, DeKalb 7 Pope 8 Gainesville

Class AAAAAA

1 Tift Co. 2 Luella 3 East Coweta 4 Harrison 5 Walton 6 Lambert 7 Peachtree Ridge 8 Brookwood

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BASEBALL FINALS RECAP

LAMBERT, BLESSED TRINITY TAKE HOME STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

BY STEPHEN BLACK | SBLACK@SCOREATL.COM

T

he baseball finals concluded Tuesday as Houston County finished its rousing state championship run with a comeback win over Whitewater in Game 3 of the Class AAAAA championship series. On Monday, three state titles were decided when Benedictine, Carrollton and Lambert won Game 3’s while Blessed Trinity won its state title on Saturday with a sweep over Cartersville.

ROLLER COASTER …

The Class AAAAA series was one of the wildest state championship events in recent history as each game featured some type of dramatic, late-game heroics as well as multiple lead changes. Whitewater captured Game 1 on a three-run, walk-off homer by Taylor Turner that traveled either over or just inside the leftfield foul pole. The visiting Bears screamed bloody murder claiming Turner’s fly ball went foul, but the umpires convened and maintained

it was fair and the Wildcats had completed a dramatic comeback after trailing 5-1 early in the game.

“I challenged them after that game by saying ‘don’t let it end like that,’” Bears coach Jason Brett told our Dan Mathews after the game. “We’ve got to flush that game and move to the next. It’s not who wins the first one, it’s who wins two games in the series.”

Game 2 was more of the same, except this time, Houston County triumphed. The Bears came back from a 6-0 Whitewater lead to win 8-7 on a Jason Jones walk-off single. In the series finale, Whitewater led 3-0 almost right off the bat, but Houston County scored six runs in the fourth inning including a grand slam by Hunt Smith.

CANES BLOWN AWAY …

Blessed Trinity went to defending Class AAA-champ Cartersville expecting a hostile

atmosphere and stiff competition. But the Titans didn’t flinch, winning two extra-inning games to sweep to the program’s second state championship.

“It’s the way they prepare,” said Titans coach Andy Harlin of his team’s late-game success. “This group really prepared. They got down to practice early and helped each other and when you have that chemistry, it’s like having a superstar on your team.”

Junior Cody Roberts drove in the gamewinning runs in each game while also earning the save in Game 1.

BENEDICTINE’S BACK …

The Cadets from Savannah waited 53 years to win a baseball state title, and they did it in style Monday at home. Benedictine scored five runs in the sixth inning to overcome a hot GAC squad that forced the deciding game.

Brad Stewart, who starred in the Elite Junior Classic football game in December, drilled a solo homer to give Benedictine a 3-2 lead.

GAC made a surprise run through the tournament as a No. 4 seed. Amazingly, the Spartans did it after their coach of 32 years, Cliff Shelton, was fired with one week left in the regular season.

“They fired me, but they fired the team as well,” said Shelton after Game 2. “They’re incredibly motivated and they’re playing great as a unit. There’s no selfish attitudes on this team.”

The Spartans played each playoff series

on the road, including upsets over No. 1 Jefferson and No. 8 Berrien.

CARROLLTON CORONATED …

Similar to Benedictine, the Carrollton Trojans had not won a state baseball championship for a while. While the Cadets waited 53 years, Carrollton got its after 52 years when the Trojans beat Crisp County 2-0 Monday. The Trojans lost Game 1, a 12-0 loss on their home field, but rallied to win the next two games.

“This is a resilient group,” said Trojans coach Ryan Zaideman. “We’ve had a couple games like that this year. They always rebound well. We just refocused ourselves and really just played against ourselves, against Carrollton. We just needed to handle our own business.”

WIRE-TO-WIRE ...

Lambert edged Milton in Game 3 of a series that can only be described a “pitchers’ duel”. The Longhorns won game 3 2-1 behind pitchers Seth Beer, Turner Scruggs and Dylan Biumi. Kyle McCann knocked in the game-winning run on a bloop single in the fifth inning.

The Horns won their first baseball state title after spending the season at or near the top of several national polls. Lambert was No. 1 throughout the season in the Score Atlanta/ AJC rankings.

Photos courtesy of Blessed Trinity, Whitney Reddin, Georgia Bennett Photography and the GHSA.

Score Atlanta/AJC Lacrosse Final Rankings BOYS

GIRLS

Class AAAAAA

Class AAAAA-A

1............................Roswell 2...........................Lambert 3.............................. Milton 4............................. Walton 5.......................... Harrison

1........................Northview 2...............................Lovett 3....................Westminster 4............................Decatur 5................ Blessed Trinity

6.......................Centennial 7................... John’s Creek 8............. Peachtree Ridge 9................Chattahoochee 10..............North Gwinnett

6................................ Pope 7.............................. Marist 8..................................GAC 9......................... Allatoona 10.......................St. Pius X

Class AAAAAA

Class AAAAA-A

1.............................. Milton 2............................. Walton 3........................... Lassiter 4.............................. Hooch 5.......................Centennial

1.................................. Kell 2....................Westminster 3...................... Cambridge 4.........................St. Pius X 5................ Blessed Trinity

6.......................... Harrison 7................... West Forsyth 8.............................Etowah 9........................Mill Creek 10..................... Collins Hill

6......................... McIntosh 7................................ Pope 8........................Northview 9.......................Starr’s Mill 10.............Holy Innocents’

Vol. 10 Iss. 21 | May 30 - June 5, 2014 ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY

FRIDAY NIGHT FESTIVITIES GET UNDERWAY THIS WEEK AT AMS

BY DAN MATHEWS | DMATHEWS@SCOREATL.COM

A

tlanta Motor Speedway’s spring and summer events truly get underway on Friday night with the points opener for the O’Reilly Auto Parts Friday Night Drags and Show-nShine. Prior to Memorial Day weekend, the previous two weekends of races served as nonpoints events.

With the points series now approaching full flight, Friday Night Drags is picking up the pace toward its championship night of races coming up in August. Drivers are invited to take part in this event at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Just because you might not have the highspeed engine cars that some would imagine are needed for this event does not mean that you are unable take part in the drag races. This event has 18 different divisions of races that range from the normal vehicles we see on our everyday streets to those “Fast and The Furi-

ous” style cars.

If you want to take part in the races at the O’Reilly Auto Parts Friday Night Drags and Show-n-Shine, you need a valid driver’s license, a signed safety waiver and a helmet approved by the Department of Transportation. If you would like to just take part in the drag races, your entrance fee is $20. However, if you want to take part in the Show-n-Shine as well as the races, then you’ll need to pay $30. Registration for the races and Show-n-Shine on Friday night opens at 6 p.m. at the AMS main infield tunnel gates. Minors ages 16 and 17 who wish to race on Friday must have a safety waiver on file with Atlanta Motor Speedway prior to the competition. In addition to having a valid driver’s license and DOT-approved helmet, all competitors must pass a pre-race safety inspection at the track. All other information on

the O’Reilly Auto Parts Friday Night Drags and Show-n-Shine can be found at www.AtlantaMotorSpeedway.com.

As for the Show-n-Shine portion of Friday night’s events, those who wish to participate can sign up for $20. Judging for the event gets underway at 6:15 p.m. this Friday.

Shortly after 8 p.m. on Friday night, those who are putting their cars on display as part of the Show-n-Shine can drive their vehicles around the more than 1.5-mile track at AMS as part of the “Speedway Cruise.” After that parade, the awards ceremony for the Shown-Shine will be conducted just before 9 p.m.

After all of that wraps up for the night, starting at about 9:20 p.m. are the drag racing eliminations for the O’Reilly Auto Parts Friday Night Drags. Fans who want to take in the excitement this Friday night can do so for as low as $8 for adults, with kids five and under getting in for free. Exterior parking at AMS is free, while those who want to park in the infield will be charged $20.

Atlanta Motor Speedway also has designated smoking areas set up for the races on Friday night. Those areas are set up behind the grandstand and in the infield. Smoking in the grandstand is not permitted.

This weekend is when the action really

ramps up as part of the O’Reilly Auto Parts Friday Night Drags and Show-n-Shine. For more information on either taking part in the events individually or hauling the family over to AMS for the fun, you can visit www.AtlantaMotorSpeedway.com. Tickets can also be purchased by calling the track ticket office at 770-9464211 or 877-9AMS-TIX. While this weekend is just for the O’Reilly Auto Parts Friday Night Drags and Show-nShine, next Thursday is the official start of Thursday Thunder. The legends and bandolero car races had a soft opening of sorts on Saturday, May 17, with a quarter-mile “Thunder Ring” of racing and an opportunity for fans to interact and get autographs from drivers.

This summer series of racing will go for eight straight weeks and includes the bandolero nationals on Saturday, June 28.

Thursday Thunder has produced some of the top young drivers in NASCAR, including Reed Sorenson, David Ragan, Joey Logano and more recently Ty Dillon, Bubba Wallace and Chase Elliott. Those who want to find out more about Thursday Thunder can head to www.AtlantaMotorSpeedway.com.

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ON SALE NOW! JUNE 3-8 FoxTheatre.org/Evita

Score Atlanta/AJC High School Final Baseball Rankings Class AAAAAA 1...................... Lambert 2.......................... Milton 3.....................Parkview 4................Johns Creek 5.........................Walton

Class AAA 6...Kennesaw Mountain 7..........................Coffee 8.......................... Luella 9....................Mill Creek 10.................... Valdosta

Class AAAAA 1.......... Houston County 2................. Whitewater 3.................. Greenbrier 4.................. Gainesville 5................... Loganville

6............. Pierce County 7.....................St. Pius X 8....................North Hall 9..................... Callaway 10....................Ringgold

Class AA 6............North Paulding 7.................. Starr’s Mill 8.................Stephenson 9..............East Paulding 10............Harris County

1.................Benedictine 2..............................GAC 3............... Westminster 4.................... Wesleyan 5.......................... Lovett

6.......................Calhoun 7............................Cook 8........................Berrien 9.....................Jefferson 10..................... Bremen

Class A

Class AAAA 1....................Carrollton 2............... Crisp County 3......................Veterans 4....................Alexander 5.............. Walnut Grove

1............Blessed Trinity 2................. Cartersville 3......................... Buford 4.................Hart County 5.................Pike County

6.............Wayne County 7..........................Lanier 8..........................Marist 9..........................Redan 10..................Columbus

1........ King’s Ridge Chr. 2............................ELCA 3..........Charlton County 4................. Gordon Lee 5............... Mount Paran

6.........Hebron Christian 7...............................ECI 8.......................Treutlen 9.............Schley County 10.. Savannah Christian

Score Atlanta/AJC Final Soccer Rankings AAAAAA Boys

1..................... Brookwood 2....................... Mill Creek 3.............. Douglas County 4..........................Harrison 5........................ Campbell 6.............................Walton 7...........................Lassiter 8.............Central Gwinnett 9......................... Hillgrove 10................. Johns Creek

AAAAA Boys

1.........................McIntosh 2......................Greenbrier 3.............. Houston County 4................ Clarke Central 5......................Gainesville 6.............. Glynn Academy 7........... Lakeside-DeKalb 8............... Warner Robins 9.......... Heritage-Conyers 10.................... Riverwood

AAAA Boys

1..............................Dalton 2......Johnson-Gainesville 3......................... Spalding 4......Southeast Whitefield 5........................LaGrange 6...............................Perry 7...................... Statesboro 8............................. Lanier 9.............................. Grady 10..................... Chamblee

AAA Boys

1........................ St. Pius X 2............... Oconee County 3.........................West Hall 4...............Dawson County 5......Woodward Academy 6........................North Hall 7................Savannah Arts 8...............Coahulla Creek 9..................Peach County 10..........................Islands

AA Boys

1................................. GAC 2................... Westminster 3...........................Calhoun 4.................... Thomasville 5........................ Wesleyan 6.................... Benedictine 7.................Lamar County 8...............Toombs County 9..............................Lovett 10...................... Jefferson

A Boys

1............................Paideia 2.......Atlanta International 3............ Hebron Christian 4.....................Brookstone 5..........Our Lady of Mercy 6................Pace Academy 7...... Fellowship Christian 8........Pinecrest Academy 9.......... First Presbyterian 10.................Mount Paran

AAAAAA Girls

1..........................Harrison 2.......................... Grayson 3.........................Parkview 4....................East Coweta 5..................... Brookwood 6.............Peachtree Ridge 7.............................Walton 8...................... Centennial 9...........................Lassiter 10............................Milton

AAAAA Girls

1.........................McIntosh 2...................... Starr’s Mill 3................................Pope 4........................Northgate 5....................... Northview 6.......... Heritage-Conyers 7.......................Loganville 8............... North Paulding 9.........................Allatoona 10................ North Atlanta

AAAA Girls

1..............................Marist 2......................... Veterans 3....................... Columbus 4....................... Alexander 5......................... Spalding 6.....................River Ridge 7.............................. Grady 8.................. Locust Grove 9....................... Chamblee 10............................. Cairo

AAA Girls

1........................ St. Pius X 2................Blessed Trinity 3............... Oconee County 4.............................Buford 5......Woodward Academy 6...........................Decatur 7...............Dawson County 8..................North Oconee 9.................Pierce County 10.................. Pike County

AA Girls

1................................. GAC 2..............................Lovett 3................... Westminster 4........................ Wesleyan 5...........................Calhoun 6....................St. Vincent’s 7.......................Armuchee 8.................. East Laurens 9.............................Vidalia 10...........................Jordan

A Girls

1................Pace Academy 2... First Presbyterian Day 3...... Fellowship Christian 4.............. Holy Innocents’ 5............................Paideia 6............ Hebron Christian 7.......Atlanta International 8.................... Calvary Day 9........ Mt. Paran Christian 10... Providence Christian

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SCORE ATLANTA | www.ScoreAtl.com

UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA

TV TIMES ANNOUNCED, WIGGINS HEADING TO LOUISVILLE

BY DAN MATHEWS | DMATHEWS@SCOREATL.COM

EC spring meetings have gotten underway SGeorgia in Destin, Fla. and some news concerning football came out on Tuesday. The

Dawgs found out that their games against South Carolina and Florida are both in 3:30 p.m. timeslots on CBS. UGA and South Carolina will open the SEC on CBS coverage for the 2014 season with an afternoon kickoff in Columbia on Sept. 13.

The next game Georgia knows they will have with Verne Lundquist and Gary Danielson in the broadcast booth is Nov. 1 against Florida down in Jacksonville, also at 3:30 p.m.

The only other game time that has been determined so far is against Troy on Sept. 20 in Athens. Kickoff is set for noon at Sanford Stadium and it will be the first time the Bulldogs are featured on the soon-to-be-launched SEC Network.

WIGGINS FINDS A NEW HOME …

Former UGA cornerback Shaq Wiggins announced last weekend that he is indeed going to follow former defensive coordinator

GEORGIA STATE

TERE-APISAH MAKES IT TO NCAA TENNIS SEMIFINALS

BY RICKY DIMON | RDIMON@SCOREATL.COM

G

eorgia State senior Abigail Tere-Apisah became the first player in school history to reach the semifinals of the NCAA tennis tournament when she made a memorable run through the singles draw last week in Athens.

Playing at the University of Georgia’s Dan Magill Tennis Complex, the unseeded Tere-Apisah scored victories over opponents from Tennessee, California and Stanford before upsetting No. 5 seed Beatrice Capra of Duke 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 in last Saturday’s quarterfinals. The Papua New Guinea native eventually fell to Cal’s Lynn Chi by the slimmest of margins in a 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(2) defeat on Sunday.

Tere-Apisah ended her career with school-record 87 wins. She was an All-American in 2012 and 2014 and earned Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year honors in each of the past two seasons. Georgia State finished the season ranked No. 55 in the nation—its second best in history—after taking out 31st-ranked Tennessee in the first round of the NCAA team

Todd Grantham to Louisville. The rising sophomore made the announcement on his Instagram account.

Earlier this month, Georgia confirmed that Wiggins was leaving the program after playing 12 games as a freshman in 2013. The Sandy Springs product started in eight of those contests and recorded 19 tackles (three for a loss), two interceptions (one for a touchdown against Vanderbilt) and four pass breakups.

Wiggins joins former Georgia safety Josh Harvey-Clemons as another player who is joining Grantham at Louisville. Wide receiver Uriah Lemay and outside linebacker Paris Bostick are additional players who have decided to leave the program since the conclusion of last season.

CHAMPIONSHIP LOSS …

Georgia’s tennis duo of Maho Kowase and Lauren Herring made it all the way to the NCAA tournament final before coming up just short. The pair ran into familiar foes Maya Jansen and Erin Routliffe of Alabama, falling 6-1, 6-0 on Monday afternoon. Kowase and Herring end the season with a record of 36-7 and can now add NCAA runner-up to their resume.

With tennis having wrapped up simultaneously with golf (which finished 11th at the NCAA tournament to miss out on the matchplay segment by three spots), UGA’s spring athletics are beginning to wind down. More than 30 athletes on the men’s and women’s track and field teams, however, have advanced to the NCAA regional currently underway from Thursday through Saturday in Jacksonville, Fla.

tournament on May 9.

“I don’t know if you can put it into words what she has meant to Georgia State,” interim head coach Robin Stephenson told georgiastatesports.com. “She has been the catalyst of the program, the heart and soul of the program, backbone of the program. She put us on the map.”

“I feel like I’ve improved so much since I’ve been at Georgia State,” Tere-Apsiah said.

“Being a senior in my last tournament, I just wanted to come out and play. If it meant stay out five hours on the court, I was willing to do that. But four years here at Georgia State, it’s been amazing. I’m truly going to miss it.”

GOLF SEASON CONCLUDES …

The men’s golf team made its fifth appearance in the NCAA championship and finished 22nd on Monday in Hutchinson, Kan. Georgia State placed ahead of eight schools, including 10th-ranked Virginia Tech and 18th-ranked Florida State.

Senior Tyler Gruca shot a final-round 76 to come in at 8-over par, good for an 89th-place showing in the individual competition. Gruca never missed a tournament in his four-year career (45 played) while playing 131 rounds, third most in program history. Junior Davin White, who was tied for the overall lead deep into the second round, also shot a final-round 76 and tied for 42nd. Sophomore J.J. Grey fired a concluding 73 and tied for 113th.

GEORGIA TECH

TECH TAKES ACC TOURNAMENT TITLE

BY ROBERT TINTER | RTINTER@SCOREATL.COM

he Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets’ baseball T team capped off a miraculous ACC tournament last Sunday with a 9-4 victory over Mary-

land to claim their ninth conference championship. In clinching its 30th appearance in the NCAA field, Tech became the first-ever No. 9 seed to win the ACC tournament.

The Jackets went 4-1 in the tournament, while senior pitcher Dusty Isaacs recorded two saves and a win his three appearances and was named MVP. Isaacs was also named to the AllChampionship team along with teammates Daniel Spingola and Mott Hyde.

Defense was a large component of the Yellow Jackets’ success last weekend, just as it has been all year. The Jackets did not commit one error and turned nine-double plays during their five games. For the season, Tech has turned 73 double-plays—which leads the NCAA and is already a school record with at least two games remaining.

ROAD TO OMAHA …

On Monday the team learned its road

KENNESAW STATE

OWLS CAPTURE ATLANTIC SUN TOURNAMENT TITLE

BY BRIAN JONES | BJONES@SCOREATL.COM

L

ast season, Kennesaw State’s baseball team fell short of winning the Atlantic Sun title and getting an automatic bid to the NCAA Regionals. But history would not repeat itself this year because after a 16-game winning streak and an impressive run in the conference tournament, the Owls defeated Stetson 7-1 in last Sunday’s championship game to win their first conference tournament title.

“It’s a great feeling,” head coach Mike Sansing told ksuowls.com. “Our guys played well throughout the last six weeks. This tournament was just another stride in that. We’re excited. It’s just a lot of fun.”

Brendan Morgan was named tournament MVP after going 9-for-14 with seven RBIs. He was 1-for-3 with one RBI for the Owls on Sunday.

“It’s a true honor,” Morgan stated. “I had a pretty good week at the plate. Anybody in that lineup could have gotten it. The lineup up and down is unbelievable. Everybody came together and knows their role. Everything just came together.”

to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb. Georgia Tech was named the third seed in the NCAA Oxford Regional, which will take place this weekend. As No. 3, the Yellow Jackets will face No. 2 Washington in a regional opener on Friday. If they win, they will play the winner of top-seeded Ole Miss and Jacksonville State.

Each regional has four teams and is a doubleelimination setup. The winner of the regional will move on to the NCAA Super Regionals.

GOLF SEASON ENDS …

Georgia Tech golfer Ollie Schniederjans came up just short in his attempt to win the NCAA individual championship. After 54 holes, Schniederjans was tied with Stanford’s Cameron Wilson at 6-under-par. He got on level terms with Wilson thanks to par on the 18th hole as the Cardinal’s man bogeyed it.

That set up a playoff for the title and on the third hole of sudden death Wilson rolled in a 10-foot birdie to clinch victory.

Schniederjans’ phenomenal performance coupled with Seth Reeves’ 4-under score of 206 helped Georgia Tech finish in fifth place and advance to the match-play round. In the matchplay format, each team picks five players to face off against one another. The school that wins the most out of those five matchups advances.

The Yellow Jackets faced No. 4 seed Oklahoma State on Tuesday and saw their season come to an end as the Cowboys prevailed 4-0-1 to set up a semifinal meeting with Stanford.

Chris McGowan came up big for the Owls against Stetson, going 2-for-3 and knocking in three runs. Max Pentecost was the only other Owl with two hits in the final game. James McConnell got the win, pitching two innings in relief and giving up one hit and zero runs while striking out five batters.

ON TO FLORIDA …

So what’s next for the Owls? They have now advanced to the regional part of the NCAA tournament and will travel to Tallahassee to face Alabama on Friday. Each one of the 16 regional pods consists of four teams, with one of the four advancing to the Super Regionals. The other two participants in Tallahassee are Florida State, the host school, and Georgia Southern.

“Georgia Southern, we’re obviously familiar with them,” Sansing said. “We’ve played them the last five or six seasons. Tallahassee’s a great venue. I know Florida State will have a great team. Alabama is a great program. We’re in a situation where everyone has some history and has had some success, so we’ll see. It’s exciting for our players to play at Florida State.”

Meanwhile, the Owls are nationally ranked by a major poll for the first time in school history. They currently register at No. 27 in the Collegiate Baseball Poll, which is one of the oldest baseball polls in all of college baseball. The Owls are the only A-Sun representative in the poll and they are also the highest ranked team in Georgia.

Vol. 10 Iss. 21 | May 30 - June 5, 2014 ATLANTA HAWKS

HAWKS WELCOME PROSPECTS TO PRE-DRAFT WORKOUTS

BY ROBERT TINTER | RTINTER@SCOREATL.COM

ith the NBA Draft approaching, the AtW lanta Hawks have started scheduling their pre-draft workouts. On Tuesday they hosted

former Michigan star Glenn Robinson III. Robinson III is a 6-foot-7, 211-pound small forward with exceptional athletic ability. He averaged 13.1 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists last year as a sophomore for the maze and blue.

Robinson III can do many things well but does not do anything particularly great. The son of former Hawk Glenn Robinson Sr. showed his potential throughout his career at Michigan but would tend to disappear at times in games.

Johnny O’Bryant was scheduled to work out on Wednesday according to ESPN, while DeAndre Daniels and Kyle Anderson were expected to be in Atlanta on Thursday. O’Bryant is a 6-8 257-pound power forward from LSU who was the focal point of the Tigers’ offense the past two years. This past season, O’ Bryant averaged 15.4 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game despite almost always getting double-teamed in the post. He is a very skilled post player who can also face up and take de-

ATLANTA BRAVES

BRAVES DIAL UP LA STELLA FOLLOWING RECENT LOSSES

BY RICKY DIMON | RDIMON@SCOREATL.COM

T

he lowly Chicago Cubs cured all of the Braves’ ills a few weeks ago following a stretch in late April and early May during which Atlanta lost eight of nine games. The Braves reversed roles earlier this week, serving as a reprieve for the struggling Boston Red Sox. Boston had lost 10 games in a row when it came to town on Monday. It promptly woke up for two straight wins, the first in which the Braves blew a 6-1 lead in an 8-6 loss. Atlanta also led early on Tuesday before the Sox pulled out a 6-3 victory.

“We knew we had to keep them down yesterday,” Andrelton Simmons said in a postgame interview after the second contest. “We got on them early yesterday, but they fought back and somehow found their way back in the game and they eventually won it. They came out today hungry for another win and they outplayed us.”

fenders to the rim with an explosive first step.

Daniels played both power forward and small forward at Connecticut. It was his versatility that helped lead the Huskies to the National Championship. At 6-8 and 196 pounds, Daniels will most definitely play the small forward position in the NBA. Like Robinson III, Daniels is an elite athlete but inconsistent. However, he saw his production increase each of his three years at UConn and his three-point shooting climbed from 24 percent as a freshman to 40 percent as a junior.

VERSATILE BRUIN …

Anderson is the most unusual and intriguing of the four prospects. At UCLA, the 6-foot8, 230-pounder played point guard. He filled up the stat sheet just about each and every night for the Bruins, averaging 14.6 points, 8.8 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game. Anderson shot 48 percent from both the field and three-point line.

Despite his success at the point-guard position, he worked out with the small forwards at the NBA combine and has told teams that is his preferred position.

Anderson is not a super athlete and is not a speedster. What he brings to the table is his ability to guard multiple positions on defense and provide an extra ball-handler on the wing.

Anderson’s basketball IQ is off the charts and he always plays at his own pace, allowing him to get where he wants on the floor.

STELLAR LA STELLA …

It is no secret that the Braves have been getting league-worst production from the second-base position. The trio of Dan Uggla, Tyler Pastornicky and Ramiro Pena is hitting a collective .165 in games played at second base (better than only San Diego) to go along with a .250 slugging percentage, .253 on-base percentage, three home runs, 15 RBIs and 19 walks compared to 51 strikeouts in 176 at-bats. Uggla is batting .177 with two homers and 10 RBIs. Pastornicky is hitting .185 as a second baseman and Pena, more of a utility infielder, has an overall batting average of .164.

Enter Tommy La Stella, who was called up to the majors from Triple-A Gwinnett on Wednesday. The New Jersey native is not the youngest of prospects at 25-years old, but he has been one of Atlanta’s most highly-touted dating back to last season. In 81 games with Double-A Mississippi in 2013, La Stella compiled a .343 average, drove in 41 runs and stole seven bases. Through 47 games with Gwinnett this season, he is hitting .293.

La Stella was expected to arrive in Boston in time for Wednesday night’s contest. Braves fans may be able to get their first look at La Stella when the team returns to Turner Field for two games against Seattle next Tuesday and Wednesday.

ATLANTA FALCONS

LOWERY STEPS INTO SAFETY ROLE AT OTA’S

BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

he Falcons released safety Thomas DeCoud this offseason and brought in former T Jacksonville safety Dwight Lowery to add

depth to the position. Lowery was a fourthround pick by the Jets in the 2008 draft and the Falcons will be the former San Jose State Spartan’s third team in his seven years in the NFL. Safety is one of the thinnest areas on the defense and Lowery is working with 2012 Pro Bowler William Moore to become Atlanta’s much-needed safety net in the secondary.

Lowery is a notorious film junkie and has expressed his excitement to improving the Atlanta defense. He spoke candidly with ESPN earlier on Tuesday about his new role with the Falcons.

“I saw that tackling was an issue [in the past],” said Lowery. “I don’t know if it was so much of a tackling issue or an angle/pursuit-type thing. The most encouraging thing, though, is the coaches are really emphasizing it. So it’s something that’s either going to get fixed or it’s not going to be tolerated. It doesn’t have to be perfect and pretty. Just get him to the ground.”

ATLANTA DREAM

DREAM LOSE TWO IN A ROW AFTER STARTING 2-0

BY DARRIN HEATHERLY | DHEATHERLY@SCOREATL.COM

T

he Atlanta Dream lost their first game of the season as they traveled north to Chicago to take on the Sky last Saturday. Elena Delle Donne scored a season-high 27 points to lead the Sky to an 87-73 victory over Atlanta.

Atlanta simply could not stop Delle Donne, a deadly 6’7” sharpshooter and 2013 WNBA Rookie of the Year. Erika de Souza led the Dream with a double-double (18 points, 12 rebounds). Atlanta rookie Shoni Schimmel, the WNBA leader in assists, contributed 17 points and eight helpers.

Chicago was without two all-star starters in Epiphanny Prince and Sylvia Fowles.

The Dream (2-2), played without Angel McCoughtry (22.3 points per game), who was a late scratch due to a shoulder injury. The Sky’s bench outscored the Dream’s bench 35-28 and Chicago also led by as many as 12 points in the fourth quarter, sealing the outcome well before the actual finish.

“She’s better,” said Dream coach Michael Cooper said of McCoughtry’s progress. “I think

13

During the interview, Vaughn McClure asked Lowery about his new teammates and Lowery had a lot to say about the team’s leading tackler from last year, undrafted rookie free agent Paul Worrilow.

“Worrilow, he’s a load, man,” Lowery said. “I was sitting next to William Moore and he was like, ‘He’s so young and works really hard. He’s constantly in the weight room.

For a young guy, he doesn’t really have that young-guy presence. He seems like he’s going to be a great player.”

BUILDING CHEMISTRY …

Atlanta brought in cornerbacks Desmond Trufant and Robert Alford last year in the draft and the rookie duo started for almost the entire 2013 season. Trufant led all NFL rookies in pass breakups and they each hauled in a pair of interceptions. Moore developed better chemistry with the young corners as the season progressed and they will have the offseason to work with Lowery to prepare for New Orleans’ aerial attack for what is a second straight season-opener against the Saints.

WHITE’S LOSS …

Organized team activities started Tuesday without wide receiver Roddy White, who was not ready to return to action after his brother was murdered outside a night club in White’s hometown in South Carolina last week. The funeral was held last Thursday and the 10-year pro is spending time with his family before heading back to Flowery Branch.

it was more precautionary measure for her because we play tomorrow.”

TWO-GAME SKID …

McCoughtry returned to the starting lineup for the game referenced by Cooper, a home date with Indiana last Sunday. It would not be enough, however, as turnovers plagued the Dream in an 82-77 overtime loss. McCoughtry scored 19 points, but it was apparent that the shoulder issue still bothered her. “I felt good for the most part, but my shoulder is still hurting,” said McCoughtry.

Indiana found a spark in Erlana Larkins, who recorded with a double-double (13 points, 22 rebounds). Larkins was unstoppable on the glass, finishing just two rebounds shy of the WNBA single-game record set by Washington’s Chamique Holdsclaw in 2003.

“When you have a player dominate the boards like that, it is going to be tough for you to win some games,” Cooper commented.

“This is like a boxing match, delivering shots and taking shots.”

Atlanta committed 21 turnovers, which led to 27 points for Indiana. The Dream shot 20 percent from the three-point line and struggled finding good shots in the final minutes of regulation. Indiana also scored the first six points of overtime.

The Dream will look to get back on track at Philips Arena on Friday against a struggling Seattle team that is 1-3 through four games. A four-day layoff in the meantime is giving McCoughtry some time to overcome her injury.

14

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The National Guard offers real, tangible rewards for serving in defense of your country. Yours will be a serious commitment, and one that will be rewarded.

Contact a National Guard Gua Recruiter today! www.NATIONALGUARD.com