Score Atlanta Vol. 10 Issue 42

Time to look great!

VOLUME 10 ISSUE 42 | NOVEMBER 14-20, 2014

Eyeing The Prize | Pg. 4 Kyle Sandy looks how the following weeks could impact the magnitude of Georgia Tech vs. Georgia.

Georgia’s Heavyweights | Pg. 8 Football powerhouses collide in first round playoff action.

HOPE FLOATS Falcons are determined to challenge a winnable NFC South | Pg. 5

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Vol. 10 Iss. 42 | November 14-20, 2014

STARTING LINEUP PUBLISHER/EDITOR I.J. Rosenberg

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COLUMNISTS

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ON THE COVER

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PREP COVER

ART/CREATIVE DIRECTOR DJ Galbiati Blalock

MANAGING EDITOR Craig Sager II

MARKETING/ Lauren Goldstein PARTNERSHIP DIRECTOR

BUSINESS MANAGER Marvin Botnick BEAT WRITERS Ricky Dimon (Braves)

Matthew Cason (Tech) Brian Jones (KSU) Dan Mathews (UGA)

Craig Sager II (Falcons)

Kyle Sandy (Hawks, GSU,

Gladiators)

STAFF WRITERS Jalisa Smith

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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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SAGER SAYS

A LOOK AT CLASS AA-AAAA’S FIRST ROUND ACTION

BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

arist at Whitewater is one of the many first round matchups to keep an eye on M this weekend. Quarterback Jay Ashley and

running back Christian Wafford carry the load offensively for the Whitewater Wildcats and Marist relies on its rushing attack and defense (7 ppg) to win games. … Woodward Academy won the Region 5-AAAA championship and used the powerful running of junior Elijah Holyfield to cap off a 9-1 season. The War Eagles face Arabia Mountain, which enters the state playoffs for the first time in school history. Dual-threat quarterback Jakobi Meyers, a Kent State-commit, leads the Rams. Theodore Eboigbe is the focal point for the Rams on defense at linebacker. St. Pius X earned the top seed in the playoffs after an 0-2 start and has established itself as one of the best rushing teams in the state. The Golden Lions will face

Fayette County, looking to make another return to the Georgia Dome after falling short in the 2012 state championship to Buford.

CLASS 3A SLATE… In Class AAA, Ringgold came off last year’s school-record 11-win season and cruised to an 8-2 record this year. The Tigers suffered region losses to Adairsville and Calhoun and will face Callaway, which saw a potential game-winning kick get blocked by CentralCarroll and returned for a touchdown as time expired in the region championship last Friday. … Title-favorite Washington County has outscored its opponents by an average of 43 points per game this season and hosts Jackson-Atlanta. …Pierce County clinched the No. 2 seed this year and sits two wins away from their third straight 10-win season under Sean

SANDY’S SPIEL

AN EARLY LOOK AT GEORGIA TECH-GEORGIA

BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

lot can change in three weeks, but it is never A too early to take a look at the increasing importance of Georgia Tech-Georgia. A series

that has been dominated by the Dawgs this decade may hold bigger circumstances than usual. The dream of Georgia making a final four playoff spot is all but extinguished, but a conference title is still in reach as far-fetched as it may sound. Surprisingly, the same can be said about Georgia Tech. After a slow start to the season, the Jackets have quietly built an 8-2 record.

Back-to-back losses to Duke and North Carolina in the middle of the season have seemed to humble them. In their three games since the losses, Georgia Tech has averaged 49 points per game and has routed the likes of Pittsburgh, Virginia and North Carolina State.

FAMILIAR FOES…

Some fans say that in order for a rivalry to be a rivalry the other team has to win a few times. Georgia has dominated the series in the 21st century going 12-2 including five straight wins. Tech’s last win came in 2008 when the Jackets were able to outscore the Dawgs 4542 in a quagmire. There will definitely be some Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate when the two schools meet on Nov. 29th, but will there be a good game? Last season the Bulldogs were able to win in Atlanta 41-34 after Tech raced out to a 20-7 first half lead, but what will happen this year between the hedges?

BORN TO RUN…

Georgia Tech’s offense has been clicking

Pender. Pierce County will take on Jackson for the first time in school history. …West Hall is the higher seed, but Oconee County carries a 6-0 all-time record against the Spartans.

West Hall tied a school-record with nine wins and can post double-digit victories for the first time in school history with a win over Oconee County. …Cedartown visits Adairsville, which sits one win away from the school’s third double-digit winning season in 58 years. … Blessed Trinity rides into its matchup with Hephzibah wearing the first undefeated regular season in school history. … Dodge County and 9-1 Westside-Macon face for the first time. … After a 1-9 finish last year, Franklin County enter the playoffs with a 4-6 record and have the challenge of visiting 10-0 Jefferson. … Cedar Grove hosts Westside-Augusta and sits one win away from the first 9-win season since 1992. … Rockmart edged Pepperell 6-0 in the mini-playoff on Monday for a shot at undefeated Calhoun, which searches for its first Class AAA state title. … Elbert County is in the playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons and hosts Lumpkin County. … Unbeaten Peach County looks to repeat its 15-0 state champion season in 2009 and opens the playoffs with visiting Appling County. … Gerry Romberg is in his 23rd season as the Westminster head coach and has led the Wildcats to a 9-1 record in the school’s first year in Class AAA. The Wildcats face a rematch with Laney after beating them 14-6

on Sept 5. … Central-Carroll followed up a 10-3 season a year ago with a perfect 10-0 record and Region 5 title. The Lions host Sonoraville, which posted a school-record 6-win season this year and is looking for the first playoff win in school history. …Hart County is 7-1 all-time against East Hall and has not lost to the Vikings since its 7-6 defeat in 1971. … Jon Lindsey left Irwin County and took the Cook job this year and immediately made his impact. Cook hosts Central-Macon, which sits at 5-5 and has only posted one six-win season since 1999.

on all cylinders since their losses in the middle of the season. Starting B-back Zach Laskey went down with a shoulder injury in the fourth quarter in the loss to North Carolina.

Former quarterback and seldom used senior Synjyn Days was asked to step in, and boy did he. Days has rushed for 414 yards in his three starts making him the first Tech running back to rush for over 100 yards in three straight games since Jonathan Dwyer. Quarterback Justin Thomas has amassed 2,075 yards of total offense in his first season as starting quarterback and looks to be one of coach Paul Johnson’s finest pitch men.

The Dawgs also rely on a strong running game to bludgeon opponents to death. Todd Gurley was a front runner for the Heisman Trophy before his suspension, but the Georgia running game much like Tech’s has not skipped a beat with the absence of their leading rusher.

Freshman Nick Chubb has run for 671 yards in his four starts and has emerged as one of the nation’s top young backs. Hutson Mason has struggled at times, but for the most part has done his job in managing the game and not turning the ball over.

The main weakness for both teams is their suspect defenses. Both teams were exposed in

their two losses. Georgia got gashed by one of the nation’s weaker offenses in Florida who rammed the ball down their throat for 418 yards. The Jackets have struggled to stop opposing quarterbacks, allowing the 29th most passing yards in the nation. Another key factor in who will win this game will be the quarterback play. Both QBs have looked good at times and both have looked overwhelmed. They are polar opposites of each other. Thomas runs the triple option and is a threat to break a game changing run while Mason likes to sit in the pocket and struggles with his mobility at times getting away from rushers.

If I had to pick a winner of this game, I would have to give the slight edge to Georgia Tech. This very well may be Paul Johnson’s last season with the team, and a win over Georgia might tip the scale one way or the other. Tech will need to load the box and dare Mason to beat them down the field. Georgia’s defense has shown it is susceptible to the rushing attack and that is exactly what Tech will try to do. Georgia Tech will have a nice measuring stick test before the big game when they host Clemson. As fans, all we can ask for is for both teams to come in healthy and give us another great game.

Photo courtesy of Jon Barash.

TOP 2A TILTS….

Heard County is making its 10th consecutive postseason appearance against a Wesleyan team that features a vaunted defense that allowed 7.6 points per game on the road this season. … Defending Class AA champion Lovett features a balanced offensive attack led by senior quarterback Willie Candler, who completed 60 percent of his passes for 1,261 yards on the season. Lovett hosts Bremen. …

GAC went a perfect 10-0, their third straight season of 10-plus wins, and they did so in dominating fashion, outscoring opponents by 27 points per contest while the defense recorded four shutouts. The top-ranked Spartans host Chattahoochee County.

Photo courtesy of Georgia Photographics.

Vol. 10 Iss. 42 | November 14-20, 2014 Atlanta has lost five starters for the season from the offensive line, the defense has battled through injuries all year and Jake Matthews is anchoring the left tackle position while battling a badly-sprained ankle. Overcoming this level adversity and finding a spot in the playoffs and no one would be able to call Atlanta anything but a tough football team. It will be a challenge with games against Arizona, Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Green Bay left on the schedule but this is a chance to etch the Falcons in the history books as one of the most improbable runs to the playoffs in NFL history.

ON THE COVER

ATLANTA FALCONS

FALCONS SEASON STILL HOLDS HOPE

BY CRAIG SAGER II & RICKY DIMON

T

he Falcons looked closer to the No. 1 pick in the draft than a playoff team following a 2221 Week 8 loss to the Lions in London. However, the now 3-6 Falcons are still very much in the mix after a 27-17 victory over Tampa Bay. New Orleans tops the division at 4-6 and Carolina sits above the Falcons at 3-5-1. A Falcons win over the Panthers on Sunday would drop Carolina to 3-6-1 and if the Saints fall to Cincinnati this weekend, Atlanta would actually grab a share of the division lead.

It is rare for a team to make the playoffs with a .500 record but it appears that this year’s NFC South champion will hover right around 8-8 entering the playoffs. Twenty times in NFL history has a team has dropped three games below .500 and still made the playoffs but the Falcons would be defying even greater odds. With a 2-6 record that saw a five-game losing streak before last Sunday’s win, Atlanta had plummeted four games under .500.

The 2008 Chargers were one of just three teams to fall four games below .500 and still make the playoffs and it was not the first time San Diego accomplished that type of midsea-

son magic. In 1992, San Diego started the season 0-4 and actually became the first team in NFL history to start a season winless through four games and still make the postseason. Like the Falcons during their dreadful five-game losing streak, nothing seemed to work for the Chargers. San Diego scored 29 total points in its first four games but got one win and caught fire, finishing the season winning 11 of its final 12 games. If the Chargers can do it, there is no reason the Falcons can’t come out on top of the struggling NFC South this season.

TOUGHNESS DEFINED…

All offseason, the Falcons addressed becoming a tougher football team this year. A label of being a ‘soft’ team was placed on the Falcons during last year’s uncharacteristic 4-12 finish.

HBO’s Hard Knocks this summer and offseason coaching changes on the offensive and defensive lines were aimed to help the cause. The situation the Falcons are currently in gives the organization an opportunity to show toughness better than anything the team went through in the offseason following last year’s let down.

SLOW YOUR ROLL…

Before we get ahead of ourselves, Coach Mike Smith and Matt Ryan have made it clear that it is a one game at a time mentality the rest of this season. Attacking a Panthers team that has not won a football game since Oct. 5 is the next step Atlanta must take to continue a midseason turnaround.

The Falcons defense has struggled this season but the same could be said about what used to be one of the best rushing attacks in Carolina. The trio of Cam Newton, DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart has combined for just six rushing scores this season and a 3.6 yards per carry average. Carolina is 25th in the NFL in points per game and has been held under 21 points six times this season. Cam Newton has been successful against Atlanta during his pro career and even stamped the NFC South title on Atlanta’s turf last December. This year, however, Newton has thrown 10 touchdowns with eight interceptions. His 306 yards passing last week in Carolina’s 45-21 loss to Philadelphia was the first time this season that Newton eclipsed 300 yards but it was also matched with a seasonhigh three interceptions. Carolina still has two games against Minnesota and 1-7 Tampa Bay on the schedule and that could help keep them in the division race.

LOWERY’S LEADERSHIP…

Dwight Lowery was a free agent signing this offseason that flew under the radar with big-name newcomers like Devin Hester, Tyson Jackson, Paul Soliai and Jake Matthews making their Falcons debuts. However, Lowery has proven to be a valuable piece to the secondary.

Atlanta was lacking a veteran presence in the middle of the field and in the secondary with injuries and Lowery has stepped up in that role.

Lowery has started each all nine games, while recording 43 tackles, four passes defensed, a fumble recovery and the crucial pick to help

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secure the Falcons win over Tampa last Sunday.

“I thought to myself, ‘This is going to be a telling time of whether or not I’m ever going to play football again,’ “ said Lowery about his opportunity with the Falcons. “I prepared like I was going to play again and when I got the opportunity, I was ready.”

Atlanta’s defense was on pace to set franchise records for most yards allowed in a season but there have been subtle improvements in recent weeks. In fact, Carolina’s defense, which was second-best in the NFL last season, has given up more yards and points than the Falcons this season.

OFFENSIVE POWER… One of the biggest disappointments through the first half of the season was Atlanta’s offensive struggles and we are still waiting for the pieces click. The offensive line is starting to come together and the running game looks much better with Steven Jackson finding success early in games and Devonta Freeman, Antone Smith and Jacquizz Rodgers filling in as a relief role.

Jackson’s 81 yards last week were three yards shy of his highest total in a Falcons uniform and it seems the limited touches in the first half of the season has kept the 31-year-old fresh as the team enters Week 11.

Photos courtesy of the Atlanta Falcons.

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Tech Defense

Kyle Korver

Nick Chubb

The Yellow Jackets are ranked No. 22 in the latest CFB Playoff Poll and while the offense continues to roll, the defense has been a welcome presence. The unit has allowed just 20.3 points per game in their last three contests while forcing 11 turnovers and two returned for scores in the 56-23 victory over N.C. State.

The shooting guard is carrying a hot-hand for the 3-3 Hawks. Korver dropped a season-high 27 points against the Knicks on Saturday on 7-of-12 shooting, including six three-pointers. The 12-year veteran is averaging a team-high 16.7 points per game on 48.4 percent shooting from the field, including an eye-popping 55 percent from beyond the arc.

Although Todd Gurley is scheduled to come back for the Auburn game on Saturday, Bulldog fans will surely express gratitude the effort given by Chubb in Gurley’s four-game absence.

Chubb ran for 170 yards and a score on just 13 carries in the 63-31 blowout win at Kentucky, his fourth-straight game with 100-plus yards rushing.

SCORE LIST

By Brian Jones

LOSING SKID SNAPPED

The Falcons finally snapped their five-game losing streak by beating the Tampa Bay Bucs this past Sunday. This win was crucial because they are now only one game behind the Saints for the NFC South lead. Now they have another big divisional game this Sunday when they face the Panthers, who got blown out by the Eagles on Monday night.

DEEP SOUTH RIVALRY RENEWED

To say the Georgia-Auburn game is huge for both teams would be a gross understatement. Georgia needs to win to keep pace with Missouri in the SEC East while Auburn needs to win in order to have a chance in the SEC West.

It will be a battle to the end, but I think Georgia will find a way beat the defending SEC Champs.

BUZZING IN ATLANTA

Georgia Tech has made its way back in the Top 25, and they will look to move up in the rankings when they face Clemson on Saturday. Both teams have only two losses in the ACC and the winner will still have a chance to win the division. Clemson is a very good team, but I’ll take the Jackets in very close battle.

WATCH THOSE EAGLES

There is another two-loss team in Georgia that needs to be mentioned. Georgia Southern has been on a roll lately as they have won seven in a row including a blowout win against Georgia State. The Eagles will face Navy on Saturday and if they win that game, they should make their way in the Top 25.

PLAYOFF ACTION

It’s here!! The high school football state playoffs have arrived and the first-round matchups are insane to say the least. Some games to watch for are Peachtree Ridge vs. Dacula and Tift County vs. Tucker. Be sure to get all the latest scores, updates and recaps of the metro games on scoreatl.com and ajc.com.

WHO’S NOT

By Matt Cason

WHO’S HOT

SCORE ATLANTA | www.ScoreAtl.com

Upson-Lee Knights

NFC South

Jimmy Lallathin

It is checkmate for UpsonLee. The Knights fell 28-27 to a Veterans team that carried a 2-7 record going into the final game of the regular season.

The loss spelled the end to Upson-Lee’s season as they finish 7-3 overall while Warhawks claimed the final seed in Region 2-AAAA. Surely not what Tommy Parks expected in his first year at Upson-Lee.

Although the Falcons enter Sunday’s game at the Carolina Panthers with a 3-6 record, they still find themselves one game behind the 4-5 Saints for the NFC South lead. Three of the four teams in the division rank in the bottom six of the league in total defense and have gone a combined 1-6 record in nondivision play since Oct. 26.

Kennesaw State men’s basketball head coach Jimmy Lallathin was handed a onegame suspension by the NCAA after KSU self-reported violations committed by the program. Lallathin will serve the time when the team plays at California on Nov. 16. Not a good start for a coach that is looking to bring success to a struggling program.

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.

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TRIVIA QUESTION

HOW MANY NFL TEAMS HAVE MADE THE PLAYOFFS AFTER FALLING FOUR GAMES BELOW .500?

ANSWER ON PAGE 14

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SANITY AT LAST

“Running the football effectively, throwing the football effectively and then ultimately being opportunistic and being able to punch that touchdown in and then get the twopoint conversion on top of that, I think those are the drives you have to make in order to win football games and I think it was a good step for us in the right direction.”

- Matt Ryan on the game-winning touchdown drive over Tampa Bay.

$15.3

Million qualifying offer rejected by Ervin Santana making him a free agent.

$101.06

Million projected payroll for the Braves heading into 2015.

63

UGA points scored against Kentucky-the second most against an SEC opponent in school history.

14

Career high points for Dennis Schroder in Monday’s win over the New York Knicks.

147 9 28 19 55%

Total points in Georgia Tech’s last three games.

Consecutive losses for Georgia State football.

Years since playoff bound Southeast Whitfield’s last winning season.

Undefeated teams left entering the playoffs Kyle Kover’s three-point shooting percentage after six games.

Vol. 10 Iss. 42 | November 14-20, 2014

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HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

PERENNIAL POWERS CLASH IN GEORGIA’S TOP CLASSES

BY CRAIG SAGER II & KYLE SANDY

G

eorgia’s top two classifications will see a highly-competitive opening round, especially with Gwinnett County’s two regions squaring off in Class AAAAAA. Gwinnett County has captured the last four state titles in Georgia’s highest class and the fact that half the Gwinnett field will be eliminated in the first round could really shake up this year’s brackets.

CLASS AAAAA BATTLES…

South Paulding hosts Mays, which boasts Region 6’s best defense (allowing 10 points per game). …. Ware County head coach Franklin Stephens led the Gators to an undefeated regular season and will host Starr’s Mill, which won its last meeting with the Gators in 2006 37-6. …Averaging 39 points per game, Jones County handed Northside-Warner Robins its only loss of the season in Week 5 and will visit CarverColumbus. …Winder-Barrow will aim to upset

10-0 Kell. Cameron Rosendahl has quarterbacked Kell with 14 passing touchdowns and just one interception this season. … Alexander visits Stephenson and its trio of wide receivers comprised of Dexter Neal (S. Carolina), Nekyle Lundie (Nebraska), and Isaiah Zuber (Kansas State). Baylor Whitfield has thrown for 1,800 yards and 19 touchdowns for Alexander. His favorite target, Isaac Zico, has caught 55 balls for 889 yards and 12 touchdowns. … Stockbridge’s only in-state loss came at the hands of Luella, falling 7-6 in an upset and it will host Brunkswick, which just stamped its first winning record since 2010. … Sophomore Jake Fromm leads Houston County’s offense with 2,552 yards, 25 touchdowns and just four interceptions. Houston County will battle with LaGrange and South Carolina commit Mon Denson. …Sequoyah visits Lanier after sneaking into the playoffs and revounding from a 2-5 start to the sea-

son. Three straight wins, including a surprising win over Sprayberry last week propelled them into state. Lanier’s Derrick Brown and Derriyon Shaw have combined for 26.5 sacks. … In just its fifth year of existence, the Drew Titans are entering the playoffs for the second season and will visit former Walton head coach Rocky Hidalgo and his Glynn Academy Terrors. … Defending Class AAAAA champions Creekside hosts New Manchester. … Dalton quarterback Payton Veraldi has tossed 26 touchdowns and will face Salem, a team that gave Lanier a scare in a 42-35 defeat earlier this season. … Northside-Warner Robins clinched the number one seed last week will host Northside-Columbus. … Coffee improved from 5-5 a year ago to 9-1 this season and will host Mundy’s Mill. … Carver-Atlanta defeated last year’s state champs Creekside earlier this season and will look to hand undefeated Allatoona its first loss of the season. … After falling to Tucker in the semifinals last season, Gainesville returns to the playoffs under the wing of quarterback Mikey Gonzalez. Gonzalez has tossed 29 touchdowns this season and will challenge the Creekview Grizzlies defense. … Harris County hosts Warner Robins, which finished 6-4 this season, its lowest win total since 2010.

CLASS 6A BREAKDOWN…

South Forsyth finished last year with a 7-3

record but missed the postseason due to the crowded Region 6-AAAAAA playoff race. The region saw another tight finish this year and the War Eagles enter as a No. 3 seed. South Forsyth fell to West Forsyth, Alpharetta and Lambert this season, but scored big victories over Northview (33-8) and Centennial (49-20). Etowah and South Forsyth have never faced before and the Eagles enter the matchup riding a four-game winning streak and sitting just one win away from matching a school-record nine-win season.

Westlake and North Paulding will meet on the gridiron for the first time on Friday in a matchup that many people would not have slated before the season. North Paulding jumped from Class AAAAA into a competitive Region 4 that sent two teams to the state semifinals last year (McEachern, Hillgrove). Westlake hadn’t made the playoffs since 2009 and was 0-10 just two seasons ago. Regardless of the obstacles facing each team, they earned their spot and Westlake enters the playoffs as one of the hottest teams in the state. Westlake lost to Shiloh in the second week of the season and took a perfect 7-0 region record en route to the top seed out of Region 3.

Tift County at Tucker, Grayson at Mill Creek, Lee County at Lovejoy and Cherokee at Alpharetta highlight other matchups in Class AAAAAA.

Photos courtesy of Deanna Fiveash, Ty Freeman, Jon Barash and Ronnie Babbitt.

Vol. 10 Iss. 42 | November 14-20, 2014

THIS COMEBACK ATHLETE HAD A LONG ROAD BACK.

TODAY IT’S 8.5 MILES. Know a young athlete who overcame a serious injury or illness? Nominate them for Comeback Athlete of the Month at choa.org/comeback.

©2014 Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Inc. All rights reserved. For official contest rules, visit choa.org/comeback.

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SCORE ATLANTA | www.ScoreAtl.com

Score Atlanta Final Softball Rankings Class AAAAAA 1..................................Pope 2.............................Lassiter 3............................Hillgrove 4....................... Brookwood 5.........................Collins Hill

6............................ Harrison 7................................Archer 8.......................East Coweta 9....................South Forsyth 10...........................Lambert

Class AAAAA 1........................ Greenbrier 2........................Cambridge 3...................... Union Grove 4..........................Northgate 5....................Harris County

6.........................Chapel Hill 7..................................... Ola 8.............. Woodland-Henry 9..............Effingham County 10............. South Effingham

Class AAAA 1...............................Buford 2.... Thomas County Central 3.............Heritage-Catoosa 4..........................Carrollton 5.................... Walnut Grove

6................... Wayne County 7.......... Northwest Whitfield 8................................ Marist 9................ Madison County 10..................... Pike County

Class AAA 1.............................Calhoun 2............................Ringgold 3............Central-Carrollton 4................... Dodge County 5................... Pierce County

6................. Dawson County 7...................Blessed Trinity 8......................Westminster 9...................Tattnall County 10...............Jackson County

Class AA 1....................Heard County 2....................... Gordon Lee 3....................Bacon County 4...............................Vidalia 5.............................. Harlem

6...........................Jeff Davis 7...........................Wesleyan 8..........................Armuchee 9......................Social Circle 10..................... Swainsboro

Class AAA 1..................Blessed Trinity 2..................... Westminster 3..................Oconee County 4........................Sonoraville 5.................. Savannah Arts

Class AAAAA

1................Georgia Military 2...................Wilcox County 3...................Schley County 4................Johnson County 5....................Telfair County

1..........................Sequoyah 2..........................Columbus 3....................... River Ridge 4.........................Dunwoody 5........................Cambridge

6..............................Treutlen 7...................................Trion 8................... Echols County 9.........................Mount Zion 10.............. Charlton County

Class A-Private

Class AAAA

1..................................ELCA 2.. Prince Avenue Christian 3......First Presbyterian Day 4...............Athens Christian 5....................... Brookstone

1................................Marist 2...............................Buford 3..................... Sandy Creek 4...........................St. Pius X 5........ Woodward Academy

6............Stratford Academy 7..Tattnall Square Academy 8....................... Calvary Day 9....Mt Vernon Presbyterian 10.....Strong Rock Christian

atlantafalcons.com/coach

atlantafalcons.com/ captaininthecommunity

Now through mid-November, you can submit your nominations for Youth Football Team/Cheer Squad of the Week, Coach of the Week and Captain in the Community weekly at AtlantaFalcons.com Presented by Local Ford Dealer Official partner of your Atlanta Falcons

Class AAAAAA 1........................North Cobb 2............................Harrison 3..................North Gwinnett 4...............................Walton 5...................... East Coweta

Class A-Public

SUBMIT YOUR NOMINATIONS

atlantafalcons.com/ youthteamcheersquad

Score Atlanta Final Volleyball Rankings 6..................... John’s Creek 7..............................Roswell 8....................South Forsyth 9............................. Lassiter 10.............................Etowah

6............................ East Hall 7..............................Decatur 8..................Morgan County 9........................... Jefferson 10............ Lakeview-Ft Ogl.

Class AA 6........Northside-Columbus 7.................Camden County 8..................................... Ola 9........................... Allatoona 10......................... McIntosh

1.................Holy Innocents’ 2................................ Lovett 3.......................... Wesleyan 4....................... Gordon Lee 5......................St. Vincent’s

6.. Greater Atlanta Christian 7.................. Pace Academy 8.................................Coosa 9....................Lamar County 10........................Darlington

Class A 6.................... North Oconee 7.......................... North Hall 8.......................... Ridgeland 9..............Heritage-Catoosa 10........ Northwest Whitfield

1.............. Hebron Christian 2.......... Savannah Christian 3..................................ELCA 4...............................Walker 5......... Landmark Christian

6......................Mount Paran 7......... Fellowship Christian 8....................... Calvary Day 9...............Athens Academy 10.Prince Avenue Christian

Vol. 10 Iss. 42 | November 14-20, 2014

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UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA

GEORGIA-AUBURN WEEK & GURLEY IS BACK

BY DAN MATHEWS | DMATHEWS@SCOREATL.COM

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his Saturday will be the 118th time that Auburn and Georgia will have played each other in football. It has been called ‘The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry’ and it also marks the return of playmaking running back Todd Gurley.

Just in case you’ve been living under a rock for the last few weeks, Gurley has been out for the last four weeks for receiving money to sign autographs for numerous memorabilia dealers. His head coach Mark Richt isn’t passing any judgment on his running back, after he was sat down by the school and NCAA. “We’re all human,” Richt said. “We all make mistakes. We all blow it sometimes, you know, and no one knows what it’s like to live in his shoes either. So no one’s throwing stones here. We love our teammate.”

Richt also mentioned during his Tuesday press conference, that Gurley is thought of as a great teammate for the way that he treats everyone on the roster. Richt also added that Gurley is indeed the starting running back. He

GEORGIA STATE

TENNIS DOMINATES WHILE SOCCER AND VOLLEYBALL FOLLOW SUITE

BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

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he men’s soccer team came away with a big conference win over in-state rival Georgia Southern this Saturday in front of a record crowd. The 1-0 win over the Eagles secured the No. 2 seed and a first round in the upcoming Sun Belt Conference Championship. Georgia State came out aggressive against the Eagles, attacking in the first minutes of the game almost scoring on an Amiri Abraham header.

Southern had a pair of chances in the 10th minute, but CJ Cochran was able to turn them away. Rashid Alarape scored the game deciding goal in the 23rd minute for the Panthers when Eddie Wilding found him on a cross into the box. The freshman was able to outleap his marking defender and place it in the upper 90 corner of the right post with his head. The victory marked Georgia State’s second straight shutout and helped the Panthers finish 8-9-0 in the regular season.

AN ACE OF A WEEKEND…

Both the men’s and women’s tennis teams

even mentioned as much on his Monday call-in show, saying that Gurley would be on the field the very first offensive play against Auburn.

Gurley’s teammates are all happy to have him back on the field for the final three regular season games and beyond. That said, quarterback Hutson Mason also took time this week to think back on the players who stepped in for their leading rusher.

“I think guys just really stepped up,” Mason said. “I think that’s what it came down to.

(Nick) Chubb did a phenomenal job of handling 30 carries a game. It seems like we got better in the passing game and made plays where we needed to make plays where we needed to make plays.”

This series between Auburn and Georgia is now sitting at an all-time record of 55-548, thanks to last year’s heartbreaking deflection of a fourth and long pass by safeties Tray Matthews and Josh Harvey-Clemons into the hands of Tigers receiver Ricardo Louis.

Both Bulldogs are no longer with the program and senior defensive back Damian Swann thinks that loss doesn’t bother this team anymore.

“I think we’ve kind of moved forward,” Swann said. “It’s not a revenge factor. We have a new team from last year. We’ve got new guys.”

Swann did add that the way to defend a pass like that is practiced every Thursday. They now bat it down.

had a successful weekend. The men’s team played well at the Georgia Southern Invitational with Sofiane Chevallier and Zack Kennedy going 4-0 in their doubles matches against pairs from Georgia Southern and College of Charleston. Both players also went 3-0 in their respective singles matches. Kennedy finished first in the “A” singles flight while Chevallier placed second and sophomore Eric Baum claimed fourth. The women’s team ended their fall season in Charleston, SC with the doubles pair of Linn Timmermann and Tarani Kamoe going 3-0 beating teams from Marshall, Georgia, and College of Charleston. The duo ended up going 8-1 this fall season. On the singles side Niri Rasolomalala finished in a three way tie for first place. Timmermann also went 2-1 in her singles matches.

OWNING THE NET…

Deidra Bohannon led the women’s volleyball team to a 3-1 victory over UL Monroe to improve the Panthers’ record to 9-16 (7-9 SBC). The junior had 23 kills and a careerhigh 21 digs to post her tenth double-double of the season. Natalia Nieto had 47 assists on the night and places fourth in GSU history for career assists with 2,472 under her belt. The junior from Puerto Rico needs just 189 more to catch third place. The Panthers face Texas State on Friday and UT-Arlington on Sunday in their upcoming matches.

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Georgia Tech’s season, and this includes their matchup with Georgia next week. The Yellow Jackets will take on No. 18 Clemson Tigers as they look to maintain pace with Duke in the ACC Coastal Division where the Ramblin’ Wreck currently trail the Blue Devils by one game. A GT victory gives them a 6-2 conference record which would need Duke, who boasts a 4-1 record, to lose two of their three remaining conference games. A loss by the Jackets would require three consecutive losses

by Duke in order to clinch the division.

WHERE THEY STAND… Awaiting in Bobby Dodd Stadium on Saturday is undoubtedly the biggest game of

HARDWOOD HATE…

The men’s basketball team continues their preparation for their season opener against UGA on Friday at McCamish Pavilion. Head coach Brian Gregory spoke with the media on Tuesday and he made an interesting point when asked about the dangers with scheduling a highly-expected bout for a season opener.

“It’s one game. You don’t want to put too much into you one way or the other, whatever ends up happening,” said Gregory, “It’s an opportunity to play high quality team in order to gauge where you’re at.” This will be the 191st meeting between these foes with the Yellow Jackets holding the edge in the all-time series, 104-86.

Their previous matchup saw Tech get the best of the Bulldog at Athens with an 80-71 victory.

GEORGIA TECH

LASKEY SETS RETURN FOR CLEMSON

BY MATT CASON | MCASON@SCOREATL.COM

familiar face will be back in pads for the Clemson matchup as Zach Laskey is slated to make his first appearance since exiting the UNC game on Oct. 18 with a shoulder injury.

The Peachtree City-native was the team’s starting B-back entering the season and performed at an exceptional level, gaining a team-high 595 yards while scoring five touchdowns.

Head coach Paul Johnson announced on Tuesday that Laskey will be sharing touches on Saturday with a red-hot Synjyn Days who has rushed for 100-plus yards in three consecutive weeks. The redshirt senior is the first Yellow Jacket to accomplish the feat since Jonathan Dwyer did so in four-straight games back in 2009.

“Each of them bring their own unique advantages over the other guy to the game and we will play them by what we need,” said Johnson.

KENNESAW STATE

SOCCER FALLS IN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP

BY BRIAN JONES | BJONES@SCOREATL.COM

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fter a remarkable run in the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament, the soccer team fell short in the championship round as they fell to Florida Gulf Coast 3-1 on Sunday at the FCGU Soccer Complex.

“It is always tough to lose a game like that,” head coach Rob King told ksuowls.com after the game. “We had been playing coming into the game. I do not think it was our best performance, but we fought very hard. We got ourselves back into the game at 2-1 and we had to keep chasing it to try and get the equalizer there. Obviously gave one up there in the end, but it was a good effort by our team.

The Eagles were able to jump out to an early lead when Tabby Tindell, the conference Player of the Year, scored in the 18th minute.

Tindell was able to score her second goal of the match with six minutes remaining in the first half to give Florida Gulf Coast the 2-0 lead.

The Owls made things interesting with 18 minutes left in the game when Maggie

Gaughan scored her sixth goal of the season to give cut the Eagles lead to one. But FCGU sealed the win when Shannen Wacker scored in the 83rd minute.

The Owls finish the season with an 8-11-1 overall record and 3-4 in A-Sun play. This was the first time since 2009 they have made it to the conference championship and they were the second six-seed to ever reach the final.

TIME FOR TIP-OFF…

Believe it or not, the basketball season will be underway this week and the men’s team will have their work cut out for them in their first game of the season as they face Syracuse on Friday night. But head coach Jimmy Lallathin likes the way his team has prepared for this game as well as the season with a productive preseason.

“I like our guys competitiveness and work ethic throughout the preseason,” Lallathin said to ksuowls.com. “We’ve really committed ourselves in the gym and in the weight room and I think it’s about to show itself. That preparation is going to give us a lot of opportunities.”

With every major role player from last season retuning including leading scorer Delbert Love, the Owls will have a chance to make some big strides this season. They will be on the road for the next few weeks and won’t make their home debut until Nov. 26 when they face Samford at 2 p.m.

Vol. 10 Iss. 42 | November 14-20, 2014 ATLANTA HAWKS

HAWKS SOAR IN HOME-AND-HOME VS KNICKS

BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

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n early season home-and-home series against the struggling New York Knicks saw the Hawks take care of business in both games.

Atlanta trailed 61-48 going into the half on Saturday but outscored the Knicks 27-13 in the third quarter and then 28-22 in the final frame to rally for a 103-96 win at home. Kyle Korver continued his hot start to the season draining six threes and leading all scorers with 27 points. Paul Millsap recorded his first double-double of the season finishing with 11 points and 13 rebounds.

Carmelo Anthony got the Knicks (2-5) off to a fast start scoring 14 of his 20 points in the first quarter. Millsap along with DeMarre Carroll and Thabo Sefolosha were able to cool Melo down as the game went on, holding him to 2-of-10 shooting after the first quarter. Atlanta surged ahead in the fourth quarter after seven straight points thanks to a Korver three and two Jeff Teague baskets who finished with 19 on the night. Iman Shumpert finished with

ATLANTA BRAVES

SANTANA DECLINES BRAVES’ QUALIFYING OFFER

BY RICKY DIMON | RDIMON@SCOREATL.COM

s expected and perhaps even hoped, the A Braves received word prior to Monday afternoon’s deadline that starting pitcher Ervin

Santana had rejected their one-year qualifying offer. President of Baseball Operations John Hart and the rest of the upper management team made the offer to Santana simply to ensure that the team will receive a compensatory pick between the first and second rounds of this summer’s draft if Santana signs elsewhere.

If the 31-year-old had accepted the deal, he may have been unloaded via trade due to Atlanta’s salary-cap restraints.

Santana compiled a 14-10 record with a 3.95 ERA in 31 starts for Atlanta in 2014. He was on fire with a 1.99 ERA through his first six outings before cooling off as the Braves dropped out of playoff contention. Given that relatively successful performance, the former Los Angeles Angel and Kansas City Royal is almost certain to get a long-term deal. There was, however, some concern in Braves’ country that he would accept the one-year, $15.3 million bid after declining Kansas City’s qualify-

19 points and seven assists in the loss, dropping the Knicks to four straight losses.

ROUND TWO…

After a come from behind win at home, the Hawks visited Madison Square Garden on Monday to finish the home-and-home series. Atlanta managed to come away with another win in a tight game, 92-85. The win moved Atlanta to 3-3, while the loss dropped the Knicks’ to 2-6 overall. Dennis Schroder scored a career high 14 points including a jumper with under 2 minutes to go and a layup that iced the game giving Atlanta a 7 point lead with 59 seconds left. The young German point guard had scored 11 points on Saturday which was his previous career high.

When asked about Schroder’s play, Coach Mike Budenholzer said, “I thought Dennis was playing well all night. He gave us a big boost in the first half. Second half he gave us a big boost. Defensively he had a presence on the ball and was getting in the paint and creating problems, either finishing for himself or creating open shots.” Millsap and Korver added 19 and 17 points apiece in the win. Carmelo Anthony nearly missed a tripledouble with 25 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists.

WHAT’S NEXT…

Atlanta hosts a two game home-stand facing the Utah Jazz on Wednesday and welcome the Miami Heat on Friday with both games tipping off at 7:30 P.M.

ing offer last offseason then struggling to land with any team until Atlanta inked him in midMarch.

BUSY OFFSEASON? ...

The Braves are likely to be considerable players on the hot stove during Winter Meetings, or perhaps before and after annual December conglomeration. With bad contracts abounding, free agents pending and holes forming, they could be both buyers and sellers.

Especially pressing questions involve hitting—all three outfielders and the catcher position. B.J. Upton, Justin Upton, Jason Heyward and Evan Gattis are question marks for next year, the long-term future, or both. The main issue with the younger Upton brother and Heyward is that they will become free agents next fall if they cannot agree to extensions. At least one could be expendable right away if Atlanta wants to move Gattis from behind the plate to the outfield. That is an option because the Braves like budding prospect Christian Bethancourt, who will ultimately banish Gattis either to the outfield or to another team. It won’t be to the outfield, of course, if the Justin Upton and Heyward are still around.

“We like both players,” Hart told the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “In a perfect world you’d love to have both guys. We know the clock is running down. We know these guys are staring at free agency. Both guys fit nicely, but we also have other holes in the club.”

ATLANTA FALCONS

FALCONS VISIT STRUGGLING PANTHERS

BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

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he Falcons visit Carolina for the first of two meetings this season, looking to win backto-back games for the first time since December of 2012.

A balanced Falcons offense this past Sunday and a defensive performance that forced three Tampa Bay turnovers produced three sacks propelled Atlanta to a 27-17 victory, and moved the team to 3-0 in the NFC South and 3-6 overall.

The Bucs claimed a 17-16 lead with McCown’s second touchdown pass but Atlanta answered with its fourth 10-plus play scoring drive of the game. Matt Ryan found Roddy White for a 5-yard touchdown pass and Atlanta took a 22-17 lead. Following White’s touchdown reception, Atlanta attempted its first 2-point conversion of the season. Ryan tossed a jump ball to Harry Douglas, who secured the catch and put Atlanta up 24-17. With 4:10 left, Matt Bryant iced the game with his fourth field goal that made it a two-possession game (27-17).

GWINNETT GLADIATORS

CAREY NETS FOUR; MOVEMBER CELEBRATION THIS SUNDAY

BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

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he Gladiators moved to 5-3-0-0 after forward Greg Carey hung four goals on the South Carolina Stingrays (2-5-0-3) as Gwinnett won 4-2 on Sunday. The Stingrays took an early lead on Gwinnett scoring at 17:38 in the first period on a 5-on-3 power play. Joe Devin sent a one-timer into the back of the net past goaltender Mark Guggenberger. After trailing 1-0 early on, Carey put the team on his back and reeled off a natural hat trick to give the Gladiators a 3-1 lead.

The Phoenix Coyote prospect scored 4:52 minutes into the second period and then again at 7:48. In search of his third goal, Carey found it at 3:13 of the third, off a two-on-one break, from Nathan Burns and Joe Stejskal. Garrett Haar would answer for the Stingrays soon after to cut the lead to 3-2, but that would be all that Guggenberger would allow. He saved 32 of the 34 shots he faced. Carey would pick up his fourth and final goal of the night with an empty night with under a minute to play. The Gladiators travel to Greenville to face the Road

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“We all stepped up and we made plays in the fourth quarter of the game,” Smith said.

“We had the two turnovers that we big turnovers. The (safety) Dwight Lowery interception was a fantastic individual effort and it was a big play in the ball game… Last week we probably didn’t want to have a bye-week. We wanted to get back out there, play and compete. We fought through that week as a group and as an organization. We’re very fortunate to come away with a win this past week and finish the game off the way we know we’re capable of finishing.”

WINNING MANTRA…

The Falcons win over Tampa resulted in a week where Atlanta was the only NFC South team to claim a victory. San Francisco edged New Orleans in overtime and Philadelphia trounced Carolina on Monday Night Football.

Atlanta sits just one game behind New Orleans for the division lead and could believe it or not share the division lead this week with a victory over Carolina and a Saints loss to Cincinnati.

“We can’t concern ourselves with what other teams are doing,” Smith said. “We know what we’ve done thus far and it’s not to the standards that we want. We can’t change that.

But the thing that we can control, is that we can control being 1-0 this week. I think that is our mantra at this point in time.”

Warriors on Thursday and Friday this week before returning home on Sunday to face Florida.

SAFETY FIRST…

As part of Gladiators team partner Montlick & Associates ongoing commitment to driver safety, Gwinnett will be partnering up with the Safe America Organization to offer free pre-holiday auto safety checks. From 11 AM to 1 PM on November 16th, experts will be out to perform 10-Point Safety Inspections for free before the game against Florida. Brakes, batteries, oil and more will all be checked during the inspection, insuring that your vehicle will be in tip-top shape for the upcoming holiday travel season.

MO-VEMBER…

Not only will there be free car inspections this Sunday, but there will also be a chance to support Movemeber at the 2014 ‘Stache Bash. Fans are encouraged to wear blue and rock mustaches for the team’s third annual ‘Stache Bash. According to us.movember.com, “The Movember Foundation aims to change this way of thinking by putting a fun twist on this serious issue. Using the moustache as a catalyst, the idea is to bring about change and give men the opportunity and confidence to learn and talk about their health and take action when needed.” Feel free to come support men’s health and facial hair at the same time this Sunday at 2:05 P.M. For more ticket information please visit gwinnettgladiators.com.

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Vol. 10 Iss. 42 | November 14-20, 2014

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