Score Atlanta Vol. 11 Issue 23

Time to look great!

VOLUME 11 ISSUE 23 | JUNE 26 - JULY 2, 2015

Georgia’s Grown | Pg. 4 Kyle Sandy looks at another strong year for the Peach State of sending prospects to the Majors.

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YOUR SOURCE FOR SPORTS IN GEORGIA

HERE COMES THE FUN Dan Quinn’s Falcons await much-anticipated Training Camp. | Pg. 5

Packers Pride | Pg. 8 Colquitt County edges Peachtree Ridge in Corky Kell 7-ON-7 Finals.

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Vol. 11 Iss. 23 | June 26 - July 2, 2015

STARTING LINEUP PUBLISHER/EDITOR I.J. Rosenberg

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COLUMNISTS

05

ON THE COVER

08

PREP COVER

ART/CREATIVE DIRECTOR DJ Galbiati Blalock

MANAGING EDITOR Craig Sager II

ASST. MANAGING EDITOR Kyle Sandy MARKETING/ Lauren Goldstein PARTNERSHIP DIRECTOR

BUSINESS MANAGER Marvin Botnick

BEAT WRITERS Ricky Dimon (Braves) Brian Jones (KSU) Dan Mathews (UGA)

Craig Sager II (Falcons)

Kyle Sandy (Hawks, GSU,

G-Braves) Colin Hubbard (Tech)

STAFF WRITERS Avi Goodfriend

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

HIGH SCHOOL 2015

TEAM SCOOP AND VOICES

06 11 13

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

COVER PHOTOS COURTESY OF JANET PATTON, CRAIG SAGER II AND THE ATLANTA FALCONS.

INAUGURAL HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS SUMMIT

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STAY CONNECTED! /SCOREATLANTASPORTS

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.

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On ScoreAtl.com, we will continually be updating you, our readers, on the progress of the Falcons this offseason as they move towards the 2015 season. We will have reporters at OTAs as well as training camp and Friday Night Lights.

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SANDY’S SPIEL

DANSBY HELPS GEORGIA REMAIN HOTBED OF TALENT FOR MLB

BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

nother year, another run of Georgia talent A primed for success in the pros. The Peach State has given baseball the likes of Buster Posey, Jason Heyward, Adam Wainwright, Brian McCann, Josh Reddick and many, many more. Dating back to 2007, former Georgia high schoolers have peppered the draft in the first round. Heyward was selected 14th overall eight years ago.

In 2008, Tim Beckham out of Griffin High School was the No. 1 overall pick to the Tampa Bay Rays. He was followed by Buster Posey at No. 5 (FSU via Lee County), Gordon Beckham at No. 8 (UGA via Westminster) and Ethan Martin at No. 15 from Stephens County High School.

2009 saw Donavan Tate go third overall to the Padres after a prestigious prep career at

Cartersville while Zack Wheeler of East Paulding was nabbed at No. 6 by the Giants.

Delino DeShields (Woodward Academy) went No. 8 to Houston and was followed by Jake Skole (Blessed Trinity), Kaleb Cowart (Cook), Cam Bedrosian (East Coweta) and Chevy Clarke (Marietta) in the 2010 edition of the MLB First-Year Players Draft.

Byron Buxton, who just made his MLB debut on Sunday, was the second overall selection in the 2012 draft out of Appling County.

Lucas Sims (Brookwood) and James Ramsey (FSU via Wesleyan) followed Buxton at picks 21 and 23.

Clint Frazier of Loganville led the way for a trio of Georgians in the 2013 draft. Frazier was selected fifth overall while Austin Meadows (Grayson) landed at No. 9 and was followed by

SANDY’S SPIEL 2

NEW FACES APLENTY, BUT FAMILIARITY IN ABUNDANCE

BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

he coaching staff received an overhaul afT ter missing out on the playoffs for a second straight season and with them the group

brings a new sense of optimism and excitement. On February 2, Dan Quinn was named the 16th head coach in Atlanta Falcons history after a wildly successful two-year stint as the Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator. Quinn oversaw the NFL’s top defensive unit as Seattle led the league allowing 270.4 yards per game, 15.2 points per game and 178.8 passing yards per game while holding opponents to 91.6 rushing yards a game. Seattle became the fourth team in NFL history to lead the league in fewest points and yards allowed in back-toback seasons and the first since the 1985-86 Chicago Bears.

Quinn’s defense was the deciding factor in Super Bowl XLVIII as the Seahawks shut-

down the Broncos 43-8 in the most lopsided Super Bowl since 1993. Now 44, Quinn began his football career in New Jersey and eventually became a four-year starter at Salisbury State University before quickly joining the William & Mary coaching staff in 1994 helping direct the defensive line. Since his humble beginnings, Quinn has accumulated 21 years of coaching experience with stops in San Francisco, Miami and New York (Jets) before his big break in Seattle.

“The brand of football that we’re going to play is going to be fast and physical,” Quinn said. “We’re going to attack in every phase that we can do it. Most importantly, I would like you to know that the energy and enthusiasm you bring to the Atlanta Falcons can be unmatched in terms of the energy I will try to bring you as your head football coach.”

Travis Demeritte (Winder-Barrow) at No. 30.

Last year Max Pentecost (Winder-Barrow) led Kennesaw State to the College World Series and was drafted 11th by the Toronto Blue Jays. Michael Chavis (Sprayberry) was scooped up at 26 by the Red Sox.

Dansby Swanson is next in the long list of Georgia prep stars to get drafted highly. Swanson was a standout at Marietta High School before being selected first overall this year by the Diamondbacks after a great two seasons at Vanderbilt after an injury plagued freshman campaign. The shortstop stole the show as he won Most Outstanding Player honors at the College World Series when he helped the Commodores to their first ever championship.

Swanson has hit .350 with 15 homeruns, 62 RBIs and 16 stolen bases this season. His makeup and work ethic has had scouts raving about him since his breakout season in 2014.

After hitting three homers a year ago, Swanson’s recent power surge all but solidified his position as the top prospect in the draft. Not only does he make contact at a high clip, his new found power allows him to spray balls into the gaps and even launch some into the seats.

Three other former Georgia high schoolers achieved their dreams of being drafted in the first round. Cornelius Randolph followed Tim Beckham as the next shortstop from Grif-

fin High School to be drafted in the first round.

Randolph went No. 10 to the Phillies and was slated to play at Clemson next year. He has an advanced bat and plate discipline beyond his years which encourages scouts that he can move up the ranks quickly.

Tyler Stephenson from Kennesaw Mountain went 11th overall to the Cincinnati Reds and was the first catcher selected in the draft.

At 6-foot-4 225 pounds, Stephenson isn’t the prototypical catcher. He is a very fluid athlete with raw power potential and the ability control the game from behind the plate. Stephenson was originally pegged as a pitcher before the leaps and bounds he has made as a backstop in the past year.

Tennessee junior Christin Stewart went 34th overall to Detroit. The former Providence Christian Academy outfielder hit 15 homeruns with 47 RBIs and a .311 batting average this year.

Possibly the biggest steal of the draft went 37th to Houston. Daz Cameron, the AJC’s Baseball Athlete of the Year and son of former LaGrange star and MLB All-Star/Gold Glover Mike Cameron, was a consensus top 10 talent but dropped all the way to the compensation round due to signability. The Florida State signee is a great value pick for the Astros if he decides to sign.

Photo of Byron Buxton courtesy of Janet Patton.

DEFENSIVE OUTLOOK ...

Richard Smith replaces Mike Nolan as defensive coordinator for the 2015 season.

The veteran coach has been around the league since 1988 with the Houston Oilers and has been the defensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins in 2005 and for the Houston Texans from 2006-08. Smith most recently was a part of the Denver Broncos staff, coaching the linebackers for the past four years.

Raheem Morris, who joins Atlanta as the assistant head coach and defensive passing game coach is still just 38-years-old but brings 13 years of NFL coaching experience to the table with his most recent time coming as the Washington Redskins defensive backs coach.

Prior to his stint with the Redskins, Morris was head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for three seasons.

Morris, much like Dan Quinn, brings a certain excitement to the sidelines and has been known to be a coach players are eager to perform for. Fellow 38-year-old Jeff Ulbrich is another young yet experienced coach. The new linebackers coach played under Quinn in San Francisco for a few seasons before reuniting in Seattle in 2010-11 as a special teams assistant

Defensive assistant and linebackers coach Doug Mallory might not be a spring chicken in terms of age, but the 50-year-old makes his first foray into the pros after 25 years of experience in the college ranks. Defensive assistant and defensive backs coach Chad Walker joins the staff after two years at Oklahoma. Mar-

quand Manuel, the secondary/senior defensive assistant, follows coach Quinn after spending his last three seasons in Seattle.

OFFENSIVE OUTLOOK ...

Kyle Shanahan takes the reigns of an offense with explosive playmakers. He has run the offenses for Houston, Washington and Cleveland before joining Atlanta. Shanahan is the son of Super Bowl winning coach Mike Shanahan and already has seven years of NFL experience. The running game is expected to gain a big boost under Shanahan as he has perfected the zone blocking scheme which has produced the likes of Alfred Morris in Washington and helped Cleveland running backs Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell combine for 1,280 yards rushing in 2014.

There will be a lot of new faces on the coaching staff, but Shanahan will have a sense of familiarity with many. Bobby Turner reunites with Shanahan after four seasons together in Washington and will reprise his role as running backs coach. Chris Morgan, the offensive line coach, also spent time with Shanahan in Washington, coaching from 2011-13.

Quarterbacks coach Matt LaFleur returns to the NFL after a season at Notre Dame. Prior to joining the Irish, LaFleur worked under coach Shanahan for all four seasons in Washington guiding the quarterbacks.

Photo courtesy of the Atlanta Falcons.

Vol. 11 Iss. 23 | June 26 - July 2, 2015 greatness both on and off the field and Quinn’s keen recognition of talent, his development of players and his knack for putting pieces together as a cohesive unit has been the foundation of his success.

This is his first-ever head coaching position on any level but there has never been a shortage of leadership when it comes to the competitive Quinn. From his multi-sport high school days, to a collegiate career at Salisbury State (now Salisbury University) where Quinn captained both the football and track team, his leadership and competitive drive defined him and even earned him an induction into the Salisbury University athletics Hall of Fame in 2005.

ON THE COVER

ATLANTA FALCONS

QUINN’S LEGACY SET TO GROW WITH ENERGIZED FALCONS

BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

D

an Quinn was a youngster in Morristown, New Jersey when he fell in love with the game of football, and by the time he was a teenager, his dream of being a head football coach was developing into what would become a lifelong passion.

“Early on I knew that’s what I wanted to do,” explained Quinn. “Growing up I loved football and I found out I loved competing at the very core. I wanted to play as long as I could, but once that ended I wanted to coach.”

Quinn was 13 years old when Bill Parcells was named head coach of the neighboring New York Giants in 1983. Quinn witnessed the Parcells era take flight at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford first-hand and recognizes the Hall of Fame coach as being one of his earliest influences.

“I first wanted to become a coach when I was growing up in New Jersey watching that [Giants] team play and the toughness and the energy that they played with,” explained Quinn.

“So much of it really came from the energy of the head coach [Bill Parcells].”

Hall of Famers Lawrence Taylor and Harry

Carson and All-Pro selections Carl Banks and Leonard Marshall made up the Giants’ hard-hitting 3–4 defense known as the Big Blue Wrecking Crew and Parcells, who grew up 35 miles east of Morristown in Englewood, brought the excitement of a New Jersey-native coaching the Giants to Super Bowl victories in 1986 and 1990 to Quinn.

Nearly three decades after Parcells got the Giants their first-ever Super Bowl in 1986, it was Quinn’s aggressive Seahawks’ defense leading Seattle to its first-ever Super Bowl in a recordsetting 43-8 victory over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVI, which happened to take place in the new MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford.

Now, after 21 years of a growing list of accomplishments and a coaching legacy of his own, Quinn’s childhood dream of being an NFL head coach has turned into a reality with the Atlanta Falcons.

QUINN THE LEADER… On his ascent up the coaching ladder, success has followed Quinn every step of the way. His peers and former players attest to this

HUMBLE BEGINNINGS… Right after graduating college in 1994, Quinn jumpstarted his coaching career at William & Mary before joining the Virginia Military Institute staff the following year in 1995 to work with their defensive line. In 1996, Quinn took over the defensive line duties at Hofstra and in 2000 accepted his first coordinating position with the Pride. The following year, Quinn joined the 49ers staff as a defensive quality control coach and two years later he would begin an eight-year stretch of coaching defensive line in the NFL with San Francisco, Miami, the New York Jets and Seattle. Quinn returned to college football from 2011-2012 as defensive coordinator of the Florida Gators before making the move back to the NFL as a first-time coordinator. He would reach Super Bowls in both seasons as an NFL coordinator.

Grit and speed are the key ingredients to a Quinn-coached team on the field, but it is the emphasis on finding new ways to connect with the players that has helped the new head coach sustain success at such a high level.

“As I got older, you go through all the unique experiences that you go through, you pull a little bit from a lot of those experiences and say that’s really good, I would not do that,” said Quinn. “That’s how you shape your own philosophy. I think the people that challenge us to have our own philosophy and way of thinking makes it way more fun.”

Quinn’s return to college football as a coordinator after 10 years of NFL coaching experience was an opportunity and experience that he believes transformed him into the coach he is today.

“Returning to college football those two years has totally helped me on the field and off the field,” explained Quinn. “On the field it helped because I found out the fast pace that

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college football tries to work in the spread offense and the movement that they do, but probably more importantly, I had better understanding of the young guys coming into the league.

Maybe for 10 years I hadn’t had the full appreciation of at times how young these guys are and the things that they don’t know about it. It gave me real perspective to know how to help develop these players from the very beginning both on and off the field so I think if I had not had that experience I wouldn’t be as prepared to help them and develop them in the right way that I am now. I’m totally fortunate to have that two-year stint where I was able to connect with the players, not only there, but the college athletes in general and to help have a better appreciation for what their world is like.”

COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF…

It has only been five months since coach Quinn took over but his impact has been felt throughout the entire organization after the first phases of the offseason.

“This is a gritty, passionate football team,” said GM Thomas Dimitroff following minicamp. “Dan said from the beginning of his interview sessions all the way through now in everyone of his meetings that it is about competition.

It’s about playing fast and free and being physical and I’m really impressed with the energy of this football team.”

Photos courtesy of the Atlanta Falcons and AP Images.

6

Vic Beasley Jr.

Braves Outfield

25 teams competed in the fast pace 7-ON-7 tournament this past Friday. The event will test the passing games of each team and will challenge secondaries in the star studded event. Last year’s champ Archer enters with a new starting quarterback but the same stable of ultratalented skill players.

The first round pick produced a sack in day one of team minicamp. It is too early to truly tell how things shake out this season, but so far Beasley Jr. has looked good and has begun to grasp coach Quinn’s defensive schemes. The rookie will be relied upon to get into the backfield this year for the Dirty Birds.

New additions Nick Markakis and Cameron Maybin have been pleasant surprises for the Braves. Markakis, a Woodstock High School graduate, has hit .302 with an impressive .394 on-base percentage. Maybin has solidified the centerfield position by hitting .293 with five homers and 32 RBIs. Seems like the Upton brothers have been successfully replaced for cheap.

By Cole Erickson

WHO’S HOT

Corky Kell 7-ON-7

SCORE LIST

By Brian Jones

MINICAMP DONE

Falcons minicamp ended on Thursday, and it marks the end of offseason workouts. Now the team has some time to rest before they get back to work for training camp which starts the last weekend in July. It was a successful offseason for the Birds, but they still have a long ways to go.

BAKER RELEASED

For the first time since 2008, the Falcons will go to training camp without offensive tackle Sam Baker.

The former first round pick has been hurt the last two seasons, and the coaches felt like it was in the best interest for both Baker and the Falcons to part ways.

Baker was a good player, and he should have no issues landing somewhere else.

MOVE ON DOWN

Braves catcher Christian Bethancourt is having a rocky 2015 season, which has led to the team moving him down to AAA. The rookie catcher does not have the trust of his teammates just yet, and he’s struggling to make stops behind the plate. Let’s hope that the move to Gwinnett will get him back on the right track.

COMMITTED TO 2017

The Bulldogs have their first 2017 commitment as McEachern quarterback Bailey Hockman decided he wanted to come to Athens in two years. Hockman is listed as the No. 2 quarterback in the country, and the No. 3 player in Georgia according to 247Sports. Hockman is a good of a young quarterback you’ll find in the country, and he looks to have a bright future.

HAWKS DRAFT

Next Thursday, the NBA Daft will begin, and the Hawks have an interesting decision to make as they have the 15th overall pick. While that’s going on, the fans will be at Philips Arena for the Draft Party where they can watch the draft and get new Hawks gear. I’ll be down there getting my new Hawks gear and of course meeting the cheerleaders.

WHO’S NOT

SCORE ATLANTA | www.ScoreAtl.com

Cleveland

Christian Bethancourt

Sam Baker

The poor city was once again devastated after they saw their beloved Cavaliers drop three straight games after taking a 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals. The Cleveland Curse 2015 edition featured freak injuries to Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love to help derail the Cavs’ chances. Will LeBron want to take his talents else where once again?

A missed opportunity. Bethancourt entered the season tabbed as the catcher of the future at 23 years old but a limp bat and porous defense behind the plate has led to a demotion to Triple-A. He hit just .208 with nine RBIs and one homerun. 17-year veteran A.J. Pierzynski has hit .282 but won’t feature into Atlanta’s long term plans.

Talk about a bad case of the Mondays. Baker was drafted in the same class that brought Atlanta Matt Ryan and helped protect the Falcons’ prized possession for the past seven years before being cut this week.

Baker was the 21st pick in the draft and will look for work after the surprising move.

NUMBERS

OUR TWO CENTS

By Craig Sager II

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

“

SANITY AT LAST

HOW MANY NFL TEAMS DID DAN QUINN SERVE AS AN ASSISTANT COACH FOR?

“We’ll have some very difficult decisions to make.

We’ll have decisions to make on players that we drafted and acquired through free agency and paid quite a bit money to.”

ANSWER ON PAGE 14

- Thomas Dimitroff on finalizing this year’s Falcons roster.

8 12 25/1

Weeks until the Corky Kell Classic Weeks until the Falcons season opener with the Philadelphia Eagles The Hawks odds to win the 2016 NBA championship

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More series before the MLB All-Star Break

4

Years Danny Ferry spent as President of Basketball Operations with Hawks

3

Picks in this year’s NBA Draft for the Atlanta Hawks

1

Week until the NBA Free Agency period begins

145

Career wins by newly acquired Braves pitcher Bronson Arroyo

Vol. 11 Iss. 23 | June 26 - July 2, 2015

SEMIFINALS

Wednesday, July 22 Georgia Dome Atlanta, GA

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CORKY KELL 7-ON-7

COLQUITT HOLDS OFF PEACHTREE RIDGE 23-22 FOR TITLE BY: CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

C

olquitt County and Peachtree Ridge each entered the finals of the 2nd Corky Kell 7-ON-7 tournament with 7-0 records, but the Packers’ combination of defensive tenacity and quarterback play from Chase Parrish were enough to secure a 23-22 championship clinching victory.

“These guys are winners,” said Packers head coach Rush Propst following his team’s final defensive stand. “They push themselves every day and just refuse to be outworked.”

The defending Class 6A state champions used a game-winning touchdown drive in the semifinals against Byrnes (SC) as Parrish found a wide-open Ty Lee after his anklebreaking goal-line slant route but the championship game was won after Colquitt County’s defense denied the Lions a game-tying PAT throw in the final seconds.

The Packers took the top seed into the 25team bracket and received a bye before facing Centennial (27-24) and then Collins Hill (23-

15) in the quarterfinals.

Byrnes swept Pod D’s Glynn Academy, North Gwinnett, Mays and Creekview and eliminated last year’s 7-on-7 champion Archer in the quarterfinals with a lopsided 26-11 victory. Peachtree Ridge used it’s star-studded secondary to make a run to the finals and defeated Houston County (34-14), Sandy Creek (19-12) and Mill Creek (30-19) in the tournament after sweeping Roswell, Brookwood, North Paulding and Gainesville in pool play.

Mill Creek swept Sandy Creek, Kell, Tucker and Houston County in pool play and entered the tournament as the No. 2 seed. After a first round bye, Mill Creek topped Cherokee a tournament-high 41-29 and survived Mays 23-20 in the quarterfinals. Region 7 rival Peachtree Ridge served the Hawks their first loss of the day in the semifinals 30-19.

Photos courtesy of staff photographers.

TOURNAMENT RESULTS ROUND 1

#24 Centennial 35, #25 Glynn Academy 14 #9 Norcross 23, #10 Roswell 10 #8 Collins Hill 26, #11 Kell 6 #13 Archer 17, #12 Tucker 11 #18 Blessed Trinity 25, #19 Gainesville 8 #20 Houston County 30, #21 Carrollton 29 #16 Sandy Creek 15, #17 North Gwinnett 10 #14 Cartersville 30, #15 Brookwood 4 #22 Cherokee 36, #23 North Paulding 29

QUARTERFINALS

#1 Colquitt County 23, #8 Collins Hill 15 #4 Byrnes 26, #13 Archer 11 #3 Peachtree Ridge 19, #6 Sandy Creek 12 #2 Mill Creek 23, #6 Mays 20

ROUND 2

#1 Colquitt County 27, #24 Centennial 24 #9 Norcross def. #8 Collins Hill #13 Archer def. #7 Walton #4 Brynes 33, #18 Blessed Trinity 12 #3 Peachtree Ridge, #20 Houston County 14 #16 Sandy Creek 20, #5 Creekview 10 #6 Mays 32, #14 Cartersville 24 #2 Mill Creek 41, #22 Cherokee 29

SEMIFINALS

#1 Colquitt County 30, #4 Byrnes 25 #3 Peachtree Ridge 30, #2 Mill Creek 19

FINALS

#1 Colquitt County 23, Peachtree Ridge 22

Vol. 11 Iss. 23 | June 26 - July 2, 2015

A young athlete’s brain is still developing, so don’t take chances with a head injury. Bring him to Children’s, where doctors have the expertise to diagnose and treat concussions. And with ImPACT testing, we can compare a patient’s progress to a normal baseline score to help determine when he’s ready to play again. To schedule a baseline ImPACT test for your athlete or team, visit choa.org/baselinetesting.

TM

©2014 Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Inc. All rights reserved.

TM

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SCORE ATLANTA | www.ScoreAtl.com

Vol. 11 Iss. 23 | June 26 - July 2, 2015 UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA

GEORGIA GETS NEW HUGE OPPONENT DOWN ROAD & FOOTBALL PLAYERS GIVE BACK

BY DAN MATHEWS | DMATHEWS@SCOREATL.COM

N

ews broke shortly after noon on Wednesday that Georgia will play UCLA in a homehome series starting in 2025. That first game will be in Pasadena of that year at the legendary Rose Bowl, followed by the Bruins making a trip to Athens the following year.

This has been a wish of J. Reid Parker Director of Athletics Greg McGarity over the years to have the Bulldogs play more high profiled opponents. He’s been open to scenario’s like this and also neutral site games for the football program.

“This home and home series provides an opportunity for our students and fans to enjoy a great matchup of two tradition-rich football programs in two of the most iconic venues in sports the Rose Bowl and Sanford Stadium,” McGarity said in a statement released by UGA. “These games will attract significant national attention on the opening weekend of the college football season, and we are thankful to our peers at UCLA for making this series happen.”

Last summer, McGarity announced the

GEORGIA STATE

PLENTY OF PANTHERS PICKED FOR PROS

BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

S

un Belt homerun leader Matt Rose was selected along with junior Nathan Bates in the MLB First-Year Player Draft two weeks ago.

Rose, a junior, crushed 16 homers while accounting for 49 RBIs and a .289 batting average. The third baseman was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the 11th round while Bates was picked in the 15th round by the Los Angeles Angels. Bates, a former Starr’s Mill Panther, pitched to a 5-3 record with a 4.15 ERA this season. At 6-foot-7, the tall righty’s career ERA of 4.07 is the second-lowest by any GSU pitcher with at least 100 innings.

Rose previously was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays out of high school in the 24th round. “I wanted to come to college and mature, and Georgia State helped me to do that,” Rose said. “I know I made the right decision. I want to thank my teammates and coaches for an awesome three years. This wouldn’t have happened without their support.”

It is the second straight season that two

future home-home series with Notre Dame, that will begin in 2017 with a trip to South Bend. They’ll conclude that series with the Irish coming to Sanford Stadium in 2019.

Earlier this offseason, the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl announced that UGA would take on North Carolina in their 2016 opening weekend kick-off game. That will be the final one at the Georgia Dome.

FOOTBALL PLAYERS GIVE BACK ...

It is another summer and it is also another trip to ‘Camp Sunshine’ for some Georgia football players. This has been a tradition for years for the UGA program and 2015 continues that.

‘Camp Sunshine’ is at Camp Twin Lakes in Rutledge, Ga. Every year players have gone to the camp to interact with children who are battling cancer.

This season, 11 Bulldogs football players made the trip. In this group were senior outside linebacker Jordan Jenkins, sophomore outside linebacker Lorenzo Carter, redshirt sophomore quarterback Brice Ramsey, and many more.

It’s been no secret that head coach Mark Richt is a huge advocate for his players and program giving back to the community. This serves as another great opportunity to do just that.

Right now, Georgia’s players are going through offseason summer workouts in Athens. This trip gives them an opportunity to get away from campus for a little while to help out with a really great cause.

Panthers were selected in the draft. Along with the two current Panthers, three incoming signees were also drafted. Archer’s Curtis Terry, Parkview’s Ryne Inman and Redan’s James Nelson were all selected during the draft and will now have to decide whether to sign with their respective pro clubs or stay true to their commitment to play at Georgia State.

ATHLON ACCOLADES ...

Athlon Sports released its Preseason All-Sun Belt teams which featured eight total Georgia State players, highlighted by two making the first team. Seniors Donovan Harden and Joseph Peterson were both selected as first teamers. Harden, a wide receiver, led the Panthers with 60 catches and 885 yards with seven touchdowns. As a linebacker, Peterson has been named all-conference twice during his career and led the Panthers in tackling the past three seasons and holds the school record with 265 career tackles.

Joel Ruiz was a second team selection as a tight end. The senior was named to the John Mackey Award Watch List before finishing with 39 catches for 478 yards and three touchdowns. Kicker Wil Lutz, cornerback Bruce Dukes and safety Tarris Batiste were pegged as third teamers while guard Alex Stoehr and safety Bobby Baker were tabbed as fourth team performers. Georgia State opens the 2015 season Sept. 4 vs. Charlotte at the Georgia Dome.

GEORGIA TECH

OLLIE SCHNIEDERJANS TIES FOR 42ND AT U.S. OPEN

BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

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ompeting in his first ever major, recent Georgia Tech grad Ollie Schniederjans finished in a tie for 42nd with a 7-over 287.

Schniederjans, competing as an amature, finished two strokes behind the low-amature of the tournament, Brian Campbell after a valiant four rounds of golf at Chambers Bay. While he fell short of his goal of being the low amature, Schniederjans finished above a slew of the world’s top golfers including Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Bubba Watson, Ernie Els and Rickie Fowler.

On top of his great showing, Schniederjans finished in a tie for third in total driving distance (332.25 yards) and tied for seventh in total birdies with 17. Schniederjans shot a final round 73 while his best round came on day one with a 68. Schniederjans finished last summer as the worlds top-ranked amature, exempting him for the 150th playing of the U.S. Open as well as the British Open in which he will also

KENNESAW STATE

ATLANTIC SUN CONFERENCE SET TO SHIFT IN SIZE

BY BRIAN JONES | BJONES@SCOREATL.COM

T

he 2015-16 athletic season will have a different look for KSU and the Atlantic Sun Conference. Starting July 1 of this year, the New Jersey Institute of Technology will be a member of the conference, and all sports will participate in conference play starting in the fall.

With the addition of NJIT, the Atlantic Sun will now have eight members in the conference. The Highlanders will field 14 Division 1 sports including baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s soccer men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor track and field, men’s and women’s tennis and volleyball.

“The addition of New Jersey Institute of Technology to the A-Sun Conference represents a great day for our league,” Williams said to KSUOwls.com. “I would like to congratulate Commissioner Ted Gumbart for leading this process and welcome NJIT to the Atlantic Sun Conference. We are extremely excited to begin competing against NJIT this upcoming season and

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compete in later this summer at St. Andrews.

Schniederjans plans to turn pro after that and compete in the Canadian Open July 23-26.

Schniederjans would have been set to make 42,000 dollars for his placing, but is unable to make any money until he turns pro at the end of July. Former college and junior golf competitor Jordan Spieth crossed paths with Schniederjans when they reunited in a practice round before Thursday’s start who would eventually win the U.S. Open. Spieth won the 2015 Masters tournament back in early April as well. Spieth, who went to the University of Texas could and most likely will see a lot more of Schniederjans in the very near future.

Former Georgia Tech graduate and PGA professional, Matt Kuchar finished in a tie for 12th with a 1-over par total round score.

HILL COMMITS TO TECH

Trysten Hill, a 6-2, 308 pound offensive lineman chose to play his college football at Georgia Tech over 11 other schools this past week. Hill was quoted as saying that, “Georgia Tech is the best fit for me and it is close to home. It was an offer I couldn’t refuse.” With the loss of center, Shaq Mason to the 2015 NFL draft, the Yellow Jackets will now have a lineman highly capable of starting on the offensive line in his place come 2016. This is an early win for Georgia Tech’s 2016 recruiting class.

building rivalries in the arenas of competition.”

NJIT is located in Newark, N.J. with an enrollment of over 10,000 students. The school will be eligible for individual conference awards, postseason team titles and it will be included in the regular season schedule. The only sport that won’t be a part of this yet is men’s soccer who will start A-Sun play in 2016-17.

SEASON TICKETS STILL AVAIABLE…

Want to see the football team in action this fall, but don’t have season tickets? Not to worry because there are still a limited amount of season tickets available for fans to buy. The cost of season tickets is $99 plus a donation to the Owl Fund.

The KSU ticket office has received more deposits than seats available. However, not all the deposits have been activated which means there are 700 tickets available for purchase as of last week.

For students that want to buy tickets, a lottery system will be established, and for each game a student will sign up using Owl Life. A weighted lottery will be based on class credit hours earned, and that means seniors will be given higher priority. Student tickets to all regular season home athletic games are free.

KSU’s first home game will be on Sept. 12 against Edward Waters College at 4 p.m. It will be broadcast on KSUOwls.com as well as the CW Network.

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SCORE ATLANTA | www.ScoreAtl.com

Vol. 11 Iss. 23 | June 26 - July 2, 2015 ATLANTA HAWKS

BIG MEN WANTED: POTENTIAL 2015 DRAFT TARGETS

BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

T

he 2015 NBA Draft is this Thursday and teams are doing their due diligence on which players are the right fit for their respective franchises. Atlanta holds three picks in this year’s draft: No. 15, No. 50 and No. 59. The Hawks have a glaring need inside for a tough post presence who can provide support on the glass.

Tristan Thompson and the rest of the Cleveland Cavaliers exposed Atlanta’s weakness inside and pounded the Hawks into submission with a four game sweep. The top of the draft will feature premier big men in KarlAnthony Towns and Jahlil Okafor. Willie Cauley-Stein would be an excellent fit as a defensive stopper inside with springy legs, but the former Kentucky Wildcat is likely to go in the top ten and carve out a career much like that of current Dallas Maverick Tyson Chandler.

If Myles Turner, a 6-foot-11 center out of Texas, was able to fall to Atlanta, coach Budenholzer would be elated. Turner tapered out down the stretch but he still managed to put together

ATLANTA BRAVES

HOW SWEEP IT IS: ATLANTA IN MIX AFTER BLASTING METS

BY RICKY DIMON | RDIMON@SCOREATL.COM

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eeding some momentum in the worst way after compiling a 7-10 record through the first 17 games of this month and dropping two of four to the ice-cold Boston Red Sox, the Atlanta Braves delivered just what the doctor ordered last weekend. Atlanta hosted the New York Mets for three contests at Turner Field and the home team got the job done on all three occasions. Some stellar pitching paved the way to victories of 2-1, 6-4 and 1-0.

Although starters earned wins in all three games (Matt Wisler, Williams Perez and Julio Teheran), the Braves’ much-maligned bullpen was particularly impressive—especially by its lowly standards of late. Jason Grilli got the save with a perfect ninth inning in the opener, he combined with Luis Avilan and Jim Johnson for three scoreless innings last Saturday and Johnson got out of a ninth-inning jam for the Sunday save. New York put runners on first and second with no outs, but Johnson induced Lucas Duda into a harmless pop fly and Michael Cuddyer grounded into a game-ending double play.

a campaign which saw him average 10.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.6 blocks. The 19-year-old displayed an ability to step out and knock down jumpers which fits into coach Bud’s style of offense. He showed flashes of being able take over games, but Turner is still a little raw.

Arkansas sophomore Bobby Portis is currently projected to land at 15 with Atlanta.

Portis averaged 17.5 points and 8.9 rebounds while battling the bigs of Kentucky and LSU in the SEC. He runs the floor well and is a fluid athlete that can produce on both ends of the floor with his NBA ready body, standing 6-foot11 and 240 pounds.

DIAMONDS IN THE ROUGH

If Atlanta elects to trade up in the second round, Jordan Mickey out of LSU may be available. The 6-foot-8 sophomore was a defensive stalwart averaging 3.6 blocks to go along with his 15.4 points and 9.9 rebounds a game in 2014.

After Atlanta selects a big man, the Hawks should switch their focus to finding the best available player. More depth on the wings could be important if Kyle Korver doesn’t return to form. Notre Dame’s Pat Connaughton could fit as an athletic scorer with a lethal three-point shot.

Don’t be surprised if Atlanta looks to add an international flair late in the second round.

Names like Nedim Buza, Luka Mitrovic and Mouhammadou Jaiteh are all players who can be stashed overseas to develop.

“It was a great team weekend,” said former Braves pitcher and current broadcaster Tom Glavine at the end of Sunday’s telecast. “You need all 25 guys on your roster to get something done over the course of the season and that’s what happened this weekend.”

Atlanta will hope to maintain momentum during road trips this week at the Washington Nationals and Pittsburgh Pirates.

FREEMAN ON DL …

First baseman Freddie Freeman has not played since last Wednesday because of a sore right wrist and he was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday even though an MRI did not reveal any significant damage. The move is retroactive to June 18, meaning Freeman will be eligible to return next Friday.

“Just a contusion,” manager Fredi Gonzalez assured. “Hopefully, we get him back sooner than later. We’ll figure [our lineup] out.

We didn’t have him the whole weekend series against the Mets and we won three.”

That was quite an accomplishment given how much Freeman means to Atlanta’s offense.

The 25-year-old is batting .299 with 12 home runs, 41 RBIs and 43 runs scored. As of Wednesday afternoon, no other Brave has more than six homers (Cameron Maybin and Kelly Johnson) or 36 RBIs (Maybin). Freeman also leads all of the team’s regulars in batting average and slugging percentage—the latter by a country mile at .520 (Maybin is second at .399).

ATLANTA FALCONS

FALCONS UNVEIL REMAINING OFFSEASON SCHEDULE

BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

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he Atlanta Falcons will hold their 2015 XFINITY Training Camp at the team’s Flowery Branch headquarters for the 11th consecutive year. Atlanta’s 50th training camp will have select practices open to the public from July 31 – August 19.

The Falcons will conduct 33 total sessions, including walkthroughs and practices, at their training facility. On Friday, August 7, the Falcons are pleased to present Kia Motors “Friday Night Lights”, which will be held at Buford High School. Last year’s event was at Archer High School and Gainesville and Peachtree Ridge each hosted prior to the Tigers.

Atlanta Falcons Youth Weekend will take place Saturday, August 1 and Sunday, August 2, during which children ages 17 and under will have the opportunity to meet Atlanta Falcons cheerleaders and enter several contests to win prizes. The Falcons will also host Military Appreciation Day on Sunday, August 9.

ATLANTA DREAM

SCORING MISTAKE NEARLY SHATTERS DREAM

BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

A

sluggish first quarter did in the Dream (35) as Atlanta fell to last place in the conference after losing to the New York Liberty (4-3) this Sunday, 73-64. The Liberty outscored the Dream 21-10 to open the game and never trailed since the 5:15 mark of the first period. Sugar Rodgers and Brittany Boyd controlled the tempo up top. Rodgers scored 17 points while the No. 9 pick in this year’s draft scored a game-high and career-high 18 points. Angel McCoughtry led Atlanta with 17 points on 4-of-16 shooting.

Roneeka Hodges and Sancho Lyttle were the only two other players to score in double figures with 12 and 11 points respectively.

SCORING ERROR DOESN’T HAUNT DREAM ...

An Angel McCoughtry jumper as time expired lifted the Dream to a 74-73 win over the Chicago Sky last week, but it shouldn’t have come to that after an error by the scorekeepers gave the Sky unearned points. With under two minutes to play, Chicago trailed 72-68.

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BATTERS UP…

Head coach Dan Quinn has explained that he is a competitor to the very core and after setting up an impromptu home run derby with some of his players the fun of competition was felt as linebacker Paul Worrilow and safety Sean Baker went head-to-head.

Worrilow and Baker went swing for swing after Quinn set up a fence on the practice field and edged a group that included Matt Ryan, Devin Hester, Ra’Shede Hageman and defensive line coach Brian Cox. “I don’t know how many I hit out,” Worrilow told ESPN’s Vaughn McClure, “but Baker and I went to sudden death at the end of the finals, in which I lost to Baker.”

“We’re just having fun, with the music and the home run derby and all that stuff,” Baker said. “It’s just a great environment. And you look forward to coming to work every day.

Ryan, was one of the batters to reach the finals and appreciates the message these competitions send the team.

“I love it,” said Ryan. “It’s an opportunity to get away from football for an afternoon and come together as a team and get to spend quality time with your teammates which, to me, is huge. But it also lets guys showcase what else they can do and allows them to compete in a different environment.

Star forward Elena Delle Donne drove to the basket and missed a shot but was fouled in the act, sending her to the line. Delle Donne sank a free throw and confusion ensued. Everyone began to run back on defense as if it was an and-one opportunity and the refs and everyone in attendance missed it. Delle Donne was awarded three points for the play and cut the lead to 72-71 instead of the proper score of 72-69 with another free throw awaiting. Luckily the gaffe did not affect the outcome of the game. Delle Donne finished with 26 points and 10 rebounds. McCoughtry scored 18 in the win.

THE DREAM WHICH LIES INSIDE ...

If Atlanta wants to earn the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference again and dispose of the sour taste left in their mouth from how last season ended, post players Sancho Lyttle and Erika de Souza must play better. The two reliable veterans have gotten off to a slow start this season. de Souza averaged 13.8 points and 8.7 rebounds a year ago while Lyttle chipped in 12.2 points and 9.0 rebounds per game.

This season de Souza has seen her production dip to 9.0 points and 7.8 rebounds. Lyttle has dropped to 9.4 points and 6.8 boards.

UP NEXT ...

Atlanta visits the Chicago Sky (3-3) on Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. before returning home for four games.

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