Score Atlanta Vol. 11 Issue 2

Time to look great!

VOLUME 11 ISSUE 2 | JANUARY 16-29, 2014

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YOUR SOURCE FOR SPORTS IN GEORGIA

Georgia On My Mind | Pg. 4 The Bulldogs welcome new offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer to Athens.

We Are The Champions | Pg. 8 Wrestling heads to Macon for team dual championships.

FREE BIRDS

Falcons coaching search continues with Atlanta’s critical free agency period looming. | Pg. 5

Vol. 11 Iss. 2 | January 16-29, 2015

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, Tech)

Brian Jones (KSU) Dan Mathews (UGA)

Craig Sager II (Falcons)

Kyle Sandy (Hawks, GSU,

Gladiators)

STAFF WRITERS Jalisa Smith

Matthew Cason

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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.

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DAN’S DOCKET

SHOTTENHEIMER’S WELCOMED INTO NEW ROLE WITH DAWGS

BY DAN MATHEWS | DMATHEWS@SCOREATL.COM

ust a couple of days removed from the news Joffensive that Georgia was going with longtime NFL coordinator Brian Schottenheimer to

lead their offense, head coach Mark Richt sat down beside him to answer questions from the media. Richt started off the press conference by talking about how excited Georgia was to have Schottenheimer aboard.

“Brian is a guy that we’ve got an awful lot of faith in to come in and run our offensive team,” Richt said. “We’re just thankful that he has decided to work his way into the college ranks and choose Georgia.”

Schottenheimer’s coaching career dates all the way back to 1997, when he broke into the NFL as a young assistant coach with the St. Louis Rams. He would soon join his dad Marty in Kansas City for one year as an assistant

coach with the Chiefs. He would then coach at Syracuse and then Southern Cal for the next two years, before returning back to the NFL. He has been on an NFL coaching staff since the year 2000.

With the hiring of Schottenheimer from the NFL, many have questioned whether or not he can translate to the college level. He believes that he can, because of his prior work in the NFL with some young quarterbacks like Drew Brees and Phillip Rivers in San Diego.

“It seems like wherever I’ve gone there’s always been young quarterbacks and with that comes a challenge,” Schottenheimer said. “But, at the same time it’s fun. That’s a passion of mine. I love working with quarterbacks. I love developing quarterbacks. Drew has become one of my best friends in the World. The time

SANDY’S SPIEL

EAGLES FLYING UNDER THE RADAR

BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

n college basketball, everybody knows the Ilina, prestigious programs of Duke, North CaroKansas, and Kentucky. In the past decade,

Mid-Major programs have been all the rage stealing spotlights and headlines with their exceptional play. 2006 gave us George Mason, 2010 gave us Butler, 2011 Virginia Commonwealth, and most recently Wichita State last season. Nothing is better than a Cinderella story, a true David vs Goliath matchup. Last year, Georgia State narrowly missed making it to the big dance after they fell to Elfrid Payton’s Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns in the Sun Belt title game 82-81 in overtime after a 25 win season. This season Georgia State is humming along under the radar nationally, but is still a favorite to win the Sun Belt this year, but I’m

here to talk about another Georgia school that might have something to say about that, the Georgia Southern Eagles.

A notorious powerhouse in football, the Eagles (10-3, 3-1) have quietly put together a very nice season and have designs on thwarting the Panthers’ dreams of making it to the big dance along with every other Sun Belt school. A true dark horse, the Eagles finished 15-19 a season ago and managed just a 6-10 record in the Southern Conference. So far, it seems like the switch from the SoCon to the Sun Belt has benefited the Eagles. Currently they are second in the conference, one game behind 4-0 UL-Lafayette.

IN THE RACE…

All three of Georgia Southern’s losses this

we spent together both on the field and in the classroom, we certainly had some success.

Again, that’s a passion of mine and something I think I’m pretty good at. I look forward to trying to continue that tradition on here.”

Schottenheimer says that he hasn’t gotten too deep into personnel or any other part of the program that he will concern himself with for his day-to-day duties. He did say he has been viewing recruit film and has been on the phone with some potential Bulldogs.

“The good thing about me is that I’m coming into a situation where there’s a bunch of really good coaches on the staff,” Schottenheimer said. “We’re not going to re-invent the wheel.

I think philosophically we see things the same way with the ‘pro-style’ offense. We’re going to run the football, obviously that’s a big part of what we’re doing. It was really kind of an easy fit and an exciting fit, because not a lot of teams in college football are doing it that way.”

When asked about getting to know the terms of this offensive scheme, Richt says they’ll teach Schottenheimer those parts of the Georgia ‘pro-style’ attack. This is so they can get him caught up to speed, as opposed to the numerous players on the offensive side of the ball learning his terms.

When Georgia takes the field this fall in their season opener against Louisiana-Mon-

roe, it will begin Schottenheimer’s 18th season in coaching competitive football. He says that he knew pretty quickly that he wanted to be like his father Marty and Uncle Kurt by following their footsteps into the coaching field.

“Truly around the age of 18 or 19,” Schottenheimer said. “Actually that’s why I transferred from KU (Kansas) to Florida, is that I wanted to go down there and learn the ‘prostyle’ offense from coach (Steve) Spurrier.

From that point on, I never looked back.”

The chemistry between Richt and Schottenheimer seems to already have a good foundation. The coaching staff as a whole for Georgia is also a fan of the new offensive coordinator. In fact, Richt had all of them sit in on the interview with Schottenheimer.

Schottenheimer did add that former offensive coordinator Mike Bobo reached out to him through text message to wish him luck. He says that speaks to Bobo’s character to take time to do that.

The team is now still trying to find a new offensive line coach. Richt says he would like to have one hired soon for last-minute recruiting purposes. However, he’s more concerned about hiring the right coach.

Photo courtesy of Rob Saye.

season have come by single digits. The Eagles opened their season in Champaign, Illinois against the Fighting Illini. Southern entered the half tied at 31, but eventually fell 80-71. Their other two losses came against UCF by two and to Texas-Arlington by 1; both road losses.

Senior Jelani Hewitt makes things click for the Eagles on offense. The playmaking guard leads the team in points (20.2) and assists (3.8) and has been the leader in these two categories since last year as a junior when he averaged over 19 points and 3 assists per game.

A key addition to this year’s team has been former Greater Atlanta Christian state champion, Trent Wiedeman. Now a senior, Wiedeman was named to the SoCon All-Freshman Team and to the Mid-Major Freshman All-American team which was selected by CollegeInsider. com. Wiedeman found great success early on in his career under Head Coach Bobby Cremins, but found his playing time decrease under new coach Doug Wojcik after he could not get healthy after two ankle injuries.

The big man has been a major boon for the Eagles’ low post game as he is currently second in scoring with 13.6 points and leads the team in rebounding with 6.8 per game.

Eric Ferguson, who led the team in scoring and rebounding as a sophomore and junior, is now back with the team after facing a suspen-

sion with off court issues stemming from drug charges. After missing the first six games of the season, the 6’8 forward has begun to round into shape and is averaging 8.6 points and 4.9 rebounds on 51 percent shooting.

Hewitt, Wiedeman, and Ferguson make up a formidable trio that should be able to give opposing Sun Belt foes issues with their ability to score inside and out. Georgia Southern’s main strength is its ability to control the glass. They rank 16th in the nation with 40.5 rebounds a game and lead the conference. Compare that with conference favorite Georgia State, who ranks 289th with just 32.1 rebounds per game, and the Eagles have the sizable advantage. Where the Eagles might hurt down the stretch is their inability to block shots, where they average under two a game ranking 257th in the nation.

Though it is still early in conference play, anything can happen. Head Coach Mark Byington now in his second season at Southern, seemingly has the Eagles believing they can play with anyone. They have played a soft schedule with three non-division one schools, but the close loss to Illinois and wins against South Florida and Florida International have Byington and the Eagles hoping this season’s senior ladened team can open some eyes and make some noise in the Sun Belt.

Photo courtesy of Georgia Southern Athletics.

Vol. 11 Iss. 2 | January 16-29, 2015

ON THE COVER

ATLANTA FALCONS

COACHING SEARCH PREDOMINATES HEADLINES, BUT FREE AGENCY HUGE FOR FALCONS

BY RICKY DIMON | RDIMON@SCOREATL.COM

E

ver since Mike Smith and the Atlanta Falcons parted ways one day after a seasonending, Week 17 home loss to Carolina, the headlines around these parts have been dominated by the head coaching search. And why not? The outcome of that process could define the direction this franchise takes over the course of the next decade—or longer.

But with other teams going into carpe diem mode (the Bills wasted no time landing Rex Ryan and the Jets snagged Todd Bowles, just to name a few) while the Falcons bide their time (at least that was still the case as of Wednesday afternoon), now might be a good time to turn attention to a different department: player personnel.

GOT LONG LIST OF EX-FALCONS? …

“We have a tremendous number of skill players,” owner Arthur Blank said during his press conference to announce Smith’s firing.

“Were they performing to their level of ability?

That’s debatable…. Do we have holes? Prob-

ably, yes. How best to fill them will be in large part up to the new coach.”

There is, of course, no coach now and perhaps no coach until after the Super Bowl if the Seahawks win this weekend and the Falcons want to wait for defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. Even after Blank and company make their decision on Smith’s replacement, free agency does not begin until March 10.

Only time will tell who is sticking around and who is hitting the road, but it is clear from Atlanta’s 2015 free-agent list that the roster may be in line for an overhaul. Among the team’s unrestricted FAs are Osi Umenyiora, Sean Weatherspoon, Kroy Biermann, Matt Bryant, Jacquizz Rodgers, Corey Peters, Robert McClain, Dwight Lowery and Eric Weems. The most significant fluctuations could come with the pass rush and in the offensive backfield.

Umenyiora has insisted that he will retire and even if he changes his mind, he will not be in the Falcons’ plans. Biermann, another veteran defensive end, should have several seasons left

in his tank but those are not likely to come in Atlanta. The case of Weatherspoon is an interesting one, because his talent commands a substantial salary but his durability—or lack thereof—does the opposite. If he will settle for a short-term offer, he will stay.

The Falcons have utilized a running back by committee approach over the past two seasons and while they may employ the same strategy in 2015, the components could be different. Devonta Freeman, who showed promise as a rookie, possesses a similar skill-set to that of Rodgers. Jackson has one season left on a threeyear deal but there is a chance he is released a la fellow veteran Michael Turner following the 2012 campaign. All transactions will be made with an eye toward 2016, when Julio Jones’ free agency will be of utmost concern—if it is not already. In other words, quarterback (Matt Ryan) is the only position at which the Falcons can rest easy for the foreseeable future.

“When you talk to head coaches, they always start with, ‘if you have a quarterback, you have a chance,’” Blank added. “And we have a great quarterback.”

THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX …

Ryan’s greatness cannot be realized, however, if he is not surrounded with parts that can produce a championship. Are those parts already in Atlanta? Some, maybe. All of them? No. Remember what happened last year on the first day of free agency? Well, get used it.

With so many Falcons possibly heading elsewhere, the team will likely dive headlong into the free-agent circus by reeling in players from outside sources. That’s exactly what general manager Thomas Dimitroff did last offseason, when he signed Jon Asamoah, Tyson Jackson and Paul Soliai literally right when the gun went off before coming to terms with Devin Hester less than two weeks later.

This year’s dream signing, which should be plainly obvious to people around here, is former Georgia sack-master Justin Houston.

Not only does Houston have a ton of local ties (he is a Statesboro High School alum, as well), but he fits a massive need. However, the Chiefs might put the franchise tag on him and his price will be astronomical even if they don’t.

Ndamukong Suh is a name that also must be thrown out there. Blank surely wants to bring

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in some marquee attractions as he attempts to sell seats in the new stadium that is scheduled to open in 2017. Ryan as head coach would have satisfied such criteria. Say what you will about Suh’s character, but he could do it, too, based on what he brings to the on-field table.

Less spectacular options, which Dimitroff has never shied away from in an effort to build a solid, well-rounded roster, include offensive linemen Mike Iupati (San Francisco) and Doug Free (Dallas). If Atlanta is ready to give up on tight end Levine Toilolo, Julius Thomas (Denver) and Jermaine Gresham (Cincinnati) become possibilities.

DRAFT DAY …

Then there’s the NFL Draft. The Falcons’ loss to Carolina last month was unquestionably a rough one, especially because it prevented them from hosting a playoff game against the Ryan Lindley-led Cardinals. Some direct benefits, however, could be reaped come the last day in April. They have the No. 8 pick in the draft instead of No. 21 if they had been ousted in round one of the postseason, No. 25 if they had lost at Seattle, or even later had they made a deep playoff run.

That is not to say that Atlanta will automatically add an immediate impact player at No. 8. Like any other team, it has endured its fair share of misses over the years. But recent hits cannot go unnoticed. Dimitroff made a shrewd move to get Jones at No. 6 overall in 2011 and picked cornerbacks Desmond Trufant and Robert Alford in 2013 The jury is still out on offensive tackle Jake Matthews, but early returns suggest Atlanta got a good one with the No. 5 selection in last year’s proceedings.

With a favorable standing in the pecking order at which Atlanta has plenty of recent experience, available pass-rushers could include Vic Beasley of Clemson, Randy Gregory from Nebraska and Missouri’s Shane Ray. The team might also look at defensive line help in the form of USC’s Leonard Williams or a boost in the secondary from Alabama’s Landon Collins.

For now, it’s still early. But get ready—this offseason is about to get crazy.

Photos courtesy of the Atlanta Falcons.

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Al Horford

Urban Meyer

HS Guards

Big Al recorded his first triple-double in his eight year career on Tuesday night when he posted a stat line of 21 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. The Hawks’ win marked nine straight and the longtime Hawk is enjoying not only his individual performance, but the franchise’s best start in history.

The Buckeyes stunned the nation after knocking off Alabama and Oregon with their third string quarterback to bring the inaugural CFP title to Columbus. Meyer has cemented himself as the best coach in college football after bringing home the championship after facing so much adversity. He joins Nick Saban as the only two coaches to win titles during the poll era at multiple schools.

Wheeler’s Shembari Phillips, a Tennessee-commit, canned eight 3-pointers en route to a 39-point night in a win over Etowah. He nailed 7-7 from deep in the first quarter. Ty Cockfield of Johnson-Gainesville dropped a career-high 42 points as the Knights remained undefeated with a big road win over Buford. It’s time to give high school basketball some love in Georgia.

SCORE LIST

By Brian Jones

THE SEARCH CONTINUES

It’s been nearly a month since the Falcons let go of Mike Smith and they have yet to find a new head coach. Todd Bowles and Rex Ryan are off the board, and that means the Falcons are setting their sights on either Teryl Austin or Dan Quinn. The Falcons will need to be aggressive because the time is ticking.

STADIUM PREVIEW

The Falcons are getting ready for the new stadium to open in two years, and they released a preview of what the stadium will look like from the inside and out on Tuesday. The three-minute video shows the layout of field, scoreboards, club levels and the retractable roof.

Everything looks great and I can’t wait for 2017 to get here.

TOP 10 PROGRAMS

The final AP poll was released on Tuesday and both Georgia and Georgia Tech finished in the Top 10, which is the first time that has happened since 1966. The Jackets finished at No. 8 while the Dawgs come at No. 9. It was a good season for both teams and it only makes the upcoming season more interesting.

TRUE TO ATLANTA

All the Hawks do is win as they have won their last nine games as of Wednesday morning. Every player on the roster has contributed to the Hawks success, but the key component is head coach Mike Budenholzer who has taught his players to move the ball around and play solid defense. This team has a legit shot of reaching the Eastern Conference Finals.

GURLEY TO THE NFL

It’s now official. Todd Gurley has signed with Roc Nation Sports and he will be eligible for the 2015 NFL Draft.

Roc Nation was founded by Jay-Z and represents NFL players like Dez Bryant and Hakeem Nicks. Gurley’s knee will keep him from becoming a Top 10 pick but whoever gets him will get an impact player.

WHO’S NOT

By Kyle Sandy

WHO’S HOT

SCORE ATLANTA | www.ScoreAtl.com

Oregon

Georgia Tech

Duke

The Ducks’ best shot at winning a national title might have just slipped through their fingers. With Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota all but a sure thing to leave for the draft, Coach Helfrich will need to try and reload. What hurts worse: The last second loss to Auburn in 2011 or the demolition this Monday?

The Jackets are off to another tough start in conference play as they are now 9-6 overall, but 0-3 in the ACC. Sunday’s loss to Wake Forest after dropping nail-biters to Notre Dame and Syracuse have Tech sitting in the cellar of the ACC. GT hasn’t won more than 16 games since the 09-10 season.

Not only was Coach K denied to take the next step in his road to 1,000 wins, but Duke’s 41 game winning streak was shattered at home in a 16-point rout handed to them by Miami.

The loss also marks Dukes first back-to-back losses since 2009. They find themselves in trouble sitting in eighth place in the ultra-competitive ACC.

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 CONSECUTIVE DUAL STATE WRESTLING TITLES HAS JEFFERSON WON? ANSWER ON PAGE 14

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SANITY AT LAST

“Brian is a guy that we’ve got an awful lot of faith in to come run our offense. We’re just thankful that he has decided to work his way into the college ranks and chose Georgia.”

- Coach Mark Richt on hiring new offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer

100

Wheeler points scored on Tuesday, its first triple-digit output since 2013.

2

Million dollars Wandy Rodriguez could earn if he makes the Braves 40man roster.

0

Wins in Oregon’s nine all-time matches when facing Ohio State

2

Number of times this year the Hawks have posted nine or more wins in a row.

96.9

Second-lowest points allowed per game in the NBA held by the Hawks

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Seasons Dirk Koetter coordinated the Falcons offense before agreeing to a 2-year deal with the Bucs.

34 .789

Atlanta assists in Tuesday’s win at Philadelphia Hawks’ winning percentage is tied for second best in the NBA

Vol. 11 Iss. 2 | January 16-29, 2015

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STATE DUALS PREVIEW

AREA CHAMPS CARRY MOMENTUM INTO TALENTPACKED STATE DUALS

BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

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f the Area Duals were an indication to things to come, this weekend’s state duals set up to be one of the most competitive the state has seen.

Thrilling finishes were a theme this past weekend, but there were also the title hopefuls that won in convincing fashion and showed the state that they are the team to beat this weekend.

Class AAAAAA two-time defending dual champion Archer was one of the teams that left little room for drama, outscoring South Gwinnett, Parkview and Brookwood by a combined 217-12 for the top seed in the state duals and another runaway Area 8 wrestling title. Across the county, there was a more storybook finish as Mountain View dethroned Collins Hill for the Area 8 title. Pins by Austin Phillips, Adam Flatt (a Davidson-commit) and Austin Brown helped the Bears continue their historic season and set

up a first round match with Tift County.

North Forsyth used a 30-29 victory over Chattahoochee to capture the Area 6 title, the school’s fourth straight crown and Etowah defeated Roswell 37-34 on a last second reversal by freshman Max Homyak (120) to take the Area 5 title. Kennesaw Mountain (Area 4), Newnan (Area 3), Rockdale County (Area 2) and Lee County (Area 1) will also enter the state tourney with the momentum of capturing Area titles in Georgia’s highest classification.

BATTLE TESTED…

In Class AAAAA, Woodland Cartersville dominated Area 7 and earned the No. 1 overall seed. Woodland’s win came in one of the deepest area’s in the state and Cass was able to finish second ahead of Creekview and defending Traditional champion Cambridge for a

first-round match with Jones County. The 2012 Class AAAAA Dual state champion Camden County Wildcats exhibited their championship potential with a 74-0 shutout over Ware County for the Area 3 title match, marking the school’s 17th straight Area title. Ola edged a talented Union Grove team for the Area 4 championship and Allatoona held off Alexander in the Area 5 championship match 34-28. Alexander’s second place finish earned a first round match with Area 6 champion Dunwoody.

Five-time defending Dual State champion Gilmer earned Class AAAA’s top seed with the Area 7 title. Buford, which is making its Class AAAA debut after winning the Class AAA Dual state title last year fell to North Hall in the Area 8 championship and will get a first round match with Area 1 champion Crisp County.

Class AAAA’s Marist topped rival St. Pius for the Area 6 title and will face Howard in the first round, while the second place finish pins St. Pius against the dangerous Area 2 champions West Laurens in the first round.

In 13 seasons, Jefferson has never failed to win a Dual State title and the Dragons are as dominant as they’ve ever been in what marks their first season in Class AAA. Jefferson ousted Oconee County, Morgan County and Jackson County in Area 8 and earned the top seed

in the Class AAA bracket. Jefferson is not the only school making a successful jump from AA to AAA as Toombs County and Westminster displayed in last weekend’s Area tournaments.

Toombs County topped Appling County to take home the Area 1 title and Westminster thrashed Blessed Trinity by 30 points for the Area 4 crown.

Watch out for Social Circle in Class AA. The Redskins entered the Area Duals ranked No. 1 in the Class AA polls and protected their No. 1 status with a 42-20 win over GAC and earned the top seed in the tournament. GAC, Bremen, Lovett, Vidalia, Gordon Lee, Fitzgerald and Dublin join Social Circle in Class AA’s remaining field of eight teams and set up what could be the most competitive classification in this year’s state duals.

In Class A, Commerce will set out to defend its first and only wrestling title as the top seed in the tournament. Commerce topped St. Francis in the Area 4 championship and that will set up a great first round matchup between runner-up St. Francis and Area 3’s champion Mt. Zion-Carroll. Commerce is the only team in Class A’s field of eight that has ever captured a dual wrestling state title.

Photos courtesy of Sonny Kennedy and the Athletic Image.

Vol. 11 Iss. 2 | January 16-29, 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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Vol. 11 Iss. 2 | January 16-29, 2015

Score Atlanta Boys Basketball Rankings Class AAAAAA

Class AAA

1........................... Wheeler 2..................... Pebblebrook 3................................Shiloh 4.........................Tift County 5............................... Tucker

1................................ Laney 2......................Cedar Grove 3............................. Jenkins 4................................ Butler 5................. Morgan County

6............................Norcross 7......................... Collins Hill 8.................Douglas County 9............................Hillgrove 10........................Alpharetta

Class AA

Class AAAAA 1...................... Miller Grove 2...........................McIntosh 3........................Gainesville 4...........................Allatoona 5...........................M.L. King

6.........................Brunswick 7........Northside-Columbus 8....................Richmond Hill 9..................................Drew 10..........................Tri-Cities

Class AAAA 1.........................Jonesboro 2........Johnson-Gainesville 3.............................Lithonia 4...........................Columbia 5...........................St. Pius X

6.......................... Savannah 7.......... Johnson-Savannah 8..............................Rutland 9...................Blessed Trinity 10...................South Atlanta

1..................Pace Academy 2.............. Seminole County 3.................Holy Innocents’ 4..Greater Atlanta Christian 5...................... Thomasville

1.........................St. Francis 2.......Greenforest Christian 3...............Athens Christian 4...............Hancock Central 5.............................Treutlen

Class AAAAAA

Class AA

1............................ Osborne 2........................McEachern 3................... South Forsyth 4...........................Parkview 5...............................Archer

1.................Dawson County 2........................... Kendrick 3................................ Laney 4............................. Decatur 5.................... South Atlanta

6.................... North Forsyth 7............................Westlake 8............................Norcross 9.........................Woodstock 10................ Mountain View

1.........................Brunswick 2.......................Stephenson 3..........................Sequoyah 4....................... Forest Park 5..................................Mays

6..........Whitefield Academy 7..............Wilkinson County 8.................Calhoun County 9....................Turner County 10........................Greenville

1............................Veterans 2..............................St. Pius 3.........................Jonesboro 4...............................Buford 5............ Americus-Sumter

6..................Morgan County 7................................ Beach 8....................Dodge County 9...........Washington County 10........................... Calhoun

Class AA 6............... South Effingham 7.......................Cross Creek 8.............Southwest DeKalb 9..............Effingham County 10.......................Greenbrier

Class AAAA

Class A 6.......................... Carrollton 7.................... Burke County 8.............Americus-Sumter 9........................... Westover 10.......................Bainbridge

Score Atlanta Girls Basketball Rankings

Class AAAAA 6.....................Bryan County 7............................... Vidalia 8.................................Model 9...............................Harlem 10............. Crawford County

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1.................Holy Innocents’ 2..............................Pelham 3................................ Model 4.......................... Wesleyan 5.........................Darlington

6..................Putnam County 7.......................Thomasville 8............................... Vidalia 9.....................Union County 10....................Early County

Class A 6................................ Redan 7....................Mary Persons 8............................Thomson 9................................ Marist 10.............................. Griffin

1.........................St. Francis 2.........SW Atlanta Christian 3.................... Taylor County 4................... Turner County 5.....Savannah Country Day

6................. Mitchell County 7.................Calhoun County 8.................. Tattnall Square 9...............................Claxton 10..........Stratford Academy

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SCORE ATLANTA | www.ScoreAtl.com

UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA

UGA PUTS STAFF IN PLACE; BASKETBALL DROPS TWO STRAIGHT

BY DAN MATHEWS | DMATHEWS@SCOREATL.COM

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he college football season has officially ended with Ohio State as this year’s national champion. With the season coming to an end, the Georgia Bulldogs finish among the best in college football ranked inside the top 10 for both the AP and Coaches polls.

Georgia finished 2014 with a 10-3 record and a very impressive 37-14 win over Louisville in the Belk Bowl. That win puts them at No. 9 in both the AP and Coaches polls. This is the seventh time that Georgia has finished ranked inside the top 10 under the lead of head coach Mark Richt.

The Bulldogs are also joined inside the top 10 by in-state rival Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets finish eighth in the AP and seventh in the Coaches Poll.

Alabama is the only other SEC school inside the top 10.

SETTING SALE…

Over the weekend, news broke that Georgia had finally found their new offensive line

GEORGIA STATE

HUNTER HEATS UP; SHOT PUT RECORD SHATTERED

BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

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he Panthers came away with a big home victory over Troy (6-7, 1-3) on Saturday, 77-72, after dropping two straight Sun Belt games doubling their conference loss total from a year ago.

R.J. Hunter caught fire and scored a season-high 37 points in the absence of running mate Ryan Harrow who was out with a toe injury. Though they trailed 34-32 at the half, the Panthers were able to come away with their 19th win in their last 20 home games and are now off to their third best start in school history at 10-6 and 3-2 in conference play. Hunter connected on six free throws in the final 26 seconds to close out the game and finished hitting 15 of 17 from the line.

He is now one point shy of Terrence Brandon for second on GSU’s all-time scoring list. Kevin Ware pitched in 13 points in the victory. GSU is back in action on Thursday as they host TexasArlington at 7 p.m.

GUNS A’ BLAZIN’…

The women’s basketball team fell in an-

coach. His name is Rob Sale and he comes to Georgia after spending the last three seasons at McNeese State, as the Cowboys offensive line coach and then was promoted to co-offensive coordinator this past season.

Sale seems to be a good fit for the Bulldogs offense based on the numbers his team put up last season. McNeese State ran the ball for an average of 221.9 yards per game.

Prior to joining McNeese State, Sale was an assistant coach at Alabama from 2007 to 2011. During his time with the Crimson Tide, he was a strength and conditioning assistant coach and offensive assistant.

Sale also gained experience in the SEC as a player, spending his college playing career at LSU. He ended up starting 25 games on the Tigers offensive line in the early 2000’s.

With Sale coming aboard, Georgia’s coaching staff is complete for the 2015 season.

SHAKE IT OFF…

The past week was not kind to Mark Fox’s team, with a four point loss to No. 23 Arkansas at home and then an overtime 87-84 loss on the road to LSU. These two losses now drop the Bulldogs to 9-5 on the season.

This week they are trying to bounce back with a road game on Wednesday night against Vanderbilt and then a home game on Saturday against Florida.

Georgia’s 0-2 start in conference play currently has them tied for 11th in the standings.

other entertaining game against the Troy Trojans, 96-87. The Panthers (7-7, 2-3) were led

by Makeba Ponder’s 22 points which paced the four Panthers who finished in double digits. Troy (8-5, 3-1) received 27 points from Kourtney Coleman and a big 18 and 15 doubledouble from Ronita Garrett. The game featured 17 lead changes and 10 ties before Georgia State went cold with 4:37 remaining, missing seven of its final eight shots. Coach BaldwinTener decided to make some changes with the lineup and went young, starting two freshmen and a sophomore. Ponder, a freshman, tied her career-high while sophomore Ashanti Groover notched a 12 point, 10 rebound double-double in her first start. The Panthers tipoff against Texas-Arlington at 5 p.m. on Thursday.

MEANT TO BE BROKEN…

The GSU Track and Field team received huge performances from LaPorscha Wells and Alysiah Whittaker on Saturday at the UAB Blazer Indoor Invitational. The pair finished first and second out of 48 shot putters. Wells, a sophomore from Augusta, broke Whittaker’s record with a 16.01m (52-6 ½) throw which also was good enough to win the meet. In the high jump, Nylah Chavis, a freshman for Social Circle, Georgia, tied for second out of 24 jumpers with a mark of 5-4 ½. This Friday and Saturday, the Track and Field team will be back in action at the ETSU Invitational.

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game was the Demon Deacons’ ability to get to the foul stripe making 31 trips. Wake Forest could have blown Tech away, but they left 12 points at the line. The Jackets did not fare much better with their chances at the line as they only shot 8 of 17. Marcus Georges-Hunt led the Jackets with 16 points while Demarco Cox, Charles Mitchell, and Quinton Stephens all finished in double digits. Devin Thomas scored 17 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in the Deacons’ first ACC win of the year. The Jackets search for revenge on Wednesday night as they host the No. 12 ranked Notre Dame Fightin’ Irish at 7 p.m.

STUNG AGAIN…

Georgia Tech (9-6, 0-3) dropped its third straight ACC game on Saturday against Wake Forest (9-8, 1-3) 76-69, sending the Jackets to a three-way tie for last place in the conference.

Danny Manning picked up his first ACC win as a coach for the Deacs as they outmuscled the Jackets on the boards, outrebounding them 4129; the first time GT has been outrebounded in a game all season. The difference maker in the

STUCK IN TOBACCO ROAD… The women’s basketball team fell on Sunday afternoon in Chapel Hill to the No. 8 ranked North Carolina Tar Heels (15-2, 2-1), 96-81. A 15-point deficit to enter the half was too much for the Jackets (12-6, 2-2) to overcome. Aaliyah Whiteside played well for Georgia Tech scoring 22 points and grabbing six rebounds. The junior from Memphis, Tennessee is now averaging 12.6 points per game on the season. Tech’s leading scorer (19.9 ppg) Kaela Davis struggled with foul problems and only managed just six points in 16 minutes. The Tar Heels were led by Stephanie Mavunga’s 20 points and 13 rebounds. Jessica Washington scored 16 off the bench and Allisha Gray also added 15 points. The Jackets welcome Pittsburgh (11-4, 1-1) on Sunday at 2 p.m.

GEORGIA TECH

BASKETBALL STRUGGLES IN CONFERENCE PLAY

BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

he Jackets’ successful football campaign has officially ended with the Jackets finishing the 2014-15 season ranked No. 7 in the final Coaches Poll and No. 8 in the AP Top 25 Poll.

Tech’s top 10 finish in both the AP and Coaches Poll is the first time they have accomplished the feat since 1990, when the Jackets finished No. 2 in the AP and No. 1 in the Coaches. It is the eighth time Georgia Tech has finished in the top 10 of the Coaches Poll.

KENNESAW STATE

MEN’S BB FALLS TO USC UPSTATE IN A-SUN OPENER

BY BRIAN JONES | BJONES@SCOREATL.COM

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he men’s basketball team kicked off the conference leg of their schedule on Saturday as they took on USC Upstate in Spartanburg, S.C. Nigel Pruitt had a career game for the Owls, but it was not enough as Upstate was able to come away with the 68-65 win.

Pruitt’s breakout performance led to a career-high 32 points in the loss. The sharp shooting follows the heels of a 29-point performance by Pruitt against Youngstown State earlier this season.

The Owls were down 66-62 with 42 seconds left in the second half, but Pruitt was able to hit a three to cut Upstate’s lead to one. The Owls were able to get the ball back after Pruitt took a charge, but could not take the lead because his shot was blocked by Upstate’s Michel Buchanan. Upstate made two free throws on the next possession to put the game away.

“I was proud of our guys effort,” head coach Jimmy Lallathin told ksuowls.com. “I

liked our guys mental toughness and ability to respond when they went on runs. We made a couple mistakes that we’ll learn from. There are no moral victories, but our effort, energy and mental toughness is as close as I want it to be as it has been all season.”

One of the bright spots to come out of the game was the play of Pruitt, and the higher ups of the Atlantic Sun Conference noticed it as well because he was awarded Player of the Week on Monday. This if the first time Pruitt has won the award and this is the second week in a row an Owl has taken home the honor.

GIRLS STILL ROLLING… The women’s basketball team also opened conference play on Saturday and they had an easier time with their opponent, defeating USC Upstate 72-63. Deandrea Sawyers led the Owls with 21 points while Jasmine McAlister added 17 and posted 11 rebounds.

“To start the conference schedule with a win and road win nonetheless is huge for us,” head coach Nitra Perry told ksuowls.com. “It is a huge confidence builder and it gives us a taste of what the conference is going to be like on the road.”

Kristina Wells and Valescia Dixon added nine points in the win. The Owls are now 12-4, 1-0 on the year (as of Wednesday morning).

They will face Lipscomb in another Atlantic Sun road battle on Saturday at 5 p.m.

Vol. 11 Iss. 2 | January 16-29, 2015 ATLANTA HAWKS

HORFORD’S TRIPLEDOUBLE LIFTS HAWKS TO NINE STRAIGHT

BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

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he hottest team in the NBA ran their winning streak up to nine games for the second time this season after defeating the Philadelphia 76ers (7-30) on Tuesday, 105-87. Taking a page of out Coach Gregg Popovich’s playbook, Coach Budenholzer decided to rest three of his starters and key bench component, Pero Antic.

Even without leading scorers Jeff Teague and Paul Millsap along with defensive ace DeMarre Carroll, the Hawks were still able to roll to 30-8 at the Wells Fargo Center. Al Horford notched his first career triple-double posting 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. Not only was Horford having fun, but the bench as well. “All the guys on the bench started telling me, `Get two more rebounds! Get two more rebounds!”

Horford said. “The guys were great about it.”

Aside from Horford’s great play, Kent Bazemore played his best game in a Hawks uniform adding 17 points and five rebounds. Michael Carter-Williams led the Sixers with 20 points and 9 rebounds.

ATLANTA BRAVES

BRAVES ADD TO LIST OF VETERANS WITH WANDY RODRIGUEZ

BY RICKY DIMON | RDIMON@SCOREATL.COM

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he Braves hope Wandy Rodriguez can recapture the glory of stellar years that he enjoyed with Houston and Pittsburgh from 2008 through 2012. They signed the 35-year-old lefty to a minor-league contract on Tuesday and he is expected to compete for the fifth spot in the rotation. If Rodriguez makes the 40-man roster, he will receive a one-year, $2 million contract.

A native of the Dominican Republic, Rodriguez broke into the majors with the Astros in 2005 before taking his career to new heights in his fourth season. Starting in 2008, he delivered five straight years with at least 130 innings pitched and an ERA no worse than 3.79.

Rodriguez has reached the double-digit win mark five times and has recorded nine-win campaigns on three other occasions. Injuries reduced him to just 12 appearances with the Pirates in 2013 and an unsuccessful bounceback attempt last year resulted in a 6.75 ERA in a mere six outings.

The Rodriguez signing comes on the heels

CASTING A SPELL…

As many teams before them, the Washington Wizards (25-12) found themselves spellbound by the Hawks’ constricting defense on Sunday as they fell 120-89. Atlanta once again got off to a hot start and led 34-22 to end the first period in Philips Arena. The Hawks finished the game with 16 3-pointers with five coming from Kyle Korver who finished with 19 points to lead Atlanta. DeMarre Carroll scored 16 on the night and was the second leading scorer out of eight Hawks to reach double digits. Atlanta hounded the Wizards into 19 turnovers, while the Hawks managed 34 assists and just eight turnovers of their own. The loss drops the Wizards to 1-12 at Philips Arena since Jan. 11, 2008. The Hawks recorded their fourth sellout in their last five games which prompted longtime Hawk Al Horford to take notice. “This is my eighth year, and I’ve never seen us like this besides the playoffs,” he said. “I feel like the fans are starting to come out, they’re starting to believe and it’s exciting to see. We have a good team and we need their support.”

UP NEXT… The Hawks aim to extend their winning streak to 10 straight when they visit Boston (13-23) on Wednesday night. Results were unavailable before press time. The two teams met earlier in the season on Dec. 2 with the Hawks rallying for a 109-105 win at Philips after trailing by 12 entering the second quarter.

of an agreement to terms with 38-year-old catcher A.J. Pierzynski, who is expected to mentor prospect Christian Bethancourt. Pierzysnki will undoubtedly bring some toughness and fire to the club, as well. He was voted the Most Hated Man in Baseball in a survey of 100 major leaguers by Men’s Journal in 2012 “I tell people all the time, ‘I’ll do whatever it takes to help my team win,’” Pierzynski explained to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “If you need me to fight the guy, I’ll fight the guy.

I’ll do whatever it takes. At the end of the day I want to win the game…. Whatever happens with guys on the other team, I can’t concern myself with that because there’s nothing I can do to control that.”

AARON INTERESTED IN HAWKS ...

Hank Aaron has joined a group that is seeking to buy that Atlanta Hawks, it was reported last weekend. The group includes Memphis Grizzlies’ vice chairman Steve Kaplan, former Grizzlies’ CEO Jason Levien and a pair of Indonesian billionaires—Erick Thohir and Handy Poernomo Soetedjo. Levien is currently the general partner of D.C. United, a Major League Soccer franchise. Thohir and Soetedjo co-own D.C. United with Levien and Thohir is also the majority owner and president AC Milan.

Aaron, who worked for Ted Turner back when Turner owned the Hawks, is credited with being instrumental in the deal that sent Dominique Wilkins from Utah to Atlanta in 1982.

ATLANTA FALCONS

DIRK KOETTER ACCEPTS COORDINATOR DUTIES WITH BUCS

BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

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fter spending the last three seasons as the Falcons offensive coordinator, Dirk Koetter signed a 2-year deal with the NFC South rival Buccaneers on Tuesday. “I’ve always had a lot of respect for [Tampa Bay head coach] Lovie Smith and the job he does as a head coach and as a defensive coach, going against him over the years,” said Koetter. “I think it’s a really good fit for me personally with the head coach and a good fit with the type of players that they already have in place.”

Koetter helped Atlanta build one of the top passing offenses in the League over the last three seasons but the ideal balance in the playbook and struggles in the running game is something the veteran coach hopes to iron out in Tampa Bay.

“Defenses are just too good nowadays in the NFL,” admitted Koetter. “If defenses can get a tip and they know they only have to stop one thing, they’re pretty good at stopping that one thing. Balance is huge.”

GWINNETT GLADIATORS

GLADS DROP CLOSE ONE; WALKER HONORED

BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

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he Gladiators (11-20-1-1) fell to the visiting first place Fort Wayne Komets (26-6-1-2) 4-3 in an action packed game that featured 70 shots, 40 of them coming from Gwinnett. The Glads were able to score first on a late power play goal in the first period thanks to Casey Pierro-Zabotel’s 12th goal of the season. The Komets headed into the second period trailing by a goal, but quickly turned that deficit into a lead after picking up two power play goals a minute apart from each other. Ian Barteaux struck first and then it was fellow defensemen Drew Daniels finding the net at the 3:53 mark to give the Komets the lead at 2-1. Barteaux went on to add another goal in the second period before William Lacasse scored to make it 4-1 in the third. Gwinnett would send 14 shots on goal in the third against Pat Nagle who made 37 saves, but were only able to break through two more times with goals from Dyson Stevenson and Garry Nunn. The Glads comeback would eventually fall short and run

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FINDING A FIT…

Atlanta’s coaching search has been impacted by the NFL’s high demand for available coaches and two of the top targets were taken this past week. Rex Ryan has accepted the Buffalo head coaching job and was enjoying a Sabres game and Canadian beer with Bills legend Jim Kelly and the Jets secured Todd Bowles on Tuesday. Bowles interviewed with the Falcons last Saturday and was considered the leading candidate to replace Smith in Atlanta after Rex Ryan went to Buffalo. Bowles was the Falcons top candidate but the Jets were able to finalize a contract with the former Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator to make him the newest head coach. Some were surprised Bowles accepted an offer from the Jets because of the team’s unstable quarterback situation, while the Falcons have two-time Pro Bowler Matt Ryan but he landed in New York nonetheless.

The Falcons top target is now Seattle defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. Quinn cannot interview until the end of the Seahawks season so the pursuit might have to wait until February after the Super Bowl.

Other candidates include Detroit defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, who was scheduled to have his second interview with the Falcons on Thursday but was moved up to Wednesday.

out of time, as the Komets were able to escape Gwinnett with a 4-3 victory.

SHINING STAR…

Forward Brenden Walker was named as an alternate to the 2015 ECHL All-Star team this past Thursday. The 22-year old has notched seven goals and 13 assists through 29 games.

Walker led the Gladiators in goals scored last year as a rookie with 22 and finished fifth on the team in scoring with 31 points. The All-Star festivities will be held on January 20th and 21st in Orlando, Florida at the Amway Center. The ECHL Fan Fest will be presented by Walgreens and will feature player appearances, auctions, prize giveaways, interactive games, memorabilia, and more. More information can be found on ECHL.com.

FAMILY FUN…

With kids being out of school on MLK Day next Monday, the Gwinnett Gladiators will be offering an affordable and fun day out for the whole family. For $12, guests can receive a lower level ticket, a hot dog and a soda along with access to a postgame autograph session.

On Jan. 24th, $5 Frenzy and Faith Night will be the headline. Gladiator Scarves will be available throughout the arena for just $5 as long as supplies last. Faith Night details are still being put together but gwinnettgladiators.com will have more details as plans come together.

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Vol. 11 Iss. 2 | January 16-29, 2015

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