Richt is an evil genius ... hopefully

You will hear from commentators every so often during a game that a team was setting up a particular play for a certain moment in the game. Usually it is a wheel route or a deep pass with a wide receiver after the offense has lulled the cornerback into playing the run.
Is it possible that the University of Georgia has been holding out on offense all season long in the hopes that the Aaron Murray and company can switch from its vanilla-look to a double chocolate ship swirl with nuts and sprinkles-look for the SEC Championship game? Is it possible that, because the defense was so good, offensive coordinator Mike Bobo went to strictly a run-based offense in most second halves this year because the game was in hand? Aaron Murray has looked hot the last few first halves of play, only to mainly hand the ball off and grind the clock in the third and fourth quarters to seal a win.

Georgia has done just enough in many of its victories this season, seemingly taking its foot off of the gas pedal in victories over Tennessee, Mississippi, Mississippi State and Georgia Tech. The only game this year that saw the Dawgs really put the hammer down was the Auburn game, in front of countless recruits, and Georgia was truly impressive with Murray and the ground attack against the Tigers. You wonder if maybe this was all a strategy. If maybe Richt has been pulling a rope-a-dope, waiting for the LSU Tigers to let their guard down when all of a sudden he will tell Bobo to unleash the dogs, or dawgs if you will.

Maybe Georgia goes and gets blown out by 24 against the best team in the nation. But with LSU all but guaranteed a spot in the BCS championship game, Georgia should treat this as its BCS championship game and pull out all of the stops. Maybe Les Miles doesn’t want to show his hand to Alabama or Oklahoma State. Or maybe Mark Richt has been planning for this game all season long by not revealing just what this unit can do. If the offense matches the defense’s performance, the Dawgs might just escape Saturday with a victory.

Warner Robins battle-tested and ready for Lovejoy

Mike Hilton cannot be blamed for the Sandy Creek loss to Gainesville despite a fumble during a crucial spot in the second half. Hilton had a pair of scores and 260 yards on 32 carries for the Patriots. ...

Another back whose season came to an end Friday night was Allatoona’s Miles Jones. He carried 18 times for 114 yards and two scores before leaving with a concussion in a 32-28 loss to Burke county. Jones finished with 2,142 yards according to the AJC. ...

The ferocious Lovejoy defense has shut out eight opponents this season, but Warner Robins has faced some tough opponents already this season to prepare for this semifinal tilt. The Demons lost a 7-6 controversial decision to Class AAA semifinalist Peach County and lost 32-24 to fellow AAAA semifinalist Northside. The team rallied back to beat Class AAAAA semifinalist Colquitt County 16-8 in September. Warner Robins has also thumped Thomas County Central and Bainbridge before dispatching defending AAAA champ Chattahoochee in the second round of the playoffs and hanging 20 on a tough East Paulding defense last week. The Demons and the Wildcats have never faced each other. ...

The Buford Wolves girls basketball team lost a huge piece of their squad when Tennessee-bound Andraya Carter suffered a torn ACL during the off-season, but the program picked up a huge player that will help take her spot. Kristina Nelson transferred in from GAC before the start of the season and last night put up 16 points from her spot in the post in the Lady Wolves season-opening victory over Milton. Kaela Davis scored 27 points to lead Buford to the 64-30 victory. ...

Davis’ brother A.J. who also transferred to Buford from GAC missed last night’s 71-55 loss to No. 1 Milton as the GHSA considers him a “migrant student” and is thus ineligible for varsity competition, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post.

Jenkins headed to the Gators?

The North Carolina State Wolfpack is starting to discover the cornucopia of football prospects that is the state of Georgia after snagging their fourth Peach State pledge of the 2012 class. Jarnor Jones of ML King High School announced that he would play defensive back for the Wolfpack next season. He had previously committed to Middle Tennessee State. NC State has also commitments from running back Shad Thornton (Liberty County), defensive back Niles Clark (Lassiter) and wide receiver Charlie Hegedus (Lassiter). ...

Score 44 member Jordan Jenkins, a defensive end from Harris County believed to be the top prospect in the state, returned from his third visit to Gainesville to check out the Gators. Jenkins was on hand in Athens for the Auburn game and reportedly moved the Dawgs up his list, but a third trip to Florida could mean the Gators will land the stud defensive end. ...

In this week’s GPB TV game of the week, more than just Robert Knemdiche will be on display. Grayson has several linemen that have drawn interest including OG Fred Zerblis (Arkansas State) and OT Garrett Gorringe and DE Sebastian Rice (Georgia State). Colquitt County’s center Bryce Giddens has committed to Southern Miss. ...

It is never too early to think about recruiting and Landmark Christian’s Sam Dobbs, though just a freshman, can already start thinking about recruiting. At 6-foot-4, 188-pounds, Dobbs plays all over the field but will likely line up at wide receiver at the next level. Dobbs will play in the 2012 Eastbay Youth All-American Bowl this January in an event that could jumpstart the recruiting process. It is not outrageous for teams to look this early at a prospect as the Georgia Bulldogs have already received a commitment from Apalachee running back Stanley Williams before the 2014 began his sophomore season.

Watson outstanding for Gainesville

Deshaun Watson’s coach may have won a coin toss, but Watson won the game against Sandy Creek, accounting for all five of Gainesville’s touchdowns in a 35-21 win. Watson passed for 220 yards and a pair of scores while running for 100 yards on 25 carries and a host of rushing scores. ...

One name that gets perhaps overlooked in AAAA is Miguel Williams of Northside. He racked up 179 yards of total offense to go with three scores in a 36-8 win over Tri-Cities. ...

Much has been made over the Tyren Jones transfer from Lassiter to Walton. Jones rushed for 140 yards and totaled two scores in a win over Dacula on GPB TV. However the back that took his spot in the Trojans offense Isiah Willis had nearly as big of a night, rushing for 138 yards on 23 carries. Willis has been a force all season, running when coach Jep Irwin calls his name and catching plenty of passes out of the backfield. Each back looks perfect for the system he currently plays in. ...

A matchup to keep your eye on this week is Niles Clark against Zack Blaylock. Clark recorded a pick-six against ML King one week after recording an interception against McEachern. Blaylock took a pass down the sidelines 95 yards for a score against Dacula, but earlier this year he was held to just 51 yards on three catches as Walton chewed up the clock and real estate on the ground with Jones. Blaylock’s score came on a pick-six. ...

Duluth’s Corey Jarvis was selected to be one of seven assistant coaches in the upcoming US Army All-American Bowl. Jarvis and Lowndes’ Randy McPherson will assist east head coach Robert Weiner (Plant High School, Tampa) in the high school all-star game.

Let's not crown them yet...

Everyone is ready to crown Buford as the state champions in Class AA, but if last weekend taught us anything it is that even a 26 or 41-game winning streak can be snapped at any time. Gainesville hosted Sandy Creek and took down the Patriots, the defending Class AAA champions and the 2009 Class AAAA champs. Buford has won 26 straight games and four straight state titles, but this Friday the Wolves return to the scene of their last defeat, a 14-0 win by Carver-Columbus. Buford has beaten the Tigers once this season, but that was at Buford. ...

Before the season started the debate over the state’s top cornerback was a two-man discussion between St. Pius X’s Geno Smith and Josh Holsey of Creekside. Niles Clark has played his way into the discussion if not taken it over with his play the last few weeks. The Lassiter defensive back has gone up against Alpharetta’s Carlos Burse, blanketed McEachern’s Amba Etta-Tawo and gotten the better of ML King’s Blake Tibbs. He recorded a pick-six against the Lions to change the complexion of the game, helping the Trojans reach the semifinals. If Clark picks off another pass and helps Lassiter advance to the finals, the debate is over. ...

Robert Nkemdiche cannot be stopped. The Grayson Rams star junior defensive lineman and short-yardage specialist will likely never gallop 85 yards on a draw, but you cannot stop him from one or two yards out. Don’t even try. And if he put his mind to it, he probably could take it from 85 yards out. ...

Walton’s Tyren Jones gets all of the pub, but Zack Blaylock may be the Raiders MVP. He came away with two fourth quarter interceptions and a 95-yard touchdown reception to ice a win over Dacula.

A taste of The Official Visit, 11/28/11

University of Georgia head coach Mark Richt put out a “Help Wanted” sign last week when he told reporters at his news conference “There’s a tremendous opportunity at the University of Georgia for running backs in this class to come to Georgia and make a big impact.” Under NCAA rules, Richt isn’t allowed to address recruits by name but many feel he was directly speaking to Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall, both of North Carolina. Marshall announced last week via Twitter that he would reveal his choice in early December and Gurley recently took in a game Between the Hedges in Athens.

The North Carolina State Wolfpack is starting to discover the cornucopia of football prospects that is the state of Georgia after snagging their fourth Peach State pledge of the 2012 class. Jarnor Jones of ML King High School in Lithonia, announced that he would play defensive back for the Wolfpack next season. He had previously committed to Middle Tennessee State. NC State has also commitments from running back Shad Thornton (Hinesville), defensive back Niles Clark (Marietta) and wide receiver Charlie Hegedus (Marietta).

Tajarvis Fuller the LB/DB from Fort Myers, Florida, may be back in the Miami camp after Ron Zook’s dismissal from Illinois. Fuller was extremely excited to receive an offer earlier this year from the Hurricanes but surprised many when he committed to Zook. Iowa State and Maryland remain interested, and Fuller holds 16 offers.

Falcons Equipment crew one of the NFL's best

Everyone at some point in his/her life has had the nightmare where you show up to work without any clothes on. The Atlanta Falcons will never have that problem though as the Falcons Equipment department is one of the best in the league, with Brian Boigner serving as the Equipment Manager. This is the 15th season for Boigner as the Falcons Equipment Manger and his crew is top notch. The department is responsible for properly outfitting the players with not just the jerseys but also the pads and shoes. Boigner makes certain that the players are suiting up with the safest and most advanced protective equipment available.

When the Falcons hit the road, Boigner and his staff kick it up a notch. Plenty goes into a typical road trip though as the Falcons travel away from team headquarters at Flowery Branch. We sit down as a staff and go over every different scenario,” said Boigner. “It’s not that much different than the coaching staff.”

Footwear is a big starting point as the team has different shoes/cleats for every surface imaginable from grass to astroturf, inside or outside, wet or dry conditions. “We have Houston coming up which has a retractable roof, so we plan for both.” Boigner noted that he and his staff will bring different shoes for if the roof is open and if the roof is closed. He travels with a team of eight people and he will include jackets for the coaches in case the roof is open and extra cleat options for the players.

“I will call the equipment manager for the other team and check weather.com or the local affiliates for updates,” said Boigner. He will also occasionally check with recent opponents of the upcoming opponents to gauge how to dress the team.

Tuesdays are a big travel day according to Boigner. “Once everything is ready, an advance truck is sent out.” Boigner surmised that if the game is played east of the Mississippi River, three-quarters of the equipment is sent on a truck ahead of time, with only the coaches’ gear, the players’ travel bags, the uniforms and the game balls flying with the team. If it is a west coast game, the equipment flies with the team.

The matter of which jersey is never really an issue because Boigner said the NFL lets you know in plenty of time what color and a great deal of the responsibility falls on the manufacturer to get the right one to the team. Typically when the Falcons hit road, the team will be wearing its white uniforms, but sometimes the League has special occasions such as a “throwback” weekend. The Falcons equipment staff is outfitted with those special jerseys ahead of time.

Boigner also orders and organizes the team’s inventory of apparel and equipment, ordering more whenever jerseys or helmets are damaged or when a better piece of guards becomes available. Boigner is on top of the issue of safety as he has sat on the NFL’s helmet group as well as the foot and ankle committee during the offseason. He knows how to properly keep his charges in proper pads.

The helmets are used throughout the year and are constantly repainted and repaired for safety purposes. The face masks are always being switched out every week or every other week, depending on the player and position.

Sometimes players come to Boigner with special requests for uniforms during travel, and Boigner said that he and his staff are more than accommodating with the modifications.

The last thing that Boigner will do on road trips is speak with fellow equipment managers and other clubhouse staff. “We are a tight knit group,” said Boigner. He said he picks their brains for ideas to try to improve not only the Falcons home office but also how they do things on the road. With Boigner’s 20 years of NFL experience, the team is in good hands and will look good on the road.

A look at Friday's metro action

As the playoffs continue and the number of teams dwindle down, several metro teams have positioned themselves for a run to the Georgia Dome. Grayson, behind Robert Knemdiche, is in a prime spot as West Forsyth pays a visit. Mickey Conn will no doubt rely once again on his defense and power running game, but if the Rams do need to go to the air, Nick Schuessler can air it out as well as any Gwinnett County quarterback. The Wolverines have things clicking though in their running game and could pose a threat if they can contain Nkemdiche. ... Lassiter has pulled off a pair of upsets thus far in the playoffs, and Jep Irwin’s Trojans hit the road once again to square off with the Lions of ML King. The secondary of Lassiter is sure to be tested by Jonquel Dawson and the talented trio of Lions receivers. Keep an eye on the Niles Clark/Blake Tibbs match-up. Last week Clark blanketed McEachern’s Amba Etta-Tawo and picked off a late pass intended for the Maryland-committed receiver. Meanwhile Kenderius Whitehead will be a handful for a Lassiter offensive line that struggled to keep McEachern defenders away from Eddie Printz last Friday. ... Folks may look at Dacula and wonder how the Falcons advanced to the third round, but Jared Zito’s bunch has earned its way through tough work and the selflessness of Rocky Capobianco. The senior has played both running back and quarterback this season. ... Flowery Branch faces Tucker in a game that features a power Tiger defense against a strong Falcons offense. Flowery Branch was ranked No. 2 heading into the final game of the regular season before falling to Clarke Central. Following a tiebreaker, Flowery Branch fell to a No. 3 seed and now meets Tucker in the third round.

GPB Game of the Week Preview
Walton’s playoff run continues this week as the 12-0 Raiders welcome in Dacula (9-3) to Raider Valley. The Falcons have battled back from an 0-2 start to the third round of the playoffs. Senior Rocky Capobianco is a big reason why. When new coach Jared Zito arrived he asked Capobianco to do a little bit of everything on the offense, including stepping aside to let Brandon Goodson play quarterback on certain occasions. Capobianco still will line up at quarterback in the Wildcat formation, where he is quite effective. Last week Capobianco carried the ball 35 times for 162 yards in Dacula’s 32-21 victory. Marcus Cox is also a weapon out of the backfield, both running and catching the ball. Defensively the Loyd brothers star at linebacker along with Alex Armah. Dacula is 3-2 on the road this season with its last road loss coming to Grayson back on October 7.

The Walton attack starts with junior tailback Tyren Jones, a member of the 24 2Look4 for 2012. Last week against South Cobb, Jones totaled 314 yards, 217 rushing and 97 receiving along with five touchdowns. Jones has 10 thus far through two playoff games and 34 on the season. Junior quarterback Parker McLeod can find the open man and has a strong enough arm to be a difference-maker at the next level. The Walton offensive line, led by Harrison Davis and Brandon Kublanow, have kept opposing defenses at bay for most of the season while opening up holes for Jones. Defensively Zack Blaylock is a threat to intercept any pass thrown and he has taken four interceptions back for scores this season. Koty Allen can also apply pressure to opposing quarterbacks. Walton has won all six of its home games so far this season, averaging 42.6 points per game. No team has scored more than Marietta’s 14 points against Walton at Raider Valley.

Big Peach/Big Apple Battle 2011

The state of Georgia will put some of its best on display against some of New York’s finest hoops players this Friday and Saturday in the Big Apple Vs. Big Peach Battle 2011 at Shiloh High School. The event will feature 25 players listed among the nation’s best basketball recruits and Class AAAAA boys defending champion Norcross.

Jesse McMillan, boys basketball coach at Norcross is looking forward to the showcase. “We are excited to see where we are against some great teams and players from New York.”

Norcross will be joined by Stephenson, Class AAAA No. 3 Lovejoy, Class AAAAA No. 4 Shiloh and Class AAAA No. 7 Fayette County as the boys representatives from Georgia. The Georgia girls teams will include Columbia, Westlake and Stephenson. The New York teams traveling down include Bishop Loughlin, Long Island Lutheran and South Shore, as well as girls powers Mary Louis Academy, Holy Trinity and Long Island Lutheran.

Robert Carter and Trayvon Reed will be on display from host Shiloh, and Tony Bagtas (Westlake) and Justin Tuoyo (Lovejoy) also can be seen suiting up in the event. Carter and Tuoyo are in the first edition of the Score 44. The firepower on the girls side is just as hot as Stephenson’s Kaliyah Mitchell is listed in ESPN’s Top 100 for 2013 and Mei-Lyn Bautista of Mary Louis Academy (NY) is the No. 1 point guard in the 2015 class.

Norcross, which will hold a shootaround at the Blue Devils’ House of Blue before heading over to Shiloh Friday, recently defeated Berkmar in a scrimmage as the team begins it quest for a second straight title. “I thought we played well vs Berkmar,” said McMillan. “Typical early mistakes and nervousness but the guys seem to understand the target on their backs and are responding well.”

The Blue Devils face South Shore on Friday and Long Island Lutheran on Saturday. Shiloh faces Bishop Loughlin on Friday. Lovejoy wraps up the event Saturday night against Bishop Loughlin.

Time for Georgia Tailbacks to grow up

Isaiah Crowell was viewed by many to be the missing piece for Georgia, the back that Mark Richt has lacked since Knowshon Moreno, and just the person to run Georgia to the SEC Championship. Crowell has certainly been a star when on the field, but several times this season the Bulldog Nation has had to watch Crowell on the sidelines while less-talented backs toted the rock.

Carlton Thomas was never viewed as the next Garrison Hearst, but after Caleb King and Washaun Ealey left the team following the 2010 season, Thomas was by default the best returning rusher from one year ago. Thomas though has missed several golden opportunities to shine based on poor decisions.

Those two Georgia running backs really need to grow up and in a hurry. Crowell and Thomas hold Georgia’s rushing fate in their hands and it is time for them to act the part. Richard Samuel is injured and likely won’t play against Georgia Tech and Ken Malcome laid it on the ground last week against Kentucky after failing to really set the world on fire this season in limited opportunities. With all due respect to Brandon Harton and Branden Smith, the running game against Tech starts and stops with Crowell and Thomas. Both Mark Richt and Mike Bobo believe the two should be able to play, but the two first need a reality check.

Thomas, enough with the suspensions already. Get your head on straight. You know the rules; live by them. Crowell, the same goes for you. And also remember that this is the SEC. You will feel pain before, during and after games. Play through pain, stop when you are hurt. Trust your trainers, coaches and teammates. They are looking out for your well-being.

Time may just be running out for these running backs. The nation’s top running back recruit Keith Marshall announced yesterday that he will announce his college decision in early December. Word is Georgia leads Clemson in the race for the Raleigh, North Carolina back. Todd Gurley, another North Carolina athlete that is projected to play running back was also in Athens last week and could have Georgia on his mind come National Signing Day. Last season we were saying the same thing about Ealey and King. Sadly we are now saying the same thing about Thomas and Crowell. Hopefully Bulldog Nation won’t be saying the same thing next year about Marshall and Gurley.

Kyle Sloter, Mt. Pisgah's do-it-all star

Now that the football season has come to a close, Mount Pisgah senior Kyle Sloter is now focused on basketball. The Class A standout is the all-time leading scorer and rebounder at Mount Pisgah and plays all five positions. He has scored 1180 points over his three-year career and has made first-team all-region the last two season. Sloter even has a spot in the GHSA record book, having made nine three-pointers in a game last year. He would be one heck of a basketball prospect if he wasn’t a standout quarterback with a scholarship offer to Tulane in his back pocket.

Sloter recently participated in an interview with Score about his football future with the Green Wave and the recruiting process. Sloter was a four-year starter at Mount Pisgah, racking up over 2,200 yards all-purpose yards his senior year. Playing at Class A Mount Pisgah was both a blessing and a curse though when it came to the recruiting process. “I was able to start earlier and play four years to gain a lot of experience, but it also hurt because we don’t get exposed as much as larger schools.”

Sloter stood out despite the team’s running back going down with an injury and youth at the wide receiver position. Those elements though were out of his control, so he just concentrated on helping his team win. “I was able to keep focus my senior year because I knew that was all I could control.”

Sloter noted that getting the first offer from Tulane was his favorite part of the recruiting process. “It meant my dream of playing at the next level was realized.” He did point out that sometimes coaches would not call back. “You don’t know exactly what coaches are really thinking and if you are really a part of their plan.”

Sloter received an offer from Tulane’s quarterbacks coach earlier this season after the school found him on a recruiting site. The 6-foot-5 prospect visited the campus and committed before returning to Atlanta. Sloter noted that he will likely redshirt next season since Tulane’s starting quarterback is just a junior this year. “I’m happy where I’m at now,” said Sloter though he did say he would look at other offers should they come in, including basketball. No player has ever made both the Score 44 in football and basketball the same year. Sloter could well become the first if he dominates on the hardwood just as he did on the gridiron.

Score 44 playoffs week 3

The Score 44 is a fluid list that aims to honor the best forty-four seniors in Georgia high school football on a week-to-week basis. These players are some of the most highly-recruited players in the state as well as some of the best players that may not get to play at the next level. The list changes gears though as from now on it will only honor players whose teams qualified for the playoffs. Players can still play their way onto the list and can fall out with a bad performance in the playoffs. Also a player can still make the list if his team has been eliminated, just as long as they made the playoffs.

In (from week 2): Brian Sutton, Warner Robins (Warner Robins) RB; Nathan Staub, Buford (Buford) FB/LB; Rashad Grant, Clinch County (Homerville) WR

Out (from week 2): Kenno Loyal, Columbia (Decatur), RB; Zack Jackson, Brookwood (Snellville), CB; Brandon Greene, Cedar Grove (Ellenwood) OT

Chris Moody, Henry County (McDonough) ATH;
Jacob Sealand, Tucker (Tucker), LB
Geno Smith, St. Pius X (Atlanta), DB
Kenyan Drake, Hillgrove (Powder Springs), RB/ATH
Raphael Kirby, Stephenson (Stone Mountain), LB
Brian Sutton, Warner Robins (Warner Robins) RB
Vadal Alexander, Buford (Buford), OT
Josh Harvey-Clemons, Lowndes (Valdosta), OLB/WR
JaQuay Williams, Sandy Creek (Tyrone), WR
Amba Etta-Tawo, McEachern (Powder Springs), WR
Zack Blaylock, Walton (Marietta), DB
Dillon Lee, Buford (Buford), LB
DeMarcus Sweat, Stephenson (Stone Mountain) WR
Jarontay Jones, Stephenson (Stone Mountain), DE
Quinteze Williams, Sandy Creek (Tyrone) DT
Fred Tiller, Clinch County (Homerville), CB
Jordan Watkins, Woodward Academy (College Park), DT
Dalvin Tomlinson, Henry County (McDonough), DL
Jason Croom, Norcross (Norcross) WR
Diandre Atwater, Peachtree Ridge (Suwanee), RB
Dakota Ball, Pepperell (Lindale), DT
Miles Jones, Allatoona (Acworth) RB
Josh Dawson, Tucker (Tucker) LB
Mike Hilton, Sandy Creek (Tyrone), RB
CJ Moore, Buford (Buford) CB
CJ Curry, Flowery Branch (Gainesville), WR
DeAngelo Brown, Savannah Christian (Savannah) DT
Ty Smith, Colquitt County (Moultrie), TE
Jordan Washington, North Gwinnett (Suwanee) DL
Kurt Freitag, Buford (Buford), TE/DE
Jonquel Dawson, ML King (Lithonia), QB
Kenderius Whitehead, ML King (Monroe) DE/OLB
Blake Tibbs, ML King (Lithonia), WR
Daron Blaylock, Walton (Marietta), DB
Darius English, McEachern (Powder Springs ), DE
Jonathan Jones, Carrollton (Carrollton) CB
Nathan Staub, Buford (Buford) FB/LB
Rashad Grant, Clinch County (Homerville) WR
Rocky Capobianco, Dacula (Dacula) ATH
Adam Griffith, Calhoun (Calhoun) K
Mike Davis, Stephenson (Stone Mountain) RB
Scott Hosch, North Gwinnett (Suwanee) QB
Nick Tompkins, Brookwood (Snellville), RB
Niles Clark, Lassiter (Marietta), CB

Score Atlanta recruiting updates

In a surprise move, Southwest DeKalb basketball standout Shaq Goodwin did send in his letter of intent to Memphis just hours before the deadline. Goodwin, a member of the Georgia “Big Three” will leave the state and could play two sports for the Tigers. Many believed he would wait and sign in the late signing period, but he ended his recruitment early. ...

Robert Nkemdiche may get all of the headlines as the top 2013 recruit in the country, but the Grayson Rams have another junior already drawing attention. Running back Wayne Gallman has told the AJC that he has already received offers from Clemson, Auburn, Georgia Tech and Vanderbilt. ...

ML King is burning through teams in the playoffs and several defenders are reaping the benefits. Jordan Moore intercepted pass and sprinted back 68-yards for a score (though it was called off on a penalty) against Coffee on GPB.org’s web game of the week. Moore had planned to run track at LSU but his play has attracted some bigger programs. The AJC is also reporting that Josh Sanford and Toronto Thomas have received offers from Louisiana-Monroe. ...

This Friday night’s GPB TV game between Walton and Dacula will feature a host of prospects with interest from the next level In addition to the Blaylock twins who have committed to Kentucky, Walton has three juniors, all on the 24 2Look4 list including Parker McLeod who has received an offer from Louisville. Meanwhile Dacula linebacker Alex Armah has received some interest from the Air Force Academy, Mississippi, Princeton and UAB.

Reclassification impact felt

The GHSA executive committee met Monday to hear a request from the Reclassification committee before the committee finalized the new classifications from around the state. Before the reclassification was done, the executive committee first had to vote on whether to rescind a controversial rule which allowed schools to lower its full-time equivalency (FTE) counts based on the number of special-needs students in the school. The Executive Committee unanimously voted to rescind the policy which would have allowed schools to make an appeal to play in a lower classification based on that count. Following the vote, the GHSA finalized the classifications for all state schools. A sixth classification AAAAAA will go into effect for the 2012 season. ... On the basketball court, Wesleyan’s girls program has started the season ranked No. 16 in the country by ESPNU and Holli Wilkins made some history in a victory over Spain Park (AL). Wilkins scored 15 points in the victory to reach the 1000 point plateau for her career. Wesleyan has won four straight Class A titles. ...

Walton’s Tyren Jones has scored 34 touchdowns this season but he is chasing another Jones from Cobb County for the county’s rushing title. Allatoona’s Miles Jones has 2028 yards this season and 28 touchdowns, according to the Marietta Daily Journal. Tyren Jones has 1959 yards entering Friday’s game on GPB TV against Dacula. ...

Byron Buxton helped Appling County finish off the North Oconee Titans with a 19-yard touchdown run with a little over one minute to play last Friday night. Buxton also had a touchdown reception of 91 yards on Appling County’s first play from scrimmage. The standout’s future though is on the baseball diamond. Buxton is an outfielder that has committed to Georgia, but the 6-foot-1 prospect could be taken in the first round of the MLB Draft this June.

A taste of The Official Visit 11/21/11

The University of Georgia seemed like it had the running back position locked up for a few seasons when Isaiah Crowell pulled out a white bulldog last February to declare he was headed to Athens. Injuries and suspensions have marred his freshman season, and Georgia got a visit from a second running back from North Carolina on Saturday. Todd Gurley, the incredible athlete from Tarboro, NC, visited Athens for the Kentucky game and is good friends with Keith Marshall, considered to be the nation’s top running back who calls Georgia one of his leaders. After striking out with all of the in-state backs, Georgia is looking to North Carolina for perhaps two backs now.

Just because this weekend is Thanksgiving, the recruiting process doesn’t slow down. If anything the weekend is one of this highest profile weekends of the year because of rivalry games. Daytona Beach’s Mainland High School defensive end Leonard Williams is planning to be in Gainesville this weekend for a visit. The Rivals four-star defensive end is the No. 73 prospect overall and No. 5 at his position and has already visited Auburn. His top five consists of the Tigers, USC, Alabama, FSU and Tennessee.

Finally the Ron Zook job situation hasn’t slowed Illinois’ recruiting, and last week Zook picked up a huge flip from Norland (FL) linebacker Keith Brown, who pledged to the Illini after originally committing to the local Hurricanes. Brown is the No. 4 inside linebacker prospect in the nation, Rivals No. 101 overall. The four-star prospect stands 6-foot-2 and runs a 4.5 40.

What we learned from the 2nd Round-Metro!

Cobb’s title chances may have taken a huge hit with McEachern, Marietta, South Cobb and Hillgrove all being shown the door, but Lassiter and Walton are two big bullets left in the gun. The Trojans pulled off their second straight upset on the road to earn the right to face ML King in the next round. Lassiter actually has the secondary to contain the ML King receivers so this should be an intense match-up. ...

Meanwhile Walton just keeps rounding the rock with Tyren Jones, who had give more scores in a blowout win over South Cobb. The Raiders defense can also boast the Blaylock twins to shut down future opponents. ...

And don’t forget Allatoona in AAA. The Bucs defense gave up just one score, and the offense, led by Miles Jones’ two scores, found just enough points to win. Ohio State did the same thing back in 2002-03. ...

It was not a good weekend in AAAAA for Gwinnett County. Brookwood lost in overtime and North Gwinnett fell at home to Colquitt County on GPB TV. Grayson did thump Lowndes thanks in large part to Robert Nkemdiche to give the county its last, best shot at a title in AAAAA, though Dacula could continue its special run. ...

What more can you say about West Forsyth? The defense held all-state back Kenyan Drake to under 40 yards rushing. The running game offered a pair of 100-yard rushers. The quarterback picked his spots for success. ...

Lovejoy is making its case for best defense in AAAA. After posting seven shutouts through its first 11 games, Lovejoy’s defense rescued it against Kell by returning a turnover for a score and forcing another fumble late in the game to seal a victory. East Paulding and Tucker may feel they have superior defenses but Lovejoy’s is driving deeper into the playoffs.

Fantasy Football weekly recap

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Matthew Stafford
The Lions quarterback had been left for dead in many fantasy leagues, but he passed for 335 yards and five score in a big victory over the Carolina Panthers, finding different receivers for scores.

Ray Rice
The Baltimore Ravens running back rushed for 104 yards and a pair of scores while also hauling in five receptions for 43 yards to pace the Ravens in a 31-24 victory. Rice averaged 5.2 yards per carry.

Josh Freeman
Freeman outgained Aaron Rodgers with 342 yards and a pair of scores in a loss. The Tampa Bay quarterback’s numbers could have been even better had Kellen Winslow not dropped a 2-pt conversion towards the end of the game.


Not
Chris Johnson
Has anyone seen Chris Johnson all season? The Tennessee Titans back carried 12 times against Atlanta and gained 13 yards. He did put up 15 receiving yards, but you’d expect a bit more from your first round pick.

Steven Jackson
The Seattle defense isn’t exactly a lockdown unit, so it is a bit surprising that the Rams stud running back only gained 42 yards on 15 carries. He wasn’t much of a factor in the passing game either, contributing just 19 yards.

Ryan Fitzpatrick
The Buffalo Bills rewarded Fitzpatrick recently with a huge contract. Oops. The quarterback failed to get the Bills into the end zone and was pulled after tossing two interceptions.


You often hear the term “handcuffs” in fantasy football but typically it involves running backs. Ideally you always want to draft or acquire the backup to your top running back, as the running back position is generally the top point-achiever in various leagues. On run-first teams you would want to have the guy behind the guy if the guy goes down. This year you may want to have handcuffed Julio Jones with Harry Douglas. Jones has missed time with hamstring injuries, but the Falcons have barely missed a beat with the emergence of Douglas. He tore up the Saints secondary for eight receptions and 133 yards and followed that up with another 51 yards receiving against the Titans. Matt Ryan has started targeting the receiver and he is actually helping to open up targets for Roddy White, which surely pleases those fantasy owners.

Meanwhile Jake Locker got an extended run thanks to a Matt Hasselbeck injury, and Locker looks like he could get more snaps throughout the rest of the season. Locker was 9/19 for 140 yards and two scores in just a little over one quarter of action. Locker will also provide you will some points with his legs, but unlike Tim Tebow and Michael Vick, Locker is a genuine threat to pass it, making those rushing yards more valuable.

Michael Turner continued his strong season with another 100-yard rushing game with another score. Turner rushed for 96 yards against the Saints and is well on pace to surpass 1300 yards for the year.

Patient Carson Palmer owners are still in flux after Palmer passed for a score, ran for another and achieved a high NFL rating. Palmer only passed for 164 yards though so owners will again have to flip a coin to decide whether or not to start him. With Chicago and then two straight road trips, I would say bench him until late December.

Moving forward I will not be drafting anymore Cleveland Browns running backs. Much like Denver a few years back, the franchise just plugs unknowns in and churns out 100-yard rushers. Problem is it is never who you think it will be. Peyton Hillis was the expected back to carry the load this year but for the last two week Chris Ogbonnaya racking up yards. After toasting the St. Louis Rams for 90 yards on 19 carries, he smoked the Jacksonville Jaguars for 115 yards and a score on 21 carries. He has the Bengals this week, ride him if you can but bench him for the Ravens and Steelers the next two weeks.

Not sure what is happening out in San Diego but the usual fantasy point factory has been shut down this season. Philip Rivers has thrown more interceptions than touchdowns this season and while he has still thrown for around 3000 yards, he just isn’t putting together the season you thought you’d get when you likely took him as one of the first quarterbacks off the board. Ryan Matthews and Mike Tolbert have also been highly disappointing over the last few weeks. You won’t be able to count on either as you gear up for your playoff run. Only play these two in a flex position and go with other backs in your true RB positions.

He threw two more interceptions last week but Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford is trying to hold his team’s season together as best he can. The Georgia product passed for 335 yards and five scores in his team’s win over Carolina. Stafford’s favorite targets continue to be Calvin Johnson and Nate Burleson. He is also finding Brandon Pettigrew at a high rate. Remember the Lions play in a dome so the passing game won’t suffer down the stretch as three games remain indoors with two games in California. The team wraps up outside in Green Bay but the Packers may have home field clinched and could be resting starters. Lions receivers are a go.

Falcons Videoboard

Today when you are sitting in your seat and the offense churns out another first down on a big play, the first thing you will likely do is immediately look to the Georgia Dome video board for a key to finishing off the drive. When a time out is called on the field, odds are you will also look up at the video board to see which section is about to win a pizza or a t-shirt. Right before the second half kicks off you are certainly likely to stare at the video board to see highlights from the first half. The video board in the Georgia Dome is sometimes taken for granted by the casual fan but way more planning than one would think goes into each and every shot, graphic, replay, highlight, and promotion that airs during a Falcons game.

Roddy White, the Falcons Director of Event Marketing, said that the packages that run during each break in the action are planned out well in advance and constantly refreshed with new graphics and clips all in an effort to keep the Falcons fans engaged in the action. “In April and May we will start to inventory all of the elements needed for the year.” White and his staff will work with the sales staff, the video production people and other key members of the organization to create the overall video board package for the season. Some of the elements or packages will be driven by conversations with the Falcons’ partners and sponsors, and by June all of the video features will be released for production in an animation house. Entertainment elements are also created in this time period. White said that the elements such as the player introductions have been refreshed, changed and polished since May.

The sponsor elements that are driven by a partner mush promote fan engagement, tie in to football or the Falcons and perhaps even have a giveaway that would benefit a large number of fans.

White said he starts out with a blank bulletin board and then slowly fills it up with different index cards representing packages and elements all with the plan to keep the Falcons in the Georgia Dome interested in the game and not checking their phone or zoning out during breaks in the game. “We want to keep people engaged so when we come back to live action they have been interested throughout the break.”

Starting 10 days before a game White and his staff will create a 44-page script that will break down the game day schedule to the minute leading up to kickoff. Once the kickoff takes place, White’s script will then switch to a “break” format. Each Falcons game will have 22-NFL mandated network breaks and well as other breaks such as injury time outs that will require video board elements that White cannot plan for in his script. “The script is simply a starting point,” said White. “We may have to make a decision on spot to change the script around due to the flow of the game.”

In his 16 years of doing this job, White said he has never had a game go 100% according to the script because it is so hard to know how a game will play out. Several features have rigid spots on the video board but if the Falcons run a interception back, White said he isn’t afraid to run a different feature and “pay back” the initial spot down the road. “You are reacting to live elements on the field.” White has 65 people that are affected when part of the script is switched and those folks need to be on their toes at all times, ready to refresh features on the spot with in-game elements like highlights or fan response.

The bottom line is the video board and its staff’s main purpose is to keep fans engaged before, during and after the action. Enjoy the video board because it is there for you the fan.

Cobb County's chances take a hit

The Hillgrove Hawks looked like they had weathered the storm from West Forsyth when Kenyan Drake returned a kick for a score late in the second quarter for a tie-breaking touchdown. West Forsyth would regroup at halftime and hold Drake to under 40 yards for the game in a 40-28 victory to end Hillgrove’s season. Drake did total three scores for the game. Blake Roberts led the Wolverines with 111 yards rushing. Kell managed to dent the scoreboard against Lovejoy, but it was the Wildcats that ruled the day 15-10. Kell fumbled away a screen pass which led to a Lovejoy score. The defense would force another fumble late in the game. ... Pope was thumped 35-0 by Tri-Cities when Oscar Ross passed for a score and ran for another. The Bulldogs scored early on a Xavier Robinson 80-yard score. The defense also forced four turnovers. ... ML King was down a touchdown and running out of time when Jonquel Dawson hit Cornell Boyd for a 31-yard score to force overtime. In the extra frame, Dawson found Blake Tibbs for the 27-21 game-winning score. Dawson had three scores and 352 yards in the win. ... Dacula dumped Newnan 32-21 thanks to a pair of Marcus Cox scores as well as one from Rocky Capobianco. ... Walton advanced to the next round with a 42-7 win over South Cobb. Tyren Jones scored four times in the first half and recorded five total touchdowns for the Raiders. ... St. Pius jumped out to a 24-0 halftime lead before rolling on to a 31-6 victory over Henry County. Ryan Braswell contributed 153 yards and three scores on 23 carries. Aaron Avant picked off two Henry County passes. ... Miles Jones scored two touchdowns which would be enough for Allatoona to advance past Mary Persons 14-7.


GPB Game of the week recap..... Lassiter defense holds McEachern down in victory.

With Eddie Printz, Juwan Dickey, Charlie Hegedus and Isiah Willis all on offense, Lassiter has the ability to put points on the scoreboard in a hurry. It was the defense however that moved the Trojans past McEacher 20-17 and into the second round. The Lassiter secondary intercepted McEachern quarterback Trent Thompson three times to spur the Trojans on to a victory. Garrett Shank returned an interception to the Indians one-yard line early in the first quarter to help the Trojans out to an 8-0 lead. Willis finished off the drive with a one-yard plunge for the score. Lassiter would allow the Thompson to find Malik Williams for a 20-yard score and Nicholas St. Germain would connect on a 29-yard field goal to give the Indians a 10-8 halftime lead. Lassiter had a chance towards the start of the second quarter to put some points on the board but missed on fourth-and-goal from inside the two-yard line when Printz’s pass was too high for Willie Police.

The Trojan defense would not surrender much over the next 22 minutes though, picking off Thompson in the third quarter just seconds after Printz found Hegedus for a 12-yard score to give Lassiter the lead back 14-10. Lassiter wouldn’t move the ball after the interception, but the punt was muffed by the upback and recovered by a Trojans special teams player.

The Trojans would start the fourth quarter with a 30-yard completion on fourth-and-two, leading to a Josh Danforth one-yard touchdown run. The Lassiter defense would stop McEachern on the next drive on a fourth-and-one, then Lassiter would intercept Thompson to snuff out the Indians next drive, allowing the Trojans to nearly kill the clock. McEachern scored on a 55-yard touchdown screen pass to Jaloni Wells, but the Trojans recovered the onside kick to ice the game.

McFarlin has it cooking at Blessed Trinity

While Eddie Printz of Lassiter may be the higher profile quarterback in this week’s GPB.org webcast of the week, don’t overlook Trent Thompson of McEachern. The left-hander has pledged to Georgia State and thrived since getting the Indians full-time gig his senior season. Thompson can hit his weapons on the outside, but his senior leadership stands out more than anything else he brings to the table. Thompson reminds me of a David Greene-type: not skills that knock you out of the stadium, but enough of the X-factor to lead a team to a victory. ...

Tyren Jones has racked up nearly 1800 yards this year for Walton along with 27 rushing scores. The Raiders running back gives Walton the ability to pop the ball over the top with quarterback Parker McLeod. The Raiders are a threat this year and could pull off a repeat next year as both are juniors. ...

Despite a tremendous effort from Kevin Ellison, Habersham Central’s season came to an end against the Chattahoochee Cougars. Ellison rushed for four scores but the Raiders fell 65-48. Ellison willed his team to six wins this season and deserves some player of the year attention. ...

Frank Hepler’s West Forsyth team may be the quietest 10-1 team in all of Georgia high school football, and the Wolverines have a tough match-up with Hillgrove this Friday. Hepler’s lone loss this season came to Alpharetta. ...

Tim McFarlin didn’t waste much time once he arrived at Blessed Trinity. The Titans have already made some playoff-noise and have a chance to send some serious shockwaves through Class AA when they travel to Barnesville to face 11-0 Lamar County. Blessed Trinity dropped three of its first four games but rebounded to go 5-0 in its subregion. A second loss to Buford interrupted a five-game winning streak.

Familiar Faces at the Top of the Regions Directors Cup Standings

Several state titles have already been decided and six programs took home cheerleading crowns over the weekend. With only football remaining before the end of the fall sports season, the Regions Directors Cup standings have been updated and some familiar names sit at the top.
In Class AAAAA, Brookwood, last year’s overall winner, is currently the leader while Harrison is atop the girls standings in AAAAA after winning that category one year ago. Mill Creek is in second place overall but could jump the Broncos thanks to its victory in the cheerleading championships. The Norcross boys figure to get a boost come winter, but the Blue Devils may already be looking up with Brookwood just 10 points back entering the football playoffs. The Broncos could make a serious run, and the Walton boys are also lurking. Walton, after winning the girls volleyball title, appears ready to battle Lassiter, Brookwood and Harrison all year long. Peachtree Ridge fell short of winning the co-ed cheerleading championship, finishing in third place.

HAUGHTY HOUNDS …
In AAAA, Pope is on top of the overall standings with Marist leading the boys category and Whitewater on top in the girls category. Whitewater was runner-up in both softball and volleyball. Meanwhile, Northgate sits in 16th place overall with its softball title, and the Lady Vikings will receive a boost after winning their fifth straight cheerleading championship. Marist has won the AAAA overall title the last 11 seasons while winning the AAA crown in 1999-2000 school year. Marist’s surprising loss in the first round of the football playoffs could allow the Greyhounds to stretch its lead out a bit for the overall lead after Pope finished runner-up to the War Eagles one year ago. The two schools tied for the boys championship. Flowery Branch also has a shot at leading the boys race with a state title run after finishing in 17th place last year.

LOFTY LIONS …
Seeing St. Pius X atop the AAA overall standings isn’t much of a surprise, but Allatoona leads the girls category in AAA. The Golden Lions are on top in the boys standings and sits second in the girls. The race in AAA is the closest overall race with St. Pius X leading by just five points. With both football teams competing for a state title thanks to region championships, the race will heat up as the temperature drops.

TITANS TOPS …
Blessed Trinity leads the overall and the girls categories in Class AA with Lovett claiming the other spot. The Buford Wolves should be an interesting school to watch. The softball team has already won a state title and the football team doesn’t appear to be losing anytime soon in the playoffs. Right now Buford sits in 11th place overall, but a state crown in football could move the Wolves closer to Blessed Trinity. Lovett currently leads the boys race, but Blessed Trinity’s victory in the first round could help the Titans catch up and pass the Lions.

WOLVES WINNING …
Just because Wesleyan competes in the state’s smallest classification doesn’t mean the Wolves’ achievements are small. In fact, Wesleyan has claimed the last three Class A overall Directors Cups, and this year has a healthy lead over Athens Academy for the overall title. Wesleyan and First Presbyterian are splitting the girls and boys categories, respectively. Athens Academy will pick up some points for making the football playoffs but the real mover may turn out to be Savannah Christian. SCPS has made the finals the last two years and appears primed for another extended football run which could lead to a jump from its current spot at No. 20 overall.

Murray moving up the list

I realize that he still has two years left and he JUST finally beat a ranked opponent, but it is safe to say that Aaron Murray has already become the third most successful Georgia quarterback during Mark Richt’s tenure. Yes indeed. I have elevated him past No. 1 overall pick Matthew Stafford and slotted the redshirt sophomore right behind DJ Shockley on the Best-Of list.

Granted Mark Richt has only had a handful of quarterbacks during his decade-long run in Athens, but Aaron Murray is a solid No. 3 with a chance to surpass Shockley and perhaps even No. 1 David Greene before he leaves town.

Consider for just a second that Aaron Murray, assuming Georgia wins Saturday, will have taken his team to an SEC East championship, something that Stafford never did. The only time Matthew Stafford ever played in the Georgia Dome, Georgia was rallying to beat Virginia Tech in the Chick-fil-A Bowl following the 2006 season. Murray also broke Stafford’s single-season touchdown record with four games left to play (again, assuming Georgia wins this Saturday). Plus you always got the feeling that the offense was Stafford AND Knowshon Moreno with the running back getting more hype. Murray has Isaiah Crowell...who has missed time this year.

Aaron Murray has won more games than Joe Cox and Joe Tereshinski III ever did combined. We won’t count Blake Barnes or Logan Gray since they never started, and Cory Phillips never started while Richt was in Athens.

Greene is a solid No. 1 after winning an SEC championship and appearing in another title game. He also broke the record for all-time victories by a starter. Shockley led his one team to the Dome and an SEC title, the last title Georgia has won. Now Murray will lead his team to face an SEC West foe on the first December Saturday.

Can Murray move up the list? He has Crowell to give him some help in the backfield and those receivers look like they will be incredible next year. If Murray wins an SEC title and challenges for a BCS title, you would have to think that the current quarterback could be moving up the list in a hurry. I’m just hoping he continues to play well in games without yakking during key moments in big games.

Two of Georgia's Big Three make pledges

Georgia basketball players began sending in letters of intent last week and two of the big three announced where they would be attending. Shaq Goodwin surprised everyone by tweeting that he was headed to Memphis, where he claims he will play both basketball and football. The 6’8 power forward has been playing some tight end this season for Southwest DeKalb. Goodwin did not sign with the Tigers however as he will wait until the late period in April. ...

Robert Carter, the power forward who recently transferred to Shiloh, has decided to suit up next year for Georgia Tech. It was a huge coup for Brian Gregory, who also snagged guard Chris Bolden of North Gwinnett and wing Marcus Hunt of North Clayton. ... Tony Parker of Miller Grove is the final member of The Big Three but he has said he will wait until the late period to pick between Duke and Ohio State, and to see if any other contenders emerge. ...

Meanwhile Georgia, who was a finalist for Carter, received three signatures including Brandon Morris of Miller Grove, Kenny Gaines of Whitefield Academy and Charles Mann, a point guard from Milton. Morris could play as a shutout wing option while Gaines and Mann have to like that Georgia’s current backcourt of Dustin Ware and Gerald Robinson Jr both run out of eligibility after this season. ...

Back to the gridiron, Shadrach Thornton’s recruiting story has turned into an epic saga. After initially declaring that he would be suiting up for Kentucky next year, Thornton continued to visit other schools and many thought that he would end up with Georgia Tech after he came away impressed on his latest visit, though Vanderbilt was also called a “leader.” Thornton instead raised eyebrows after declaring he was headed to NC State over the weekend. Now it appears as though Tech will move on to Allatoona’s Miles Jones to be the second back in Tech’s class.

Sutton makes the long road back

The Flowery Branch Falcons figured they would have to hit the road for four straight away games if they wanted to make it back to the Georgia Dome for the state championship. Thomas County Central came through with an upset of Region 2-AAAA champion and No. 2 overall Statesboro, meaning the Yellow Jackets/Falcons game will take place in Flowery Branch this Friday. The Falcons needed a last second Hail Mary to advance, but now the Falcons figure to be favored against the No. 4 seed out of Region 1-AAAA. ...

Several years ago Ean Pemberton carried the load for Grayson as the Rams made a deep run in the AAAAA playoffs. In last week’s game coach Mickey Conn spread the love around, using eight different ball-carriers to rack up 271 yards. Wayne Gallman carried it 10 times for 58 yards to lead the team. ...

The Pope Greyhounds broke an 11-year playoff victory drought with a 52-38 win over Mays. Holland Frost had five total scores and 233 yards in the victory. The quarterback passed for 119 yards and a score and ran for another 114 yards and four touchdowns. ...

Carver-Columbus junior running back Marquez Holloway led the Tigers with 145 rushing yards and two scores as Carver thumped Lovett 38-7. The Tigers have reinstated Deion Bonner following the defensive back’s arrest from an incident that occurred on the UGA campus back in April. Bonner and Marquise Hawkins were initially kicked off of the team but later reinstated and Bonner played last week in the Tigers’ playoff win. ...

What a road back it has been for Warner Robins Brian Sutton. After starring as a sophomore, the back missed his junior year after breaking his neck. He returned earlier this season and scored his first touchdown in his team’s win over Colquitt County on the GPB.org webcast. Last Saturday night Sutton scored four rushing scores as the Demons advanced past Lakeside-Evans 42-31. He finished with 188 yards on 20 carries.

Braves closer wins Rookie of the Year

The Atlanta Braves picked up yet another award this offseason as closer Craig Kimbrel was unanimously named the National League Rookie of the Year by the Baseball Writers Association of America, securing all 32 first-place votes. Kimbrel recently won the NL Rookie of the Year award from The Sporting News as well as the Players Choice Award for NL’s Most Outstanding Rookie. During his first full season with the team, Kimbrel set a new rookie save record with 46 while closing out a league-high 64 games. The all-star posted a 2.10 ERA and struck out 127 batters in 77 innings of work.

“I was definitely surprised by the unanimous decision,” said Kimbrel hours after winning the award. “It makes it that much more special. I never expected anything like that to happen.”

Kimbrel is in Hawaii for teammate Peter Moylan’s wedding and said that all of his teammates texted him congratulations. Kris Medlen even gave the closer a hug. “It is an honor. It’s an award you only get one chance to win.”

First baseman Freddie Freeman finished second after slugging 21 home runs while batting .282 with a .795 OPS. He also played well enough for Gold Glove consideration, committing just six error in 1456 chances over 156 games. His .996 fielding percentage was better than the league average and equal to that of Joey Votto, the Gold Glove winner in the National League at first base. Kimbrel said that Freeman was a good teammate and a good friend.

Last season outfielder Jason Heyward finished runner-up to San Francisco catcher Buster Posey. The last Atlanta Brave to win the award was Rafael Furcal in 2000. The franchise has had seven in its history, five while based in Atlanta.

While Kimbrel felt the award was “really cool,” it wasn’t one of his goals at the start of the year. “I didn’t go into the season saying I wanted to win rookie of the year. I just wanted to help the team win and go to the postseason.”

What does the Rookie of the Year plan for an encore? Hopefully a trip to the playoffs in 2012. “The end of the year is going to help me strive to be a better pitcher.”

Just a taste of the Official Visit, tonight at9pm

Be sure to tune in to 790 The Zone tonight at 9PM for The Official Visit.

The ongoing saga of Liberty County (GA) running back Shadrach Thornton has taken another crazy turn. After initially declaring that he would be suiting up for Joke Phillips and Kentucky next year, Thornton continued to visit other schools and many thought that he would end up with Georgia Tech after he came away impressed on his official visit. He also called Vanderbilt a “leader” after taking a visit to Nashville with some fellow prospects. Thornton instead raised eyebrows after declaring he was headed to NC State over the weekend. Now it appears as though Tech will move on to Miles Jones of Allatoona (GA) to be the second back in its class.

With Joe Paterno out at Penn State, people will begin to speculate on possible replacements and two names have immediately popped out: Urban Meyer and Al Golden. Meyer has roots to the that area though most believe he’d rather take the Ohio State position. Meanwhile Miami’s Golden played at Penn State and has previously coached at Temple. Should Golden go to his alma mater, it would be interesting to see how many of Miami’s 26 prospects follow him or decide to look elsewhere. Raphael Kirby of Stone Mountain, Georgia, may defect as UGA is coming hard after him. One member of the Miami class to watch is Jake O’Donnell from Doylestown, PA. Should Golden go to Penn State, O’Donnell, a defensive end may want to stay close to home.

Jordan Batiste, a cornerback from Luther (LA) , has decided that he will stick with Ole Miss despite Houston Nutt announcing that he will resign at the end of the year. Batiste told Scout.com that he saw the move coming. The 5-9, 170-pound corner is the No. 80 cornerback in the country according to Scout.com and he has been listed as a three-star prospect. He has offers from Vanderbilt, Mississippi State, Southern Miss and Pittsburgh.

Things we learned from Round One-metro style

The Lassiter Trojans may have stubbed their toes as the regular season wore on, but as long as Eddie Printz is upright back there, the Trojans have a shot. The quarterback has several nice receiving options and Niles Clark is not only a defensive back stud, he is a special teams beast. ...

Alpharetta is loaded with juniors, so despite the season ending with an overtime loss to Lassiter, expect coach Jason Dukes to have Alpharetta ready to build off of two straight trips to the postseason and this year’s region title. Joshua Dobbs, Carlos Burse, DeAndrew Wise and Khari Waithe-Alexander will have the Raiders once again in the postseason next year. ...

I need to apologize to Diandre Atwater for never really giving him his due. In the Corky Kell Classic he strapped Peachtree Ridge to his back and went score for score with Tyren Jones in a loss. Then he helped carry the Lions to the regular-season finale against North Gwinnett for a shot at the region title. Finally he scored three times and racked up 301 yards rushing in an overtime loss to Brookwood in the first round. The first and last games were the most impressive; too bad they came in losses. ...

Yusuf Minor has to be looked at by opposing coaches with wary eyes after scoring from 80 and 79 yards against Sprayberry. Tucker’s big-play offense was taken to a new level by Minor’s long runs. Juwaan Williams and Dallas Rivers also contributed long scoring runs in the 40-point victory. ...

ML King has Blake Tibbs and in the GPB.org game of the week, you saw Tibbs explode for a 96-yard kick return. Watch out for Josh Stanford though. Stanford has nice size and incredible hand, which he used both of to corral three touchdown receptions in the Lions 30-22 win over Coffee.

Metro recap: Lassiter, Brookwood need OT PLUS ML Wins

The Brookwood Broncos lost a 10-point lead but managed to pick up a road victory over Peachtree Ridge 30-27. Diandre Atwater ran for 301 yards and three scores for the Lions, but it was not enough as BJ Sammon scored the game-winning touchdown in overtime. Sammon had two earlier scores for the Broncos. ... Lassiter needed overtime but managed to end Alpharetta’s dream season, defeating the Raiders 17-16 in overtime. Eddie Printz rallied his Trojans back from a 10-0 hole, finding Willie Police from five yards out in the second quarter and then hooking up with Jawan Dickey in overtime. Jalen Simmons had two touchdowns in the game but Niles Clark of Lassiter blocked Lehman Howlington’s extra point attempt, giving Lassiter the victory. ... Dacula managed to avenge its season-opening loss to Norcross with a 17-10 victory over the Blue Devils. ... Marietta is now over .500 after beating Centennial 48-27. The Blue Devils received a huge effort from quarterback Anthony Jennings, who passed for four scores and ran for two more while tallying 361 yards of total offense. ... Yusuf Minor racked up 192 rushing yards and had scoring runs for 80 yards and 79 yards in Tucker’s 44-14 win over Sprayberry. The Tigers also received two touchdowns apiece from Dallas Rivers and Juwaan Williams. ... Peyton Usher scored three times as Northgate crushed North Clayton 42-7. ... North Gwinnett bounced Archer in the Tigers first-ever playoff appearance 49-3. ... Grayson took care of Collins Hill 32-7. ... The Walton Raiders thrashed Milton 48-14 to advance to the second round where they will host South Cobb, 32-28 winners over Windsor Forest. ... Chattahoochee defeated Habersham Central 65-48 as the Cougars attempt to defend their 2010 AAAA title.



ML King loses Dawson, wins game

The Lions of ML King averaged 34 points this season with Jonquel Dawson, Blake Tibbs and Joshua Stanford moving up and down the field in Michael Carson’s offense. Friday night the Lions forced six turnovers plus another on downs to knock the Coffee Trojans out of the playoffs, but it may have come at a high price. ML King turned the ball over in the third quarter with a 30-7 lead, and the quarterback Dawson would leave the game with a right leg injury. Coffee would find the end zone a few plays later to cut the lead to 30-14 and a Jeremy Tyler interception would give the Trojans another eventual score to trim the lead to 30-22.

Early on in the contest Coffee took a 7-0 lead on a Tyreek Hill 55-yard pass to Kenyadrick Black on a trick play. The ensuing kickoff though saw ML King standout Blake Tibbs weaving through Coffee Trojans for a 96-yard touchdown return. Stanford would haul in a 45-yard scoring pass later in the quarter.

Three Coffee turnovers inside ML King territory led to nine second quarter points, and Coffee wouldn’t be finished turning it over inside Lions territory for the evening. In the third quarter Coffee turned it over on downs inside the ML King 40 then fumbled another away.

Dawson would leave the game in the third, leaving the ball in Jeremy Tyler’s hands. Tyler would throw an interception to Hill to keep Coffee in the game. Hill would haul in a reception to put the Trojans inside the five yard line where Brandon Roe would bring Coffee to within 10. Hill’s two-point conversion gave Coffee a shot with 3:05 left. Coffee recovered the onside kick, but the officials ruled the kicker was off-sides and ML King would run the clock out to advance 30-22.

In all, Coffee turned it over six times plus the turnover on downs, five turnovers occurring in Lions territory. Stanford finish with three touchdown receptions.

Trouble in Lithia Springs, Brookwood eyes repeat

A Lithia Springs coach has been arrested and charged with sexual assault stemming from an incident involving a 17-year-old student. Dennis Keith Brown, 52 was arrested Wednesday by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. A Douglas County Sheriff Office spokesman told the Douglas County Sentinel that an investigation found that the teacher and coach had a sexual encounter with a female student in September during school hours. ...

The Brookwood Broncos have a chance to pull off a repeat this year and that wouldn’t be all that uncommon in GHSA AAAAA football. Since expanding to a fifth classification, Parkview won three straight from 2000-02, Lowndes won back-to-back in 2004-05 and Camden County won in 2008-09. Lowndes and Camden County each won an additional title during the stretch as well with Peachtree Ridge and Roswell splitting the 2006 title. Brookwood’s draw is favorable and gives Mark Crews’ squad a chance to make it back to the Georgia Dome. ...

Several weeks back we called Habersham Central’s Kevin Ellison perhaps the 2011 version of Timmy Byerly, Chattahoochee’s dual-threat quarterback that led the Cougars to the title one year ago. Interestingly enough Ellison faces Chattahoochee in the first round of the AAAA playoffs. ...

After a 20-21 overall record in four seasons at Westlake, head coach Greg Minnis has stepped down following the conclusion of his team’s 4-6 year. Westlake lost to Colquitt County, Stephenson and ML King this year. ...

Northside head coach Kevin Kinsler seems to have the regular season down, going 20-0 through his first two regular season slates with the Eagles. Last year in the playoffs however Kinsler and the Eagles fell to Whitewater in the first round. This year the No. 3 Eagles host Glynn Academy, a team that has won four straight. According to Macon.com, the Eagles have scored 30+ in nine of 10 games this season.

Cobb County & Class A stacked entering playoffs

Cobb County will send 12 teams to the playoffs with six serving as the home team in the first round of the playoffs. Hillgrove, McEachern, Marietta, Walton, Pope and Allatoona will all host a game this weekend. ...

Adairsville punched its playoff ticket for the first time since 2003 and did so on the back and legs of senior Mike Upshaw. The running back carried 17 times for 119 yards and two scores and a two-point conversion in the Tigers recent 24-14 win. Upshaw now has over 1500 yards on the season. ...

While plenty of love is heaped upon the higher classifications, it may be time to give some love to Class A as this bracket is setting up to be one of the best years ever in the state’s smallest class. Savannah Christian will face Dooly County in the first round with a potential date with Holy Innocents’ looming in the second round. Lincoln County is undefeated this year and may just face the defending champs in the second round, if Clinch County can get by Mitchell County. A huge showdown between Charlton County and Marion County could eventually come to fruition in the Southwest region while Wilcox County will face a gauntlet that could include 24 2Look4 quarterback Brad Butler of Darlington. And the Southeast bracket could provide fireworks with Seminole County, Wilkinson County, ELCA, ECI and Greenville all coming out of that side. ...

Colquitt County’s Rush Propst is 2-0 as head coach in the first round of the GHSA playoffs and now he faces East Coweta, a team that won its first six games of the regular season. The only other time the Indians and the Packers have played was in the 1994 quarterfinals, a game won 25-19 by Colquitt County. The Packers would go on to win the state title that season.

Another fracas pops up on the GaHS gridiron

The Warren County football program is back in the spotlight once again. Aquinas head coach Matt LeZotte told the Augusta Chronicle that he plans to submit film to the GHSA from this past Friday’s game where two of his players were lost for the remainder of the season. LeZotte called several of Warren County’s hits questionable and “blatant.” Seniors Dane Anderson and Collin Oliver were lost with knee and ankle injuries, respectively. Aquinas has qualified for the Class A playoffs. ...

Unfortunately another Georgia high school football game was marred by an off-the-field issue in a season full of such incidents. A fracas ended the Mary Persons/West Laurens game early last Friday as benches cleared with two minutes left and the Bulldogs leading 29-7. In a story from macon.com, West Laurens coach Stacy Nobles blamed the officials for losing control and letting the game get completely out of hand. The win iced a playoff berth for Mary Persons and ended West Laurens season at 5-5. ...

The Eagles of Northside-Warner Robins broke the state-record for consecutive 10-win seasons, registering the program’s 14th straight season with double-digit victories. The Eagles will enter the playoffs as Region 1-AAAA No. 1 seed. ...

If Flowery Branch is to make the Georgia Dome and play for a state title, the Falcons may want to draw on the 2007 team’s experience after Lee Shaw’s squad won four straight road playoff games to reach the title game. Flowery Branch was 9-0 entering the regular-season finale at Clarke Central before losing to the Gladiators. A three-way tie, including Heritage-Conyers, among the Region 8-AAAA tri-champions forced a draw, sending Flowery Branch to the No. 3 seed.

Do you HATE the BCS? Root for Georgia

Do you absolutely hate the BCS? Do you wish with all of your being that college football (well, the FBS-subdivision of Division I) had a playoff system? Can you not stand that computers decide the champion instead of the teams playing it out on the field? If so, you should be rooting for the Georgia Bulldogs.

Just days, heck just minutes, after Alabama lost to LSU, people were already wondering if Alabama could meet back up with the Tigers in the BCS national championship game. Well if Stanford loses to Oregon this week and if Oklahoma State loses in December to Oklahoma then the field would be opened right up for Alabama to play LSU again, certainly over Boise State! Alabama didn’t win its own conference and didn’t play for a conference title? So what?! They are the second-best team in the country! LET THEM PLAY!

But if you HATE the BCS and fell asleep during the 9-6 defensive “slugfest,” and the chance that the computers could put an Alabama/LSU rematch on the table makes you want to slit your wrists, the answer is simple: root for Georgia.
Think about it: the BCS will already catch so much grief for putting Alabama in the game over an unbeaten Boise State despite the Tide not winning its own division, much less conference. What if LSU failed to win its conference game? Alabama wouldn’t be able to play for the title, nor would LSU likely if undefeated Boise State is right there and an undefeated Stanford is there too. First off, Bama wouldn’t be BCS-eligible if Georgia snags one of the spots, and it is doubtful that LSU gets into the title game if it has just lost and Stanford has just won a Pac-12 championship game or Oklahoma has just beaten Okie State in a de facto title game.

With no SEC team in the championship game, the SEC gets angry at the BCS and decides to pull out because the two best teams in the country aren’t playing for it all. And whichever the SEC, the nation’s best football conference, goes, so goes the rest of the college football world. You want a playoff? You’d get the SEC pushing for one as its string of BCS titles comes to an end. If you hate the BCS and you want a playoff, root hard for Georgia. The Dawgs could just be the team that finally kills the BCS.

A taste of The Official Visit 11/7/11

Tune in TONIGHT at 9pm on 790TheZone for the official visit!

The Stephenson/ML King game featured several Georgia natives that have pledged to certain schools but who are openly discussing visiting other campuses. Linebacker Raphael Kirby, a long-time Miami pledge, has said that he will take a visit to Georgia and perhaps Vanderbilt. He recently cancelled trips to Florida and South Carolina. Kyle Fleetwood has pledged to South Carolina but he will visit Vanderbilt as well.

If you were a recruit lucky enough to be on the sidelines for the Alabama/LSU game over the weekend, it would probably be pretty hard not to be impressed with the gameday atmosphere in Tuscaloosa last Saturday night. One recruit on hand was Palm Beach Gardens (FL) offensive tackle Avery Young. The No. 10-ranked tackle in the country according to Rivals.com visited and has the Tide in his final five, along with Auburn, where he has already visited, Virginia Tech, Florida and Georgia.

Channing Ward of Aberdeen (MS) has both of the in-state schools in his top five but the strongside defensive end is the No. 6-ranked player at the position and has already visited LSU and Auburn. With the uncertainty of Houston Nutt in Ole Miss and the chance that Dan Mullen may be on the move to another job, Ward could be headed out of state in a hurry.

Dawgs luck out with Tibbs, Dacula back giving it up for the team

Maybe CJ Curry dropping the Dawgs for the Pokes of Oklahoma State was a blessing in disguise for Mark Richt and Georgia. With the open spot, Georgia went after ML King’s Blake Tibbs who hauled in five touchdowns and returned a kick 82 yards for the game-winning score in the Lions win over Stephenson. The Dawgs missed out on Demarco Robinson one year ago; Tibbs has shown that he could be even better. ...

Lost in the Tibbs hoopla and the Jags/Lions back-and-forth was Demarcus Sweat continuing to stake his claim as the best offensive prospect on the Stephenson team. Sweat plays special teams and wide receiver better than just about every outside of Tibbs in Region 2-AAAAA and one of his returns could very well be the difference in a playoff game this year. ...

As I drove down to call the Valdosta/Colquitt County game, I tuned in to some Valdosta sports talk and heard one co-host say that this Collins Hill team isn’t the threat that last year’s squad was with Taylor Heinicke. The Eagles lost their record-setting QB to Old Dominion but this team has taken the identity of running back Jordan Parker, who topped the 1000-yard mark last Friday. The Eagles face a tall task in Grayson, but a strong running game is certainly something to build on for coach Kevin Reach. ...

Give a lot of credit to Rocky Capobianco of Dacula for agreeing to carry the ball and be more of a single-wing back for the new Falcons coaching staff. He easily could have dug in his heels and demanded to stay at quarterback but Capobianco gave it up for the team and his 16 carries for 122 yards helped Dacula win its final tune-up for the playoffs.

Karempelis steps up in big spots

With Isaiah Crowell and three other running backs out for Saturday’s game with New Mexico State Brandon Harton is likely to get the start at tailback for Mark Richt and the Georgia Bulldogs. Folks shouldn’t be too surprised though if true freshman Kyle Karempelis gets plenty of snaps Saturday. The Wesleyan School (GA) product had offers to go to smaller programs but decided instead to attend Georgia as a preferred walk-on. While he hasn’t gotten any game action just yet, when he does this Saturday his track record shows he can tote the rock.

Karempelis played in Georgia’s smallest classification but was still a four-year letterman, tallying 5756 yards and 93 touchdowns over his career. He was an All-State selection three times in high school and he out-played Washaun Ealey in the 2008 state championship game as a sophomore. Karempelis rushed for three socres and 135 yards while hauling in 46 receiving yards. Last year in the playoffs Karempelis faced Nick Marshall and Wilcox County, the defending Class A champions and the back carried 42 times for nearly 300 yards and three touchdowns.

Karempelis seems to shine the brightest when the game ratchets up and you cannot ratchet it up much more than SEC football.

Valdosta trips Colquitt County in OT, ML King stuns Jags

Valdosta had not won a region title in nearly a decade, but that fact did not stop the Wildcat faithful from turning out in droves to Bazemore-Hyder Stadium Friday night, ready for a celebration. The one problem was Colquitt County was ready to ruin the party and claim its first region title of the century. The two heavyweights felt each other out through a scoreless first quarter, but Valdosta struck first when opportunity knocked with 2:11 left in the first half.

The Wildcats recovered a muffed Packer punt, and one play later senior Shelby Wilkes hit Jerald Davis for a 28-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead. Valdosta would intercept Cole Seagraves’ first pass on the ensuing drive, setting up another score seconds later. Wilkes, a former Packer that transferred to Valdosta, hit Demetrius Melvin for a 14-yard score with just seconds left in the half.

In the third quarter, turnovers helped Colquitt County get back in the game. Stacey Blackwell intercepted Wilkes and returned it to the 30-yard line, setting up Willie Woodyard’s 14-yard score just minutes later. Then Dondray Copeland would strip a Wildcat runner, grab the loose ball and return it 38 yards for a score. Oscar Luna’s extra point gave Colquitt County a 14-13 lead.

Valdosta was able to strike back with just under eight to play in the fourth as Wilkes hooked up with Melvin again from 15 yards out. It looked as though the 21-14 lead would stand until Anthony Brumbley intercepted Wilkes with 3:35 to go in the game, setting up Colquitt County for one last drive. The Packers forced overtime with only 28.2 seconds remaining when Seagraves hit Ty Smith for the senior’s first and only catch of the night, a seven-yard score.

In overtime after Luna gave Colquitt a 3-0 lead, Valdosta quickly found the end zone with Terrance Foster plunging in from two yards out for a 27-24 victory. Both teams will host a playoff game next week.

Around the metro...

For the second time this season, a late kick return helped a team knock off its rival. Blake Tibbs hauled in five touchdown catches, but it was his 82-yard return for a score that gave ML King its region title-winning 50-49 victory. The return occurred with 16 seconds remaining after Jaguars running back Mike Davis scored his second touchdown of the game. TJ Moon also scored for Stephenson as did Demarcus Sweat (twice) and Josh Parris. ... Dacula solidified a spot in the playoffs with a 31-21 victory over Parkview. Rocky Capobianco tallied 122 yards on 16 carries for the Falcons. ... Centennial needed a six-yard run from Cyril Teal in the fourth to edge Northview 36-35 to secure a playoff berth. Jimmy Meyer totaled four scores for the Knights. ... Joshua Dobbs passed for 334 yards and six scores as Alpharetta smoked North Forsyth 42-7. ... Jonesboro bested Banneker 40-19 as quarterback Cedric Nettles led the charge for the Cardinals. ... Jordan Parker of Collins Hill eclipsed the 1000-yard rushing mark on the season with a strong effort against Meadowcreek in the Eagles’ 51-0 victory. Parker also scored three times for Collins Hill. ... Milton secured a playoff spot with a 14-13 win over Roswell. Quarterback Colin McElroy ran for a score then found Ryan Jenkins for a eight-yard pass with just seconds remaining in the victory. ... Westminster earned a spot in the playoffs with a 35-7 win over Decatur. Danny Catan threw for a score and ran for another in the victory. ... Lovett ended GAC’s season with a 35-28 victory in a region play-in game. Lovett scored three times in the fourth to complete the comeback victory. Grant Haley tallied three touchdowns for the Lions. ... Finally Buford smoked Blessed Trinity for the second time this year as CJ Moore returned a kick 95 yards for a score for Buford.

Region Titles on the line across the state, metro

The YouTube war apparently didn’t end with Grayson/Brookwood last week as Stephenson got into the game earlier this week with its own call-out of ML King. Videos aside the Jaguars are looking to avenge a loss last season to the Lions. The passing attack of ML King will face a stout Jags defense and it will be interesting to see if Jonquel Dawson and Blake Tibbs can hook up or if Stephenson’s Kyle Fleetwood can shut down that side of the field. This game features 12 players that have appeared at one point on the Score 44. ... Peachtree Ridge will head to North Gwinnett to play for the Region 7-AAAAA title on GPB TV. The two teams have combined to win the last four region titles. ... Columbia will take on Grady in a Region 5-AAA play-in game that will leave one deserving team out of the playoffs. ... McEachern will celebrate senior night when Kennesaw Mountain pays a visit. The Indians senior class has helped push McEachern into the discussion of whether this will be the year the Cobb County title drought ends. ... Buford rolled Blessed Trinity earlier this season but the Wolves will have to win again in order to clinch the Region 6-AA title and earn home field advantage through the first two rounds of the playoffs. ... Archer is just one win away from the first playoff berth in program history and hosts South Gwinnett. Parkview, which needs to win against Dacula and have Archer lose will no doubt be paying attention to this game. ... Grayson locked up the Region 8-AAAAA title one week ago but it will be interesting to see what Central Gwinnett does against the Rams. The Black Knights started the year on fire before falling to 4-5. Central Gwinnett’s offense against Grayson’s defense will be a chess game to watch.


GPB GAME OF THE WEEK PREVIEWS! NoGwinn v PTR; ColquittCo v Valdosta

Rush Propst took his Colquitt County Packers all the way to the state finals one year ago but has a chance Friday to do something he hasn’t done during his tenure in Moultrie: win a Region 1-AAAAA title. Propst’s explosive offense will travel to Valdosta to face the Wildcats with a shot at completing a perfect region slate. While Cole Seagraves, Ty Smith and the rest of the offense can dent a scoreboard like few others, the Packers have also scored six non-offensive touchdowns this season. If that trend continues, Propst could be hoisting a GHSA state title in December.

On man that has hoisted GHSA state titles before is Valdosta coach Rance Gillespie. The Wildcats coach has his team in a position to win the region with a victory at home in Bazemore-Hyder Stadium. Despite losing Jay Rome and Malcolm Mitchell to the University of Georgia, Valdosta can still make some noise this postseason thanks in large part to former Packer quarterback Shelby Wilkes, now under center for Valdosta.

Region 7-AAAAA will also be on the line tonight on GPB TV when Peachtree Ridge travels to North Gwinnett to face the Bulldogs. Bob Sphire’s team is looking for its third region title in a row and his third straight win over the Lions of Peachtree Ridge. Scotty Hosch leads an offense that recently rallied from down 22 points at Norcross to keep its region hopes alive. Joe Jones and Donnie Miles each scored two touchdowns apiece last Friday in a victory over Duluth.

Peachtree Ridge is looking to give new coach Mark Fleetwood a region crown in his first season as head coach in Suwanee. The Lions attack can run with Diandre Atwater and Raham Dixon as well as pass with Billy Best and Joe Horn. The defense isn’t shabby either, allowing just 15 points per game.

Another Thornton takes center stage

St. Pius X has an explosive offense and the triggerman to this unit now has announced where he is headed next year. Trey White has verbally committed to The Citadel, a member of the Southern Conference. The three-year starter owns several St. Pius records including passing touchdowns in a game and in a season. Geno Smith, a member of the Score 44, has pledged to Alabama while TJ Holloman is headed to South Carolina. Holloman actually filled in at quarterback earlier this year when White missed time due to injury. St. Pius faces Woodward Academy for the Region 5-AAA title this Friday. ...

Lowndes has finished its regular season and could have to hit the road for the first round of the playoffs, though the Vikings will check out the GPB.org webcast between Colquitt County and Valdosta this Friday before making travel plans. According to the Valdosta Daily Times’ Ed Hooper, if Colquitt County scores 33 points in a victory over Valdosta, Lowndes could earn the No. 2 seed out of Region 1-AAAAA. ...

The surname Thornton attached to a running back in the state of Georgia this year has usually been in association with Score 44 member Shadrach Thornton out of Liberty County. Another Thornton is making his presence known, Stephens County junior Chaz Thornton. The Indians have jumped on the back of Thornton and will face Gainesville for the Region 8-AAA title. Thornton has rushed for 1785 yards this year and 25 touchdowns. ...

Finally Ridgeland likely never thought it would be playing for a fourth straight region crown after a 1-4 start. However thanks to four straight wins and another via a Dalton forfeit and Ridgeland is set to face Allatoona for the title. The two played once this season with Allatoona prevailing 28-7.

Two major players to miss playoffs

While plenty of attention will no doubt be focused on region championship games and de facto championship games this weekend, there are several games that are just as interesting with plenty of playoff implications. Peeblebrook faces South Cobb in a game North Cobb will certainly be watching. A Falcons victory would clear things up but if South Cobb springs the upset, watch out. ...

Lassiter hosts Etowah for the right to travel to West Forsyth. The loser heads to Raider Stadium to face the explosive Alpharetta offense, sparked by Joshua Dobbs. ...

North Clayton can sew up the fourth playoff seed in Region 4-AAAA but a loss opens the door for either Banneker or Creekside to slip into the postseason. ...

Dalton still has an outside chance of keeping its winning season streak alive. It begins with a trip to Cartersville. The Catamounts would need to make it to the quarterfinals to get to 6-6 and to the semifinals to ensure a non-losing record. Should Dalton simply make the AAA title game, the winning season streak would continue. ...

In Region 6-AA, Greater Atlanta Christian, ranked No. 3 just two weeks ago heads to Lovett needing a win just to qualify for the playoffs. Lovett was ranked No. 5 when it lost to Buford September 23. Lovett has dropped two of its last three games. ...

One of the top senior quarterbacks in the state will play his final game of the year this Friday as Greyson Lambert and Wayne County wrap up the season at Greenbrier. Lambert is headed to Virginia but Wayne County is 4-4-1 heading into the last game.

... Central Gwinnett’s season will come to a disappointing end this Friday at home against Grayson but receiver Malachi Jones certainly did his part this season, hauling in 73 catches, a Gwinnett County record, according to Todd Holcomb. The Black Knights snapped a five-game losing streak with the 33-26 win over Shiloh Friday.

Georgia Tech bringing in the prospects

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets have several spots left in its 2012 recruiting class but one race to keep an eye on is Tech’s last spot for running back. Several recruitniks believe that Miles Jones of Allatoona is a big-time target for Paul Johnson to slid in at A-Back but recently Liberty County’s Shadrach Thornton was on hand Saturday to watch the Jackets beat Clemson. Thornton committed to Kentucky last month but has since made trips to NC State and now Georgia Tech, leading some to believe that Thornton is the new No. 1 candidate with Jones serving as a fall-back. ...

Archer is closing in on its first-ever playoff berth and two-way standout Jermaine Morris is a big reason why. The running back/defensive end has pledged to the Georgia Southern program to play at the next level, likely as an end. According to the Gwinnett Daily Post, Morris has five sacks on the season. ...

Miller Grove basketball star Tony Parker made an official visit to Duke over the weekend. Coach K has seemingly locked in on Parker, who would likely fit in as a 4 or even down in the post for Duke. It was reported that Coach K visited Parker upon Parker’s return from a recent trip to UCLA. ...

Georgia Tech’s new basketball coach Brian Gregory had his biggest recruiting weekend yet last weekend when prospects for the 2012 and 2013 classes were on campus. Shun Williams of On The Radar Hoops reported several top prospects made it to the Flats including Shiloh’s Robert Carter and Tift County’s Austin Pickett.

Coffee makes playoffs despite loss of QB

Not many programs can afford to lose the state’s top quarterback prospect and still make the playoffs but Coffee has done just that this year. Will Gardner was lost for the season in the Trojans first game this season with a ruptured ACL, forcing Coffee to turn to Santory Long under center. Long helped Coffee make the playoffs and even pull off an upset of Valdosta. Gardner has committed to Louisville and the AJC reports that the Cardinals will still honor the scholarship offer. ...

When you look at all of Lovejoy’s boxscores, you will see that the defense is plenty stout with four straight shutouts and seven for the year, but Travis Custis deserves your attention as well. The junior running back toted the rock 31 times last week, churning up 269 yards and three scores in the 24-0 win over Creekside. Custis ran for four scores a few weeks back in the Georgia Dome. ...

East Paulding couldn’t stay down long as the Raiders bounced back from its first loss of the year at home to Pope with a 35-7 victory over Osborne. Kamani Thomas ran for 234 yards and four scores while Andrej Suttles recorded two touchdowns in the win. ...

Donnie Miles has been slowed by a balky ankle all season but you never would have known it Friday when the junior back helped North Gwinnett trounce Duluth 44-14. Miles ran for two scores and 96 yards on just eight carries. Joe Jones also had two touchdowns for the Bulldogs, who face Peachtree Ridge this Friday on GPB TV. ...

ELCA junior star Keyante Green was held out of Friday’s tilt with Southwest Atlanta Christian due to a muscle strain, but ELCA’s offense hardly skipped a beat. John Tatum rushed for over 200 yards with three scores on just 13 carries.