Issuu

Time to look great!

VOLUME 12 ISSUE 20 | June 8 - June 14, 2016

Nationally Known | Pg. 12 The star-studded Grayson Rams earn Nation's No. 2 preseason ranking

Dome Opener | Pg. 4 Andrew Deichert looks ahead to the Falcons' final Dome season opener.

YOUR SOURCE FOR SPORTS IN GEORGIA

NO STONE UNTURNED Falcons stars look for new methods to gain an edge this offseason. | Pg. 7

This comeback athlete had a long road back. Today it’s 8.5 miles. Know a young athlete who overcame a serious injury or illness? Nominate them for Comeback Athlete of the Month at choa.org/comeback.

Vol. 12 Iss. 20 | June 8 - June 14, 2016

STARTING LINEUP PUBLISHER/EDITOR I.J. Rosenberg

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Rhonda Rawls

MANAGING EDITOR Craig Sager II

COLUMNISTS

ON THE COVER

PREP COVER

ASST. MANAGING EDITOR Kyle Sandy

MARKETING/ Lauren Goldstein PARTNERSHIP DIRECTOR

BUSINESS MANAGER Marvin Botnick BEAT WRITERS: Ricky Dimon (Braves)

Dan Mathews (UGA) Craig Sager II (Falcons, Kennesaw, GA Tech) Kyle Sandy (GSU,, Hawks) STAFF WRITERS Tyler Andrews Ned Kaish

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TEAM SCOOP AND VOICES

06 11 12

COVER PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE ATLANTA FALCONS AND WINTHROW-WESTMINSTER HS.

ON THE INSIDE AT SCORE Score Atlanta is looking for interns. Please visit www.scoreatl.com/ internships for more information on our program. Visit our website, ScoreAtl.com for the our weekly sports rankings. Download the free Georgia High School Scoring App www.scoreatl.com/mobile-app/ or in the app store for live scores all year long.

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ANDREW'S ANALYSIS

FALCONS PREPARE FOR FINAL DOME OPENER BY ANDREW DEICHERT | INFO@SCOREATL.COM

he Atlanta Falcons will begin the 2016 NFL season with the final home opener in the Georgia Dome against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This will mark the 25th and final opener at the Georgia Dome before the Falcons make Mercedes-Benz Stadium home at the beginning of the 2017 season. The Georgia Dome has been the host to Olympic events as well as both NCAA Men’s and Women’s Final Four games, among other contests, over the past two and a half decades. In 2016, the Falcons will look to start hot as they did in 2015. After beginning the year 5-0, Atlanta struggled to keep pace and finished the year on a 3-8 skid. Two key losses

that kept the team from reaching the playoffs were to this Tampa Bay Buccaneers team. Both games came down to the wire and were lost by a combined seven points. In the opener, the Falcons will look to use their explosive offense that ranked seventh in yards per game (YPG) last season. The lethal duo of Matt Ryan and Julio Jones produced 1,871 yards of passing offense and 8 touchdowns together in 2015. The two had elevated success against the Buccaneers, as Ryan threw for 666 yards and three touchdowns in 2 games, while Jones was able to grab 20 receptions for 255 yards and a touchdown. The Falcons offense should be even more dynamic

2015-16 BASEBALL RANKINGS BY CRAIG SAGER | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

to do in order to open up more passing lanes for Matt Ryan. An area the Falcons must pay close attention to in this game is the trenches. Even with the addition of Alex Mack, the Buccaneers propose a difficult challenge as All-Pro DT Gerald McCoy leads a defense run by former Falcons Head Coach Mike Smith that should be much improved in 2016 with the addition of pass rushers Robert Ayers and second-round draft pick Noah Spence. As long as Matt Ryan and the offense avoid turnovers, they should have a successful home opener on the offensive ide of the ball. Defensively, the Falcons will be facing the offensive-minded, first year Head Coach, Dirk Koetter and impressive second year Quarterback Jameis Winston. After finishing 11th in the NFL in Passing YPG and 2nd in the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year voting, Winston will look to improve upon his 2015 rookie campaign and beat his division foe for the third straight time to start his career. Photo courtesy of The Atlanta Falcons/AP Images

Class AAAAAA

GHSA BASEBALL RANKINGS

lasses A-Private, AA, AAAA and AAAAA all saw thrilling three game series to wrap up the high school season. In Class AAAAAA, Walton’s star-studded lineup was powered by Georgia Tech-commit Jason Rooks who smashed two homers and drove in five runs in Game 1. Jason Avers clinched the state title with a dramatic walk-off 2-run single to cap a 5-4 comeback over Pope. Houston County dominated in Game 3 against Loganville for the AAAAA title, their second in three years. Tanner Hall allowed one hit while the Bears cruised to a five-inning 12-0 shutout. Jake Fromm blasted a controversial homer to make it 4-0 and caused the Loganville coaching staff to lose to coaches to ejection.

this year with new free agent additions in center Alex Mack and wide receiver Mohamed Sanu. Mack will look to improve a less than stellar offensive line, while Sanu steps into the second wide receiver role opposite of Jones; a position that was opened after the surprising release of veteran Roddy White this offseason. In this matchup, the Falcons will look to expose a Buccaneers defense that ranked 23rd overall in Defensive YPG and gave up the 7th most Points Per Game (PPG) in 2015. The Bucs struggled mightily against the pass as they surrendered the 5th most touchdowns to opposing quarterbacks last season. The additions of veteran cornerback and former Falcon Brent Grimes and rookie Vernon Hargreaves III should help improve the secondary, but it is one that can be taken advantage of by the likes of Julio Jones, Mohamed Sanu and Devonta Freeman out of the backfield. Just as Jones had a fair amount of success against this Tampa Bay team in 2015, Freeman also totaled over 100 all-purpose yards in both contests. Being able to take advantage of Freeman’s unique rushing and receiving abilities is something that offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan likes

Locust Grove brought home the Class AAAA crown, knocking off perennial power Buford 3-1 in Game 3. Including the regular season, the Wildcats took three of four from the Wolves. In a stunning sweep, the Class AAA championship went to Westminster who shocked rival Blessed Trinity. Rankin Woley locked down the save to clinch Game 2, 7-6. Lovett turned the tables on Wesleyan to score their eighth state title with a 5-4 Game 3 win over the Wolves. Class A-Private belonged to Tattnall Square thanks to a 5-0 shutout in Game 3 that saw the Trojans blast three homers. Treutlen swept Trion for the Class A-Public title. Photos courtesy of the Walton HS

Class AAA

1. Walton

6. Collins Hill

1. Westminster

6. Westside-Augusta

2. Pope

7. Etowah

2. Blessed Trinity

7. Ringgold

3. Norcross

8. East Coweta

3. Cedartown

8. Calhoun

4. Harrison

9. South Cobb

4. Jackson County

9. Decatur

5. Lambert

10. Lee County

5. Franklin County

10. Appling County

Class AAAAA

Class AA

1. Houston County

6. Winder-Barrow

1. Lovett

6. Berrien

2. Loganville

7. Dalton

2. Wesleyan

7. Heard County

3. Gainesville

8. Kell

3. Holy Innocents’

8. Union County

4. South Effingham

9. Cambridge

4. Greater Atlanta Chr.

9. Benedictine

5. Columbus

10. Allatoona

5. Bowdon

10. Jeff Davis

Class AAAA 1. Locust Grove

6. Heritage-Catoosa

Class A 1. Tattnall Square Acad.

6. Trion

2. Buford

7. Cartersville

2. Hebron Christian

7. Schley County

3. Veterans

8. Woodward Academy

3. King’s Ridge Christian

8. George Walton Acad.

4. Eastside

9. Wayne County

4. Treutlen

9. Savannah Christian

5. St. Pius

10. Madison County

5. Calvary Day

10. Charlton County

Vol. 12 Iss. 20 | June 8 - June 14, 2016

PLAY. GROW. WORK. SUCCEED.

“I told myself that

I’m going to do something and that this organization would help me. From that day, I stuck to it.” —Adam Adam, a Soccer in the Streets graduate and current coach in the program

888-436-5833 | soccerstreets.org | info@soccerstreets.org |

@soccerstreets |

/SoccerintheStreets

Matt Harvey

Dacula Basketball

The Rams are loading the deck with transfers seemingly every week. The latest to come aboard is Kurt Taylor, a star running back committed to Michigan. Taylor heads to Gwinnett County after starring at Newton. It’s officially championship or bust at Grayson in 2016.

After a disastrous first 10 starts of the season, the Dark Knight has slowly rounded back into form – for now. On Memorial Day he went 7.0 innings and allowed zero runs for his first win since May 8. On Sunday, he picked up another loss but allowed just one run in 7.0 innings and picked up his 500th career strikeout.

The Falcons won the Georgia Cup this past weekend with an impressive 5-0 run. Young players such as Mekhail Bethea along with veterans like Justin Goodson where integral pieces to Dr. Russ Triaga’s Falcons success. Dacula will be an interesting team to watch in 2016-17.

By Kyle Sandy

WHO’S HOT

Grayson Football

SCORE LIST By Craig Sager II SLOW JUNE

The Atlanta Braves started June by winning two of the first three contests of a four-game home-stand against the second best team in the National League, the San Francisco Giants. But Atlanta dropped the finale of that series, got swept in three straight by the Los Angeles Dodgers, and lost the first two games at the San Diego Padres on Monday and Tuesday.

POWERLESS BATS

It's not hard to figure out why the Braves are by far the worst team in the National League and even the worst team in all of Major League Baseball. They have hit a whopping 40 fewer home runs than they have allowed. While the Braves have gone deep 23 times, no other team in the majors has hit fewer than 47.

NEW LEADERSHIP

Kennesaw State University’s interim president is making changes to the school’s top leadership. Houston Davis, who is set to replace outgoing president Dan Papp on July 1, announced three new interim chiefs responsible for key functions of the university, including finances and human resources. Davis announced the change on Tuesday to the AJC.

FORMER CENTER PASSES

Sean Rooks, a former center with the Atlanta Hawks center and a Philadelphia 76ers assistant coach, died Tuesday after interviewing earlier in the day for a job with the New York Knicks. He was 46. Rooks had visited with Knicks president Phil Jackson and general manager Steve Mills for an assistant coaching position. The cause of death was not known.

BACK TO WORK

Danny Ferry, a key to the Hawks’ current run of success, is returning to the NBA. Ferry, the former president and general manager of the Hawks, joined the New Orleans Pelicans as a special advisor to the Pelicans’ basketball operations staff according to team GM Dell Demps’ Wednesday announcement.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Gordon Beckham

Boxing

Believeland is turning back into Cleveland; a city synonymous with failing on the biggest stage. The Cavs have laid two eggs and now find themselves in an 0-2 hole coming back to Ohio. The King and his men need to find a way to turn this series into a competitive one and fast.

A hamstring strain has interrupted the former UGA Bulldog’s groove at the plate. Beckham was hitting .284 with a .382 on-base percentage as the starting second baseman before the injury. If Beckham can regain his health and keep hitting, he will be a valuable trade chip at the upcoming trade deadline.

The sports lost a legend last week as Muhammad Ali passed away. Love him or hate him, Ali was an important part of American history with his work inside the ring and more importantly outside. Sports will be hardpressed to find someone who made as much of an impact as Ali did.

NUMBERS

OUR TWO CENTS

By Kyle Sandy

Our email newsletter is something we take a lot of pride in at Score. If you aren’t familiar with it, it is a high school sportsheavy publication that we produce each day to fill in our readers on the latest happenings in Georgia prep sports. We send it out Monday through Friday throughout the year and Monday through Saturday during the fall. Not only do we cover popular sports like football, basketball and baseball, we also cover every other varsity sport the GHSA fields. If you like Georgia high school sports at all, sign up for our email newsletter by visiting www.tinyurl.com/scorenewsletter and enter your email address(es) that you’d like added to the distribution list.

TRIVIA QUESTION

“

SANITY AT LAST

HOW MANY CAREER TOUCHDOWN PASSES HAS MATT RYAN THROWN?

“I think mini camp is very valuable, this camp is, for a number of reasons. No. 1, it’s our first exposure to get them indoctrinated into how we do things.”

ANSWER ON PAGE 14

- Dan Quinn

BRAVES TRADE

The Atlanta Braves announced their latest trade on Wednesday. The Braves dealt Kelly Johnson to the New York Mets for right-handed prospect Akeel Morris, 23, who is 2-2 with a 4.62 ERA in 22 relief appearances this season in Double-A, with 36 strikeouts and 16 walks in 25 1/3 innings.

WHO’S NOT

SCORE ATLANTA | www.ScoreAtl.com

Points for Kevin Love in Cleveland’s Game 2 thrashing.

Homers hit by Corey Seager in last weekend’s series with the Dodgers.

Freddie Freeman RBIs this season.

At-bats for Chase d’Arnaud without an RBI.

Wins are the most a starter has on the Braves.

Combined points between Steph Curry and Klay Thompson in Game 1.

Points for J.R. Smith through the first two games of the NBA Finals.

Million dollars per year Tristan Thompson earns.

Vol. 12 Iss. 20 | June 8 - June 14, 2016 he embraces it. “Me and Tevin were Facetiming the whole (offseason). He was in Africa. Our relationship—the bond just grew a lot, even though it’s a competition. … Our relationship just grew stronger. We joke around all the time. It’s fun.

ON THE COVER

SOPHOMORE SURGE…

ATLANTA FALCONS

HUNGRY FALCONS EXPLORE NEW OFFSEASON REGIMENS BY ZACH SABATINI | INFO@SCOREATL.COM

he Falcons were far from satisfied with their 8-8 record and second place NFC south finish so the players took it upon themselves to attack the offseason with a chip on their shoulder. The entire team, coaches included, is forced to handle a little adversity, but the players are not shying away from it, but instead, building on it. For most of the team this meant increasing the work load and pushing themselves to a whole a new level and for some this meant completely reinventing themselves by trying some unusual offseason training tactics. Falcons Head Coach, Dan Quinn, lead the way by having the team practice with Navy Seals. “They touched on all kinds of aspects. The biggest thing that came through was the communication with teammates. A lot of the stuff that they touched on is that everybody has to be on the same page and if somebody is not, you better get them on that page because this team is moving in a direction and we need ev-

erybody on board.”

SOUTH BEACH SWEAT…

Miami native Devonta Freeman decided to stick to his hometown roots for a portion of his offseason training and has been utilizing what the local topography has to offer. Nothing has ever come easy for Freeman and his family, so he takes great pride in the offseason grind on Miami soil. “I know a lot of kids in the high school area and stuff like that and we’ll just go work out. In Miami, you got the beach, you got the hills, I keep cones with me. Freeman finished last season with 1,061 total rushing yards, ranking seventh among rushing leaders from last season. He also has a full understanding of the fact that the falcons coaching staff plans on giving Tevin Coleman more touches on the ball, but the competition does not distract him and in fact,

Coming off an exceptional rookie season, recording 26 tackles, 4 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and one interception, Vic Beasley’s primary off season goal is to gain weight so he has been working with his team nutritionists and trainer to change his diet, but that’s not the only change he made. Beasley has incorporated Pilates into his offseason training regimen. Yes, Pilates. But why? “I have a good nutritionist and great trainer. As far as my diet goes, I’ve tried to move a lot of things around and I have a lot of different choices in my diet now... Pilates has been a great addition to me [it helps my] core strength and flexibility.” Beasley played his entire rookie season with labrum issues so emphasis on getting stronger is at an all-time high. He has already put on eight pounds since the end of the 2015 season and his goal is to be 245 for the organizations last season opener at the Georgia Dome against Washington.

PACKING A PUNCH…

Falcon’s four-year linebacker and three time leading tackler, Paul Worrilow has dedicated his entire personal offseason regimen to tackling, but how and where he trains will surprise you. One day while on his way to Flowery Branch, Paul stumbled upon Straight Blast gym, a small hole in the wall MMA training facility located in Buford, Georgia so he decided to check it out. He walked into the facility and lead instructor/MMA and brazilain jiu jitsu coach, Phillipe Gentry did not hesitate to work with Paul. “Finishing with the tackle, man, is about having a real strong wrap with the contact and the finish. That’s why I’ve wrestled all offseason. That was the whole purpose behind the sessions. When you’re falling to the

ground and trying to pull to get a guy down, you’re not using your hips correctly and getting that leverage. That’s something I’ve been able to work on." Worrilow attended hour long sessions twice a week where he would receive instructions from Gentry and then spar with local MMA fighter, Jared Gooden. Being the athlete that he is it comes by no surprise that Gentry said Worrilow illustrated beautiful technique and picked it up very quickly. Phillipe Gentry’s training program for Worrilow catered directly to the improvements Paul wanted to see in his tackling on the field. Last season the falcons d-core reached double-digits in missed tackles on multiple occasions and Worrilow is well aware that he played a part in it. So hats off to Paul for getting out of his comfort zone and utilizing MMA training to get rid of bad habits on the field. "I’d go in there and we’re working grappling and wrestling leverage. As close to tackling as you can get is wrestling and trying to take somebody down who doesn’t want to be taken down … just like football. This offseason, tackling has been the biggest thing for me. I don’t think I've ever put so much emphasis on tackling in an offseason. … Tackling is going to go a long way for me. And I can already feel the changes in my game." Devonta Freeman, Vic Beasley, and Paul Worrilow took the initiative to tweak their normal individual offseason training regimens and their hard work most certainly has not gone unnoticed. In a sense, these players are reinventing themselves. But for the greater good of the team. This is a great sign for the Atlanta Falcons as players are showing that they are not the least bit content with the team’s results from last season. Nor are they content with their individual performances. With some key players making some critical changes it looks like the team is heading in a direction and will settle for nothing short of success for the 2016 season. Photos courtesy of The Atlanta Falcons

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PREP COVER

WESTMINSTER CAPTURES FIRST BASEBALL TITLE IN 41 YEARS BY JOSEPH CHAPMAN | INFO@SCOREATL.COM

n the three years prior to this season, the Westminster Wildcats Varsity Baseball team had two Final Four appearances and one state championship appearance. This year however, the Wildcats were finally able to get over the hump and win the Class AAA State Championship by sweeping defending state champions, Blessed Trinity, by scores of 2-1 and 7-6. So what was the key to finally reaching the goal of a state championship? “I think our whole team could agree that this might have not been the most talented team we’ve ever had, maybe the fourth most talented team in the past four years,” senior first baseman and Missouri commit, Armaan Painter, explained, “But I think what we had was everybody was able to get hot at the right time and everybody was able to believe in a team goal.” Going into the state playoffs, Westminster was 20-6 and was the second-seed out

of Region 4 behind Blessed Trinity. After a first round sweep of Pierce County, the Wildcats traveled to face off against Jefferson, who had beat Westminster the previous year in the Final Four. While many may have seen this as a revenge situation, as Painter points out, that was not the approach to take. “We definitely had that in the back of our minds but we knew that this was a different year, different team. They were a different team and it was going to be a hostile environment going there,” said Painter. “Playing for revenge wouldn’t have really been the best option so we went in there and played like it was just another game and I think that really helped us go out there and sweep.” Westminster then cruised through both Westside-Augusta and Cedartown in the Quarterfinals and Semifinals to set up a championship matchup against region foe and the

defending state champion Titans. Blessed Trinity was the ultimate thorn in the side for the Wildcats as Westminster had outslugged other opponents up to that point 348-92, but was outscored in two regular season meetings with the Titans, 24-4. “The first two games, I felt like we were intimidated,” Painter said. “I think we learned from the two regular season matchups and that’s why playing great programs makes you good,” Head Coach Russell Wrenn explained, “You only learn what you need to fix by playing teams that are good. Blessed Trinity is no exception.” Painter said that the biggest thing that changed from the regular season matchups to the state championship was a belief in each other. “Going into the state championship it seemed like everybody else was counting us out and this time we weren’t intimidated and we knew we were going to win. We had a little get together at a teammates house the Friday night before the state championship and we were talking and we were calm and it was kind of like we knew a secret that nobody else knew. Then we went out there Saturday and we proved it.” After winning the first game, Westminster found itself up one in the top of the last inning but faced a bases loaded situation with

two outs. A dribbler to Rankin Woley resulted in a force out at home and finally gave Westminster the elusive state title, causing a huge celebration to break out on the field.

“I just kind of threw my glove up in the air

and started sprinting to the mound and I think I hugged Kenneth Hartzfield our third basemen and we just went into a dog pile and our whole school pretty much charged the field,” Painter recounted.

FINISHING THE DRILL…

After three years of close calls and what-

ifs, the 11 graduating Westminster Wildcats are now sent off as state champions. Along with the seniors, Coach Wrenn is also leaving the program to help coach at the high school he attended in Maryland with one of his former coaches and his father. While he is excited about his future endeavors, leaving the Westminster program was one of the toughest decisions that Coach Wrenn has ever made.

Though there will be an influx of new faces

littered throughout the roster and the coaching staff, the Wildcats will be in good hands.

Photos courtesy of Withrow

SCORE ATLANTA | www.ScoreAtl.com

SUMMER CAMPS THE ATLANTA HAWKS

provide the ultimate basketball camp experience. All participants receive professional instruction from qualified coaches in a fun environment. Atlanta Hawks Basketball Camps offer players of ALL skill levels the opportunity of a lifetime to learn from the pros.

USE PROMO CODE:

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OFF

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mes &

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awks t h a t atlan & ticke

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ds r a w a

Vol. 12 Iss. 20 | June 8 - June 14, 2016 UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA

UGAAA APPROVES $123 MILLION BUDGET BY DAN MATHEWS | DMATHEWS@SCOREATL.COM

budget of $123,049,705 for fiscal year 2017, as well as $9 million for various facilA ity-related projects, were approved by the University of Georgia Athletic Association Board of Directors during its quarterly meeting here Thursday. The Board also approved an average increase of 17% for donations to the 2017 Hartman Fund, the priority system to maintain season tickets and seat locations. The Hartman Fund increase is the first since 2005. Also approved by the Board were the following three facility enhancement/renovation projects: Enhancements to Stegeman Coliseum, Phase 1 - $1,800,000. Plans include a large-scale aesthetic improvement to the southeast end zone, a space currently occupied with achievement banners of all three sports competing in the Coliseum. The display will surround, keeping intact, the existing video board. *Jack Turner Soccer stadium renovation -- $4,575,000. This renovation project will replace the grandstand and press box, which had been intact since the soccer stadium was built in 1998.

GEORGIA STATE

TWO PANTHERS HONORED BY SUN BELT BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

enior Joey Roach and junior Jarrett Hood SBaseball were selected to the All-Sun Belt Conference Second Team. Though the season did

not turn out how the program had hoped due to injuries and poor luck, Roach and Hood remained stalwarts during a storm of misfortunes. Roach, a power-hitting catcher, missed the final eight games of the season with a hand injury. If it wasn’t for the setback, Roach likely would have earned his third consecutive first team selection. Nonetheless, he is just the second three-time all-conference selection in Georgia State history. He finished his senior season with a .325 average, 11 homeruns and 45 RBIs in 46 games. Roach polishes up one of the finest careers in Panther history finishing with a .307 average, 25 homers and 131 RBIs. Third baseman Jarrett Hood led Georgia State batting .338 with a conference-leading 20 doubles. The former Parkview Panther standout drove home 36 runs this season.

BOWL BIDS …

If Georgia State finds itself in bowl contention this football season, the Panthers might be taking a trip to Arizona. The Sun Belt Confer-

BETWEEN THE HEDGES. . .

Sanford Stadium west end zone project -- $1,000,000. This project will serve as the initial, exploratory steps of a major enhancement to the west end zone of Sanford Stadium. These enhancements include: a new home locker room for the Bulldogs, a space to host and entertain prospects on game day, and improvements to rest room concession areas. "The purpose of the stadium project is to ask the question, `What can we do to maximize our space,'" said J. Reid Parker Director of Athletics Greg McGarity. "That's what an architect will help us answer. Right now, we have a lot of dreams and ideas for how to use the space and getting an architect on board will allow us to document that." All of the above projects, as well as the current construction of the Indoor Athletic Facility, will be funded through the Magill Society, the philanthropic fund-raising organization for UGA athletics. Other highlights of the Athletics Board meeting included the following: A glowing academic report from Faculty Athletics Representative David Shipley. In his report, Shipley praised a record 60 percent of UGA's nearly 500 student-athletes earning at least a 3.0 grade point average in the Spring Semester 2016. The average GPA of all studentathletes this spring was 3.04 and included 35 that posted perfect 4.0 GPAs. The announcement of the two studentathletes who will serve the 2016-17 year as representatives on the Board: multi-event track star Kendell Williams, a rising senior from Marietta, and football tight end Jeb Blazevich, a rising junior from Charlotte, N.C.

ence announced a partnership that will send a Sun Belt football team to the NOVA® Home Loans Arizona Bowl, beginning in 2016. The Sun Belt representative will do battle with a team from the Mountain West. The Sun Belt Conference’s partnership with the NOVA® Home Loans Arizona Bowl gives the conference five total primary bowl partners in addition to the College Football Playoff: R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl (New Orleans, La., vs. Conference-USA) GoDaddy.com Bowl (Mobile, Ala., vs. MidAmerican Conference) Raycom Media Camellia Bowl (Montgomery, Ala., vs. Mid-American Conference) AutoNation Cure Bowl (Orlando, Fla., vs. American Athletic Conference) NOVA® Home Loans Arizona Bowl (Tucson, Ariz., vs. Mountain West Conference)

PANTHERS FALL SHORT IN JACKSONVILLE …

LaPorscha Wells missed out on advancing to the NCAA National Championships in the shot put after placing 14th out of 48 throwers in the NCAA East Preliminaries were the top 12 clinch a berth. The junior from Augusta tossed a 15.86m on Saturday. The throw was the fifthbest in school history and fourth-best in her career. Fellow junior Alysiah Whittaker, the school record holder with a 16.35m, stumbled with a 15.01m, good for 32nd place. Ravin Gilbert was 27th in the 200m and 41st in the 100m among the elite 48 NCAA East qualifiers. She missed by just .1 of a second in moving into the top 24 for the semifinals.

GEORGIA TECH

JACKETS SEASON ENDS WITH 10-1 LOSS BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

eorgia Tech’s 2016 season came to an end G Sunday night as the Yellow Jackets suffered a 10-1 loss to the top-seeded Florida Ga-

tors in the NCAA Gainesville Regional. Georgia Tech (38-25) finished as the regional runner-up with a 2-2 record. Florida (50-13) advances to face Florida State in the NCAA Super Regional later this week. Georgia Tech earned a trip to the NCAA Gainesville Regional Championship Game, its first trip to a Regional Championship Game since 2013 in Nashville. Florida took a 1-0 lead in the 1st on Mike Rivera’s RBI single through the left side. The Gators broke the game open in the 5th and 6th innings. Florida took a 4-0 lead in the 5th after an RBI single by Jonathan India, and RBI doubles from Peter Alonso and J.J. Schwarz. Florida added four more runs in the 6th for an 8-0 cushion and later tacked on two more runs in the 9th for a 10-0 lead. Georgia Tech threatened in the 9th by loading the bases with one out. Coleman Poje drew a bases-loaded walk to plate Tech’s lone run.

KENNESAW STATE

OWLS CLINCH FIRST ASUN REGULAR SEASON TITLE BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

ennesaw State clinched its first ASUN K regular season title in program history Thursday evening, defeating host FGCU

7-2 at Swanson Stadium. The Owls' magic number was two entering the night, combing with a win and USC Upstate's 10-inning 4-3 victory over JU clinched KSU's No. 1 seed for the 2016 ASUN Championship. With the win, the Owls improved to 27-25 overall and 15-4 in ASUN action, while FGCU dropped to 24-28 overall and 9-10 in league play. "I think we got to sit back and reflect on a special season,” said head coach Mike Sansing. “Our players are a special group and I couldn't be more proud of them. I am proud of their efforts and this is a special moment." FGCU struck first with a two-run homer in the bottom of the first, giving the Eagles an early 2-0 edge. The Owls, however, responded after back-to-back singles set up a three-run home run off the bat of senior Justin Motley, giving the Owls a 3-2 advantage. With Erwin rolling on the mound, the Owls were able to add to their lead when

TENNIS TALK…

The Georgia Tech women’s tennis team’s 2016 recruiting class has been ranked eighth nationally by Tennis Recruiting Network, joining eight other ACC schools in the top 25. Tennis Recruiting Network utilizes junior tennis experts from around the country to vote for the top classes. Schools received 25 points for each first-place vote, 24 points for each second-place vote, on down to 1 point for each 25th-place vote. The Jackets earned a total of 363 points for their three signees. The Georgia Tech class ranks third in the ACC behind North Carolina (3) and Virginia (6). Kenya Jones, a native of Memphis, Tenn., is ranked 15th nationally, fifth in the Southeast and first in the state of Tennessee. She is rated as a Blue Chip recruit by Tennis Recruiting Network. Nadia Gizdova will come to The Flats from Columbia, Md. She’s rated 29th nationally, third in the Mid-Atlantic and first in Maryland. She’s also rated as a Blue Chip recruit by Tennis Recruiting Network. Nami Oksuka is a local product from Norcross, Ga., and is ranked 23rd nationally, seventh in the Southeast and first in Georgia. She’s rated as a five star recruit by Tennis Recruiting Network. “We are really excited about our incoming class of players,” head coach Rodney Harmon said. “Kenya, Nadia and Nami are excellent student-athletes who I am sure will excel both in the classroom and on the court.”

senior Brennan Morgan drove home his 38th RBI of the season with a single in the sixth, giving KSU a 4-2 lead. Kennesaw State scored a crooked three in the top half of the eighth, coming of RBI from Jeremy Howell, Taylor Allum and and Motley's triple gave the Owls a 7-2 advantage. Erwin, who improved to 3-2 on the season, tossed 7.0 strong innings and allowed just two runs on seven hits while striking out six batters. Motley, who wrapped-up his Owl career at Stillwell Stadium last weekend, posted a career night going 3-for-4 at the dish with a career-high four RBI – who fell a single shy of hitting for the cycle. Offensively, Kennesaw State totaled seven players with at least one hit in the ballgame. Motley and Howell led the way with multi-hit games.

STAYING HOT...

Since April 6, Morgan only has two games without a hit – RBI single in the sixth extended that mark. Kennesaw State clinched a regular season championship for the first time in program history, and will hold the No. 1 seed next week in Nashville for the 2016 ASUN Championship. Motley hit his third career home run in the second inning Thursday night, and his second of the season. With Williams' single in the sixth, the sophomore has extended his hitting streak to 10 games. For the 31st time this season, the Owls have produced 10 or more hits in a single ballgame.

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ATLANTA HAWKS

COMPARING MOCK DRAFTS BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

16 days away on June 23, the 2016 NBA Jholdust Draft will commence. The Atlanta Hawks picks 21, 44 and 54. With the roster potentially looking a lot different with the future on the line, the Hawks will need to draft well to stay in contention as one of the Eastern Conference’s best teams. NBADraft.net and DraftExpress.com are the two most respected mock draft sites that fans, players, coaches and more check to gauge how a prospect may seemingly be rising or falling up or down the draft boards. There is no exact science to mocking but both sites usually do a good job. When it comes to the Hawks selections however, all six picks are different. Here is how the socalled experts see the draft unfolding:

NBADRAFT.NET …

Atlanta is pegged to select Patrick McCaw, Zhou Qi and James Webb according to NBADraft.net’s latest projections. McCaw, averaged 14.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.5 steals as a 6-foot-7 sophomore guard. McCaw was a dangerous shooter from deep, hitting 68 threes on the season at

ATLANTA BRAVES

BRAVES SHUT DOWN BY PEAVY TO END RELATIVE OFFENSIVE SURGE BY RICKY DIMON | RDIMON@SCOREATL.COM

rom last Friday through this Monday, the Atlanta Braves enjoyed a rare streak during which they scored at least three runs in four straight games. It was just the second such stretch of the entire 2016 campaign. Atlanta scored 14 total runs in taking a three-game home series against Miami by two games to one before opening against the Giants with a 5-3 victory earlier this week. But Jake Peavy took the mound for San Francisco on Tuesday and the Braves’ bats suddenly went cold again. In fact, they managed only one hit in the game (a single by catcher Tyler Flowers to lead off the bottom of the fifth inning), which the visitors won 4-0. Peavy faced the minimum number of batters in seven innings of work, as the fifth ended with a double-play hit into by Kelly Johnson that forced Flowers out at second. Matt Wisler kept Atlanta in it by giving up only four hits and three runs in seven innings. “I was just looking at the box score and what his line [was] and I said, ‘He was a lot

a 36 percent clip. Qi is a 7-foot-2 center from China that could be drafted in the second round. Scouting reports have him listed as a high-IQ player with excellent length and mobility. He has a chance to add range from the outside. He isn’t a great athlete however and teams aren’t sold on his 1996 birth date. Atlanta already has 7-foot-3 Walter Tavares in the picture. Augusta-native James Webb III is a 6-foot-8 forward out of Boise State. As a sophomore he averaged 15.8 points and 9.1 rebounds. His three-point shooting percentage oversaw a drastic drop however in year two, going from a 40 percent mark to 24.8 percent.

DRAFT EXPRESS …

Draft Express has the Hawks slotted to select 7-foot-1, 265-pound center Ivica Zubac with the 21st pick. The Bosnian big man is a bruiser inside who has surprising mobility. He is a space eater that can protect the rim and clean up misses. In due time he could be the center Atlanta was hoping they added when they picked up Tiago Splitter. At pick No. 44, Robert Carter from Maryland is in play. He should be a familiar name after starring at Shiloh and playing two years at Georgia Tech before transferring. The 6-foot-9 post had a good showing at the combine. 6-foot-3 scoring guard Cat Barber from North Carolina State could be a late secondrounder. He averaged 23.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists his junior season as a point guard. better than what that showed,’” Braves’ interim manager Brian Snitker told the team’s website, referring to Wisler. "It's just a shame we couldn't put a few runs up for him and just give him something to work with."

OLIVERA SUSPENDED …

Outfielder Hector Olivera, who was arrested on April 13 in Washington, D.C. and charged with assault and battery of a woman, has been suspended for 82 games by Major League Baseball retroactive to April 30. He will not appeal the decision and will be eligible to return on Aug. 1. The 31-year-old Cuban produced a torrid spring training to incite lofty expectations, but through six regular-season games he was hitting a mere .211 with no home runs and two RBIs.

GRILLI GONE …

The Braves traded former closer Jason Grilli to Toronto last week. Grilli, now 39, delivered the goods in 2015 with a 2.94 ERA and 24 of 26 successfully converted save opportunities before going down with a torn Achilles’ tendon. Many thought that injury would be a career-ender, but Grilli managed to make the major-league roster coming out of spring training. Atlanta soon began exploring possibilities for the veteran’s departure, either via trade or a release. Even though Grilli is saddled with a 5.29 ERA in 17 innings of work this year, the Blue Jays came calling. In return, the Braves acquired 21-year-old reliever Sean Ratcliffe.

ATLANTA FALCONS

PRESEASON MATCHUP MOVED TO ORLANDO BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

he Falcons will not face the Dolphins at Sun Life Stadium anymore in August, rather they’ll square off against Miami in Orlando, Fla. at Camping World Stadium. To celebrate Play Football Month, the Week 3 preseason game will honor youth football teams from across Florida. The Atlanta Falcons have waived offensive lineman Cody Elenz. Elenz, 6-4, 290 pounds, started all 11 games at left tackle last season for Lamar. He was signed as a college free agent following the 2016 NFL Draft. Last week, the Falcons signed offensive lineman Laurence Gibson and now the team currently has 15 offensive linemen on their 88man roster.

GIVING BACK…

Running back Tevin Coleman spoke to students at a Liberian school that had been rebuilt following two civil wars during a trip to Africa this week. He opened up water wells to give locals safe drinking water. He saw children who had lost their parents deal with the kind

GHSA BEAT

GRAYSON RANKED NATIONAL PRESEASON NO.2 BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

rayson High School has have been a national powerhouse for years and even though they have a new coach coming in the expectations of winning still stands. Jeff Herron has been coaching in the state of Georgia for over 20 years now and has won four Georgia High School football state championships, one with Oconee County in 1999 and three with Camden County in 2003, 2008 and 2009. Herron has a career record of 273-51-0 and will be coaching at his seventh high school in the state of Georgia. Last Tuesday MaxPreps came out with their preseason national high school rankings and Grayson debuted at No. 2 in the nation. Herron wasn’t too sold on this ranking as he figures this was just another opinionated poll and that whoever it was that put these rankings together has yet to watch Grayson or any other school this offseason.

of adversity seldom found in the United States. And he gained the kind of perspective not found on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. "It was an awesome experience for Tevin and the children in Ghana and Liberia to meet a professional American football player," said Rev. Dr. Alexis Felder, the initiative’s founder, according to ESPN’s Vaughn McClure. "Tevin is a faithful donor to the Joseph Assignment Global Initiative and immediately started to give to the poor once he became an NFL player. He knows he is blessed to be a blessing." Joining Coleman on the trip was his dad, his brother and the pastor from his church in Chicago. In addition to helping those in need, he was able to visit his ancestors’ grave site and learn about the series of events that brought his family to North America. "It was a struggle, but my father came to the U.S. for college and came down to try and get his education and make a better life for himself," Coleman said. "He succeeded in that, and I'm glad for him.

SOCCER NEWS….

Atlanta United FC announced the signing of 18-year-old striker Jeffrey Otoo. The 5’ 9” Otoo comes to Atlanta from Charity Stars FC, located in Accra, Ghana where he scored 21 goals in 13 games since December 2015 playing in Division 2. He will play the remainder of the 2016 season on loan with Charleston Battery, Atlanta United’s USL affiliate. Herron knows that being a great team doesn’t come easy and that a preseason ranking means nothing unless you can get the wins during the season. “Right now we are a team with talented individuals but I don’t think we are a great team yet. There is a lot that goes into being a great team,” Herron said. Grayson has brought in a lot of new faces, both on the coaching staff and on the roster and so Herron is much more concerned about getting familiar with everyone and making sure everyone is on the same page. “I think we can be a good team but we are not there yet by any sense,” Herron said. Grayson’s top recruits are QB Chase Brice, CB Deangelo Gibbs, CB Jamyest Williams, OT Tony Gray, LB Breon Dixon, DT Ellison Hubbard, C Will Taylor, and LB Owen Pappoe who was a freshman All-American last season. His expectations for the team are to be as good as possible. “We want to be a team that plays hard every week,” Herron said. Grayson opens up the season this year at home against IMG Academy (Bradenton, FL), Aug. 27. IMG was ranked the No. 4 team in the nation according to MaxPreps preseason rankings. Last year IMG became the first high school in the nation to have every starter on their roster get a Division 1 college scholarship offer.

Vol. 12 Iss. 20 | June 8 - June 14, 2016

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Vol. 12 Iss. 20 | June 8 - June 14, 2016

May 24

June 2

Wingfoot High School All-Star Mile Emory University Track Email etomas@atlantatrackclub.org to enter

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