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VOLUME 12 ISSUE 24 | October 13 - October 19, 2016

YOUR SOURCE FOR SPORTS IN GEORGIA

FULL-CIRCLE SUCCESS | Pg. 9 Cartersville faces Sandy Creek in the Falcons HS Game of the Week

NO CONTEST | Pg. 4 A look how the top 10 is dominating the Class AAAA field.

BUY OR SELL Blayne Gillen measures his confidence behind the surging Falcons | Pg. 7

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Vol. 12 Iss. 24 | October 13 - October 19, 2016

STARTING LINEUP PUBLISHER/EDITOR: I.J. Rosenberg

ART DIRECTOR: Rhonda Rawls

GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Jermaine Edwards

MANAGING EDITOR: Craig Sager II

COLUMNISTS

ON THE COVER

PREP COVER

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TOP TEN PICKS | NUMBERS

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Vol. 12 Iss. 24 | October 13 - October 19, 2016 SAGER SAYS

CLASS AAAA TOP 10 PUMMEL OPPONENTS BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

t took eight weeks, but the storylines have really heated up across the state. We saw upsets across the state's seven classifications last Friday, but in Class AAAA it was a different story for the ranked teams. The top 10 in Class AAAA flat out dominated, and you will be hard-pressed to find a more dominant night of games for any classification’s crop of ranked schools. While No. 4 Jefferson, No. 5 Cairo and No. 10 Marist were on bye weeks, the remaining seven teams in the top 10 outscored their opponents by a staggering 325-26 or a 46.43 average margin of victory. Here’s a quick look at just how impressive week 8 was for the top 10.

NO. 1 CARTERSVILLE 52, LAGRANGE 7: Cartersville

posted its 22nd straight victory Friday night as five-star quarterback Trevor Lawrence put together a historic first half performance. The

junior ran in three touchdowns and passed for three touchdowns to fuel a 42-7 lead. Lawrence now has 26 passing touchdowns and four rushing touchdowns on the season. The Purple Hurricanes have held 18 opponents to single-digit points during this current winning streak.

NO. 2. THOMSON 70, HEPHZIBAH 0: For the sec-

ond consecutive week, Thomson lit up the scoreboard for 70 points. After dominating Clarkston 73-8 in its first game coming off a two-week bye, Thomson returned to the gridiron on Thursday to cruise to a 70-0 road win. The Bulldogs’ run-first offense is averaging an astounding 50.5 points per game this season.

NO. 3. WOODWARD ACAD. 42, NORTH CLAYTON 0:

Woodward Academy got five total touchdowns from quarterback Ryan Glover to roll over visit-

SANDY'S SPIEL

ST. ANNE-PACELLI TURNS TO BLACK BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM oming off of an Elite Eight appearance in C Class A-Private, the program’s most successful season in school history, St. Anne-

Pacelli turns to new leadership after Alan Griffin, head boys basketball coach and athletic director left in the offseason to become White County High School AD after serving nine years in Columbus. Replacing Griffin is Corry Black, a fixture in the Columbus basketball community for over a decade. Black served as an assistant coach at Columbus State University from 2002-2008, first starting as a video coordinator. Black got his first opportunity coaching back in 2000. “I didn’t play any college basketball,” explained Black. “I’m from Tifton. I went to Southern Union on a cross country scholarship and

just stayed around the game. The coach didn’t have an assistant coach, so I basically was his assistant coach for two years and we won two state championships and went to the national tournament.” After a two-year stint at Southern Union State C.C., Black spent the next six seasons at Columbus State before serving as an assistant at Chattahoochee Valley C.C. for the 2008-09 season.

GIVING BACK

Since 2009, Black has made it a point to help student-athletes better themselves on and off the court through CB Hoops. The organization puts on multiple showcases, tournaments and leagues throughout the year to better connect high school athletes to college

ing North Clayton. The War Eagles led 14-0 after one quarter, 28-0 at halftime and by the final 42-0 margin going into the fourth quarter. They racked up 512 yards of total offense in the process–365 through the air and 147 on the ground. Glover completed 13 of 22 passes for 344 yards and four touchdowns and he also rushed for a score. Joshua Johnson made five receptions for 123 yards and two touchdowns, both of which came in the second quarter. Tahj Gary led the Woodward rushing attack with 105 yards and one score on 14 carries.

NO. 6. BLESSED TRINITY 34, WHITE COUNTY 7: Blessed Trinity scored all five of its touchdowns on the ground to overwhelm host White County early and often. The Titans led 13-0 after one quarter, 27-0 at halftime and 34-0 heading into the fourth quarter. White County finally got on the scoreboard early in the final frame of play on a 14-yard touchdown run by Conley Sosebee, but the Warriors could not get any closer. Blessed Trinity’s first three touchdowns came on scampers by sophomore sensation Steele Chambers. He found the endzone on an 89-yarder, a 16-yarder and a 26-yarder. Chambers had 234 rushing yards on 15 yards by halftime before his workload was decreased in the second half with the outcome all but decided. Jake Rudolph and Drew Nichols added touchdown runs for the Titans. coaches while also preaching the importance of education. “I just wanted to help more kids,” said Black about why he launched cblackhoops. com. “Instead of recruiting 12 guys at Columbus State, I want to help kids all across the country. When I started CB Hoops I was able to do that and touch more kids through this program, holding showcase events and different things.” Aside from the high school level, Black’s influence is still felt at the college stage. He serves as the Assistant Director of JucoReport. com, the No. 1 Junior College Basketball site in the nation where he helps organize major events such as The Battle of the South Jamboree, ATL Live Spring Showcase and more.

LEADING THE SHIP

Black jumped at the opportunity to coach at St. Anne-Pacelli. “It’s here in Columbus. That was attractive that I didn’t have to move my family. I can still continue to do what I’m doing,” explained Black on why becoming a Viking was too good of a spot to pass up. “St. Anne, they had a good run. Coach Alan Griffin did a great job over there… To be honest, I want to see if I can build it back up to what Coach Griffin did. Coach Griffin had it rolling and he did an amazing job and I just

NO. 7. MARY PERSONS 24, UPSON-LEE 0: Mary Persons

coughed up two fumbles in the second quarter, but managed to maintain control of the game and take a 9-0 lead into the half. The Bulldogs Zach Harvey’s second rushing touchdown of the game increased the lead to 17-0 in the third quarter, and Caleb Speir iced the game with a 25-yard touchdown pass to Malik Herring on a 4th down and 5 that increased the lead to 24-0 entering the final quarter.

NO. 8. BURKE COUNTY 55, CROSS CREEK 12: Burke

County’s game was moved up to Thursday night, and the Bears took care of business with a 43-point blowout. This win came two weeks after the Bears dropped their first loss of the season, a 28-21 home loss to Effingham County, and had a bye week to regroup. The 55 points were the most scored by a Burke County team since 2013.

NO. 9. RIDGELAND 48, LAFAYETTE 0: Ridgeland

moved to 5-0 for the first time in school history on Friday while completing their fifth straight 40-plus point scoring effort. The Panthers rushed for 425 yards. Markeith Montgomery finished with 122 rushing yards and three touchdowns off of five carries, while teammate Grayson Moore finished with 263 all-purpose yards on just five touches. Ridgeland’s explosive offense used just 32 snaps to put up 48 points.

Photo courtesy of Steven Z. Walters

want to keep that momentum going and help the community out.” Black is set to meet with the players for the first time Tuesday, October 11 at 12:10 p.m. With eight seniors graduating from last year’s 17-10 team, Black’s message to the group will be simple. “Let’s try to keep the momentum going from last year. They got to the state tournament. I want to just keep that going. Let’s try to keep the tradition going, let’s try to make it a tradition. Let’s not just be a one hit wonder.” Upon meeting the team, Black told the Ledger-Enquirer,“I got a great feeling,” Black said of meeting the 25 or so players who attended a get-together Tuesday to introduce him as the new head coach. “I was really impressed with the number of players and the enthusiasm given that they had not had a coach for a couple of months.” Black will be tasked with rebuilding a program that loses star players Tre Sudberry, Triston Wells and Armon Prophet. Sudberry averaged 22.8 points per game while tacking on 4.9 rebounds and 2.5 steals. Wells, a knockdown shooter, poured in 17.1 points a night and Prophet, the engine, tallied 14.5 points and 9.2 assists. The core led the Vikings to the Elite Eight where St. Francis ousted them, 105-79 at Kennesaw State University’s Convocation Center.

Brian Snitker

Mundy’s Mill Softball

The much maligned big man looked pretty good in his home debut with the Hawks during their 99-93 preseason win over the Cavaliers. Howard went for 26 points, eight rebounds and two blocks. Even though it’s just the preseason, it’s a promising sign to see Howard healthy and producing as a force on the low block.

Snitker finally gets a crack at leading an MLB franchise fulltime as manager. He joined the Braves organization as a player in 1977 and started working his way up through the farm system as a coach in the 1980’s. From 2006-2013 Snitker served as the Braves third base coach and became interim manager on May 17.

The Tigers enter the Class AAAAAA state tournament as the only undefeated team in the classification and one of two (AA-Vidalia) in the entire state. The Tigers have outscored their opponents 245-6 this year with a 21-0 record after going just 10-8 last year. They will be put to the test, seeing better competition in the tourney.

By Kyle Sandy

WHO’S HOT

Dwight Howard

SCORE LIST By Craig Sager II BEATING THE BRONCOS

Atlanta took on the defending Super Bowl champions on Sunday and scored a 23-16 victory. After defeating Carolina 48-33 the previous weekend, the Falcons have handed last year’s Super Bowl field back-to-back losses.

QUINN’S REUNION

Atlanta’s road trip continues as they take on the Seattle Seahawks at the deafening CenturyLink Field on Sunday. Falcons head coach Dan Quinn returns to his former team for the first time. The Seahawks have been impressive through their first four games, compiling a 3-1 start and holding opponents to just 13.5 points per game.

BACKYARD BRAWL

Dan Quinn and the Seahawks aren’t the only reunion to look forward to this weekend. Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson and the Yellow Jackets will host Georgia Southern this Saturday for a 12:30 kickoff. Johnson’s former team comes in motivated to steal the upset, while Tech limps in with a three-game losing streak.

INTERIM NO MORE

Brian Snitker was hired as the Braves’ new full-time manager, chosen over a field of candidates that included veteran managers Bud Black and Ron Washington and three members of the Braves coaching staff. After receiving overwhelming support from Braves players, Snitker inked a one-year deal.

MATTY ICE

The Falcons offense recorded 372 total yards against Denver and now has 14 touchdown drives of 60+ yards on the season. Matt Ryan went 15-of-28 for 267 yards with one touchdown on the day, extending his 200+ passing yard game streak to 44 games.

COLEMAN’S CATCHES

Falcons running back Tevin Coleman recorded his first career receiving touchdown in the third quarter against Denver to put the Falcons ahead 20-3. He finished the game with four receptions for a career-high 132 yards. That total is the highest receiving yardage total a running back has recorded all season, and he is also the first 100-yard receiver the Broncos have allowed all season.

WHO’S NOT

SCORE ATLANTA | www.ScoreAtl.com Jacob Eason

Paul Johnson

Texas Rangers

5-for-17 for 29 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Is that really the “savior” of the Georgia football program that everyone was trying to sell me on? Year in and year out, it’s more of the same. Lucky for Eason and UGA that South Carolina couldn’t stop a nosebleed on the ground, giving up 326 yards rushing in a 28-14 snooze fest victory for the Dawgs.

After a 3-0 start to the year, Georgia Tech now sits at 3-3. A 37-34 loss at Pittsburgh drops Tech to 1-3 in the ACC. The Jackets have played a tough schedule with losses to Clemson and Miami and will have a tough road ahead to become bowl eligible. This Saturday they host Georgia Southern, where Johnson won two national titles.

After winning 95 games and notching the best record in the American League, the Rangers are now out of the playoffs thanks in part to new bitter rival Toronto. Rougned Odor and Jose Bautista made national news during the regular season when Odor punched Bautista in the face. It looks like Joey Bats gets the last laugh, helping sweep Texas.

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 PRO BOWLS HAS MATT RYAN MADE?

"A young guy like [Beasley] going out there and having three-anda-half [sacks], it's an amazing game for him, and I'm happy for him."

ANSWER ON PAGE 14

- Dwight Freeney

3-0 22 2

Cartersville’s all-time record against Sandy Creek Cartersville’s current statebest winning streak Career-high receiving yards by Tevin Coleman against Denver

Career-high sacks by Vic Beasley Jr. against Denver

Points scored by Dwight Howard in preseason game against Cleveland

124

Rushing yards per game by the Falcons

478.8

Interceptions made by the Falcons defense.

Interceptions thrown by Matt Ryan this season.

Vol. 12 Iss. 24 | October 13 - October 19, 2016

ON THE COVER

ATLANTA FALCONS

BUY OR SELL: THE ATLANTA FALCONS BY BLAYNE GILLENI | INFO@SCOREATL.COM

he Atlanta Falcons have placed themselves in an interesting position for the second year in a row. The 2015 campaign brought a considerable amount of attention to the squad. A hot start to the season convinced the football community that the 5-0 Falcons were real contenders for the playoffs and the Super Bowl. A surprising turn of events happened when the team lost the next seven of eight games. 2016 has proved to become almost a similar predicament for the Falcons. Matt Ryan and company have jumped out to a 4-1 record. In an abysmal NFC South division, the team has a considerable lead over all other opponents.

WHAT’S THE VERDICT

Should the public buy into the hype this year? Simply the answer is yes, the Atlanta Falcons are legit. Why? Let’s look back at the 2015 season. The Falcons first five wins

came against either awful, or slightly above average teams: Philadelphia (7-9), New York Giants (6-10), Dallas (4-12), Houston (9-7), Washington (9-7). These teams either didn’t make the playoffs or underperformed during their playoff run. Is this year different than last year? Absolutely. The teams the Falcons have played this year have a combined winning percentage of .422 (The best in the NFL) and also the Falcons have the hardest schedule of any other NFL team according to the previous year’s winning percentage. This team is a much better team in the second year of Kyle Shanahan’s offense. Matt Ryan is top three to all passers in almost every category: Passing yards (1), Passing TD’S (2), Completion Percentage (3), Interception Percentage (3), Rating (1). Matt Ryan had 500 passing yards in one game with Julio Jones sharing 300 of those yards receiving. The Falcons have the

most yards per game than any other team. In addition to that the Falcons also lead the league in passing yards per game. Offense was a problem last year, but typically the Falcon offense is always high flying. This year, the offense for Atlanta is flying higher than ever before and there isn’t really one set explanation for it all. The players have had a whole year to learn and grow in this offense, that includes Tevin Coleman who struggled in 2015. The 2016 campaign has proved to be a new start for the running back, as he has given Pro Bowl back Devonta Freeman a “run” for his money and starting job. Tevin and Devonta have been the most lethal running back duo in the NFL this year and that is scary for teams due to their youth and potential. The addition of assets like Mohamed Sanu, Austin Hooper, and Alex Mack have solidified the line and skill positions on offense. The young backfield, developing offensive scheme, decent offensive line, elite (yes, I said it) quarterback, and great receiving core is the reason for the offensive success this season. This Atlanta Falcons offense is for real. Defense has been something that has been missing from this club for a long time and specifically the pass rush. The Falcons defense last year totaled just 19 sacks and finished in the bottom part of the league in most defensive categories. The Falcons defense this year through five games has a total of ten sacks already and is obviously on pace to shatter last year’s total. Although the Falcons are still in the bottom quarter of the league in total defense, they rank fifteenth in rushing defense. There has been improvement each week from the defense and I do not see that trend going away. Each week the team gets a little healthier and this in itself has been the greatest problem for the defense so far. Major injuries to key players, including first round pick Keanu Neal, has sidetracked the defense. Week 6 is approaching and there are more and more players coming back. If Atlanta’s defense can be average, consistent, and healthy than I can definitely buy this defensive unit too.

PURSUING PRESSURE

Atlanta’s pass rush has also been trending in the right direction and Atlanta’s 23-16 Week 5 win over the defending Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos was a game filled with impressive performances. On the defensive side of the ball, it was 2015 first-round pick Vic Beasley Jr. that stole the show with a breakout game. While the Falcons defense held the Broncos to 84 rushing yards on just 3.5 yards per carry, Atlanta’s pass rush disrupted rookie quarterback Paxton Lynch all game. The Falcons finished with six team sacks, the most the team has recorded since Week 4 of 2005 (nine sacks). Leading the way was Beasley, who finished with a career-high 3.5 sacks and eight tackles. Beasley’s 3.5 sacks are the most the NFL has seen in a single game this season. "I just kept working," Beasley said following the win. "I hadn't been able to get sacks in the past couple of games. I just kept the confidence and I kept going. ... It was just working my craft. I was able to beat them around the edge a couple times and get them off balance. Things were just going my way." Head coach Dan Quinn credited Beasley’s jump off the ball for his productive day. "The get-off jumped out at me today," Quinn said. "He really looked quick off the ball. ... We knew it was going to be a good environment and the speed off the ball was what set him off today." Beasley’s multi-sack performance measures up with some of the top pass rushing games the franchise has ever seen. His 3.5 sacks are tied for the fourth most in a single game in franchise history (Chuck Smith/Claude Humphrey 5.0; Claude Humphrey 4.0; John Abraham 3.5). Beasley, however, did not do it alone. Dwight Freeney and Grady Jarrett finished with one sack apiece and Adrian Clayborn was credited with half a sack on a play where the 6-foot-3, 280-pound defensive end converged on Lynch with Freeney. “A young guy like [Beasley] going out there and having three-and-a-half [sacks], it's an amazing game for him, and I'm happy for him,” said Freeney. Photos courtesy of the Atlanta Falcons

SCORE ATLANTA | www.ScoreAtl.com

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14 NEIGHBORHOOD LOCATIONS IN METRO ATLANTA

Vol. 12 Iss. 24 | October 13 - October 19, 2016

tions through Cartersville’s first seven games

ton County fell all the way to No. 9 due to

of the season. He has also rushed for four

the strength of Class AAAAAAA. Valdosta

CARTERSVILLE’S SUCCESS SEES FULL-CIRCLE MOMENT

touchdowns in the past two games.

climbed to No. 2 after toppling previous No.

Sandy Creek will need a solid perfor-

1 Northside-Warner Robins 14-6. Harrison

mance from junior quarterback Bryant Walk-

moved to No. 4 after improving to 6-0 for the

er and much more to keep pace with Law-

first time since 2008.

BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

rence. Running back Jaelen Green is coming

Class AAAAA and Class AAAA remained the

off his second three-touchdown perfor-

same for the second straight week. Defend-

mance of the season after taking 13 carries

ing Class AAA state champion Westminster

for 106 yards in last week’s 47-19 win over

has officially put its 0-2 start in the rearview

Chapel Hill. Sandy Creek has excellent team

mirror as the Wildcats now find themselves

speed, but it will also take timely plays to

slotted at No. 2 following an impressive 49-

keep the ball out of the hands of Cartersville.

36 home victory against defending AA champ

Kaleb Slaughter is the top receiving threat

No. 5 Pace Academy.

for Sandy Creek and enters Friday with a

team-high six receiving touchdowns.

the No. 9 and No. 10 positions. Dublin was

Visit scoreatl.com to watch Cartersville

dumped by Dodge County 28-21, knocking

at Sandy Creek live in the Atlanta Falcons HS

the Irish from the rankings. Toombs County

Game of the Week.

is a beneficiary, moving up to No. 9 while

PREP SPOTLIGHT

win at Sandy Creek on Friday would give Cartersville some rare company. Out of

ing. The week following Cartersville’s win over

Sandy Creek’s 87 all-time opponents, Cart-

ricanes run with a 27-3 semifinal victory on

ersville is one of just 12 teams that has a win-

Dec. 5, 2014. If you hadn’t heard, this was the

ning record against the Fighting Patriots. It's

last time Cartersville saw the loss column.

Marist that leads the way with a 4-0 all-time

Since the semifinal loss to Buford, Lawrence

record against Sandy Creek, but Cartersville

and Cartersville have compiled a state-best

could join the War Eagles at 4-0 all-time with

22-game winning streak, including a 10-0

a win at the Battlefield. The two programs last

state championship win over Buford in last

met in the quarterfinals of the 2014 playoffs.

year’s Class AAAA final.

What seems like a distant memory, is actu-

ally the game that previewed the unparalleled

again, now that the two programs are region

success we are seeing today with Cartersville.

opponents for the first time since 2007. It’s

Then-freshman quarterback Trevor Law-

impressive to see how far he has come since

rence, passed for 305 yards and a touchdown

bursting on the scene with his ninth grade

to lead the Purple Hurricanes to a back-and-

victory over Sandy Creek. Today, Lawrence

forth 35-31 victory. It was this game that I

wears the title of the No. 1 ranked junior pros-

realized how good Lawrence was and how

Sandy Creek, Buford stopped the Purple Hur-

Lawrence will face the Patriots once

RANKINGS RUNDOWN

In Class AAAAAAA, No. 1 Roswell

The only change in Class AA comes at

Screven County makes an appearance at No. 10 after flying under the radar. The Gamecocks are 5-1.

cruised to a 45-14 victory over previously-un-

beaten Lassiter, which sent the Trojans to No.

top 10 as it becomes Class A-Public No. 2

8. North Paulding also lost its first game of

Twiggs County’s latest private school victim,

the season in a 31-28 loss to Hillgrove. North

pect in the entire country (and has been sur-

losing 21-0. Twiggs County is red-hot, jump-

Cobb replaced the Wolfpack at No. 10 after

good Cartersville was going to be for years to

gical passing the football this year to validate

ing four spots to No. 2 in A-Public. The Cobras

hanging tight with No. 4 McEachern 17-10.

come. Seeing a freshman quarterback show

his status). The 6-foot-5 quarterback has

have beaten three ranked teams this season

North Cobb hosts North Paulding this Friday.

(Toombs County 24-17, First Presbyterian 29-

the poise and skillset to eliminate three-time

completed 63 percent of his passes for 1,900

In Class AAAAAA, Lee County torched Hous-

state champion Sandy Creek was eye-open-

yards, 24 touchdowns and seven intercep-

ton County 55-29 and took over No. 1. Hous-

17, Stratford 21-0). Photos courtesy of canesathletics.com

Stratford Academy tumbles out of the

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Vol. 12 Iss. 24 | October 13 - October 19, 2016 UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA

DAWGS AWAIT VISITING COMMODORES BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

urricane Matthew set up a historic Sunday clash with South Carolina over the weekend. The Bulldogs scored a 28-14 win in what marked the program's first ever regular-season Sunday game. "It's a great feeling," said junior tailback Sony Michel who led Georgia with 133 yards rushing on 33 carries. "A lot of guys have aspirations of playing on Sundays so, you know, today was a day they felt what it would feel like to play on Sunday." While Michel had 133 yards, Nick Chubb contributed 121 rushing yards and two scores on 16 attempts. Freshman Brian Herrian also got in on the action and finished with nine carries for 82 yards. “We certainly made it more interesting than it needed to be,” said head coach Kirby Smark. “We challenged them to be physical, we tried to dominate the line of scrimmage, which I really thought we tried to do well. We have got to improve how we throw and catch

GEORGIA STATE

FORMER GHSA STANDOUTS POWER LADY PANTHERS BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

asketball practice tipped off on October 12 for the Georgia State women’s basketball team. Coming off a 10-19 season, the now experienced Panthers have reason for optimism behind a roster that features eight former GHSA players on their 15-player roster. "I’m excited about our depth this season,” head coach Sharon Baldwin-Tener said. “This has been the best offseason I’ve seen here at GSU. Our comradery, focus, dedication, and competiveness is at an all-time high.” In order to reach their potential, BaldwinTener has a few specific areas she wants to see improvement in. “Probably one of the biggest things we want to improve on is our fitness. We want to play with high intensity for the whole game,” Baldwin-Tener said. “I also want to see our team improve in the passing game. We want to make split-second decisions , but be smart with where we’re passing the ball.”

the ball, which to be honest, especially early in the game, there were tough conditions out there. They struggled early with it, we struggled early. But we were physical, kids played hard, very resilient guys.”

UP NEXT

Georgia remains in conference for a Homecoming matchup with Vanderbilt on Saturday. Smart is preparing to come out focused bright and early for the noon kickoff. “I think Dawg Walk being at 9 in the morning is really early. We’ve got to get out there as early as we can. We need a great turnout for this game. Our players need your support. We need a great environment. We’re looking forward to that with Homecoming. I think any chance you get to get back (home), I think it’s awesome. We’re playing a very well-coached Vanderbilt team that’s very disciplined and executes very well. Watching them offensively, they have a lot of similarities to our offense, and they do a really good job of being physical. They’re very well coached. I’ve got a lot of respect for their offensive coordinator (Andy Ludwig), who I’ve been against before. Their defense speaks for itself. They’ve done a really good job stopping a lot of teams in this league. I think Coach (Derek) Mason is one of the best defensive minds in all of college football and he has done a really good job with their defense. The challenges are definitely in front of us.”

GEORGIA GIRLS

Junior guard Makeba Ponder (Colquitt County) returns for her third season after leading the team in scoring her first two years in Atlanta. She averaged 12 points per game in 2015-16 and has led the Sun Belt in threepointers made each season. Sophomore Madison Newby (Archer) and incoming freshman Jada Lewis strengthen the backcourt. Newby struggled mightily with turnovers (over 4.0 per game), but still managed to averaged 8.6 points, 5.0 assists and 3.8 rebounds on her way to winning Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year. Lewis is an electric playmaker that won three straight state titles with McEachern and poured in 17.9 points, 5.4 assists and 3.0 steals per game as a senior. In the frontcourt, graduate transfer Tiffany Holston (Taylor County) brings an impressive college resume with her to Atlanta. She averaged 14.4 points and 10.7 rebounds at Albany State where she was named SIAC Player of the Year in 2015-16. Alaysia Mitchell (Wheeler), another senior transfer, provides size and rebounding. Other GHSA players on the roster include: senior Tatianna Jackson (Lovett), senior Haley Gerrin (Habersham Central) and sophomore Kierra Henry (Pope). In total, the Panthers have 11 veterans who have played in a combined 596 collegiate games coming to Decatur St. this winter.

GEORGIA TECH

SLUMPING JACKETS HOST GEORGIA SOUTHERN BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

eeding to bounce back after a heartbreaking 37-34 loss at Pittsburgh, Georgia Tech steps out of ACC play to welcome in-state foe Georgia Southern to Bobby Dodd Stadium. The Yellow Jackets have lost threestraight games and couldn’t complete several comeback attempts on Saturday. After trailing by as many as 11 points on two different occasions in the first half last Saturday, the Yellow Jackets rallied to take a 34-27 lead on J.J. Green's 10-yard touchdown run with 5:22 to go. However, Pitt scored 10 points in the final 3:50 of the game, including a tipped pass that went 74 yards for a touchdown and a 31-yard field goal that hit the right upright but still fell through the goal posts for the winning points as time expired. "I was proud of the effort [at Pittsburgh]. I thought our guys played hard, [we] just came up a play or two short,” said head coach Paul Johnson. “Seems like that's kind of how it's been happening lately a little bit. Put it in the

KENNESAW STATE

OWLS WIN FOURTH STRAIGHT BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

ophomore QB Chandler Burks rushed for Sweek, three touchdowns for the second straight and the Kennesaw State football team

won its fourth straight game by pulling away from Missouri S&T, 49-16, Saturday at Fifth Third Bank Stadium. Burks did yeoman's work on the ground, carrying a career-high 29 carries for 118 yards. His third TD of the day put the game out of reach at 35-16 with 12:53 remaining. "I'm glad we won, but we didn't play particularly well," said head coach Brian Bohannon "But we fought through it, we challenged them at halftime, and I'm proud of the fact we won. We've won a few a few in a row now and we're getting ready to go into conference play. We're coming off two very emotional road wins, and we found a way to win today when we didn't play our best."

WINNING WAYS

The Owls (4-1) have strung together four consecutive wins for the first time in the

rearview mirror and move on. We're getting ready to play a really talented Georgia Southern team. I think they've got some really good skill guys, especially offensively -- the quarterback, running backs, receivers. It's a pretty veteran group, a lot of the same guys we played here a couple of year ago, especially skill-wise. I know it's going to be a tough, hard-fought game because, having been there, I know how excited they will be to have the opportunity to come play. They're going to be fired up to come in here and have a chance to play."

RARE REUNION

Johnson will face his former team Georgia Southern, which runs the same triple option offense as Georgia Tech. “I still have a ton of friends there and a lot of support,” explained Johnson. “I've got really fond memories of the place. When I was there, we were very successful. I think I was looking at it today, I think my last two years as the offensive coordinator and the five years as the head coach, we were 26-4 and 62-10. So we won a lot of games. But that's all history. Now we're trying to get ready to play and, having been there, I'm trying to make our guys understand how excited they're going to be have a chance to come in here and play. We've got to be able to match their intensity and everything and be ready to play."

program's two-season history, and remain home next Saturday at 7 p.m. to host Liberty (2-3) in the Big South Conference opener for both teams. Chaston Bennett also matched his career high with two rushing scores as the Owls nearly doubled up the Miners in total yards (471-248), including a decisive edge on the ground (369-109). Kennesaw State entered the game as the nation's fifth-best rushing team at 282.0 yards per game. Over this four-game winning streak, the Owls are averaging 46.5 points per game. "We felt like we could run the ball today," said Bohannon. "And early on we were moving it at will. The wind was an issue in terms of being able to throw it. We tried to throw it some, but we felt like we could run the ball and that's what we did."

UP NEXT

Kennesaw State welcomes Liberty Saturday night in the Big South Conference opener for both teams. The Owls are looking to win their conference opener for the second straight year. Kennesaw State enters Saturday's game leading in the Big South Conference in total offense (480.0 ypg), scoring offense (40.6 ppg) rushing offense (299.4 ypg), total defense (329.4 ypg) and rushing defense (94.2 ypg). Over the their four-game winning streak, the Owls are scoring an impressive 46.5 points per game and averaging 513.0 yards per game.

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