Issuu

Time to look great!

VOLUME 11 ISSUE 13 | APRIL 10-16, 2015

Trouble in K-Saw | Pg. 4 Kyle Sandy examines the past, present and future Kennesaw State’s athletics.

Championship Success | Pg. 8 Holy Innocents’ head coach Taylor Noland receives national honor.

YOUR SOURCE FOR SPORTS IN GEORGIA

BACK FOR MORE Playoffs quickly approach as spring season enters crunch time. | Pg. 5

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Vol. 11 Iss. 13 | April 10-16, 2015

STARTING LINEUP PUBLISHER/EDITOR I.J. Rosenberg

COLUMNISTS

ON THE COVER

PREP COVER

ART/CREATIVE DIRECTOR DJ Galbiati Blalock

MANAGING EDITOR Craig Sager II

MARKETING/ Lauren Goldstein PARTNERSHIP DIRECTOR

BUSINESS MANAGER Marvin Botnick

BEAT WRITERS Ricky Dimon (Braves) Brian Jones (KSU) Dan Mathews (UGA) Craig Sager II (Falcons) Kyle Sandy (Hawks, GSU, Gladiators) Colin Hubbard (Tech) STAFF WRITERS Jalisa Smith Matthew Cason

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

TEAM SCOOP AND VOICES

06 12 13

COVER PHOTOS COURTESY OF KENNESAW STATE ATHLETICS, HIES AND SONNY KENNEDY..

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SANDY’S SPIEL

WHAT IS GOING ON AT KENNESAW STATE? BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

can someone really tell us what is goPof lease, ing on at Kennesaw State University? One the largest schools in the state of Georgia’s

athletic program has been swept under the rug, but that rug is getting mighty bulky and some dust bunnies are starting to spill out. When Athletic Director Vaughn Williams came on campus in May of 2011 after a successful run at UConn, alumni, students and fans were all stoked about the prospects of bringing in a big name from a big school, but what has transpired since Williams’ arrival has not been all diamonds and gold. From a student’s perspective it’s looked like Williams has had a one-track mind which has been focused solely on building the football program while turning a blind eye to other big sports that the school must improve. Most

notably the basketball program has suffered dearly and now both the men’s and women’s team have controversy swirling around them. Lewis Preston was Vaughn Williams’ first basketball hire for the men’s program and it was a disaster. Preston brought an infectious bad attitude that rubbed off on the players. He did not bring an energy that made players want to play for him and instead created a rift with his negative demeanor. Preston was woefully bad for a program that needed a leader after the dismissal of long-time coach Tony Ingle. Preston limped his way through a 9-67 record in two-plus seasons before taking a leave of absence and not returning. Once Preston was let go in 2014, Williams had the opportunity to make a splash and try and get a big name coach to come to Ken-

DAN’S DOCKETT

GEORGIA PASSES THE TORCH AT LINEBACKER POSITION BY DAN MATHEWS | DAMTHEWS@SCOREATL.COM

ver the last few seasons, Georgia has not worried about the depth in the inside lineO backer group. Really since at least 2012, this

group has had two constant starters and capable backups. In that SEC runner-up season, we saw Alec Ogletree (after suspension) and Michael Gilliard started out the season as the starters. Eventually we saw Amarlo Herrera emerge as the starter and even saw Christian Robinson make plays in a back-up role. The next season it became Ramik Wilson and Amarlo Herrera on the inside for the defense. This became a heck of a duo for the Bulldogs over the next couple of seasons in Athens. The good news is, that even with Wilson and Herrera on the inside in 2014, the new crop of Reggie Carter and Tim Kimbrough were not only able to learn, but also get some mean-

ingful playing time behind them last season. The two rising junior linebackers seem poised to take over the inside coming off a combined 60 solo tackles between the two. They’re taking over for 230 combined solo tackles in the past two seasons by their predecessors. Right now, Georgia has about eight players vying for playing time at those two inside spots on the defense. Head coach Mark Richt says he likes what he’s seeing out of Carter/Kimbrough, but that job search is far from over. “They have had a lot of practice reps coming into this year,” Richt said. “They’re not rookies by any means. I think that they have tried to take on the leadership in there (linebackers meeting room). They’ve tried to be vocal as far as making calls and playing aggres-

nesaw. All it would take is one coach that he could convince that KSU was a school on the verge of exploding. He needed to sell the program and a vision. Instead, Kennesaw took the cheap way out and went with the in-house hire of Jimmy Lallathin. Lallathin did a respectable job winning three games as the interim coach of the team and then finished this season 1022, better then Lewis Preston ever did. There were some bumps along the road including an early season suspension of Lallathin for NCAA violations. So the team showed some progress with double digit wins for the first time since 200910, so what happens? Lallathin is fired. Why? Who knows. Now KSU is yet again at a crossroads. Do they do the right thing and try to lure a former coach who has been announcing? Seth Greenberg? Someone of that ilk? Heck, College of Charleston had Bobby Cremins so it can be done. Another way they could go is look elsewhere to a successful program and try to pluck a young assistant. Hopefully the rumors are not true and David Rivers will not slide over a seat so the school can save money and continue to neglect developing a basketball program. Ok so the men’s program is in disarray, how about the women’s? The Lady Owls improved from 6-24 a year ago to 17-13 this year,

great right? Not so fast. Something very wrong may be going on with this team as well. A parent of a player on the team has gone to games wearing a shirt that reads: “Abusers depend on ‘silence’ DON’T BE ‘SILENT’” and on the back it says: “BE ‘CIVIL’ BREAK THE SILENCE OF ABUSE”. I’m not sure what it means, but it definitely can’t be good. Nitra Perry is the head coach of the women’s team and might be someone who has some answers. Things are not good right now at Kennesaw State. The football team had its first spring game but the media was pulled from its coverage and brought into a room where Vaughn Williams gave “nothing but terse, repetitive answers” about the firing of Lallathin according to The Sentinel’s Chris Raimondi. In his three-plus years Vaughn Williams has loved to be in the forefront for the strides the football program has made, but has remained mum on more serious issues. To quote Marcellus from Hamlet, “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark”. Sadly, the same can be said about KSU athletics. There are some serious warts that might finally see the light of day in the upcoming months. Photo courtesy of KSU Athletics.

sive. They’ve certainly got a ways to go and I wouldn’t say anybody has nailed any position down for next season. But, I do see them practicing hard and trying to lead as well.” You will think with these players pretty much playing in every single game last season that the job would be there’s for the taking. You just saw that Richt isn’t saying that’s the case and Kimbrough says that he’s not taking anything for granted. “I feel like it’s just a competing thing and that me and Reggie are just getting better every day because we’re competing,” Kimbrough said. “We’ve got somebody behind us real good and you’ve just got to compete for your spot every day. So I feel like it’s making us great.” Carter likes the chemistry that he’s developed with Kimbrough, dating back to last season. But, he also realizes that they’ve been helped by what they learned from Herrera/ Wilson. “We learned a lot from those guys,” Carter said. “They left big shoes to fill, with All-SEC mentions. They did a good job of preparing us.” We pointed out the numbers in that position group, which already includes UAB transfer Jake Ganus. Plus, the team will bring in highly-touted inside linebacker Roquan Smith this fall. The numbers are there for the position group to find their starter. While the signs

point to Carter being one of those starters with Kimbrough, he still knows that it could be anyone’s job. “That’s just good,” Carter said. “I feel like everyone at our position is good and we can rotate in. We feed off each other. One person messes up, don’t make the same mistake twice. (If) someone sees me mess up and they quickly learn from that. As long as we feed off each other, it should be good.” Even with numbers being a motivator for these two returners to compete every day at practice, they also know there’s another factor to the equation. That factor is defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt. During his first full season in Athens, Pruitt has proven to be a man who loves competition on the field. Along with that being the case, he’s also shown that he’ll give playing time to those who earn those reps. Pruitt’s mantra throughout his tenure at Georgia has been that he, “won’t always give you what you want, but I’ll give you what you earn.” We will get an in-depth look at Carter and Kimbrough this Saturday, when the team holds their annual ‘G-Day’ scrimmage at Sanford Stadium. In terms of what this group with Roquan Smith in the fold and competing for time on the field? That has to wait until early August. Photo courtesy of Rob Saye.

Vol. 11 Iss. 13 | April 10-16, 2015

ON THE COVER

PREP SPORTS

SPRING SPORTS ENTERS FINAL STRETCH OF REGULAR SEASON BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

he soccer season has seen the Marist girls once again power through the competition and their current undefeated 2015 season keeps a winning-streak alive that dates back to the 2012 season. They have posted four shutouts in their last five games and have outscored opponents 36-1 in those five. Marist’s most recent victories over Chamblee (2-0) and Redan (10-0). As for the Marist boys, they took care of Redan (10-0) and Woodward Academy (31) last week. The War Eagles have dates this week with Southeast Whitfield and Parkview. A convincing comeback was staged last Thursday when the Providence Christian girls prevailed 6-2 at Towns County. The Storm trailed 2-0 only to score six unanswered goals and even their 2015 record at 6-6. Ashlee Thompson found the back of the net three times against Towns County, while Anna Bougas scored twice and Sydney Hendricks added one goal. In a Region 8-AAAAAA boys’ showdown last Thursday, Parkview shut out Grayson 2-0 on goals by Louis Gratz and Andrei Bajura.

The Rams were unable to get anything past Parkview goalkeeper Austin Lu. Following their contest against Marist on Friday, the Panthers will face Centennial on Saturday. The Roswell boys will look to wrap up the No. 1 seed out of Region 5-AAAAAA when they return from spring break next week to face Wheeler and Woodstock. The Hornets have engineered a remarkable turnaround this season, with an 11-2 record in the immediate aftermath of a 4-13-1 mark during the 2014 campaign. Their high-powered offensive attack has produced at least three goals in 10 consecutive games. Roswell is led by captains Cal Jennings and Arturo Hernandez in addition to sophomore goalie Jose Isidoro. BASEBALL NEWS… Across the state, the race for region titles and coveted home field in the playoffs has tightened up. Region 8-AAAAAA saw Grayson (9-9, 5-3) down the No. 8 Archer Tigers (13-5, 6-2) and throw a wrench into the region race. The Rams used a David Stinson completegame pitching performance to grab a 5-2 vic-

tory. Nick Clarno and Oscar Serratos powered the Grayson offense with Clarno blasting a homer and Serratos providing three hits. Elsewhere in the region, No. 5 Brookwood (14-3, 7-1) who is tied with No. 1 Parkview (15-2, 7-1) for the region lead, blasted Central Gwinnett (2-16, 0-8) 17-0. Davis Tovey, Jonathan White and Brock Baughcum combined to drive in nine runs. North Gwinnett (13-5, 6-0) debuts in the polls at No. 7 after nine consecutive wins and sole possession of first place in Region 7. Ben Carswell finished 2-4 with 2 RBIs to lead the charge for the Bulldogs in a 7-6 win over Collins Hill (10-7, 4-2). Class 5A’s former top ranked team Greenbrier (14-1, 5-1) fell to No. 2 in the rankings after dropping 3-0 to Lakeside (8-10, 3-4). A tworun homer from Raekwon Bennett in the fourth inning gave the Panthers a lead they wouldn’t let go of as they shocked the Wolfpack. Brandon Hensley would add an insurance run in the fifth. Junior Daniel Wiggins hurled a completegame shutout to pick up the win. Starr’s Mill (17-1, 8-0) is riding a 13-game win streak and now ascends to the top spot in 5A. The Panthers’ latest win came against Northgate (8-6, 6-3) 4-3. Starr’s Mill broke a 3-3 tie in the top of the sixth on an Allan Shad RBI single. Chad Green did the damage for the losing Vikings with a three-run homer in the fourth. No. 1 Buford (16-2, 8-0) disposed of No. 10 North Hall (11-7, 6-4) in consecutive games in a battle of Region 8-AAAA frontrunners. The Wolves edged the Trojans 3-2 on Wednesday at home then followed it up with a 6-0 win on the road on Friday. Connor Bennett was the story on the mound tossing a complete-game shutout with 14 K’s. While Bennett was dealing on the bump, it was Joey Bart who supplied the offense at the plate picking up three RBIs to go along with his two hits. The No. 2 ranked team in AAA is Pierce County who has now won 13-straight games. The Bears are 18-1 overall and 13-0 in Region 1. After a 4-5 start to the season and a departure from the top ten, No. 6 Westminster reenters the poll on fire picking up nine straight victories and now hold a 13-5 overall record with a 10-1 Region 4-AAA record. The Wildcats are coming off of back-to-back 15-0 wins. Lovett (13-3, 6-1) handed No. 1 Wesleyan (15-3, 6-1) its first loss in region play, 7-6. Wesleyan would soon rebound with a 13-7 win over GAC. Hard charging No. 4 Benedictine (14-4, 8-0) extended its win streak to 10 games after picking up a 5-0 win over Bryan County (5-7, 0-5) on Thursday. Al Pesto allowed one hit and

struck out 10 in his complete-game shutout. Ryan Woiwode paced the Cadet offense with two hits and two RBIs. Previously undefeated No. 3 Tattnall Square (14-1, 7-0) was upended by No. 5 Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy (12-3, 6-0) in Class A, 8-2 last Friday. Nick DiPonzio was the lone bright spot for the Trojans finishing 4-4 with two RBIs. LACROSSE NEWS… The Lambert girls faced top 10 teams in its last four games but went 0-4 during the brutal stretch and exited this week’s poll. In Class AAAAAA, the Sprayberry girls made their debut at No. 8 and McIntosh fell out of the poll after dropping a 9-8 loss to Lovett. In the next two weeks, top teams will get a long break in their schedules before the final week of the regular season. The top-ranked John’s Creek boys are off until an April 11 match with McCallie (TN) and Northview will be off even longer until its April 17 tilt with John’s Creek. The No. 4 Cambridge boys do not return until April 15 at Forsyth Central. The Milton girls will be the only team in action this Saturday as they face Archbishop Carroll (PA) and Georgetown Visitation (DC). The first round of the state playoffs begins May 5-6. Photos courtesy of Brookwood HS Sonny Kennedy and Pope HS.

Atlanta Braves

UCONN

Pitching

The trade of Craig Kimbrel on the eve of opening day all but signaled the team punting on this season and looking towards the future, but after two wins over the Marlins, fans are pleasantly surprised. The pitching staff has allowed just three runs in two games while the offense plated 12 runs in game two.

The Lady Huskies defeated Notre Dame yet again in the finals, 63-53 to bring home Head Coach Geno Auriemma’s 10th national title. He now ties John Wooden for the most championships as a head coach. UConn has been the epitome of a dynasty since Auriemma’s arrival in 1985.

The men on the mound dominated opening day. Six shutouts by teams in their first game of the season are the most in major league history. With the PED era over, there has been a surplus of pitching while hitting has come at a premium.

SCORE LIST By Brian Jones

WIN, WIN, WIN

On Tuesday, the Hawks defeated Phoenix to win their 58th game of the season. That is huge for them because no other Hawks team has won more games in a season. This team has played great basketball all year long, and it will be fun to watch them in the playoffs and make history yet again.

NICE START

It’s really early in the season, but the new-look Braves might not be as bad as everyone is predicting. The Bravos were able to defeat the Marlins twice to win the series, and they did it with a combination of good pitching and ever better offense. There still a lot of baseball to be played, but it should be a fun year.

WELCOME HOME

Speaking of the Braves, they will hope their home schedule on Friday when they take on the New York Mets. Going to the Braves home opener is always an experience because the atmosphere is almost like going to a SEC football game in the fall. It should be a packed house on Friday, especially the way the Braves started the season.

G-DAY GAME

The Bulldogs will have their annual spring scrimmage on Saturday at Sanford Stadium. It’s has been a very interesting spring practice as three quarterbacks are looking to be the starter in the fall. That will be interesting, but I’m looking forward to see linebacker Jake Ganus. Word is that he can flat out play, and could be the starting inside linebacker this year.

PGA DOES AUGUSTA

It’s that time once again. The golf world has migrated to Augusta for the weekend for the Masters, and it will be one nobody forgets. Can Tiger Woods get back to his winning ways? Can 2014 champ Bubba Watson defend his title and win his third green jacket in four years? This tournament is definitely not short on storylines.

WHO’S NOT

By Kyle Sandy

WHO’S HOT

SCORE ATLANTA | www.ScoreAtl.com

Pero Antic & Thabo Sefolosha

Referees

KSU Athletics

Trouble is afoot for the two Hawks who decided to go out clubbing early Wednesday morning. Both players were booked and arrested outside a New York nightclub where Indiana Pacer Chris Copeland was stabbed. The duo refused to listen to cops’ directions and were taken into custody.

The refs struggled in the NCAA Final Four and National Championship. They blew a shot clock violation in the semis that couldn’t be reviewed. In the second half of the championship they botched crucial plays with a Duke player stepping out of bounds and later a Blue Devil tipping the ball out of bounds.

Problems and questions continue to linger around the athletic program. The men’s and women’s basketball team are dealing with their own issues. Coach Jimmy Lallathin was fired and Coach Nitra Perry has had allegations brought against her. It’s time for AD Vaughn Williams to gain control of the situation.

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

WHAT TEAM DID THE HAWKS BEAT TO RECORD A FRANCHISERECORD 58 WINS?

“Our fans, man, when I go out to eat fans come up and say how excited they are”

ANSWER ON PAGE 14

- DeMarre Carroll on the buzz surrounding the Hawks in the city.

Franchise record-setting wins by the Hawks on Tuesday

Assits in Atlanta’s 131-99 win over Brooklyn last Saturday

2012

The last time Marist’s girls soccer team lost a game

Weeks until the Corky Kell Classic

Week until the topseeded Hawks start the playoffs

15/1

The Hawks’ current odds to win the NBA Championship

18/5

The Hawks’ current odds to win the Eastern Conference

Weeks until the 2015 NFL Draft in Chicago

Vol. 11 Iss. 13 | April 10-16, 2015

SEMIFINALS

Wednesday, July 22 Georgia Dome Atlanta, GA

my life and I feel that I need to give back to the sport that has done so much for me,” explained Noland. “It’s never a “job” as long as you love what you do.”

SPRING SPORTS

COACH NOLAND RECEIVES NATIONAL HONOR BY RICKY DIMON & KYLE SANDY

oly Innocents’ volleyball head coach Taylor Noland’s list of accomplishments grew longer as the 2-time state champion was named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association’s 30 under 30 awards. The list consists primarily of college-level coaches but the level of success Noland has seen with the Golden Bears has drawn well-deserved national attention. The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) created the award to honor 30 of the up-and-coming volleyball coaches under 30 years old at all levels of the game. Noland is the only female high school coach to make the list. “It’s humbling to be named by an organization like the AVCA,” Noland told the Sandy Springs Patch. “I just want to add, however, that this wouldn’t be possible without all the hard work from my players over the years, not to mention the support from the athletic staff

and parents at Holy Innocents’.” In 2013, Noland led Holy Innocents’ to its first-ever state title and the team repeated this past season by capturing the Class AA title. The 2013 championship made Noland the first person in state history to win state titles as a player and coach. Noland starred at Woodward Academy where she took home three state titles (2001, 2002, 2003) before graduating and heading to the University of Tennessee. Holy Innocents’ played one of the toughest schedules in the state the past two seasons and has finished 34-14 each of the last two seasons. Noland’s other honors include 2013 A Coach of the Year, 2014 AA Coach of the Year, 2013 Area 7A Coach of the Year and Georgia Athletic Coaches Association Region Coach of the Year in 2012. “Volleyball has made a huge impact on

ON THE COURT ... The Starr’s Mill girls picked up a big win over Brookwood last Thursday. Brookwood dropped to 10-3 overall on the season, but it finished region play at a perfect 8-0 heading into the 8-AAAAAA tournament. The Broncos picked up wins at No. 3 singles (Ariel Charles) and No. 1 doubles (Leticia Coelho and Sydney Weigand) before succumbing to the Panthers 3-2. Coelho and Weigand were teaming up for the first time against Starr’s Mill, making for an interesting dynamic. Weigand’s family is hosting Coelho, who is an exchange student from Brazil. Clarke Central sophomore Caroline Caldwell improved to 11-0 for the season and 24-0 in her career when she defeated Flowery Branch’s Nicole Morris 6-3, 6-2 at No. 1 singles last week. Caldwell trailed 3-0 in the first set before restoring order to the match. It was the Flowery Branch girls, however, who won the Region 8-AAAA battle. The Falcons got singles victories from Olivia Correa and Peyton Brick. The Sequoyah girls secured the No. 1 seed from their sub-region heading into the Region 7-AAAAA event thanks to wins late last month

over rivals Dalton and River Ridge. Against Dalton, Taylor Dodd won at No. 1 singles 6-1, 6-0, Morgan Dodd coasted through her singles contest 6-0, 6-0 and Victoria Smith teamed up with Sophia Levantis to prevail 7-5, 6-2 in doubles. Those victories were enough for the Chiefs to hold off Dalton 3-2. Next up for Sequoyah is a road trip to Pickens on Wednesday before postseason competition begins on April 14. Walton’s program is nothing short of a powerhouse and both the boys and girls looked strong last week. The boys paid a visit to Class AAA state title favorite Westminster and pulled out a 3-2 victory despite missing one of their best players. Morgan Stone led the way at No. 1 singles for the Raiders. Westminster got wins from Josh Pinckney and Blair Nagel at No. 2 and No. 3 singles, respectively, but Walton took care of both doubles matches. The Walton girls have already kicked off Region 5-AAAAAA tournament action. They did not lose a single game to Lassiter in any of the three lines that finished. Bella Kuse won at No. 2 singles, Emily Gaskins and Grace Gaskins prevailed at No. 1 doubles and Jessica Cramer paired with Sophia Guldberg to get the job done at No. 2 doubles. Photos courtesy of HIES, Kim Glaze, Walton HS and John Gardner.

Vol. 11 Iss. 13 | April 10-16, 2015

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

Vol. 11 Iss. 13 | April 10-16, 2015

Score Atlanta Baseball Rankings Class AAAAAA

Class AAA

1...........................Parkview 2.........Kennesaw Mountain 3............................ Lambert 4................................Milton 5....................... Brookwood

1..................Blessed Trinity 2................... Pierce County 3............................ Jackson 4............Westside-Augusta 5...........................Jefferson

6............................... Walton 7.................. North Gwinnett 8................................Archer 9............................. Newnan 10.....................East Coweta

Class AAAAA 1........................ Starr’s Mill 2........................ Greenbrier 3........................Gainesville 4...........................Allatoona 5...................... Union Grove

Class AA 6.................... East Paulding 7..................................... Ola 8..........................Loganville 9....................... Stephenson 10...................Jones County

1.......................... Wesleyan 2................................ Lovett 3..Greater Atlanta Christian 4.......................Benedictine 5....................Bacon County

6..................... Locust Grove 7...................Liberty County 8................... Wayne County 9....................Mary Persons 10........................ North Hall

1......................King’s Ridge 2.......................... Mt. Paran 3..................Tattnall Square 4......... Whitefield Academy 5......... Eagle’s Landing Chr

Class AAAA 1...............................Buford 2....................... Whitewater 3..............................St. Pius 4.....................Troup County 5.......................Pike County

6......................Westminster 7..............................Decatur 8........................Hart County 9...........Washington County 10...............Franklin County

6...........................Jeff Davis 7..........................Darlington 8....................Rabun County 9.......................Thomasville 10............................Bremen

Class AAAAAA

Class AAA

1..................Chattahoochee 2...........................Campbell 3............................ Lambert 4................................Duluth 5............................. Roswell

1.............................Calhoun 2..................... Westminster 3...........................West Hall 4............................ Jackson 5................Dawson County

6........................Brookwood 7............................ Harrison 8............................... Walton 9.............................Marietta 10................ North Gwinnett

Class AAAAA

Class AAAAAA

1......................Johns Creek 2.........................Centennial 3............................ Lambert 4............................. Roswell 5..................................Pope

1................................Milton 2...............................Walton 3.............................Lassiter 4..................Chattahoochee 5......................... Northview

6..........................Mill Creek 7.................. North Gwinnett 8............................. Lassiter 9............................ Harrison 10........................Northview

6.................. North Gwinnett 7...................................Pope 8..........................Mill Creek 9............................ Harrison 10................... West Forsyth

Class A - AAAAA

1..................... Westminster 2................................ Lovett 3...........................Allatoona 4........................Cambridge 5...........................McIntosh

1........................Cambridge 2..................... Westminster 3..................Blessed Trinity 4....................................Kell 5..............................St. Pius

6.. Greater Atlanta Christian 7...........................Wesleyan 8....................... Benedictine 9................................ Marist 10............................ St. Pius

6......................... Creekview 7........................River Ridge 8........................ Sprayberry 9...........................Wesleyan 10..............Lakeside-Evans

6..............................Treutlen 7................ Charlton County 8..Emanuel County Institute 9......First Presbyterian Day 10......................Brookstone

6...................Blessed Trinity 7...............................Islands 8............................ East Hall 9.....................North Murray 10............................Decatur

Class AA 6............. Heritage-Conyers 7...........................Sequoyah 8......................... Riverwood 9.................Glynn Academy 10........................ Columbus

Class AAAA 1..............................St. Pius 2........ Woodward Academy 3....................North Oconee 4....................... Whitewater 5.........................Jonesboro

Score Atlanta Girls Lacrosse Rankings

Class A

Score Atlanta Boys Soccer Rankings

1................................Dalton 2........................ Greenbrier 3................ Houston County 4........................Gainesville 5........................ Starr’s Mill

Score Atlanta Boys Lacrosse Rankings

1..Greater Atlanta Christian 2..................Pace Academy 3...................... Thomasville 4.............Riverside Military 5................................ Lovett

1........... Stratford Academy 2............ Atlanta Intl School 3.......... Savannah Christian 4..............................Paideia 5.........Fellowship Christian

Class AAAAAA

Class AAA

1............................Harrison 2.............................Lassiter 3...............................Walton 4...................... East Coweta 5.............................Grayson

1..................... Westminster 2..................Blessed Trinity 3.................Dawson County 4............... Lumpkin County 5.............................Calhoun

6.............................Lambert 7........................... Parkview 8....................South Forsyth 9...................................Pope 10....................... Collins Hill

Class AAAAA 6................. Holy Innocents’ 7....................... Benedictine 8..............................Bremen 9.....................Union County 10.........................Wesleyan

Class A 6...........................LaGrange 7...........Southeast Whitfield 8.................... North Oconee 9................................Buford 10...........................Johnson

Score Atlanta Girls Soccer Rankings

1...........................McIntosh 2..........................Columbus 3..........................Northgate 4........................ Starr’s Mill 5........................Gainesville

Class AA 6.......................... Alexander 7.........................Greenbrier 8........................River Ridge 9................................. Rome 10..................Richmond Hill

Class AAAA 6...............Athens Academy 7......Mount Paran Christian 8.................St. Anne Pacelli 9..... Savannah Country Day 10........................... Aquinas

1................................Marist 2..............................St. Pius 3........ Woodward Academy 4............................Veterans 5...............................Buford

6......................... Adairsville 7..............................Decatur 8...................Savannah Arts 9..................Oconee County 10..........................Ringgold

1..Greater Atlanta Christian 2................................ Lovett 3.......................... Wesleyan 4......................St. Vincent’s 5.....................East Laurens

6................. Holy Innocents’ 7.................. Pace Academy 8..............................Bremen 9.......................... Fitzgerald 10..................Lamar County

Class A 6............................ Spalding 7........................Whitewater 8....................Mary Persons 9....................... Pike County 10................... Locust Grove

1.........Fellowship Christian 2...............Athens Academy 3.......... Savannah Christian 4............ Atlanta Intl School 5......First Presbyterian Day

6...............................Paideia 7............................. Aquinas 8............Stratford Academy 9..... Savannah Country Day 10............................. Walker

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UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA

WHAT TO WATCH FOR ON G-DAY BY DAN MATHEWS | DMATHEWS@SCOREATL.COM

aturday is Georgia’s annual spring game inside Sanford Stadium, known as ‘G-Day.’ As is the case every year, there are many positions that people will be keeping a close eye on. QUARTERBACK ... It seems according to last week’s scrimmage, that rising redshirt sophomore Brice Ramsey and junior Faton Bauta are in the lead for the new quarterback spot. That said, head coach Mark Richt told the Paul Finebaum Show on the SEC Network that the battle is still a “tight race” between those two and redshirt freshman Jacob Park. A telling sign will be the number of snaps each QB gets with the first team offense on Saturday. CENTER ... This race is currently a three way race as well between senior Hunter Long, sophomore Isaiah Wynn, and junior Brandon Kublanow. Wynn has started the last two scrimmages this spring and Long is the one of the three that has the most experience at the position. Kublanow tells us that he’s been working mostly at

GEORGIA STATE

BASEBALL AND WOMEN’S TENNIS WRAP UP STRONG WEEKENDS BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

eorgia State baseball (19-14, 8-3) picked up another series victory, this time over UALR (11-16, 8-6) two games to one. The Panthers earned victories on Friday and Saturday, but lost the series finale on Sunday, 4-2. The loss snapped a five game Sun Belt conference winning streak. Sam Thoele cooled down the red hot Panthers who tagged the Trojan pitching staff for a combined 25 runs in the first two games of the series. Thoele pitched eight strong innings while allowing just two runs. Cole Uvila dropped to 0-4 on the season. He allowed four runs on five hits while walking five batters in four-plus innings. Head coach Greg Frady talked about the Panthers’ struggles, “We got outpitched and couldn’t put up enough offense to combat that. We just hit too many fly balls today against a guy who was throwing hard and the wind blowing in.” The Panthers travel to Auburn for a midweek game on Wednesday and then return home to host UL Monroe next weekend at the GSU Baseball Complex.

his guard spot. One thing we do know is that these players have serious shoes to fill with the departure of three year starter David “Boss” Andrews. WIDE RECEIVER ... This group has been hampered by injury a little over the spring and is still trying to find a group of players that can be counted on in the 2015 season. The notable returners include seniors Malcolm Mitchell and Justin Scott-Wesley. You can also throw junior Reggie Davis into that list of returning players. Might a player like Charlie Hegedus help this team out? He recently returned to practice from a hamstring issue. Receiver’s coach Brian McClendon says that he’s looking for the “7-8 guys that can play winning football for UGA.” “STAR” POSITION ... This position really came into focus last season, when defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt basically made the base defense a nickel look. This position was manned by senior Damian Swann and his production rose when playing the position. Now, Georgia must find a replacement and there seems to be one name that is getting consideration for the starting job. It is looking like that redshirt sophomore Reggie Wilkerson could be the man for the job. However as is the case with Pruitt, nothing is ever set in stone. These are the main position groups that will have my eye on Saturday inside Sanford Stadium. Why don’t you join us out there? It gets underway at 2 pm and the best part about it? It is free to attend. Who can beat that? No one!

FOLLOW THE BOUNCING BALL ... The women’s tennis team finished up their regular season with a 5-2 win on Senior Day at Blackburn Tennis Center. The win advanced the Panthers’ record to 12-8 overall and 3-1 in Sun Belt play. They have now picked up five consecutive victories and carry momentum into the conference tournament as the Panthers look to defend their title. Senior Masa Grgan who was honored along with Chaimaa Roudami before the match on Saturday, is looking forward to another run at the conference title. “The team lost in the finals two or three years in a row and I was part of two of those years so I know how much it hurts. I’ll never forget the feeling of last year’s victory so we’ll be going for it again this year,” Grgan said. SPRING TRAINING ... Georgia State continued along with its spring practices as the football team gears up for another season. The Panthers scrimmaged on Saturday to wrap up practice and it was Nick Arbuckle who had the highlight of the day tossing a 70-yard bomb to Glenn Smith for a touchdown. Aside from the one big play, Coach Trent Miles is optimistic about the defense’s potential this season. “Without having a chance to watch film yet, it appeared as though the defense was able to keep its focus and stay ahead of the offense today”.

GEORGIA TECH

FALCONS HOST DEANDRE SMELTER IN PRE-DRAFT WORKOUT BY COLIN HUBBARD | CHUBBARD@SCOREATL.COM

ith three weeks left before the NFL draft the Atlanta Falcons hosted several local prospects last Tuesday, including Georgia Tech’s DeAndre Smelter. It is safe to say that Smelter’s ACL injury has hurt his draft stock mightily. But, his attributes attract a lot of teams. Smelter had his hands measured at 11 inches, a full inch larger than Amari Cooper and nearly inches bigger than Kevin White. In games in which a player reached 30 plus Receptions and 20.0 Yards per Reception, Smelter ranks fifth overall in wide receivers. The four players higher are all projected to go in the first or second round of the 2015 NFL draft while Smelter is projected to be selected in the seventh round or picked up in free agency. Not only is Smelter great at catching the football, but he is also a tremendous pass blocker. On a team that is a predominant run-

KENNESAW STATE

BASEBALL SWEPT BY STETSON, SOFTBALL SWEEPS STETSON BY BRIAN JONES | BJONES@SCOREATL.COM

he baseball team had high expectations coming into this season, and everything they want to accomplish is still in front of them. But recently, they have been struggling to get a hot streak going, and this past weekend was proof of that as they were swept by Stetson. Game 1 was played last Thursday, and the Owls could only manage one run on eight hits en route to a 6-1 loss. One of the highlights for the Owls was Chris McGowan and Grant Williams extending their hitting streaks to nine games. Brendan Morgan drove in the lone run for the Owls as he hit a two-out RBI double in the first inning. Game 2, which was played last Friday, was not much better as the Owls lost 6-2. The Owls were down 2-0 after four innings, but they were able to tie the game when Taylor Allum scored a run in the thanks to a Jeremy Howell ground out in the fifth inning, and then Allum hit a solo homer in the seventh. But Stet-

first team, Smelter, a former defensive back in high school, knows how to block for the run. Not only would Smelter be a steal in the NFL draft, but he would add a lot of upside to his future team as well as being able to play the special teams position very well. Look for Smelter to make an impact in the NFL when fully recovered from his ACL injury. WINNING WAYS… After a long week of baseball, the Yellow jackets improve to 22-11 on the season after going 4-1 this past week. The Jackets started off the weak defeating Georgia state, 6-3 and followed that win up with a series win in Blacksburg Virginia against Virginia Tech. The Jackets are now 3-1 in ACC series and sit in second place in the Coastal division behind the Miami Hurricanes. The Jackets will now play host to the Virginia Cavaliers in a three-game series starting tomorrow and will look to cut into the Hurricanes lead for first place. The Jacket’s Kel Johnson continues his stellar season, batting .379 good enough for fifth place in the ACC. Johnson sits in a tie for fourth place in homeruns with seven. Pitcher Zac Ryan sits alone in second place in the ACC in wins with five and is just one win behind first place Matt Pirro of Wake Forrest.

son scored four runs in the next two innings to secure the win. Last Saturday was the series finale, and while the Owls jumped to a 5-1 lead, Stetson was able to come back and win 8-5. The Owls were down 1-0 in the top of the fourth, but came roaring back with a five-run inning. Brendan Morgan drove in the first run, and with the bases loaded, Chris Erwin hit a homer to give himself his first collegiate grand slam. Stetson answered with seven more runs in the next three innings to give the Owls their 16th loss of the season. KSU will look to get back on track when they face Northern Kentucky in a threegame set this weekend. CONFERENCE CONTENDERS… While the baseball team is struggling, the same can’t be said for the softball team as they are coming off a series sweep against Stetson. After a winning both games in a Friday doubleheader, the Owls won the rubber game on Saturday 8-1. Courtney Sutter notched two hits and two RBI’s while Hillary Kartman also drove in two runs. With the series sweep, the Owls are now 7-5 in Atlantic Sun play, which puts them in second place. They will look to move to first place when they travel to Northern Kentucky for a three-game series this weekend.

Vol. 11 Iss. 13 | April 10-16, 2015 ATLANTA HAWKS

RECORD SET; TWO HAWKS CLIPPED BY COPS BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

he Hawks (58-19) came away with a 96-69 beat down of the Phoenix Suns (39-39) after Atlanta put the defensive clamps down in the second half. At the half the game was still in the balance with Atlanta in the lead 52-43. The Hawks allowed just 26 points in the second half as they raced past Phoenix. Without Paul Millsap who was diagnosed with a shoulder sprain and contusion, it was the next man up philosophy the Hawks have used all season to keep the ball rolling. Mike Muscala stepped up and finished 7-of-8 from the field and tied a team-high with 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds in his fourth start of his career. DeMarre Carroll and Jeff Teague also scored 16 points to pace the Hawks. Only Gerald Green cracked double digits for the Suns with 15 points. The win sets a single-season franchise record. Kyle Korver along with the rest of the team knows that setting the record is just a stepping stone. “It’s not our goal,” Korver said. “It’s just one of the things as we’re chasing our

ATLANTA BRAVES

BRAVES START 2-0 DESPITE TRADING KIMBREL BY RICKY DIMON | RDIMON@SCOREATL.COM

hat began with the departures of Justin Upton, Jason Heyward and Evan Gattis— all via trade—ended with Craig Kimbrel being dealt to the San Diego Padres. The Atlanta Braves’ tumultuous, roster-cleansing, salaryslashing offseason continued on Sunday when they shipped Kimbrel and Melvin Upton Jr. to San Diego in exchange for Cameron Maybin, Carlos Quentin, pitching prospect Matt Wisler, 20-year-old outfielder Jordan Paroubeck and the No. 41 pick in this summer’s draft. “We just felt it was the right time and the right piece for us,” general manager John Hart told the team’s website. “We were able to accomplish a lot of things within this. Certainly, we lost Craig Kimbrel. But…we freed up some financial flexibility and…what we do with that financial flexibility remains to be determined. But I think it’s going to be something where we’ll be aggressive in our approach.” The grand-scheme approach is no secret: Atlanta hopes to be competitive in 2017 and

ultimate goal. Things like this can happen. It’s definitely something to be proud of.”

ATLANTA FALCONS

DR. FEELGOOD ... Aside from losing Paul Millsap with a shoulder injury for two games after hurting it in a loose ball scramble in a blowout over Brooklyn on Saturday, Dennis Schroder and Mike Scott have returned to action after dealing with toe injuries. Schroder scored six points and dished out four assists in 15 minutes against the Suns in his first game back while Scott added seven points and six rebounds in his second game back from injury.

FALCONS ANNOUNCE OFFSEASON SCHEDULE

DIRTY BIRDS ... Early Wednesday morning both Pero Antic and Thabo Sefolosha ran into trouble with the law and have their playing status up in the air. After picking up a win in Atlanta, the team flew to New York to get ready for a game with Brooklyn on Wednesday. Indiana Pacers forward Chris Copeland and his wife were stabbed in the abdomen outside a New York nightclub that both Hawks were in attendance at. Both players were arrested and charged after refusing to move when the police tried to establish a crime scene. “We are aware of the situation involving Pero Antic and Thabo Sefolosha this morning,” Hawks spokesperson Garin Narain said in a statement. “We are in the process of gathering more information and will have further comment at the appropriate time.”

beyond after the new SunTrust Park opens in Cobb County. Wisler and Paroubeck could be key components on the roster when that time comes. A 22-year-old righty, Wisler recorded 136 strikeouts and a 4.42 ERA in 146.2 innings in Double-A and Triple-A last season. Paroubeck hit .286 in 34 games of Rookie ball during the 2015 campaign. He was selected by San Diego in round two of the 2013 draft. As for Quentin, he has already been designated for assignment and the veteran will never see the field in Atlanta. Maybin, 28, is versatile athlete who can play all three outfield positions. The Asheville, N.C. native enjoyed his best season in 2011—when he batted .264 with 82 runs scored and 40 stolen bases for the Padres. HOT START … Part of the motive for unloading Kimbrel is that a high-priced closer has little value on a team that is not projected to win many games. But the Braves had no use for Kimbrel for a much different reason in the second game of the season on Tuesday. They scored seven runs in the first inning en route to a 12-2 blowout of the Miami Marlins. Four different players had multiple RBIs, including Freddie Freeman with three and Maybin, Andrelton Simmons and Chris Johnson all with two. That was preceded by a 2-1 victory at Miami on Opening Day. The Braves’ first home series of 2015 is this Friday through Sunday against the New York Mets.

BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

he NFL announced complete dates for the 2015 offseason workout program and the Falcons got started Monday. Head coaches hired at the conclusion of the 2014 season are able to start offseason programs April 6, and Falcons head coach Dan Quinn is wasting no time as the team will kick things off then. OTA workout sessions will be May 26-29, June 2-3, June 5 and June 9-12. There will be a voluntary minicamp April 27-30 and a mandatory minicamp June 16-18. We will have more information on any sessions open to the public in the future. The mandatory minicamp will be followed in July by the start of training camp, the dates of which will also be announced in the future. MOTTA RELEASED… The Atlanta Falcons today announced that they have waived safety Zeke Motta, 6-0, 206 pounds, was selected by the Falcons in the seventh round (244th overall) of the 2013 NFL Draft out of Notre Dame. He played in

GWINNETT GLADIATORS

BRANDT WILL LEAD GLADS INTO OFFSEASON BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

wo games remain in the 2014-15 ECHL season. It has been a disappointing year for the Gwinnett Gladiators who find themselves in 13th place out of a possible 14 in the Eastern Conference. In the entire ECHL the Gladiators rank 25th in the 28 team league. Gwinnett (1944-3-4) has allowed 256 goals this season which ranks in the bottom five, but it has been the offense which has let the team down the most, scoring a second-worst 170 goals leading only last place Evansville (15-46-5-3). Last season the Gladiators finished with 29 wins and 43 the year before. It has been a steady decline as the team attempts to rebuild. Casey Pierro-Zabotel highlights the one of many players who were traded away this season for younger players. In his time with the team Pierro-Zabotel led Gwinnett in goals scored. Much like the Atlanta Braves, Gwinnett is looking towards the future and will attempt to bring in more young talent as the offseason approaches. Interim head coach Andy

10 games with one start as a rookie in 2013, recording 16 tackles (nine solo) and one pass defense. The NFL Draft opens April 30 in Chicago and Atlanta holds the No. 8 pick. Out of the projected target stands Vic Beasley out of Clemson. Draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. list the outside linebacker as the best option for the Falcons to start building their 2015 Draft Class. “No player has risen more on the draft boards of teams across the league coming out of the NFL combine,” explained Kiper Jr. “When you run 4.53 with a 1.59 split, post a vertical of 41 inches and put up a bench press total (35 reps) that’s as good as the strongest nose tackles, and at a chiseled 246 pounds — well, you turn some heads. Thing is, Beasley isn’t just an athletic freak because he’s been a one-man production line at Clemson, with 44.5 tackles for loss over the last two seasons. He can flat out create disruption and get to the quarterback, and that’s exactly what Atlanta needs. The pass rush is desperate for production and Beasley can help soon.” Todd McShay projects the Falcons to go with SEC pass rusher Shane Ray out of Missouri. “The Falcons desperately need to upgrade their pass rush, and they’ll have several edge rushers from which to choose in this scenario. I have them going with Ray over Vic Beasley, because while both have elite first-step quickness, Ray has better length and is more relentless.”

Brandt was named as the official Head Coach and General Manager of Hockey Operations for the 2015-16 season and gives Gwinnett a sense of direction. Brandt, a former Gladiator himself, was thrilled with the anointing. “I am extremely honored to be named Head Coach and to take on the duties of General Manager of Hockey Operations,” said Brandt. “I am very thankful for this opportunity. I look forward to building upon the tradition of excellence that was instilled in me during my career here.” POINT IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION ... Fan Appreciation Night was held on Saturday and the Gladiators managed to give the fans a spirited effort before coming up short 5-4 in a shootout loss to Greenville (37-29-2-3). Gwinnett fell in an early first period hole after Josh Nicholls and Anthony Luciani struck for goals. The Gladiators would score a trio of goals in the second period highlighted by Zach Sarig’s first professional goal. Both teams would add a goal in the third period to knot the game up at four apiece. Gwinnett would eventually fall in the shootout 2-1 after Brock Higgs was the only Glad to find the net against Jeff Malcolm. FINAL ACT ... Wednesday at 7:05 P.M. will mark Gwinnett’s final home game of the season. It will be a Spring Break Game offering student discounts. The Gladiators wrap up the season on Saturday in Greenville.

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Vol. 11 Iss. 13 | April 10-16, 2015

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