Georgia Elite Classic Showcase This Saturday At Grady; State Gymnastics Preview

GEORGIA ELITE CLASSIC SHOWCASE THIS SATURDAY; GHSA GYMNASTICS STATE PREVIEW

The Georgia Elite Classic Showcase is coming this Saturday at Grady High School and will feature pass-rushing specialist Chuck Smith, QB training expert Chris Hixson and 247Sports recruiting analyst Rusty Mansell. SIGN UP ONLINE HERE! Registration is $75 before the event. Check-in is at 9 a.m., and walk-up registration is $85. Also, we preview the GHSA gymnastics state meet, which takes place Friday at Ola High School. West Forsyth's gymnasts are looking for a repeat in the team and all-around.

Follow along each night this week as Score Atlanta tracks spring sports scores across the state on ScoreAtl.com and AJC.com. Visit Scoreatl.com and the AJC's High School page for additional sports coverage.

In This Issue

GEORGIA ELITE CLASSIC SHOWCASE; STATE GYMNASTICS PREVIEW

WED. SCORES

Baseball

Arabia Mountain 19, Columbia 0
Archer 9, Shiloh 2
Athens Academy 8, Oglethorpe County 2
Atkinson County 14, Wheeler County 8
Bainbridge 7, Tift County 6
Bowdon 7, King's Ridge 6
Brookwood 4, Parkview 3
Cambridge 10, Dunwoody 9
Carrollton 12, Rome 7
Centennial 1, Northview 0
Chamblee 15, Miller Grove 4
Commerce 4, East Jackson 2
Decatur 10, North Springs 6
East Paulding 6, Kell 2
Eastside 18, Salem 0
Effingham County 6, Brunswick 3
Elbert County 8, Hart County 2
Emanuel Co. Inst. 9, Southeast Bulloch 1

Flowery Branch 12, Cedar Shoals 0

Forsyth Central 4, West Forsyth 2

Glenwood (AL) 7, Heard County 0
Grayson 3, Rockdale County 2
Habersham Central 8, Dacula 6
Heritage-Conyers 27, Alcovy 3
Hiram 12, Woodland-Bartow 2
Holy Innocents' 4, Mt. Vernon 3
Jackson-Atlanta 11, Riverwood 10
Jefferson 11, Madison County 1
Jonesboro 5, Mt. Zion-J'boro 4
Kennesaw Mtn. 14, Marietta 6
Lakeview Academy 18, Atl. Jewish Acad. 3
Lithonia 10, Southwest DeKalb 4
Loganville 13, Johnson-Gainesville 0
Lovejoy 10, Forest Park 9
Lovett 7, Pace Academy 4
M.L. King 7, Drew 6
Manchester 15, Greenville 0
Mary Persons 9, Upson-Lee 8
Mays 17, Langston Hughes 6
Milton 6, North Forsyth 5
Monroe Area 11, Banks County 5
Mt. Paran 8, Gordon Lee 7
Mt. Pisgah 17, Galloway 2
North Cobb 3, Hillgrove 0
North Cobb Christian 6, Walker 5
North Gwinnett 14, Duluth 0
North Hall 10, Dawson County 1
North Oconee 7, Oconee Co. 1
North Paulding 16, McEachern 10
Northgate 16, Douglas County 5
Paideia 4, Eagle's Landing Chr. 3
Rabun County 4, Rabun Gap-Nacoochee 1
Redan 15, Towers 0
Richmond Hill 11, Bradwell Institute 1
Schley County 11, Miller County 0
South Atlanta 18, KIPP Atlanta 3
South Forsyth 6, Lambert 1
South Paulding 2, Alexander 1
Spalding 9, Perry 8
Stephens County 3, St. Pius X 2
Stephenson 7, Mundy's Mill 0
Stratford Academy 5, Aquinas 4
Strong Rock 5, Wesleyan 2
Tallulah Falls 5, Riverside Mil. 2
Tattnall Square 3, First Presbyterian 2
Thomas Co. Central 8, Colquitt County 2
Thomasville 11, Pelham 3
Union County 7, East Hall 5
Villa Rica 4, Paulding County 1
Weber 7, Landmark Christian 6
West Laurens 4, Howard 0
Westminster 16, Cedar Grove 1
Westside-Augusta 15, Thomson 0
Whitewater 15, Morrow 4
Wilkinson County 7, Baldwin 4
Winder-Barrow 10, Lanier 0
Woodward Academy 13, Luella 0

Boys Soccer

Benedictine 2, Effingham Col 0
Clarkston 10, Miller Grove 0
Dutchtown 4, Stockbridge 0
Glynn Academy 3, Camden County 1
Grady 3, Druid Hills 2
Greenbrier 5, Richmond Acad. 0
Harris County 4, Warner Robins 1
Jeff Davis 3, Metter 2
Lambert 5, North Gwinnett 1
Meadowcreek 2, Berkmar 1
Peach Co. 5, Westside-Macon 0
Rutland 1, Jones County 0
Union County 1, Towns County 0
Woodward Academy 2, Whitewater 1

Girls Soccer

Campbell 7, Osborne 1
Dutchtown 3, Stockbridge 0
Forsyth Central 1, Lumpkin Co. 0
Grady 4, Druid Hills 0
Harris County 8, Warner Robins 3
Newnan 2, Carrollton 0
North Gwinnett 1, Lambert 0
Rabun Gap-Nacoochee 2, Tallulah Falls 0
St. Vincent's 3, Effingham Co. 1
Toombs County 2, Swainsboro 1
Towns County 5, Union County 1

Boys Lacrosse

Benedictine 15, First Presb. 5
Centennial 12, Northview 5
East Paulding 13, Fayette Co. 1
Lassiter 12, Etowah 9
Mt. de Sales 12, Eagle's Landing Chr. 7
P'tree Ridge 12, Mountain View 9
Soddy Daisy (TN) 18, Dalton 2

Girls Lacrosse

Brookwood 9, Peachtree Ridge 8
Fellowship Christian 16, Grady 3
Henry County 20, Dutchtown 9
Hillgrove 17, North Paulding 16
Johns Creek 11, Northview 7
Kennesaw Mountain 12, Wesleyan 10
Lakeside-Evans 16, Greenbrier 2
Newnan 10, Carrollton 9
Sequoyah 13, Forsyth Central 9
Union Grove 9, Columbus 5

Thursday, April 19, 2018

GA ELITE CLASSIC SHOWCASE

By Craig Sager

Grady set to host offseason's first GA Elite

Classic Showcase

The offseason's first Georgia Elite Classic Showcase will take place this Saturday, April 21, at Grady High School. Players from the Class of 2019 through the Class of 2022 are eligible to attend and can take advantage of this early opportunity to compete, get better, and showcase their abilities. Leading the camp evaluations will be showcase coordinator, Georgia Elite


	Pass-rushing guru Chuck Smith will join QB training expert Chris Hixson and 247Sports recruiting analyst Rusty Mansell.

Classic Director of Player Personnel and 247Sports analyst Rusty Mansell, along with the Classic's selection and review committee. In addition, The Passing Academy founder Chris Hixson and Master Pass Rush specialist Chuck Smith will headline the camp's expert instructors.

"The evaluation process is an essential part of recruiting and there are only so many camps to go to each offseason," explained Mansell. "So this really is a golden opportunity for us. Holding this showcase allows the Georgia Elite Classic selection committee, recruiting services and players from the next four recruiting classes to dive into this process before the summer and really hit the ground running. You could drop a pin at Grady High School and go around a 30-mile radius and find DI and FBS players packed in everywhere."

Hixson, a 4-year starter and Hall of Famer at the University of Rhode Island and former AFL starter is an expert on throwing mechanics and coaches the position with more than 30 years of personal success and experience.

Smith, a Clarke Central standout, former Tennessee Vol and All-Pro defensive end with the Falcons has become the game's leading pass rush specialist. Since 2002 Smith's VGHH (Vision, Get Off, Hands, Hips) System has specialized in skill training for defensive lineman, outside linebackers and hybrids (DL/OLB). It has been used by 44 College All-Americans and 29 NFL Pro Bowlers and Smith's reputation for developing the skills of pass rushers even enticed Falcons head coach Dan Quinn to get a first-hand look himself.

"I went to see him and hear him teach and came away with a general good feeling of all the unique stuff and passion he has for pass rushing," said Quinn. "He gave instant feedback right away. You could see him watch the drill and immediately give feedback. He didn't need the film. The best coaches can do that. He has real value. Some of those guys he's worked with have already taken their games from a good level to an excellent level."

The athletes will be put through a dynamic warm-up before they are divided into groups and rotated through the following testing stations for measurements: 40-yard dash, agility shuttle and broad jump (players will get two attempts at each station). After all the measurable tests are completed, players will be divided once again and evaluated on their performance in position specific drills, 1-on-1s and 2-on-2s.

"When I look at these camps, I see it as a fun and entertaining thing," said Smith. "There's no pressure or coaches breathing on their backs, so this is really just an opportunity to have fun while we work to get better."

Following the showcase, the results of each player's performance will go out to more than 250 colleges and their coaches.

"It's important in our game to get started early and maximize the available time to develop in the offseason," explained Hixson. "I believe the earlier you can start getting into the camp environment and immersing yourself in the competitiveness, the better. We can breakdown the mechanics and make sure we are throwing with a sturdy base and using the tools that a quarterback needs, but at the end of the day what I really love about camps is that aspect of competition. Having young guys out there pushing themselves and competing, because making sure no one out works you is a choice, not a statistic."

The Showcase check-in time is 9 a.m., and registration is available online HERE. For walk-ups the day of, the price to register is $85. And to top it off, Waffle House will be providing lunch.

GYMNASTICS STATE MEET

By Graham David

West Forsyth seeks second-straight title

This year's GHSA Gymnastics State Championship will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the sport's inaugural season in Georgia. And this Friday, April 20, all qualifying teams will compete at Ola High School in Henry County to show off their skills on the balance beam, uneven bars, vault and floor exercise. Throughout the past 50 seasons of GHSA girls gymnastics, 17 different schools have been crowned champions; 11 schools competing this Friday are seeking their first titles.

With 68 total teams participating in gymnastics during the 2017-18 season, competitors for 19 different programs qualified for the state meet. Among the top teams is defending champion West Forsyth, which edged out three-time defending champs Buford by just over one point during last year's championship. Now that the school has gotten its first-ever team state title, it will look to prove that last year's triumph was no fluke.


	W. Forsyth celebrates its '17 team title and all-around title for Sienna Schreiber.

Returning for West Forsyth is junior Sienna Schreiber. As just a sophomore, Schreiber, who has been committed to the University of Missouri since 2016, placed first in the all-around at last year's state championships with a score of 39.194. Her performance solidified her as Score Atlanta's Gymnast of the Year. Ella Castellanos is another top gymnast for the Wolverines, and Aundria Crittenden placed second behind her first-place teammate last season with an all-around score of 38.417 during last year's championships.

Her performance earned her first place in both the floor exercise and the vault. During the preliminaries at Dunwoody High School, Crittenden, a junior, placed second on the beam and first on the floor.

Perhaps West Forsyth's biggest roadblock on the way to a repeat title is Buford. Last year's squad narrowly lost what would have been its fourth-consecutive title but is back ready to reclaim the trophy. Of course, they'll have to do so without the talents of Lyndzi Jones and Claudia Goyco. The former Wolves helped lead their team to all of those titles, including last year's runner-up season. Now with Goyco (Ball State) and Jones graduated, Buford will have to find success elsewhere. The answer may lie with Cyrena Whalen, whose pristine performance during last year's championships gave her first place on the uneven bars with a score of 9.9. Kelsey Schulman's performance during Buford's meet this March at Westminster throws her into the mix of top competitors. At that event, Schulman placed first on vault, bars and floor to walk away with first place in the all-around.

At last week's preliminary meet, North Oconee finished with the highest team total, followed by No. 2 Milton, No. 3 West Forsyth and No. 4 Buford; the Wolverines were without Schreiber and Castellanos, who were competing at an elite USA Gymnastics regional event in Florida, as were top gymnasts for Buford. Earlier this month, the GHSA passed a bylaw allowing gymnasts to compete in the state meet even if they missed preliminaries to compete for their club; previously, high school coaches were required to submit a roster, which could not change, for both prelims and the state meet.

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