In This Issue
2018 CORKY KELL GAME 5 SPRING PREVIEW: EAST COWETA VS. KELL; WEEK 9 LACROSSE RANKINGS
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TUESDAY SCORES
Baseball
Adairsville 12, Bremen 2
Alexander 11, Mays 2
Alpharetta 10, Johns Creek 0
Aquinas 1, Mt. de Sales 0
Archer 13, Shiloh 1
B.E.S.T. Academy 12, Therrell 9
Baconton Charter 7, Terrell County 2
Blessed Trinity 8, West Hall 2
Bryan County 6, Vidalia 5
Calhoun 11, Coahulla Creek 0
Central Gwinnett 10, Discovery 2
Chapel Hill 4, Cedartown 3
Chestatee 12, Rabun County 2
Claxton 18, New Hampstead 8
Clinch Co. 13, Turner Co. 3
Coffee 6, Northside-Warner Robins 3
Columbus 5, Northgate 3
Commerce 5, Athens Academy 2
Creekview 18, Osborne 0
Cross Creek 10, Thomson 7
Dade County 10, Chattooga 3
Dalton 2, Harrison 0
Dodge Co. 2, Bleckley Co. 1
Dominion Christian 11, Bethlehem Christian 1
Drew 10, Forest Park 1
Eagles Landing 17, Dutchtown 15
East Jackson 7, Lakeview Acad. 5
East Laurens 5, Washington Co. 0
Emanuel County Institute 5, Jenkins County 0
First Presbyterian 13, Georgia Military 0
Frederica Academy 12, Bulloch Academy 2
Haralson Co. 15, North Murray 0
Harlem 13, Laney 0
Heard County 13, Handley, Ala. 4
Henry County 17, North Clayton 5
Irwin County 8, Wilcox County 0
Islands 18, Windsor Forest 0
Jackson County 5, St. Francis 2
JFCA 11, Cherokee Christian 4
Johnson Co. 6, Wilkinson Co. 2
Locust Grove 13, Ola 3
Lumpkin County 10, Greater Atlanta Christian 2
Madison County 3, Jefferson 0
Marion Co. 13, St. Anne-Pacelli 3
Marist 4, White County 2
Mill Creek 8, Hillgrove 3
Miller Co. 11, Webster County 6
Model 10, Gordon Central 0
Northeast-Macon 16, Twiggs County 3
NW Whitfield 10, Ridgeland 4
Pepperell 11, Armuchee 2
Pickens 8, Southeast Whitfield 2
Pierce County 3, Appling County 1
Prince Avenue 3, Elbert County 0
Ringgold 11, Sonoraville 1
Rockmart 5, Coosa 2
Savannah 5, Johnson-Sav. 4
Sequoyah 2, Sprayberry 1
Social Circle 1, Franklin County 0
South Paulding 21, Tri-Cities 1
Southwest DeKalb 16, Clarkston 0
Stratford Academy 13, Washington-Wilkes 3
Suwannee 9, Lowndes 5
Taylor County 16, Dooly County 0
Telfair County 5, Lanier County 0
Terrell Academy 6, Southwest 0
Thomasville 7, Cairo 3
Toombs Co. 14, Swainsboro 10
Union Grove 10, Jones County 4
Westfield School 5, Gatewood 3
Westminster 18, Towers 0
Westside-Augusta 23, Butler 1
Wheeler County 20, Portal 11
Woodstock 2, Lassiter 1
Woodward Academy 12, Luella 1
Worth County 5, Crisp County 3
Boys Soccer
Brookwood 2, Lakeside-DeKalb 0
Calvary Day 3, Atkinson County 2
Community Chr. 3, Calvary Chr. 0
Fellowship Chr. 7, Mt. Paran 1
First Presbyterian 1, Jones Co. 0
Johnson-Gainesville 8, Jackson County 0
Madison Co. 2, Oglethorpe Co. 1
McEachern 2, Hillgrove 1
McIntosh 1, Veterans 0
Model 2, Coosa 0
Mt. de Sales 3, Tattnall Square 1
North Cobb 5, North Paulding 2
North Murray 10, Ringgold 0
Paideia 5, Weber School 0
Pebblebrook 2, Woodstock 0
South Forsyth 2, Creekview 0
Sprayberry 2, Cherokee 1
Starr's Mill 5, Fayette County 1
Stone Mountain 4, Arabia Mountain 0
Stratford Acad. 10, Dooly Co. 0
Villa Rica 2, Bremen 1
Westside-Aug. 10, Glenn Hills 0
Whitefield Academy 3, Walker 0
Worth County 4, Monroe 0
Girls Soccer
Adairsville 3, North Springs 0
Allatoona 5, Sonoraville 1
Athens Acad. 3, Walnut Grove 1
Blessed Trinity 1, Decatur 0
Buford 2, Clarke Central 0
Calhoun 1, Cass 0
Colquitt County 4, Coffee 0
Covenant Academy 11, Horizon Christian 1
Dade County 6, Armuchee 1
Eagles Landing 5, Upson-Lee 1
Eagles Landing Christian 10, Strong Rock Christian 1
East Coweta 1, Pike County 0
First Presbyterian 8, Jones Co. 2
Gainesville 3, Lakeview Acad. 2
Glynn Acad. 3, Richmond Hill 0
GAC 3, North Hall 0
Harlem 6, Jefferson County 0
Heritage-Ringgold 4, Pierce Co. 0
Holy Innocents' 5, Mt. Vernon Presbyterian 0
Howard 5, West Laurens 1
Johns Creek 1, Centennial 0
Lakeside-DeKalb 2, Brookwood 1
Lamar County 10, Hampton 0
Landmark Christian 9, Elite Scholars Academy 2
Locust Grove 5, Luella 0
Marist 2, St. Pius X 1
Mary Persons 3, Perry 1
McIntosh 4, Veterans 1
Milton 1, Roswell 0
Model 10, Coosa 0
Monroe Area 9, Social Circle 1
Murphy, NC 6, Tallulah Falls 2
North Murray 5, Ringgold 1
North Paulding 5, North Cobb 1
Northgate 10, Callaway 1
Oglethorpe Co. 2, Madison Co. 2
Pace Academy 10, Tucker 0
Paideia 10, Weber School 0
Peachtree Ridge 3, Collins Hill 2
Pope 3, Dunwoody 0
Rabun Co. 2, Putnam Co. 2
Rome 10, Dalton 2
Savannah Country Day 7, Savannah Christian 2
Screven County 4, Johnson-Augusta 0
South Effingham 4, Wayne Co. 2
South Forsyth 4, Creekview 2
Statesboro 3, Ware County 0
Thomson 5, Glascock County 3
Union Grove 10, Stockbridge 0
Wesleyan 2, Towns County 1
Westminster 2, Lovett 1
White County 1, Jefferson 0
Woodstock 3, Pebblebrook 0
Boys Lacrosse
Buford 11, Fellowship Christian 9
Dunwoody 9, Parkview 5
Lovett 16, Walker 1
Marist 10, St. Pius X 7
Mountain View 14, Duluth 10
Savannah Christian 21, Richmond Hill 7
West Forsyth 7, Hillgrove 6
Girls Lacrosse
East Coweta 10, North Atlanta 5
East Paulding 16, Pace Acad 4
Johns Creek 17, Brookwood 9
Mountain View 20, Duluth 5
Mt. de Sales 8, Stratford Acad. 7
Parkview 12, Dunwoody 3
West Forsyth 16, Woodward Academy 2
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Wednesday, April 18, 2018
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CORKY KELL CLASSIC
By Seth Ellerbee
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Sat., Aug. 18 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium
9 a.m. East Coweta vs. Kell
EAST COWETA SPRING PREVIEW
After starting the 2017 season 4-1 through their first five games, the Indians faced an extremely tough region schedule that resulted in a missed playoff berth in coach John Small's first season in Coweta County. Small coached at South Gwinnett from 2005-16.
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Courtesy of East Coweta HS |
The 1-4 showing through Region 2-AAAAAAA took its toll and opponents like Westlake, Pebblebrook, Campbell and local rival Newnan had their say. This year, East Coweta is returning experienced players, and with the addition of a more difficult opening schedule, its region run could be turned into a different story.
"When I got here, they had graduated 11 starters on defense and nine backups," Small said. "So depth on defense was not very good. We had a lot of good young players and 27 seniors last year, but only six of them played. We were a very young football team and we were saying that we were going to play a ton of kids and whatever happens, happens. But they have to play.
"The first five games, they were great. We were 4-1, and then the latter half of the season, we got into region play and we fell off a little bit. A lot of that came from youth. A lot of that I attribute to the schedule we played, the non-region schedule that we came into. This year, obviously, we're playing some war daddies the first five games and we are going to get our noses bloodied a little bit, but that's how you get better."
The highlight of the spring practices for the Indians has been the battle for the starting quarterback spot after losing starting quarterback Christian Reid to graduation. Three players -
senior Nate Cronic, junior Devin Gelband and sophomore Gabe Gray - are each vying for the position. Cronic, a 6-foot-3, 210-pounder, played just a few snaps last season.
"We have two kids that played a little bit, not much," Small said. "We had a senior guy that was a three-year starter and he was a good player. He graduated so the junior and senior we have coming back, we feel good about both going into some competition through the spring and into the summer. So it's going to be a fresh signal-caller back there, whoever it is. Nate is a bigger kid, Devin is a bit smaller and then Gabe Gray has had a tremendous offseason. I think it's a race between the two older guys."
The Indians are returning a solid batch of offensive players and their experience will aid in the transition at the quarterback position.
Gerald Green, a 5-10, 190-pound senior running back, rushed for over 900 yards as a junior and scored more than 20 touchdowns, including three kickoff returns for touchdowns. Senior Riley Jewett, a 6-3, 270-pound offensive linesman, started as a tackle last year and will also be showing at the guard position this year.
"Gerald is a special player," Small said. "He is 5-10, 190 pounds and built like a rock. He's an explosive kid, one of the most explosive kids I've been around. He's fast but a very powerful kid. He packs a punch. He can run between the tackles, but he can also get outside the tackles. He's a guy that you look at, as a coach, and think that every time he touches it, he has a chance. He has elite speed and power. It's just a matter of getting him to the second level and if he gets there, it's just a matter of time before he outruns somebody."
Senior Ron Pettaway, a 6-2, 275-pound offensive lineman, started 10 games as a junior, giving him critical experience up front.
An experienced receiver corps will also return for the Indians. Senior Brayden Carey (6-1, 185) and juniors J.J. Freed (6-3, 175) and Rakiyan Moss (5-8, 140) will be the main targets and each has game experience.
Defensively, the Indians return around 20 players who have substantial playing time from last year. The defensive front was young last year, and this season, look for the extra experience to pay off. Several all-county and all-region players litter the roster. Seniors Taylor McCawley (6-1, 220-pound LB), Dantarius "Snook" Chunn (5-9, 175-pound DB/ATH), Jalen Whisby (6-0, 180-pound S) and Devin Holmes (6-0, 215-pound LB) are defensive players who earned postseason recognition last year.
"We feel like we are returning a good number of kids with experience," Small said. "And then the kids have had a year under their belt to really buy in to what we are doing on a daily basis and we are really excited about this group of kids.
"How good are they going to be? I don't know. But they're going to play hard and they are fun to coach."
East Coweta's 2018 Schedule
8-18 vs. Kell (Mercedes-Benz Stadium)
8-24 at Carrollton
9-7 at Lowndes
9-14 vs. North Cobb
9-21 vs. McEachern
10-5 at Westlake
10-12 vs. Wheeler
10-19 at Pebblebrook
10-26 at Campbell
11-2 vs. Newnan
KELL SPRING PREVIEW
Kell's Brett Sloan enters his second season as a head coach with the confidence that, following a year of building his system, his players feel more comfortable in the day-to-day workings and will be ahead of the curve. The experience, Sloan feels, will breed a few more W's in the win column and, possibly, a deeper playoff run after the team fell to Flowery Branch in the first round last season.
"I think we are way ahead of where we were last year, as far as a knowledge standpoint goes," Sloan said. "Our kids are familiar with the system and we're not in the middle of a transition, you could say. I think that gives us a little bit of a head start. We are replacing quite a bit on offense but we feel like we can build around Evan [Conley] at quarterback and we have some young and skilled guys that we feel like we can bring along."
The Longhorns will rely heavily on eight returning starters on the defensive side of the ball and tremendous confidence has been placed on the experienced starters to help guide the others.
"Defensively, we are returning eight starters," Sloan said. "So we are going to lean on that side of the ball for a little while, I think. We have a good returning corps at the linebacker spot that I think will be led by Branson Hall. He was a sophomore who, I feel, was one of our most consistent linebackers last year. He's coming off an injury, but he will be back. [We will] plug in a couple of young guys like Cameron Ball, who played a lot for us at safety. But he is going to play a lot on defense. There's a young guy who got hurt against Rome last year, Nate Woghiren, who is going to be a really good player for us at linebacker."
"There's Andrew Parlato on the defensive line, he was second-team all-region as a sophomore," Sloan continued. "We have a couple of other sophomores who played a lot in Marcus Anderson and Vincent Dinkins. We have another returning defensive end who will be a senior in Justin Holt. He's a bit undersized but he is very quick and causes some problems for people."
Focus will be key as the Longhorns enter the 2018 season. Last season, Kell's lapses of focus, Sloan feels, let several close games slip away, including the 28-27 loss to Tucker in overtime at Georgia State Stadium in the Corky Kell Classic. The Longhorns had two other closely contested losses as they fell to Lassiter 38-35 and Carrollton 45-42. Turn those three games - decided by a total of seven points - around, and a 5-6 season turns into an 8-3 showing. This year, Sloan hopes to keep his team zoned in.
"They know what inconsistency can do to us," Sloan said. "I feel like last year, there were spurts where we played really good defense but then sometimes we would lose our focus, our eyes wouldn't be in the right place, we wouldn't play our technique and we wouldn't do some of the small things that you have to do every down on defense. I think they understand the implications now and I think that will help us on the defensive side of the ball."
On the offensive side of the ball, Kell, which is only returning three starters, will draw on
quarterback Evan Conley's talents to lead the charge. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound senior was 179-of-285 passing for 2,240 yards and 22 touchdowns last year, adding four rushing touchdowns.
"It's just his experience," Sloan said of his quarterback. "He has started every game of his high school career except one. He started every game as a freshman but there was one game last year that he didn't start, because of injury. He actually came in the game in the second half and brought us back to a victory against East Paulding. There's just no situation that Evan hasn't seen and no situation that he hasn't been in. Just that calming presence and that experience is going to be big for us as we grow some of our younger players up on that side of the ball."
One of Conley's targets will be senior Sammy Blancato. The 5-10, 170-pound receiver caught 19 passes for 172 yards and two touchdowns last season. Sloan is excited to see Blancato's numbers swell in his senior season.
"We are excited about Sammy," Sloan said. "He just comes to work, does the right things every day, knows what to do. He is a competitor. No one on the football field out-competes Sammy. He will fight for the ball, he is a really, really good high school football player and we are excited about what he is going to do this year. He is just a great competitor and will do whatever it takes to win."
Another option through the air is returning senior Leo Deltin. The 5-9, 170-pound slot receiver started 10 games for the Longhorns last season and will be expected to distract attention from Blancato.
"He is a very experienced player and we look for him to build on his numbers," Sloan said of Deltin. "He will be a guy that we lean on a lot."
Kell's 2018 Schedule
8-18 at East Coweta (Mercedes-Benz Stadium)
8-31 vs. Lassiter
9-7 vs. Rome
9-14 at East Paulding
9-28 at Paulding County
10-5 vs. Villa Rica
10-12 at Carrollton
10-19 vs. Cass
10-26 at Hiram
11-2 vs. Woodland-Cartersville
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LACROSSE RANKINGS
By Craig Sager
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Lambert stays dominant in boys 6A-7A
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Courtesy of Lambert HS |
In boys Class 6A-7A, No. 1 Lambert picked up another pair of wins, topping Forsyth Central 19-3 and dominating Cambridge 15-1. The Longhorns have now outscored their 14 opponents by 179 goals this season with an incredible 212-33 advantage in goals. No. 2 North Gwinnett topped Collins Hill 12-6, Northview 12-4 and No. 5 Johns Creek 3-1. No. 3 Centennial picked up a solid 16-13 win over Class A-5A No. 1 Westminster, and No. 6 Roswell continued its hot streak with a 10-8 win over Johns Creek, a 5-3 win over St. Pius and a 7-6 victory over No. 8 Walton.
In Class A-5A, Lovett dropped to No. 4 after falling 12-9 to Pace Academy. No. 1 Westminster will visit No. 2 Kell tonight.
BOYS
Class 6A-7A
1. Lambert (14-0)
2. North Gwinnett (13-0)
3. Centennial (13-1)
4. Lassiter (8-4)
5. Johns Creek (12-4)
6. Roswell (10-3)
7. Grayson (12-3)
8. Walton (11-4)
9. Cambridge (10-6)
10. Etowah (11-3)
Class A-5A
1. Westminster (10-5)
2. Kell (9-1)
3. Blessed Trinity (14-1)
4. Lovett (11-4)
5. Starr's Mill (14-2)
6. Pace Academy (12-2)
7. Woodward Academy (11-2)
8. Greater Atlanta Christian (12-3)
9. Marist (10-3)
10. Wesleyan (8-5)
Class 6A-7A Girls No. 1 Milton picked up an 18-3 win over Chattahoochee, and No. 2 Lassiter defeated Cherokee 18-0. No. 3 West Forsyth held off North Gwinnett 10-9 in double overtime and cruised past Chattahoochee 15-4 and Woodward Academy 16-2. Mill Creek lost 12-9 to No. 4 Cambridge, and Johns Creek improved to No. 7 with a 15-4 win over Wesleyan, which fell to No. 3 in Class A-5A following the loss.
Kell is the new No. 2 in Class A-5A and will host Westminster tonight in the Wildcats' season finale. Westminster is still below .500 this season with a 7-8-1 record, but the Wildcats are 7-1 against Class A-5A competition. No. 4 Starr's Mill is off until an April 26 season finale against No. 5 McIntosh, which recently defeated Marist 17-14 to improve to 7-6.
GIRLS
Class 6A-7A
1. Milton (10-5)
2. Lassiter (11-2)
3. West Forsyth (13-2)
4. Cambridge (13-3)
5. Walton (6-6)
6. Northview (10-3)
7. Johns Creek (9-2)
8. Centennial (13-1)
9. Alpharetta (8-6)
10. Mill Creek (8-5)
Class A-5A
1. Blessed Trinity (12-1)
2. Wesleyan (12-2)
3. Kell (8-5)
4. Starr's Mill (14-2)
5. McIntosh (7-6)
6. Pinecrest Academy (8-2)
7. Marist (6-4)
8. Fellowship Christian (9-6)
9. Greater Atlanta Christian (8-3)
10. Westminster (7-8-1)
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