Corky Kell Countdown!

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CORKY KELL COUNTDOWN!

Today, we preview Game 2 of the opening day of the 2019 Metro by T-Mobile Corky Kell Classic. Check out the lefthand column for our profiles on the Top 10 prospects playing in this year's games. Also, we post Saturday's softball and volleyball scores and list the AJC's Preseason All-State First Team for Class AA. Please visit ScoreATL.com for more coverage and contact us at info@scoreatl.com for story ideas and information to help us make this year's newsletter great.

Monday, August 19, 2019

IN THIS ISSUE

CORKY KELL PREVIEW: MARIETTA VS. ROME

• • •

SATURDAY SCORES

• • •

CORKY KELL TOP 10 PROSPECTS

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CLASS AA

PRESEASON ALL-STATE

OFFENSE

QB - Gunner Stockton

(Rabun County, So.)

RB - Tank Bigsby

(Callaway, Sr.)

RB - Gary Hawkins

(Screven County, Sr.)

WR - Juke Boozer

(Rockmart, Sr.)

WR - Braxton Hicks

(Rabun County, Sr.)

TE - Payten Singletary

(Thomasville, Sr.)

OL - Deacon Allen

(Rockmart, Sr.)

OL - Jabari Brooks

(Washington County, Sr.)

OL - Tate Johnson

(Callaway, Sr.)

OL - Amarius Mims

(Bleckley County, Jr.)

OL - Jay Price

(Fitzgerald, Sr.)

ATH - Rico Powers

(Hapeville Charter, Sr.)

PK/P - Evan Fuller

(Bremen, Sr.)

DEFENSE

DL - Zavier Carter

(Hapeville Charter, Jr.)

DL - Romello Height

(Dublin, Sr.)

DL - Tray Owens

(Heard County, Sr.)

DL - Rashad Whitehead

(B.E.S.T. Academy, Sr.)

LB - JaQues Evans

(Dublin, Sr.)

LB - "K.J." Jenkins

(Jefferson County, Sr.)

LB - Kieron Roberts

(Rockmart, Jr.)

LB - Elisha Williams

(Dodge County, Sr.)

DB - Enoch Howard

(Hephzibah, Sr.)

DB - Armani Maddox

(Hapeville Charter, Sr.)

DB - Jalin Sheppard

(Callaway, Jr.)

DB - K.J. Starnes

(Swainsboro, Sr.)

P - Joseph Weiers

(Hapeville Charter, Sr.)

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SCORE TRIVIA

TODAY'S QUESTION

What SEC school did Marietta defensive end BJ Ojulari commit to last week?

FRIDAY'S QUESTION Which two schools have played in all 28 Corky Kell Classics?

FRIDAY'S ANSWER McEachern and Brookwood

CORKY KELL

TOP 10

PROSPECTS

1. ARIK GILBERT

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2. PAUL TCHIO

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3. HARRISON BAILEY

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4. JOSH DOWNS

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5. JAMIL BURROUGHS

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6. BJ OJULARI

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7. DAIJUN EDWARDS

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8. ISAIAH DUNSON

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9. JAVON BAKER

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10. BARRETT CARTER

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CORKY KELL SCHEDULE

Thursday, Aug. 22

at BARRON STADIUM

*5:30 p.m. Calhoun vs. Ridgeland

*8:30 p.m. Marietta vs. Rome

Friday, Aug. 23, at COOLRAY FIELD

*5:30 p.m. Tucker vs. Archer

*8:30 p.m. Milton vs. Buford

Saturday, Aug. 24, at MERCEDES-BENZ STADIUM

*9 a.m. Kell vs. Mays

*11:45 a.m. Norcross vs. Walton

*2:45 p.m. Colquitt County vs. North Gwinnett

*5:45 p.m. Brookwood vs. McEachern

*8:45 p.m. Mill Creek vs. East Coweta

2019 CORKY KELL: MARIETTA VS. ROME

Rome and Marietta squared off for the first time in history at last year’s Corky Kell Classic and competed in one of the most unique and high-scoring contests in event history. Among the most intriguing facets of the game were Marietta quarterback Harrison Bailey going 36-51 for 443 yards and six scores and still coming up short 51-41. Also, the teams combined for 36 total penalties and there were eight fumbles before the final buzzer. Rome jumped out to a 37-13 lead with a Jamious Griffin touchdown run in the final minute of the first half, but Bailey found Taji Johnson on a 32-yard touchdown at the buzzer and then converted the two-point try with a pass to Arik Gilbert to cut it to 37-21. Griffin ran in his third touchdown of the game to put the Wolves up 51-34 in the fourth.

Bailey tossed a touchdown pass to Gilbert with 6:48 left to make it a 10-point game (51-41) with more than enough time left. Marietta kept in within striking distance by forcing Rome to punt, but Gilbert fumbled for his second time of the game and the Wolves recovered. After the Blue Devils stopped Rome, Marietta took over with 2:54 left at the Rome 23-yard line. Gilbert, however, fumbled while fighting for extra yards and Rome recovered it with 2:17 to play before running out the rest of the clock. Gilbert finished with 14 catches for 170 yards and a touchdown and Tennessee-signee Ramel Keyton paced Marietta with 191 yards off 14 receptions and four touchdowns. Marietta’s passing game will be just as tough to stop this time around, and Rome is expecting a new cast of playmakers to provide its offense with comparative strength to last year’s squad.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

Rome came up short of winning a third-straight Class AAAAA state championship in 2018 after a 45-28 loss to Warner Robins in the semifinals. The result spoiled an undefeated season, and brought their record over the past three years to 41-3. That same level of consistent success is expected this year, and under the leadership of head coach John Reid, the Wolves have been building from the ground up during their recent run with some of the most dominant middle school teams in the state creating a championship caliber pipeline.

Expect the Wolves to have exceptional speed and talent, despite the changes in personnel.

“We’ve got a different group of seniors trying to lead by example, and that’s the best way to do it,” Reid told Northwest Georgia News.

“[Quarterback] Knox Kadum and some of those brand names are gone, but these guys are trying to pick up from that and from where they left off.”

Marietta’s talented roster features five of the 10 highest rated in the Class of 2020 that will be playing in this year’s Corky Kell Classic and more future college athletes are present throughout the Blue Devils’ lineup.

Quarterback Harrison Bailey has started since his freshman year and when the Tennessee-commit is healthy, Marietta’s offense is virtually unstoppable. Senior Arik Gilbert is the No. 1 Athlete in the nation and his enormous 6-foot-5, 253-pound frame makes him a walking mismatch.

Recruiting expert Rusty Mansell explained the impact that Gilbert has:

“He is unique, the biggest jumbo athlete I’ve ever covered,” said Mansell. “He is a mismatch on every single play of every game. He forces teams to game plan against him. With the talent that Marietta brings to the table that is scary. Arik is going to demand double and triple teams. That makes everyone around him better because they will get great opportunities because of that. Specifically speaking, he is as big a freak athlete since Robert Nkemdiche. He was an NFL First Round pick and Arik certainly shares that potential. He is a problem, a big one to face against Marietta.”

Gilbert finished this past season with 88 catches for 1,210 yards and 14 touchdowns. Marietta, which was eliminated in the first round this last year will also have star power on its defense. Gilbert is an effective defensive end and Marietta will have four-star BJ Ojulari on the other end to disrupt opposing offenses. As for the secondary, Florida-commit Rashad Torrence II is poised for a massive senior season after the GHSA sidelined him for the entirety of 2018.

SATURDAY SOFTBALL SCORES

By Seth Ellerbee

At the Hawk/Bulldog Tournament at North Gwinnett High School, Buford went undefeated and swept its Saturday games which included a victory over AAAAAAA No. 3 North Gwinnett. The Wolves, ranked No. 9 in Class AAAAA, played its first contest against Evans and took a 1-0 victory.

Junior Abbi Perkins led off with a solo home run and senior Amelia Veal pitched a complete game, allowing just three hits.

In the second game against North Gwinnett, the Wolves commanded a 9-3 victory which handed the Bulldogs their first loss of the season. Perkins led off with another home run to left field to put Buford ahead. In the third inning, a two-run blast from senior Kara Taylor got things going and Buford would tack on one more run help put the game out of reach.

Kaitlyn Pickens pitched four innings and allowed seven hits and two runs, one earned, with one strikeout and a walk. Olivia Duncan earned the save by pitching two innings and allowing three hits with one unearned run and two strikeouts. Perkins was 2-for-3 at the plate with a home run, a double and three RBIs. Taylor was 1-for-3 with a two-run home run and two 2 RBIs.

Softball

Bacon County 3, Crisp County 2

Blessed Trinity 11, Holy Innocents’ 3

Briarwood Academy 9, Lakeside-Evans 2

Buford 9, North Gwinnett 3

Cartersville 5, Troup 2

Christian Heritage 8, Pace Academy 1

Coahulla Creek 2, Gilmer 0

Dougherty 12, Terrell County 0

East Coweta 10, Tattnall Square 0

Gordon Central 12, Pace Academy 0

Gordon Lee 11, Coahulla Creek 1

Hampton 8, Brunswick 2

Hampton 8, Thomas County Central 6

Hawkinsville 8, Jenkins County 6

Heritage-Catoosa 12, Adairsville 3

Houston County 8, Jeff Davis 0

Howard 11, Central-Macon 8

Jones County 6, Houston County 3

Kennesaw Mountain 8, Hiram 2

LaGrange 4, Tattnall Square 3

LaGrange 6, Decatur 3

Newton 3, Harris County 1

North Forsyth 10, Jackson County 2

Northeast-Macon 7, Brookwood 0

Northview 15, Grady 0

Northwest Whitfield 3, Forsyth Central 0

Pataula Charter 15, Westover 2

Pierce County 4, Hawkinsville 0

Sequoyah 10, North Paulding 1

Sequoyah 3, Mt. Paran Christian 1

Sonoraville 1, Ridgeland 0

Stratford Academy 6, Richmond Hill 0

Taylor County 6, First Presbyterian 1

Thomas County Central 11, Pike County 2

Toombs Christian 10, Treutlen 2

Trinity Christian 15, Douglas County 5

Trion 11, Campbell 1

Wesleyan 4, Georgia Military 1

Westfield School 14, Treutlen 0

Westfield School 8, Statesboro 0

Wheeler County 6, New Hampstead 4

Volleyball

Allatoona 2, Cardinals 1

Allatoona 2, West Rowan 1

Apalachee 2, Jackson County 0

Blessed Trinity 2, Pope 0

Chamblee 2, North Hall 0

Columbus 2, Pope 1

Coosa 2, Alexander 0

Coosa 2, Chapel Hill 0

Coosa 2, Heritage-Catoosa 1

Eagles Landing Christian 2, Fellowship Christian 0

Eagles Landing Christian 2, St. Vincents 0

East Jackson 2, Stephens County 0

East Jackson 2, Westminster Christian Academy 0

Highland Christian 2, Brooks County 0

Lassiter 2, Columbus 1

North Hall 2, Northgate 0

North Hall 2, White County 1

North Oconee 2, East Jackson 0

NRCA 2, Westminster 0

Oak Mountain Aca. 2, Whitefield Academy 0

T.L Hanna 2, Allatoona 1

Walker 2, Eagles Landing Christian 0

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