CLASS AAAA
OFFENSE
QB - Tee Webb
(Cartersville, Sr.)
RB - Khiari McCoy
(Carver (Columbus), Sr.)
RB - Noah Hill
(Baldwin, Sr.)
WR - Ze'Vian Capers
(Denmark, Sr.)
WR - Ja'Cyais Credle
(Carver (Columbus), Sr.)
TE - Jacorrei Turner
(Woodward Academy, Sr.)
OL - Eric Aldridge
(Americus-Sumter, Sr.)
OL - Jackson Filipowicz
(Blessed Trinity, Sr.)
OL - Zaire Flournoy
(Chapel Hill, Sr.)
OL - Jonah Gambill
(Cartersville, Sr.)
OL - Kobe McAllister
(Heritage (Ringgold), Sr.)
ATH - Kobe Hudson
(Troup, Sr.)
PK - Noah Jones
(Cairo, Sr.)
DEFENSE
DL - Andy Boykin
(Troup, Sr.)
DL - Jordan Mitchell
(Sandy Creek, Sr.)
DL - Bradyn Swinson
(Chapel Hill, Sr.)
LB - Woody Barks
(North Oconee, Sr.)
LB - C.J.Ford
(Denmark, Sr.)
LB - Devon Hill
(Troup, Sr.)
LB - Terrance Roberts
(Ridgeland, Sr.)
LB - Aaron Washington
(Woodward Academy, Sr.)
DB - Brian Branch
(Sandy Creek, Sr.)
DB - Marko Dudley
(Cartersville, Sr.)
DB - Enrico Harden
(Mary Persons, Sr.)
DB - Trevian Thomas
(Americus-Sumter, Sr.)
P - Ezra King
(Eastside, Sr.)
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SCORE TRIVIA
TODAY'S QUESTION
How many Class of 2020 U.S. Army All-American commits are playing in this year's Corky Kell Classic?
TUESDAY'S QUESTION How many new head coaches are making their debuts in this year's Corky Kell?
TUESDAY'S ANSWER
There are five new head coaches in this year's Corky Kell (Ridgeland, Calhoun, Buford, Colquitt County & Mill Creek)
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CORKY KELL
TOP 10
PROSPECTS
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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
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FAN'S GUIDE TO 2019 CORKY KELL MEDIA
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The television, radio and digital broadcasting lineups for the 2019 Metro by T-Mobile Corky Kell Classic are set, and the countdown to kick off on Aug. 22-24 is ready to crank up. Beginning next week, CBS46/Peachtree TV will begin airing features on each of the 18 teams playing in this year’s games. Additionally, team previews, rosters, stories, event history, tickets and information can be found on ScoreATL.com and CorkyKell.com.
As for game day, there will be numerous ways to catch all the action. Entering its first year as the Corky Kell’s television and digital partner, CBS46 and Peachtree TV are televising all nine games on and using PeachtreeTV.com to stream the games digitally, as is
ScoreATL.com
,
CorkyKell.com
and the
NFHSNetwork.com
.
Longtime high school play-by-play announcer Matt Stewart and 247Sports recruiting expert Rusty Mansell will team up to do six of the nine games on television on Peachtree TV/CBS46 while Atlanta Hawks announcer Bob Rathburn and Score Atlanta’s Craig Sager Jr. will handle two of the broadcasts. Stewart and Mansell will open the Classic on Thursday, Aug. 22, at Rome’s Barron Stadium, doing both the Calhoun-Ridgeland and Marietta-Rome showdowns before moving the next night to Coolray Field in Gwinnett County for the meetings between Tucker and Archer, and Milton and Buford. Ella Dorsey will be covering the sidelines in Rome and Aiyana Cristal will be on the sidelines for both of Friday's contests. Kickoffs for the first two nights will be 5:30 p.m. and all four games will be broadcasted on Peachtree TV.
Then on CBS46 on Saturday, Aug 24, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, radio veteran Bob Houghton and Corky partner Fletcher Proctor will do the 9 a.m. game between Kell and Mays, followed by Rathbun and Sager Jr., who will handle Walton and Norcross while Stewart and Mansell will do the meeting between powerhouses Colquitt County and North Gwinnett. Rathbun and Sager Jr. will be back for the fourth game as the two original Corky Kell teams, Brookwood and McEachern, meet with the games switching back over to Peachtree TV. Stewart and Mansell will handle the nightcap, a battle between East Coweta and Mill Creek. Cristal will be on the sidelines for Saturday's first two games and then Trason Bragg will handle sideline duties for the final three games of the classic.
On Thursday and Friday nights, Ashley Rose, who handles Halo Board reports for all Atlanta United games at The Benz and is a veteran of Corky telecasts, will host the halftime and between game shows along with Sager Jr. and CBS46 Sports Director Fred Kahlil. Rose will be back on the set Saturday along with Kahlil and former NFL defensive lineman Chuck Smith. Former Braves off-set TV talent Glenn Diamond will produce the games.
As far as the radio broadcasting goes, Rome-based 99.5 the Jock will be calling Thursday’s double-header. Friday’s double-header at Coolray Field will be broadcasted by News-Talk 1380 AM WAOK with Thomas Mott handling play-by-play, Jarvis Davis providing analysis and Sam Crenshaw on the sidelines. On Saturday, 92.9 The Game will broadcast all five games from Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Chris Goforth will do the play-by-play for Games 1 and 2 with analyst Randy McMichael and Crenshaw working the sidelines. Paul Crane will provide the play-by-play for Games 3 and 4 with analysts Jarvis Davis (Game 3) and Harper LeBel (Game 4), and Tenitra Batiste on the sidelines. Saturday’s finale will be called by Mike Conti and Harper LeBel with Duane Walker reporting from the sidelines.
There will be a live game tracker on both CorkyKell.com and ScoreATL.com to follow all the play-by-play action and statistics from the games. Also, the Score Atlanta Facebook Page and the @scoreatlanta and @corkykell Twitter accounts will be covering the action live.
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CORKY KELL PREVIEW: ARCHER vs. TUCKER
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On Friday, Aug. 23, Archer and Tucker are squaring off in the first-ever football game played at Coolray Field. Archer is coming off an 11-3 season and has posted double-digit victories in five of its last six seasons. Last year, the Tigers fell 21-19 to eventual state champion Milton in the Corky Kell. The team strung together five straight wins before a loss to Region 8 rival Grayson and then was defeated by Colquitt County in the semifinals 22-21. Archer head coach Andy Dyer knows that for his program, the Corky Kell will be an important opportunity to set the tone for the season and begin growing the depth chart to prepare for a deep run in Georgia’s highest classification.
“It’s the first ball game,” said Dyer. “ You never really know what kind of team you have until you play that first game. … You can say, ‘I’ve got these five guys, or I’ve got these four guys, and I expect them to play at a high level,’ which you do, but you know what? Until they go do it, you just don’t know.”
Among the returning playmakers on Archer is quarterback Carter Peevy. The 2019 season will be the third season starting for Peevy, who has developed into one of the best Class of 2020 quarterbacks in the state. Last season, Peevy completed 179 of 269 passes (66.5%) for 2,565 yards, 27 touchdowns and five interceptions. Peevy also ran in five touchdowns. The offense will rely on Peevy again in 2019, and will be looking for a spark in the running game after the graduation of Semaje Banks, who ran in 17 of the team’s 33 rushing scores last year.
Bryan Lamar is in his eighth season as Tucker head coach. Lamar graduated from Tucker in 1999. After a short stint working with his alma mater University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, he returned home to lead the Tucker Middle School football team in 2004. During that time he also worked as an assistant with Tucker High School before being promoted to defensive coordinator. In this role, Lamar made it to four semifinals and was there for the program’s 2008 state championship run. He then left for one year to coach Stockbridge’s basketball team before returning to replace Franklin Stephens in 2012. Since his return to Tucker, he’s pieced together a 74-19 record, won four region titles and twice made it to the state championship game.
Lamar’s Tigers will have a lot of first-year starters leading the way this season. Their quarterback, top two rushers and four of their five best pass catchers from the 2018 season all graduated. Expect the Tigers to use a run-by-committee backfield, with sophomore Latavius Johnson being a major contributor. Last season, Johnson got 49 carries for 399 yards in 10 games.
Another player to watch will be Isaiah Dunson. He is the only remaining Tiger who caught double-digit passes last season with just 19. Dunson actually hauled in six receptions and a game-high 121 receiving yards in the Tigers’ matchup against Buford at last year’s Corky Kell Classic. The breakaway speed of Dunson and the athleticism of the 4-star recruit took center stage during a 69-yard touchdown catch midway through the third quarter. While crossing the goal line, Dunson gave a tomahawk chop with his FSU gloves in an ode to the Noles. Just one week following the Corky Kell, he made it official and committed to play for the Seminoles.
While Dunson will be playing cornerback and contributing as a receiver for Tucker, Florida State defensive coordinator Harlon Barnett sees Dunson’s combination of size, quickness and speed as an ideal fit for the Noles’ secondary.
Along the defensive line, Tucker has senior Aaron Key and junior Dawson Rivers. Key is a 6-foot-3, 200-pound defensive end and tight end who also plays on Tucker’s basketball team. Rivers is a 6-2, 208-pound defensive end who is the No. 51 overall prospect in the state for the Class of 2021, per 247Sports. He recently received offers from Florida Atlantic, Louisville, Minnesota, Rutgers and Tulane.
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CORKY KELL PREVIEW: MILTON VS. BUFORD
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The Milton Eagles are coming off their 14-13 victory over Colquitt County in the AAAAAAA championship game. But after graduating its star dual-threat quarterback, Jordan Yates, this year’s team will be looking for a new identity. Buford is moving on from head coach John Ford, who led the Wolves to a 10-3 record and an 8-AAAAA region title in 2018, and will have longtime assistant Bryant Appling filling the role this season.
Across the state, all eyes are on Milton’s follow-up season after its first-ever state title last year. But the Eagles are laser focused on themselves. And according to head coach Adam Clack, that’s by design.
“Right now, we are just focused on getting ready to start the season,” said Clack. “You’re still really focused on your conditioning and strengths as you’re cementing your foundation, if you will. We are just trying to get this team wrapped around embracing its own identity. Everyone’s going to want to talk about last year and what that team did, and we have players who are returning, but this is a brand-new team and they will succeed on their own laurels. The fact that we were able to play in some big events last year will help this team going forward. Kind of been there before and we know what the big stage is like, but we have to make sure we take 2019 as 2019.”
Throughout Milton’s title run, the Eagles utilized an offense built around Yates. But, following his graduation, Clack says the Eagles are carving a new identity built around experience on both lines of scrimmage and two quarterbacks who are battling for the job.
“That’s the beauty of football and … probably one of the more enjoyable things is that there’s always a problem to solve,” Clack said. “There’s a lot of different ways to win football games and so we are going to build from a place of strength with our lines and allow the young, by experience, quarterbacks to materialize and compete.”
Speaking of experienced lines of scrimmage, the anchor is two-way Clemson commit Paul Tchio, a 6-foot-5 offensive guard who will help carve Milton’s new identity and aid in protecting the new quarterback(s).
On the other side of the field, Buford awaits as it endures a transition period of its own. The offseason saw a quarterback battle between several players with hopes of emerging as the starter. One player who is in the running to lead Buford’s offense is 6-4, 210-pound quarterback Jarvis Evans, who was a backup quarterback last year.
“I would hope to have a kind of solid answer, as far as the first game, before we get there,” Appling said this summer. Historically, Buford has always had a deep running back stable and after graduating its star back Derrian Brown, the Wolves have several lying in wait.
“Elijah Turner was our backup for Derrian Brown last year,” Appling said. “He had a good amount of carries and yards for us. He’s likely the front-runner to get the majority of it. Right behind him, Gabe Ervin, he will be a junior. He’s getting looks in practice and doing a great job. We have always been lucky to have a bunch of backs. It’s just who is going to get the carries behind Elijah and Gabe.”
Opening the season against talent like Milton is a blessing for Appling as it provides a chance to test his players to see where they stand against top-quality competition. However, he’s used to it after serving as the defensive coordinator for years.
“It’s not really that much different,” Appling said. “I say that meaning that we’ve had huge games early in the season. But Milton is a monster to deal with. They’re very versatile and have good players. It is going to be a handful. But I always love to go up against the best early. Going up against a team like Milton, early, it will just benefit your team in the long run, win, lose or draw.”
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