The G.A.S. Pump (Oct 12)
October 12th, 2007 Posted in High School Cross Country, College Football, Georgia, High School Volleyball, High School Softball, High School FootballTime to fill ‘er up at The Georgia Amateur Sports (G.A.S.) Pump, brought to you by LocalReplay.com. Enjoy our daily look at amateur sports headlines from around the State of Georgia. Click on the following links to find:
High School Football
Athens/Augusta Area
Fuller’s status is still up in the air | augustachronicle.com
Calvin Fuller’s status as a member of the Laney football team remains in question. The South Aiken transfer is in his third week of enrollment at Laney. Fuller was not allowed to play on the South Aiken team he had starred on for three seasons due to charges stemming from his arrest on Aug. 7.
Player of the Week: James Bonner | augustachronicle.com
Bonner carried the ball 19 times for 159 yards and two rushing touchdowns in a 41-21 win against Benedictine. He’s carried the ball 81 times for 629 yards and 10 touchdowns this year. He separated himself from the other player of the week contenders with his 65-yard kickoff return for his third score of the night.
The Blitz | augustachronicle.com
We talk with the undefeated Cross Creek Razorbacks — their 5-0 start is the best in team history. Plus: Rewind last week’s best plays; meet super fans at Midland Valley, North Augusta and Burke County; and try to take Jeff’s football in our Trivia Challenge.
Tigers’ Brice makes noise with tackles | onlineathens.com
He speaks barely above a whisper, carefully choosing his words when he does decide to voice an opinion. Even on the football field, he’s one of the quietest. One of the only things you can hear from Cedar Shoals’ Jarvis Brice is the sound of clanking helmets and pads as he tackles another opponent.
Iannone: Where are the holes? | onlineathens.com
Cedar Shoals is not denying that it has a target on its back. The Jaguars discuss their untarnished 5-0 record and the success they’ve had along the way. “We’ve talked about it,” Cedar Shoals coach Scott Wilkins said.
Lions overcome adversity | thewaltontribune.com
The Loganville Christian Academy eight-man football tam learned an important lesson last week in its 47-24 win over Barrow County Christian Academy. The lesson: a team must face down adversity — in many forms — if it is to emerge triumphant. The Lions, now 6-1 overall and 4-1 in ICSGA league play, had to compete against a Barrow County squad that averaged over 240 pounds per man.
South tries to shake off region loss | thewaltontribune.com
If South Gwinnett has an legitimate hope to grab the Region 8-AAAAA football championship, the Comets will need to go on a winning streak — starting tonight at Central Gwinnett. Coach John Small’s team opened league play two weeks ago with an victory over perennial power Parkview, but was shutout last week at Grayson.
Rams try to hang onto region lead | thewaltontribune.com
There’s one thing for certain in Region 8-AAAAA — there are no soft spots on the schedule. Grayson High School will try to build on the momentum of a 2-0 start in the league when the Rams travel to Parkview tonight for a 7:30 p.m. kick-off. GHS has pitched back-to-back shutouts in wins over Meadowcreek and South Gwinnett and coach Mickey Conn is pleased with his team’s overall performance.
Devils host MC for homecoming | thewaltontribune.com
The Loganville Red Devils play a very meaningful football game tonight at home against sub-region foe Madison County. A win guarantees the Devils at tenth game at the end of the season to determine which four teams from Region 8-AAAA go to the state playoffs.
Atlanta Area
Long, strange trip awaits FPK | ajc.com
When Forest Park football coach Demarco Mitchell looks at the schedules of other county schools, he must wonder how this came to be. I mean, Lovejoy will play its last nine games at Twelve Oaks Stadium, so Forest Park will travel a greater distance to any one of its home games than the Wildcats will ride the entire regular season.
Mercy’s good but ELCA’s better | ajc.com
Two streaks enter. Only one will emerge. ELCA has taken the best shots of its only two scheduled public-school opponents and has put up 77 points. Now, the Chargers enter their Region 5-A schedule riding a three-game win streak and having scored 127 points in those three games.
Ship’s back on course at Whitewater | ajc.com
Whitewater is 4-2, which is amazing considering how the Wildcats’ offense struggled to score the first four games. But they seem to have righted their ship now, having put up 51 points in the past two. Not record-setting, but sufficient. Last week, they won 20-12 on the strength of two Thomas Frierson touchdowns and two field goals by J.C. Jennings.
Time for another wake-up call | ajc.com
North Gwinnett ran the table last season, right up to the moment it went into a 9-0 vs. 9-0 game against Norcross and went thud in the night. The Bulldogs get another chance tonight when they play host to Peachtree Ridge, in a battle of teams that enter the game with unblemished Region 7-AAAAA records.
Friday’s key matchups | ajc.com
North Gwinnett H-back Tyler Jarry is averaging two touchdowns per game. 2. North Gwinnett is averaging 29.5 points per game, but Peachtree Ridge is allowing just 6.8. 3. The winner moves into sole possession of the Region 7-AAAAA lead.
E. Paulding coach suspended | ajc.com
East Paulding High football coach John Reid has been suspended for five days without pay and will miss Friday’s game at Woodland-Cartersville, according to a representative for the Paulding County Department of Education. Reid, a second-year coach for the Raiders, accepted voluntary disciplinary probation for the next five days and has received a letter of reprimand on his permanent record for an incident that happened in September.
Metro Best Bet: Mays-Tucker | ajc.com
This game is all about speed.It’s a big part of what No. 3 Tucker has used to jump to its impressive 5-0 start, outscoring opponents 191-0.The Tigers overwhelmed their first four opponents with speed at nearly every position, getting big plays on offense and swarming to the ball on defense. Last week, Southwest DeKalb nearly could match Tucker on pure athleticism and came within a couple of yards of scoring the first points on the Tigers.
State Best Bet: Baldwin-Northside-WR | ajc.com
Milledgeville is buzzing right now. Jesse Hicks can attest that has been the case for six days. Hicks, the Baldwin head coach, could not even get his weekly errands done because his town of magnolias and antebellum homes, located 30 miles northeast of Macon, has gone bonkers. “I had to stop going to Wal-Mart because everybody kept coming up asking me how we’re going to do,” said Hicks, who faces Class AAAA’s ultimate challenge tonight by taking on No. 1 Northside-Warner Robins.
Cass set to prove point versus Villa Rica | thedailytribune.com
For the Cass Colonels, tonight’s Region 6-AAA football game against the Villa Rica Wildcats isn’t just about trying to stay in the thick of the hunt for a state playoff berth. It’s about proving a point. “The kids had an excellent week of practice,” said Cass head coach Rick Casko. “The kids have been focused and they feel like they have something to prove after (last week’s 42-7 loss at No. 3 Carrollton). We’re out to prove that we aren’t the team that people saw last Friday night.
Collins Wold - Creekview | cherokeetribune.com
In a 45-34 offensive shootout with Sonoraville last week, Creekview quarterback Collins Wold opened up the Grizzlies’ offense. The junior went 9-for-12 for 272 yards and touchdown passes of 56, 63, 37 and 27 yards. Creekview coach Al Morrell said Wold was the man to have under center in last week’s high-scoring affair. “He had a career last Friday night,” he said.
Chiefs reload against Cougars | cherokeetribune.com
Sequoyah will look to bounce back from a tough loss to cross-town rival Cherokee on Friday night when they take on 1-4 Alexander in Douglasville.The Chiefs suffered a tough 35-28 defeat to the undefeated Warriors last week as they lost for the first time since an opening-week defeat to Etowah. Although it was disappointing to lose a rivalry game, Sequoyah head coach Sid Maxwell was pleased with his team’s effort.
Remaining schedule favorable for Cherokee to continue its success | cherokeetribune.com
Midway through the season, Cherokee has to be feeling pretty good. Despite being ranked seventh in the latest Associated Press poll and sharing the top spot in Region 5AAAA, the Warriors aren’t planning to take Friday night’s game against Lithia Springs lightly. Head coach Brian Dameron said the team’s success is due largely to the fact that they don’t look at any game as an easy win. He knows that there is always a good team on the other side of the football.
Week Seven Football Picks and Previews | henryherald.com
The Dutchtown Bulldogs started the season with an upset against Henry County, but have dropped four straight. It won’t get any easier tonight when the Bulldogs travel all the way down to the Georgia-Florida line for a game against the 6-0 Yellow Jackets. Thomas County Central comes into the game ranked third in the Class AAAA AP poll. The Yellow Jackets are trying to win a sixth state title this year.
Woodland takes Jackson County to the ‘Wood’ shed | henryherald.com
Woodland High School football coach Scott Schmitt is trying to build a winning attitude among his players as they continue their first season of competition. Thursday night, the Wolfpack must have been listening as they rolled to a 19-0 victory against visiting Jackson County.
Some key region games this week in high school football | thecitizen.com
East Coweta has won five straight games, and it’s scoring in bunches; in its last two games, East Coweta has scored 103 total points. There is no reason why East Coweta’s hot streak should come to an end on homecoming night against the struggling Bulldogs. The Indians will be looking to avenge last season’s 49-42 loss to the Bulldogs.
Battle of the region unbeatens at Grisham Stadium tonight | timesgeorgian.com
While a lot of Region 6-AAA followers were a bit taken back by Cedartown’s 14-7 win over Villa Rica last week, pushing them to a surprising 2-0 start and into a two-way tie with Carrollton for the early region lead, Rayvan Teague wasn’t necessarily among that bunch. The Carrollton football coach considered the Bulldogs’ past two seasons of ineptitude - including last year’s 0-10 finish - more of an aberration than this year’s strong region start.
East Coweta looks for sixth straight ‘W’ | timesherald.com
The East Coweta Indians will be shooting for their sixth straight win tonight when they host the Tri-Cities Bulldogs at Shoemake Stadium for Home-coming. Newnan and Northgate are both on the road. The Cougars play Morrow at Tara Stadium while the Vikings visit Westlake in southern Fulton County. Heritage School is off tonight.
Familiar turf for Cougars | timesherald.com
There was a time when Tara Stadium was like a home away from home for the Newnan Cougars.
Back when Newnan was in the same region as the-then five high schools in Clayton County, Newnan would play at Tara Stadium at least a couple of times a year. But when the Cougars take the field tonight against the Morrow Mustangs at Tara, it will mark the first time Newnan has played there since beating North Clayton, 48-0, back in 2001.
County rivals clash tonight at Reid | therockdalecitizen.com
Rockdale and Heritage will collide for the 28th time tonight at Reid Memorial Stadium in classic clash of county rivals. Heritage holds the edge in the rivalry, having won 17 of the 27 games. Rockdale won last year 39-10, but Heritage claimed four straight wins from 2002 to 2005. Both Rockdale coach William Johnson and Heritage coach Chad Frazier will etch their names into the storied history of the rivalry when they face off tonight at Reid.
Macon Area
Coach impressed with Spalding defense so far | griffindailynews.com
There is no one higher on the play of his team’s blue-collar defense than second-year Spading High head coach Tommy Gilstrap. The long-time coach, noted through the years around the state for his work as a defensive coordinator - see defenses on state semifinal teams at Griffin High in 1990 and 2005 - admires the work second-year Spalding defensive coordinator Dale Wiggins and his staff have done.
Bears vs. ’Cats: It’s No. 1 vs. No. 2 | griffindailynews.com
First-place Griffin (5-1 overall, 3-0 Region 4-AAAA Div. A) looks to make it four wins in a row when it travels to take on second-place Lovejoy (2-4, 2-1) tonight at Twelve Oaks Stadium. “They’re probably the best team we’ve played all year as far as far as talent,” said seventh-year Griffin head coach Steve DeVoursney.
Expect a good ol’ fashion homecoming game tonight at Memorial | griffindailynews.com
It’s homecoming tonight at Spalding High. Expect a runaway. Ola (1-4 overall, 0-1 Region 4-AAA Div. A) is a little better than last year as evident by the fact they are losing games by an average margin of 29-18 this year, better than last year’s margin of 31-12 through five games.
Savannah Area
SCPS meets three-time defending state champions tonight | savannahdailynews.com
If Savannah Christian’s football players had any doubts at the start of the week how big tonight’s game is against Charlton County, their coaches made it clear for them. The words: “This is the biggest game of your life!” have been repeated throughout this week.
Gators head to Edmund Burke | statesboroherald.com
A banged-up bunch of Bulloch Academy Gators crawl out of the swamp tonight after a three-week homestand to begin region play on the road in Waynesboro. “This is as close to a must-win game as we’ve ever had,” said Bulloch Academy head coach Clint Morgan as his fourth-ranked Gators prepared for Region 2-AA Edmund Burke Academy. “Two of our four region opponents are ranked in the top five in the state so this is definitely what I would call a must-win game.”
Judgement day as Devils travel to Evans | statesboroherald.com
It’s judgement day for Statesboro. The Blue Devils (5-0, 4-0 Region 3-AAAA), ranked No. 4 by the Associated Press in Class AAAA, must go on the road today to face an undefeated Evans team. And, oh yeah, it’s homecoming. “We need this kind of game to see if we’re ready to match up to a team with confidence,” said SHS coach Steve Pennington.
Seniors take lead for Evans | statesboroherald.com
There hasn’t been a game of this magnitude in almost 20 years at Evans High. The school of about 2000 students in the suburbs of Augusta is off to its best start (5-0) since 1987 when they finished 11-1. “We’ve got some guys that have paid their dues,” said Evans coach Marty Jackson, now in his fifth year at the program.
After week off, Jackets ready to roll against Josey | statesboroherald.com
The Southeast Bulloch Yellow Jackets have had two weeks to recover from a heartbreaking, 21-20 loss to Westside on Sept. 28. That defeat put SEB (1-4) at 0-2 in Region 3-AA, tied for last place.
Portal looking for first win | statesboroherald.com
This time last season, the Portal Panthers were a struggling 0-5 and 0-1 in region play. They rallied to win four out of the last five and made the playoffs. Right now, they find themselves in the exact same predicament. Last year when they were down, one of the players noticed a shirt worn by Panther coach Justin Chester.
Red Terrors geared up for Effingham game | brunswicknews.com
Asked to compare the mood of the Terrors after their most recent win against Ware County versus the mood following the loss to Brunswick one week earlier, Glynn Academy running back David Bailey shook his head and struggled to find the right word.
Valdosta Area
Pack seeks first region victory | moultrieobserver.com
Colquitt County head coach Tim Cokely calls his team and Houston County, the team it will meet at 7:30 tonight at Tom White Field at Mack Tharpe Stadium, mirror images of each other. Both are 1-5 overall and 0-2 in the region and both have had trouble offensively.
High School Softball
Athens/Augusta Area
Cougars post another victory | waltontribune.com
Covenant Christian Academy’s eight-man football team improved its season mark to 4-2 last week with a 48-0 homecoming win over Heritage. Playing on a shortened field, the Cougars still managed to pile up 180 rushing yards. Austin Hays scored two touchdowns for CCA while Tyler Bliss, Quinn Jeffords, Jake Ivey and Terrance Brown each found the end zone one.
Eagles seek first win over Jaguars | therockdalecitizen.com
After losing their first game of the season two weeks ago against Salem, the Eastside Eagles are looking to get back on track. Standing in their way, however, is Cedar Shoals. When the Eagles travel to Athens today, they will face a team that went 5-0 in the first half of the season, including a 1-0 mark in Region 8-AAAA.
Atlanta Area
Lady Colonels upset No. 2 Central-Carroll | thedailytribune.com
The Cass Lady Colonels advanced to the championship game of the Region 6-AAA Softball Tournament with a 6-3 victory over No. 2 Central-Carroll Thursday at Kiwanis Park in Carrollton. Cass (16-12) trailed 3-0 after three innings and still was down 3-2 heading to the top of the seventh inning, but the Lady Colonels scored four times to go up 6-3 and knock off the Lady Lions (27-5).
Lady Wolverines topple Etowah, off to sectionals | thecherokeetribune.com
The Towne Lake rivalry moved to the Twin Creeks Softball Complex for the Region 5AAAAA softball tournament Wednesday, but when it was over, Woodstock had the guaranteed trip to the Class AAAAA state sectionals. The Lady Wolverines topped rival Etowah, 6-1, to keep their defense of the state title alive, riding another 13-strikeout performance from pitcher Jessica Martin.
GAC captures second region crown | gwinnettdailypost.com
One little, bitty run was all it took. Greater Atlanta Christian pushed across one run in the bottom of the eighth on Thursday night in the finals of the Region 6-AA tournament to top Buford 1-0 and claim the tournament title for the second straight year. Mady Baker, who was 3-for-4 for GAC, beat out an infield single with two outs as Sarah Armstrong came across with the game’s lone run.
Champs again Grayson rebounds in second game to claim 8-AAAAA crown | gwinnettdailypost.com
With the game tied 1-1 in the fifth of the Region 8-AAAAA tournament finale, Grayson had two runners on with two outs. It looked like the Rams, who had stranded three runners in the game and seven on the night, were going to again leave runners on base.
Prep Roundup | gwinnettdailypost.com
Allie Miles gave up four hits and struck out eight batters to register the win and help Dacula take a 5-3 win over Madison County on Thursday. Dixie Stewart was 2-for-4 with a run and Samantha Ramey was 2-for-3. Kelsea Martin went 2-for-4 with an RBI and Krystan Renfro finished the night 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run.
Lassiter ace soldiers on after being plunked with line drive, wins 20th | mariettadailyjournal.com
Lassiter used strong hitting and a courageous performance in the circle by pitcher Jess Cannon to defeat Roswell 11-1 in the winner’s bracket finals of the Region 6AAAAA tournament at Lassiter on Wednesday. The game was stopped in the bottom of the fifth after Lassiter scored its 11th run to put the 10-run rule in effect.
O’Shea guides KMHS to rout | mariettadailyjournal.com
One more win to decide it all. Top-ranked Kennesaw Mountain took another step towards claiming their first Region 5AAAAA crown with a resounding 8-0 home victory over 10th-ranked North Cobb on Wednesday in the first game of the best-of-three championship series.
Rockdale, Eastside win trip to state sectionals | therockdalecitizen.com
Rockdale and Eastside clinched berths to the Class AAAA State Sectionals, but Heritage saw its season end Thursday in the Region 8-AAAA Softball Tournament. The Lady Bulldogs had a chance to go straight to the championship round by winning two games against other undefeated teams in region play.
Battle for supremacy | therockdalecitizen.com
As the second half of the 2007 football season begins tonight, Salem and Alcovy are both unbeaten in Region 8-AAAA South play. After tonight, that will change as the two teams clash at Evans Memorial Stadium. Salem (4-1, 1-0) started the season with a 21-0 loss at Thomson but bounced back for four straight wins, including beating Eastside 24-17 two weeks ago to open the sub-region schedule.
Northgate defeats McIntosh twice for region title | thecitizen.com
The Northgate Lady Vikings are the queens of Region 2-AAAA. Northgate defeated the McIntosh Lady Chiefs twice Thursday, 5-1 and 2-1, to win the Region 2-AAAA championship at McCurry Park in Fayetteville. The top-seeded Lady Vikings avenged a 1-0 loss Tuesday to No. 2 seed McIntosh, its only region loss this season, in a semifinal game of the region tournament.
Central still alive, VR, Carrollton, put out | timesgeorgian.com
If the Central High School softball team wants to repeat as Region 6-AAA tournament champions, it’ll have to put in some extra work Saturday at East Carroll Complex. With Central’s 6-3 loss to Cass Thursday evening, the Lionettes will have to win three straight games Saturday to capture the tournament championship. No. 1 Central will play No. 2 Sandy Creek at 11 a.m. with the winner advancing to play No. 3 Cass in the championship game.
Columbus Area
Make it two for Tigers | ledgerequirer.com
The route was different, but the end result was the same. Baillie Temples hit a solo home run in the second inning and Michaela Hamilton pitched seven scoreless innings as Harris County knocked off Northside 4-0, capturing its second consecutive Region 2-AAA tournament title on Wednesday at South Commons.
Macon Area
Lady Bears headed back to state tourney | griffindailynews.com
Kristen Gregory and Tedra Alford combined on a no-hitter Thursday to lift Griffin past Lovejoy 13-0 and into the Class AAAA state tournament field for the second year in a row. “That’s good, especially for this senior class,” said GHS head coach Rusty Hudson. The Lady Bears (11-12) split a pair of games Wednesday at the Region 4-AAAA tournament, topping Lovejoy 13-0 in five innings and losing 5-1 to Dutchtown, to place fourth and punch their ticket to land in next week’s state tournament which will also be played at Lovejoy.
Lady Jags win Region 4-AAA championship | griffindailynews.com
No. 7-state-ranked Spalding High won its second region championship in three season Friday, shutting out No. 9-ranked Ola 3-0 at the Region 4-AAA tournament in Dublin. Spalding senior Jenni-Lynne Smith led the way, striking out five without allowing a walk and scattering five hits in a complete-game effort.
Savannah Area
Lady Panther seniors honors with big win | coastalcourier.com
The bats were hot once again for the Lady Panthers, and it reflected in their 13-1 victory in five innings against St. Vincent’s Academy. Perhaps it was because it was Seniors Day and the Ladies were not going to let the Panther seniors’ down.
College Football
Valdosta Area
VSU has a huge task | albanyherald.com
The game with more up for grabs than a going-out-of-business sale puts the focus of Division II football in Valdosta today. The marquee matchup pitting No. 5 Valdosta State against No. 8 Delta State at 8 p.m. in Bazemore-Hyder Stadium, carries with it national, regional and conference championship ramifications.
Lady Pack eliminated at region | moultrieobserver.com
The Colquitt County softball team won the play-in game in the Region 1-AAAAA tournament being played at Freedom Park in Valdosta, but then eliminated after being shut out by Lowndes and Valdosta. The tournament, which will determin the region’s four teams that will advance to the state sectionals, will continue on Saturday.
High School Volleyball
Statewide
Johnson earns sweep in Thursday volleyball | accessnorthga.com
Johnson earned a sweep over Lakeview and North Oconee on Thursday. Lakeview, who ended second in the area (6-1 in 7A-AA), earned a split. West Hall and Buford also earned splits in their respective matches. Chestatee was defeated in a best of five match with Riverwood, while Gainesville was defeated in their tri-match.
High School Cross Country
Statewide
East Hall fares well in prelude to Hall County CC Race | accessnorthga.com
Buford edged East Hall for top honors in Wednesday boys’ cross country action. It was another fine individual performance, though, by Eli Martinez of East Hall. Martinez was the top male finisher, setting a course record of 17:39.
Visit www.LocalReplay.com to view our photos and videos and register (we’re a FREE site) to get started making your own Team, Player, Coach or Fan Webpage on which you can archive your unlimited sports highlights and stats forever. Click here for an example.
Feel free to post comments, thoughts and reactions here - this is your forum for Georgia amateur sports.
