High School Football on Demand See Back Page

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OCTOBER 1-7, 2008 DEKALB’SATLANTA’S HIGH SPORTS SCHOOL TALK SPORTS NEWSPAPER NEWSPAPER VOL 2 NO 5 02D I SCORE DEKALB Get In The Game! ™ STARTING THE HIGH SCHOOL LINEUP PLAYERS OF THE WEEK PUBLISHER/EDITOR I.J. Rosenberg • MANAGING EDITOR Tad Arapoglou • DIRECTOR OF SALES/MARKETING John Duke • ART/CREATIVE DIRECTOR David Gaudio • GRAPHIC DESIGNER D.J. Galbiati • WEBMASTER Alex Ewalt VIDEO MANAGER/PREP EDITOR Scott Janovitz • BUSINESS MANAGER Marvin Botnick • SALES Zander Lentz, Brian Pruett • OFFICE MANAGER Nakia Washington BEAT WRITERS Josh Bagriansky (Dream), Stephen Black (Silverbacks), Jason Boral (Thrashers), James Butler (UGA), Dave Cohen (Georgia State), Johnny Crosskey (Tech), Alex Ewalt (Preps), Erik Horne (Falcons), Scott Janovitz (Hawks/Recruiting), Fletcher Proctor (Braves) STAFF WRITERS Cranston Collier, Joe Deighton, Ricky Dimon, Rajesh Gupta, Brian Jones, Zander Lentz, Andrew McCarron, Corey Mitchell, Jessica Parker, Derek Wiley CONTRIBUTORS Dean Zindler, Kevin Dankosky, Mitch Evans, Matt Judy, Tony Schiavone, Richard Diamond, Joe Haines, Brian Katrek, Chris Dimino, Mike Bell, Matt Stewart, Fred Kalil, Nick Cellini, Phillip Leopold, Dave Marshall, Greg Smith, Steak Shapiro, Mike Cather, Beau Bock, Chuck Oliver, Hal Lamar, Chris Cotter, Matt Chernoff, Roy Hickman, Dave Cohen, John Olah, Jeff Woolverton, Chris Voss, Bob Rathbun, Courtney Capps, Bill Hartman, Chuck Dowdle, Shannon Alderman, Dan Kamal, Dennis Scott, C.C., Hal Lanier, Jeff Batten, Micah Hart, Ben Wright, Alan Vasquez, Andrew Vedlitz, Brian Jones • SPECIAL CONTRIBUTORS Mitch Albom, Dave Kindred, Barry Bloom SCHOOL LISTING CHEROKEE/FORSYTH: Cherokee, Creekview, Etowah, Forsyth Central, North Forsyth, Sequoyah, South Forsyth, West Forsyth, Woodstock COBB: Allatoona, Campbell, Harrison, Kell, Kennesaw Mountain, Lassiter, Marietta, McEachern, N. Cobb, N. Cobb Christian, Pebblebrook, Pope, S. Cobb, Sprayberry, Walton, Wheeler SAM MCNEARNY/KYLE FARMER MORGAN BULLOCK DEKALB: Chamblee, Columbia, Decatur, Druid Hills, Dunwoody, Lakeside, Marist, Miller Grove, M.L. King, Paideia, Redan, St. Pius X, MARIST MILL CREEK Southwest DeKalb, Stephenson, Stone Mountain, Tucker FULTON: Alpharetta, Blessed Trinity, Centennial, Chattahoochee, Douglass, Grady, Lovett, Mays, Milton, North Springs, Northview, The senior pitcher won perhaps the most Riverwood, Roswell, Tri-Cities, Westminster, Woodward Academy The War Eagles’ quarterback tandem GWINNETT: Berkmar, Brookwood, Buford, C. Gwinnett, Collins Hill, Dacula, Grayson, Greater Atlanta Christian, Meadowcreek, Mill Creek, led Marist to a 38-0 home upset of important game of her career last week, Norcross, North Gwinnett, Parkview, Peachtree Ridge, South Gwinnett, Wesleyan then-No. 1 Tucker last Friday. Farmer, a as she only allowed one hit and one senior, completed four of five passes earned run against North Gwinnett to for 83 yards and ran for 86 yards and a clinch Region 7-AAAAA’s No. 1 seed. In touchdown on 21 carries. McNearny, a 24 regular-season games, Bullock was junior, scored a rushing touchdown of his own in the first half to put Marist up 18-2 with a 0.48 ERA and 143 strikeouts. 17-0 at halftime. The duo also helped At the plate, she is hitting .590 with 32 lead Marist to a 14-13 upset of then- stolen bases, 31 runs and 46 hits. No. 3 Chamblee in Week 3. Bullock is committed to Florida State.

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Out with the old, in with the new: The emergence of the spread offense

hese days you hear it everywhere. If you nents that they were not able to in the past.” ers have the maturity to run the spread At this rate, the spread offense is surely Twatch football on Saturday or Sunday, With a 4-1 record (the lone loss coming offense and that their programs are better for going to start appearing at more high school announcers and analysts can’t stop talking to Byrnes of South Carolina, one of the top having incorporated it. For instance, at programs. Due to the increased use at the about the number of teams that have adopted teams in the nation), the Bulldogs look Lassiter, the high-powered style of offense college level, it certainly gives an advantage some form of the spread offense. This attack- poised to continue baffling Region 7- has sparked an interest amongst the student to those players who will make the jump to ing style of play grew out of the ideas of Glenn AAAAA foes with their efficient spread body to join the team. collegiate football in the years to come. Ellison (of Middleton High School in Ohio), offense. Similar to Sphire, Terry Crowder at “There has been an increase in athletes Most importantly, though, it challenges all and is transforming the game at every level. Chattahoochee switched to the spread from coming out to play, because [the spread] is coaches and players to approach offensive Though the spread was first run some the Wing-T. Crowder points out that by run- the offense [students] see on Saturday and football with discipline, and it definitely 45 years ago, it has gained the most notoriety ning the spread, “it keeps your team in the Sunday,” Lindsey says. As for the maturity adds a lot of creativity and excitement to the within the past decade. Due to the over- ballgame.” This is especially true if a team level of players, the coaches believe the ath- high school game. whelming success of many teams running falls behind, because it is essentially in the letes can handle the decision-making. The cover photos of North Gwinnett’s the offense, there has been a rapid diffusion two-minute offense the entire game. However, each coach stressed the importance Michael Tamburo and Lassiter’s Hutson of the spread down to the high school level. of the staff making sure that each player Mason are courtesy of Photographic Arts and In Georgia, some of the best examples of X’s AND O’s … knows his job on offense. Ed Turlington/et images, respectively. Gupta spread-offense teams are Lassiter, Within the spread formation, there are can be reached at [email protected]. Chattahoochee and North Gwinnett. many factors that make it difficult for defenses to stop its offensive production at A NEW ERA … the high school level. There are several reasons why high “It allows you to get the ball to your schools are incorporating the spread offense better athletes,” says Lindsey. In addition into their schemes. One thing is for sure: it has to getting the ball to your best players, it is been a major contributing factor to the suc- very important to have strong play from cess of many programs and has created new the offensive line. interest in the game. Chip Lindsey of Lassiter, Crowder speaks highly of his young Terry Crowder (pictured) of Chattahoochee offensive line. The talent of the line is one of and Bob Sphire of North Gwinnett each rely the main reasons the team switched to the on different forms of the spread, and each spread, and there are high expectations for coach broke down the positives and negatives them to handle the bulk of the defensive pres- of these offensive systems. sure in the future. Like Crowder, Sphire Overall, there seems to be an immediate believes that in many ways, “the greatest spike in offensive production for teams that challenge is to the offensive line, especially implement spread offenses. If the spread is on blocking schemes and misdirections.” run correctly, it will score a lot of points. In All three coaches stressed the impor- five games this year, the North Gwinnett tance of strong blocking up front and the Bulldogs are averaging 29.2 points per game. ability to get the ball into the hands of the Sphire ran the Wing-T and triple-option wish- team’s best athletes. bone before he adopted the spread. There are many people who question “In past years, the [North Gwinnett] whether running the spread offense, which teams had been very competitive, winning requires players to do a lot of the decision- about eight out of 12 games,” Sphire says. making, is reasonable to ask of high school SPREADING THE FIELD: Chattahoochee head coach Terry Crowder switched to the more dynamic “However, with the spread, it has given the athletes. Crowder, Sphire and Lindsey unani- spread offense from the Wing-T and triple-option wishbone, and says that the spread “keeps your team a chance to beat more talented oppo- mously believe that high school football play- team in the ballgame” with its hurry-up style. Photo courtesy of Photographic Arts.

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DeKalb County home to some of Georgia’s top senior football players hether they are running, passing or him a scholarship on Sept. 23, and Georgia is prime candidate for special-teams duty suitors for Davis’s services, but he has yet to Wtackling, DeKalb County has always also targeting him. Whether Hill stays com- immediately upon his arrival in Knoxville. make a decision. produced some of the best high school foot- mitted to George O’Leary’s Golden Knights Meanwhile, Mitchell-Thornton leads the Warren Norman, RB, Chamblee: ballers in the state. This season is no differ- remains to be seen. One thing is for sure, way for a stout Jaguars defense, which has Norman is a home-run threat on every play, ent, as all sorts of top-flight talent can be however: Hill will make someone very happy yielded just 5.3 points per game this year. which he showed last year by rushing for found in the area. Here’s a look at four of the at the next level. Jonathan Davis, LB/RB, Tucker: One 1,527 yards in the Bulldogs’ run to the Class best players that DeKalb has to offer. Nigel Mitchell-Thornton, LB, of the best athletes around, the 3A state semifinals. ESPN describes him as Stephen Hill, WR, Miller Grove: Stephenson: There are some fantastic line- linebacker/running back is a tough matchup a “natural runner with deceptive downhill Everyone knew that the Miller Grove wide backers in the state this year, and for both opposing defenses and offenses. strength.” Just ask Marist; he ran back an 80- Stephenson’s Mitchell-Thornton is right up Davis is just under 5-8, but he has great receiver had speed, but he was considered a strength at 200 pounds and isn’t afraid to lay yard touchdown against the War Eagles on fairly raw prospect by the big-time programs there with the best of them. He checked in Sept. 12, as he reversed the field and made with 102 tackles in his junior season, 12 of the lumber. He’s a terror with the ball in his and verbally committed to Central Florida hands out of the backfield, too. With 4.37 several War Eagles miss. Norman is headed them for losses. That kind of performance to Vanderbilt next fall, a program that last August. He has certainly turned some garnered offers from schools such as speed in the 40, he’s always a possibility to heads this season. Hill has proven he isn’t Tennessee, NC State and Georgia Tech. break out for a long run. His versatility and appears to be on the rise in the SEC East only a speedster; his 6-foot-4 height allows Mitchell-Thornton decided to play for the athleticism have many top-tier programs after a 4-0 start to the season. With a talent him to be a major red-zone target as well. Volunteers, and he will begin attending recruiting him. The Class 4A All-State play- like Norman, the Commodores hope to con- Thanks to improvement in areas like that, the classes in January after graduating early. The er is receiving major interest from schools at tinue that rise with him in the backfield. big boys are now lining up at his door with 6-2, 210-pounder can fly around and make the next level. Clemson, Georgia Tech, South Bagriansky can be reached at scholarship offers. Boston College offered plays anywhere on the field, making him a Carolina and Penn State are all among the [email protected].

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Douglas Co. programs clash in region tilt ‘Noles meet Trojans in Class 4A showdown his week’s 790 The Zone Game of the nent had to replace 10 starters on defense o. 1-ranked Westside-Macon has found want to keep doing what they have been TWeek features two teams in need of a after last year. Nits new region, 1-AAAA, quite welcom- doing so far this season: winning. win. Each squad is 1-4 and 0-2 in Region 5- Both teams are solid at quarterback with ing. The Seminoles finished 7-3 last season in The Seminoles are led by their defense, AAAA. Lithia Springs lost handily last week experienced starters Kelton Hill for the Lions Region 4-AAAA, just missing the playoffs. with the team’s all-time leading tackler in to county rival Alexander, while Douglas and Anthony Caldwell for the Tigers. Tight This week’s opponent, Lee County, finished Julian Burnett at linebacker. Burnett has County has been outscored 87-27 in their end Kevin Steed is a big target for the Lions at 2-9 in 2007 but made the playoffs as the No. offers from Mississippi, Wake Forest, Purdue two region losses. 6-foot-5, 205 pounds, while Caldwell and the 3 seed in a Region 1-AAAA that consisted of and South Carolina. The offense is led by But those numbers are only on paper, Tigers have Derrick Woodford at 6-1, 185. only four teams. quarterback Orrin McFadden, running back and the Lions of Lithia Springs are looking Lithia Springs could have trouble run- But that was last season, and that was Marcus Wilson and receiver Danny Madison. the old Region 1-AAAA. This season’s The Trojans must depend on offensive to shred a lot of paper this week. On paper, it ning the ball, as its inexperienced offensive Region 1-AAAA features nine teams, and lineman Tyler Knight, an Auburn commit- says they haven’t beaten the Tigers in their line will have to deal with 340-pound defen- GPB’s Game of the Week features its top ment, to protect quarterback Matt Aldrich and last nine tries and that they have lost to sive lineman DuVawn Wallace. performer (Westside at 5-0) and its last- create running lanes for Tevin Jones. Douglas County by scores of 38-7 and 31-0 The Lions have their own stud on the place team (Lee County at 0-5). Stats alone say this should be an easy win over the last two seasons. That paper also defensive line in Bryan Davis, a Division I Head coach David Johnson and the for Westside, but lucky for Lee County, foot- says the Lions haven’t experienced a winning college prospect. Douglas County isn’t used Trojans are trying to rediscover the same ball games are won on the field and not in the season since 1999. to losing (8-3 last season), especially winning state of mind that led to their 10-2 stat book. They will get the opportunity to turn The Lions, led by head coach Steve recently with six trips to the playoffs in the season in 2005. their season around this Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Horton, have the experience to end the nine- last seven seasons. The Seminoles, led by the second-win- the Bibb County Sports Complex. game skid with eight of 11 defensive starters Wiley can be reached at ningest football coach in Georgia high Wiley can be reached at returning from last season, while their oppo- [email protected] school history, Robert Davis (348 wins), just [email protected].

WWW.SCOREATL.COM 06D I SCORE DEKALB Get In The Game! CHAMBLEE BULLDOGS DRUID HILLS RED DEVILS he football team took advantage of a reeling Lakeside-DeKalb squad (0-5) to rout the Region he football team is quickly becoming one of 2008’s best stories. Traditionally a weak pro- T6-AAAA rival Vikings 42-0 last Friday night. Chamblee improved to 4-1 overall and 3-1 in the Tgram, Kip Hall has his team believing after a 36-12 win over Clarkston on homecoming region with the convincing victory. The Bulldogs have an off week before going up against raised the Red Devils’ record to 3-2. One of the main reasons for the resurgence has been one Southwest DeKalb (3-1) in an Oct. 10 showdown. … The volleyball team (8-1 in 6-AAAA) also of the school’s best offenses in recent memory. Since a 27-0 loss to Decatur in the opener, they enjoyed an impressive week with 2-0 wins over both Lakeside and Stone Mountain last Tuesday. are averaging just over 30 points per game. But the schedule does kick up a notch in the com- The team looked to continue the momentum at Blessed Trinity, but results were not available at ing weeks. A good Cedar Grove team looms on Saturday for a 7:30 p.m. matchup. If the Red press time. The squad goes up against Riverwood on Wednesday and Dunwoody on Thursday. … Devils can win that game, they will be thinking playoffs at Druid Hills for the first time in The softball team exceeded a .500 record by dominating three games last week. The Lady Bulldogs well over a decade. … The volleyball team beat Forsyth Central in straight sets, but followed beat Lithonia 9-1, Tucker 8-0, and Lakeside 8-0. … The boys cross country team won a DeKalb that up with a disappointing loss to Dunwoody (20-25, 26-24, 10-15). The team hosts Towers County meet at Shamrock Park against five other schools last Tuesday. Junior Alex Coble paced the and Cedar Grove on Thursday beginning at 5 p.m., and will remain home on Tuesday to host Bulldogs, finishing second with a time of 17:54. The girls came in second and were led by fresh- McNair and Dunwoody, also starting at 5 p.m. … The softball team was defeated 13-0 by man Lydia Morrow, who finished third with a time of 24:07. Decatur, but responded by beating Clarkston 12-2 in five innings. COLUMBIA EAGLES LAKESIDE VIKINGS he football team had a bye this past week and will be back in action on Friday when the he football team’s winless season continued on Friday. The Vikings lost another game TEagles take on Towers at Hallford Stadium. Eagles head coach Kevin Latham says his Tby a wide margin, this time going down 40-0 to Chamblee. The Vikings have a much- team is still learning. “We’re trying to find our identity. We are very young and our youth real- needed week off to try and turn things around before returning to the gridiron on Oct. 11 ly shows up,” Latham said. The Eagles (2-2) have looked impressive in their wins, but have against Stone Mountain at 7:30 p.m. … The boys cross country team finished fifth overall struggled in their losses. Nevertheless, Latham can see the improvement in his team. “We had in an extremely strong field at the Aubrae Gunderson Invitational. The team’s average time a good off-week of practice,” Latham said. … Thanks to a 25-11 win over McNair, the soft- was 17:50. Charlie Clark had a strong race, finishing 16th with a time of 17:23. The girls ball team will make up its previously delayed game against Clarkston on Wednesday. The team joined the boys with a fifth-place finish. Meaghan Wetterhall was seventh, checking game will resume with the score tied at 17-17 going into the eighth inning. A win will put in at 20:28. Meg Maciuba was next in 14th place with a time of 20:54. Both teams leave the Columbia into the Region 5-AAA Tournament. Head coach Steve Dennis says his team is state next Saturday to run in the Wendy’s Invitational in Charlotte, N.C. … The softball excited at the chance to play in the postseason. “It gives you something to play for,” Dennis team was defeated 8-0 in five innings against Chamblee. The squad is currently 9-7 overall said. In the win over the Mustangs, Frankie Jones was 4-for-5 with two triples, while Laura and 4-4 in region play. The Lady Vikings play Southwest DeKalb at home on Wednesday, Burrell and Jonelle Joseph also went 4-for-5. and then host them the following day as well. DECATUR BULLDOGS MARIST WAR EAGLES he football team may be 1-3 after a loss to No. 1 Buford, but the Bulldogs put a major he football team shocked the state with a huge win over Region 6-AAAA opponent and Tscare into the nationally touted Wolves. An extremely aggressive defense blitzed TNo. 1-ranked Tucker. And it wasn’t just the win itself, but the way that Marist beat the throughout the first half and confused the Buford offense, trailing just 3-0 at the half. The Tigers that was most impressive. The War Eagles dominated on both sides of the ball and won Wolves didn’t even register a first down until early in the second quarter, however. Buford the game handily, 38-0. Sam McNearny opened up the scoring early with a touchdown run ran away with the win in the second half. A 7-yard touchdown run gave them a 10-0 lead, from 1 yard out. Then, quarterback Kyle Farmer’s 2-yard score upped the lead to 17-0 at the and then they scored on a 54-yard run from Storm Johnson after Trumon Jefferson and the half. Tucker didn’t even manage a first down in the first two quarters. It was more of the same offense quickly went three-and-out. Buford cruised afterwards, winning 31-0. Jefferson in the second half, and a Patrick Sullivan 22-yard run put Tucker away. Matt Connors scored was the spark offensively for Decatur. The Bulldogs had just 60 total yards, and were only twice in the fourth quarter to close the scoring for the War Eagles. Next up is Forsyth Central able to muster one first down against a tough Wolves defense. DHS hosts winless Cross on Oct. 10. … The boys cross country team took home first place at the Aubrae Gunderson Keys on Friday at 7:30 p.m. … The softball team beat Druid Hills 13-0 on Wednesday, but Invitational with 69 points. Great depth was the key as David Connolly, Charlie Fetter, needed a win over Lovett on Thursday to qualify for the region tournament in the season William Rafety and Dylan Moore all finished in the top 20. … The softball team kept rolling finale. They were unable to win, falling 8-0 to the Lions. with an 8-0 win over Peachtree Ridge and a 10-0 victory over North Springs last week. DUNWOODY WILDCATS M.L, KING LIONS he football team looked like it was in for a stiff test against Region 5-AAA opponent he football team kicked off the Region 2-AAAAA slate in stellar fashion, posting a TCedar Grove. The Wildcats fell behind 21-14, allowing the Saints to score on their T28-7 road win over Luella (3-1) last Friday night. Junior running back Mack Brown first three drives of the game. Dunwoody responded to take a 24-21 lead at halftime. A rushed 17 times for 176 yards and two touchdowns while senior linebacker Joel Kight fumble led to a 2-yard touchdown run for Will Crotchet to take the lead in the third. recorded 19 tackles on defense. The team improved to 3-1 overall and will host Douglass Dalen Claytor scored the next two touchdowns of the game from 9 and 18 yards out. (2-2) in a region showdown for homecoming on Friday night at 8 p.m. Douglass is fresh Treavor Scales scored the final touchdown, his second of the evening, making the final off a 47-14 rout of Greenbrier to pick up their first region win. M.L. King holds the score 52-27. The 5-0 Wildcats have the week off before returning to action on Oct. 10 advantage in the all-time series against the Astros, 2-0. … The volleyball team is still against Towers. … The volleyball team defeated Riverwood in straight games (25-10, searching for its first victory after falling in two straight games to area rival Houston 25-21). They return to the court on Thursday at 5 p.m. against Tucker. … The boys cross County on Saturday, Sept. 20. … The softball team has enjoyed some time off to bask in country team finished 18th at the FSU Invitational in Tallahassee, Fla. James Dwyer fin- its first win of the season, which came on Sept. 16 with a 14-5 drubbing of Druid Hills. ished 34th with a time of 16:51. Charlotte Collins raced well for the girls, finishing 34th The squad looked to keep up the momentum while visiting Lakeside on Tuesday, but with a time of 20:44. results were not available at press time.

WWW.SCOREATL.COM OCTOBER 1-7, 2008 SCORE DEKALB I 07D MILLER GROVE WOLVERINES SOUTHWEST DEKALB PANTHERS he football team beat Forsyth Central 24-3 last week. Miller Grove jumped out on the he football team improved to 4-1 with a 56-0 victory over North Springs last weekend. The TBulldogs early and would not look back thanks to a superb defensive effort that shut out Tgame marked the third straight shutout by the Panthers defense, as they held Forsyth Forsyth Central in the second half. Kenneth Gilstrap opened the game with a 50-yard touch- Central and Lakeside scoreless in their two previous games. Southwest DeKalb has a bye this down run and Gerald Hatchett later produced touchdown runs of 12 and 53 yards. Despite the week before playing Chamblee on Oct. 10. … The softball team has been comfortably atop of win, head football coach Jasper Jewell still says his team can play better. “Offensively, we’re its half of Region 6-AAAA all season, and is brimming with confidence as the season is wind- still not where we need to be,” Jewell said. “This is only (quarterback) Kendrick Ings’s second ing down and the region tournament approaches. Freshman Trence Nash has done well at the week back. We’re just not in-sync on offense.” The Wolverines will look to get in-sync as a plate, compiling a .455 batting average and two home runs through 13 games. … Jared team with a bye week. After the bye, Miller Grove (2-2-1) returns to action on Oct. 11 when Williams finished 11th in the boys Red Division at the Aubrae Gunderson Invitational last the Wolverines play Lithonia at Hallford Stadium. … After losing to Southwest DeKalb, the week, registering a time of 17:59.65. Andrew Menjor finished 14th with a time of 18:09.91 and softball team beat Clarkston 15-0 and Stone Mountain 11-3 last week. Chelsea Bromet pitched Ed Austin finished 22nd. The boys finished seventh out of 20 teams. For the girls, Amber both games for the Wolverines, getting the wins. In the win over Stone Mountain, Jade Nelson Crews finished fourth in her Red Division race with a time of 21:39.73. Earlier in the week, went 3-for-3 with a three-RBI triple. Crews won her DeKalb County Week 4 race. PAIDEIA PYTHONS STEPHENSON JAGUARS he boys cross country team finished 15th at the Aubrae Gunderson Invitational. he football team remained unbeaten with a 25-7 win over Newton last Friday. The TJack Scully paced the Pythons with a 51st overall finish in 20:25. Karl Kingma fin- TJaguars defense and special teams were the catalyst early on, as they got Stephenson ished just behind him in 58th place with a time of 20:38. Spencer Bledsoe was next on the board with a safety and a field goal by Colin Anderson. Later, a touchdown run by with a final time of 20:55. The average finish for the team was 20:57. … The girls team Raymond Sanders and a punt return for a score by Jonathan Blackley put Stephenson up finished 11th with an average time of 26:01. Katie Reeder led the way with a time of 18-0 at the break. Stephenson tacked on another score in the second half, and all the 25:17 in 56th place. Zainab Nizam was next to finish for the Lady Pythons with a time Rams could manage was a late touchdown against the Jaguar reserves. Stephenson (4-0) of 26:24. Both teams return to action on Tuesday in the second county meet of the year came into the game focused on getting a win. “[It’s] our first region game. We tried to at Decatur High School. … The volleyball team dropped consecutive matches last treat this like a playoff game,” Jaguar head coach Ron Gartrell said. Stephenson will be week, losing to the Atlanta International School in straight sets, and losing again in in action on Friday when the team plays at Luella. … Taylor Thomas finished ninth in her straight sets the following day at Druid Hills (25-17, 25-18). The Lady Pythons face Week 4 DeKalb County cross country race with a time of 27:01.60. Jillian Thomas was Atlanta International again on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. at home. They host Grady on the next Lady Jaguar to finish, coming in 18th. Chris Ballou had the top finish for the Monday at 5 p.m. boys, coming in 34th. REDAN RAIDERS STONE MOUNTAIN PIRATES espite a valiant second-half comeback, the football team fell 36-20 to Union Grove Friday. he football team got its first win of the season in a dominating 28-4 victory over Lithonia DUnion Grove got on the board first, but Redan responded as quarterback Akil Dan-Fadio Tlast Friday. Michael Gilbert rushed for 72 yards and two touchdowns in the Pirates’ win. hit receiver Travis Benton on a long touchdown pass to cut the Wolverine lead to 8-6. Union Quarterback Jhyree Harris also contributed two touchdowns as the Pirates built a 21-0 first- Grove tacked on another score, however, and took a 15-6 halftime lead. They extended that lead quarter lead. The defense was just as dominating, not allowing a single point from the Bulldogs, in the second half, but a touchdown pass and touchdown run by Dan-Fadio helped pull Redan and Lithonia could only manage two safeties. Robert Nelson led the charge for the Pirate within two scores. “We’ve just got to keep working, keep improving,” said head coach Ronnie defense with 18 tackles. After the game, Stone Mountain head coach Charles Reeves said his Fleetwood. Redan next plays Newton on Friday at Panthersville Stadium. … The volleyball young team has plenty of room to grow. “We need to do a better job on the offensive line,” team got wins over Lithonia (25-10, 25-13) and Tri-Cites (25-14, 25-17). During the Lithonia Reeves said. “We’re not coming off the ball right now, that’s been our major problem offensive- match, Faith Adams was one of the heroes, as she had four aces, three kills and two assists. ly.” The Pirates are also getting used to Harris, a transfer student from Florida, being under cen- Also, Nia Evans had seven kills and three blocks. Against Tri-Cities, Delia Brunson had seven ter. Stone Mountain (1-4) has a bye week before taking on Lakeside on Oct. 11. … Jonathan kills, four aces and five blocks and Sariah Williams had nine aces, three kills and six assists. Spivey led the boy’s cross country team with a 15th-place finish in his race at the Week 4 The Raiders improved to 21-6 on the year. DeKalb Meet. Spivey’s time was 19:44.67. ST. PIUS X GOLDEN LIONS TUCKER TIGERS he football team rolled in a relatively easy 35-7 victory over Therrell. The Golden Lions’ he football team, ranked No. 1 in Class 4A, suffered its first setback of the season at Trecord now stands at 5-0 on the season. They face a competitive North Atlanta squad this TMarist (4-1) last Friday night, dropping a crucial Region 6-AAAA game by the score of week at George B. Maloof Field. The Warriors are just a game behind the Golden Lions in 38-0. In the first half, Tucker managed just 10 yards of total offense and no first downs. Region 5-AAA play. Game time is 7:30 p.m. … The boys cross country team finished second “Marist took control of the game early and never let it go,” said Tiger head coach Franklin overall at the Mercer Invitational with 96 points. Trey Ellis was only two seconds behind the Stephens. “But we’re Tucker, and we’ll come back.” Football has an off week to regroup race leader, finishing second in a time of 16:36. Brandon Hoban scored an eighth-place finish before hosting North Springs for homecoming on Oct. 10. … The volleyball team was idle in 17:14. They return to the track on Saturday for the Asics Invitational in Douglasville. Both last week but takes a 3-1 record in Region 6-AAAA play to Dunwoody on Thursday at 5 p.m. the girls and boys teams are currently ranked No. 2 overall in Class 3A. … Volleyball faces a … The softball team will try to right the ship on Wednesday against Marist at 5 p.m. after busy week. The team takes on Pope and Chattahoochee on Thursday at 6 p.m. and plays five losing twice last week. … Volleyball fell to Forsyth Central 12-0 last Tuesday and to games on Saturday at the Northview Playday. Then the team hits the court again on Tuesday to Chamblee 8-0 one day later. … The boys cross country team placed third in a DeKalb County face Blessed Trinity and Landmark Christian. … The softball team faces rivals Marist on meet at Shamrock Park last Tuesday. Senior Nolan Schnepf took top individual honors with Thursday at 5 p.m. Region tournament play starts on Monday. a time of 17:53 while senior Bsrat Gide finished fourth in 18:07. • Josh Bagriansky – Dunwoody, Marist, St. Pius X, Decatur, Druid Hills, Lakeside, Paideia • James Butler – Miller Grove, Southwest DeKalb, Stephenson, Columbia, Redan, Stone Mountain • Ricky Dimon –Tucker, Chamblee, M.L. King