HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL ON DEMAND SEE BACK PAGE 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. FOR REAL-TIME HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SCORES GO TO SCOREATL.COM WWW.SCOREATL.COM OCTOBER 1-7, 2008 SCORE DEKALB I 03D 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. WWW.SCOREATL.COM 04D I SCORE DEKALB Get In The Game! 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.