October 9, 2007
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WEEKLY SPORTS CALENDAR
TUESDAY, OCT. 9
Varsity cross country: GACS at Wesleyan
5:00pm Varsity volleyball: Blessed Trinity at GACS; Bradford Gym; Senior Night
7:00pm Varsity volleyball: Oconee County at GACS; Bradford Gym
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 10
4:00pm Junior High cross country: GACS JH at Spartan Stadium
THURSDAY, OCT. 11
5:00pm Varsity softball: Buford at GACS; Region 6-AA championship game; Sandra Coan Field
5:00pm JV football: GACS JV at Westminster
5:00pm Ninth grade football: GACS 9th at Wesleyan
FRIDAY, OCT. 12
5:15pm Varsity football: GACS vs. Avondale; Hallford Stadium [directions below]
SATURDAY, OCT. 13
9:00am 7th grade football: Wesleyan 7th at GACS; Spartan Stadium
10:00am Varsity volleyball: Cross Keys at GACS; Area 4-AA/A Tourney; Bradford Gym
10:00am Varsity competition cheerleading: GACS at Peachtree Ridge High School
10:00am JV competition cheerleading: GACS JV at Peachtree Ridge High School
11:00am Eighth grade football: Wesleyan 8th at GACS; Spartan Stadium
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SOFTBALL
Head coach Judy Tenney
LADY SPARTANS 3, BUFORD 0;
JESSICA COAN STRIKES OUT 15 WOLVES;
ANOTHER REMATCH THURSDAY
Oct. 9 Gwinnett Daily Post
ATLANTA - Jessica Coan (24-0-1) gave up just four hits, struck out 15 and was a perfect 3-for-3 with an RBI at the plate as GAC topped Buford 3-0 in the winner's bracket of the Region 6-AA tournament.
Molly Mitchell and Madeline Baker each had an RBI with Baker and Chaney Means adding a run apiece. Alex McDavid was 2-for-3 for the Spartans (30-1-1).
Buford will get another shot at GAC after beating Wesleyan 6-3 to earn a spot in the region finals at 5 p.m. Thursday at GAC.
Pitcher Melissa Higginbotham (13-2) got the win over Wesleyan, giving up just five hits while striking out five. She was also 2-for-3 with a triple and two RBIs at the plate.
Jennifer Tucker (2-for-3) had a double and scored a run and Brandi Hellemn (2-for-2) scored a run in the win.
#1-ranked GAC tops Wesleyan in 6-AA tournament
Oct. 7 Gwinnett Daily Post
BUFORD - Jessica Coan picked up her 22nd win of the year tossing a complete game shutout against Wesleyan and adding two doubles and two RBIs in GAC's 7-0 win in the second round of the Region 6-AA tournament.
Molly Mitchell (1-for-2) hit a home run and had two RBIs while Alex McDavid (2-for-3) scored a run to go with an RBI. Katie Petrino (2-for-4) also scored a run.
GAC (28-1-1) will face Buford on Monday [today]. Following its loss to GAC, Wesleyan regrouped to beat Creekview 3-1.
Paige Hamlin struck out six to get the win and went 2-for-4 with an RBI at the plate.
Erin Hall went 1-for-3 with a double and a run scored for the Wolves (11-13).
GAC 15, Decatur 0
Oct. 6 Gwinnett Daily Post
NORCROSS - Chaney Means scored two runs and knocked in four more as Jessica Coan struck out 12 and GAC pounded Decatur 15-0 in four innings in the opening round of the Region 6-AA tournament.
Coan added three RBIs and a run to her winning performance, while Madeline Baker when 1-for-2 with two runs scored, Katie Petrino went 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI and Carly Busbee went 2-for-3 with three runs.
With the win GAC (27-1-1) advances to play Wesleyan today at 2 p.m. at Buford.
Coach Tenney reports:
The Lady Spartan softball team defeated Holy Innocent’s [Thursday] 7-1. Kelsey McDavid picked up the win. Reagan Page homered for the Spartans, and Alex McDavid went 3 for 3.
GAC 7, Holy Innocents' 1
Gwinnett Daily Post
ATLANTA - Alex McDavid was 3-for-3 with a triple, single, RBI and three runs to help GAC top Holy Innocents' 7-1 on Thursday.
Reagan Page had a home run and two RBIs and totaled 1-for-3 for the night and Kelsey McDavid was 2-for-3 with an RBI. Kelsey McDavid (6-0) was also the winning pitching, giving up three hits and struck out six on the mound for GAC (26-1-1). [Oct. 6 Gwinnett Daily Post]
Coach Tenney reports:
Congratulations to the Lady Spartan softball seniors Jessica Coan, Kelsey McDavid, Mollie Mitchell, and Reagan Page who were honored [Wednesday] at the softball game with Pace. The Lady Spartans came away with a 2-1 win on the strength of Jessica Coan’s 21 strikeouts. Jessica and Katie Petrino also had RBI’s to seal the Spartan victory.
Jessica Coan strikes out 21 in GAC victory
Gwinnett Daily Post
NORCROSS - Jessica Coan struck out 21 batters and Greater Atlanta Christian used a sixth-inning rally to beat Pace Academy 2-1 on Wednesday.
Down 1-0 in the sixth, Chaney Means (2-for-3) got a single and Madeline Baker was hit by a pitch. Mollie Mitchell's sacrifice advanced the runners and Coan's sacrifice scored Means. Katie Petrino (1-for-3) followed with the game-winning base hit.
No. 1 GAC tops No. 2 Buford
By Will Hammock, Sports Editor
Oct. 3 Gwinnett Daily Post
BUFORD - Ten days earlier, the two fastpitch softball teams played a meaningless tournament softball game. Neither team pitched its ace.
That wasn't the case Tuesday.
Top-ranked Greater Atlanta Christian and No. 2 Buford used their aces in a high-stakes, Region 6-AA game, and the visiting Spartans held off host Buford 4-2. The victory kept the Spartans unbeaten in the region and moved them very close to the regular-season region championship. They play two more region games this week before the 6-AA tournament starts on Friday, and now the Class AA's No. 1 team has the inside track to be the tourney's top seed.
They also avenged their only loss of the season, which just happened to be that meaningless Brookwood Invitational game vs. Buford, which won that matchup 6-4.
"I just told (our players) after the game, that any time you get off Buford's field with a win, it's nice no matter how it happens," said GAC coach Judy Tenney, whose team plays Pace Academy today and Holy Innocents' on Thursday. "Both teams played well and it was a gutsy effort by both teams. Buford never quit and we knew they wouldn't."
The Spartans (25-1-1, 8-0 region) and ace Jessica Coan had to hold off a Buford rally to secure the win.
Coan struck out 14 batters, walked three and gave up five hits, controlling the game for most of the night. But the senior, with a 4-0 lead, ran into trouble in the fifth inning when she walked two batters and gave up back-to-back hits to Chelsie Thomas and Whitney Holman.
Thomas' hit was an RBI double and a passed ball allowed Buford (23-4-1, 9-1) to close the deficit to 4-2. Then the situation worsened when Coan walked Melissa Higginbotham, bringing up Buford slugger Ashley Razey, the Wolves' career home run leader.
But Razey, representing the go-ahead run at the plate, grounded out to end the threat. Coan allowed one single in each of the final two innings, but struck out the side in both the sixth and the seventh innings. But her great escape was setting down Razey in the fifth.
"I'm proud of the way we pitched Razey," Tenney said. "She's such an incredible hitter. We felt like we made the pitches we needed to make to her. With a great hitter like her, you just try to minimize the damage."
GAC took a 1-0 lead in the third inning on Mollie Mitchell's solo home run to center field, then did more damage in the fourth after Katie Petrino led off with a double. Kelsey McDavid and Chaney Means had RBI singles later in the inning for a 3-0 edge. Alex McDavid's RBI single in the fifth extended the advantage to 4-0.
Means had a game-high three hits, while Coan was 2-for-4 and Alex McDavid was 2-for-3. Mitchell reached base three other times in addition to her homer, once by an error and twice by walks. Petrino also drew a walk to go with her double.
Eight of the nine players in Buford's lineup reached base, but each one got on base just once. Coan didn't get in much trouble against the Wolves, and when she did the Spartans' error-free defense helped her out.
"Defensively we stepped up when we needed to," Tenney said.
Softball Report: Area stars pick colleges
By Michael Carvell
Oct. 3 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A growing sport
Girls softball continues to improve in Georgia, and the sport has become a scholarship bonanza. While many of the state's top players remain undecided, here is where some have decided to play college ball next year.
• Jessica Coan, Greater Atlanta Christian (Georgia Tech): May be the state's top pitcher, posting a 17-0-1 record with 0.12 ERA, while striking out 251 batters in 121 innings. Coan also has a .349 batting average and 11 RBIs.
CLASS AA SOFTBALL RANKINGS
1. Greater Atlanta Christian
2. Buford
3. North Oconee
4. Berrien County
5. Morgan County
6. Savannah Christian
7. Vidalia
8. Cook County
9. Dodge County
10. East Jackson
[Source: www.GaSports.com]
VARSITY SOFTBALL RECORD [30-1-1]
GACS 6-5 Forsyth Central
GACS 11-0 Central Gwinnett
GACS 15-0 Chamblee
GACS 1-0 Eastside
GACS 1-0 Oconee County
GACS 5-2 Peachtree Ridge
GACS 15-0 Cross Keys
GACS 1-0 Collins Hill
GACS 1-0 Avondale [forfeit]
GACS 1-0 Walton
SHAW TOURNAMENT
GACS 10-0 Columbus
GACS 4-1 Walton
GACS 12-0 Hardaway
GACS 2-0 Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe
GACS 3-1 Madison County [Shaw Tournament Championship game]
GACS 4-0 Decatur
GACS 15-0 Walker
BROOKWOOD INVITATIONAL
GACS 0-0 East Jackson [tie]
GACS 1-0 South Forsyth
GACS 1-0 Harrison
Diamond Medal Round
GACS 1-0 Kennesaw Mountain
GACS 2-0 Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe
GACS 4-6 Buford
GACS 9-1 Wesleyan
GACS 4-0 Lovett
GACS 4-0 Creekview
GACS 4-2 Buford
GACS 2-1 Pace
GACS 7-1 Holy Innocents’
REGION 6-AA TOURNAMENT
GACS 15-0 Decatur
GACS 7-0 Wesleyan
GACS 3-0 Buford
Oct. 11 Buford at GACS; Championship Game; Sandra Coan Field
GHSA SECTIONAL TOURNAMENT; ALTO PARK; ROME GA
Oct. 19 First round of Sectional Tournament
Oct. 19 Second round of Sectional Tournament
Oct. 20 Third round of Sectional Tournament
GHSA STATE TOURNAMENT; COLUMBUS GA SOFTBALL COMPLEX
Oct. 25 First round of State Tournament
Oct. 25 Second round of State Tournament
Oct. 26 Third round of State Tournament
Oct. 27 Fourth round of State Tournament
Oct. 27 Championship game
VARSITY SOFTBALL ROSTER
Jessica Coan...Kelsey McDavid...Mollie Mitchell...Reagan Page...Mady Baker
Kamarin Moon…Cecelia Stephens...Carly Busbee...Chaney Means...Katie Petrino
Sarah Armstrong…Alex McDavid...Sarah Robinson...Christine Young
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VOLLEYBALL
Head coach Kristy Shelton
GAC WILL HOST AREA TOURNAMENT
The Bradford Gym will be the site of this year’s Area 4-AA/A volleyball tournament on October 13, 16 & 18. The tourney will use a double elimination format; a team will move to the losers’ bracket with its first loss, and then eliminated with a second loss. On October 18 the two teams that reach the finals will play a best 3 of five game match for the area championship.
Here are the games scheduled for first round this Saturday, October 13:
Wesleyan vs. Avondale
Buford vs. Providence Christian
Hebron Christian vs. Decatur
GACS vs. Cross Keys
The top four teams (semifinalists) from each area tournament advance to the State Sectional Tournament at either Savannah Christian Preparatory School or Savannah Country Day School on Oct. 27th. The State AA/A semi-finals will be at the Marist School on November 1st, and the finals for all classifications will be at Marietta High School on November 3rd.
A NEW CROWN: Wesleyan tops GAC to win first county championship
By Scott Smith, Senior Correspondent
Oct. 7 Gwinnett Daily Post
NORCROSS - Even though Gwinnett County is teeming with class AAAAA schools, the finals of the Gwinnett County volleyball tournament on Saturday afternoon came down to a pair of schools from the state's smallest classification.
Two rivals - Wesleyan and Greater Atlanta Christian - each outlasted the rest of the county to face each other for the first county championship. The Wolves took the crown by sweeping the Spartans in two games 25-13, 25-14.
Wesleyan, ranked No. 1 in Class AA/A and the winners of the last three state tournaments, came into Saturday riding a nine-match winning streak. During that stretch, Wesleyan had dropped just one game and that was to the Spartans back on Sept. 27.
"We wanted to be in a tournament situation where we had to play for a championship," Wesleyan head coach Ted Russell said. "Playing for a championship, there's a certain amount of pressure in learning how to go through that experience, and we want to have as many opportunities as we can to do something like that.
"We're not surprised that we played GAC because they always have a good program. There's a chance that we will play them again in the region tournament and maybe even again at state."
Wesleyan (39-6) started its day with a quick 25-7, 25-6 sweep of Providence and then faced its neighbor from across the street in Norcross.
Norcross, ranked eighth in Class AAAAA, knocked out Dacula in two tight games 26-24, 25-22 but didn't fare as well against Wesleyan as the Wolves swept the Blue Devils 25-8, 25-15.
GAC (30-8) also started the day strong with a two-game sweep of Brookwood 25-18, 25-16 and advanced to the semifinals to face Parkview, who earlier ousted Mill Creek 25-20, 25-21.
GAC won the opening game against the Panthers 25-21, but Parkview rallied in the second game and forced a third game with a 25-16 win. However, GAC buckled down and reached the finals with a 25-18 win.
"We felt that Wesleyan would be in the finals and our goal was to be there with them," GAC head coach Kristy Shelton said. "There's some really good teams here in Gwinnett, and I knew we were going to be pushed. It wasn't an easy road to get here."
Once the finals started, however, Wesleyan took control early and never let up, winning the first game 25-13. Anne Marie Armstrong, who tallied 29 kills, 18 digs and 12 aces during the day, got her team off to a quick 5-0 lead with her strong jump serve while Betsy Smith (26 kills, 11 aces, nine digs on the day) and Haley Collins (18 kills, 11 digs, seven aces) each played well up front.
GAC, ranked No. 4 in Class AA/A, fought back in the second game and trailed by just one point at 8-7 when the Wolves went on a 12-3 run to regain the momentum. Grace Leah Baughn, who had a solid day at hitter, capped off the afternoon with her 13th kill of the day.
One possible reason for the swiftness of the last match was that the Wesleyan players had an event they didn't want to be late for.
"It's homecoming this weekend and the dance starts in about two hours," Russell said. "The final was scheduled for 2:30 but was pushed back and they got a little nervous. They didn't say anything and played real focused considering a major event in their high school career was waiting for them."
Maggie Smith also had a good day for Wesleyan with 83 assists, 12 digs and five aces while GAC's Alex Shelton compiled 42 assists in the last two matches. Amanda Komisarow added 14 kills for the Spartans while Katie Rowell finished with 12 kills in the semis and the finals.
GAC wins two
NORCROSS - GAC topped North Gwinnett 25-19, 22-25, 25-17 and Dacula 14-25, 25-23, 25-18 on Thursday night at the Gwinnett County Championship.
Amanda Komisarow had 23 kills and 17 digs and Anjelica Wilcox contributed 18 kills and 31⁄2 blocks for GAC. Alex Shelton had 51 assists and 19 digs as the Spartans improved to 26-7. [Oct. 6 Gwinnett Daily Post]
AA/A VOLLEYBALL RANKINGS
1. Wesleyan
2. Lovett
3. Holy Innocents Episcopal School
4. Greater Atlanta Christian School
5. Savannah Country Day
6. Landmark Christian Academy
7. Walker
8. Savannah Christian
9. Athens Academy
10. North Oconee
[Source: www.GaSports.com]
VARSITY VOLLEYBALL RECORD [30-8]
GACS 2-1 Brookwood
GACS 2-0 Collins Hill
GACS 2-0 Riverwood
GACS 2-0 Pace Academy
GACS 2-0 Providence Christian
GACS 2-0 South Gwinnett
GACS 2-1 Grayson
GACS 0-2 Norcross
GACS 2-0 Berkmar
GACS 2-0 Parkview
GACS 2-0 Brookwood
GACS 2-0 Dunwoody
GACS 0-2 Landmark Christian
GACS 2-1 Eagles Landing Christian
GACS 0-2 Holy Innocents
GACS 0-2 Savannah Country Day
GACS 2-0 Hardaway
GACS 2-0 Central Gwinnett
GACS 2-0 West Hall
GACS 2-0 LaFayette
GACS 2-0 Cartersville
GACS 2-0 Prince Avenue Christian School
GACS 2-0 Harris County
GACS 0-2 South Forsyth
GACS 0-3 Marist
GACS 2-0 Decatur
GACS 2-0 Avondale
GACS 2-0 Hebron
GACS 2-0 Cross Keys [forfeit]
GACS 2-0 Buford
GACS 1-2 Wesleyan
GWINNETT COUNTY TOURNAMENT
GACS 2-1 North Gwinnett
GACS 2-1 Dacula
GACS 2-0 Brookwood
GACS 2-1 Parkview
GACS 0-2 Wesleyan
VARSITY VOLLEYBALL SCHEDULE
Oct. 9 Senior Night: Blessed Trinity at GACS 5:00pm; Oconee County 7:00pm
Oct. 13 Cross Keys at GACS; Area 4-AA/A Tournament; Bradford Gym
Oct. 16 Area Tournament at GACS; Bradford Gym
Oct. 18 Area Tournament at GACS; Bradford Gym
Oct. 27 State AA/A Sectional Tournament
Nov. 1 State AA/A Semifinals at Marist
Nov. 3 All-Classifications Finals at Marietta High School
VARSITY VOLLEYBALL ROSTER
#2 Katie Rowell - Sr. Captain
#3 Katie Stevens - Soph.
#5 Briana Jordan - Soph.
#6 Alex Shelton - Sr. Captain
#8 Megan Rosburg - Fr.
#9 Elizabeth McMurray - Jr.
#11 Anjelica Wilcox - Jr.
#12 Amanda Komisarow - Soph.
#14 Caroline Vick - Sr. Captain
#15 Sam Vining - Jr.
#20 Ainsley Sutton - Sr. Captain
Alex Pan – manager
Evan Turner – manager
Visit the volleyball team website at
http://tiger.greateratlantachristian.org/sites/dir/athletics/team/vball/default.aspx
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CROSS COUNTRY
Head coach Brad Kinser
CLASS AA GIRLS RANKINGS
1) Lovett
2) Pace
3) Wesleyan
4) Holy Innocents
5) Walker
6) Darlington
7) Bleckley County
8) Greater Atlanta Christian
9) North Oconee
10) Rockmart
[Source: http://ga.milesplit.us/articles/14877]
CLASS AA BOYS RANKINGS
1) Wesleyan
2) Rockmart
3) Bleckley County
4) Pace & Lovett [tie]
5) Creekview
6) Greater Atlanta Christian
7) North Oconee
8) Bleckley Co.
9) Buford
10) Pike County
[Source: http://ga.milesplit.us/articles/14877]
CROSS COUNTRY ROSTER
SENIORS
Austin Sullivan.....Jenna Hoglund.....David Paris .....Austin Collins.....Ben Golden.....Alex Snead
JUNIORS
Nathaniel Einfeldt.....Lauren Fountain.....Travis Elrod.....Caleb Townsend.....Tyler Bello.....Michael Ray
SOPHOMORES
Hunter Greene.....Madeline Barker.....Chip Glaser.....Carter Asef.....Brad Bazemore.....Stephen Grum
Nick Chizek
FRESHMEN
Trevor Buce.....Lyndsey Kytle.....Lauren Kestor.....Sophia Artusa.....Kathryn Bello
VARSITY CROSS COUNTRY SCHEDULE
DATE / DAY_____MEET_____LOCATION
Oct. 9 Tues._____ Wesleyan____Wesleyan School
Oct. 20 Sat. Coach Wood Inv. Gainesville College
Oct. 27 Sat. Last Chance Inv. Carrollton GA
Nov. 1 Thurs. Region Meet OLM Fairburn GA
Nov. 10 Sat. AA State Meet Carrollton GA
Visit the cross country team website at
http://tiger.greateratlantachristian.org/sites/dir/athletics/team/CC/default.aspx
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FOOTBALL
Head coach Jimmy Chupp
Directions to next game:
GACS vs. Avondale at Hallford Stadium; Friday, Oct. 12 at 5:15pm [note time]
1. Take I-285 South toward Augusta/Macon and exit at Memorial Drive
2. Turn left at end of exit ramp onto Memorial Drive and 2 miles outside I-285
3. Turn left at Memorial College Avenue and go 1/2 mile to stadium on the left.
LOVETT 23, GAC 17
By Ben Beitzel, Staff Writer
Oct. 6, 2007 Gwinnett Daily Post
NORCROSS - In its first five plays of the game, GAC looked primed to erase all its frustration from a blowout loss to Buford last week.
On its fourth play, quarterback Colton Chapple hit Christian Robinson for a 69-yard scoring strike where Robinson leapt over the Lovett defenders then sprinted to the end zone.On its fifth play, Chapple hit Robinson again, this time for 56 yards to set up a Robert Boccolucci field goal.
Two completions, 125 yards, 10-0 GAC.
Then everything changed and Lovett rattled off 23 straight points en route to a 23-17 Region 6-AA win.
"We just let it slip away," said GAC head coach Jimmy Chupp. "I can't pinpoint it right now. I think we just let it slip away. We made some mistakes."
Before the mistakes began, Lovett (4-1, 3-0 region) answered the second Spartan score with an eight-play, 55-yard drive that ended in a 35-yard Jack Hall field goal.
Enter the first mistake. Under pressure, Chapple threw a pass short that Lovett's Justin Cyprien scooped up from what looked like a bounce, but it was ruled an interception.
"It was pretty obvious it hit the ground, but you have to be able to overcome things like that," Chupp said of the interception that set up the tying score - a 12 yard pass from quarterback Jonathan Carkhuff (11 of 13, 92 yards, TD) to Andre Hicks."We didn't."
Then came the second mistake. On its next possession, GAC (4-2, 2-2 region) muffed its punt, again giving great field position to the Lions. A 22-yard field goal later, the Spartan trailed 13-10.
"We still have the potential to comeback and score, but we just make a couple of mistakes here and there," Chupp said.
After forcing a Lovett punt on the first possession of the third quarter, GAC started moving the ball, picking up 24 yards, mostly on the ground, where as a team the Spartans managed just 139 yards. Then, as Chapple rolled right, he threw his pass as he was hit and it found the hands of Lovett's Clay Coolege, who returned it 31 yards to the 25. Seven plays and four minutes later, Lovett let 20-10 after Carkhuff punched it in from the 1.
"I thought we were going to come back and knock them out," Chupp said. "We were moving and that (interception) hurt us."
GAC again started driving the ball on its next possession, with most of the yards coming from Robinson, who ended the game with 157 yards receiving and 62 on the ground and a pair of touchdowns while playing defense and special teams.
"Christian played great, but it wore him out," Chupp said. "He was cramping and it was just hard to keep him on the field. He is such a talented athlete that we try to keep him on the field in different ways."
Those cramps hurt the drive. Robinson left the field after a 45-yard scamper from the quarterback position and the Spartan drive stalled again, this time leading to a missed field goal.After another Lovett field goal, GAC did put together an 80-yard scoring drive that saw Chapple throw for 75 yards and ended in a Robinson touchdown run.But the rally came too late and after failed onside kick, Lovett held on for the win.
"It's just back the drawing board and get ready for next week," Chupp said. "We are playing for the playoffs we expect and we just have to win them out."
LOVETT 23 | GAC 17
1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
Lovett 0 13 7 3 23
GACS 10 0 0 7 17
STATISTICS: LOVETT GAC
First Downs 11 15
Rushes-yards 36-186 23-139
Passing yards 102 229
Comp-Att-Int 12-14-0 12-23-2
Fumbles-lost 0-0 1-1
Penalties-yards 6-55 3-30
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing - GAC: Ben Donald 8-25, Bobby Petrino 2-4, Matt Cape 2-15, Chapple 5-28, Robinson 4-62, Julian Horton 2-5; Lovett: Taylor Mack 13-86, Hicks 12-66, Bo Anderson 5-17, Carkhuff 5-13, Max Williams 1-4. Passing - GAC: Chapple 12-23-229; Lovett: Carkhuff 11-13-92, Mack 1-1-10. Receiving - GAC: Robinson 5-157, Horton 3-40, Ryan Ransom 2-25, Donald 1-5, Neal Hughes 1-2; Lovett: Drew Stockton 3-27, Hick 4-30, Carkhuff 1-10, Anderson 2-13, Williams 1-(-2), Michael Steele 1-25.
Lovett roars to rally past GAC
By Larry Hartstein
Oct. 6 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Lovett, which had not beaten GAC in four previous tries, found itself behind 10-0 early.
But the visiting Lions scored 23 unanswered points for a 23-17 victory. Lovett controlled the line of scrimmage, intercepted two passes and did not commit a turnover.
Fullback Bo Anderson secured the victory with 30 seconds left by recovering GAC's onside kick.
"I'm just glad our kids had the wherewithal to respond to that initial punch they gave us and make something positive happen," Lovett coach Mike Muschamp said. "To beat a class program like GAC on their field, that says an awful lot about our kids."
Lovett (4-1, 3-0) gained the inside track toward second place in Region 6-AA, behind top-ranked Buford. The Spartans (4-2, 2-2) lost despite a monster game from Georgia commitment Christian Robinson, who had 220 combined receiving and rushing yards and two touchdowns when he wasn't cramping up.
Robinson out-jumped a defender for Colton Chapple's pass two minutes in, turning it into a 69-yard touchdown catch. GAC led 10-0 after one quarter.
But Justin Cyprien's controversial diving interception — GAC argued the ball hit the ground — sparked the Lions' comeback. A botched GAC punt fed their momentum.
Running back Andre Hicks took a shovel pass 12 yards for the tying touchdown, then Jack Hall kicked his second field goal for a 13-10 halftime lead.
With GAC driving for the potential go-ahead score, Chapple was hit while throwing, and Clay Cooledge intercepted. His 31-yard return led to quarterback Jonathan Carkhuff's 1-yard sneak and a 20-10 lead.
On that pivotal third-quarter drive, Lovett faced third-and-19 from the GAC 34. Carkhuff passed in the middle to tight end Michael Steele for a 24-yard gain.
Lovett dominated time of possession as Taylor Mack ran for 86 yards, Hicks for 66. Carkhuff completed 11-of-13 passes for 92 yards.
"We just let it slip away," Spartans coach Jimmy Chupp said. "We made some mistakes that really hurt us. Give credit to them — they gashed us, got the yardage they had to have. They must have completed 90 percent of their passes. They took it to us."
Chapple drove the Spartans to a late score to make it interesting. He finished 12-of-23 for 230 yards, with one touchdown and two interceptions. Robinson caught five balls for 158 yards and ran four times for 62 yards. Leading rusher Ben Donald was held to 25 yards on eight carries.
Coach Chupp reports:
Congratulations to Spartan football players Michael Carothers, Ben Donald, Justin Lumsden, and Christian Robinson who were honored at a banquet by the Gwinnett Touchdown Club for being named to the Team of the Month.
Coach Jimmy Chupp has high praise for Wesleyan grad Chad Hall
By Robert Haddocks, David Purdum
Oct. 5 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
After leading Air Force in rushing last year, Chad Hall anticipated doing big things out of the backfield in his senior season.
But right before the start of camp, coaches asked him to switch to receiver. It wasn't what Hall wanted, but he did it without a fuss.
"Coach [Troy] Calhoun said this would be best for the team," said Hall, a former three-sport star at Wesleyan School in Norcross. "I just want to get this program back on track, so I'll do whatever it takes."
That's been Hall's approach since he arrived in Colorado Springs, and it's one he'll carry through next year when he expects to be deployed to Iraq.
Hall, 21, is ready to fulfill that duty, but he doesn't think about it much. Right now he's focused on his strict daily regimen, his studies and doing what he's always done —- excel on the football field.
Thrust into a new position, Hall is leading Air Force with 25 receptions for 281 yards.
Hall leads the team in kickoff (21.6) and punt returns (14.8), and in limited rushing attempts he also leads the Falcons (3-2) with three rushing touchdowns.
Despite lettering in football, basketball and baseball in all four years at Wesleyan (where he holds multiple records in each sport), Hall received few offers to play Division I football. Major colleges weren't interested in a 5-foot-8 option quarterback/defensive back.
Still, Hall isn't surprised by his success.
"If you don't believe in yourself, then it will never happen," he said. "Everyone always doubted me because of my size, but I always had confidence I could do it. I took the mentality that I had to outwork everyone, whatever it was —- in the weight room, running drills, whatever it was I wanted to outwork everyone so I could be the best. Having that attitude has helped me a lot."
Hall's success comes as no surprise to Greater Atlanta Christian coach Jimmy Chupp. He watched Hall almost single-handedly beat GAC in a game between the two private schools in Norcross.
"He could hurt you running the ball, throwing the ball, catching a punt or in the defensive secondary," Chupp said. "He's just a really talented kid. He was a kid who was hard to stop because he was just so quick. He's one of the best players we played against."
Hall, who is playing his third position in four years, prepared for his latest transition by studying film of NFL receivers. He watched Chad Johnson of the Cincinnati Bengals, who's great at beating press coverage, Hall said. He said he wouldn't have been as good a football player had he gone to a college where campus life could've altered his focus.
"It would've been completely different," he said. "Being restricted sometimes on the weekend, they don't let us go out, so there's nothing else to do. Having these guys around me, we just want to get better in everything we do. These are lifelong friends I've made. I would do anything for these guys and I know they would do the same for me."
And that includes going to war. Hall, whose field is aircraft maintenance, said he'd be surprised if he's not called to duty in Iraq next year. Once again, whatever it takes, whether on the field or a battlefield, Hall is ready to serve.
"It's just part of serving my country, and I'll do whatever I can while I'm over there," he said. "I think it would be good for everybody to serve their country at one point in life. Everybody gets to enjoy their freedom, maybe they should pay a little back."
BLUE WONDER
Former Wesleyan star Chad Hall has played halfback and wide receiver at the U.S. Air Force Academy (he also played JV quarterback as a freshman).
Season..........Rush Yds....Rec Yds....TDs
2007 (5 games)....158 ......281........3
2006 (12) ........784 ......117........6
2005 (11) ........344 ......139........2
Totals..........1,286 ......537........11
VARSITY FOOTBALL RECORD [4-2]
GACS 14-7 Mary Persons HS
GACS 20-7 Greene County
GACS 45-7 Walker
GACS 41-8 Cross Keys
GACS 7-42 Buford
GACS 17-23 Lovett
VARSITY FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
Oct. 12__at Avondale (5:15pm at Hallford Stadium)
Oct. 19__WESLEYAN* (Spartan Spirit Night)
Oct. 26__Open Date
Nov. 2___at Decatur
Nov. 9___HOLY INNOCENTS (Senior Night)
Nov. 16__GHSA Playoffs begin
HOME GAMES in capital letters
All games are at 7:30pm except Avondale (5:15pm)
CLASS AA FOOTBALL RANKINGS
Oct. 8 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
1. Buford (6-0)
2. Charlton County (4-0)
3. Fitzgerald (5-0)
4. Early County (5-0)
5. Dodge County (4-1)
6. Savannah Christian (5-0)
7. Calhoun (4-1)
8. Laney (4-0)
9. Thomasville (4-2)
10. Dublin (4-2)
Visit the football team website at
http://tiger.greateratlantachristian.org/sites/dir/athletics/team/football/default.aspx
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LACROSSE
Girls’ head coach Gerry Hill
Boys’ head coach Tim Ball
Any 8th-12th grade girl interested in playing lacrosse this spring needs to come by Coach Hill's room (L204) and sign the list on his door. There will be a meeting on Monday, October 15th at 3:15 in Coach Hill's room. The meeting will last about 30-45 minutes. Potential players also need to go to Coach Hill's team website and download the Commitment Packet, fill it out, and bring it to the meeting.
All boys, grades 8 – 12, planning on coming out for lacrosse in the spring need to stop by Coach Ball’s room in the next 3 school days to fill out an information form and to get a letter pertaining to off-season and preseason training.
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WRESTLING
Coach Jeff Harsh
All boys (7th-12th grade) interested in wrestling this winter, new or returning,
need to e-mail Coach Jeff Harsh (jharsh@greateratlantachristian.org) about
their interest in joining the team and are required to attend a parent/wrestler
preseason dinner on Monday October 8th in the High School cafeteria at 7 pm.
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CHEERLEADING
Jackie Bradley - Head coach
Alison Cape & Brett Lane - Varsity Football/Competition Community Coaches
Lauren Evans - Junior Varsity Competition Community Coach
Marci Knauss - Varsity Football Spirit Community Coach
Ellie Kenworthy - Junior Varsity Football and Varsity Basketball Spirit
Coach Stacy Guyse & JoAnn Waldrop - Junior High Football and Basketball Spirit
VARSITY FOOTBALL CHEERLEADERS
Katie Andrews...Olivia Artusa...Meagan Barry...Mesha Byrd...Janie Collins...Landis Fraser
Brittany Frega...Alexis Garcia...Claire Goodson...Jordan Harvey...Kathleen Jackson
Sammi Lewis...Kara Maltby...Meredith Martin...Amy McMahon...Kim Padgett...Ashley Ramon
Lauren Reid...Lauren Sims...Lauren Thomas...Ashley Veasley...Katy Willoughby...Lauren Winston
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MARCHING SPARTAN BAND
Director Wesley York
Laura Blanton...Brandon Bradley...Sarah Brown...Hope Casey...Anna Cottle...Peter Cottle
Tim Craddock...Joseph Deedy...Lauren Dehnart...Chip Glaser...Max Gomas...Hunter Greene
Stephen Grum...Steven Hanna...Kristin Hansen...Callaway Johnson...Soyoung Kim
Joshua King...Matt Lee...Katie Light...Taylor Martin...Brandon Mauldin...Megan Maxfield
Sydney McCall...Abbi Mistretta...Justin Mohling...Annelise Nutt...Harry Park...Logan Ream
Craig Redmon...Kimberly Steele...Zachary Stephens...Bo Tullis...Michael Turner...Dorothy Wallis
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GHSA NEWS
Visit the website at http://www.ghsa.net/ to read the October GHSA newsletter.
Inside High Schools: GHSA LEGISLATION:
Associations guard against a flood of suits;
Organizations shielded from some legal costs
By Jeff Haws
Oct. 4 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
> At issue: A Tennessee private school sued the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association, alleging that the TSSAA violated the school's First Amendment rights. The TSSAA prohibited the private school from disseminating information about its football program to middle-school students. At issue was whether the private school, in essence, could recruit athletes.
> Legal proceedings: Brentwood, the private school, won the first round in court, but in June the U.S. Supreme Court reversed its 2001 decision and ruled in favor of the athletic association. It was a nine-year court battle that reportedly cost the two sides an estimated $5 million in legal fees.
> The impact: Many experts said the effects of the ruling likely would open the floodgates for high schools across the nation to challenge —- in the courts —- rulings by state high school associations. A high school basketball player in Mississippi filed suit last week against the Mississippi High School Activities Association over a ruling on eligibility.
> Financial liability: The decade-long Tennessee court battle was expensive, but the TSSAA had a safety net —- a bylaw outlining financial responsibility that was passed by the association prior to the lawsuit. Because Brentwood lost, the organization's legal fees were Brentwood's responsibility. According to a December 2005 survey by the National Federation of State High School Associations, nine of 28 responding state organizations had such a policy.
> Proactive moves: At the end of the Brentwood case, TSSAA executive director Ronnie Carter wanted other state associations to protect themselves against similar action. The Georgia High School Association was one of the first, recently approving a bylaw that requires member schools to pay legal fees if they file unsuccessful lawsuits against the organization.
> GHSA background: The GHSA hasn't been sued by a member school since the 1980s. It was involved in a lawsuit earlier this decade when a game official sued for sexual discrimination. She alleged that the GHSA had not scheduled her to officiate as many postseason events as it should have because of her gender. GHSA executive director Ralph Swearngin says the judge dropped the GHSA from the suit early in the process. Swearngin said the bylaw passed by the GHSA executive committee should protect the GHSA from frivolous lawsuits and also puts financially strapped schools in a difficult position if they want to sue.
> Swearngin on the situation: "[Carter} told me that they felt like it was very beneficial to have that bylaw. He said he thought all the states should have it. . . . We're trying to foresee what trends are happening. Our venture into having wheelchair athletics was done in about 2000. . . . This year, four different states were in court over this issue that we had already resolved."
"At the point of a lawsuit being filed, we would make a general reminder [so the school] would understand the ramifications of this decision.
Catch all the weekly action, highlights and interviews on Prep Sports Plus which airs statewide on Georgia Public Broadcasting on Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 12:30 p.m.
The Georgia High School Association is a voluntary organization composed of over 400 public and private high schools. It strives to promote good sportsmanship and a cooperative spirit among its member schools. It endeavors to maintain high standards so that each pupil competing in each school is on the same basis. In the field of athletics its interest is the safety of the participants; it is on this principle that its athletic rules are based. [reprinted from ghsa.net]
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COLLEGE RECRUITING OF GACS ATHLETES
GACS CLASS OF 2008
Jessica Coan________Georgia Tech____________softball
Reagan Page_________Georgetown University___softball
Christian Robinson__University of Georgia___football
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ALUMNI CORNER
Sam Arthur Named AgSouth Athlete of the Week
University of South Carolina men's soccer player Sam Arthur has been named AgSouth Athlete of the Week.
Arthur tallied two goals in two games this past week, pushing his team-leading total to five for the year. The Roswell, Ga., native contributed Carolina's lone goal in a 2-1 loss to No. 9 Duke on Wednesday. Arthur finished the week with a goal on Sunday against Alabama A&M to push the USC lead to 2-0 and the Gamecocks' record to 5-3-0, including a 4-0-0 slate at home. Arthur leads the team with five goals on the year, including two game winners. [reprinted from http://gamecocksonline.cstv.com/sports/m-soccer/spec-rel/092407aaa.html]
Football notes
By Brandon Brigman, Staff Writer
Oct. 3 Gwinnett Daily Post
Miles of yards
Brookwood had a bye two weeks ago, giving running back Kenny Miles time to rest before the Broncos' Region 8-AAAAA opener. The Brookwood running back picked up where he left off against Shiloh - terrorizing defenses.
Miles rushed for 211 yards in the Broncos' 21-10 win over the Generals. It was the third straight game that Miles has rushed for 200-plus yards, giving him 855 yards for the season. If Miles stays on that pace, he could turn in one of the top rushing performances in county history at the end of the season.
Greater Atlanta Christian's Micah Andrews holds the country rushing record for the season with 2,871 yards in 2002.
Milestone win for Buford
Buford's 42-7 victory over Greater Atlanta Christian was the 100th win for the Wolves this decade and the 418th in the program's 60-year history.
To put the milestone in perspective, six Gwinnett County teams have not won 100 games in their school's history and it took Shiloh 24 years to get its 100th win three weeks ago. Buford is 100-6 this decade.
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FORTIETH ANNIVERSARY: A YEAR LONG CELEBRATION
LEGACY….Learn it, Live it, Leave it
[reprinted from GACS MAGAZINE / Summer 207]
November 20 - All school Thanksgiving Chapel
January 7-11, 2008 - Spiritual Emphasis Week
January 24-25, 27, 2008 - Homecoming musical
BIG RIVER: THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN,
with alumni and student cast [music and lyrics by Roger Miller]
January 26, 2008 - 2:00pm Alumni Reception; 3:00pm Homecoming Ceremony;
4:00pm Varsity basketball games; 7:30pm Alumni class reunions at Student-Family Center
May 2, 2008 - Celebration Dinner
May 8, 2008 - Closing ceremony of the 40th Year
HIGHLIGHTS OF DAILY ANNOUNCEMENTS
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Chancellor Long’s book signing tomorrow
The long awaited book authored by Jesse Long has arrived! The first printing of The Early Days, A Memoir is complete and these special edition books are available in the Spartan Store. There will be a special book signing on Tuesday, October 9 in the Student Family Center. Jesse will be autographing this history of Greater Atlanta Christian School from 2:30 until 4:00. Supplies of the book are limited.
GAC's One-Act Competition Play Opens Tomorrow
The GAC Drama department presents Anatomy of Gray October 9, 11 & 13 in the Clif Jones Theatre in the Williams Fine Arts Center at 7:30pm. Written by award-winning playwright, Jim Leonard, Jr., and set in Indiana during the late 1800s, Anatomy Of Gray deals with death, loss, love, and healing in a unique coming of age story. Mr. Leonard describes his newest play as a "children's story for adults." Performances are Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday evenings. Tickets are available from Steffanie Garner. See it before students take it to the first competition!
DRIVER’S ED
If your child is currently driving, or getting ready to learn, this opportunity is too important for you to miss. This Saturday, October 13th, the PTO is hosting a driver education program called Train the Trainer at 9:00am at GACS. Train the Trainer is designed to help parents become better instructors for their teenage driver(s). Taught by nationally recognized traffic safety experts, this program, which addresses a number of safety concerns relating to teenage drivers, will include a hands-on driving and learning experience behind the wheel of a Porsche Cayenne SUV. Reece & Associates and Porsche Cars North America have partnered to make this innovative skills and knowledge based program available to parents at our school at no cost.
**Space is very limited so act quickly! The 9:00 a.m. session is almost full!
We urge you to complete the form at the following site:
http://reece-web.ungerboeck.com/logon/log_p1_logon.aspx?oc=10&cc=LOGON5&AppSessionID=fa8ei6ej3fbk&eventid=5016
to reserve your space today. If you have already RSVP’d for Train-the-Trainer, no further action is required. Again, please remember this event is designed solely to train adults to be better driving coaches for their children. Therefore, please do not bring your teenager to the event.
The PTO General Membership Meeting will be Thursday, October 25. Hal Runkel will be a guest speaker at the meeting in the Clif Jones Theatre. The schedule will be 8:15-8:30 A.M. PTO General Membership Meeting-State of the PTO and 8:30-9:30 Hal Runkel will speak. Hal Runkel was featured on the Today Show on NBC for the book he has written on scream-free parenting. The Spartan Store is working on a book signing. His book is currently the #2 parenting book on Amazon.com.
SCREAM-FREE PARENTING!#%&*
The PTO General Membership Meeting will be Thursday, October 25. Hal Runkel will be a guest speaker at the meeting in the Clif Jones Theatre. The schedule will be 8:15-8:30 PTO General Membership Meeting-State of the PTO and 8:30-9:30 Hal Runkel will speak. Hal Runkel was featured on the Today Show on NBC for the book he has written on scream-free parenting. The Spartan Store is working on a book signing. His book is currently the #2 parenting book on Amazon.com.
The magazine sale reward day will be at the end of the Christmas holidays.
The in-service day has been moved from Thursday, January 3, to Friday, January 4.
Students will now return to classes for the second semester on Monday, January 7.
FREEBIE: Always low prices
Get the monthly 'e-Parent Connection' or 'Daily Announcements' delivered to your email box. Go to this link and sign-up: http://greateratlantachristian.org/cr/epc/8-18-06/Subscribe.html
STOP THE PRESSES
Read GACS press releases at http://greateratlantachristian.org/cr/PressReleases.htm
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2007-08 SCHOOL CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS
See the complete school calendar at
http://63.243.64.130:84/default/d01/08/2007?display=M&style=B&positioning=A
November 5 Teacher/Professional Day (GISA Conference)
November 21-23 Thanksgiving holidays
December 19-21 JH/SH Final Exams (Noon Dismissal K-12)
December 24 – Jan. 4 Christmas holidays
January 7 Classes resume for second semester
January 21 Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday (Campus Closed)
January 24-27 Homecoming – GAC 40th Anniversary Celebrations
February 15-19 Winter Break
March 21 Teacher/Professional Day (Good Friday)
April 4 Grandparents’ Day
April 7-11 Spring Break
April 25 Teacher/Professional Day (Jr/Sr Banquet)
May 20-22 JH/SH Final Exams (Noon Dismissal K-12)
May 22 Last Day of Classes
May 22 Senior High Commencement
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PHOTO GALLERY BELOW
