It wasn’t easy, but the Walton football team held off a Cobb County rival Friday night in the first round of the Georgia High School Association Class 7A state playoffs. The Raiders, who defeated North Cobb 28-14, were one of three East Cobb high school football teams in action.
Dominick Blaylock scored two touchdowns, including on a key drive in the fourth quarter, and quarterback Austin Kirksey was 11-for-11 passing for 181 yards, as the Raiders remained unbeaten on the season.
They’re 11-0 and will remain at home next Friday against Colquitt County, which routed Pebblebrook 49-7.
Walton, which is led by first-year head coach Daniel Brunner, a former assistant, will see a familiar face on the Colquitt County sideline. Mo Dixon, who was the Raiders head coach for the last two seasons, left East Cobb over the spring to become an assistant coach at the South Georgia powerhouse.
In the Class 6A playoffs, Pope fell behind early in a 42-14 loss at Dacula, which scored on six of its first seven possessions. The game was the first in the playoffs in five years for the Greyhounds, who finished 4-7 under first-year coach Tab Griffin, a Pope graduate and former player.
Kell reached the Class 5A playoffs but also went out in the first round, falling to Flowery Branch 21-14. The Longhorns mounted a comeback after trailing 21-0, and had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds, but were stopped on fourth-and-goal on the goal line. Kell’s season ends at 5-6 under Brett Sloan, who was in his first season as head coach after being an assistant at Walton.
Pat Bell, a maintenance technician at The Art Place-Mountain View for 13 years, was named the Cobb County Customer Service Award recipient for the third quarter. Here’s more about Pat (pictured in the green shirt) from the Cobb Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department:
He has assisted hundreds of patrons including directors, light techs, instructors, students, children and seniors. Every interaction Pat has with a patron is genuine and customers love how he is always willing to help. He is responsible for indoor maintenance including a black box theatre, pottery studio, 5 multi-purpose art classrooms, gallery, dressing rooms, conference room and offices. Pat also handles all landscaping and general grounds keeping. With theatre groups, he hangs their theatre curtains and backdrops as well as assisting with light and sound needs and anything else that our user groups may require. Pat is the lead on any set construction that is needed for our in-house productions. Just last year he completed a set for ‘The Wedding Singer,’ ‘Five Women Wearing the Same Dress’ and ‘A Seussified Christmas Carol.’ “
There could be a fourth, Lassiter, which lost to Etowah Friday night and could be selected for an at-large berth in Class AAAAAAA.
Walton clinched the Region 7-AAAAAAA title Friday with a 42-37 win at home over Woodstock, giving the Raiders a perfect 10-0 record in the regular season.
That’s only the third time in Walton school history that has happened. The Raiders will play at home next Friday in the first round of the state playoffs against North Cobb.
Tab Griffin of Pope, Brett Sloan of Kell and Daniel Brunner of Walton have led their teams into the state playoffs as first-year head coaches. (East Cobb News file photo)
Kell lost to Hiram 52-37 at home but still clinched a playoff berth in the Class AAAAA playoffs. The Longhorns, who finished 5-5 in the regular season, will play at Flowery Branch.
The most unlikely East Cobb football story this season is Pope High School, which had won just three games in the past two seasons. The Greyhounds got off to a sluggish start, losing their first three games.
Pope came into Friday’s game against Northview on a two-game losing streak, but rolled to an easy 41-22 win to qualify for the state playoffs for the first time since 2012. The Greyhounds will take a losing record—4-6—into next Friday’s Class AAAAAA first round game at Dacula.
Lassiter could have cemented a playoff berth in Class AAAAAAA but lost at Etowah 29-20 to finish the regular season with a 6-4 record. The Trojans await word on whether they’ll be selected as an at-large team.
The three East Cobb football teams that have clinched playoff spots also have something else in common. They’re coached by first-year head coaches, which was one of the leading storylines heading into the season.
Walton’s Daniel Brunner had been an assistant for the Raiders and was elevated to head coach after Mo Dixon resigned to take a coaching job in south Georgia. Another Walton assistant, Brett Sloan, was hired to succeed Derek Cook at Kell.
Tab Griffin’s task at Pope was considered the biggest job of all. He was a former Greyhounds player and Pope graduate who was hired in the summer after coaching at Mt. Paran Christian School.
Two other East Cobb teams ended their seasons Friday on a down note. Sprayberry, also coached by a first-year coach, former Yellow Jackets player Brett Vavra, lost to Sequoyah 38-28 and finished 2-8 on the year.
So did the Wheeler Wildcats, a playoff last year who lost 51-37 to Pebblebrook.
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Although the match was competitive, the Georgia Class 7A finals were really never in doubt Saturday at Marietta High School. The Walton volleyball team won its third consecutive title, defeating Etowah by scores of 25-16, 25-16, and 25-21.
The Lady Raiders finished the season with a 41-1 record, losing only to a team from California.
The Walton players this season are: Katie Crocker, Sam Jones, Caroline Cheney, Meg Froemming, Gabby Gonzales, Reilly MacNeill, Molly Pember, Jordan Rush, Riley Spurlin, Phoebe Awoleye, Madison Morey, Kendall O’Brien, Katie Strickland, Catherine Cheney, Julia Davis, Emery Dupes, Ashlyn Goolsby and Chandler Parker. Coach: Suzanne Fitzgerald.
The Pope softball team won one game at the Georgia Class 6A softball finals in Columbus, defeating Evans Thursday on a no-hitter by freshman Hallie Adams. However, the Lady Greyhounds fell to Allatoona (the eventual state champions) and Houston County and finished 5th with a record of 31-5.
The Pope players this season are: Gracie Kittrell, Hannah Dodd, Sydney Sheahan, Jodie Smith, Leah Higginbotham, Hannah Rogers, Carolyn Deady, Kyla Smith, Lea McFadden, Trinity Pizutti, Zoe Laneaux, Mary Deady, Hallie Adams, Kami Smith, Maura Foreman, Rachel Pearle, Lela Landry, Morgan Herman, Min Brookshire, Bailey Chapin, Abby Rocco, Taylor Henson, Alyssa Eman, Kaitlyn Wells. Coach: Chris Turco.
FOOTBALL ROUNDUP: With only one week left in the regular season, only Walton has clinched a state playoff spot from East Cobb. The Raiders stayed unbeaten (9-0) with a 42-21 win over Etowah. Walton will have senior night on Friday against Woodstock. In other football games Friday:
Lassiter inched closer to a playoff berth by beating Cherokee 31-0. The Trojans (6-3) have to visit Etowah Friday; a win means they advance, and they could play a home playoff game.
Kell moved to 5-4 and within reach of a playoff spot with a 21-12 win over Woodland. The Longhorns are tied for second in Region 7, Class 6A, and play Cass on Friday;
Pope fell to 3-6 with a 45-17 loss to Centennial; the Greyhounds conclude their season Friday at home against Northview;
Sprayberry is now 2-7 following a 35-21 loss on senior night to Creekview; the Yellow Jackets play their last game of 2-17 on Friday at Sequoyah;
Wheeler‘s senior night also was spoiled by Westlake, which won 48-27; the Wildcats, who are 2-7, close out on Friday at Pebblebrook.
The Walton volleyball team will find a familiar foe on the other side of the net Saturday when the Lady Raiders attempt to win their third consecutive Georgia High School Association state championship.
Walton faces Region 4AAAAAAA rival Etowah at 6:30 p.m. in the finals at Marietta High School (1171 Whitlock Road). The Eagles have been one of the better teams in the state all season, with a 43-6 record, and they haven’t dropped a set in the state tournament.
But they’ve been no match for Walton (39-1), which has twice beaten Etowah by 3-0 scores, including the region tournament in October.
In fact, the Lady Raiders haven’t lost to a team from Georgia since 2014. Their only loss this season came in an Arizona tournament in late September to a team from California.
Here’s something else that illustrates just how dominant Walton, a longtime volleyball dynasty in Georgia, has been this season: The only other sets they’ve dropped also came to out-of-state teams.
Walton is also doing this with with only two seniors seeing regular playing time. Team leaders Gabby Gonzales, Riley Spurlin, Caroline Cheney, Reilly MacNeill and Jordan Rush are juniors.
The Pope volleyball team reached the Class 6A semifinals, but was ousted on Wednesday by defending state champion Harrison.
The Lady Greyhounds had their best finish since winning their last state title in 2011, going 33-9. While two of Pope’s top offensive players, Samantha Walters and Danielle Bissel, are seniors, there is plenty of talent returning. As a freshman, Stella Dees was second on the team with 284 kills.
In the Class 6A softball tournament in Columbus, Pope split opening-round games on Thursday. In the opener, Hallie Adams pitched a no-hitter as the Greyhounds defeated Evans 2-0. However, they lost to Cobb County rival Allatoona 1-0 in Thursday evening and move to a losers bracket game Friday afternoon, meeting Houston County at 2 p.m.
“Tommy” will make his debut at a ribbon-cutting ceremony Nov. 4 at Egg Harbor Cafe in East Cobb. (Photo provided by Play It Again Pianos)
Back in July East Cobb Park was the benefactor of a community piano program thanks to Play Me Again Pianos, a local non-profit (previous East Cobb Newspost here).
“Sunny,” named after East Cobb Park advocate Sunny Walker and located in the upper gazebo, will have some nearby accompaniment of sorts soon, at Egg Harbor Cafe (4719 Lower Roswell Road, Suite 210), on Nov. 4.
That’s when “Tommy” will be unveiled during a ribbon-cutting at 12 p.m. Like “Sunny,” the first tunes played on “Tommy” will be by a young local student musician.
It’s the latest in a community piano program started last year by East Cobb-based Play Me Again Pianos, co-founded by Jason and Kelly Brett. Their aim is to purchase, restore, paint and place 88 pianos throughout the metro Atlanta area, designed for community use.
Angela Lockman, East Cobb Middle School art teacher.
“Tommy” is also locally painted, by Angela Decker Lockman, a visual arts teacher at East Cobb Middle School.
Here’s Lockman, last year’s Middle School Art Specialist of the Year for the Cobb County School District, on how she went about her work:
The Bretts said “Tommy” is named after a member of the family-run Egg Harbor Cafe business. Unlike others in the family who had menu items named after them, there was no mention of Tommy on menus or business literature or logos.
Other Play Me Again Pianos are located in Chastain Park, The Woodruff Arts Center, Colony Square, the Dunwoody Nature Center, the Chamblee Rail Trail, Brookhaven, Ponce City Market, Atlantic Station and Alpharetta.
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The Walton football team under first-year coach Daniel Brunner remains undefeated and has now sewn up a state playoff spot.
The Raiders did that on Friday night at Raider Valley in a 42-19 win over East Cobb rival Lassiter in a key Region 4AAAAAAA contest.
Although starting Walton quarterback Austin Kirksey didn’t return following a third-quarter injury, running back D.J. Soyoye more than made for his loss with two touchdown scores in the second half as the Raiders (8-0) pulled away from the Trojans (4-3) down the stretch.
Walton, which has regular season games remaining against Etowah and Woodstock, is the first East Cobb high school football team to qualify for the state playoffs.
Lassiter is still in contention for a post-season berth and will close out against Cherokee and Etowah.
Sprayberry was hopeful at the start of the season with a new coach, former Yellow Jackets player Brett Vavra. After winning their opener, however, they lost six in a row. On Friday at home, Sprayberry ended that skid with a 17-14 win over River Ridge. Sprayberry doesn’t have a post-season shot, but has two games left against Creekside and Sequoyah to try to finish with some momentum.
The three other East Cobb teams suffered some heartbreak on Friday, with playoff berths within reach.
The Kell Longhorns took a 28-7 lead at home against Carrollton, with a chance to nail down a home playoff game. But Carrollton surged back and kicked a field goal with time expiring to earn a 45-42 victory. The Longhorns (4-4) are still in the hunt for the post-season, and play Woodland and Hiram over the next two weeks.
Pope fell behind early at Chattahoochee on Friday, then mounted a comeback that fell short in another wild finish, a 46-41 loss. The Greyhounds are 3-5 and have an outside playoff chance, with games remaining against Centennial and Northview.
Wheeler led a good bit of the night on Friday at Campbell, but were defeated 35-23 to fall to 2-6 on the season. The Wildcats also are winless in regional play and will close out their season against Westlake and Pebblebrook.
The Walton and Pope volleyball teams will be playing host to Georgia High School Association state quarterfinal matches on Saturday.
The Walton Raiders, defending state champions and ranked No. 1 in Class 7A, will entertain South Forsyth at 2 p.m. in the Walton gym, aka The Pit. The Raiders are 37-1 on the season, and their only loss came in recently in an Arizona tournament to Mater Dei of California, which is ranked in the Top 10 nationally.
The Walton team is marking the match as a “black out”—asking fans to wear black. If you need something black to wear, they’ll be selling Black Pit Crew t-shirts and hoodies at the match.
According to the latest national rankings by MaxPrep, Walton is at No. 2 in the country and is the only school from Georgia in the Top 25.
At 3 p.m. Saturday, the Pope Greyhounds (32-8), will take on Greenbrier of Evans, Ga. (near Augusta). The Greyhounds are repeating their 2016 trip to the Class 6A Elite Eight and are looking for their first state championship since 2011.
Lassiter’s season ended earlier this week in a state tournament loss to East Coweta. The Trojans finished with a record of 18-11.
Admission to both the Walton and Pope volleyball matches Saturday is $5. The winners will advance to the semifinals next Wednesday.
The state championship round takes place next Saturday, Oct. 28, at Marietta High School.
The last home games of the season for the Pope softball team were close, but were clinchers for the Greyhounds as they advanced to the Georgia High School Association finals once again.
Pope defeated Harrison 1-0 and 3-0 in a doubleheader Wednesday afternoon, and will be headed to the GHSA Final Eight next week in Columbus.
That’s the fifth time in the last six seasons for the Greyhounds (29-4), who reached the Class 6A semifinals in 2016.
Pope’s first game in the double-elimination round will be next Thursday morning at 11 against Evans High School of Augusta.
Another East Cobb team playing in the Class 7A state tournament was eliminated Wednesday. Lassiter lost a doubleheader on the road to Lowndes by 2-0 and 4-3 scores. The Lady Trojans finished with a 22-10 record.
Freshman pitcher Hallie Adams won both games for Pope, getting the game-winning run in the first game from Bailey Chapin, another freshman. Adams followed her one-hitter in the nightcap with a little more run support, as Chapin, senior Hannah Rogers and Leah Higgs drove in the runs for the Greyhounds to book another trip to Columbus.
Grace Kittrell was 2-for-4 at the plate for Pope.
In the Class 6A finals, another Cobb County team, Allatoona, also will be competing. But the biggest obstacle for Pope, should the Greyhounds advance, may be a team in their own region. Pope recently defeated Cambridge High School of North Fulton to win the Region 7-AAAAAA title.
However, Cambridge returns to Columbus as the defending state champion. Should Cambridge and Pope continue to advance, they could meet for the state championship as well.
Following an emphatic 44-10 win over Wheeler in an East Cobb rivalry game Friday night, the Walton football team stayed unbeaten.
The 4-0 Raiders also moved up a lot in the latest statewide polls, to No. 4 in the Maxwell rankings, after being ranked 7th last week.
The Lassiter Trojans are also 4-0 after defeating Marietta 37-14 Friday, and moved into the No. 14 spot in the Maxwell Rankings, which include 15 teams in each classification.
No other East Cobb school is ranked.
However, two East Cobb teams that had been winless finally earned their first victories of the season. After several close losses and falling to a No. 1 team in Rome, the Kell Longhorns (1-3) defeated Paulding County 58-46 in their first home game.
The Pope Greyhounds (1-3) traveled to Cambridge and won easily, by a 35-6 score. The Sprayberry Yellow Jackets also moved to 1-3 on the season in a 45-16 home loss to Dalton.
Walton is enjoying early success under first-year coach Daniel Brunner and has scored 40 or more points in its last three games. Against Wheeler (2-2), D.J. Soyoye ran for 112 yards and two touchdowns for the Raiders.
In Maxwell’s all-classification rankings, Walton is at No. 7 this week, and Lassiter is 25th.
Both teams could conceivably undefeated when they meet each other in a region game at Raider Valley on Oct. 20. But they have some obstacles before that.
This Friday Lassiter plays South Forsyth, No. 12 in Class AAAAAAA. The Walton football team plays Dacula, which is ranked No. 15 in Class AAAAAA.
The Raiders and Trojans also have to play region rival Roswell, ranked 11th in this week’s polls.
’50s Chevies and other classic cars will return to the Holy Smoke BBQ Festival on Labor Day at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church. (East Cobb News photo by Wendy Parker)
The sun’s out, after a couple of rainy (but much-needed) days, just in time for a packed and extended Labor Day holiday weekend calendar of things to do in East Cobb.
Friday’s got the busiest schedule, with all six East Cobb football teams in action, including a couple of backyard rivalry games. Kickoff for all games is 7:30 p.m.:
Walton (2-0) at Pope (0-1): The Raiders are in the Top 10 and face a young Greyhounds test in their first hostile environment. Pope is also aiding victims of Hurricane Harvey by asking those attending the football game to bring water bottles to donate. There will be collection bins located through the stadium;
Kell (0-1) at Lassiter (2-0): Another all-East Cobb battle and a non-region treat pits two teams that reached the state playoffs last season, and look like they have the goods to contend again;
South Cobb (1-1) at Wheeler (1-1): The Wildcats return home after their first win of the season at Centennial; don’t forget the Wildcat Nation Food Truck tailgating event that begins at 5:30 p.m. in the East Cobb Middle School parking lot. The proceeds will benefit the work of the ECMS and Wheeler PTSAs and foundations.
If you’d rather stay indoors while relaxing and dining (or just rockin’) to good music, there’s a good variety to choose from at several East Cobb restaurants and bars:
At Chicago’s Steak and Seafood (4401 Shallowford Road), the Tom Olsen Trio plays jazz favorites tonight, with Retrograde performing from the folk rock and acoustic genre Saturday. Both are from 7-10 p.m. at the SpeakEasy Lounge;
At Suburban Tap (1318 Johnson Ferry Road), the acoustic-Americana sounds of the Poverty Level band rev up at 10 p.m. Friday, after the prep football games are over;
The Wing Cafe & Tap House (2145 Roswell Road) has a high-energy rock lineup planned, with Band Xperforming party style Friday and Saturday, from 10 p.m.-1 a.m. each night;
The traditional weekend fare of dueling pianos is on tap Friday and Saturday at Red Sky (1255 Johnson Ferry Road) starting at 9; and there’s live music also starting at 9 on Friday at the Rose & Crown Tavern (1391 Powers Ferry Road).
The Good Mews Animal Shelter (3805 Robinson Road) is pitching in with Hurricane Harvey relief, serving as a dropping-off point for pet food and litter Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. They say no other items should be donated, and the goods collected are part of a PALS Atlanta effort to help out with dogs and cats affected by the terrible storms and flooding in Texas.
And finally, for the Labor Day weekend festivals. Luckily, they’re scheduled so that you can enjoy them both without missing much at all:
Dancing at last year’s Noshfest. (East Cobb News photos by Wendy Parker)
The Noshfest at Temple Kol Emeth (1415 Old Canton Road), takes place Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Monday, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free with two canned goods to be donated to MUST Ministries, food and drink tickets range from $1-$4 and can be purchased on-site, as you go. The Sunday lineup includes a cooking demonstration from the General Muir restaurant, a bagel-eating contest and live music from The Alex Guthrie Band (named after East Cobb’s own young music sensation) and Israeli dancing; Monday’s finale winds down with the Nu-Grass Americana sounds of The Chip McGuire Band;
On Monday, the Holy Smoke Festival returns to Johnson Ferry Baptist Church (955 Johnson Ferry Road) from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. In addition to BBQ meals served up by Williamson Bros. ($6 a plate), there will be a classic car show, live music, a Skydivers parachute jump team, and before all that gets underway, at 5K run and tot trot starting at 9 a.m. Admission is free.
Check out our full East Cobb Newscalendar listings for more events, this weekend and beyond. Did we miss anything? Do you have an item to share with the public? Contact us, and we’ll post it here! Send an email to: calendar@eastcobbnews.com.
Thanks for getting in touch, and have a terrific Labor Day holiday weekend!
We just got this from Chip Oudt at the Kell Touchdown Club. If you can help, they’d appreciate it, and sunny skies and mild temperatures (highs in the low 80s) are in Saturday’s forecast:
We need 3 people to volunteer to help paint the goal post on Saturday September 2nd at 3:30 PM. Don’t worry, we have a Lift so we’re not going to dangle you out there on a ladder. We will need people who are not afraid of heights. With enough help we should be able to knock this out in a day (or a week). Seriously, I have been told by the paint manufacturer that he has painted two goal post in 4 hours just by himself. (We will see). Of course you will get volunteer time! All paint and rollers are supplied so we just need you. Email Chip Oudt at chipoudt@gmail.com if you are available and willing to help.
The Mabry Park Master Plan calls for an overlook bridge over the pond, with trails leading up to and surrounding the water on all sides.
The Friends of Mabry Park couldn’t wait to break the news this week that construction bids have been issued by Cobb County government for the development of the 26.5-acre tract on Wesley Chapel Road at Sandy Plains Road that’s been the subject of a years-long effort. On the group’s Facebook page was this message on Thursday:
This is truly an exciting time. All the blood, sweat and tears from sooo many in the community is finally paying off!
The construction time line estimate is approximately 12 months. So we’re looking at later in 2018 before we can enjoy the park, but compared to the time it’s taken to get to this point it’s almost like we’ll be cutting a ribbon tomorrow!
Here are the details: The county sent the bids (officially called request for proposals, or RFPs) last Friday, Aug. 18, with advertising for potential contractors continuing through Sept. 8. All bids are due by Sept. 14.
More information below about the process for bidding and awarding a contract comes via commissioner JoAnn Birrell. Her district no longer includes Mabry Park (it’s now in Bob Ott’s District 2) but it’s a project that she has championed for years. Here’s how the Cobb Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department is explaining the steps and timetable:
“If there is a responsive and responsible low bidder, the Parks team will send the bid to the Board of Commissioners in early October and request that they award a contract. It will take several weeks to obtain all of the required bonds, insurance, immigration affidavits and related documents for a complete contract. Pending any issues, construction should be underway in early 2018. Mabry Park will be under construction for about a year.
The entrance from Wesley Chapel and the roadway into the park will be the first item that needs to be completed. This will allow construction equipment to access the main park property. Although it depends on how the bids come in, the Parks team is confident that the construction funding will support installation of the roadway and all utilities, parking lot, storm water management and water quality features, restroom/maintenance building, most of the pavilion structures, repairs to the dam, and limited dredging of accumulated sediment in the lake. A variety of other features are included as alternates in the bid documents and will be approved as the budget allows.”
Birrell dug the first few scoops of dirt last year during a groundbreaking ceremony at Mabry Park, but that’s as far as it’s gone. Still, that was a big step following stalled attempts to get the park developed during the recession.
The county purchased the land in 2008 with around $4 million funding from the 2006 Cobb parks bond issue, but hadn’t budgeted anything for development into a park.
The Mabry Park Master Plan (PDF here and map below) was completed in 2011. Even after steep budget cuts during the recession meant no money for the park, or even to build the road into the future park area, the Friends of Mabry Park persisted. The group staged a “Mabry Park Preview” in the fall to give residents something to keep hoping and lobbying for.
Many did, including the Friends group, and advocacy from the Cobb Parks Coalition benefitted the Mabry Park effort. The development project costs an estimated $4.25 million, with the funding coming from the 2016 SPLOST approved by Cobb voters.
Lassiter head football coach Jep Irwin. (East Cobb News photo by Wendy Parker)
As they prepare for a new football season that begins tonight, high school coaches in East Cobb and around the nation have been answering familiar questions about the safety of the sport.
Concussions and other crippling injuries involving former NFL stars continue to make the news. In late July, the Journal of the American Medical Associationpublished a study showing that 110 of 111 now-deceased professional players whose brains had been examined had been diagnosed for chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
That’s a degenerative brain disease that’s been connected to concussions, and is discovered only in brains donated after death. The names of NFL legends with CTE is a long and sobering one: Dave Duerson, Frank Gifford, Junior Seau, Bubba Smith, Ken Stabler and many more. Some, like Duerson and Seau, have committed suicide.
Some living former NFL players have serious memory loss, also associated with concussions and linked to CTE. The physician and researcher credited with discovering CTE says any parent who lets their child play football is committing child abuse.
(East Cobb News photo by Wendy Parker)
Some have called for the termination of youth football altogether, or at least seriously limiting contact for young players before high- and middle school age.
But coaches asked about the subject at last week’s East Cobb Pigskin Preview breakfast (ECN coverage here) say their sport is being unfairly characterized.
“High school football is not what you see on ESPN,” said coach Jep Irwin of Lassiter, whose Trojans play at Johns Creek tonight in their season opener. “There’s never been a safer, better time to play high school football.”
He was referring to how the media has reported about CTE and professional players. Irwin said that technology, equipment, officiating and medical intervention all have improved vastly in his eight years at Lassiter, including concussion protocols.
“Is it [completely] safe? No,” Irwin said. “There’s risk in everything that humans do.
“What you see in the NFL is not the case at the high school level. We’re not about win-at-all-costs” when it comes to the welfare of players.
Daniel Brunner, the first-year coach at Walton, pointed out that concussion rates for girls soccer are also high, “but nobody’s talking about shutting down girls soccer.”
Brett Sloan, the new coach at Kell and a former Walton assistant, said what he stresses with his staff, players and their parents is an education process at the youth level.
Other coaches say they also limit the amount of contact that takes place in practice. The East Cobb coaches said they weren’t trying to dismiss the severity of the CTE issue, and they understand parental and player concerns.
Concussion and CTE research at the high school level is not as extensive, but coaches say they’ve never been more committed to ensuring the safest environment for their kids.
Including Irwin, whose son is a sophomore at Lassiter and plays football.
“I love my son more than I love football,” he said. “If I didn’t think it was safe . . . then why play at all?”
East Cobb high school football head coaches, from L-R: Tab Griffin (Pope); Brett Sloan (Kell); Daniel Brunner (Walton); Brett Vavra (Sprayberry); Mike Collins (Wheeler); and Jep Irwin (Lassiter). East Cobb News photos by Wendy Parker.
The banquet room at the Indian Hills Country Club was filled Thursday morning with local business leaders, hungry high school football players and their coaches at the annual East Cobb Pigskin Preview breakfast.
The six high school head coaches briefed attendees about the season ahead and answered audience questions at the event sponsored by the East Cobb Council of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce.
Four of the six coaches are new to the job. Only Jep Irwin of Lassiter, and Mike Collins of Wheeler, both in their eighth seasons, return to the sidelines at the same school.
Two of the newcomers are returning to their alma maters: Brett Vavra of Sprayberry, and Tab Griffin of Pope. The other first-year coaches are no strangers to the East Cobb prep football scene. Brett Sloan of Kell was an assistant at Walton the last two years. Daniel Brunner, also a Raiders assistant, was named head coach when Mo Dixon resigned to take a job at south Georgia powerhouse Colquitt County.
Pope graduate Tab Griffin returns as head coach of the Greyhounds.
Griffin, who had been an assistant coach at Mount Paran Christian School, said returning to Pope is “kind of a homecoming for me. It’s been my dream ever since Pope opened to come back and be the head football coach.”
Vavra, who was an assistant at Etowah, echoed similar thoughts. “I’m super excited to be back home,” he said, noting “the great sense of pride in the community” that welcomed him back to Sprayberry.
Sprayberry head coach Brett Vavra.
The energetic Brunner said bringing the entire Walton football community together is an important objective for him, and last weekend the first “Raider Day” event took place (see East Cobb News coverage here).
Kell also went looking for a new coach when Derek Cook resigned in the spring after nine years on the job. The Longhorns tapped Sloan, who had come to Walton with Dixon from South Carolina, and who had helped guide the Raiders into the post-season.
Pope football players
Sloan, who’s also anxious due to the upcoming birth of his first child, said Kell’s goal is simple: to reach the state finals. The Longhorns were eliminated in the semifinals, so there’s no need, Sloan said, “to replace what they’ve done at Kell, but to build on it.”
Wheeler is hopeful for a playoff berth after going 5-6 and reaching the region playoffs. The Wildcats’ main objective is to be more consistent; in 2016 they weren’t able to put together a winning streak. “It had a lot to do with the teams we were playing the following week,” Collins said.
Lassiter also reached the post-season with a 6-5 finish, and the Trojans boast one of the best high school players in the nation in defensive back Derrik Allen. He has been chosen to play in the Army All-American all-star game in January and will play college football at Notre Dame.
Some East Cobb teams are holding scrimmages this week and next. Walton and Kell will be playing next Saturday at the Corky Kell Classic in downtown Atlanta. The first full slate of games is Friday, Aug. 25.
High school sports in East Cobb got underway on Monday, with three softball teams taking the field at home, and all three were winners.
The Pope Greyhounds, which reached the Georgia Class 7A Final Four last season, downed Sequoyah 7-6 in walkoff fashion, as Lea McFadden got the game-winning RBI.
Pope’s Hannah Rogers.
The winning pitcher was Hannah Rogers, an all-region pick in 2016, and Leah Higgs went 2-for-2 at the plate with a homer and two RBI.
The Greyhounds remain at home on Wednesday for their first region game, against Alpharetta, that starts at 5:30 p.m.
Sprayberry defeated North Cobb 8-5 and the top individual performers were:
Payton Wade: 2-3 with a walk, 2 stolen bases, and 2 runs scored;
Cate Willhoff: 1-2 with a stolen base and an RBI
Denisa Wilson: 1-1 with a walk and an RBI
Nicole DeCuircio: 2-5 with a double and an RBI.
The Yellow Jackets were scheduled to play at Sequoyah tonight but the game has been been delayed to Wednesday due to rain.
Walton won easily over Campbell Monday by an 11-2 score, and the Raiders jump right into region play with a big rivalry game on Wednesday at Wheeler starting at 5:30 p.m.
Lassiter opens its season on Wednesday at home against Mill Creek in a game that starts at 5:30 p.m., while the Kell Longhorns open their season on Thursday, also at home, against Cass. First pitch is 6 p.m.
Walton football players from all grade levels and the larger school community turned out at Raider Valley Sunday afternoon for the annual Raider Day celebration.
Games, concessions, music, a dunking booth, paint-facing, T-shirt projectile scrums (courtesy of the Walton Robotics team) and lots of footballs in the air abounded, as Walton football boosters created an atmosphere of anticipation for the season ahead.
The Raiders varsity team will hold a scrimmage on Friday against Archer, with the season opener less than two weeks away, against North Gwinnett on Aug. 19 in the Corky Kell Classic.
Walton’s home opener at Raider Valley is Aug. 25 vs. Brookwood.
Runners take off at the start of the Lutzie 43 Road Race Saturday morning at Lassiter High School. (East Cobb News photos and slideshow by Wendy Parker)
The East Cobb chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Lutzie 43 Foundation were the beneficiaries of the 3rd annual Lutzie 43 Road Race Saturday morning.
The race is named in the memory of Philip Lutzenkirchen, the former Lassiter and Auburn football star killed at the age of 23 in a 2014 car accident. His family started the foundation to help educate young people with a focus on developing leadership, community service and character-building skills.
The race began and ended at Lutzie Field, which Lassiter renamed in Lutzenkirchen’s honor in 2015.
The overall female champion was Danielle Delgado, who’s only 11 years old.Overall men’s winner Brian Duhe with Ann, Amy and Abby Lutzenkirchen, the sisters of Philip Lutzenkirchen.Mike Lutzenkirchen, executive director of the Lutzie 43 Foundation, and Mary Lutzenkirchen, Philip’s parents, cheer those receiving medals after the run, which was sponsored by Cobb County Kia. View the winners below, followed by more photos.
Cobb commissioner JoAnn Birrell, Sandy Plains Baseball players and present and former Atlanta Braves cut the ribbon at Field 2 at Harrison Park Saturday. (East Cobb News photos and slideshow by Wendy Parker)
Several dozen uniformed players from the Sandy Plains Baseball Association gathered on Field 2 at Harrison Park Saturday morning to celebrate a renovated field, courtesy of the Atlanta Braves Foundation, and in the name of former Braves great Chipper Jones.
Jones wasn’t in attendance, but several current and former Braves were, including Sid Bream, Brian Hunter, Marvin Freeman, Sean Newcomb and Luke Jackson, as well as Braves executive Mike Plant.
The “Chipper Jones Field” was the second the Braves foundation has paid to renovate in East Cobb (there’s also one at Fullers Park), and that’s one of the 10 the organization will refurbish in a 10-year period throughout metro Atlanta.
Sandy Plains Baseball players do the Tomahawk chop.
Sid Bream, playoff hero for the Braves in 1992, signs autographs for the Sandy Plains players.
