Fresh off a Team USA performance that resulted in Olympic qualification, former Pope softball star Kelly Barnhill will be making a homecoming visit on Friday.
The University of Florida pitching standout will appear at the Greyhounds’ home game on Friday against Sequoyah.
The game starts at 6 p.m. and admission is free. Barnhill will be throwing out the first pitch, meeting fans and signing autographs.
Barnhill, who led Pope to its first Georgia state championship in 2014, was part of the U.S. team that last week repeated as world champions. That resulted in an automatic berth for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
Olympic softball is returning after being dropped in 2008. Barnhill has been a gold medalist for Team USA in the 2016 and now 2018 world championship tournaments.
Here’s what she posted on social media after the Americans’ victory in Japan over the weekend:
Even after softball was taken out of the Olympics after 2008, I refused to give up on my dream of representing my country on the world’s largest stage. Now 10 years later, we are qualified for Tokyo 2020. Dreams do come true! The real work begins now. #RoadtoTokyo2020https://t.co/MwYX6UWoXa
She will be a senior at Florida, where she has been an All-American and in 2017 was the national college player of the year.
The Greyhounds, who were playing Cambridge at home on Tuesday, have started the season with a 1-1 record. They also play at Chattahoochee on Thursday before the Friday game honoring Barnhill.
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The Walton Raiders will open their season again at the Corky Kell Classic, along with the Kell Longhorns, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. (East Cobb News file photo)
Earlier this week we reported from the East Cobb Pigskin Preview breakfast about what the coaches of East Cobb high school football teams had to say about their squads.
Friday scrimmages were the final tuneups as five of the six teams get started with regular season games starting this week.
On Friday, three teams will be in action. The Lassiter Trojans are playing at home against Harrison; Sprayberry plays at South Forsyth; and Wheeler visits Lambert. Kickoff times are all at 7:30 p.m.
On Saturday is the return of the Corky Kell Classic, to be played at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in downtown Atlanta, and it will be an early morning for the Kell Longhorns and Walton Raiders.
The Longhorns play at 9 a.m. against East Coweta, followed at 11:45 a.m. by Walton against Mill Creek. If you can’t attend, here is viewing information.
The Pope Greyhounds don’t get started until next Friday, Aug. 24, when they play at Lassiter in the first all-East Cobb game of the season.
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Walton football coach Daniel Brunner welcomes back many talented players from last year’s 11-1 team including Dominick Blaylock (third from left), a star wide receiver who’s heading to UGA. (East Cobb News photo by Wendy Parker)
At the East Cobb Pigksin Preview breakfast Thursday morning, high school football coaches took time out from pre-school weightlifting, teaching and other activities to share their thoughts on the coming season with community business leaders.
The breakfast was held by the East Cobb Area Council of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce at the Indian Hills Country Club. Coaches brought key players and school administrators also attended.
All six coaches from last season are back, after four of the six East Cobb high schools introduced new coaches last year. Here are brief overviews five of the coaches gave about their teams at the breakfast. Kell High School coaches were not in attendance.
Jep Irwin, Lassiter (6-4 in 2017)
Jep Irwin is in his 10th season as Lassiter coach.
The Trojans will be without a seasoned quarterback for the first time in many years. “No one on our roster has any varsity experience,” Irwin said. One of those vying for the starting job “needs to step forward” to fill a leadership role and to provide confidence for the rest of the team.
“We lost a lot of seniors, the skill players on offense, and we will be young in the secondary.”
Lassiter is playing a home scrimmage Friday against Sprayberry at 7 p.m. Season opener is Aug. 17 against Harrison.
Brett Vavra, Sprayberry (2-8 in 2017)
The second-year coach said creating a culture of “old school football” has been the Yellow Jackets’ priority during the off-season, and they’ve addressed those changes in the weight room and with their strength and conditioning program.
“We want to become a more physical football team,” said Vavra, a former Sprayberry player. The team’s motto is “TPW,” or “Tough People Win,” and it’s about instilling mental as well as physical toughness.
Sprayberry was young last season, and graduated nine seniors. Now there are around 30 seniors, and 19 starters are returning.
“I think we have the tools to win some games,” Vavra said. “But we’re not just about wanting to win. We’ve got an awesome group of players who have been working hard. I can’t wait to see how it translates on the field.”
Tab Griffin, Pope (4-7 in 2017)
Pope’s Zack Owens has signed to play college football at Georgia Tech.
The Greyhounds reached the playoffs in their first season under Tab Griffin a former Pope player. Senior wide receiver Zack Owens, is a versatile two-way player, and pre-season practices have emphasized how to efficiently use his talents.
“He’s our go-to guy, he’s going to touch the football,” Griffin said, adding that Owens may see less time as a defensive back because of Pope’s grueling schedule. It calls for 10 consecutive games without a bye week.
Pope has 15 starters returning. “We want to take the mindset that we have a playoff caliber team,” Griffin said. “Our schedule isn’t favorable for that, but as I tell our players, that’s life.”
Daniel Brunner, Walton (11-1 in 2017)
After reaching the state playoffs, the Raiders will step into an even brighter spotlight in 2018. And not just because the Raiders have many of their key players returning, including UGA-bound wide receiver Dominick Blaylock.
On Sept. 14, Walton plays host to defending Class 7-A state champion North Gwinnett at Raider Valley, in a game to be nationally televised on ESPN. The Raiders were the only team to defeat North Gwinnett last season. Brunner said keeping distractions to a minimum will be essential.
“It’s a good platform for our kids and branding for our program and for our sport in the state,” Brunner, a former Walton assistant, said of the North Gwinnett game. “But it’s all about the process” and keeping to a disciplined regimen for what could be another banner season in Raider Valley.
Brunner said of 2017, his first year at the helm, “we had a successful season because we didn’t have drama.”
One concern he has is that Walton will be young and inexperienced on the offensive line.
Michael Collins, Wheeler (2-8 in 2017)
“We were rebuilding last year with lots of young guys,” Collins said. But the Wildcats were competitive in some of those close games they lost, and he’s looking for better results this year.
“I love coaching this team,” said Collins, who is starting his 10th season at Wheeler. “They’re young, and they have very high character.”
Wheeler opens the season on Aug. 17 at Lambert and plays its first home game the following week in its traditional East Cobb rivalry against Sprayberry.
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The Sprayberry Yellow Jackets will start another season of high school sports as East Cobb softball teams swing into action this week.
The Yellow Jackets are playing at home tonight at 7 against Sequoyah, following a JV game between the two schools at 5:30 p.m.
Clay Ardeeser, new Sprayberry softball coach
Sprayberry is coming off a 10-15 season in 2017 and will have a new coach. He is Clay Ardeeser, a former baseball assistant coach at North Springs High School, and his appointment was announced July 22.
After several away games over the next week, Sprayberry returns home Aug. 14 to play Osborne.
On Wednesday, the Pope Greyhounds also open their season at home at Harrison at 5:30 p.m.
Pope, a longtime state powerhouse, is coming off a 30-6 record, which was its best winning percentage for a season in school history, and earned a trip to the Class 6-A finals in Columbus. But the Greyhounds lost several standout players to graduation.
They do have four players who were named to the 7-AAAAAA All-Region team: third baseman Zoe Laneaux, pitchers Hallie Adams and Trinity Pizzutti and shortstop Gracie Kittrell.
Laneaux and Adams were both named 1st team All-State in 2017 by the Georgia Athletic Coaches Association and Adams was named Cobb County Pitcher of the Year.
This is the 12th season for Pope coach Chris Turco, who is 241-125-2.
The other East Cobb teams will either start their seasons or play their home openers next week.
Kell plays at home next Monday against Hiram.
Lassiter is home to Brookwood on Tuesday, Aug. 14, and Walton is home against Norcross the same day.
Wheeler’s home opener is next Wednesday, Aug. 15, against Riverwood.
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A record total of 694 people took part Saturday morning in the 13th East Cobb Rotary Club Dog Days Run, which started and ended at the East Cobb-McCleskey Family YMCA.
The 5K event took place along East Piedmont Road and Sewell Mill Road before winding back along Roswell Road to the YMCA. The proceeds will benefit a number of East Cobb charities, including School Mates Literacy Project, Canine Assistance, Aids Awareness, The Center for Family Resources, Cobb County Public Safety and Kids2Leaders Inc.
Runners were cooled off by the Cobb Fire Department as they made the final turn back into the YMCA.
Post-race refreshments included bottled water, donuts and plenty of bananas. Local businesses, including Honest-1 Auto Care, Tuxedo Pest Control, Cheek Dental, Dentistry of East Piedmont, Fitness Together East Cobb, Big Peach Running Co., MDE School, Dermatology Consultants and The Solana East Cobb had information booths.
Also on hand were members of East Cobb Robotics, who later shot small rubber balls into the souvenir-seeking crowds.
Blooper, the Atlanta Braves mascot, also turned out for the festivities.
Some of the top winners. Medals were awarded across all age groups, ranging from under 10 to the 80s. There even was a woman runner who is 99 years old.
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As we’re typing these words, the sun has come out! It’s expected to stay out, at least partially, as this weekend’s sports-heavy lineup leads off Saturday with the 13 annual East Cobb Rotary Dog Days Run.
It gets underway at 7:30 a.m. at the East Cobb-McCleskey Family YMCA (1055 E. Piedmont Road). Race-day registration is $30, and the proceeds benefit a number of East Cobb charities, including School Mates Literacy Project, Canine Assistance, Aids Awareness, The Center for Family Resources, Cobb County Public Safety and Kids2Leaders Inc.
At the same time, the Lutzie 43 Foundation Road Race is taking place at Lutzie Field at Lassiter High School (2601 Shallowford Road), with proceeds going to the non-profit set up in the memory of Phil Lutzenkirchen, the former Trojans football star. It helps teach young people leadership skills and how to make good decisions. There’s a 1-mile fun run for kids in addition to the 5K. Race-day registration is $30 for students and $43 for adults.
Not far away, another school community is celebrating its upcoming football season. The Pope Football Pancake Breakfast goes from 9-11 in the cafeteria at the school (3001 Hembree Road), and is a Pope Touchdown Club fundraiser. For $11 a person or $26 a family (players eat free!), you’ll get pancakes, sausage, bagels, fruit and juices; stick around for the team picture day to follow.
The Wasted Potential Brass Band returns to The Art Place Saturday.
Saturday also is Sandy Plains Softball Fun Day from 11-1 at Field 1 at Sandy Plains Park (2977 Gordy Parkway), and it includes walk-up registration for the fall season.
On Saturday evening, bring your blankets and lawn chairs to The Art Place (3320 Sandy Plains Road) and enjoy the sounds of the Wasted Potential Brass Band. The popular Atlanta group is appearing as part of the Mountain View Arts Alliance’s Summer Stars Concert Series. Concessions are in exchange for a donation to MVAA, or you can bring your own food (but no alcohol is allowed).
More prep football on Sunday takes place 2-4. It’s Walton Raider Day at the Raider Valley stadium (1590 Bill Murdock Road). Admission is free, and the jamboree-style event includes kids games, a coaches dunk tank, face-painting, trampoline-jumping and a meet-and-greet with all the Raiders teams. Wear your Walton Spirit gear, since there will be drone group photo taken during the day.
Also on Sunday, the Good Mews Cat Shelter (3805 Robinson Road) is having another microchip and vaccination clinic from 10-3. Additional services include nail clippings, and appointments are encouraged but not required. Dogs are welcome too, and all pets must be in a carrier or on a leash when they arrive.
Did we miss anything? Do you have a calendar item you’d like to share with the community? Send it to us, and we’ll spread the word! E-mail: calendar@eastcobbnews.com, and you can include a photo or flyer if you like.
Whatever you’re doing this weekend, make it a great one! Enjoy!
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At the 2017 East Cobb Pigskin Preview, head coaches, L-R: Tab Griffin (Pope); Brett Sloan (Kell); Daniel Brunner (Walton); Brett Vavra (Sprayberry); Mike Collins (Wheeler); and Jep Irwin (Lassiter). They’re all back for 2018.
With August only a day away, local business groups are revving into back-to-school mode, including the East Cobb Area Council of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce. Its annual East Cobb Pigskin Preview breakfast is next week.
It’s on Thursday, Aug. 9 from 7:30-9 a.m. at Indian Hills Country Club (4001 Clubland Drive), and you can get registration information here. While last season was full of change, as four of the six public high schools in East Cobb had new coaches, for 2018 they will all be back.
The coaches will be answering questions and will bring some of their top players with them as pre-season practice is getting underway.
The highlight of the year was Walton reaching the second round of the state playoffs under Daniel Brunner, who was one of the rookie coaches.
On Thursday, the Sandy Springs-Cobb MeetUp networking group has its monthly breakfast from 9-10:30 a.m. at Egg Harbor Cafe (4719 Lower Roswell Road). Small business owners will meet to share trips and help find referrals in an open group setting. The group also meets for lunch the third Thursday at Tijuana Joe’s (690 Johnson Ferry Road).
The East Cobb Business Association is holding its next Lunch and Learn Session Aug. 7 at the Sewell Mill Library, with the program subject being identity theft protection strategies. The ECBA monthly luncheon guests on Aug. 21 at Olde Towne Athletic Club are Atlanta Braves marketing and partnership executives.
The ECBA’s East Cobb Open Networking breakfast is every Friday from 7:30-8:30 a.m. at Egg Harbor, and it’s drop-in event.
The NCBA’s Five Alive business after hours event on Aug. 30 goes from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Fidelity Bank Canton Road branch (830 Old Piedmont Road) and also is themed for the upcoming football season.
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In the days before former Atlanta Braves star Chipper Jones was preparing for his Baseball Hall of Fame induction, the Sandy Plains Prowlers baseball team was there, in Cooperstown, N.Y., participating in the Cooperstown Dreams Park baseball tournament.
Team manager Mike Tamucci got in touch with us to share the information below and the photos from the Prowlers’ run through the 104-team tournament.
They were runners-up, playing before 2,000 fans at the Little Majors Stadium in Cooperstown. He says it’s “the pinnacle of the 12-year-old travel baseball season.”
Here’s more from Mike explaining how the Cooperstown tourney unfolded for the Prowlers between July 20-27:
The Prowlers went 6-0 in pool play and outscored their opponents, 104-11, against teams from six different states, to earn the number one seed. On championship Thursday, the Prowlers won four-straight games and hit 18 home runs to beat the 32-seed from New Jersey, 17-seed from Maryland, 8-seed from California, and 5-seed from Wisconsin. In the semifinals, the Prowlers overcame a four-run deficit in the bottom of the fifth and scored 11 runs, including three-straight home runs, to earn the victory. For the tournament, the Prowlers hit 38 home runs and outscored their opponents, 157-22.
The Prowlers were the first team from Sandy Plains Baseball to earn a number one seed and play in the championship game in the 32-year history of Cooperstown Dreams Park. The Prowlers finish the season with a record of 65-11 and five tournament championships.
The Prowlers are seen below with the Dreams Park finalist trophy. Front Row: Brett Armstrong, Braden Gabel, Adam Little, Griffin Tamucci, Collin Trevison, and Ben Garvis. Back Row: Coach Ryan Tamucci, Coach Mike Tamucci, Kent Schmidt, Oscar Alfaro, Coach Darren Little, Dorian Harper, Pascal Trevison, William Petteys, Coach Brian Gabel, and Coach Bill Garvis.
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He had two bone marrow transplants and was treated at hospitals in Seattle and New York during his three-year fight, according to his obituary.
Olszewski usually wears No. 68 and also is listed as an offensive and defensive lineman.
The Greyhounds, like other high school football teams in Cobb, will soon begin practice for the 2018 season. They were 4-7 last year under first-year coach Tab Griffin, a former Pope player.
Pope’s season opener is Aug. 24 at Lassiter.
The Greyhounds also designate a home game each season as the Matt Hobby Game. This year that game is Sept. 14 against Alpharetta, and fundraising proceeds from a special T-shirt sale will go to the Atlanta-based Rally Foundation, which conducts childhood cancer research.
Pope efforts in Hobby’s memory have raised more than $200,000 for the Rally Foundation over the last 12 years.
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Thanks to Christi Trombetti for sending us the following information about the very first Pope Greyhound Gallop, Saturday, Aug. 18. The 5K starts at 7:30 a.m. and will take place at multi-sports complex at Pope High School (3001 Hembree Road). The cost is $25 per person, and here’s what it’s all about:
The inaugural 2018 Greyhound Gallop is brought to you by the Pope Touchdown Club. Some proceeds will go to the Touchdown Club to help pay for the Pope Football program and for the Pope Field House which is enjoyed by the entire Pope community.
A portion of the funds can also be directed to any of the Pope teams or groups listed on the Pope clubs website.
The Greyhound Gallop is a great way to start the new school year with a feeling of community, togetherness and Greyhound spirit in preparation for our Fall sports seasons.
Please join us for this inaugural event and get ready to embrace the incredible spirit of the Greyhound Nation.
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Mike and Mary Lutzenkirchen, the parents of Philip Lutzenkirchen, at the 2017 Lutzie 43 Road Race at Lassiter High School (East Cobb News file photo).
The Lutzie 43 Foundation is once again holding the Lutzie 43 Road Race at Lassiter High School (here’s last year’sEast Cobb News coverage).
The event honors the memory of Philip Lutzenkirchen, the former Lassiter and Auburn football star who died at the age of 23 in a 2014 drunken driving crash.
Both he and the driver of a truck that crashed near LaGrange on June 30, 2014 were intoxicated.
The foundation, headed by his father Mike Lutzenkirchen, raises funds and awareness to help young people with character development and making good decisions. He speaks often to youth groups around the South, including college athletic teams.
The Lutzie 43 Road Race is presented by Jim Ellis Kia of Kennesaw, and here’s what the foundation wants you to know about the event. The race proceeds benefit the foundation and the East Cobb Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter:
Our race features a 5K race and one-mile kids’ fun run. The race starts and finishes at Lassiter High School’s Lutzie Field in Marietta, GA.
This race is for everyone! Bring your whole family, friends, dogs, and anyone who wants to have fun! Every runner gets an official race t-shirt!
Prices: July 5-August 4 Students – $30 Adults – $43
Here’s more about how to sign up for the Lutzie 43 Road Race that includes a “virtual race” option for those who can’t make it in person, and a link to a t-shirt sale that’s raising funds for the foundation.
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A Cobb greenways and trails master plan that would include extensions of the existing Johnson Ferry Trail and Noonday Creek Trail in East Cobb was approved last week by the Cobb Board of Commissioners.
The master plan, developed by Cobb DOT after more than a year of open houses and public feedback sessions, is the first for the county, and features the following components:
increasing connectivity between existing trails;
having trails in all six Cobb cities;
having 92 percent of all existing county parks within a mile of a trail;
having 57 percent of Cobb’s total population also within a mile of a trail.
The master plan also calls for eight “priority trail” projects, including the Johnson Ferry and Noonday Creek trails.
The Noonday Creek extension would cover 3.6 miles almost to the Cherokee County line, at an estimated cost between $11.1 million and $12.2 million.
The approval of the Cobb greenways and trails master plan does not include any additional funding for any projects that may be developed. Those matters would be taken up separately.
The commissioners also were briefed last week about the recommendations for a new Cobb parks master plan for 2018-2028, but there wasn’t a vote taken.
The proposed “investment” over that 10-year period, by a design firm hired to do a master plan study, comes to $239.8 million. The majority of the recommended spending, around $158 million, would be for new facilities and green space development. Another $80 million would be for maintenance of existing facilities.
the creation of an administrative services division;
the creation of a park maintenance plan;
the adoption of a comprehensive revenue policy;
enhanced branding and marketing to help generate revenues;
establishing a rental system for pavilion use;
increasing user fees;
expanded programming for fee generation;
assessing a per-participant maintenance fee;
increase staffing of Cobb Police Park Ranger staff.
Approval of the master plan was put on hold due to questions from commissioners. Approval makes it a “working document” for the county, but funding and spending issues are done in a separate process.
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“He really has reinvented himself over the past couple of years. He really has adopted a new work ethic. He got himself in shape.”
Underwood, 23, received a $1 million signing bonus when he was drafted by the Cubs in 2012, after leading Pope to the Georgia high school playoffs and starring for the East Cobb Astros.
He passed up a scholarship offer to the University of Georgia to become one of the first major prospects chosen by general manager Theo Epstein, who assembled the Cubs’ team that won the 2016 World Series.
Underwood has been touted as the first home-grown pitching prospect to have a crack at the Cubs’ rotation since Epstein took over. But he’s been inconsistent in his professional career and has had some sore arm issues. He is 3-7 in Iowa in his first season at the Triple-A minor league level, which is right below the majors.
Underwood admitted in an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times that he’s felt the frustration of his struggles:
“Things weren’t going my way, and I was playing the blame game instead of just looking in the mirror. . . I think I’m on the right path right now.”
His call-up to the Cubs is temporary as he was filling in for a pitcher who had been on parental leave.
But those tracking Underwood’s progress believe it’s only a matter of time before he’ll come back up to the Cubs to stay.
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Thanks to Anne Pitts, incoming president of the East Cobb Rotary, which is staging its 13th annual Dog Days Run Aug. 4 at the East Cobb-McCleskey Family YMCA (1055 East Piedmont Road), for the submitted information about the event. Here’s the online sign-up page if you want to run/walk on what’s becoming one of East Cobb’s biggest 5K events.
Last year we raised over $92,000 that we used to support local non-profits and many school programs in our community.
We expect 800-1,000 runners and their families at the race and after-race festivities. Our purpose for the event is to raise money for local charities or charities with local impact. Last year, the money raised supported the Rally Foundation (childhood cancer research), REAP (improving reading proficiency in public schools), Lekotek (empowering children with special needs) and more than 30 other charitable organizations that make a positive impact in the Cobb County community. Additionally, we have committed $35,000 over 3 years to help Wheeler High School start and implement an AVID program which directs college-preparatory assistance to students of lower socio-economic backgrounds.
Not only do we raise the funds, our members actually help put these funds to work, by serving as volunteers for many of the projects financed. Dog Days funds allow us to sponsor Interact Clubs (youth service organizations) at Wheeler and Walton High School, students at Lassiter and Wheeler High Schools to participate in the National Laws of Life Contest which spans the academic year and culminates in the contest in the spring, and we are able to sponsor 4 students from Walton and Wheeler High School each year to attend Rotary Youth Leadership Camp in the summer. The students that attend this camp tell me that it is by far their best experience, and they are lit up and ready to bring positive changes to their communities.
You can also register at Big Peach Running Company (1062 Johnson Ferry Road) or via regular mail at this link by July 22; early registration is $20 through July 28. After that, including race day, it’s $30.
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The Pope baseball team has won a second consecutive Georgia High School Association Class 6A championship, but it didn’t look like that was going to happen after a doubleheader in Rome on Tuesday.
The Greyhounds lost the first game to Allatoona 11-9 and trailed 4-2 with two outs their final at-bat in the nightcap.
Pope tied up the series 1-1 with an 8-4 win in 11 innings to force a decisive third game on Wednesday.
In the top of the seventh inning, Pope was holding on to a tight 3-2 lead when the Greyhounds erupted again, scoring seven runs and claiming the title with a 10-2 win.
Pope, which finished the season with a 34-8 record, also has won state championships in 2009 and 2013 under coach Jeff Rowland, and was state runner-up in 2016.
The team members are:
Andrew Bowman, Jackson Brown, Jordan Butler, Grayson Caldwell, Sammy Cohen, Harris East, Noah Estroff, Andrew Feld, Buddy Floyd, Connor Frost, Ian Hancock, Andrew Herlitz, Tommy Hutchins, Antonio Jareno, Will Lantis, Scotty LeSieur, Max Pralgo, Ethan Rezendes, Reid Robertson, Luke Schnurr, Nate Shipley, Caden Smith and James Tibbs.
A celebratory video was shot by Pope softball coach Chris Turco:
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Former Walton baseball star Spencer Kieboom is back in Major League Baseball, and is staying longer than his first call-up.
Kieboom got his first major league hit over the weekend for the Washington Nationals, and he’s already played in two games.
He made his big-league debut in 2016 for Washington, but played in only one game and drew a walk. Kieboom, who played with his highly regarded brothers at Walton and later at Clemson, was called up earlier this month when catcher Matt Wieters went on the injured list.
Kieboom was batting .250 at Syracuse, the Nationals’ top farm team, and where he played part of the 2017 season.
Now 27, Kieboom was drafted by the Nationals in 2012, and a year later suffered a major injury to his throwing elbow that required “Tommy John” surgery that’s typically endured by pitchers (examples: former Braves Kris Medlen, Brandon Beachy and Jonny Venters).
His younger brother Carter Kieboom also was drafted by the Nationals in 2016, and is currently playing for the Potomoc Nationals, hitting .275 with six homeruns. That’s in Class A, an entry level professional league. He’s considered one of the top minor league prospects in all of baseball.
Another brother, Trevor Kieboom, also played at Walton and Clemson and finished at UGA. He’s 24 and is a sports agent at Vanguard Sports Group in Atlanta.
Spencer Kieboom could be in a Washington uniform when the Nationals come to play the Atlanta Braves next weekend. Wieters had hamstring surgery and is expected to be out for at least eight weeks.
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The end of the school year means the end of prep sports in Georgia, and several East Cobb high school teams are still in action with quite a bit at stake
The Walton girls and boys golf teams are competing Monday and Tuesday in the Georgia High School Association Class 7A state championships in Tifton, and Moultrie, respectively. The Lassiter boys also are in the hunt.
On Tuesday, the Pope baseball team will try to defend its Class 6A GHSA state title in Rome in a finals series against fellow Cobb County school Allatoona.
For the Greyhounds and Buccaneers, there’s also something else that could be riding on the outcome of their best-of-three series: the overall championship in all-sports standings for Class 6A, compiled by the Georgia Athletic Directors Association.
The competition is called the Directors’ Cup, and the awards go to schools receiving the most points in overall, boys and girls competitions.
In the current Class 6A standings, Allatoona is third with 955 points, and Pope is fourth with 940 points. The winner of the baseball title will get 100 points, and the runner-up will receive 90.
Pope’s Region 7 rival Alpharetta (1007 points) and Harrison (992) hold down first and second places, respectively. The Harrison girls and the Allatoona boys both have teams competing in the golf championships.
Pope earned the 2017 Directors’ Cup for Class 6A.
The Walton girls, led by their dominating volleyball and tennis teams that repeated as state champions, currently lead the Directors’ Cup standings in Class 7A with 669 points. But Lambert High School of Forsyth County, which downed Lassiter Saturday to win the girls Class 7A state lacrosse championship, is right behind with 601 points, and is vying for its sixth straight state title in girls golf.
Walton is 5th overall in Directors’ Cup standings in Class 7A, and Lassiter is 9th. On the boys’ side, Lassiter is 9th and Walton is 12th. The Lassiter girls are 13th.
In the 6A boys standings, Pope is 8th, and the Greyhounds’ girls are 5th.
In Class 5A, Kell finished its sports season in 11th place overall, while the boys were 15th and the girls were 9th.
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After it looked like Wheeler basketball star E.J. Montgomery might attend Duke University, the Wildcats’ high school All-American announced on Monday he will sign with the University of Kentucky instead.
In addition to Duke, Montgomery also was considering North Carolina and Vanderbilt. He’s the latest Wheeler star to commit to a major-college program, and the lineage is a rich one that includes a number of past and present NBA players, including most recently Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics.
Montgomery is considered one of the Top 10 high school players in the country in most recruiting rankings, and like many of that caliber, may end up playing only a year in college before turning pro. Brown, now in his second season in the NBA, played only one season at California.
Kentucky’s Calipari has embraced the “one-and-done” model, as has Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski. Calipari also has coached several post players at Kentucky who’ve gone on to NBA stardom, including Anthony Davis and DaMarcus Cousins.
According to the Lexington Herald-Leader, Montgomery decided on Kentucky after Calipari paid an in-home visit on Sunday.
Montgomery recently played in the McDonald’s High School All-American game at Philips Arena (see video highlights below).
As a senior at Wheeler, Montgomery averaged 26 points and 13 rebounds. The Wildcats were 18-11 and reached the quarterfinals of the state tournament in their first season under coach Larry Thompson. He succeeded Doug Lipscomb, who led Wheeler to six state titles in 25 seasons.
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To follow up on our story from last weekend about the East Cobb-based Peachtree Curling Association (Facebook page): They’re having a “lock-in” event to watch the U.S. men’s Olympic team face Sweden in the gold-medal match very late tonight.
Since that’s in Korea, it means overnight here, and to specific it’s 1:30 a.m. local time. The Peachtree Curling rink is located at 4880 Lower Roswell Road, right behind the Marietta Ice Center and East Cobb Library.
They had a tailgate for the semifinals, which the Americans won in an upset over Canada to reach their first-ever gold-medal match.
Keep in mind that if you’d like to watch in person, to bundle up before you come: Low temperatures overnight tonight are expected in the 60s, but the curling building will be cold, only 45 degrees. It probably will feel even colder with the ice temps at 25 degrees.
In addition to wearing a jacket or coat, it might not be a bad idea to bring a cap and gloves and to wear socks, as we found out the hard way.
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The Peachtree Curling Association offered adult clinics Saturday and has a free kids clinic from 2-5 Sunday. (East Cobb News photos by Wendy Parker)
While mild winter weather was expected to reach into the 70s on Saturday, a couple dozen people huddled inside the Peachtree Curling Association facility in East Cobb, bundled up in jackets and pullovers.
“Sweep! Sweep!” shouted Canadian Olympic gold medalist Jamie Korab during a clinic at the club’s climate-controlled building behind the Marietta Ice Center and Parkaire Landing Shopping Center.
Inside the building, the temperatures are 45 degrees. On the nearly two inches of ice that extends over 9,000 square feet, it’s 25 degrees.
While the Winter Olympics continue in South Korea, the Peachtree club is using the occasion to spread the gospel of curling, and it’s one that several members admittedly have been soaking up in recent years.
Jamie Korab won a gold medal for Canada in curling at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.
One of them is Jessica Sammis of Lilburn, who commutes regularly to the only curling rink in Georgia. She got interested in curling after watching the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, which sparked greater interest below the Canadian border (curling became an official Olympic medal sport in 1998).
“It’s a very approachable sport,” said Sammis, a former PCA board member.
Not only are the equipment costs low, she said, “this is something that you can come out and start learning to do in a short amount of time. But it takes a lifetime to master.”
In curling, participants aim a 42-pound stone down a straight line, for a distance of 148 feet, scoring points for how close they can come to placing the stones in the center rings at the other end of the ice.
Altering the direction and the speed of the stones is where the sweeping comes in, and Saturday’s clinic broke down the fundamentals in very elementary ways.
After learning how to “throw” the stone—which is polished granite and made in Scotland, the sport’s ancestral home—participants were instructed in sweeping. While the motion looks similar to what you might do at home on your kitchen floor, the equipment isn’t something you can pick up at a retail store.
“This is the only sweeping I do,” joked Sammis.
She was among the organizers of the Peachtree Curling Association, which got started in 2015, and then got word that a youth hockey rink behind the Marietta Ice Center might be closed.
The curling group offered to turn the rink into a dedicated curling facility. After the building was donated, more than 40 volunteers worked to bring it to curling specifications.
The non-profit Peachtree Curling Association is one of 165 curling groups in 43 states, according to USA Curling, and has around 75 members. Nationwide, the national governing body claims 20,000 members.
“The vast majority of our club members started after the Olympics four years ago,” said Bob Hogan, current president of the Peachtree Curling Association. What he likes about the sport is how it draws participants of all ages, and that range was evident at Saturday’s clinic.
He’s played with his family, including daughters in their early 20s.
The U.S. has only one medal in curling, a bronze in 2006, in a sport dominated at the international level by Canada and northern European nations. Exposing youngsters to the basics is a major component of USA Curling’s outreach.
Sunday’s clinic for kids ages 11-18 will take place from 2-5 p.m. and is free.
Other adult clinics continue Saturday at 3:30 and 7 p.m., and the cost is $30 a person.
The group also offers beginner (101) and intermdiate (201) clinics during its “season,” which continues into May. The building is closed during the summer, and reopens in October.
The Peachtree Curling Assocation is located at 4880 Lower Roswell Road, Suite 910.
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“We were rebuilding last year with lots of young guys,” Collins said. But the Wildcats were competitive in some of those close games they lost, and he’s looking for better results this year.
Pope earned the 2017 Directors’ Cup for Class 6A.
