Senior Sam Mitchell is wearing Matt Hobby’s jersey No. 70 this season in his honor.
The Pope High School football team is playing host to Sprayberry on Friday in a key region game and East Cobb rivalry matchup.
Friday’s game also has been designated as the “Matt Hobby Classic,” a fundraising event honoring the late Greyhounds player and to benefit the Rally Foundation, which raises funds for research and treatments for childhood cancer.
Hobby was diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma in 2003 and died in 2006, shortly after graduating. The foundation was being formed at the same time by a Pope parent, and each season a home game serves as a fundraiser.
Buckets will be passed around the stands during the fame Friday in the “4Quarters4Research” for fans to fill with loose change. More than $300,000 has been raised for the Rally Foundation since its inception.
You can learn more about Matt hereand the annual fundraiser here. Special T-shirts also are on sale with proceeds going to the Rally Foundatin.
The varsity football player who is wearing Hobby’s No. 70 jersey this season is senior offensive lineman Sam Mitchell.
He was chosen over the summer for embodying Hobby’s spirit.
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Cobb Schools’ Athlete of the Week (AOW) program is a weekly recognition of male and female student-athletes performing at high levels in their sport, classroom, and school communities. The program is made possible by support from BSN Sports.
This week’s winners are seniors from Kell and Pope. Mary Babcock plays volleyball for the Longhorns, and John Stuetzer plays football for the Greyhounds.
Mary Babcock, Volleyball, Kell
A four-year starter for the Longhorns, Mary recently logged 1500 career assists, a Kell school record. She also has a 94% serve percentage. She has helped lead the team to the Sweet 16 in 2022 and final 4 in 2023. Mary has been playing volleyball for 6 years and started in the 7th grade. She has also played Club Volleyball with several local teams.
“Mary has been an integral part of our team’s success for the last 3 seasons,” said her coach Joseph Auriemma. “She is a player every coach would want on their team. She has a fast instinct and plays with high intensity.”
“She also balances responsibilities between family, volleyball, work, and school. She is a role model for others and is well-respected by her teammates, coaches, teachers and friends. This is a well-deserved honor for this young lady,” Coach Auriemma said enthusiastically about his Athlete of the Week.
“She is an outstanding student both on and off the court,” agreed Kell Athletic Director Oneisha Young. “She excels in the classroom and always has a smile on her face, no matter what challenges come her way.”
John Stuetzer, Football, Pope
In last week’s home win over Dunwoody, John had an exceptional game with five touchdowns. He scored three on receptions and two on the ground, contributing 30 points to the Greyhounds’ first victory of the season, 41-27. He tallied more than 300 total yards with 266 through the air and 35 rushing. John is committed to Florida State next year to play baseball for the Seminoles.
“He is a top-tier talent and a spirited student-athlete who plays with great passion,” said Pope AD Josh Mathews. “A lot of people are excited to see him compete in football and baseball and the fact that he is wearing a Pope jersey exemplifies the great talent that we have here.”
AD Mathews mentioned that John also demonstrates his great passion for Pope by showing up as a fan to support his classmates. “He treats others with great respect and constantly exhibits humility and appreciation for others,” he said proudly.
In the classroom, John is a solid student who balances a rigorous academic load while playing multiple sports, which is uncommon in today’s world of specialization in high school sports.
“He is very deserving of this award after his spectacular effort last week, but we are most proud of the growth he has shown in his career at Pope. We look forward to watching him reap the success he has earned through hard work and commitment to his crafts,” AD Mathews concluded proudly.
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Concerts, garden activities and the annual lighting of the Christmas tree make up fall 2024 events at East Cobb Park.
The non-profit volunteer organization Friends for the East Cobb Park this week announced a variety of free activities that are open to the public, starting this coming Tuesday, Aug. 27.
That’s a workday for a new special garden planned by the East Cobb Garden Club, a part of the Friends organization.
Tuesday’s event begins bright and early at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, followed by a garden club meeting and workday on Saturday, Sept. 7 at 9 a.m. (see full fall schedule below).
What’s being called “Sunny’s Butterly Garden” is named in honor of the late Sunny Walker, a key figure in the creation of East Cobb Park (our story from April).
It will be an all-season garden featuring more than two dozen types of flowers, covering several hundred square feet. The garden is being designed by Lyn Cohen, head of the East Cobb Park Garden Club, who’s a professional landscape architect.
To be planted include redbuds, Black-Eyed Susans, daffodils, hydrangeas and other varietals.
The Music in the Park concert series returns with two dates in September and two more in October, along with a family movie screening in October.
As fall turns to winter, the park once again will stage the Holiday Lights tradition on Dec. 8, including a visit from Santa Claus, plenty of festive music of the season and refreshments.
For more about Friends for the East Cobb Park-sponsored events, click here.
Cobb PARKS handles reservations for picnic pavilions at East Cobb Park. You can do that by clicking here, or by contactingSheila Kracalaat (770) 591-3160 or email her directly Sheila.kracala@cobbcounty.org.
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When Hampton Morris stood upon the Olympic weightlifting podium in Paris Thursday to accept a bronze medal, he was making a piece of history.
The Pope High School graduate, who tied an Olympic record in the 61-kilogram category (134 pounds) during the competition, became the first American male weightlifter to earn a medal since the Los Angeles Games of 1984.
The 20-year-0ld Morris, who trains in his garage with his father Tripp as his coach, had already qualified for a medal on Wednesday when he attempted what would have been a world record of 178 kilograms in the clean-and-jerk (392 pounds) but came up just short.
The winner was Li Fabin of China, who lifted 368 pounds in his final clean-and-jerk try to win the gold, followed by Theerapong Silachai of Thailand with the silver medal.
“Oh, it was amazing,” Morris said when asked to describe his experience on the medal podium, according to quotes provided by USA Wrestling.
“It was so much more than I imagined. I’m so happy.”
He said there was a wide range of emotions during the competition, especially since he was one of the younger competitors there.
“This whole time I’ve just been so excited to be here,” he said. “I was very happy when I made that first snatch and I felt very solid. I felt relieved that I made it. That second snatch, I was still confident and knew what I needed to correct. I did that on the third snatch. I was very solid and I’m very happy with what I put up.”
Morris, who graduated from Pope in 2022, began competing in weightlifting in 2016. He is currently ranked No. 2 in the world in the 61-kilogram category, where he holds two senior American records.
His latest, a 176-kilogram lift in April, qualified him for the Olympics.
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Cobb PARKS announced this week that the playground at Mabry Park (4466 Mabry Park Road0 will be closed the week of Aug. 12-16 for new equipment to be installed.
“Weather permitting the work should be completed by 5 p.m. on Aug. 16,” according to a message sent out by Cobb PARKS in its August monthly newsletter.
As noted previously, the Mountain View Aquatic Center remains closed for renovations, and is expected to reopen Sept. 30.
Also, with school starting this week, there are new hours for the Sewell Park pool (2051 Lower Roswell Road).
The outdoor pool is open Saturdays and Sundays only from 1-6 p.m. through Sept. 2 (Labor Day). Admission fees are $3.50 for children ages 3-17, $4.50 for adults and $3 for seniors ages 55 and older.
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The Rotary Club of East Cobb is the sponsor of the Dog Days Run, which starts and finishes at the MeCleskey Family-East Cobb YMCA (1055 East Piedmont Road).
The Lutzie 43 Road Race, organized by the Lutzie 43 Foundation, takes place at Lassiter High School (2601 Shallowford Road).
Both are major fundraisers for their sponsoring organizations. For the first time last year, the Rotary Club of East Cobb raised more than $100,000 from the run to benefit more than 20 community organizations.
Rotary Club past president Butch Carter said they’re still asking for sponsors, and Monday is the deadline for sponsors to get on the printed materials, including race shirts and programs.
The Lutzie 43 Foundation is named after Philip Lutzenkirchen, a former Lassiter and Auburn football star who was killed in a 2014 car crash. The organization works to educate young people about better decisions as drivers and as people.
Both are 5K races with numerous age- and sex-based categories that include post-race honors and recognitions.
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A Cobb PARKS fishing rodeos for children 16 and under that was scheduled for next Saturday, July 20, at Ebenezer Downs Park in Northeast Cobb has been postponed.
The county said that the postponement was due to low water levels at the park. Another rodeo scheduled for the Furr Family Park in Powder Springs on July 27 was postponed for the same reason.
A rodeo Saturday at Lost Mountain Park is still on, with a cost of $5 per child.
The event lasts from 9-11 a.m. and you must bring your own gear, bait, water, snacks, etc.
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Round up your gear and saddle up for the annual Cobb PARKS Fishing Rodeo. You have four chances to cast your line at our fishing ponds. Catch the big one and earn bragging rights. Winners will be awarded at each event. Parents – just register the kids who are fishing, $5 per child. Bring your own gear, bait, water, snacks, etc.
All events are 9 – 11 a.m., rain or shine. Hyde Farm Park ( registration code #38598) Saturday, July 6 (East Cobb) Lost Mountain Park (registration code #38597) Saturday, July 13 (West Cobb) Ebenezer Downs Park (registration code #38599) Saturday, July 20 (North Cobb) Furr Family Park (registration code #38600) Saturday, July 27 (South Cobb)
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Starting July 1, the Mountain View Aquatic Center (2650 Gordy Parkway) will be closed for three months for scheduled renovations.
The work includes resurfacing pools and painting work and is part of $4.5 million in improvements to Cobb PARKS facilities in the 2022 Cobb SPLOST (Special-Purpose Local-Option Sales Tax).
Related projects include renovations at the Cobb County Central Aquatic Center in Marietta, which is reopening July 1 after three months of renovations. The West Cobb Aquatic Center in Powder Springs also reopened in April after renovations.
The scheduled reopening for the Mountain View Aquatic Center is Oct. 1.
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For the 10th time in school history, Walton High School has won the Directors’ Cup trophy from the Georgia Athletic Directors Association.
That honor goes to high schools that finish with the most points in their respective competitive classifications in the Georgia High School Association during an academic year.
Walton’s 1,289 points led Class 7A, which consists of the largest high schools in the state according to enrollment.
The Raiders won just one state championship during the 2023-24 school year—boys swimming—but finished runners-up in five other sports.
Buford and Lambert followed Walton in Class 7A, which also includes Wheeler, which came in 30th with 412 points.
Walton has won the Class 7A Directors’ Cup for the third time since 2019, and previously won 6A crowns in 2017 and 2017, Class 5A honors from 2007-2009 and the Class 4A title in 199-2000.
That was the first year of the Directors’ Cup.
Pope, the only other high school from East Cobb to win the Directors’ Cup (Class 6A in 2017, Class 5A in 2014), also had another strong season in 2023-2024, placing third in Class 6A behind Marist and Blessed Trinity.
The Greyhounds, who compiled 1,146 points, won a state championship in girls flag football and were second in five other sports. Lassiter had 948 points for 7th place and Sprayberry was 32nd with 302 points.
In Class 5A, Kell was 15th, tallying 641 points, including a second consecutive state championship in boys basketball.
In Class 1A Division 1, Mt. Bethel Christian Academy was 25th with 173 points.
Every two years, the GHSA conducts reclassification based on enrollment. The organization consolidated classifications for the 2024-25 period by eliminating Class 7A.
Starting in August, Walton and Wheeler will still be paired together, but in Region 5 of Class 6A, along with Cherokee, Etowah, Marietta, North Cobb and North Paulding.
In Class 5A, Lassiter, Pope and Sprayberry will be in Region 6, with Creekview, River Ridge, Riverwood, Sequoyah and Woodstock.
Kell is in Class 4A, Region 6, with Blessed Trinity, Cambridge, Centennial and Westminster.
Fall sports include football, girls volleyball and girls and boys cross country.
The Corky Kell Classic, which features top football teams, will once again include Walton and Kell.
Kell is the host of a doubleheader on Aug. 14 and the Longhorns will be playing North Atlanta to start their season.
Walton, which finished state runner-up in 7A, will kick off the season at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta against Brookwood on Aug. 17 at 10 a.m.
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Shaw Mixon, a varsity football player at Lassiter High School, has been honored by the Atlanta Falcons for his dedication to the game on the field and his service to the community.
He’s been named the Falcons’ “High School Man of the Year.” It’s similar to a National Football League honor for professional players that’s named after the late Chicago Bears’ Hall of Famer Walter Payton.
A three-year starter in football as well as a basketball player, Mixon is vice president of Sources of Strength, an organization that works with schools to provide crisis intervention services for teens and their families in such areas as mental health, suicide, bullying and substance abuse.
“Despite personal challenges, including the loss of his father and a season-ending injury, Shaw’s resilience and dedication inspire those around him, leaving an enduring impact on both his school and local community,” the Falcons said in explaining Mixon’s honor.
He received an award at the Falcons’ team banquet in February.
The Cobb County School District said in a release that Lassiter High School’s SOS program is a flagship effort in the county, having trained more than 200 students and a third of the teaching staff has been trained as trusted adults.
“It’s nice to get recognition and validation that you’re doing something right,” Shaw in the CCSD release. “I wasn’t expecting an award or anything, but obviously, whatever I have been doing is working, and I will keep giving back to the community in whatever ways I can.”
Mixon was nominated by Lassiter head football coach Sean Thom, who said “he is the type of kid who makes everyone around him better. He made me a better husband, father, coach, and teacher. He is an uncommon man in today’s society and has great things in his future.”
Lassiter AP teacher Lizz Etter, who oversees the SOS program, said Mixon not only is a bright student and excels in sports, but “as a friend, Shaw is loyal, genuine, and kind. Above all, he is humble and gracious. Shaw Mixon is an excellent choice for any award.”
Mixon also is involved in a program at Lassiter called The Joy Mission Club, in which high school students visit elementary- and middle schools to support kids who have lost a family member.
Having lost his father a little over two years ago, Shaw knows what these kids are going through. While his own network of family and friends was strong and helped support him during a very tough time in his life, he wants to be a support for other kids experiencing something similar.
“It can be easy to think about yourself and how difficult your situation is, but sharing what you think and feel with someone else is so necessary and important,” Mixon said. “I don’t want anyone to have to go through that time alone.”
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“It’s totally appropriate for Sunny and the park,” Diane Spencer of Frameworks Gallery said of the creation of a garden at East Cobb Park in memory of her late sister, Sunny Walker.
As the 50th anniversary of her East Cobb business approached earlier this year, Diane Spencer couldn’t help but think of her late sister.
“Sunny” Walker wasn’t just a family member but a business partner at Frameworks Gallery at Woodlawn Square Shopping Center on Johnson Ferry Road.
Walker, who died in 2019, also was a leading figure in the creation of East Cobb’s first passive park.
As an inaugural board member and later president of the volunteer group Friends for the East Cobb Park, Walker was heavily involved in the efforts to identify, purchase and convert land on Roswell Road, along Sewell Mill Creek, into what’s become one of the most popular parks in Cobb County.
The 20 acres that make up the park once was farmland, then became the home to Bowles Oil Company.
The park features multi-use trails, playgrounds, grassy recreational space, pavilions and a concert shell. Events include regular musical concerts, holiday celebrations and a Veterans Day salute.
More than anything, Walker and those behind the park’s creation simply wanted a place in the community where people could gather, recreate and enjoy natural beauty.
“There was no central gathering place” in East Cobb, Spencer said. Her sister “envisioned this very much being a community gathering place.”
Those leading the Friends group now are working to enhance the vision of the 21-year-old park. Last year, the East Cobb Park Garden Club was formed, with the goal of beautifying the park.
Its first project was seeding natural plants and perennial flower beds.
Now, the club will be taking on a major improvement, in honor of Sunny Walker.
A portion of greenspace below the gazebo overlooking the back quad of the park will be carved out to create what Spencer calls “Sunny’s Butterfly Park.”
Kurt von Borries, the group’s current president, came up with the idea when Spencer approached him about doing something to honor her sister.
“It’s totally appropriate for Sunny and the park,” she said.
A rendering of “Sunny’s Butterfly Garden” at East Cobb Park.
It will be an all-season garden featuring more than two dozen types of flowers, covering several hundred square feet. The garden is being designed by Lyn Cohen, head of the East Cobb Park Garden Club, who’s a professional landscape architect.
To be planted include redbuds, Black-Eyed Susans, daffodils, hydrangeas and other varietals.
“It’s really a pollinator garden,” Spencer said, explaining the origins of the garden’s name. “But that doesn’t sound as good as butterfly garden.”
Cohen’s company, SiteOne Landscape Supply, is donating stone, mulch and some other materials. Two Japanese maple trees also will be donated, according to von Borries.
But between $10,000 to $15,000 needs to be raised to purchase and plant the flowers, and to build out and maintain the garden. The work is expected to get underway later this spring, with completion aimed for the fall.
To that effort, Spencer is holding a fundraising open house at Frameworks next week, donating between 30 to 100 percent of whatever she sells in the store for the garden.
The hours for the open house are from 4-8 p.m. Thursday, April 25, and during store hours Friday-Saturday April 26-27 from 10-6 (1205 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 110).
Frameworks features painting, sculpture and ceramics made by local and Georgia artists. Spencer said some of them agreed to donate their works for the fundraiser.
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Since Friends for the East Cobb Park is a 501(c)3 non-profit, she’ll also have tax receipts for purchasers.
(Anyone can donate at anytime online, in an amount of their choosing, by clicking here. Checks should be made out to Friends for the East Cobb Park.)
Von Borries admitted that “it’s going to be a challenge” to maintain the garden, which will be the major project of the garden club.
Long-term, he’s hopeful that East Cobb Park could someday include a botanical garden.
“We’re just trying to beautify the park,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of land to work with.”
Walker was previously honored in 2017 with a piano named after her at the gazebo, but which has since been removed. There’s also a bridge named after her connecting the current park to its newer space extending toward Fullers Park.
Spencer said the garden is the perfect way to honor her memory.
“This is kind of a personal thing,” she said. “There are so many people who knew and loved Sunny.
“This is a prime example of what can be done with this park. Sunny would have envisioned that. I think that’s what she would want to see. I think this will be a milestone for the park.”
Sunny Walker “dreamed big,” according to the first president of the Friends for the East Cobb Park, “and we bought into it.”
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Next Saturday a new season begins for the East Marietta National Little League, which will hold its annual Opening Day festivities at Sewell Park.
It’s also a day that Cobb officials are expected to designate as Blake Mahoney Day.
Mahoney was 11 years old and a player for East Marietta when he was killed on April, 19, 2020, after his bicycle collided with car in his neighborhood.
On Tuesday, Cobb commissioners will be asked to designate March 2 as Blake Mahoney Day in a resolution at the start of the board’s monthly evening business meeting.
According to an agenda item from Commissioner Jerica Richardson, Mahoney “lived the Little League values of Community, Fun, Inclusion, Integrity and Teamwork. Blake was a kind person and had an infectious smile. He was always welcoming new players at the park. Blake was also a fierce competitor, playing with toughness and determination, and was the first to congratulate a teammate on a good play.”
After his death, Mahoney’s parents established a scholarship in their son’s name, awarded on financial need, to “help an inspiring baseball player—to continue in Blake’s spirit, for the love of the game.”
Those scholarships are given to East Marietta players in the spring and fall seasons.
The spring season Opening Day ceremonies begin next Saturday, March 2, starting at 10 a.m. on Field 3 at Sewell Park (2055 Lower Roswell Road).
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Lace ‘em up and let ‘em fly! The East Cobb Classic 5K & Fun Run will return for its second year on March 9. This family friendly event promises a fun-filled morning for all ages while supporting the East Cobb community.
The East Cobb Classic supports the annual fund of Eastside Christian School, which has plans to build a brand new playground and greenspace area.
Registration options include a timed 5K race, untimed 5K run/walk, and a quarter-mile fun run obstacle course. The timed 5K is USATF certified and an Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race qualifying event with awards for the top 3 male and female overall finishers, in addition to age group awards. The fun run is filled with exciting obstacles that take kids up, down, and around. All fun run participants receive a finishers medal. Registration for all race day participants includes a super soft race t-shirt.
“I absolutely loved that this was a family event! Very very impressed that it was the first one! Music was great, the race started on time, and they did a fantastic job with the cones and having folks out there at all the turns and intersections. I was super impressed by this,” said competitive runner and USATF certified coach Courtney Strosnider.
“It is well organized, fun crowd, rockin’ DJ! Great race and family fun day! My kids loved getting to do their own race as well,” said Chris Darragh.
“Running and hospitality are both passions of mine. Organizing the race gives me an opportunity to combine both. I love the way it brings together the community of participants, volunteers, and sponsors,” said race director Sara Gentry.
The race takes place at Eastside Christian School, 2450 Lower Roswell Road in Marietta/East Cobb. Register by February 24 to guarantee your t-shirt! For more information and to register to run the East Cobb Classic 5K, visit eastcobbclassic.com.
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Wheeler High School’s Athletic Hall of Fame will welcome five new members this weekend.
Matt Haynes, Class of 1985, was a state champion in track and field and was a varsity wrestler and football player at Wheeler.
The inductees will be presented between varsity basketball games against Kennesaw Mountain Friday, around 7:20 p.m.
Induction will take place Saturday with photos at 9:15 a.m., breakfast at 9:30 a.m. and the ceremony at 10 a.m. in the Wheeler Cafe.
Tickets for the breakfast and ceremony will be $10 and can be purchased at the door. For questions, contact Brittny Jones at brittny.jones@cobbk12.org.
Ray Stang, Swimming, Class of 1968
There was no Wheeler Swim Team until he represented the school in the Georgia High School Swimming Championships. In the 1967 State Champion Meet, he finished 2nd in the 100-yard breaststroke. In the 1968 championship meet, Stang finished 1st in the 100-yard breaststroke, becoming Wheeler’s first state champion in any athletic competition. He also finished 3rd in the 100-yard freestyle. Ray’s achievements earned the Wheeler HS Swim Team a 7th place finish in the State for the 1967-68 school year, and Ray WAS the swim team, as he was the only swimmer.
Terry Poor, Football, Class of 1968
During his three years at Wheeler, Terry played in every football game as a starter on both offense and defense. His senior year, Terry was selected by his teammates as a permanent captain for the WHS Football Team.
After graduating college, Terry returned to Wheeler to teach and coach. As an assistant coach on Corky Kell’s football staff, he first coached junior varsity football for two undefeated seasons before being elevated to defensive coordinator for the varsity football team which was a perennial state playoff contender.
Matt Haynes, Track and Field, Class of 1985
After setting a new Wheeler freshman pole vaulting record, and winning the Cobb JV County Meet, with Steve Brown just one jump behind, the Wheeler pole vaulting “dynasty,” that started with Randy Eaton and David Swanson four years earlier was reborn. Over the next three years, Matt broke the rest of Randy Eaton’s Wheeler pole vaulting records, along with a few meet records.
He won State his junior year, and barely missed setting a new State record at 14’2. His senior year, he missed a jump at 14’2” hitting the bar on the way up and placed 2nd at State. Haynes also won the JV Cobb County wrestling title in the 167 lbs. weight class and lettered three times in football.
Jermareo Davidson, Basketball, Class of 2003
Jermareo played basketball at Wheeler for one season and broke the single season blocks record, as well as the record for rebounds. That year, Wheeler also won its 3rd State Championship. Jermareo was selected to play in the prestigious Michael Jordan High School All American game. He played collegiately at the University of Alabama and professionally in the NBA and overseas.
Dale Carey, Baseball, Class of 2010
Dale Carey was a member of the Wheeler baseball team for four years, and he also played football for the Wildcats for three years. During his senior year, he played centerfield and batted .398 with six home runs. He was recognized by the Atlanta Braves 400 Club as one the top players in Georgia.
In 2010, he was named Player of the Year, he was selected for two All Region Teams and All Cobb County Teams. He was also named to the Georgia Dugout Club All State Team. Carey played at the University of Miami and was in professional baseball for six years before coaching at the high school level.
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Three years after being formed, the Pope High School flag football team has won a state championship.
The Greyhounds scored a touchdown late in the fourth quarter Wednesday to take the lead against Allatoona, then held off their Cobb County rivals thanks to a missed extra-point to prevail 14-13 in the Georgia High School Association’s Division 3 title game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
The margin of difference for Pope (26-2) was a defensive play by Pope’s Sarah Gentry, who broke up an extra-point pass with 20 seconds left to preserve the win.
Riley Bensman, a senior quarterback, threw three touchdown passes for Pope, which defeated Allatoona 40-7 earlier in the season.
The Greyhounds, who are coached by Kevin Fraser, lost only to Milton and Blessed Trinity during the season. Pope avenged the loss to Blessed Trinity with a 7-6 victory the state semifinals.
This is the fourth year the GHSA has had a state championship for girls flag football, and this was the first year the finals were played in conjunction with the boys football title games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Kell and Walton also qualified for the Division 3 state playoffs this season, as did Marietta, Pebblebrook and McEachern.
Other team members for Pope this year included Meryl Palazzo; Abbey Bensman, Kourtney Kalman, Mac Wiley, Kate Davenport, Faith Stokes, Carly Oubs, Alysa Cabrera, Syra Patel, Laila Nixon, Cora Davis, Olivia O’Connor, Julia Acker, Danielle Morgan, Elizabeth Kelly, Giselle Aitken and Lucy Cantando.
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The Walton football team’s dream season ended in heartbreak Wednesday as the Raiders suffered their only loss.
Milton took advantage of four turnovers by Walton in the second half to win the Georgia High School Association’s Class 7A championship game 31-21 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
The Raiders entered the game at 14-0 and were trying to win their first state title in school history, featuring an offense that averaged nearly 50 points a game during the season.
Walton was held well below its offensive average across the board as star quarterback Jeremy Hecklinski was harassed all evening by an active Milton defensive pash rush.
Walton led 14-7 at halftime, but disaster struck right after the third quarter began.
The Eagles converted a fumble into a field goal and two interceptions into touchdowns on Walton’s first three possessions of the second half.
On the second interception, Ty Redmond returned a Hecklinski pass 58 yards, setting up a touchdown by Milton quarterback Luke Nickel that widened Walton’s deficit to 24-14.
Hecklinski struck back right away, throwing a 43-yard touchdown pass to Cameran Loyd with 7:28 to play in the game.
In the final minute, Raiders defender Oliver Skeean intercepted a pass as Walton set up on its own 1-yard-line. But Milton’s Jacorey Stewart stepped in front of a Walton receiver at the 5-yard-line and picked off Hecklinski again, scoring the final touchdown of the game.
The title was the second for Milton since 2018. Walton, which reached the finals in 2011 before losing to Grayson, is a state runner-up for the second time.
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The Walton football team will end the 2023 season in the same place where it started—Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
The powerful Raiders clinched a berth in the Georgia High School Association’s Class 7A state championship game with a 41-25 win over Camden County on Friday.
Senior quarterback Jeremy Hecklinski threw for 325 yards and six touchdowns in his final game at Raider Valley, as Walton remained undefeated at 14-0.
This will be the second trip to the finals for Walton, which lost to Grayson in the 2011 championship game.
On Dec. 13, the Raiders will face Milton, which downed Grayson 45-35 in the other semifinal.
Walton’s high-powered offense, which has averaged more than 46 points a game, got off to a fast start, as the Raiders led 21-0.
But Camden County—coached by former Walton and Wheeler coach Jeff Herron—scored the first 10 points of the second half, as its Wing-T offense began to get momentum.
The touchdown was scored on an interception return for a touchdown, but Hecklinski—who is headed to Wake Forest—guided a long drive that led to a touchdown for a 28-17 Walton lead.
And the Raiders’ defense shut down Camden after that, allowing only another touchdown later in the game.
After the game, Walton coach Daniel Brunner told Georgia Public Broadcasting that he thinks Hecklinski is the best quarterback in the state.
“There’s no doubt about it. Look at the stats, look at the numbers. Best quarterback in the state. Bar none.”
Hecklinski has thrown for 3,708 yards and 48 touchdowns during the season, and running backs Makari Bodiford and Austin Williams are approaching 1,000-yard seasons.
They could surpass that in the state finals against Milton. The game will be played on Wednesday, Dec. 13, at 7 p.m. at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where Walton opened the season with a 49-27 win over Grayson in the Corky Kell Classic.
But more importantly, Walton has a chance to become the first school from East Cobb to win a football state championship.
Walton lost to Grayson 24-0 in the 2011 state finals under former coach Rocky Hidalgo.
In 1973, Wheeler reached the Class 3A state championship game but lost to Thomasville.
Brunner, who was named head coach at Walton in 2017, has taken the Raiders to the state playoffs each year and has a record of 66-22.
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Manfred said in a statement that “as a model of success on and off the field, the Braves deserve to host the All-Star Game. Truist Park and The Battery Atlanta will provide fans a world-class experience in 2025. We look forward to working with the Braves and local leaders to deliver a memorable All-Star Week that brings people together and benefits the community in many ways.”
He didn’t mention that he unilaterally moved the game in April 2021, right before the season began, because of a new Georgia election law.
The Republican-dominated legislature passed sweeping legislation that was quickly signed by GOP Gov. Brian Kemp and roundly denounced by Democratic and voting-rights interests.
The law—which is still on the books—added identification requirements for mailed ballots, restricts the use of absentee ballot drop boxes, requires more advanced voting across the state and shortens runoff elections.
The legislature also was given oversight of proposed changes to election rules by the Secretary of State and state elections board.
Newly-elected President Joe Biden publicly demanded the game be moved, calling the law “Jim Crow on steroids,” comments that new Cobb Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid said sent an “unfortunate message.”
In a statement, the Braves said Thursday that getting the All-Star Game two years from now “will be an exciting and unique opportunity to showcase all that our organization, our partners and our city have to offer.”
Cupid responded by saying that “I am grateful that Major League Baseball has again considered Cobb County, Truist Park, and the Atlanta Braves to host the All Star Game in 2025.
“We have a winning baseball team and community that create a premier destination for this annual occasion.
“Our restaurants, businesses and attractions surrounding Truist Park, the Battery, and beyond will create a memorable experience for all.”
Planning has already begun with Public Safety and I know our lessons learned in winning the World Series combined with the enthusiasm and support of community partners and citizens will showcase Cobb as a great place to live, work, and enjoy as we host another successful and impressive event.
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger posted on the social-media platform X—formerly Twitter—that “in the longest instant replay review of all time, MLB‘s head office finally overturned a bad call. Georgia’s elections are safe, secure, and accessible to serve our voters.”
The 2021 All-Star Game and MLB Draft also scheduled for Truist Park took place in Denver instead.
Cobb Commissioner Jerica Richardson, who had just begun her term representing District 2 where Truist Park is located, at the time called the relocation decision a lost opportunity “to show leadership.”
She was part of a new Democratic majority on the all-female commission, and said that while there some parts of the law she likes and others she does not, trouble arises “when you choose division.”
She said that “the people who were most impacted by that bill were not listened to. You can’t solve anything when people aren’t talking to each other.”
Manfred did have to show up up at Truist in the 2021 season, however, as the Braves won the World Series.
Atlanta has had two All-Star games in its past, in 1972 at Atlanta Stadium, and in 2000 at Turner Field.
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Infuse your holiday season with a mega dose of Christmas cheer as Shadrack’s Christmas Wonderland makes its grand debut at Jim R. Miller Park and Event Center. This all-new, award-winning drive-through light show is sure to be a highlight of your festive celebrations. Take a magical journey through custom-built light displays perfectly synchronized with Christmas musical favorites nightly 6 – 10 p.m. Nov. 17 – Jan. 7, including holidays, rain or shine.
This dynamic show features a 300-foot tunnel that surrounds you in a kaleidoscope of colors, Christmas trees sparkling at 50 feet tall, towering walls of lights and much more! Also along the tour, you’ll catch a glimpse of how the elves, reindeer, and Mr. and Mrs. Claus live at the bustling North Pole.
After the show, visit Santa’s Village and engage in activities, enjoy tasty treats and take photos with Santa. So load up your sleigh, tune in your radio, and prepare to be amazed!
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Hyde Farm Park ( registration code #38598) Saturday, July 6 (East Cobb)
