East Cobb Sports & Recreation Archives

East Marietta Little League starts Blake Mahoney scholarship

December 30, 2020 8:09 AM by Wendy Parker

Blake Mahoney

In April Blake Mahoney, an 11-year-old student at Eastvalley Elementary School, was tragically killed after a crash as he rode his bicycle in his neighborhood.

He followed his brother as a baseball player at Sewell Park with the East Marietta National Little League, and now his family has established a scholarship program in his name.

Registration is underway for the spring season, and here’s more from East Marietta about the financial need-based scholarships, and how to apply with a deadline that’s coming soon:

Blake’s absence has created a void that will never be filled. It was very noticeable when his teammates played their first intermediate season without Blake this past fall. Blake was a baseball player. You could tell in how he carried himself. Blake came by baseball naturally, and he had great technique. He knew where the play should be, a credit to his baseball acumen, acquired no doubt from watching his brother play countless baseball games. He was a student of the game, and while in the dugout, he was either hanging on the fence or sitting on the baseball bucket, soaking in the game.

The Mahoney family established a scholarship in Blake’s name, to be awarded to players at East Marietta National Little League. This scholarship will financially help an inspiring baseball player—to continue in Blake’s spirit, for the love of the game.

We plan to award 6 scholarships this spring in Blake’s name. Please complete the application and submit all paperwork by January 15, 2021. Application can be found here:

https://docs.google.com/…/1FAIpQLSdIPF9…/viewform

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Johnson Ferry Baptist’s Polar Bear Run scheduled for Jan. 30

December 21, 2020 1:33 PM by Wendy Parker

Polar Bear Run, Johnson Ferry Baptist Church

After so many events that didn’t happen in East Cobb in 2020, the organizers of Johnson Ferry Baptist Church’s Polar Bear run dropped some good news recently:

The 2021 Polar Bear Run WILL GO ON! Check out our safety precautions at www.polarbear-run.com, and make sure to get registered as live-runners are limited!

The event is scheduled for Jan. 30, and you can register online at www.itsyourrace.com, or download a registration form at www.polarbear-run.com.

Now through Jan. 8 the cost for the 5K & 2K is $30. From Jan. 8-17 it rises to $35. Cub runs are $25. Phantom is $35.

The 5K is a qualifier for the Peachtree Road Race and gets underway at 8 a.m. The Cub Runs starts at 9 and the Cub 50-yard dash (ages 2-3 and indoors) starts at 9:15.

The Polar Bear Run, which started in 1989, will be in its 33rd year. The proceeds for the Polar Bear Run benefit students in the Johnson Ferry Academy’s high school music group who need financial assistance to attend an annual summer mission trip.

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Kell football players sign with Robert Morris University

December 18, 2020 5:10 PMDecember 18, 2020 12:10 PM by Wendy Parker

Kell football players signing — *Seated L-R: Kell football players Jaylon Brown and Corbin LaFrance. Standing L-R: Longhorns head coach Brett Sloan and offensive coordinator Kevin Burnette.*

This week was National Signing Day for many high school athletes around the country, when they announce where they’ll be attending college to play sports.

At many high schools those events take place on campus, but COVID-19 restrictions in the Cobb County School District have prevented that this year.

So Kevin LaFrance, the father of Kell High School football quarterback Corbin LaFrance, decided to organize a signing day event for his son and another of his Longhorn teammates who will be heading to college together.

Corbin LaFrance and wide receiver Jaylon Brown have signed scholarship offers from Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh, which plays in the Big South Conference, whose members include Kennesaw State University.

The Big South postponed its football season to the spring because of COVID concerns, and Brown and LaFrance may have an early homecoming game if the schedule holds up.

Robert Morris is scheduled to play at Kennesaw State on April 3, 2021.

The Big South is in the Football Championship Subdivision, which has a national playoff conducted by the NCAA. Georgia and Georgia Tech play in Football Bowl Subdivision.

Kevin LaFrance sent along these photos of the early signing event at the Gameday Fresh Grille in Woodstock, where he set up a banquet room for the boys and Kell coaches.

Kell football signings

Pope athletic director recognized by athletic administrators group

December 9, 2020 6:06 PMDecember 9, 2020 9:11 AM by Wendy Parker

Pope softball team state champs — *Pope athletic director Josh Mathews with the Greyhounds softball team after winning the 2019 Georgia 6A state championship. (ECN file)*

Information from the Cobb County School District:

The National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) recently announced that Josh Mathews, Athletic Director and Assistant Principal at Pope High School, has been recognized as a Certified Master Athletic Administrator (CMAA).

To earn the CMAA, Josh demonstrated exemplary knowledge, contributions, and on-going professional development in the field of interscholastic athletic administration. He put in many hours of his own time to earn this certification. The process included a thorough evaluation of his educational background, experience, NIAAA Leadership Courses, and professional contributions. He also had to create and submit a final presentation project.

“This is a very big deal,” said Cobb Schools Director of Athletics Don Baker. “There are only a little over 1,000 in the country, and Josh is the only one in our county with this distinction. It is a testament to Josh’s hard work and dedication to the field of athletic administration.”

Mr. Baker also received his certification as a Certified Athletic Administrator (CAA). He hopes to complete his CMAA early next year. “Both Don and Josh are now part of an elite group of interscholastic athletic administrators nationwide to attain this level of professionalism,” said NIAAA Executive Director Mike Blackburn.

“Gaining the CMAA designation was a goal of mine as an athletic administrator, and achieving a goal is always satisfying,” said Josh. “I appreciate those who helped me walk through my years in athletic leadership. There is no substitute for learning from others who have lived the same experiences. I would encourage more of our Athletic Directors to go through these certification processes.”

When asked how this distinction would benefit the Pope sports community, Josh immediately lightened the mood. “It means that when they receive an email from me, there will be an extra initial in the signature,” he said, smiling.

“Seriously though,” he continued, “the key takeaway from obtaining this certification is the professional development and the athletic operations required to complete it. Serving at Pope is a humbling honor because of the great people in this community—from our students to our staff, to the parents, the alumni, and so many other supportive community members. Our family truly loves being a part of the Pope Family.”

“Cobb Schools is very proud to call Josh Mathews one of its own,” said Don Baker proudly. “His passion for athletics and the Pope community is unmatched, and he does a great job leading the Greyhounds each and every day. We are lucky to have him in our District.”

Kell varsity and junior varsity football games cancelled

October 8, 2020 1:58 PMOctober 7, 2020 3:49 PM by Wendy Parker

The varsity and junior varsity football teams for Kell High School will not be playing this week.

Charity Sinegal, the president of the Kell Touchdown Club, said in a message posted to a Facebook page on Wednesday that the games will not be played “in order to make certain all necessary precautions are being made to keep players, staff, and families safe.”

She didn’t specifically mention if the cancellations were related to COVID-19 and said practice will resume next Monday, Oct. 12.

A spokeswoman for Cobb and Douglas Public Health she could not confirm if there were COVID cases involved, citing health privacy laws. “If someone tests positive or is a close contact of someone that tests positive, they will be notified,” she said.

East Cobb News got the following statement from a Cobb County School District spokesman:

“The Kell-Kennesaw Mountain game was cancelled due to COVID protocols and contact tracing within the Kell program. Neither team has rescheduled with anyone at this time.”

This marks the second time this season that Kell’s varsity team has had a game cancelled. The Longhorns were to have played Hillgrove in September, but someone with the west Cobb school’s program tested positive for COVID-19.

Friday’s game against Kennesaw Mountain was to have been a league matchup in Region 6-AAAAAA. The Longhorns are 1-2 and are scheduled to play at home next Friday, Oct. 16, against South Cobb on Senior Night.

Wheeler’s football season opener against North Atlanta was cancelled in September when Atlanta Public Schools halted football activities for its high schools. Instead, the Wildcats played their first game at Marietta, losing to the defending Class 7A state champions.

The Cobb County School District has been updating COVID cases every Friday, and this week indicated that 287 students or staff members have tested positive since July 1. That includes anyone involved with sports and other extracurricular activities.

The high school football season in Georgia was delayed until mid-September, while athletes in volleyball, softball and cross country have been competing as scheduled.

On Friday, the Walton football team will play at Roswell, Pope is at South Cobb and Lassiter is at Wheeler. Sprayberry is idle.

Kell-Hillgrove football game cancelled due to COVID case

September 11, 2020 1:40 PMSeptember 11, 2020 9:22 AM by Wendy Parker

The Kell-Hillgrove football game won’t be played Friday after a positive COVID-19 case was reported on the Hillgrove team.

Kell athletic director Richard Norman sent a message to the “Kell Family” Thursday night saying that the school’s administration was told of the confirmed positive case earlier in the day:

“While this outcome is undesirable, our highest priority is the health and safety of our students and staff. Thank you for your patience, understanding, and continued support. Tickets purchases will be refunded from GoFan.”

GoFan is an online ticket sales hub that many high schools have been using to sell limited tickets for sports (here’s the Kell link).

The Longhorns, who are 0-1 after a season-opening loss to Walton last week, are the second East Cobb football team to have a game cancelled due to COVID.

Wheeler was to have played North Atlanta last weekend, but that opponent backed out for similar reasons. Instead, the Wildcats played Marietta, which also had an opponent cancel, and the Blue Devils prevailed 35-14.

In other games tonight, Wheeler plays at home against Dutchtown, Pope is at Walton, Sprayberry at Collins Hill and Lassiter is at Lambert.

Kell’s next game is next Friday at Pope.

East Cobb Park to have a ‘socially distanced’ Sunday Funday event

September 4, 2020 3:37 PM by Wendy Parker

Sunday Funday East Cobb Park

For the first tine since the COVID-19 outbreak, the Friends for the East Cobb Park and WellStar Health System are putting on a “Sunday Funday” event this Sunday.

It’s from 4-6 p.m. at East Cobb Park (3322 Roswell Road), and the format is the same: Bring your own food/picnic fare, lawn chairs/blankets and enjoy the sounds of The Loose Shoes Band.

But you’re also asked to observe the following health protocols, as per what the Friends group, a volunteer organization, posted earlier Friday:

Attendees will be responsible for themselves to ensure they have a temperature of less than 100.4°, and/or other symptoms of COVID-19 before attending Sunday Funday.
Spacing between persons in the park should be at least six feet at all times.
Circles, placed 6 feet apart, will be painted on the lawn. This will indicate social distant sitting.
Attendees/Spectators are encouraged to bring their own chairs
Members of the same household will be allowed to sit within 6ft of each other, and inside the circles.
Face masks will be encouraged for attendees and performers, but aren’t mandatory
There will be no concessions.

Here’s an additional disclaimer to keep in mind:

“An inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public place where people are present. When you visit or use the park and facilities at East Cobb Park, you voluntarily assume all risk related to exposure to COVID-19. If you have a fever or COVID-19 you are not allowed in the park.”

Typically there have been several Sunday Funday events in the spring and late summer/early fall, but nothing took place this spring.

Like other Cobb Parks, East Cobb Park was closed—literally locked down—from late March to early May following public health guidance. Pavilions reopened to the public on July 1.

Last month, Cobb Parks replaced the original roof on the concert stage with one based upon a similar design.

Sunday Funday is free to attend.

A new scenario awaits East Cobb high school football teams, fans

September 3, 2020 1:13 PMSeptember 3, 2020 9:08 AM by Wendy Parker

Wheeler defeats Sprayberry

High school football season is starting two weeks later than first scheduled, but that’s not the only thing that’s different for the five East Cobb teams that will kick off their seasons Friday.

The Georgia High School Association instituted the delay this summer when a rash of COVID-19 cases broke out across the state.

Since then, some teams have cancelled games, and in a few cases, their entire seasons, while others are on hold because their school districts called off games.

The fluid, rapidly changing environment included a last-minute schedule change on Tuesday, when Wheeler announced it would be starting its season Friday at old rival Marietta.

That’s because the opening week opponents for the Wildcats and Marietta cancelled, due to COVID-19 issues.

Wheeler was to have played at home against North Atlanta. The school said in a message Tuesday that all tickets will be fully refunded.

Instead, Wheeler will play at Marietta, the defending state champion in Class 7A, at Northcutt Stadium at 7:30 p.m. You can purchase tickets for that game by clicking here.

In fact, online ticket-purchasing is the only way to go for most high school football teams in Georgia.

Due to physical distancing guidelines, a limited number of fans will be permitted inside stadiums. Fans will not be able to buy tickets on site, and at most places, everyone must wear masks.

That was mandated by the organizers of the Corky Kell Classic, which on Friday will include a slate of games that includes an all-East Cobb rivalry.

Kell will be playing at Walton at 5:30 p.m.—kickoff time was to have been at 8 p.m. but has been moved up.

That game will also be shown live on Peachtree TV and will be streamed here.

The football seasons for Lassiter and Sprayberry varsity teams also start at home Friday, with the Trojans entertaining River Ridge and Yellow Jackets playing host to North Cobb.

Both games start at 7:30 p.m., and online ticketing and masks are also required.

Pope’s football season starts next Friday at Walton, and the Greyhounds play host to Kell Sept. 18 in their first home game.

Pope has announced that concessions will be limited and face masks also will be required. Pope is among the schools that also is selling masks with school logos.

The GHSA and the Cobb County School District is giving host schools the latitude to make such arrangements.

Cobb schools also have a mask requirement for entry to any of its facilities, including the classroom return starting in October. Those mandates also include other sports that have already gotten underway, volleyball and softball.

Chattahoochee River relaxation on a late summer afternoon

August 31, 2020 8:02 AM by Wendy Parker

Chattahoochee River relaxation

Sunday afternoon was actually quite pleasant and not too humid, and there were plenty living creatures—humans and animals—who enjoyed the relaxation at Azalea Park in Roswell.

This stretch of the river is just a little east of the Chattahoochee Nature Center, which straddles the Cobb/Fulton line close to the Timber Ridge/Lower Roswell roundabout.

Chattahoochee River relaxation

Some rowers who were getting their paces were also heading northbound, navigating some recreational paddlers.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The weather this week will be good for similar activities, although there’s a strong chance of rain on Monday. From Tuesday through Sunday sunny weather is in the forecast, with highs in the high 80s and low 90s.

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ARC holding webinar on Chattahoochee RiverLands proposal

August 23, 2020 1:03 PM by Wendy Parker

Chattahoochee Riverlands Hyde Farm

We got a lot of reader interest about this post from a couple weeks ago about the proposed Chattahoochee RiverLands project, and here’s a follow-up to that:

On Tuesday, the Atlanta Regional Commission is having a webinar for the public to learn more, discuss and ask questions.

The RiverLands project envisions more than 100 connected miles of multi-use trails, from the Buford Dam near Lake Lanier to the Chattahoochee Bend State Park near Newnan.

A bridge connecting Hyde Farm in East Cobb to Morgan Falls Overlook Park in Sandy Springs is one of the additions that’s part of the

The webinar starts at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, is free and you can sign up by clicking here. The ARC’s Paul Donsky has more on the What’s Next Atl blog about the project.

Injured hiker rescued from Gold Branch trails with GPS help

August 15, 2020 1:59 PMAugust 14, 2020 1:52 PM by Wendy Parker

Injured hiker rescued Gold Branch Unit — *An EMS boat along the Chattahoochee River awaits an injured hiker who was escorted from the Gold Branch Unit trails Friday morning. Source: Cobb Fire & Emergency*

Even if you’re trying to get away from the modern world with a hike deep into a nature trail, it helps to have modern technology.

That’s how Cobb Fire and Emergency Services crews were able to locate, rescue and treat a hiker who fell and injured an ankle Friday morning at the Gold Branch Unit of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area.

The multi-agency response included Cobb Fire Station 21 in East Cobb, Cobb County Police Boat 4 and a Roswell Fire and EMS rescue boat.

Nick Danz, a paramedic with Cobb Fire, said the hiker was helped off the trails by rescue workers and escorted to a Metro Ambulance EMS boat along the Chattahoochee River and was triaged there with what he said were minor injuries.

He said the hiker called 911 from a cell phone, but was too far for rescue vehicles to reach, and could not walk back for treatment.

So Cobb Fire used what’s called “Rapid SOS” technology to get GPS (global positioning system) information from the cell phone.

That area of the Gold Branch Unit doesn’t have electronic markers, Danz said, as is the case with Cobb County parks, which have what’s called ELM (Electronic Locator Map) detectors.

Danz said when the hiker’s cell phone coordinates were determined, that information was relayed to a Cobb Fire battalion Chief, who dispatched crews from Station 21 and contacted the other agencies.

GHSA could change start of high school football season again

August 12, 2020 8:01 PMAugust 12, 2020 5:44 PM by Wendy Parker

The Georgia High School Association said Wednesday that the start of the high school football season—which has already been delayed by two weeks to early September—could change again.

The GHSA said while it’s still planning to start play the week of Sept. 4, that date “could change based on COVID-19 data.”

That statement came after GHSA officials met with its sports medicine advisory committee, and after the AJC reported more than 800 positive COVID-19 cases among high school athletes since early June.

The schools were not identified and there wasn’t a specific breakdown among sports. Softball and volleyball seasons have started, and cross country also will be competing as scheduled in the fall.

Some football teams have cancelled or postponed their seasons in Georgia, mostly outside of metro Atlanta. Some school districts, including Clayton County, are delaying starts to fall sports.

Cobb school superintendent Chris Ragsdale has said previously he would follow GHSA guidance for athletics, although other extracurricular activities have been cancelled.

The GHSA didn’t indicate what specific data it was looking at, nor did it detail what its sports medicine advisory board advised.

Georgia still is regarded as having high numbers of new confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 3,660 more reported Wednesday by the Georgia Department of Public Health, and 226,159 overall.

Of those overall cases, a total of 11,763 have occurred between the ages of 10-17.

This is what GHSA also released Wednesday afternoon:

As numbers dictate over the next two weeks, a decision will be forthcoming with regard to the football start date.

The GHSA staff has contingency plans to cover all start and restart scenarios.

Our goal continues to be to provide sports and activities for our students as soon as possible with safety being the top priority.

There is always a possibility of postponement based on the data and advice from our medical professionals.

Last week the GHSA board of trustees cancelled preseason football scrimmages and postponed cheerleading and one-act play competitions, which are conducted indoors during the fall, to the spring.

Five of the six East Cobb football teams are scheduled to play during the weekend of Sept. 4, including the Kell-Walton game in the Corky Kell Classic that day that’s been moved to the Walton campus.

Chattahoochee trail proposal includes bridge to Hyde Farm

August 7, 2020 6:02 PM by Wendy Parker

Chattahoochee Riverlands Hyde Farm

After more than two years of community meetings and design work, the mother of all master plans for a multi-use recreational trail along the Chattahoochee River has been presented.

It would connect more than 100 miles of existing and new trails and establish new water access points, including a pedestrian bridge over the river connecting Hyde Farm in East Cobb to Fulton County.

That’s one of the many components of the Chattahoochee RiverLands project, led by the non-profit Trust for Public Land, and conducted in conjunction with the Atlanta Regional Commission, Cobb County Government and the City of Atlanta.

It’s being conceived as a major public recreational resource for a significant slice of metro Atlanta, bordering and in proximity to several counties and nearly 20 cities.

Hyde Farm pedestrian bridge — *A proposed pedestrian bridge over the Chattahoochee River connecting Hyde Farm with Morgan Falls Overlook Park. For a larger view **click here**.*

In July the nearly 300-page Chattahoochee RiverLands final report was issued (you can read/download it here), laying out a variety of recreational options between Buford Dam near Lake Lanier and the Chattahoochee Bend State Park near Newnan.

In between is a stretch of the Chattahoochee bordering East Cobb that contains trailheads of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area: the Gold Branch, Johnson Ferry North and Columns Drive.

Hyde Farm, 42 acres of greenspace that’s used by Cobb Parks and Recreation for educational and recreational purposes, would be part of that connectivity. The National Park Service also has been looking at a possible corridor trail closing a two-mile gap between Hyde Farm and Johnson Ferry North.

(On Saturday there’s a free walking tour of Hyde Farm, as there is the first Saturday of each month).

The Chattahoochee RiverLands proposal would hook up Hyde Farm with the Morgan Falls Overlook Park in Sandy Springs via a pedestrian bridge.

That’s a 30-acre park run by the City of Sandy Springs with picnic space, walking trails and a seasonal paddle shack.

Branching out from the Chattahoochee River greenway would be a network of blueways (water tributaries), parks and other recreational destinations.

The RiverLands project would have 25 trailheads in all, about 5 miles apart, with 43 water access points, 26 existing and 17 proposed.

It’s a grand vision, to be sure, and the work included the creation of the Chattahoochee Working Group, with than 120 stakeholders, among them the Chattahoochee River National Park Conservancy, the Cumberland Community Improvement District and the U.S. National Park Service, which oversees the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area.

There’s not a cost or timetable for the RiverLands project, but according to portions of the report’s recommendations, hundreds of millions of dollars would be required and a couple of decades would be needed for completion.

Those costs would include land acquisition in addition to construction of bridges and trails, which would be for pedestrians and bicycling.

The Chattahoochee RiverLands site has other portions of the report available for download, as well as interactive maps.

Pope softball team ranked No. 1 in Class 6A preseason poll

August 6, 2020 2:50 PM by Wendy Parker

Pope softball team state champions

Coming off their second Georgia High School Association state championship, the Pope softball team is ranked No. 1 in Class AAAAAA to start the 2020 season.

Many teams are starting play on Thursday, but the Greyhounds don’t have their opener until Aug. 11, when they play host to Woodstock.

Coach Chris Turco’s team went 30-4 in 2019 was able to win the state title at home after rain washed out the finals in Columbus.

Pope lost some valuable seniors from that team but return some budding new stars, including Jadyn Laneaux, a sophomore outfielder who excelled in the finals against Lee County. (Her sister Zoe, a shortstop, is one of those departed seniors.)

Also returning is the team’s top pitcher, Hallie Adams, who’s now a senior. More about the Pope team, including rosters, can be found here.

Kell, Sprayberry and Walton are starting their seasons on Thursday, while Wheeler gets underway on Saturday.

Lassiter, which reached the Class 7A Final Eight last year, also starts its season on Tuesday.

Due to GHSA reclassification, five of the six teams in East Cobb will be playing in the same region of Class 6A. Walton remains in Class 7A but is playing Wheeler and Kell during the regular season.

Softball is the first fall sport to get underway in Georgia, and it’s starting on time. The GHSA has delayed the start of football season and limited practices due to COVID-19 guidance.

Cross country season swings into action next week. Walton is the reigning Class 7A boys state champion.

Volleyball also is scheduled to get underway without delays, with most teams in East Cobb starting on or around Sept. 1. That’s when defending Class 7A champion Walton starts its season against Marietta.

GHSA cancels football scrimmages, delays cheer, one-act play

August 6, 2020 3:53 PMAugust 6, 2020 2:02 PM by Wendy Parker

High school football season is still on—for now—but the Georgia High School Association on Thursday announced that pre-season scrimmages will be cancelled.

Competitions in cheerleading and one-act play that take place during the fall semester will be put on hold.

GHSA executive director Robin Hines made the announcement the day after officials with the state’s high school athletics governing body’s sports medicine committee met. That body discussed concerns from Dr. Kathleen Toomey, director of the Georgia Department of Public Health, over COVID-19 cases in the state.

Georgia’s case numbers rose sharply during the month of July, and vast community spread has prompted many school district’s, including Cobb County, to start the school year online-only.

In issuing his new guidance, Hines said football scrimmages are being called off due to high risk and physical contact. Practices that began in late July can still go on, but teams must follow GHSA guidelines to do so in a controlled environment.

Football teams typically have scrimmages a week or two before their seasons begin.

The GHSA pushed back the start of the season two weeks while keeping the regular schedules for other fall events.

The Corky Kell Classic also has changed venues for its slate of season-opening football games, moving the Kell-Walton game to Walton’s Raider Valley on Sept. 4.

According to SCORE Atlanta, GHSA has received more than 600 reports of players testing positive for COVID-19 since football workouts resumed in July.

The only known positive case involving an East Cobb team was someone with the Pope program in June, but it hasn’t been disclosed if it’s a player or a coach.

Some states have delayed their football seasons to the spring, including California. High school athletic directors in Florida are urging football season to be postponed.

The GHSA has issued lengthy guidance for other fall sports. In volleyball, an indoor sport, teams may not use locker rooms, the home team must provide hand sanitizers for both teams and officials, and the visiting team must arrive already in uniform.

Face coverings are recommended but not required, and social distancing guidelines will be followed for team bench areas. Players cannot lick fingers, touch their mouths or blow into their hands while on the court.

Spectator areas also must include social-distancing measures, and the home team must regularly sanitize balls, the playing court, netting, the scorers table and referee stand.

Similar guidelines have been issued for cross country, an outdoor sport.

Hines said the indoor venues for cheerleading and one-act play do not allow for social distancing, and those were potentially high-risk activities mentioned by Toomey.

Instead, cheerleading competitions would begin in late November and conclude in February, and one-act play events are tentatively being delayed until the spring.

Toomey also was concerned about chorus and orchestra activities that are also indoors. GHSA does not oversee those events.

Last month, the directors of marching band programs at the 16 high schools in the Cobb County School District said they would not have fall competitions, following guidance from the Georgia Music Educators Association.

Take a walk back in time: Hyde Farm tours continue Aug. 8

August 1, 2020 2:39 PMAugust 1, 2020 10:33 AM by Wendy Parker

Hyde Farm

On the second Saturday of the month the Cobb Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department conducts walking tours of Hyde Farm, which dates back to 1840 and is now 42 acres of greenspace and serves an educational and recreational facility

It’s located at 726 Hyde Road, off Lower Roswell Road and east of Johnson Ferry Road and here’s what you’ll find:

Natural features include the Chattahoochee River, the forests that are found in both the lowlands adjacent to the river and the uplands near the home site. Man made features consist of the terraced agricultural fields, lowland pastures/old fields, the orchard, the home site, the meadows, and the farm outbuilding sites. Enjoy the pond that was built on Mulberry Creek in the 1980’s, featuring geese, ducks, herons, turtles, beaver, and stocked with catfish and bass.

Next Saturday, Aug. 8, free tours will take place at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. and take 45 minutes to complete. You must register by clicking here. For information call 770-528-8840

East Cobb Park concert stage getting a new roof

July 29, 2020 3:45 PM by Wendy Parker

East Cobb Park concert stage

Reader Jim was at East Cobb Park on Wednesday and passed along these photos of fencing around the concert stage and some construction workers and wondered what was going on.

We checked with Lee O’Neal, President of the Friends for the East Cobb Park, who tells us that the stage is getting a new roof.

The volunteer organization partners with Cobb County Parks and Recreation, which has contracted with Allstar Lighting and Electrical to do the maintenance work.

Tom Bills of Cobb Parks said the wooden roof is 18 years old, and that it will be rebuilt based on the original design with new materials. He said the work should be done in about three weeks.

The stage typically has several concerts during the spring and summer months as part of Sunday Funday events put on by the Friends group and sponsored by WellStar.

The concert stage also is the venue for a Christmas tree lighting celebration put on by the Friends group in early December.

There haven’t been any events there since the COVID-19 outbreak.

The park was closed with other Cobb parks for seven weeks in the spring, and partially reopened in May.

On July 1, the large pavilions at East Cobb Park and other county parks were reopened for public use, with reservations of no more than 50 people due to social-distancing guidelines.

East Cobb Park concert stage

Kell-Walton Corky Kell Classic football game moved to Walton

July 27, 2020 7:36 PMJuly 27, 2020 3:32 PM by Wendy Parker

Kell-Walton Corky Kell Classic game

For the third time, the Kell-Walton football game in the Corky Kell Classic is being rescheduled, and this time it’s going to take place in East Cobb.

Organizers of the season-opening football event announced Monday a number of venue and game matchup changes in response to COVID-19 concerns.

The Longhorns and Raiders will be playing each other on Friday, Sept. 4, at 8 p.m.

According to the local sports website SCORE Atlanta, games that were have been played in Rome were moved out, due to concerns over rising virus cases in Floyd County.

That prompted a merry-go-round of reschedulings as the number of games was cut from 11 to nine.

Earlier this month, the Corky Kell Classic announced it was moving games out of Mercedes-Benz Stadium that included the Kell-Walton matchup. The costs of sanitizing and other measures were cited as one of the reasons.

The Kell-Walton game originally scheduled for Aug. 22 was then moved to Mill Creek High School in Gwinnett County.

Last week the Georgia High School Association, which governs high school athletics in the state, announced the football season would be starting with a two-week delay, to the week leading up to Labor Day.

Preseason football practices with helmets began on Monday with sanitizing and other restrictions issued by GHSA.

Cobb schools are starting online-only on Aug. 17, as are many public school districts in Georgia. Cobb teachers reported for preplanning work on Monday.

Cobb superintendent Chris Ragsdale has said most extracurricular activities will be cancelled except sports, and that he will abide by guidance from the GHSA.

Walton volleyball holding middle school tryouts on Aug. 1

July 25, 2020 2:26 PMJuly 25, 2020 10:13 AM by Wendy Parker

Walton middle school volleyball tryouts

The Walton volleyball program is more than just the varsity teams at the high school, and next Saturday, Aug. 1, aspiring players from middle school can try out.

Those tryouts will take place from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at TK Volleyball (1425 Market Blvd Suite 100 C, Roswell). The cost is $15 per person, and you can sign up by clicking here.

The founder of TK Volleyball, a player development center and club facility, is Walton varsity coach Suzanne Fitzgerald. She also has announced those making the Lady Raiders’ high school teams:

VARSITY: Ashlyn Goolsby; Chandler Parker; Catherine Cheney; Emery Dupes; Kaye Gresham; Lia Ekendahl; Paeton Stoner; Allie Watkins; Aviah Miller; DeAnn Small; Elizabeth Curry; Greta Hans; Laura Middleton; Sophie Barrett; Elizabeth Cheney; Mary Neal; Mia Fazlagic; Rebekah Key; Katie Neal; Lihi Zaibert; Lydia Zeng; Sophia Henry.
JUNIOR VARSITY: Amy Rheaume; Hana Sucic; Kimberlyn Nicholaou; Megan Meihofer; Morgan Savula; Olivia Pavento; Perrin Evertsen; Reagan Novoselsky; Adele Beard; Ansley Asche; Ansley Vom Saal; Dorothy Johnson; Hannah Parrott; Luiza Cesar; Madelyn Lyons; McCrae Simmons; McKenzie Brown. Samantha Nagel.

Earlier this week the Georgia High School Association announced that football season will start two weeks later. The other fall sports, including volleyball, will start their seasons on time, but schedules have not yet been released.

All fall sports teams can begin preseason practices on Aug. 1, but they must practice social distancing, will be encouraged to wear masks and must follow sanitizing guidelines as well.

Last year Walton defeated Lassiter for its fifth consecutive Georgia state championship in volleyball and 14th overall. Fitzgerald was later honored as one of the Top 100 high school coaches in any sport by MaxPreps, a high school sports website.

Georgia high school football season delayed until early September

July 20, 2020 5:39 PMJuly 20, 2020 4:32 PM by Wendy Parker

High school football teams planning to kick off their 2020 seasons in late August will have to wait until early September.

The Georgia High School Association’s board of trustees voted Monday to delay the start of the season by two weeks, to Sept. 4, due to precautions and safety measures related to COVID-19.

The standard 10-game regular season for teams will be maintained, along with the same five-week playoff format. Teams can begin their preseason conditioning workouts on July 27.

The trustees also ruled that seasons in volleyball, cross country and flag football, the other sports GHSA sponsors, can start on schedule.

Preseason practices in those sports and football can begin on Aug. 1.

The GHSA action gives also local school districts the authority to cancel sports seasons. According to the meeting minutes, there was discussion that Atlanta Public Schools might have called off all sports if there hadn’t been a delay.

A Walton High School parent, Amy Henry, addressed the trustees “about the importance of sports to kids in high school and how the benefits of playing sports outweighed the risks associated with Covid 19,” according to the minutes.

An initial vote not to delay the start of football season failed and another vote for a two-week delay was unanimous.

In announcing an online-only start to the school year, Cobb school superintendent Chris Ragsdale said last week that most extracurricular activities are being cancelled. But varsity athletics are continuing, and that he would be following guidance from the GHSA.

The football season was to have started on the weekend of Aug. 21. Instead, here’s how the opening weekend will look like for East Cobb teams:

Sept. 4: River Ridge at Lassiter
Sept. 4: North Atlanta at Wheeler
Sept. 4: Riverwood at Sprayberry
Sept. 5: Kell vs. Walton (Corky Kell Classic, Mill Creek HS)

The Pope football season was to have started on Aug. 28. Instead, the Greyhounds will play their season opener at Walton on Sept. 11.

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