East Cobb Sports & Recreation

Pope softball team advances to state finals for 4th straight year

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For the fourth year in a row, the Pope softball team has advanced to the Georgia High School Association finals in Columbus.East Cobb sports update

The Greyhounds are the only Cobb County representative in the Class 6A bracket, which starts play on Thursday.

Pope, which sports a school record 19-game winning streak, is slated to face Apalachee at 2 p.m. in the eight-team, double-elimination tournament, which ends on Saturday.

Last year, Pope was state runner-up, losing to Cobb rival Harrison in the finals. This fall, the Greyhounds easily won Region 5 in Class 6A. In the state tournament thus far, they have swept Douglas County and Houston County, scoring 49 runs and giving up only one run in those four games.

Pope coach Chris Turco also earned his 300th career victory at the school during the early playoff round. Pope has won the state title once, in 2014.

In the Class 7A tournament, Lassiter was eliminated by Grayson in the second round. The Trojans won their first game in a best-of-three series, then fell by scores of 11-0 and 5-0.

The Kell softball team defeated Arabia Mountain in the first round of the Class 5A tournament, then was swept by Starr’s Mill 3-1 and 16-0 in the second round.

 

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Lassiter soccer player called into Bosnian Under-19 team camp

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Vedad Kovac, a varsity soccer player at Lassiter High School, was called into the team camp for the Bosnia-Herzogovina Under-19 national team in September.Vedad Kovac, Lassiter High School soccer player

Kovac, a senior midfielder, was named to the United Soccer Coaches’ All-Region team as a junior for the Trojans.

As a club player, he competes for the NTH-NASA Elite Clubs National Program in East Cobb. The ECNL program is a three-year-old nationwide development program for high-level youth players, both boys and girls.

The camp Kovac has been participating is in preparation for friendly matches and the Under-19 European Qualifiers in November. Here’s more from ECNL about Kovac:

“The last couple of months have meant a lot to me,” commented Kovac. “I have experienced something I would not trade for anything. This has made my family very happy, which has made me even more excited to participate.”

Born in the United States to a Bosnian mother and father, Kovac has been with NTH-NASA since the age of nine, and has been coached by the club’s Director of Player Development, Todd Gispert, for the last four years, but more recently flew onto the radar of the national team scouts of Bosnia-Herzegovina.

According to Gispert, the call up for Kovac is warranted based upon a host of strengths he brings to the table.

“His technical ability is superb. The way he utilizes his body in tight spaces is fantastic. He also scores goals and that means a lot at any level,” said Gispert.

 

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PHOTOS: Sandy Plains Baseball celebrates 50th anniversary

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Sandy Plains Baseball 50th anniversary

Players, parents, volunteers and representatives of the Atlanta Braves turned out at Field 2 at Carl Harrison Park Saturday to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Sandy Plains Baseball Association.

The youth baseball organization was founded in March 1969 and originally played games not far away, at Sandy Plains Park. That also is the venue for Sandy Plains Softball.

But as the number of youths playing both sports grew, so did the need for new fields and separate organizations. Sandy Plains Softball still plays at Sandy Plains Park.

The baseball venues moved to Harrison Park, next to Lassiter High School, and Sweat Mountain Park, in the late 1980s.

Ginny Garner, chairwoman of the board of Sandy Plains Baseball, said the organization wouldn’t be what it is without the parent volunteers and families.

“We’ve been so blessed to have amazing families and amazing volunteers,” she said.

While the parks are operated by the Cobb Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department, Sandy Plains Baseball helps with maintenance and upkeep of the grounds. Garner said most recently, the organization raised money for new bunting along the outfield fences.

Two years ago, Field 2 was completely refurbished with funding from the Atlanta Braves Foundation, which has undertaken similar projects around metro Atlanta in the name of Chipper Jones.

Garner said Sandy Plains Baseball enrolls around 700 players for the fall season, and around 900 for the spring season, ages 4-18.

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East Cobb football update: Walton, Kell roll in rivalry games

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After falling behind in the first quarter, Walton took control of an East Cobb rivalry game with Pope Friday night at Raider Valley.Walton all-sports champion

The Greyhounds led 7-0, but Walton got three touchdowns from KD Stokes and two more from Julian Bumper to prevail 33-10.

For the Raiders (2-1), the win was an encouraging recovery after they lost to Collins Hill last week on the last play of the game. Walton is off next week, then will play at North Gwinnett on Sept. 20.

Pope also is 2-1 and will begin region play next week against Centennial.

In the other East Cobb rivalry game Friday, the visiting team came away with the win, as Kell blanked Lassiter 27-0. Corbin LaFrance threw two touchdowns to Jamal Hill.

The Longhorns, who are ranked No. 8 in Class 5A, improved to 3-0 on the season. They begin region play with a bang next week at No. 9 Rome, which crushed North Clayton 63-6.

Lassiter, which is 0-3, will be off next week. The Trojans have scored only six points on the season, a field goal in each of their first two games.

Sprayberry has put together a two-game winning streak after rolling over South Cobb 48-20. It was homecoming for the Yellow Jackets (2-1), who got two touchdowns from Damarion Owens.

The Jackets will have a week off next week, then start their region slate against Harrison, ranked No. 5 in Class 6A, and which is 4-0 on the season.

Wheeler returned home after last week’s loss to Sprayberry, but Shiloh jumped all over the Wildcats early enroute to a 39-8 win.

Shiloh led 27-0 as Wheeler fell to 1-2. The Wildcats are off next week, then will play Lassiter on Sept. 20.

 

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East Cobb football update: Pope, Sprayberry gain first wins

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Pope and Sprayberry got their first wins on Friday night in East Cobb rivalry contests in the second week of the high school football season.Sprayberry football, East Cobb football

The Yellow Jackets got off to a tough start in an opening loss to South Forsyth last week, and was facing Wheeler, which they hadn’t beaten since 2007.

But Sprayberry took an early 14-0 lead and never relinquished it in a 21-14 win at Jim Frazier Stadium.

Both touchdowns were scored by Damarion Owens, a junior running back, and the Yellow Jackets (1-1) didn’t give up any points until Wheeler ran a kickoff for a touchdown in the second half.

East Cobb sports updateAt the Hound Pound, Pope played its first game of the season against East Cobb Lassiter, coming off a 47-3 loss to Harrison.

The Greyhounds never trailed in a 23-3 win. Pope led 14-0 at halftime, and for the second straight game, the Trojans (0-2) managed only a field goal. Last year, Lassiter’s only win in a 1-9 season came against Pope.

Walton was coming off a come-from-behind victory over Norcross in the Corky Kell Classic last week as it entertained another Gwinnett team, Collins Hill, in the Raiders’ home opener.

After trailing 6-0 most of the game, the Raiders took a 10-6 lead with less than six minutes to play. Walton got a field goal from Conor Cummins and touchdown run from KD Stokes.

But then Collins Hill got the ball and drove 70 yards, getting a nine-yard touchdown play as the clock expired for a 12-10 win.

The loss for Walton (1-1) was only the second regular season setback for third-year Raiders coach Daniel Brunner.

Coming Up

More East Cobb rivalry games are in store on Friday, as Pope visits Walton and Kell (1-0) is at Lassiter.

Sprayberry stays home to play South Cobb, which was trounced 46-0 by McEachern.

Wheeler (1-1) returns home to play Shiloh.

 

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Friday Night Lights: East Cobb rivalry games continue

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Friday Night Lights East Cobb

There are two rivalry games on tap Friday night in East Cobb as the high school football season continues. Last week’s openers included thrilling late wins by Kell and Walton in the Corky Kell Classic.

Wheeler (1-0) visits Sprayberry (0-1) in a game featuring the two oldest high schools in East Cobb. Last year, the Wildcats roared 40-20, snuffing out a late Yellow Jackets comeback with an interception that was returned 91 yards for a touchdown.

That was the first Wheeler-Sprayberry game since 2013. This will be the first taste of that rivalry for new Wheeler coach Bryan Love, who started out his tenure in strong fashion last week with a 42-19 Wildcats win over Lambert.

According to the Georgia High School Football Historians Association, Wheeler leads the rivalry against Sprayberry 33-13.

Pope will open its season at home on Friday against Lassiter, which fell hard to Harrison 47-3 for new coach Sean Thom.

In last year’s game, Lassiter won for the only time in the season by a 20-13 count. The Trojans were 1-9 overall, and Jep Irwin resigned to take a coaching job in Kentucky.

Pope is considered a contender in Region 6 of Class 6A but is looking for its first win over Lassiter since 2014.

Lassiter leads the all-time series with Pope 19-8.

Walton (1-0) has its home opener at Raider Valley against Collins Hill, which is making its season debut. This is a rematch of last year’s Corky Kell Classic game won by Walton. Collins Hill won the first two meetings against the Raiders, in 1999 and 2013.

Kell is off this week.

Kickoff time for all three games Friday is 7:30 p.m.

East Cobb rivalry games will continue next week when Pope plays Walton and Kell meets Lassiter.

 

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Corky Kell Classic: Kell freshman shines; Walton rallies

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The Kell offense was bound to have a different look after star quarterback Evan Conley graduated. At the Corky Kell Classic Saturday morning, it was a freshman running back who gave the Longhorns’ attack a big boost, and perhaps a new identity.Kell Touchdown Club, Corky Kell Classic

David Mbadinga caught a screen pass and ran it 33 yards for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter, and he rushed 17 times for 104 yards for the game, as Kell downed Mays 17-12 at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Mbadinga helped ease the transition for new Kell quarterback Corbin Lafrance. A junior, Lafrance succeeds Evan Conley, who is now playing at the University of Louisville.

Kell’s offense sputtered early on, although the Longhorns took a 7-0 lead into the second half. Mays scored a touchdown in the third quarter, but missed the extra point to trail 7-6.

That’s when Mbadinga took over. After his touchdown reception from Lafrance, Mbadinga peeled off a 16-yard gain for a first down to reach the Mays 4-yard-line. Kell kicked a field goal to push the lead to 17-6.

On the next series, Kell defender Keith Williams intercepted a pass.

With 1:28 to play in the game, Mays scored a touchdown to close to 17-12 but could not convert a two-point play.

Kell is 8-2 all-time in the Corky Kell Classic, which like the school is named in honor of the late Wheeler coach.

“Our kids played with great passion and emotion, they really played hard,” said Kell coach Brett Sloan, who is 2-1 in Corky Kell games as he begins his third season.

As for Mbadinga, Sloan smiled and said, “We’ve been excited about him for a while. We’re glad he’s on our team.”

The Longhorns are off next week, then play at Lassiter Sept. 6.

Walton ‘found a way’

Walton played Norcross Saturday afternoon in the Corky Kell Classic, and trailed 20-7 before staging a big comeback in the fourth quarter.

Walton all-sports championQuarterback Zak Rozsman threw a pass to Julian Bumper, who ran down the sideline for an 82-yard touchdown with 7:03 remaining.

Walton’s defense responded on the next drive for Norcross as Jonathan Chesser and Titus McBride teamed up for a quarterback sack on third down.

The Raiders started their next possession on the Norcross 21 after a personal foul on the fair catch of a Blue Devils punt.

That’s when running back KD Stokes took over for Walton, picking up 14 yards to set up first-and-goal on the two, then scoring the touchdown on the next play.

A Conor Cummins extra-point gave Walton a 21-20 lead with 3:10 to play, but Norcross had a chance to win with 16 seconds left.

After a long drive, Norcross placekicker Kellen Grave de Peralta, who made two field goals in the second half, attempted a 44-yarder. But after a shaky hold, his kick came out on a line drive and was no good, and Walton players celebrated their 21-20 win.

“We found out what kind of team we are today,” said Walton coach Daniel Brunner. “They fought, fought, fought. They’re a resilient bunch.”

He said the Raiders emphasize a set of “core values” and that one of them embodied their victory Saturday.

“Find a way,” he said. “They found a way today.”

Walton is off next week and plays host to Pope on Sept. 6.

Friday night highlights

Three East Cobb teams opened their seasons on Friday night.

J.D. Thomas scored four touchdowns, including a 93-yard kickoff return on the opening play of the game, as Wheeler won its first game under new coach Bryan Love by a 42-19 score over Lambert.

Next week the Wildcats will visit East Cobb rival Sprayberry, which lost its season opener on the road, 34-20, at South Forsyth.

Lassiter also was on the road to open the season and things got out of hand early for the Trojans in a 47-3 loss at Harrison. The only points of the game for Lassiter, which was playing for a new coach, Sean Thom, came on a field goal late in the fourth quarter.

The Trojans will stay on the road next Friday in another all-East Cobb game when they meet Pope in the season opener for the Greyhounds.

More high school sports

 

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Walton volleyball win streak at 101 with new gym opener next

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The Walton volleyball team trounced Cherokee 3-0 on Tuesday (by scores of 25-12, 25-15 and 25-15) to move to 4-0 on the season.Walton Volleyball team

The win was the 101st consecutive victory against a team from the state of Georgia for the Lady Raiders, who are the state’s most dominant volleyball team.

When they next take the court on Tuesday, Aug. 27 against Roswell, it will be for the first time in the new Walton gym. The match starts at 5 p.m and is a region contest.

Walton has won 13 state titles overall and eight in the last nine years and was declared the 2017 national high school champion by PrepVolleyball. USA Today has the Lady Raiders ranked No. 22 in its first national poll of the season. MaxPreps has Walton ranked 26th after the graduation of 2019 seniors Gabby Gonzalez, Reilly MacNeill, Riley Spurlin, Meghan Froemming and Jordan Rush.

This year, senior Madison Morey and junior Emery Dupes are among Walton’s top experienced returning players. The listed varsity team members include the following, with some already announcing their college choices:

  • Seniors: Phoebe Awoleye (University of Georgia), Madison Morey (University of Virginia), Katie Strickland (Georgia State University), Kendall O’Brien (Marist College), Sydney Barrett;
  • Juniors: Emery Dupes (Florida State University), Ashlyn Goolsby, Lia Ekendahl, Catherine Cheney, Chandler Parker, Kaye Gresham, Paeton Stoner, Olivia Langham;
  • Sophomores: Greta Hans, Aviah Miller, Avery Storm, Vera Laytham, Sophie Barrett, Laura Middleton, Elizabeth Curry;
  • Freshmen: Mary Neal, Clara Paulsen, Elizabeth Cheney, Maya Szkaradek.

The coach is Suzanne Fitzgerald, who is in her 14th season at Walton, where she also teaches English.

After next week’s game against Roswell, the Lady Raiders will step out of state to compete in a tournament in Sarasota, Fla. They also will travel to competitions in Louisville and Phoenix during the regular season.

On Sept. 17, Walton will visit Lassiter, currently ranked No. 2 in Georgia, in an East Cobb and regional showdown.

 

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Wheeler cross country athletes excel at Hoya Invitational

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Photos and text submitted by Meggan Muller of the Wheeler cross country coaching staff:

Pooja Kanyadan, Wheeler cross country
Pooja Kanyadan

We had a great showing at the Hoya Invitational this weekend with many new runners and returning.

Pooja Kanyadan (Freshman) led the Girls Open pack with a 4th place win. Overall, Wheeler scored 4th as a team.

With new runner Morgan Yankowsky, Wheeler was awarded 2nd place overall. A freshman, Yankowsky came in 1st place of the Boys Open. We are thrilled that this new runner had such a successful showing. Elliott Brown and Drew Marshall, also a freshman at Wheeler, pulled in 10th and 14th places respectively out of 210 runners.

Morgan Yankowsky, Wheeler cross country
Morgan Yankowsky

JV Boys came in 5th place overall, with Josh Musser (junior) taking 8th place and John Bunch (junior) coming in 12th out of 146 runners.

Senior Daniel Reis ran a 10:50.10 2 mile. Sophomore Haden Drake led the girls JV, registering 14th place out of 110 with a time of 14:35.77.

Varsity Girls was watching newcomer Jada Dixon (freshman) followed by Virginia Miller (sophomore).

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Some Cobb parks may be getting license plate reader devices

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Cobb parks license plate reader devices, East Cobb Park
East Cobb Park is on a proposed list to have license plate reader devices installed, along with Fullers Park and Terrell Mill Park. (ECN photo by Wendy Parker)

Three parks in East Cobb could be among the first in the county to have license plate readers installed as a safety measure.

The Cobb Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department will ask commissioners on Tuesday for authorization to spend $168,000 to install the devices at 12 of the county’s 24 active and passive parks.

Those proposed to have the readers installed include East Cobb Park, Fullers Park and Terrell Mill Park.

According to the agenda item summary for Tuesday’s commissioners meeting, the parks selected for the readers were “based on experience and data obtained from the police department records of the number and type of citizen requested dispatch calls.”

The vendor is Flock Automatic License Plate Reader (ALPR), which would install two solar-powered cameras at the main entrances to each park. The Flock system would be integrated into the Cobb Police dispatch system and has a real-time reporting tool for the the National Crime Information Center/Georgia Crime Information Center, according to the agenda item.

The data to be retrieved would include the arrival and departure time, license plate and descriptions of vehicles at the parks, with the objective to be able to easily detect and report suspicious vehicles.

The installation cost is covered under the 2016 Cobb Parks SPLOST and would include system integration a three-year warranty and a four-year agreement for cloud hosting, cellular service and software updates.

In a related item on Tuesday, commissioners will be asked to make a $90,213 reimbursement to the Friends for the East Cobb Park, which donated nearly $120,000 last summer to help the county purchase part of the adjoining Tritt property and preserve it for green space.

Wylene Tritt sold 22 acres at 3540 Roswell Road to the county for a cost of $8.4 million, but a supplemental parks bond account established in 2017 had only $8.3 million available.

The Friends for the East Cobb Park stepped in to make the donation from its endowment. Shortly after that, the group announced a fundraising campaign to replenish the endowment.

 

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East Cobb Pigskin Preview breakfast kicks off new season

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East Cobb Pigskin Preview Breakfast
Walton faces the 2019 season without Dominick Blaylock (1), now a Georgia Bulldog.

If you want to meet all six of the public high school football coaches in East Cobb, next Thursday’s your chance at the annual Pigskin Preview Breakfast.

It’s put on by the East Cobb Area Council of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce, and it starts at 7:30 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 15, at Indian Hills Country Club (4001 Clubland Drive).

Tickets are $25 for Chamber members and $35 for general admission, and online registration closes on Tuesday, Aug. 13.

As in past years, the format is the same. The head coaches from Kell, Lassiter, Pope, Sprayberry, Kell, Walton and Wheeler will discuss their teams as preseason practice is underway, and take questions from a moderator and the audience.

They’ll also be bringing some of their players.

Two of the coaches will be new to the Pigskin Breakfast. They’re Sean Thom of Lassiter and Bryan Love of Wheeler. They succeeded the longest-serving coaches in East Cobb, respectively: Jep Irwin, now in Kentucky, and Mike Collins, the new coach at River Ridge in Cherokee County. Both were on the job for 10 years.

We’ll be posting full schedules for each team soon, but Kell and Walton will once again be playing in the Corky Kell Classic. Their games are on Saturday, Aug. 24 at 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. respectively, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in downtown Atlanta.

On Saturday, the Longhorns and Raiders will be facing each other in a scrimmage at The Stockyard at Kell High School (4770 Lee Waters Road) starting at 10 a.m.

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East Cobb softball preview: Pope opens at Ga. champ Harrison

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Pope softball
All-state player Zoe Laneaux (14) is a senior for the Pope Greyhounds. (ECN file)

Just a few days after a new school year began, so does the high school sports schedule. For the Pope softball team, beginning a new season means facing the team it lost to in last year’s state championship round.

The Greyhounds play at Georgia Class 6A champion Harrison Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. in the season opener for both teams.

Pope, which finished 33-6 last year under coach Chris Turco, is loaded again for another shot at the state crown. Five all-state players return: Zoe Laneaux (third base), Katie Ward (outfield), Bailey Chapin (first base), Hallie Adams (pitcher) and Carolyn Deady (catcher).

The Greyhounds need to replace second baseman Hannah Dodd, shortstop Gracie Kittrell and pitcher Trinity Pizzutti, who were leaders of the Class of 2018 that won 108 games. Their home opener is Aug. 13 vs. Northview at 5:30 p.m.

Lassiter also reached the state playoffs in Class 7A and posted a 27-7 season under coach Jason Campbell. The Trojans open next week on the road, then play host to Harrison on Friday, Aug. 16 at 4:45 p.m.

Kell was 13-13 under Kevin Foster last year and gets underway at Sprayberry Wednesday at 5:30 in an all-East Cobb matchup. The Longhorns will play Paulding County Monday at 5:30 p.m. in the first home game of the season.

Walton, which was 5-20 in 2018, also swings into action next week at Westminster and Campbell, then plays at Wheeler on Aug. 19. The Raiders have their first home games on an Aug. 27 doubleheader against Lassiter that starts at 5 p.m. at Terrell Mill Park (480 Terrell Mill Road).

The other two East Cobb high schools have new coaches.

Sprayberry began its season Tuesday at home against Sequoyah and is playing Wednesday at Kell, returns home to play Creekview Thursday at 5:30 p.m. The Yellow Jackets also play host to Harrison Saturday at 12 p.m. under first-year coach Desmond Atwell.

Wheeler also has a new coach in Mark Collins, and starts the season with a tournament at Marietta High School Thursday-Saturday. The Wildcats open at home next Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. against Riverwood. They play their home games at Coach Mau Field, behind the former East Cobb Middle School campus on Holt Road.

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East Cobb traffic reminder: Dog Days Run is Saturday morning

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Dog Days Run, East Cobb traffic

A few major East Cobb roads will be closed off to traffic for a brief time Saturday morning for the 14th annual Dog Days Run.

The 5K race starts and ends at the McCleskey-East Cobb Family YMCA (1055 E. Piedmont Road) at 7:30 a.m., and continues east along Sewell Mill Road, south on Old Canton Road, west along Roswell and back onto East Piedmont. See map below for details.

Most of the runners/joggers/walkers should be done between 8:30 and 9 a.m.

The event, which includes awards to top finishers, prizes, a bounce house for kids, vendors, food and music, is a main fundraiser for the Rotary Club of East Cobb, with proceeds going to a variety of community organizations.

Also on Saturday morning is the Lutzie 43 Road Race, which starts at 8 a.m. and takes place entirely on the campus of Lassiter High School (2601 Shallowford Road). It’s named after former Lassiter and Auburn football star Philip Lutzenkirchen and benefits the foundation his family started in his memory to help young people make good decisions.

If you’re interested in taking part in either event, there is race-day registration onsite, or you can sign up online today for the Dog Days Run.

Dog Days Run course, East Cobb traffic

 

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East Cobb football booster clubs holding preseason fundraisers

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High school football teams will be starting preseason practices soon, and four East Cobb booster clubs have scheduled fundraising events.Lassiter and Kell wrestlers

The first comes tomorrow, Friday, Jan. 26, the Lassiter Trojan Golf Classic, which has a shotgun start at 8 a.m. at Bradshaw Farms Golf Club in Woodstock. The cost is $125 per player or $500 per team, and there will be a closest-to-the-pin competition, as well as awards and a luncheon.

You can get more information and sign up at the Lassiter Touchdown Club website. This year the Trojans are welcoming a new coach, Sean Thorn.

Walton all-sports championOn Monday, the Walton Touchdown Club is holding its annual golf outing at Indian Hills Country Club. That gets underway with a shotgun scramble at 10 a.m., and the day-long event concludes with a happy hour and silent auction, as well as prizes and awards. The cost is $150/person or $500/team.

The Kell Touchdown Club is holding a Casino Night fundraiser on Saturday, Aug. 17, from 7-10 p.m. at Transfiguration Catholic Church. This is the second year for the event, which costs $25 a person and is limited to adults 18 years old and older. The ticket price includes hors d’oeuvres, drink tickets and prizes, and raffle tickets also will be available for purchase at the event. Kell Touchdown Club

The Pope Touchdown Club is holding its annual pancake breakfast and team picture day on Aug. 3 at the school (3001 Hembree Road).

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Send calendar events, stories, photos, etc., to: editor@eastcobbnews.com and we’ll post it!

 

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Longtime Sprayberry football coach Jim Frazier has died

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Word is coming from Sprayberry High School that Jim Frazier, for many years a member of Yellow Jackets football coaching staff and a legendary figure in the school community’s history, died on Thursday.Sprayberry coach Jim Frazier

“Our school and community will forever be grateful for the contributions made by this wonderful man,” was the message posted on the school’s Facebook page Friday afternoon.

We’ll have more later, but here’s a summary of Frazier’s tenure at Sprayberry, which went far beyond what his teams did in sports:

Frazier came to Sprayberry in 1959, a few years after it opened as East Cobb’s first high school.

While he was an assistant football coach, the Yellow Jackets won two county and two region titles in and three times finished the season in the state’s top 10.

He also coached baseball at Sprayberry before retiring from teaching in 1986, and served on the school’s football and baseball committees for nearly 50 years.

The Sprayberry football stadium is named after Frazier, a native of Tennessee who played football at Carson-Newman College and earned a master’s degree from Peabody College at Vanderbilt University.

Frazier was in attendance and recognized last summer at the 65th anniversary celebration of Sprayberry’s opening.

Last August, his wife, Wilma Quarles Frazier, died at the age of 85. She taught at Sedalia Park Elementary School for 27 years.

The Fraziers were married for 61 years.

In 2015, State Rep. Don Parsons of East Cobb sponsored a resolution that was passed by the Georgia General Assembly to honor Frazier for his service to Sprayberry and the community.

 

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East Side Chargers recognized by Braves, Zaxby’s for cancer fundraiser

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East Side Chargers

Thanks to Dana Wright, coach of the East Side Chargers 12 and Under baseball team, for letting us know about their special morning Wednesday meeting Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker (at right in photo above, wearing checked shirt) for their fundraising efforts for childhood cancer research.

The fundraising program, “Hits 4 Cancer,” kicked off in February (previous ECN post here), and it continues until July 1, as the team gets ready for a big tournament June 8-24 in Cooperstown, N.Y., near the home of the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Before the event, Wright (pictured at left, in the back row) explained how his team undertook the novel fundraising effort to include donations tied to its performances on the field:

“Our team chose not to raise money for our trip, but to instead create a great cause event that would help teach these young men the importance of giving back.

“The program is very simple . . . . People can pledge a flat amount OR to help motivate for the boys on the field by pledging $ for EVERY TEAM HIT during the season.

“We will play 30+ games and estimate 4-5 hits per game – bringing the total to 120-150 hits.    We ring a cowbell at every game for every hit . . . . This really motivates the kids and has generated new pledges.”

Thus far, Wright tells us, the Chargers have raised $5,000 for the Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer.

Here’s more from Wright about how the Chargers are continuing their effort, and inviting the public to take part, and how you can help, with links at the bottom of the post:

“We are also looking for other teams to join and set up their own program . . . . Rally will do all the work and make it turn key for any other coach or team families to participate.

“More viral we can make this – the more money is raised to fight childhood cancer.

“It has really motivated these young men on the field to work harder, given them a sense of pride knowing that they are helping other kids and giving them a better understanding of the disease.”

Attached is a flyer for more details. For more, visit the Hits-4-Childhood Cancer page.

 

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Sewell Park Pool opening for the summer on Saturday

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Sewell Park Pool

School’s out, and it’s already hot! The Sewell Park Pool (2055 Lower Roswell Road) begins its summer hours on Saturday as one of two outdoor pools in the Cobb County Parks and Recreation Department.

Here’s the lowdown on costs, and where to call for more information:

Admission for Cobb residents is $3.50 for children ages 2-17, $4.50 for adults and $3 for seniors. Non-resident admission fees are $5.25 for youth, $6.75 for adult and $4.50 for seniors. Group and pool rental packages are available. For information, call 770-528-8465.

And here are the hours, including Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day:

May:
May 25-27: Open 1-5 p.m.
May 28-30: Open 1-7:30 p.m.
May 31: Open 1-5 p.m.

Summer:
Saturday, May 25 through Wednesday, July 31:
Monday-Thursday: 1-7:30 p.m.
Friday – Sunday: 1-5 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 3 through Monday, Sept. 2:
Saturdays and Sundays only: 1-5 p.m.

 

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Walton named Georgia Class 7A all-sports champion; Pope third in 6A

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For the first time in five years, Walton is an all-sports champion in the state of Georgia.

The Raiders took home first place in the Georgia Athletic Directors Association Director’s Cup standings in Class 7A, the largest classification in the state.Walton all-sports champion

Walton’s victory over Lambert in the Georgia High School Association’s Class 7A boys lacrosse championship game last weekend proved to be the clincher for the Director’s Cup.

Walton tallied 1,225 points for the season, and Lambert had 1,180 points. North Gwinnett was third with 1,154 points.

Lassiter ranked No. 13 in Class 7A with 798 points, and Wheeler was 40th with 361 points. Class 7A has 48 schools.

(You can read through the standings here.)

The Pope athletics program is guaranteed a third-place finish in Class 6A. The Greyhounds have 1,021 points, trailing only Cambridge (1,119) and Cobb rival Harrison (1,115).

Pope is meeting Heritage of Conyers in the 6A baseball finals, but would not move past Harrison with a title.

UPDATE: The Greyhounds fell in Game 3 on Thursday and are state baseball runner-up.

pope volleyballAlso in 6A, Sprayberry was 47th, with 182 points, out of 57 schools.

In Class 5A, Kell finished 16th in the Director’s Cup, with 702 points. The top finishers were Starr’s Mill, Buford and McIntosh in a classification with 56 schools.

The Walker School came in 12th in Class A with 705 points. Mt. Bethel Christian Academy, which fields a handful of varsity sports, was 84th in a classification with 99 schools.

Four state title teams

The teams from East Cobb that took home state championships in the 2018-19 school year are the Pope and Walton volleyball teams, the Pope boys cross country team and the Walton boys lacrosse team.

For Walton, the Director’s Cup is the school’s third since 2013. The Raiders haven’t been out of the top five since, and last year were fourth.

Pope won the Director’s Cup in 2014 and 2017 and was fifth last year.The Walker School athletics

The Walton girls topped 7A, edging Lambert 650 to 641 points. The Lassiter girls were 16th and the Wheeler girls were 40th.

In 6A, the Pope girls were fifth, and Sprayberry was 42nd. The Kell girls were 14th in Class 5A, while the Walker girls were 6th in Class 1A.

In the boys’ standings, Walton was second to Cobb rival Hillgrove, 584 to 575, in Class 7A, with Lassiter in 13th place and Wheeler in 39th.

The Pope boys could have won the 6A standings with a state baseball title. The Greyhounds trailed Harrison 507 to 502 points. Ironically, it was the Harrison girls’ softball team that defeated Pope in the state championship series last fall.

The Sprayberry boys finished 42nd in Class 6A, and the Kell boys were 14th in Class 5A. The Walker boys were 32nd in Class A.

Mt. Bethel Christian, which began a high school on Post Oak Tritt Road in 2014, also is new to the GHSA. For a time this season the boys basketball team was ranked No. 1 in Class A, and qualified for the state tournament.

 

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Walton boys lacrosse team rallies to win state championship

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After being taken to overtime at the very end of regulation, the Walton boys lacrosse team didn’t waste much time putting away the defending state champions.Walton boys lacrosse team

The Raiders got a goal from Tate Harran 18 seconds into sudden-death overtime to defeat Lambert 8-7 Saturday at Kennesaw State University in the Georgia High School Association Class 6A-7A title game.

It’s the first championship since 2011 for Walton (2011), which spoiled Lambert’s bid for a fifth crown.

The win also erased the Longhorns’ comeback in the final minutes. Walton led 7-4 with less than six minutes to play. In the last minute of regulation, Benny O’Rourke scored twice for Lambert, including the tying goal with 0.1 seconds left.

Hannan was one of three Raiders who scored two goals, including Taylor Aston and James Gerr.

Pope baseball in finals

The only other state high school championship left in the 2018-19 school year is baseball, and the Pope Greyhounds will be aiming for their third consecutive state title this coming week.

Pope will meet Heritage of Conyers in a best two-of-three series for the 6A championship that starts Wednesday with a doubleheader at State Mutual Stadium in Rome.

The games begin at 5 and 7:30 p.m. If necessary, a decisive third game would be played at the same venue at 7:30 p.m.

Admission is $13, plus a $2 administration fee.

 

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Walton boys lacrosse, Pope baseball teams reach state finals

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For the first time since 2011, the Walton boys lacrosse team is playing for a state championship.Walton boys lacrosse team

The Raiders downed centennial 8-3 at Raider Valley on Wednesday to reach the Georgia High School Association Class 7A finals.

Their opponent will be the two-time defending state champions from Lambert, which prevented an all-East Cobb final by downing Lassiter 8-4.

Saturday’s final will take place at 1 p.m. at Fifth Third Bank Stadium near the Kennesaw State University campus (3200 George Busbee Parkway).

Admission is $14 and covers all four state championship games, starting at 10:30 a.m.

Walton is 20-2 on the season, while Lambert is 20-1. The Longhorns, from Forsyth County, have won four state championships since the school opened in 2009.

Walton’s only title came in 2011. The Lassiter boys won state championships in 2006 and in 2017, but on Wednesday never had the lead against a Lambert team that’s become a dynasty in a short amount of time.

No East Cobb girls teams reached the finals this year. Kell won state titles in 2014 and 2015 and Walton won in 2016. The Milton girls, who play in the same region as Walton and Lassiter, will go for their 13th championship in the 7A final Saturday against Mill Creek at 5 p.m.

Pope prevails

The Pope Greyhounds baseball team advanced to the state championship series for the fourth consecutive year by defeating Harrison earlier this week.

The Greyhounds, winners of the last two Class 6A titles, knocked off the Hoyas on the road in the third and decisive game on Wednesday in a 5-0 shutout.

Pope will play Heritage of Conyers in a doubleheader starting at 5 p.m. next Wednesday, May 22, at State Mutual Stadium in Rome. Tickets are $13 plus a $2 facility fee.

If a third game is necessary, it will take place at the same venue on Thursday, starting at 7:30 p.m.

 

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