East Cobb high school sports

Five East Cobb high schools to compete in same sports region

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Five of the six public high schools in East Cobb will be competing in the same region next year in varsity sports.Kell Touchdown Club, Corky Kell Classic

That’s after the Georgia High School Association granted an appeal by Kell High School on Tuesday to move up to Class 6A.

The Longhorns have been competing in Class 5A, and were assigned to stay in place. But the reclassification process includes the right to appeal to move up or move down.

For the next two seasons, Region 6 of Class 6A will be all Cobb County high schools, and includes Kell, Lassiter, Pope, Sprayberry and Wheeler.

The other schools in the proposed new region will be Allatoona, Kennesaw Mountain, Osborne and South Cobb.

When GHSA made reclassification assignments last week, it moved Lassiter and Wheeler down from Class 7A. Pope and Sprayberry remain in Class 6A.

Walton remains in Class 7A, but will have different region foes. Instead of competing against Roswell, Etowah, Cherokee and Woodstock, the Raiders will be in a Region 3 field that includes Harrison, Hillgrove, Marietta, North Cobb and North Paulding.

For the last few years, only Lassiter and Walton were in the same region. Wheeler has been in a far flung region in Class 7A that includes Pebblebrook, Campbell, Westlake of Atlanta, Newnan and East Coweta.

Pope and Sprayberry were in different regions in Class 6A, and Kell’s region rivals in 5A also were spread out, from Cartersville to Rome to Carrollton.

On Friday, four East Cobb schools will compete in the GHSA football playoffs: Sprayberry at Lanier (Gwinnett County), Wheeler at Roswell, Kell at Columbia and Newnan at Walton.

The only ranked East Cobb team heading into the post-season is Kell, at No. 8 in Class 5A.

 

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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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East Cobb sports update: Pope and Walton volleyball cruise to state titles

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For Walton, a 13th state championship in volleyball was entirely expected. For Pope, which hadn’t claimed a title in seven years, getting back into the winner’s circle was a new experience for current players and coaches.pope volleyball

On Saturday, the East Cobb teams finished up the Georgia High School Association volleyball finals at Marietta High School with convincing performances.

The Greyhounds toppled Cobb rival Allatoona in four games, 25-17, 15-25, 25-18 and 25-21, to win the 6A championship match. Pope finished with a record of 40-9 under coach Shawn Darling, who is in his second season.

Some of the team leaders for Pope this season were Stella Dees (370 kills), Zeren Yesilova (467 digs) and Eliza Dees (855 assists). While Eliza Dees is one of four seniors on this year’s team, the Greyhounds will have many of their regular players back for the 2019 season.

Other members of the Pope team include Lily Harvey, Alyssa Linde, Madison Mims, Ella Burris, Madison Cross, Ava Vikovic, Sophie Gould, Caroline Wiseman, Adair Hutchinson, Mackenzie Kahill, Renee Bissel and Brianna Dempsey.

Walton Volleyball teamAfter that, Walton took to the court against Milton, and the Raiders won in three straight games, 25-14, 25-15, 25-14, to claim the Class 7A championship. In winning a fourth consecutive state title, Walton was 41-3 on the season and did not lose to an in-state opponent.

Walton’s seniors were dominant, especially Gabby Gonzales and Riley MacNeill, who will be attending Ohio State for college.

The other Raiders seniors this season were Riley Spurlin, Jordan Rush, Caroline Cheney, Molly Pember, Meghan Froemming and Lauryn Burrows. Other team members include Madison Morey, Phoebe Awoleye, Katie Strickland, Kendall O’Brien, Sydney Barrett, Catherine Cheney, Chandler Parker, Emery Dupes, Caroline Kiehnau, Greta Hans and Aviah Miller.

This is the seventh title for Walton under head coach Suzanne Fitzgerald, who is in her 13th season.

The Pope community had another team to celebrate this weekend, as the boys cross country squad brought home the Class 6A GHSA title at the state meet in Carrollton on Friday.

The Greyhounds collected 51 points, with Harrison coming in second with 77 points (like golf, lower scores are better). Four Pope runners finished in the top 14, led by by Will Brown (8th), KC Heron (10th), Axel Mateo (11th), Cole Heron (13th) and Anthony Parisi (14th).

Also competing in the 5K race for Pope were, Conor Krause and Nicholas Corso.

The Pope girls were 4th in the Class 6A meet, which was won by region rival Cambridge. Sophie Boice of Pope finished fourth and Lorel Golden was 11th.

The Walton boys came in third in the Class 7A cross country meet. The top finisher for the Raiders was Zac Shaffer, who was 16th.

The Walton girls also were third in Class 7A, which was won by Marietta. Abigail Robertson of Walton finished in seventh place.

 

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East Cobb Sports Update: Walton and Pope volleyball reach state finals

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Two East Cobb teams will be playing for state championships Saturday in the Georgia High School Association volleyball tournaments, and they won’t have to venture too far from home.GHSA logo, Walton and Pope volleyball

The Walton and Pope volleyball teams will be playing in back-to-back matches in the finals at Marietta High School.

Pope, which downed Creekview Tuesday in a comeback victory, will be meeting fellow Cobb school Allatoona in the Class 6A championship match that begins at 4 p.m.

The Lady Greyhounds are 39-9 and are in the finals for the first time since they won their last state title in 2011 (they also won state in 2009). Since then, Pope has finished in the Sweet 16 three times, the Elite 8 once and last year the Final Four.

Pope lost the first game to Creekview 25-19 on Tuesday but came back to sweep the match by scores of 25-17, 25-17 and 25-10.

Walton had little trouble dispatching North Gwinnett in straight sets on the road Tuesday to reach the state finals yet again. The Lady Raiders (40-3) will defend their Class 7A state championship at 6:30 p.m. against Milton.

Walton is attempting to win its fourth consecutive state title. The Lady Raiders have a total of 12 GHSA crowns and are heavily favored to make it 13.

The Walton and Pope matches will conclude a day of four title matches at Marietta High School (1171 Whitlock Ave.). All-session tickets are $8 a person. For more information visit the GHSA volleyball page.

 

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East Cobb sports update: Pope softball finishes as state runner-up; Walton, Pope volleyball advance to semifinals

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Pope softball

Two East Cobb teams made it to the Elite 8 of the Georgia High School softball tournament this week, and turned in strong performances. The Pope softball team finished second in Class 6A, while Lassiter was third in Class 7A.

The Greyhounds came out of the elimination bracket to reach the finals in Columbus on Saturday, but fell to Cobb County rival Harrison 6-3.

Pope’s season started in August with a loss to the Hoyas. Along the way the Greyhounds compiled a 33-6 record, a school record for wins, captured their region in undefeated fashion and have now made three championship game appearances since 2012.

Lassiter also won its region and qualified for the Elite 8. On Friday, the Trojans lost to Mill Creek 3-0 in the Class 7A semifinals to end their season. Lassiter’s first loss in the double-elimination tournament was to eventual state champion East Coweta.

Also on Saturday, the Walton volleyball team rolled on in the Class 7A quarterfinals. Playing in their home gym, the Lady Raiders trounced Lambert in a sweep to advance to the semifinals on Tuesday at North Gwinnett.

The finals will be Saturday at Marietta High School.

Walton, the defending state champion, is 40-3 and is heavily favored to continue its dynastic run through the state of Georgia.

Lassiter also reached the state tournament in Class 7A, but fell to West Forsyth Saturday in the quarterfinals. The Trojans were 29-6 this season.

The Pope volleyball team also has reached the semifinals in Class 6A, and will meet Creekview on Tuesday. The Greyhounds are 38-9 on the season and defeated Glynn Academy Saturday to advance.

 

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East Cobb Sports Update: Walton, Wheeler in state volleyball; Pope, Lassiter softball reach Elite 8

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The first round of the Georgia High School Association volleyball tournament begins this weekend, and defending state champion Walton is a heavy favorite to repeat in Class 7A. Walton Volleyball team

The Raiders, who are 36-3 and have been ranked No. 1 in the state all season, will be playing host to a four-team bracket this Saturday. At noon, they will meet Colquitt County, after Wheeler plays North Cobb in a match that begins at 10 a.m.

The winners of those matches will meet on Monday in the second round.

Lassiter (27-5) also has advanced in Class 7A, but has to travel, facing Lowndes in a bracket at East Coweta.

The third round will be played next weekend, and the tournament culminates as usual for Class 7A at Marietta High School on Nov. 3.

The Pope volleyball team (35-9) will be playing Saturday against Cobb rival Harrison in a Class 6A bracket at Apalachee High School in Winder. The 6A finals also are at Marietta.

The GHSA volleyball tournament is single-elimination.

The Pope and Lassiter softball teams once again have reached the “Elite 8” in their respective classes, which is the culminating stage of the state tournament.

Both will be competing in Columbus next week after winning home doubleheaders in the second round this week.

Lassiter (25-7) swept North Paulding 1-0 and 9-1. Pope (29-4) also moved in a sweep, taking both games against Dacula by 6-0 and 6-1 scores.

On Thursday, Pope will play Greenbrier at 11 a.m. in the Class 6A bracket (click here to see more) in a return visit to Columbus. The Greyhounds have reached the Final Four four times since 2012 and were state champions in 2014.

In Class 7A, Lassiter also gets underway on Thursday in a 9 a.m. game against Brookwood (here’s that bracket).

Both tournaments are double-elimination and will conclude on Saturday.

 

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Wheeler cross country runner wins Cobb County championship

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Wheeler runner wins Cobb cross country, Alex Dyck

Thanks to Meggan Muller, a French teacher at Wheeler High School, for the photos and info about the Cobb Cross Country Championship over the weekend at Allatoona Creek Park in Acworth.

The individual boys winner was Wheeler’s Alex Dyck (pictured at right, above, with teammate Daniel Reis). Alex’s winning time was 16:05.72, and the week before that he was the winner at the Run at the Rock race in Cartersville.

Reis finished in 10th at the Cobb meet and was second at the Run of the Rock. Pictured below is Virginia Miller, a Wheeler freshman who was ninth in the Cobb junior varsity race, also over the weekend.

In the team standings, the Pope boys and the Walton girls finished second.

Virginia Miller, Wheeler cross country

 

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Former Pope softball star Kelly Barnhill to appear at Greyhounds’ game Friday

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Fresh off a Team USA performance that resulted in Olympic qualification, former Pope softball star Kelly Barnhill will be making a homecoming visit on Friday.

Kelly Barnhill, former Pope softball star

The University of Florida pitching standout will appear at the Greyhounds’ home game on Friday against Sequoyah.

The game starts at 6 p.m. and admission is free. Barnhill will be throwing out the first pitch, meeting fans and signing autographs.

Barnhill, who led Pope to its first Georgia state championship in 2014, was part of the U.S. team that last week repeated as world champions. That resulted in an automatic berth for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

Olympic softball is returning after being dropped in 2008. Barnhill has been a gold medalist for Team USA in the 2016 and now 2018 world championship tournaments.

Here’s what she posted on social media after the Americans’ victory in Japan over the weekend:

She will be a senior at Florida, where she has been an All-American and in 2017 was the national college player of the year.

The Greyhounds, who were playing Cambridge at home on Tuesday, have started the season with a 1-1 record. They also play at Chattahoochee on Thursday before the Friday game honoring Barnhill.

More sports stories

 

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Former Pope pitcher Duane Underwood debuts with Chicago Cubs

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Former Pope pitcher Duane Underwood’s first game in the Major Leagues Monday night wasn’t a successful one for his team on the scoreboard. Former Pope pitcher Duane Underwood

His start for the Chicago Cubs lasted only four innings in a 2-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

But Underwood, who was called up from the minor leagues over the weekend, earned a positive impression from Cubs manager Joe Maddon before he took the mound at Dodger Stadium:

“He really has reinvented himself over the past couple of years. He really has adopted a new work ethic. He got himself in shape.”

Underwood, 23, received a $1 million signing bonus when he was drafted by the Cubs in 2012, after leading Pope to the Georgia high school playoffs and starring for the East Cobb Astros.

He passed up a scholarship offer to the University of Georgia to become one of the first major prospects chosen by general manager Theo Epstein, who assembled the Cubs’ team that won the 2016 World Series.

Underwood has been touted as the first home-grown pitching prospect to have a crack at the Cubs’ rotation since Epstein took over. But he’s been inconsistent in his professional career and has had some sore arm issues. He is 3-7 in Iowa in his first season at the Triple-A minor league level, which is right below the majors.

Underwood admitted in an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times that he’s felt the frustration of his struggles:

“Things weren’t going my way, and I was playing the blame game instead of just looking in the mirror. . . I think I’m on the right path right now.”

His call-up to the Cubs is temporary as he was filling in for a pitcher who had been on parental leave.

But those tracking Underwood’s progress believe it’s only a matter of time before he’ll come back up to the Cubs to stay.

 

Related story

 

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East Cobb sports update: Pope girls swimming team wins 1st state championship

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For the first time in school history, the Pope girls swimming team has won a state championship.

Pope girls swimming team

The Greyhounds edged Johns Creek, 349 points to 338 points, to win the Georgia High School Association Class 6A title at Georgia Tech on Saturday.

Pope swimmer Sarah Sorensen won individual state crowns in the 100-yard freestyle and 100-yard backstroke, and her teammate Mady Bragg won the girls 200-yard freestyle.

Sorensen, Bragg, Julia Keith and Anna Prestel took the 6A championship in the 400-yard freestyle relay event.

The Walton girls were attempting a second consecutive state championship in Class 7A, but placed third with 282 points, behind Brookwood and Lambert. The Lassiter girls were sixth, with 213 points.

The Raiders’ 200-yard freestyle relay team of Jasmin Hoffman, Abby Belinski, Jami Williams and Melissa Cox won the 7A state title. Hoffman and Cox finished 1-2 in the 50-yard freestyle finals and they were 2-3, respectively, in the 100-yard freestyle.

Williams was second in the 100-yard backstroke, and Walton diver Mackenna Buchanan won the 1-meter springboard event.

In the boys competition, Lassiter finished second in the Class 7A team results with 304.5 points, which Brookwood won easily with 404 points. The Pope boys were fourth in Class 6A with 283 points.

Sprayberry’s Ananda Lin won the state championship in the Class 6A 100-yard freestyle event with a time of 44.66. He also was second in the 200-yard finals. Other top finishers from East Cobb schools in their respective classifications:

  • Boys 200-yard medley relay: Pope, 2nd (Mitchell Hunt, Langston Weddington, Ben Prestel, Gabe Lacasella);
  • Boys 1-meter diving: Casey Harrison, Pope, 2nd;
  • Boys 200-yard freestyle: Parker Ciaramella, Lassiter, 3rd;
  • Boys 50-yard freestyle: Jordan Dunn, Lassiter, 3rd;
  • Girls 100-yard butterfly: Sophie Taylor, Lassiter, 2nd;
  • Boys 100-yard freestyle: Brendan Hausdorf, Lassiter, 2nd;
  • Girls 200-yard freestyle relay: Pope, 2nd (Rachel Geller, Britheny Joassaint, Julia Keith, Mady Bragg);
  • Boys 100-yard backstroke: Zach Franklin, Lassiter, 3rd;
  • Girls 200-yard individual medley: Anna Prestel, Pope, 2nd;
  • Boys 100-yard breastsroke: Jordan Dunn, Lassiter, 3rd;
  • Girls 100-yard breaststroke: Bailey Dopfel, Pope, 3rd;
  • Girls 400-yard freestyle relay: Walton, 2nd (Melissa Cox, Caroline Current, Abby Belinski, Jasmin Hoffman).

 

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East Cobb football update: Pope, Kell join Walton in state playoffs; Lassiter waits

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Pope football, East Cobb football

There will be at least three East Cobb football teams in the Georgia High School Association state playoffs next week.

There could be a fourth, Lassiter, which lost to Etowah Friday night and could be selected for an at-large berth in Class AAAAAAA.

Walton clinched the Region 7-AAAAAAA title Friday with a 42-37 win at home over Woodstock, giving the Raiders a perfect 10-0 record in the regular season.

That’s only the third time in Walton school history that has happened. The Raiders will play at home next Friday in the first round of the state playoffs against North Cobb.

East Cobb football
Tab Griffin of Pope, Brett Sloan of Kell and Daniel Brunner of Walton have led their teams into the state playoffs as first-year head coaches. (East Cobb News file photo)

Kell lost to Hiram 52-37 at home but still clinched a playoff berth in the Class AAAAA playoffs. The Longhorns, who finished 5-5 in the regular season, will play at Flowery Branch.

The most unlikely East Cobb football story this season is Pope High School, which had won just three games in the past two seasons. The Greyhounds got off to a sluggish start, losing their first three games.

Pope came into Friday’s game against Northview on a two-game losing streak, but rolled to an easy 41-22 win to qualify for the state playoffs for the first time since 2012. The Greyhounds will take a losing record—4-6—into next Friday’s Class AAAAAA first round game at Dacula.

Lassiter could have cemented a playoff berth in Class AAAAAAA but lost at Etowah 29-20 to finish the regular season with a 6-4 record. The Trojans await word on whether they’ll be selected as an at-large team.

The three East Cobb football teams that have clinched playoff spots also have something else in common. They’re coached by first-year head coaches, which was one of the leading storylines heading into the season.

Walton’s Daniel Brunner had been an assistant for the Raiders and was elevated to head coach after Mo Dixon resigned to take a coaching job in south Georgia. Another Walton assistant, Brett Sloan, was hired to succeed Derek Cook at Kell.

Tab Griffin’s task at Pope was considered the biggest job of all. He was a former Greyhounds player and Pope graduate who was hired in the summer after coaching at Mt. Paran Christian School.

Two other East Cobb teams ended their seasons Friday on a down note. Sprayberry, also coached by a first-year coach, former Yellow Jackets player Brett Vavra, lost to Sequoyah 38-28 and finished 2-8 on the year.

So did the Wheeler Wildcats, a playoff last year who lost 51-37 to Pebblebrook.

 

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Walton volleyball wins another state title; Top 5 finish for Pope softball

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Although the match was competitive, the Georgia Class 7A finals were really never in doubt Saturday at Marietta High School. The Walton volleyball team won its third consecutive title, defeating Etowah by scores of 25-16, 25-16, and 25-21. GHSA logo, Walton volleyball

The Lady Raiders finished the season with a 41-1 record, losing only to a team from California.

The Walton players this season are: Katie Crocker, Sam Jones, Caroline Cheney, Meg Froemming, Gabby Gonzales, Reilly MacNeill, Molly Pember, Jordan Rush, Riley Spurlin, Phoebe Awoleye, Madison Morey, Kendall O’Brien, Katie Strickland, Catherine Cheney, Julia Davis, Emery Dupes, Ashlyn Goolsby and Chandler Parker. Coach: Suzanne Fitzgerald.

The Pope softball team won one game at the Georgia Class 6A softball finals in Columbus, defeating Evans Thursday on a no-hitter by freshman Hallie Adams. However, the Lady Greyhounds fell to Allatoona (the eventual state champions) and Houston County and finished 5th with a record of 31-5.

The Pope players this season are: Gracie Kittrell, Hannah Dodd, Sydney Sheahan, Jodie Smith, Leah Higginbotham, Hannah Rogers, Carolyn Deady, Kyla Smith, Lea McFadden, Trinity Pizutti, Zoe Laneaux, Mary Deady, Hallie Adams, Kami Smith, Maura Foreman, Rachel Pearle, Lela Landry, Morgan Herman, Min Brookshire, Bailey Chapin, Abby Rocco, Taylor Henson, Alyssa Eman, Kaitlyn Wells. Coach: Chris Turco.

FOOTBALL ROUNDUP: With only one week left in the regular season, only Walton has clinched a state playoff spot from East Cobb. The Raiders stayed unbeaten (9-0) with a 42-21 win over Etowah. Walton will have senior night on Friday against Woodstock. In other football games Friday:

  • Lassiter inched closer to a playoff berth by beating Cherokee 31-0. The Trojans (6-3) have to visit Etowah Friday; a win means they advance, and they could play a home playoff game.
  • Kell moved to 5-4 and within reach of a playoff spot with a 21-12 win over Woodland. The Longhorns are tied for second in Region 7, Class 6A, and play Cass on Friday;
  • Pope fell to 3-6 with a 45-17 loss to Centennial; the Greyhounds conclude their season Friday at home against Northview;
  • Sprayberry is now 2-7 following a 35-21 loss on senior night to Creekview; the Yellow Jackets play their last game of 2-17 on Friday at Sequoyah;
  • Wheeler‘s senior night also was spoiled by Westlake, which won 48-27; the Wildcats, who are 2-7, close out on Friday at Pebblebrook.

EAST COBB SPORTS UPDATE: Walton volleyball aims for three-peat on Saturday

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The Walton volleyball team will find a familiar foe on the other side of the net Saturday when the Lady Raiders attempt to win their third consecutive Georgia High School Association state championship.

Walton faces Region 4AAAAAAA rival Etowah at 6:30 p.m. in the finals at Marietta High School (1171 Whitlock Road). The Eagles have been one of the better teams in the state all season, with a 43-6 record, and they haven’t dropped a set in the state tournament.

Walton volleyball

But they’ve been no match for Walton (39-1), which has twice beaten Etowah by 3-0 scores, including the region tournament in October.

In fact, the Lady Raiders haven’t lost to a team from Georgia since 2014. Their only loss this season came in an Arizona tournament in late September to a team from California.

Here’s something else that illustrates just how dominant Walton, a longtime volleyball dynasty in Georgia, has been this season: The only other sets they’ve dropped also came to out-of-state teams.

Walton is also doing this with with only two seniors seeing regular playing time. Team leaders Gabby Gonzales, Riley Spurlin, Caroline Cheney, Reilly MacNeill and Jordan Rush are juniors.

The Pope volleyball team reached the Class 6A semifinals, but was ousted on Wednesday by defending state champion Harrison.

The Lady Greyhounds had their best finish since winning their last state title in 2011, going 33-9. While two of Pope’s top offensive players, Samantha Walters and Danielle Bissel, are seniors, there is plenty of talent returning. As a freshman, Stella Dees was second on the team with 284 kills.

In the Class 6A softball tournament in Columbus, Pope split opening-round games on Thursday. In the opener, Hallie Adams pitched a no-hitter as the Greyhounds defeated Evans 2-0. However, they lost to Cobb County rival Allatoona 1-0 in Thursday evening and move to a losers bracket game Friday afternoon, meeting Houston County at 2 p.m.

Walton, Pope volleyball teams play home matches Saturday in state tournament

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The Walton and Pope volleyball teams will be playing host to Georgia High School Association state quarterfinal matches on Saturday.

The Walton Raiders, defending state champions and ranked No. 1 in Class 7A, will entertain South Forsyth at 2 p.m. in the Walton gym, aka The Pit. The Raiders are 37-1 on the season, and their only loss came in recently in an Arizona tournament to Mater Dei of California, which is ranked in the Top 10 nationally.Walton HS logo, Walton Pope volleyball

The Walton team is marking the match as a “black out”—asking fans to wear black. If you need something black to wear, they’ll be selling Black Pit Crew t-shirts and hoodies at the match.

According to the latest national rankings by MaxPrep, Walton is at No. 2 in the country and is the only school from Georgia in the Top 25.

At 3 p.m. Saturday, the Pope Greyhounds (32-8), will take on Greenbrier of Evans, Ga. (near Augusta). The Greyhounds are repeating their 2016 trip to the Class 6A Elite Eight and are looking for their first state championship since 2011.

Lassiter’s season ended earlier this week in a state tournament loss to East Coweta. The Trojans finished with a record of 18-11.

Admission to both the Walton and Pope volleyball matches Saturday is $5. The winners will advance to the semifinals next Wednesday.

The state championship round takes place next Saturday, Oct. 28, at Marietta High School.

Pope softball shuts out Harrison to reach state finals; Lassiter eliminated

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The last home games of the season for the Pope softball team were close, but were clinchers for the Greyhounds as they advanced to the Georgia High School Association finals once again.

Pope defeated Harrison 1-0 and 3-0 in a doubleheader Wednesday afternoon, and will be headed to the GHSA Final Eight next week in Columbus.Pope softball

That’s the fifth time in the last six seasons for the Greyhounds (29-4), who reached the Class 6A semifinals in 2016.

Pope’s first game in the double-elimination round will be next Thursday morning at 11 against Evans High School of Augusta.

Another East Cobb team playing in the Class 7A state tournament was eliminated Wednesday. Lassiter lost a doubleheader on the road to Lowndes by 2-0 and 4-3 scores. The Lady Trojans finished with a 22-10 record.

Freshman pitcher Hallie Adams won both games for Pope, getting the game-winning run in the first game from Bailey Chapin, another freshman. Adams followed her one-hitter in the nightcap with a little more run support, as Chapin, senior Hannah Rogers and Leah Higgs drove in the runs for the Greyhounds to book another trip to Columbus.

Grace Kittrell was 2-for-4 at the plate for Pope.

In the Class 6A finals, another Cobb County team, Allatoona, also will be competing. But the biggest obstacle for Pope, should the Greyhounds advance, may be a team in their own region. Pope recently defeated Cambridge High School of North Fulton to win the Region 7-AAAAAA title.

However, Cambridge returns to Columbus as the defending state champion. Should Cambridge and Pope continue to advance, they could meet for the state championship as well.