It's football time ... in the Georgia Dome

[JonInMiddleGA]

Best 48 hours of football all year makes its annual appearance on FOFC, as the Georgia High School Association semi-finals kickoff from the Dome in a few minutes.

All games available online today at http://www.gpb.org/football
although at the moment I can't connect at all, I'm guessing the site is overloaded.

Friday, Dec. 7
9 a.m.: A - Wilcox Co. (12-1) vs. Athens Academy (12-1)
Noon: A - Clinch Co. (11-2) vs. ECI (13-0)
3 p.m.: AAA - Carver-Columbus (13-0) vs. Chamblee (12-1)
6 p.m.: AAAA - Tucker (13-0) vs. Northside-WR (13-0)
9 p.m.: AAAA - Thomas Co. Central (13-0) vs. Ware County (11-2)

Saturday, Dec. 8
9 a.m.: AA - Buford (13-0) vs. Dublin (11-2)
Noon: AA - Lovett (11-2) vs. Cook (10-3)
3 p.m.: AAA - Cairo (12-1) vs. North Hall (13-0)
6 p.m.: AAAAA - Walton (12-1) vs. North Gwinnett (12-1)
9 p.m.: AAAAA - Lowndes (12-1) vs. Camden County (12-1)

Of note for me is Athens Academy in the first game, as that's where my son is expected to be for school next year. And of course the Tucker Tigers are no strangers to anyone at FOFC.

Some new faces in the title hunt this year as only two state champions made it back to the Dome.
Northside-WR in class AAAA and last year's co-champ Dublin in class AA. Meanwhile Class AAA is probably the most different of all as Cairo won their only title back in 1990 and none of the other contenders have ever won a state football championship.

[Alan T]

Ugh.. Walton... WALTON... ugh.. uuugggh..

[digamma]

Let's go Tigers.

[miked]

I don't see anyone I recognize except Tucker and Chamblee, since I live 5 minutes away. My wife went to Berkmar, but I don't know if they are any good. I also play lots of baseball at Brookwood and Meadowcreek (aka Meadowcrook), but alas I'm out of the high school FB loop.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by miked

My wife went to Berkmar, but I don't know if they are any good.

Berkmar finished 6-4 overall but just 3-4 in Region 8-AAAAA and missed the playoffs after losing three of their last four games.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Late in the 1st quarter, Wilcox leads AA 6-0 and Wilcox just took over on downs at around their own 25.

Both teams have turned it over once in the early going, with a fumble inside the 30 setting up the game's only score so far. Both teams also getting bit by some early injuries as the Athens Academy QB left with a turned ankle (looks like he might be back) and Wilcox just saw their all star LB/FB helped to the sideline with some sort of leg injury too (also didn't look too serious).

[JonInMiddleGA]

Backup QB Will Daniel comes through with a short TD pass to a wide open receiver out of the backfield, giving AA a 7-6 lead with 10:27 left in the first half.

edit to add -- Wilcox comes back with a couple of long runs to set up a 30 yd TD pass from one Dennard brother to the other. 2 point try fails again, now 12-7 Wilcox. AA answered with a drive to the 35 but failed to convert on 4th & 7, just under two minutes left first half now.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Top prospects playing this weekend include:

DT Omar Hunter - Buford
#5 DT nationally by scouts.com - committed to Notre Dame

S Jamoris Slaughter - Tucker
#13 S nationally - committed to Notre Dame

C Nick McRae - Dublin
#9 C nationally - committed to Georgia Tech

MLB T.J. Pridemore - Buford
#19 MLB nationally - committed to Georgia Tech, son of former NFL DB Tom Pridemore

OG Omoregie Uzzi - Chamblee
#25 OG nationally - considering Alabama, Auburn, Central Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Virginia

QB DeRon Furr - Carver-Columbus
#51 QB nationally - committed to Auburn

CB/QB Alphonso Dennard - Wilcox County
#60 CB nationally - Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Georgia, Purdue, Troy, UAB

CB Neiko Lipscomb - Tucker
#61 CB nationally - Alabama, Georgia, Maryland, Mississippi State, Oklahoma, Virginia Tech

RB Demetrius Murray - Buford
#97 RB nationally - committed to South Florida

WR Jarmon Fortson - Carver-Columbus
committed to Auburn

SLB Robert Pritchard - North Gwinnett
committed to Central Florida

QB Marques Ivory - Northside-WR
Akron, Auburn, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Tech, Middle Tennessee, South Carolina, Western Michigan

RB Terrance Lefall - Chamblee
Auburn, Central Florida, Florida State, Southern Miss, TCU, Texas

RB Derrick Harris - Tucker
Furman, Gardner-Webb, Georgia Southern, Valdosta State, Virginia, Wake Forest

FB Tyler Thompson - Walton
Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest

FB Debrale Smiley - Thomas Co. Central
Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech

FB Tyler King - Buford
Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Wisconsin



Also notable is junior WR Jarvis Jones of Carver-Columbus. He's considering Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida State, Georgia, & Georgia Tech

[JonInMiddleGA]

Wilcox County extends their lead to 20-7, taking advantage of their speed to get some nice runs to the outside and quickly drive 70+ yards for another score.
0:24 left in the first half.

[Cringer]

These are the first football games in the Georgia Dome this year right?

[Alan T]

Originally Posted by Cringer

These are the first football games in the Georgia Dome this year right?

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Cringer

These are the first football games in the Georgia Dome this year right?

Technically no, since the SEC Championship game was there last weekend
Otherwise these are just the first ones since last year that anyone particularly gives a damn about.

[JonInMiddleGA]

AA drives to start the second half but stalls out & turns it over on downs around the 30 again. Wilcox responds with another TD to extend their lead to 26-7 midway through the third quarter. A long pass with a catch off a deflection really made the difference in the drive.

Things look pretty bleak at this point, with AA able to move the ball (indeed they're back inside the 30 even as I'm typing this) but not finish while Wilcox may just have a little too much speed on offense for the Spartans to shut them down consistently.

edit to add: Fuck. Great throw off the wrong foot under pressure, and the receiver drops it/gets stripped in the end zone (second drop inside the five today) Screen pass on the ensuing 4th down comes up way short & it's another turnover on downs

edited again: Double fuck 3rd & long, little play-action pass over the middle turns into a 76 yard TD for Wilcox. Hard to do much about 4.4 speed, one missed tackle & he's off to the races.
It's 32-7 at the end of Q3 and the rout is on.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Wilcox County advances with a 32-14 win over Athens Academy.
It's the first ever trip to the title game for Wilcox and they now await the winner of the next game today, Emmanuel County Institute (ECI) vs Clinch County.

#1 ranked ECI is led by running back Washaun Ealey, who has run for a single-season state record 50 touchdowns and nearly 2,500 yards this season. The schools recruiting the 5-11, 205-pound junior include Georgia, Clemson, Louisiana State, Florida State and Florida. This is their first semifinal appearance in 26 years.

#4 ranked Clinch County runs a Wing-T offense that averages over 41 ppg with a sophomore QB. They've won 4 state titles since 1988, and were last year's runner-up to Lincoln County. Clinch is making their fifth Dome appearance in the past six years.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Clinch & ECI tied at 7 with seconds left in the first quarter.
Semi-onside kick by Clinch is recovered by ECI, who will start in great field position just inside midfield.

edit to add: ECI leads Clinch 21-7 at the half.
Ealey has two TD's and close to 100 yards rushing so far.
Clinch QB is young but very talented, and could sue his receivers for non-support (6/18 in the half, close to half of those incompletions were dropped balls though)

[JonInMiddleGA]

Clinch pulled within a score at 21-14 starting the 4th qtr ... and then Ealey got serious. A pair of loooooong runs and ECI wins it going away, 35-14.

The junior finishes with 24 carries, 280 yards and 4 TD's.

[Butter]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

#1 ranked ECI is led by running back Washaun Ealey, who has run for a single-season state record 50 touchdowns and nearly 2,500 yards this season. The schools recruiting the 5-11, 205-pound junior include Georgia, Clemson, Louisiana State, Florida State and Florida. This is their first semifinal appearance in 26 years.

C'mon baby, you know you like the orange.

[Pumpy Tudors]

If the semifinals are played at the Georgia Dome, where in the world do they play the finals?

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

If the semifinals are played at the Georgia Dome, where in the world do they play the finals?

Astoundingly, they go back to the home fields at the schools.

That's a real bone of contention between the northern half of the state and the rest, as those outside the Atlanta area have consistently blocked any attempt to move the finals to the Dome since they believe it puts them at too big a disadvantage with travel.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Butter_of_69

C'mon baby, you know you like the orange.

What kind of scares me watching this kid is that he's clearly not fully developed physically. Probably needs another 15-20 pounds of muscle added before he's really ready for big time D1 competition. But if he puts that on without losing any speed, Lord have mercy.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Astoundingly, they go back to the home fields at the schools.

That's a real bone of contention between the northern half of the state and the rest, as those outside the Atlanta area have consistently blocked any attempt to move the finals to the Dome since they believe it puts them at too big a disadvantage with travel.

Are you serious? Georgia's not that big. What's the farthest distance anyone would have to travel to get to Atlanta? 250 miles?

I don't know how the GHSA is set up, but if they play the finals at the home fields, is it possible that some team may have to travel from northern Georgia to a school in southern Georgia to play in the finals?

I'm pretty ignorant about high school football, but I'm amazed that the biggest games in the state aren't played at the Georgia Dome. Hell, why even bother playing the semifinals there?

[Butter]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

Are you serious? Georgia's not that big. What's the farthest distance anyone would have to travel to get to Atlanta? 250 miles?

Have you ever driven through Georgia? C'mon man, those quarters didn't affect your memory that much. It's a whole day's drive virtually from north to south.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

is it possible that some team may have to travel from northern Georgia to a school in southern Georgia to play in the finals?

Yep, and that's way the south Georgia schools (which include most of the traditional powerhouses are located) want to keep it.

edit to add: Yahoo maps says it's 229 miles from Valdosta to Atlanta (just to provide some frame of reference). That's about a 5 hour bus ride, give or take, but the schools there insist that they shouldn't have to make the trip every year. And I guess there's some validity to that claim.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by Butter_of_69

Have you ever driven through Georgia? C'mon man, those quarters didn't affect your memory that much. It's a whole day's drive virtually from north to south.

Nah, I've actually never been to Georgia in my life. I was just looking at a map. My dad lives just outside Atlanta, though. I'll give him a call and ask him to drive down to Valdosta and back. I'll see how long it takes him to do it.

[rkmsuf]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

Nah, I've actually never been to Georgia in my life. I was just looking at a map. My dad lives just outside Atlanta, though. I'll give him a call and ask him to drive down to Valdosta and back. I'll see how long it takes him to do it.

now when exactly does your bye week start?

[st.cronin]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Yep, and that's way the south Georgia schools (which include most of the traditional powerhouses are located) want to keep it.

edit to add: Yahoo maps says it's 229 miles from Valdosta to Atlanta (just to provide some frame of reference). That's about a 5 hour bus ride, give or take, but the schools there insist that they shouldn't have to make the trip every year. And I guess there's some validity to that claim.

Do they complain about having to do the trip for the semifinals?

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Yep, and that's way the south Georgia schools (which include most of the traditional powerhouses are located) want to keep it.

edit to add: Yahoo maps says it's 229 miles from Valdosta to Atlanta (just to provide some frame of reference). That's about a 5 hour bus ride, give or take, but the schools there insist that they shouldn't have to make the trip every year. And I guess there's some validity to that claim.

To me, it just doesn't seem that far. I know that West Monroe is powerhouse in Louisiana, and so is Evangel. West Monroe is 300 miles from New Orleans, and Evangel is about 350 miles away. Those schools are practically always in the LHSAA state championships, and they make the trips from bumfuck nowhere to play in the Superdome.

Of course, I realize that New Orleans traffic and Atlanta traffic have always been two wildly different things, but judging from distance alone, going 229 miles just doesn't seem that bad for a once-a-year trip.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by rkmsuf

now when exactly does your bye week start?

11:59 tonight ok

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by st.cronin

Do they complain about having to do the trip for the semifinals?

Yeah.

To some extent I think they've accepted that as a trade off to improve their leverage at blocking the move of the finals. And the way the brackets are set up, there's a better chance of having several of the semi's match up teams that are similar distances from the Dome as opposed to the odds of equidistant teams meeting in the finals.

[Butter]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

Nah, I've actually never been to Georgia in my life. I was just looking at a map. My dad lives just outside Atlanta, though. I'll give him a call and ask him to drive down to Valdosta and back. I'll see how long it takes him to do it.

Ask him to do it tonight if possible, kthx.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

To me, it just doesn't seem that far. I know that West Monroe is powerhouse in Louisiana, and so is Evangel. West Monroe is 300 miles from New Orleans, and Evangel is about 350 miles away. Those schools are practically always in the LHSAA state championships, and they make the trips from bumfuck nowhere to play in the Superdome.

Of course, I realize that New Orleans traffic and Atlanta traffic have always been two wildly different things, but judging from distance alone, going 229 miles just doesn't seem that bad for a once-a-year trip.

It's not really so much the distance as it is the difference in distances. The northern powers in the largest class are maybe 30-45 minutes from the Dome, the southern powers are 4-5 hours away. Same thing is true for Class AAAA and AA. And those traditional contenders don't want to have a travel disadvantage that large.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

It's not really so much the distance as it is the difference in distances. The northern powers in the largest class are maybe 30-45 minutes from home, the southern powers are 4-5 hours away. Same thing is true for Class AAAA and AA. And those traditional contenders don't want to have a travel disadvantage that large

Ahh, I see. Well, I guess I understand. It seems strange, but there is some logic to it. Well, I hope all the kids have fun this week and next week.

I've gotta go call my dad now.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Chamblee leads Carver-Columbus 10-6 at the half.

Lots of speed on both teams, option attack from Chamblee, multi-set looks from Carver but neither team really able to keep their rhythm in a game that feels like it ought to break out into a shootout at any moment. Both teams TD drives were 80ish yards, one took 3 plays the other took 2 plays.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Now 17-6 Chamblee getting a little bit late in Q3.

Meanwhile, I'll give a nod to WR Jarmon Fortson of Carver-Columbus as being the best looking receiver I've seen so far today (not saying a lot really but still). Auburn looks to me like they've got a pretty decent player in him.

edit to add: What looked like a blowout about 5 minutes ago is suddenly a ball game again. Forston catches his 2nd TD of the day with 5 minutes to play, cutting the Chamblee lead to 24-20. He's got 7 catches for 189 yards & 2 scores so far. Now the wishbone will try to run out the clock for Chamblee.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Wowza, what a call.

All the momentum is with Carver as they hold Chamblee 3 & out with just under 4 minutes left, 4th & 3 from their own 38 ... and Chamblee snaps to the upback on a perfectly executed fake punt. They can't get another first down though, so they've punted with 2:04 left to play, Carver ball at their own 22.

[JonInMiddleGA]

My gracious ... another tremendous catch by Fortson converts a 4th down & keeps Carver alive, inside the 10, down by 4. Carver just took their last timeout after an inside run takes them inside the 5, just 0:16 left to play.

edit: Touchdown Carver, completes the comeback from down 24-6 to take a 26-24 lead with 10 seconds to play. 10 plays, 78 yards in just under two minutes, capped by a QB TD run. Missed PAT.

edit edit: Miscommunication (I guess) on the KOR as the first man seemed to be looking for help on a lateral or trickeration but nobody showed up ... except the defense that buried him at the 10 yd line with 4 seconds left. One Hail Mary coming up ... intercepted around midfield.

Great great football game, tremendous effort by both teams, top notch athletes playing great football.
Fortson finishes with 8 catches for 233 yds & 2 TD's.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Next up (6pm kickoff) is what many have been saying should be the game of the day: Tucker (13-0) vs Northside-WR (13-0)

from http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/pr...aaone1207.html

TUCKER (13-0)

The skinny

St. Pius coach Paul Standard, whose team lost to Tucker 35-0 on Sept. 21, breaks down the Tigers offense and defense:

> Offense: "Their defense helps create points for their offense, but that doesn't mean they don't know how to move the ball. Their tailbacks are all very good. The only knock is they don't pass much, but because they haven't needed to. If they got in a situation where they had to pass, they may be in trouble."

> Defense: "They've got speed, speed and more speed. Really, it's like when they get to the ball they're angry. I looked out there once and thought I saw 13 players. They're incredible. I felt like George Custer. Their defense is as good as any I've seen in 23 years of coaching."

AJC rating: 43

> Run [10]: Jonathan Davis and two other backs have combined for nearly 2,500 yards this season and 34 touchdowns.

> Pass [5]: Chris Simpson does more with his feet than his arm, rushing for 11 touchdowns.

> Vs. run [10]: Davis leads a powerful and quick front seven with 11 tackles for loss.

> Vs. pass [10]: No one scored on Tucker in the first five weeks of the season. Speed in the secondary, behind Jamoris Slaughter, who has 10 pass break-ups, is why.

> Special teams [8]: Patrick Hamilton sets things up for the defense, averaging 40 yards per punt.

Need to know basis

> The history: Future Division I talent walks the halls of Tucker, which claims notable grads, including former Georgia and New England Patriot Patrick Pass. The community is located in DeKalb County, 15 miles northeast of downtown. Tucker has approximately 26,000 residents and was named for Henry H. Tucker, a college chancellor. This is the Tigers' first trip to the semifinals since 2003.

> Last season: Finished 7-3 and did not make the playoffs.

NORTHSIDE (13-0)

The skinny

Upson-Lee coach Eddie Payne, whose Knights came the closest to defeating Northside-Warner Robins all season with a 31-26 loss, breaks down the Eagles' offense and defense.

> Offense: "They're extremely well-balanced. Even with their quarterback out, they're exceptional on offense. When you have a receiver like [Nick] Bass, it makes whoever your quarterback is look pretty good. And their tailback [Tijuan Green], he's a difference-maker."

> Defense: "Overall, you have to be impressed with their speed, sideline to sideline. I think the only chance you have is to run straight at them. On the ends, they're just too quick. You look at the playoffs and how they've played. They haven't let anyone breathe."

AJC rating: 43

> Run [10]: (236 yards per game) Tijuan Green leds the way with 1,848 yards rushing and 29 touchdowns, two shy of the school record.

> Pass [7]: (133 yards per game) Backup Joe Scott guides the offense but is a caretaker. Nick Bass (622 yards, six touchdowns) is a deep threat.

> Vs. run [9]: (71 yards per game) Quick ends and outside linebackers make running difficult.

> Vs. pass [9]: (65 yards per game) Solid secondary with speed has allowed only 100 yards passing three times.

> Special teams [8]: Evan Arthur is averaging 34 yards per punt. Unit hasn't needed a clutch field goal.

Need to know basis

> The history: Warner Robins is a town of nearly 50,000 located 100 miles south of Atlanta. It's nicknamed the "International City" because of the diverse makeup of residents brought in through Robins Air Force Base. Sports is the focus of this town, whose Little League team just won the 2007 World Series over Japan.

> Last season: Beat Marist 30-6 to win the Class AAAA championship and complete an undefeated season.

[JonInMiddleGA]

10 minutes left second quarter, Tucker leads NS-WR 14-0.

[JonInMiddleGA]

68 yd scamper on a little trap & it's off to the races for the Tigers as it goes to 21-7 Tucker with 3 minutes left in the first half.

edit to add: Oopsie. 18 yard fumble return on the first play from scrimmage, it's now 28-7 Tucker.
Nice play by Notre Dame signee Javoris Slaughter to knock the ball loose.

[Wolfpack]

Has there been any consideration "distribute" the state championships to places like Macon, Valdosta, Columbus, Savannah, Athens, etc? Here in North Carolina, the state championships are all neutral site games distributed among the ACC stadiums (though Duke doesn't seem to be involved anymore) and the classifications usually move from year to year (i.e. 4-AA may be in Raleigh one year, Chapel Hill the next, and Winston-Salem after that).

I just find it so odd that the tournaments are set up such that the neutral site is the semi-final round and then they send everyone home for the final. That and the really dumb proposition that the championship game should be allowed to end in a tie.

[BishopMVP]

Great comeback by NWR. That TD reception to tie it up on a tipped ball while being interefered with was phenomenal.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Dang, kind of makes me glad I left & went to the bookstore & to dinner.

What BishopMVP is referring to is that NS-WR scored 24 unanswered points in the second half to rally & defeat Tucker 31-28. QB Marques Ivory, last season's player of the year in his classification, started the 2nd half to key the rally after missing more than five games due to a broken fibula suffered in mid-October.

[JonInMiddleGA]

And I guess I've just been under a rock more than I realized.

This is the final season for semi-finals in the Dome, as they will switch to home sites next year with the finals coming to the Dome instead.

Details, including how much money the schools stand to lose from the likely reduced total attendance with the new plan are at:
http://www.ajc.com/highschool/conten...dome_1208.html

[JonInMiddleGA]

Late last night Ware County upset Thomas County Central 10-7 and advances to face NS-WR in next weekend's Class AAAA title game.

This morning's early game is underway & Buford is well on their way to another trip to the championship game, leading the Fightin' Irish of Dublin 14-0 late in the 1st quarter. USF signee Demetrius Murray has both TD's and looks good in the early going, as does GT committment Pridemore on the Buford defense.

edit to update: Now 28-0 Buford, late in the half, with a pair of TD's on 34 yds rushing from the FB Tyler King. Dublin doesn't lack for effort or even ability, they've just been completely & thoroughly outmatched by a squad that is both bigger & faster. Right now the Wolves look like they would be at least competitive at the small college level, a real mismatch against most HS competition.

edit again: Make it 35-0 Buford as King gets another TD after a fumbled snap by Dublin gave the Wolves a short field. That's 3 TD's & about 45 yards for the uncommitted (Auburn, Alabama, Georgia, Wisconsin) FB who just runs over people.

and again: This is getting silly. Dublin threatens in the final minute of the half after a long run by the QB. Two plays later Demetrius Murray picks one off & brings it back inside the Dublin 30. Incidentally, the Buford secondary also includes Kody Case, son of former Falcon Scott Case (one of the nicest pro athletes I ever had the chance to meet)

[JonInMiddleGA]

With the start of the 4th quarter we now have a running clock (i.e. Georgia's version of a mercy rule), it's now 48-0 Buford with 10 minutes to play.

edit: And thanks to the running clock & some up the middle play calls, 48-0 Buford is the final.

Next up: Lovett vs Cook, for the right to face Buford next weekend.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Lovett handled Cook easily, 29-16, after leading 29-0 at one point.

Cairo then manhandled previously unbeaten North Hall 42-21, scoring 35 unanswered points in the 3rd quarter before giving up a meaningless late TD.

All that's left now are the battles of the big boys from Class AAAAA.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Among the players in the first AAAAA semi-final is Walton TE Zach Tenuta.
Yep, the 6'1" 210 pound senior is indeed the son of a certain GT DC.

Also on the same roster is punter Christian Radokovich.

[Wolfpack]

Since this is the only current HS football thread, I'll temporarily threadjack it to note that Charlotte Independence's seven-year hold on the North Carolina 4-AA football championship was broken tonight by New Bern, 28-17.

Perhaps tangentially related has been a large amount of controversy in the Charlotte area related to Independence and the fact that they were getting stud football players and whether they actually lived in Independence's zone of addresses. As the playoffs have gone on, Independence lost about seven players over eligibility questions, but didn't suffer the fate of another Charlotte school (I want to say South Mecklenburg), who actually had to forfeit their games this year and actually had their playoff game forfeited not long before kickoff because of an ineligible player. The distinction was apparently that Independence did not know these players were illegally claiming residence in Independence's zone, while South Meck was penalized for having the mistake be on their part and not on the player's (essentially, South Meck had an ineligible and perhaps knew it, while Independence supposedly had no way of knowing their players were ineligible). While Independence probably had the talent to overcome all their ineligibility problems, I'm sure it hurt their chances and their focus on the game tonight. Then again, Independence has been quite mortal this year as they had two losses this year prior to tonight after running off 100+ straight wins over the past several years.

[JonInMiddleGA]

While I was AFK at a holiday event, North Gwinnett clobbered Walton 31-7 and Lowndes County has just kicked a FG with 4 minutes left to extend their lead over Camden County to 10-0.

Meanwhile, on the drive home I listened to a bit of the Class 5A Louisiana state championship game on WWL. No idea on the backstory but it sounded like Acadiana (sp?) was trying to keep themselves in the game against a heavily favored Destrehan but trailed 28-14 at the half.

[Alan T]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

While I was AFK at a holiday event, North Gwinnett clobbered Walton 31-7 and Lowndes County has just kicked a FG with 4 minutes left to extend their lead over Camden County to 10-0.

Meanwhile, on the drive home I listened to a bit of the Class 5A Louisiana state championship game on WWL. No idea on the backstory but it sounded like Acadiana (sp?) was trying to keep themselves in the game against a heavily favored Destrehan but trailed 28-14 at the half.

Woo hoo.. not that I care about North Gwinnett, but its always good for Walton to lose!