Straight from the source

It starts small and continues to build and grow. It becomes more and more distorted.
Like the child game of telephone with each person the rumor or message deviates further from the truth.
On Wednesday afternoon Shaw quarterback Cam Greathouse took a hit in practice, like every high school player does. He stumbled and landed awkwardly on his knee.
There were some thoughts around Columbus that Greathouse had suffered a serious knee injury and that he wouldn't play against Troup.
As a precaution, Greathouse went to Hughston Clinic on Thursday to have it checked, according to his father Randy Greathouse.
The MRI came back and there was no damage to the ACL, MCL, PCL or meniscus, Randy said. Randy also said Cam is going to play against Troup on Saturday night.
Like the game of telephone, it's most accurate from the first person or the person – like Randy – that knows what happened.
Everyone can look forward to watching No. 4 take plenty of snaps against Troup at A.J. McClung Memorial Stadium in the Raiders’ season opener.

Kickers and punters to watch

Jeff Carrero, Smiths Station – Carrero was 21-for-21 on extra points last season. He also was 9 of 10 on field-goal tries. He also handles the Panthers’ punting duties.

Brandon Childs, Hardaway – Childs made 95 percent of his extra-point attempts last season. He also connected on four field goals, including a 42-yarder against Kendrick.

Zach Corcoran, Pacelli – Corcoran made four field goals and was 21 of 21 on extra points last season for the Vikings.

Allen Page, Brookstone – Page made 97 percent of his extra-point attempts for the Cougars in 2006.

Stuart Wilkerson, Pacelli – Wilkerson, who was the first-team All-Region 4-A punter, averaged 34 yards a punt in 2006.

Defensive backs to watch

Lamar Brown, Northside – Brown will play safety and quarterback for the Patriots this season. He made 88 tackles and had three interceptions in 2006.

Cedric Chambers, Kendrick – Chambers, who played cornerback last season, will move to free safety this season. The 5-foot-10 senior finished with 42 tackles and three interceptions last fall.

Corey Gainey, Columbus – Gainey led the Blue Devils with six interceptions last season. He also had 42 tackles.

D’Antoine Hood, Central-Phenix City – Hood is one of the best cover cornerbacks in the Bi-City. He made 30 tackles and one interception for the Red Devils in 2006.

Trevione Hudson, Hardaway – The senior defensive back made 74 tackles and had two interceptions for the Hawks.

Rico Porch, Central-Phenix City – Porch, who plays safety, led the Red Devils with five interceptions during his junior season. He also had 53 tackles.

Carlos Ross, Carver – Ross, who transferred from Northside, is one of most talented cover men in the Bi-City. He’ll likely split time between cornerback, wide receiver and running back this fall.

DeAndre Smith, Carver – Smith, who has started since his freshman season, made 63 tackles last season. He also had two interceptions and two sacks.

Bryan Willis, Shaw – Willis, who also will see some playing time at running back, made nine interceptions last season. He was a first-team all-state selection as a junior.

Carver on GPB

The Carver Tigers will be featured on this week's Prep Sports Plus on Georgia Public Broadcast.
The show will air Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 12:30 p.m. on Channel 28 in Columbus.
The segment will feature quarterback DeRon Furr and defensive back DeAndre Smith, who the Tigers are looking for leadership from.
Carver went 12-2 last season and advanced to the Class AAA playoffs before losing to Shaw, 16-14. The Tigers are ranked No. 3 in the preseason poll.

Lady Blue Devils earn top spot

The Columbus High volleyball team grabbed the top spot in this week's Class AAA coaches poll after going 4-1 over the weekend at Woodward Academy.

The Lady Blue Devils have opened the season 15-2, including wins against Kennesaw Mountain (No. 2 in AAAAA), St. Pius X (No. 3 in AAAA) and McIntosh (No. 4 in AAAA).

Columbus has also beaten Blessed Trinity, the 2006 AAA state champions, and Sandy Creek, a semifinalist.

Their only two losses have come against Northview (7-0, No. 1 in AAAAA) and Starr's Mills (12-0, No. 1 in AAAA).

Harris County is ranked No. 8 in the poll. Hardaway could be another solid week away from being ranked. The Lady Hawks are 8-1 this season.

Linebackers to watch

Markieth Cliatt, Central-Phenix City – Cliatt will be one of the leaders on the Red Devils’ defense this season. He had 85 tackles as a junior in 2006.

Chris Drew, Northside – Surrounded by some younger players, the Patriots are looking for some big things from Drew. He is one of Northside’s top returning tacklers.

Cody Dykes, Glenwood – Dykes is the heart and soul of the Gators’ defense. He made 53 stops as a junior.

Jarivs Jones, Carver – Jones, who played tight end last season, is making the switch to defense this fall. It might take him a few games to adjust, but he could develop into Tigers’
leader on defense.

Lester Jones, Chattahoochee County – Jones, who played at Shaw as a freshman, has developed into a playmaker. He made 110 tackles last season for the Panthers.

James McGee, Hardaway – McGee, who started at middle linebacker for the Hawks last season, finished with 110 tackles.

Ritchee Schott, Pacelli – Schott is a hard-nosed defender that has gotten bigger and stronger during the offseason. The Vikings will rely on him to make plays.

Notes from the GHSA meeting

There wasn't a lot that was decided at the Georgia High School Association executive meeting on Monday.
But there were some noteworthy things brought up.

MOVING THE BASEBALL SEASON
Even before the baseball committee met on Sunday a proposal to move the baseball season was withdrawn. But according to GHSA executive director Ralph Swearngin that proposal called for the season to end the second week of May.
According to the current schedule, the state championship games are scheduled for the first week in June.
Swearngin said the proposal included starting the season one week earlier and shrinking the length of the regular season by one week.
Swearngin said the baseball coaches planned to take a proposal to the Georgia Dugout Club and an updated proposal could be submitted at the March meeting.
The Alabama High School Athletic Association's baseball season ends the middle of May.

RECLASSIFICATION
After the full-time equivalent counts from the fall are received at the GHSA office, they will average the fall and last spring to begin the reclassification process.
Swearngin said he hopes by late October or early November to have teams put into regions. In December, the GHSA will hear appeals from schools that want to be in a different region.
The GHSA will then schedule a called executive committee meeting to approve the regions for the next two seasons.

CHEERLEADING
The cheerleading committee denied a proposal to change Class A from region competitions to a statewide sectional competition.
Cheerleading chairman and Bleckley County coach Sam Barrs told the executive committee it wouldn't work being that it would turn it into a semi-final competition and that it wasn't feasible with the travel.
Class A will still have eight region competitions, and the top two teams will advance to the state competition.

Defensive lineman to watch

Maurice Crawford, Glenwood – Crawford had an immediate impact for the Gators, recording three sacks and recovering a fumble in their opener against Springwood.

Jervelous Drisdom, Carver – Drisdom showed flashes brilliance last season, recording three sacks and forcing two fumbles.

Juan Pickett, Shaw – Pickett is another talented Shaw defensive lineman. As a junior, Pickett had 53 tackles, including two sacks. He also had two fumble recoveries.

Caleb Maggart, Smiths Station – Maggart is one of the leaders of the Panthers’ defense. He uses his speed and strength to slow down opposing running backs.

Marlin Sims, Central-Phenix City – If Sims can stay healthy, he’ll be am important cog in the middle of the Red Devils’ defense.

Brian Williams, Shaw – The Shaw defensive tackle finished with 47 tackles and had two sacks as a junior.

offensive lineman to watch

Keith Carey, Kendrick – After splitting time at center and tackle as a sophomore, Carey was the center last season. He’ll anchor that line again this season.

Maurice Crawford, Glenwood – Crawford, who transferred from Russell County, will play guard and defensive end for the Gators. He was named their most outstanding lineman during the spring.

Chris Griggs, Central-Phenix City – Griggs, who started last season, will be the leader of a young offensive line.

John and Jack Martin, Brookstone – The Martin brothers are the starting guards for the Cougars, and they create plenty of running space for the backs.

Tori Mobley, Carver – The 6-foot-2 tackle does a good job of giving quarterback DeRon Furr the opportunity to throw the ball.

Jarvis Pitts, Shaw – Pitts, who was an all-state selection last season, will be the leader of the Raiders’ offensive line. The Raiders rushed for more than 3,000 yards last season.

Anthony Worthen, Kendrick – The Cherokees guard will be a four-year starter, and he will attempt to keep the Kendrick quarterback protected.

Receivers to watch

Jarmon Fortson, Carver – Fortson, who has offers from Louisville, South Carolina and Auburn, had 39 catches for 702 yards and eight touchdowns as a junior.

Delandis Harris, Chattahoochee County – Harris is one the Panthers’ talented playmakers. He had 736 yards receiving and 12 touchdowns last season.

Octavius Staton, Chattahoochee County – Staton is Chattahoochee County’s most versatile player. He had 1,336 total yards and scored 13 touchdowns as a junior.

Chris Walls, Pacelli – With the loss of Mark LeGree, Walls is going to have a bigger role with the Vikings in 2007. He had 180 receiving yards and two touchdowns as the third receiver last year.

Jacovi White, Chattahoochee County – White, a 6-foot-2 receiver, amassed 836 yards of offense, while scoring 10 touchdowns last season.

Arthur Williams, Glenwood – Williams will likely be the favorite target of his brother Branden Williams. The younger Williams had more than 400 yards receiving at Russell County last season.

There is little doubt who is the best receiver. The only question will be whether Carver can get Jarmon Fortson the ball enough.

Quarterbacks to watch

Kyle Barr, Smiths Station – Barr passed for 2,099 yards in the Panthers’ quick-passing offense. He also had nine touchdowns as a junior.

DeRon Furr, Carver – Furr is the top dual-threat quarterback in the Bi-City. He threw for 1,175 yards and 10 touchdowns, while rushing for 645 yards and 10 touchdowns as a junior.

Cam Greathouse, Shaw – Greathouse, who has led the Raiders to back-to-back trips to the Georgia Dome, threw 21 touchdowns as a junior. He finished with 1,272 passing yards.

Caleb Horvath, Chattahoochee County – Horvath, who has started since his freshman season, passed for 2,204 yards and 23 touchdowns as a sophomore.

Chad Klar, Harris County – Klar was a viable running threat last season, rushing for 805 yards and nine touchdowns. He also had 515 passing yards and seven touchdowns.

Stuart Wilkerson, Pacelli – Wilkerson had 1,630 passing yards and 14 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2006.

Branden Williams, Glenwood – Williams put up some good numbers for Russell County last season, throwing for 2,100 yards and 14 touchdowns.

There are a lot of talented quarterbacks in the Bi-City this season. Glenwood's Branden Williams will put the best numbers. Carver's DeRon Furr is the best athlete. Shaw's Cam Greathouse will have the best season.

Running backs to watch

We are going to take a look at a different position every day for the next week leading up to the start of the high school season.
Our first day look was at running backs.

Nick Burks, Hardaway – Burks led the Hawks in rushing last season with 601 yards. He is the only returning starter in the offensive backfield.

Malcolm Chinn, Carver – Chinn was third on the team in rushing last season, finishing with 561 yards. He also scored eight touchdowns.

Kyle Griswould, Shaw – With the graduation of Aresnio Williams and Gavin Scott, the speedy Griswould is going to carry the load. He had 718 yards of offense and six receiving touchdowns as a sophomore.

Wesley Kiggins, Brookstone – Kiggins rushed for 1,320 yards and 19 touchdowns as a junior. He also had a receiving touchdown.

Jarkuis Morgan, Carver – While sharing carries with a handful of other backs, Morgan rushed for 545 yards and seven touchdowns as a sophomore.

Tavaris Owens, Columbus – Owens, who gained 422 yards as a junior, has gotten bigger and stronger. He scored seven touchdowns for the Blue Devils in 2006.

Orwin Smith, Central-Phenix City – The junior will receive a bulk of the carries for the Red Devils. Smith, who was seldom used in 2006, has the combination of power and speed.

Jacquise Terry, Pacelli – Terry had 1,045 yards and nine touchdowns during his junior season. He was also a viable receiving option, catching 19 passes for 250 yards.

Chris Whitehorn, Smiths Station – Despite playing in a pass-first offense, Whitehorn gained 456 yards and scored seven touchdowns as a sophomore.

And by year's end the best running back will be........... Shaw's Kyle Griswould.

Northside's Walker ranked

Northside junior Torrin Walker was ranked the 100th-best prospect in the country when Rivals.com released its rankings for the Class 2009 on Saturday.
Walker, a 6-foot-9, 221-pound forward, helped guided the Patriots to their first-ever berth in the state playoffs last year. Northside finished 23-7 and advanced to the second round of the Class AAA playoffs.
Walker is considered a four-star prospect. He averaged 7.8 points and 8.1 rebounds as a sophomore.
Walker isn't ranked by Scout.com. He and teammate James Vincent are both ranked as three-star prospects by Scout.com.