Power polls

Boys basketball

1. Carver (16-1) The Tigers haven’t lost a game in about two months.
2. Jordan (16-3) The Red Jackets continued to roll along with a 60-53 victory against Shaw on Tuesday.
3. Northside (12-5) The Patriots snapped a three-game losing streak with a win against Harris County on Tuesday.
4. Shaw (12-6) The Raiders take on Kendrick tonight at 7:30 p.m.
5. Glenwood (24-0) The Gators are the only unbeaten boys team in the Bi-City.

Girls

1. Kendrick (18-1) The Lady Cherokees lost to Hardaway 64-57 last Friday.
2. Hardaway (17-2) The Lady Hawks have lost twice to Kendrick this season.
3. Glenwood (24-0) The Lady Gators are getting closer to an unbeaten regular season.
4. Columbus High (11-6) The Lady Blue Devils has won three straight games since losing to LaGrange.
5. Smiths Station (10-4) The Lady Panthers are led by forward Danielle Anderson.

Here is this week's high school poll. With the loss to Hardaway, Kendrick has fallen from the top spot to No. 3. Hardaway moves up to No. 6. On the boys side, Carver is still No. 3. The Red Jackets has now ranked No. 4 and Northside is No. 10.


Georgia Sportswriters Association Basketball Poll

Number in parenthesis is first place votes

Girls

Class AAAAA

1. Collins Hill (10)
2. Stephenson
3. South Gwinnett
4. Mill Creek
5. Campbell
6. Berkmar
7. McEachern
8. Warner Robins
9. Etowah
10. Marietta

Others receiving votes: Houston County, Beach, Sprayberry, Redan Camden County.

Class AAAA

1. St. Pius (9)
2. Greenbrier (1)
3. Northside-Warner Robins
4. Mays
5. Marist
6. Clarke Central
7. Dalton
8. Westside-Macon
9. Lakeview-Fort Olgethorpe
10. North Clayton and Cherokee (tie)

Others receiving votes: Salem, Jonesboro, Southwest DeKalb, Jones County, Westlake, Sequoyah.

Class AAA

1. Southwest-Macon (7)
2. Carrollton (2)
3. Kendrick
4. East Hall
5. Hephzibah (1)
6. Hardaway
7. Franklin County
8. Worth County
9. Towers
10. Sandy Creek

Others receiving votes: Northeast-Macon, Liberty County, Pickens County, Doughtery, West Laurens.

Class AA

1. Avondale (6)
2. Greater Atlanta Christian (1)
3. Randolph-Clay (3)
4. Wesleyan
5. McIntosh County Academy
6. Laney
7. Rutland
8. Model
9. Screven County
10. Paideia

Others receiving votes: Dodge County, Swainsboro, Armuchee, Lafayette.

Class A

1. Landmark Christian (10)
2. Southwest Atlanta Christian
3. Calhoun County
4. Calvary Day
5. Bowdon
6. Hancock Central
7. Savannah Country Day
8. Hebron Christian
9. Treutlen
10. Towns County

Others receiving votes: Hawkinsville, Gordon Lee, Echols County, Jefferson, Trion, St. Francis.


Boys

Class AAAAA

1. Norcross (10)
2. Peachtree Ridge
3. Meadowcreek
4. Wheeler
5. Beach
6. McEachern
7. Tri-Cities
8. Camden County and Milton (tie)
10 Chattahoochee

Others receiving votes: Johnson-Savannah, Centennial, Coffee,

Class AAAA

1. Columbia (10)
2. Cherokee
3. Cedar Shoals
4. Tucker
5. Stone Mountain
6. Riverdale
7. Lithia Springs
8. Stockbridge
9. North Clayton
10. Pebblebrook

Others receiving votes: Westlake, Jonesboro, Greenbrier, Ware County.

Class AAA

1. Dunwoody (10)
2. East Hall
3. Carver-Columbus
4. Jordan
5. South Atlanta
6. Hart County
7. Southside
8. Glenn Hills
9. Westover-Albany
10. Northside-Columbus

Others receiving votes: Washington County, Northeast-Macon, Burke County, Monroe-Albany, Franklin County, Central-Macon, Perry.

Class AA

1. Thomasville (10)
2. Decatur
3. Buford
4. Randolph-Clay
5. Darlington
6. Swainsboro
7. Dodge County
8. Coosa
9. Manchester
10. Wesleyan

Others receiving votes: Josey, Bleckley County, Tattnall County, Appling County, Union County, Dawson County.

Class A

1. Wilkinson County (10)
2. Turner County
3. Southwest Atlanta Christian
4. Calvary Day
5. Whitefield Academy
6. Taylor County
7. Wilcox County
8. Providence Christian
9. Hancock Central
10. Jefferson

Others receiving votes: W.D. Mohammed, Bremen, St. Francis, Portal, Hawkinsville. Trion.

POWER RANKINGS

Boys basketball

1. Carver (11-1) Since the football season ended and the Tigers have their full squad, they haven’t lost. The Tigers’ only loss was to Troup on Dec. 8.
2. Jordan (12-3) Two of Jordan’s three losses have come against Carver. The most recent one was a 60-58 loss last Friday.
3. Northside (10-2) The Patriots will be tested when they play Carver on Saturday night.
4. Shaw (9-4) The Raiders lost 90-85 in overtime to Northside on Tuesday evening.
5. Glenwood (19-0) The Gators will take on region rival Lee-Scott (12-2) tonight.

Girls basketball

1. Kendrick (14-0) The Lady Cherokees have lost just one game in the last two seasons. Since the start of the 2004-2005 season, Kendrick has 74 of its 77 games.
2. Hardaway (12-2) Both of Hardaway’s losses have come against Kendrick. The Lady Hawks knocked off Carver 77-37 on Tuesday.
3. Smiths Station (9-4) The Lady Panthers defeated Loachapoka 67-34 last Friday.
4. Glenwood (19-0) The Lady Gators beat Northside Methodist 77-45 on Saturday.
5. Columbus (8-4) The Lady Blue Devils knocked off Harris County 60-43 last Friday.

Kedrick safety commits

Kendrick safety Jermaine Richardson has verbally committed to Memphis.

The 6-foot-2, 195-pound safety selected the Conference USA school over Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Indiana and UCLA.

“The coaching staff at Memphis really impressed him,” Kendrick coach Ahmand Tinker said. “He likes what they do defensively and the atmosphere of the city.”

Richardson, who visited Memphis on Dec. 8, suffered a handful of nagging injuries throughout his senior season. Despite those injuries, he finished with 89 tackles and four interceptions.

WELL REPRESENTED

The Muscogee County schools were well represented in this week's basketball poll. Two girls teams and four boys teams were ranked in the top 10.
Over the last two seasons, the Lady Cherokees have been the best team in the Bi-City. This year, they are still strong. Even with a 14-0 start, Kendrick will likely lose before the playoffs -- but only once.
Kendrick coach Sterling Hicks will have them ready for the playoffs and the Cherokees are likely headed for another trip to Macon.
The Lady Hawks are talented enough to make the trip to Macon with Kendrick. Their only two losses came to Kendrick. Sequoyah Griffin, Jessica Edwards and Kelly Ellison make up a talented trio that gives them a chance in every game.
On the boys side, Carver is the most talented team. With the Jarvis Jones and Jarmon Fortson the Tigers have two difficult matchups for opposing teams. The Tigers survived a scare -- 60-58 on Friday night against Jordan.
Jordan is the second-best team in Region 2-AAA and will make run in the playoffs. Jordan coach Gerald Turner has his team ready for every game. Depending on the draw, Jordan could play in Macon this season.

Georgia Sports Writers Association Basketball Poll
Girls
Class AAA

1. Kendrick (8)
2. Carrollton
3. Southwest-Macon
4. Hephzibah
5. East Hall
6. Worth County
7. Franklin County
8. Hardaway
9. Westminster
10. West Laurens

Others receiving votes: Northeast-Macon, Westover-Albany, Monroe Area, North Hall, Liberty County.

Boys
Class AAA

1. Dunwoody (7)
2. Glenn Hills
3. Carver (1)
4. East Hall
5. Jordan
6. Hart County
7. South Atlanta & Northside
9 Monroe-Albany
10 Shaw

Others receiving votes: Gilmer, Burke County, Central-Macon, Sandy Creek, Franklin County, Westover-Albany

Here are some more scores:

Slow pitch

Kennesaw Mountain 12, Kell 1

Pope 14, Harrison 12

South Cobb 8, Kell 7

Sprayberry 5, Harrison 4

Class A
Brookstone 4, Georgia Military 1

Savannah Country Day 5, Jefferson 1

Class AA

North Oconee 2, GAC 1

Buford 5, Jeff Davis 1

Savannah Christian 2, Union County 1

Class AAA

Spalding 2, Sandy Creek 1

South Effingham 1, Blessed Trinity 0

Class AAAA

Northgate 3, Starr’s Mill 2

Greenbrier 2, Cherokee 1

Sequoyah 4, Whitewater 1

Class AAAAA

Lowndes 3, East Coweta 0

Warner Robins 1, Houston County 0

Class A

Brookstone 2, Pacelli 0
Kimby Hobbs struck out 10 in the shut-out win against Pacelli.
Tillery Tanzie had a double and Slade Stillwell had a pair of hits for Brookstone.
Pacelli’s Kristi Bullard struck out nine in the loss.

Savannah Country Day 5, Schley County 3

Class AA
Jeff Davis 12, Southeast Bulloch 1
Jeff Davis scored nine times in the sixth to break the game open.

Savannah Christian 1, Screven County 0
Emily Corish had eight strikeouts in the win for Savannah Christian.

Class AAAA
Sequoyah 4, Eastside 0
Alicia Mills struck out 14 in the shut-out win for Sequoyah.

Cherokee 13, Loganville 0
Abbey Meixel hit a two-run home run in the first inning and Cherokee never looked back against Loganville.

Slow pitch
Lassiter 18, South Cobb 16
Lassiter scored seven times in the first inning and held off South Cobb for the win.

McEachern 17, Sprayberry 7
McEachern scored nine times in the third inning.

ELCA 3, Jefferson 0
ELCA’s Hope Rush struck out 10 as the Chargers defeated Jefferson 3-0.
Kayla Cooper and Rush each hit a home run in the victory.

GAC 9, Union County 1
Greater Atlanta Christian scored six times in the second inning as it knocked off Union County 9-1.

North Oconee 5, Buford 4
Linsey Dallas and Kristen Thomas each hit a home run to lead North Oconee to the 5-4 victory.

Central-Carrollton 2, Shaw 0
Central Carrollton’s Brittany Ivey hit a sacrifice fly in the fifth as Central-Carrollton knocked off Shaw 2-0.
Shaw’s Corri Connally gave up four hits in the loss.

Oconee County 5, Harris County 0
Haley Bird had a two-run double as Oconee County shut out Harris County 5-0.

Starr’s Mill 1, Whitewater 0
Kayla Deis had a sacrifice bunt to drive in the game’s only run as Starr’s Mill won 1-0.

Northgate 6, Greenbrier 5
Stephanie Farmakis had a run-scoring single in the ninth inning to lead Northgate past Greenbrier.
Farmakis and Kate Kuzma each hit a two-run home run for Northgate.

Mill Creek 6, Collins Hill 1
Mill Creek scored six times on three Collins Hill errors in the sixth, leading them to a 6-1 win.

Woodstock 4, Peachtree Ridge 2
Pinch hitter Carrie Williams hit a two-run, walk-off home run in the 11^th inning to give Woodstock the 4-2 win.

Class A

Jefferson 6, Brookstone 3
Callie Holloway drove in four runs as Jefferson rallied from a 3-0 deficit to knock off Brookstone.
Melanie Trevathan had a triple for Brookstone.

ECLA 12, Pacelli 0
ECLA’s Julia Echols hit for the cycle as the Chargers defeat Pacelli.
Pacelli’s Kristi Bullard had 13 strikeouts in the loss.

Georgia Military 9, Schley County 5
Georgia Military scored eight times in the seventh inning to beat Schley County.
Kaylee Fuller hit a two-run home run in that seven-run inning.

Gordon Lee 1, Savannah Country Day 0
Maddie McKinley’s sacrifice fly in the eighth inning gave Gordon Lee a 1-0 win.

Class AAA
Harris County 6, Blessed Trinity 0
Michaela Hamilton threw a no-hitter as Harris County cruised to a 6-0 win.
Lyndi Duff hit a two-run home run and Pamela Wilkes hit a solo home run for the Tigers.

Shaw 3, Sandy Creek 1
Corri Connally struck out eight in the complete-game win for Shaw.

Oconee County 3, South Effingham 0
Alan Thomas threw a no-hitter as Oconee County knocked off South Effingham.
Kaley White went 2-for-3 for the Warriors.

Central-Carrollton 6, Spalding 1
Nicole Yancey led off the game with a home run and Central-Carrollton never looked back, winning 6-1.

Class AA

Union County 12, Jeff Davis 4
Amanda Mason went 2-for-4 with a double as Union County cruised past Jeff Davis 12-4. Lauren Matthews hit a home run in the loss for Jeff Davis.

GAC 5, Southeast Bulloch 0
Jessica Coan struck out 11 in the 5-0 shutout of Southeast Bulloch.

Buford 7, Screven County 0
Jesse Groves threw a 6-hit shutout in the victory against Screven County.

North Oconee 4, Savannah Christian 0

North Oconee’s Kristen Thomas had an RBI double as North Oconee shut out Savannah Christian.

Class AAAA

Whitewater 2, Cherokee 0
Whitewater’s Ashley Pederson struck out 13 and Whitewater scored two runs in the eighth to knock off Cherokee. Cherokee pitcher Ginny Morris had 11 strikeouts.

Starr’s Mill 6, Loganville 2
Starr’s Mill’s Karlie Bureau had an RBI in the 6-2 win. Loganville’s Cali Lovett went 1-for-3 in the loss.

Northgate 5, Sequoyah 3
Rachell Adkins went 1-for-2 with two RBI’s in Northgate’s 5-3 win. Alicia Mills struck out 17 for Sequoyah in the loss.

Greenbrier 2, Eastside 1
Tiffany Blackburn’s double drove in the game-winning run in the eighth inning to give Greenbrier 2-1 victory. Eastside pitcher Brandi Richards struck out 13 in the loss.

Week 7 predictions


It's crunch time. The playoffs are about a month away, and those teams that want to earn a berth need to WIN. This week will have a couple of surprises, so here a quick look at tonight's games:

Troup at Harris County
The Tigers MUST win to have a shot at the playoffs. That goes for both Troup and Harris County. Troup has more talent, but Harris County is going to pull off the upset.
Harris County running back Derrius Brooks found the end zone three times last week and will do it again. This time, he'll score the game winner.
Harris County 21, Troup 17

Shaw vs. Hardaway
The Hawks are still in the hunt and could use a marquee victory. The only problem is that Shaw still has a chance to win the Region 2-AAA championship if it wins out. The Raiders will cruise.
Shaw 31, Hardaway 7

Central-Phenix City at Opelika
The Red Devils will try to end Opelika's perfect Class 6A, Region 3 record, but will fall short. Central losses late on a turnover.
Opelika 21, Central 14

Stewart-Quitman at Brookstone
The Knights are 0-5. Brookstone is the best team in Region 4-A.
Brookstone 38, Stewart-Quitman 6

Chattahoochee County at Greenville
The Panthers struggled against the athletic Pacelli front two weeks ago. They face a similar unit this week. The outcome also will be similar.
Greenville 28, Chattahoochee County 13

Pacelli at Central-Talbotton
Following an overtime loss to Schley County, the Vikings are ready to prove something. Jacquise Terry will carry more than 25 times and rush for 175 yards.
Pacelli 35, Central-Talbotton 0

Spencer at LaGrange
LaGrange won't lose.
LaGrange 38, Spencer 0

Russell County at Enterprise
Russell County will still be looking for its first win of the season when it plays one-win Dothan next week.
Enterprise's balanced offense will give the Russell County defense problems.
Enterprise 31, Russell County 13

Northview at Smiths Station
The Panthers need a win to continue to control their own destiny. A loss will leave them fighting for a playoff spot. Smiths Station knows it and will win.
Smiths Station 28, Northview 24

Glenwood at Edgewood
The Gators appear satisfied that they have made the playoffs. If they have that approach tonight, they will get beat.
Edgewood 27, Glenwood13

BI-CITY TEAM RANKED

There is still plenty of people that have their doubts about Carver. The only problem with that is the Tigers haven't lost.
It's hard to argue with their 5-0 record that includes a 14-9 victory against Shaw – a perennial playoff team.
And it seems as if more people around the state are beginning to realize that Carver is a pretty good team. The Tigers were ranked No. 10 in this week's Georgia Associated Press Poll.
The Tigers won't get respect until Oct. 26 when they play LaGrange. If they can beat the Grangers on their field, the Tigers would earn that respect.
They could be 7-0 by Oct. 26, but they still would have some doubters.
Some would question who have they beaten beside Shaw? Those would then argue that Shaw played its worst game of the season against Carver and still almost won.
The Tigers can’t worry about that. They must take focus on their next game and avoid a slip up. They must get to Callaway Stadium 7-0 to have a chance to silence the doubters.
If they lose one before that, the doubters will have more questions.

WEEK 5 PREDICTIONS

It looks like a week where a lot of the teams that are expected to win will win. There are no guarantees until they play the game.
But here's a quick look at this week's games.

Jordan vs. Shaw at Kinnett Stadium
This is an easy one. The Raiders' defense is still too good. They won't allow Jordan to move the ball, which will make it hard for the Red Jackets to win. It doesn't help that Jordan has only scored seven points in its first three games. Shaw's defense will score at least one defensive touchdown.
Prediction: Shaw 31, Jordan 0

Northside at Harris County
This might be the best game of the week. Both teams need to win. They can't afford another loss.
Whoever can get their playmaker more involved -- Northside's Carlos Ross and Harris County's Derrius Brooks -- will win the game.
The Tigers will win a close one as they can also get the ball to Charles Purchase and Chris Bullard.
Prediction: Harris County 28, Northside 24

Spencer vs. Kendrick at Memorial Stadium
The Cherokees will improve to 2-2. They won't do anything that let will leave the spectators impressed, but they will win.
Expect a lot of running and the Kendrick defense to force some turnovers.
Prediction: Kendrick 28, Spencer 6

Hardaway at LaGrange
The Hawks will struggle to move the ball against the LaGrange defense. The Grangers will do everything to shut down the Hardaway running game. LaGrange's offense will score just enough, like it has done the last few weeks. The Grangers remain unbeaten.
Prediction: LaGrange 16, Hardaway 6

Chattahoochee County at Pacelli
Lots of offense. Both teams will move the ball up and down the field. It's going to come down to who makes less mistakes. Neither team has a lot of experience, but the Vikings have more.
That will make the difference in a close game.
Prediction: Pacelli 35, Chattahoochee County 31

Pickens at Glenwood
The Gators offense will score some points against Pickens. Glenwood will take advantage of some turnovers and use its three-headed monster in its backfield -- Devin Piernas, Brant Hamilton and Cody Marsh -- to win the game.
The Gators will score a couple of second-half touchdowns and turn it into a blow out.
Prediction: Glenwood 35, Pickens 7

Tallassee at Russell County
It won't be pretty, but the Warriors will win their first game of the season. Deveon Alexander will run the ball and Branden Williams will manage the game. Williams will be the difference maker in the game. He will pick up first downs with his feet and preserve the lead.
Prediction: Russell County 17, Tallassee 14

Central -Phenix City at Baldwin County
Can the Red Devils keep the momentum from last week's win going this week? Baldwin has yet to win a game, so the answer is yes. Josh Wallace looked healthy last week as he rushed for 142 yards. He will top 100 yards for the second straight week.
Prediction: Central 21, Baldwin County 10

Robert E. Lee at Smiths Station
The Panthers appear to have learned how to win. Smiths Station has won three straight and after tonight it will be four straight. The Panthers' spread offense has caused problems for opposing defenses. Kyle Barr will find open receivers and throw two touchdowns.
Prediction: Smiths 34, Lee 17

Columbus vs. Carver Saturday at Kinnett Stadium
The Blue Devils will give a lot of effort and make this game closer than it should be. They just don't enough to pull off the upset. Carver will make mistakes but use its athleticism to overcome those miscues.
Prediction: Carver 27, Columbus 14

WEEK 4 LACKS SURPRISES

There were a lot of predictable outcomes in the fourth week of the season.
Shaw won.
Carver remained unbeaten.
Brookstone won its Region 4-A opener.
While there weren't a lot of upsets, it was still an interesting week of football. Here's a quick look at the week:

Flying under the radar
Smiths Station and Hardaway are quietly winning football games. The Panthers and Hawks both are 3-1 this season.
In 2005, they each only won one game.
The Panthers won by the narrowest of margins – 10-9 against Dothan on Thursday night. Trailing 9-7, Jeffrey Carrero kicked a 27-yard field goal with 3:48 to give the Panthers their third straight win.
Smiths Station is now 3-0 in Class 6A, Region 3 and tied for first with Opelika and Auburn. The Panthers have to probably win two more region games to make the playoffs for the first time since 1997.
Hardaway is also trying to make the playoffs for time this century.
If the Hawks continue to win the close games, they will make the playoffs for the first time since 1999. Hardaway has won all three games by a touchdown or less.
Still, first-year coach Morgan Ingram has them playing hard and making enough plays to win.
That was the case Saturday night against Harris County. Nick Burks and Kelcie McCray found running lanes in the first half, and the defense kept Harris County out of the end zone in the fourth quarter.


Plenty of points
Glenwood didn't have any problem running the ball on Friday.
The Gators rushed for more than 400 yards and scored 70 points against Tuscaloosa. They scored three touchdowns in both the first and second quarters, and they added four more in the third quarter.
Tuscaloosa hadn't really stopped anyone this season, surrendering 54 points a game in its first four. Glenwood's 70 points raises Tuscaloosa's average points allowed to 57.2.
The Gators had eight different players score a touchdown, including William Tanzie, who scored on a 99-yard run.

Must wins
With losses this week, Kendrick, Harris County and Northside can't afford to lose many more games and still make the playoffs from Region 2-AAA.
The Cherokees were competitive but still lost 13-0 to LaGrange, falling to 1-2. The Patriots were shutout 22-0 by Carver and are 1-2. Harris County's 27-20 loss to Hardaway drops the Tigers to 1-3.
Kendrick has a good chance to get 2-2 when it plays Spencer this week, while Northside and Harris County play each other.
The loser of that game will have an extremely difficult road to the playoffs.

RALLYING LATE

Central-Phenix City could have easily given up late in the fourth quarter when it trailed Enterprise 17-7.
Instead, running back Josh Wallace continued to run hard play after play. He ran hard on each toss to the short side of the field. Running back David Ray found opening whenever he got the ball.
The offensive line started pushing around the Enterprise defense.
Wallace dove into the end zone with 2:49 left in the game, but the Red Devils were still down, 17-14.
If Enterprise secures an onside kick, the Wildcats would likely win and the Red Devils' chances of making the Class 6A playoffs would be slim.
They would have been 0-3 in Class 6A, Region 3 and still have to play Opelika -- the region's top team. It was looking like Central was going to miss the playoffs for the first time since 1991.
That all started to change when Justin Rogers and the Red Devils recovered an onside kick at the 50-yard line.
The Red Devils went 50 yards, and Geoffrey James scored on a 1-yard run.
That gave Central its first win of the year and a chance to make the playoffs for 15th straight season.
The Red Devils still need to beat Northview, Dothan and Russell County to have a chance to earn a playoff spot.
But that chance would have all but disappeared Friday night had they lost.