Carver High School celebrates the monumental achievement of Coach Darren Myles’ 150th win.
APS is ready for baseball season! The APS baseball teams introduced themselves and shared their goals for the upcoming season during the APS Baseball Media Day event at Therrell High School.
This year will be an exciting year for APS teams.
North Atlanta High School will replace two MLB draft picks and several seniors after going 27-7 and finishing 18-0 in region play last season. Still, head coach Ricky Plante spoke highly of this year’s roster, and the team is keeping its own high expectations.
Therrell High School head coach Ryan Christian, who won coach of the year last season, has built the Panther program to improve each season. The Panthers won 10 games last season, 8-8 in region play, and aim to be even better this season.
The Jackson Jaguars didn’t have much to say as far as words go, but head coach Des Stegall has the team focused on one thing. Winning. The Jaguars went 22-8 last season with a 13-3 region record. The team starts the season off with an exciting matchup against Redan.
Best Academy, Carver, Douglass, Drew Charter, KIPP, South Atlanta, Washington, Midtown and Mays also had the opportunity to give their insights on their respective teams and the upcoming season.
BEST Academy baseball 
Carver baseball 
Douglass baseball 
Drew Charter baseball 
Maynard Jackson baseball 
Mays baseball 
Midtown baseball 
North Atlanta baseball 
KIPP baseball 
South Atlanta baseball 
Therrell baseball 
Washington baseball 
Kelli Stewart, cofounder of L.E.A.D. Center for Youth 
APS Middle School Baseball First Team All-Lead 
APS Middle School Baseball First Team All-L.E.A.D.: Mekhi Smith, Crawford Long Middle School 
APS Middle School Baseball First Team All-L.E.A.D. Trevon Wilbourn, John Lewis Invictus Middle SchoolFirst Team All-L.E.A.D. 
APS Middle School Baseball First Team All-L.E.A.D.: Tristian Wilbourn, John Lewis Invictus Middle School 
APS Middle School Baseball First Team All-L.E.A.D.: Jalen Duboise, Crawford Long Middle School 
APS Middle School Baseball First Team All-L.E.A.D.: Tymeco Cameron, John Lewis Invictus Middle School 
APS Middle School Baseball First Team All-L.E.A.D.: Brandon Muldrow, Jean Childs Young Middle School 
APS Middle School Baseball First Team All-L.E.A.D.: Julius Thames, Herman J. Russell West End Academy 
APS Middle School Baseball First Team All-L.E.A.D. 
Minority Baseball Prospects Founder Alex Wyche speaks at APS Baseball Media Day. 
MLB scout Clarence Johns spoke at APS Baseball Media Day.
The future of APS baseball also had a moment to shine as well. The L.E.A.D. Center for Youth, founded by C.J. and Kelli Stewart, recognized its inaugural First Team All L.E.A.D. team comprised of student athletes from the L.E.A.D. APS Middle School Baseball Development League.
First Team All-L.E.A.D. Honors Team
- Mekhi Smith, Crawford Long Middle School
- Jalen Duboise, Crawford Long Middle School
- Trevon Wilbourn, John Lewis Invictus Middle School
- Tristian Wilbourn, John Lewis Invictus Middle School
- Tymeco Cameron, John Lewis Invictus Middle School
- Brandon Muldrow, Jean Childs Young Middle School
- Julius Thames, Herman J. Russell West End Academy
APS also brought two guests with major league experience to speak at media day.
Alex Wyche, founder of Minority Baseball Prospects, gave his insights into how his database serves as a resource to help minority baseball players navigate recruiting and scouting. Clarence Johns, a professional major league scout, shared his journey through Major League Baseball and the professional side of evaluating talent for big league clubs.
Both provided insightful information for the APS student-athletes about their potential in the sport both on and off the field.
Opening Day is just around the corner for the 2024 APS baseball season, and the teams are ready to play ball.
The ladies of fall are ready to get back on the gridiron this weekend at the second annual APS Flag Football Invitational.
Several high school programs participating in the invitational got the chance to hype up their program at the first APS flag football media day.
Players and coaches from each team took the stage to talk about their goals and what makes their team special heading into the season.
“I enjoyed media day. Being able to hear from every school and their perspective on the sport made me feel good,” Booker T. Washington senior multi-sport athlete Brooke Shelton said. “Hearing from other coaches, especially from teams that are more successful like North Atlanta or schools that win more than Washington does, it really inspires me to see like ‘Hey, I see what you’re doing.’”
The talking will be over Saturday, and the young ladies will hit the field at Carver High School and Lakewood Stadium for the APS Flag Football Invitational.
“We wanted to get this thing started off right before COVID hit, and COVID kind of put a damper on the numbers,” APS assistant athletic director Corrie Collier said. “But now that we’ve moved on a few years later, the numbers are starting to grow more and more. That’s why we’re having things like the media day and next week the invitational just to make sure that we show our young ladies that we support them, we’re proud of them and we’re going to do whatever we can to showcase them.”
Coretta Scott King Young Women’s Leadership Academy Flag Football 
Douglass Flag Football 
Jackson Flag Football 
North Atlanta Flag Football 
Mays Flag Football 
Therrell Flag Football 
Washington Flag Football 
Washington Flag Football letterman patch. 
APS Flag Football 
APS Assistant Director of Athletics Corrie Collier 
Panther Records. 
Therrell Flag Football and APS Flag Football media day host Elise Rankins.
Make sure to mark your calendars for Saturday, October 7, and support these great athletes.
The seeding for the APS Flag Football Invitational tournament bracket was selected at random and split between the two locations. Here is the tournament schedule:
Lakewood Stadium
Mays vs. Therrell, 9 a.m.
South Atlanta vs. KIPP, 10 a.m.
Jackson vs. Mays/ Therrell, 11 a.m.
Semifinal, 1 p.m.
Championship game, 3 p.m.
Carver High School
CSK vs. North Atlanta, 9 a.m.
Washington vs. Douglass, 10 a.m.
Carver vs. CSK/ North Atlanta 11 a.m.
Semifinal, 1 p.m.
Atlanta Public Schools’ top senior baseball players took the field Tuesday afternoon for an exciting matchup versus DeKalb County’s top players for the 2023 APS vs. Dekalb All-Star Classic at Gresham Park.
The DeKalb All-Stars won 14-3, but players from both teams showcased why they were selected to represent their schools in the All-Star game.
“We just wanted an opportunity to highlight our student-athletes and show them that baseball in the metro area is still strong,” APS Assistant Athletic Director Rendell Jackson said. “We want to show our kids that we have a caring culture that is equitable, diverse and presents opportunities where kids can work together to make big things happen.”
This year, student-athletes from seven APS schools made the All-Star team, and Maynard Jackson High School had the most players selected (6). Mays (4), Carver (3), North Atlanta (2), Douglass (2), Drew Charter and KIPP were all represented. Athletes were nominated by their coaches and selected based on stats and region honors.
Therrell High School head coach Ryan Christian, who was named the Region 6-AA Coach of the Year, was the APS All-Star head coach. Maynard Jackson High School head coach Desmond Stegall and Mays High School head coach Jason Anderson rounded out the APS All-Star coaching staff.
“It’s always an honor to be out here as a representative of APS,” Christian said. “The kids played hard. They had a good time. They had some good competition from DeKalb County, so its been a blessing.”
The potential for APS baseball players has continued to improve. Xzavion Curry, who graduated from Mays High School, was the first African American to start as a freshman for Georgia Tech on Opening Day. Termarr Johnson, who was drafted fourth overall in the 2022 MLB Draft, also graduated from Mays High School.
This year’s APS MVP of the All-Star game was Jaylen Woods from Mays. Even though runs were tough to come across, Woods was able to drive one in for the APS team.
“He’s been doing that all year,” Mays head coach Jason Anderson said. “He got a hit and an RBI today, and that pretty much locked it up for him as the MVP. “It’s good to see one of my guys get the MVP today.”
The players from Mays High School wore jerseys honoring former Mays baseball coach Mike “Big Mike” Jennings, who passed away March 30, 2023.
“He’s been a pillar of the community for boys and girls,” Anderson said. “They’re adults now, and they remember all the things Coach Mike did to help them with baseball and softball. Having those jerseys on means a lot to the players.”
The All-Star game drew a supportive crowd to Hank Aaron Field, and the All-Stars put on a thrilling show. Clutch hits, close plays at the plate and a lot of stolen bases kept everyone entertained for all seven innings.
It was a fun evening for the All-Stars and the fans. Hopefully, next year’s APS All-Stars will come out with the win.
“We have a lot of talented people coming up for next year,” Christian said. “We had a lot of talented people this year, so I’m excited to see the future of APS baseball. We’re just letting everybody know baseball is alive in the city.”
2023 APS All-Star Roster
• Anthony Bivens, Mays
• Jerimiah Carroll, Mays
• Jaylen Woods, Mays
• Jerimiah Woody, Mays
• Kaleb Bodeman, Maynard Jackson
• Jay Wilcox, Maynard Jackson
• Zack Kelley, Maynard Jackson
• Dakota Frady, Maynard Jackson
• Eli Mulino, Maynard Jackson
• Gio D’alesio, Maynard Jackson
• Jayden Daniels, Drew Charter
• Keymon Usher, KIPP
• Lamariyea Williams, Carver
• Malik Harris, Carver
• Devin Meadows, Carver
• Antonio Anderson, North Atlanta
• Isaiah Drake, North Atlanta
• Deion Jones, Douglass
• Kaleb Garrett, Douglass
B.E.S.T. Academy senior Katerian “Fatty” Legrone signed his National Letter of Intent to attend the University of Nebraska, during a ceremony at the school in Wednesday, the first day of the NCAA’s new three-day early signing period.
(Click here to view the video.)
Five Atlanta Public Schools (APS) student-athletes signed scholarship letters Wednesday, the first day of the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) new early signing period.
In years past, the first day high school seniors could sign their National Letters of Intent for the school they chose was the first Wednesday in February. The rules were changed to open up a three-day window – Dec. 20 through Dec. 22 – for those students who have qualified academically and are certain about the school they plan to attend.
APS Director of Athletics Jasper Jewell said having five student-athletes sign scholarships to NCAA Division 1 schools speaks volumes about the quality of the football programs in the district.
“It says a lot about the term student-athlete,” in APS, Jewell said. “It means that they’ve done what they needed to do academically and athletically, to be able to have this opportunity. Secondly, it says a lot about our coaches and the brand that we are building. We’re getting the best of the best from around the country to come here and recruit our kids.”
Wednesday’s early signees were:
— Octavious Battle, Carver, University South Florida
— Nicario Harper, Carver, University of Southern Mississippi
— Katerian Legrone, B.E.S.T. Academy, University of Nebraska
— Quindarious Monday, Carver, Auburn University
— E.J. Thomas, Carver, Kansas State University
Many more APS student-athletes will sign their scholarship letters at the traditional National Signing Day, Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2018.
“It’s a blessing within itself,” said Carver head coach and athletic director Darren Myles. “To have one kid sign during an early signing period is one thing, but to have four, and we’re talking about all Division 1 scholarships, in a so-called inner-city program means a lot to me personally, means a lot to the program and means a lot to the community.”
Carver, Mays Finish in the Top Five in the State
Further proof of the quality of APS football was evident when the final state rankings were released earlier this week. The district has two teams that finished in the top five in their respective Georgia High School Association (GHSA) classifications: Carver finished the season ranked No. 5 in Class AAAAA, while Mays finished ranked No. 5 in Class AAAAAA.
Class AAAAAA
1. Lee County
2. Coffee
3. Tucker
4. Glynn Academy
5. Mays
6. Northside-Warner Robins
7. Alpharetta
8. Harrison
9. Allatoona
10. Douglas County
Class AAAAA
1. Rome
2. Warner Robins
3. Buford
4. Stockbridge
5. Carver-Atlanta
6. Jones County
7. Starr’s Mill
8. Carrollton
9. Eagle’s Landing
10. Wayne County
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Mays is one of six APS high schools that has advanced to the state playoffs in football. The Raiders are region champs for the second consecutive year and will participate in the Corky Kell Classic to begin the 2018 season in August.
Six Atlanta Public Schools teams have advanced to the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) state playoffs in football and will compete in first round games this weekend. Here’s a look:
Mays
Mays finished the regular season with a record of 9-1 and won the Region 5-AAAAAA championship for the second consecutive season. The Raiders will host the No. 4 seed from Region 6-AAAAAA, Sequoyah (6-4) of Cherokee County, 7:30 p.m., Friday at Lakewood Stadium.
Mays has a combined record of 50-12 since 2012, and that sustained success has gotten the Raiders invited to participate in one of the nation’s top high school football events, the Corky Kell Classic – a series of nine games played over three days on the opening weekend of the season. Mays will face Norcross of Gwinnett County in the final game of the Corky Kell Classic at 8:45 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 18, 2018, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Be on the lookout for ticket information!
Carver
The Panthers finished the regular season with a record of 9-1 and claimed the Region 6-AAAAA championship. It is the first region title for Carver since 2007. The Panthers will host Columbia (5-5) of DeKalb County, the No. 4 seed from Region 5-AAAAA, at 7:30 p.m., Friday at Grady Stadium.
Douglass
The Astros will be the No. 3 seed from Region 6-AA, after finishing the regular season with a record of 7-3. Douglass will travel to Hogansville to face Callaway (9-1) of Troup County, the No. 2 seed from Region 5-AA, Friday at 7:30 p.m., at Callaway Stadium.
South Atlanta
The Hornets are the No. 4 seed from Region 6-AA, and will travel to Franklin to face Heard County (9-1) the champion of Region 5-AA, Friday at 7:30 pm., at Staples Stadium.
South Atlanta is in the state playoffs in football for the first time since 1994! That accomplishment has the Hornets in the running to be the WAGA-TV/High 5 Sports Team of the Week. Vote for them here: http://myfoxatlanta.secondstreetapp.com/High-5-Sports-Team-of-the-Week–7/gallery/
B.E.S.T. Academy
The Eagles finished the regular season with a record of 5-5, and will enter the playoffs as the No. 2 seed from Region 6-AA. B.E.S.T. Academy will host Temple (6-4) of Carroll County, the No. 3 seed from Region 5-AA, Saturday at 7 p.m., at Lakewood Stadium.
Maynard Jackson
The Jaguars are the No. 2 seed in Region 6-AAAAA, behind Carver, and will host a state playoff game for the first time in school history! Maynard Jackson will face Miller Grove (5-5) of DeKalb County, the No. 3 seed from Region 5-AAAAA, Saturday at 7 p.m., at Grady Stadium.
Carver sophomore running back Joquavious Marks helped lead the Panthers to their first region championship in 10 years this season.
The regular season still has one week remaining, but it has already been a historic one for Atlanta Public Schools! Two schools clinched region champions on Friday night while four others secured spots in the Georgia High School Association state playoffs, which will begin the weekend of Nov. 10. Here’s a recap:
Carver
The Panthers clinched their first region championship in resounding fashion Friday night, destroying Lithia Springs (Douglas County) 61-6. It is the first region title for Carver since the 2007 season. The Panthers will be the No. 1 seed from Region 6-AAAAA, and will host a first-round state playoff game most likely against one of three DeKalb County teams from Region 5-AAAAA: Columbia, Lithonia or Miller Grove.
Mays
Mays clinched its second consecutive Region 5-AAAAAA championship by pulling away from Alexander in the second half of Friday’s game, 34-24. The Raiders will host the No. 4 seed from Region 6-AAAAAA – either Creekview or Sequoyah, both from Cherokee County – in the first round of the state playoffs.
B.E.S.T. Academy
The Eagles finished the regular season with a heartbreaking loss to South Atlanta, 35-34, in double overtime Friday night. However, they finished second in Region 6-AA and will host a first round playoff game, most likely against one of four teams from Region 5-AA: Lamar County, Temple of Carroll County, or Jordan or Spencer, both of Columbus-Muskogee County.
Douglass
The Astros will be the No. 3 seed from Region 6-AA and will face the No. 2 seed from Region 5-AA, most likely Callaway of Troup County.
Maynard Jackson
The Jaguars clinched the No. 2 seed in Region 6-AAAAA, behind Carver, and will host a state playoff game for the first time in school history. They will face the No. 3 seed from Region 5-AAAAA, which will most likely be one of four teams from DeKalb County: Columbia, Lithonia, Miller Grove or Southwest DeKalb.
South Atlanta
The Hornets earned a berth in the state playoffs for the first time since 1994 with their 35-34 win in double overtime over B.E.S.T. Academy. As the No. 4 seed from Region 6-AA, they will face Region 5-AA champion Heard County in the first round of the state playoffs. Ironically, South Atlanta lost to Heard County in the first game of the season, 42-16.
Carver senior Quindarious Monday, joined by (l-r) his parents, Felton Monday and Tamika Hale, his principal, Yusef Muhammad, and his coach, Darren Myles, received his honorary game jersey for the Under Armour High School All-American Game, presented by American Family Insurance.
Carver High School senior Quindarious Monday fulfilled one of his dreams on Thursday, when he officially became an all-American football player.
In front of a jam-packed auditorium filled with his senior classmates, football teammates and family members, Quindarious received his replica game jersey for the Under Armour High School All-American Game, presented by American Family Insurance.
Quindarious is one of just 12 student athletes from the state of Georgia selected to participate in the annual event, which is touted as one of the most prominent national high school all-star games in the country. The game is scheduled for Jan. 4, 2018, at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, and will be televised by ESPN.
Quindarious was selected as Carver’s team captain this season, and has helped lead Carver to a 3-1 record. He received more than 30 scholarship offers before committing to Auburn University in July.
Watch a video chronicling Quindarious’ accomplishment.
NOTE: You can help Quindarious and Carver win a social media contest being sponsored by the Under Armour High School All-American Game, presented by American Family Insurance. Go to Instagram and “like” Quindarious’ “Dream Photo”. The school of the Under Armour High School All-America Game participant whose photo receives the most “likes” will be honored for its outstanding school spirit, and will be featured during the broadcast of the game and on the social media pages of American Family Insurance.
The Mays Raiders are 3-1 and ranked No. 4 in the Atlanta Journal Constitution Class AAAAA Top 10 Poll, after a 49-7 win over New Manchester (Douglas County) last Saturday at Lakewood Stadium.
The Mays Raiders (3-1) won their third game in a row Saturday, blasting New Manchester of Douglas County, 49-7, at Lakewood Stadium.
Mays dominated the game and did not allow a score by New Manchester until the final minute of play. Mays is ranked No. 4 in the Atlanta Journal Constitution Class AAAAA Top 10 Poll.
Here’s how the other APS teams fared over the weekend:
Carver 28, Maynard Jackson 10
South Atlanta 19, Forest Park 7
Chattahoochee (Fulton County) 21, North Atlanta 14
Newnan (Coweta County) 42, Washington 14
Westside-Macon (Macon-Bibb County) 34, B.E.S.T. Academy 20
Lithia Springs (Douglas County) 22, Grady 20
Huge National Honor for Carver’s Monday
Carver senior receiver/defensive back Quindarious Monday will be honored Thursday, Sept. 21, at 10:30 a.m., in the school’s auditorium for being selected to play in the Under Armour High School All-American Game, Jan. 4 in Orlando.
Carver senior receiver/defensive back Quindarious Monday
Officials from Under Armour will be at the ceremony to present Quindarious with the jersey he will wear in the game, which is touted as one of the most prominent national high school all-star games in the country. ESPN will broadcast the game.
North Atlanta quarterback Wiley Hartley helped lead the Warriors to a 14-0 win over Dunwoody last weekend. North Atlanta is now 3-0 for the first time since 2010.
FOOTBALL
North Atlanta led a great weekend of performances by Atlanta Public Schools teams, as nine of the district’s 11 teams won their games. Of the two that did not win, Grady had its game at Ware County cancelled due to Hurricane Irma, and Douglass loss to another APS school, B.E.S.T. Academy.
As for North Atlanta, the Warriors are now 3-0 for the first time since 2010 after the Warriors defeated Dunwoody (DeKalb County), 14-0 (Game summary). North Atlanta, which adopted the motto “The New North” at the beginning of this season, is attempting to turn things around after going 5-15 the last two seasons. The Warriors are now considered as a threat to make the state playoffs for the first time since 1996, the only season in the program’s history that it has advanced to the state playoffs. North Atlanta, which was selected as the WAGA-TV “High 5 Sports Team of the Week” after the first game of the season, was featured in the Atlanta Journal Constitution’s high school sports Class AAAAAA blog. And Friday, North Atlanta’s game against will be one of the AJC’s featured games of the weekend.
Here’s a look at the weekend’s other results:
(Thursday) Washington 13, Lithia Springs (Douglas County) 6
Therrell 8, McNair (DeKalb County) 0
B.E.S.T. Academy 22, Douglass 19
KIPP Atlanta Collegiate 24, Osborne (Cobb County) 6
Maynard Jackson 24, North Clayton (Clayton County) 7
Mays 32, Langston Hughes (Fulton County) 20
North Atlanta 14, Dunwoody (DeKalb County) 0
(Saturday) South Atlanta 34, Clarkston (DeKalb County) 0
Grady at Ware County
Cancelled
SOFTBALL
Maynard Jackson is having its best season ever. The Jaguars are 12-1 after a 12-game winning streak to start the year. They are ranked as the No. 6 team in the AJC’s Class AAAAA Top 10.
VOLLEYBALL
Two APS schools are ranked in the AJC’s Class AA Top 10 this week: Douglass is No. 7 while KIPP Atlanta Collegiate is No. 8.
WATER POLO
APS Knights eighth grade goalie Elise Smith-David (Sutton) and sophomore attack (No. 8) Jaime Matherson (North Atlanta) have helped lead the girls’ team to a No. 2 ranking.
The APS water polo program is establishing itself as one of the best in the state. The APS Knights compete in the Georgia High School Water Polo Association league, a fall club sport season (water polo is not yet recognized as a varsity sport by the Georgia High Schools Association), with 16 other programs, as far north as Whitfield County (Dalton Catamounts) and as far south as Fayette County (Southern Crescent).
The Knights’ girls team is 5-1 and ranked No. 2 in the state, after winning all four of its matches over the weekend – including an overtime victory over the previously unbeaten No. 1 team in the state, Wheeler (Cobb County).
The Knights’ A Team (top co-ed division) is 5-3 and ranked No. 4 in the state, after splitting a pair of games over the weekend – a loss to No. 3 Southern Crescent and a win over No. 5 Norcross.
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