The Therrell Panthers came out on top after an exciting day at the second annual APS Flag Football Invitational tournament. Ten APS flag football programs competed in a bracket-style, win and advance tournament over the weekend at Carver High School and Lakewood Stadium. Several of the fast-paced games came down to the final possession. Click through the photos for a peak into Saturday’s exciting action.
KIPP Atlanta Collegiate
10 APS Teams Advance to State Basketball Playoffs, Four as Region Champions
Atlanta Public Schools will be well represented in the Georgia High Schools Association (GHSA) state basketball playoffs this week, as 10 APS teams have advanced to three-week tournament, four as region champions.
The Douglass girls (16-6) won the Region 6-AA championship with a 59-34 win over KIPP Atlanta Collegiate last Friday night. The Lady Astros will host Spencer (Columbus-Muscogee County) at 6 p.m., Friday, in the first round of the state tournament. The Green Waves, the No. 4 seed from Region 5-AA, have a record of 7-17.
The Maynard Jackson boys (24-2) won the Region 6-AAAAA title with a 69-62 win over Riverwood (Fulton County) last Saturday. The Jaguars are currently ranked No. 10 in the Atlanta Journal Constitution Class AAAAA Top 10 poll. They will host traditional DeKalb County powerhouse Columbia (19-8), Friday at 7:30 p.m. The Eagles are the No. 4 seed from Region 5-AAAAA.
The North Atlanta boys (19-9) enter the tournament ranked No. 9 in the AJC Class AAAAAA Top 10 poll, after defeating Cambridge (Fulton County), 69-62, in the Region 7-AAAAAA title game. As the region champion and No. 1 seed, the Warriors will host Apalachee (Bartow County), the No. 4 seed from Region 8-AAAAAA, Friday at 7 p.m. The Wildcats are 11-14 this season.
The Therrell boys (18-7) defeated rival South Atlanta, 80-73, last Friday to win the Region 6-AA championship. Therrell is ranked No. 5 and South Atlanta is No. 6 in the latest AJC Class AA Top 10 poll. Therrell will host Heard County (7-19), the No. 4 seed from Region 5-AA, Saturday at 7 p.m.
Here are the other APS schools that advanced to the state tournament:
Girls
Maynard Jackson (17-6) is the No. 2 seed from Region 6-AAAAA. The Lady Jaguars will host Miller Grove (DeKalb County), the No. 3 seed from Region 5-AAAAA, Friday at 6 p.m. The Lady Wolverines are 15-11 this season.
KIPP Atlanta Collegiate (13-11) is the No. 2 seed from Region 6-AA. The Lady Warriors will host Heard County (9-14), the No. 3 seed from Region 5-AA, Friday at 6 p.m.
South Atlanta (12-11) is the No. 3 seed from Region 6-AA, and will play at Callaway (Troup County), Friday at 6 p.m. The Lady Braves are 8-12 this season.
Therrell (9-12) is the No. 4 seed from Region 6-AA. The Lady Panthers will travel to Lamar County to face the Lady Trojans (20-6), the Region 5-AA champions, Friday at 8 p.m.
Boys
KIPP Atlanta Collegiate (10-18) is the No. 3 seed from Region 6-AA. The Warriors will travel to Columbus to face Jordan (12-12), the No. 2 seed from Region 5-AA, Saturday at 5 p.m.
South Atlanta (23-4) is the No. 2 seed from Region 5-AA. The Hornets, last season’s Region 6-AA and Class AA state champions, will host Temple (Carroll County), the No. 3 seed from Region 6-AA. The Tigers are 12-12 this season.
Atlanta Public Schools cheerleading squads flexed their muscles and voices at the 2017 APS Metro Cheerleading Competition, held Saturday at Douglass High School.
An APS squad placed in nearly every category, with the Mays co-ed, KIPP Atlanta Collegiate and KIPP Metro Middle School squads taking home championships. Mays won the Co-Ed Division Championship, KIPP Atlanta Collegiate won the AA Division Championship and KIPP Metro won the A Middle School Division Championship.
Other APS squads placing in the top three were:
Atlanta Classical Academy, High School Junior Varsity Division, Third Place
Washington, High School AA Division, Third Place
Maynard Jackson, High School AAAAA Division, Third Place
North Atlanta (Below), High School AAAAAA Division, Second Place
KIPP Vision, Middle School A Division, Second Place
Drew Charter, Middle School A Division, Third Place
Brown (Below), Middle School AA Division, Second Place
Sylvan Hills, Middle School AA Division, Third Place
Bunche, Middle School AAA Division, Second Place
Sutton, Middle School AAA Division, Third Place
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.
Even though Mays lost its opener, the Raiders still hold a lot of respect in the eyes of Atlanta Public Schools coaches.
The Raiders came in at No. 1 in the inaugural APS Football Power Poll, voted on by the district’s 11 football coaches. Each week, the coaches will rank every football-playing school in APS – except their own team – one through 10. A point system (10 points for a first place vote, nine for second, eight for third and so on) determines the ranking of the teams on the poll.
Here’s a look at the entire poll:
- Mays (0-1)
- Carver (2-0)
- B.E.S.T. Academy (1-1)
- Maynard Jackson (1-0)
- Douglass (0-1)
- North Atlanta (1-0)
- Grady (0-2)
- Washington (1-0)
- South Atlanta (0-2)
- KIPP Atlanta Collegiate (0-1)
- Therrell (0-2)
And here’s a rundown of this weekend’s schedule:
South Atlanta at Douglass
(5:30 p.m. at Grady Stadium)
Maynard Jackson at East Coweta (Coweta County)
(7:30 p.m. at Garland Shoemake Memorial Stadium in Sharpsburg)
KIPP Atlanta Collegiate vs. North Atlanta
(8 p.m. at Grady Stadium)
B.E.S.T. Academy vs. Lovett (Atlanta – Private)
(5:30 p.m. at Lakewood Stadium)
Washington at Mary Persons (Monroe County)
(7:30 p.m. at Dan Pitts Stadium at Mitchell Field in Forsyth)
Mays vs. Peachtree Ridge (Gwinnett County)
(8 p.m. at Lakewood Stadium)
Carver at Alexander (Douglas County)
(7:30 p.m. at Cougar Stadium in Douglasville)
Therrell at Salem (Rockdale County)
(7:30 p.m. at Evans-Reid Stadium in Conyers)
ICYMI: Carver Continues to Roll as One Panther Earns National Honor
It has been 10 seasons since Carver won a region championship. That drought may end this year.
The Panthers improved to 2-0 last weekend with a 34-6 trouncing of Tri-Cities (Fulton County), at Lakewood Stadium. In two games this season, Carver has outscored its opponents by a combined score of 84-24. Several players had outstanding games against Tri-Cities:
- Senior Quindarious Monday had 74 yards receiving and scored two touchdowns. Last week, Carver and Quindarious received the official word that he has been selected to participate in the Under Armour High School All-America Football Game. Held Jan. 4, 2018 at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, the game is one of the most popular national high school all-star games in America. It will be televised on ESPN.
- Senior quarterback Octavious Battle completed 12-of-17 passes for 244 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for 53 yards.
- Sophomore running back Jo’quavious Marks had 128 yards rushing and scored two touchdowns, while junior running back Tony Jones ran for 96 yards and a touchdown.
- On defense seniors Jatavius Ponder and Solomon Mosley were dominant. Jatavius had eight tackles and four sacks, while Solomon had seven tackles and five sacks.
The Panthers will face a very tough opponent on Friday when travel to Douglasville to take on Alexander.
Here are the other results for APS schools last weekend:
Maynard Jackson 33, Therrell 6
Washington 8, North Clayton 6
Wesleyan 43, B.E.S.T. Academy 22
Woodward Academy 31, Grady 0
North Springs 33, KIPP Atlanta Collegiate 18
Stockbridge 9, Mays 0
Northwest Whitfield 44, South Atlanta 21
Also over the weekend:
The Atlanta Knights, the district’s club water polo team, placed fifth out of 16 teams in the 2017 Powerbar Cup Tournament, held Friday and Saturday at Dynamo Swim Center in Chamblee. The regional tournament featured teams from Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, North Carolina and Missouri.
Twelve APS Basketball Players, Two Coaches Named to AJC’s All-State and All-Metro Atlanta Squads
A dozen Atlanta Public Schools (APS) student athletes were named to the Atlanta Journal Constitution (AJC) All-State and All-Metro basketball teams on Friday.
Mays senior guard Kamiyah Street was named the Class AAAAAA All-State Girls Player of the Year, as well as the Atlanta/South Fulton Girls Player of the Year. Street led the Raiders to the Georgia High Schools Association (GHSA) Class AAAAAA state championship, under the leadership of head coach Chantay Frost who was named All-State Class AAAAAA Coach of the Year and Atlanta/South Fulton Coach of the Year. Mays finished with a record of 22-9 and won the program’s second state championship (2003).
For the boys, South Atlanta senior forward Tyler Thornton was named the All-State Class AA Boys Player of the Year by the AJC, while his head coach, Michael Reddick, was named Coach of the Year. South Atlanta won the GHSA Class AA State title, the school’s first since 2009, and finished the season with a record of 29-1.
Here is the list of All-State and All-Metro accolades:
GIRLS
Dominique Banks, Senior, Maynard Jackson
Honorable Mention All-State Class AAAAAA
Tiamya Butler, Senior, Maynard Jackson
Second Team Atlanta/South Fulton
Sabree Gallishaw, Senior, Washington
First Team All-State Class AA, First Team Atlanta/South Fulton
Shatara Goodman, Junior, Coretta Scott King
Honorable Mention Atlanta/South Fulton
Lawrencia Simon, Senior, South Atlanta
Honorable Mention All-State Class AA, Second Team
Kamiyah Street, Senior, Mays
All-State Class AAAAAA Player of the Year, Atlanta/South Fulton Player of the Year
BOYS
Marquavius Carter, Junior, Maynard Jackson
Honorable Mention All-State Class AAAAA
Stavon Griggs, Senior, KIPP Atlanta Collegiate
Honorable Mention All-State Class AA, Honorable Mention Atlanta/South Fulton
JaQuavius Hayes, Senior, Maynard Jackson
First Team All-State Class AAAAA, Second Team Atlanta/South Fulton
Corey Moore, Senior, Therrell
Honorable Mention All-State Class AA, Honorable Mention Atlanta/South Fulton
Devonta Pullins, Senior, South Atlanta
Second Team All-State Class AA, Second Team All-State Atlanta/South Fulton
Tyler Thornton, Senior, South Atlanta
All-State Class AA Player of the Year, First Team Atlanta/South Fulton
COACHES
Chantay Frost, Mays (Girls)
Class AAAAAA Coach of the Year, Atlanta/South Fulton Coach of the Year
Michael Reddick, South Atlanta (Boys)
Class AA Coach of the Year
Weekend Sports Roundup: Mays, KAC Play for Region Championships; 10 APS Cross Country Teams Advance to State; KIPP Vision, Bunche MS Compete for APS Middle School Football Title
FOOTBALL
K.I.P.P. Atlanta Collegiate (KAC) will challenge Hapeville Charter (Fulton County) for the Georgia High Schools Association (GHSA) Class AA-Region 6 championship tonight at 7:30 p.m., at the Hapeville Recreation Center.
In just their third season of varsity competition, the Warriors have already clinched a spot in next week’s GHSA Class AA state playoffs. Prior to this season, KAC had won just two games.
Also, Mays will attempt to win its first region championship since 2003 by defeating Northgate (Coweta County) tonight on Senior Night, 8 p.m., at Lakewood Stadium.
In other games involving Atlanta Public Schools teams (all games are Friday, unless otherwise noted):
Clarkston (DeKalb County) at Douglass, 5:30 p.m., at Lakewood Stadium
Washington at Therrell, 7:30 p.m., at Grady Stadium
Carver at Decatur, 7:30 p.m., at Decatur High School Stadium in Decatur
North Atlanta at Cambridge, 7:30 p.m., Cambridge High School Stadium in Milton
Maynard Jackson at Riverwood, 7:30 p.m., Bill Hoskyn Stadium in Atlanta
Grady at Banneker, 7:30 p.m., Banneker High School Stadium in College Park
CROSS COUNTRY
Ten teams from APS will compete in the GHSA State Cross Country Championships, Saturday in Carrollton.
Leading the way for APS are two teams that won their region championship meets – the South Atlanta girls and the Douglass boys. Other teams that advanced to Saturday’s state championships are:
B.E.S.T. Academy
Grady Boys and Girls
KAC Boys and Girls
North Atlanta Boys and Girls
Washington Girls
MIDDLE SCHOOL FOOTBALL
Bunche Middle School and KIPP Vision will face off for the APS Middle School Football Championship, Saturday at noon, at Lakewood Stadium. Both teams are undefeated at 8-0 entering the title game.
Grady Clinches First Region Title Since 2010; 23 Make Class AA-Region 6 Softball Team
FOOTBALL
Grady is the Class AAAAA-Region 6 champion!
The Grey Knights clinched the title with a 15-14 win over Riverwood (Fulton County) last Friday. Senior quarterback Caylin Newton led the way by completing 18-of-25 passes for 251 yards and two touchdowns – one to DiMarcus Clay for 47 yards, the other for 80 yards to Jacquez Sloan early in the fourth quarter. Newton then threw to Sloan for the successful two-point conversion attempt that provided the margin of victory for Grady (8-1, 6-0 in Region 5).
This is the first region title in football for Grady since 2010 and the sixth in school history. The Grey Knights will close out the regular season on Friday at Banneker (Fulton County) and then on Nov. 4, enter the Class AAAAA Georgia High School Association (GHSA) state football playoffs as the No. 1 seed from Region 6, where they will host the No. 4 seed from Region 8 – either Walnut Grove (Walton County) or Flowery Branch (Hall County).
In other games involving APS teams over the weekend:
Mays moved one step closer to winning its first region championship since 2003 with a 31-28 victory over Alexander (Douglas County), last Friday at Lakewood Stadium. Junior kicker Chloe Richardson’s 26-yard field goal in the first quarter proved to be the difference, and senior defensive back/receiver AJ Cayetano’s interception in the end zone with less than one minute left to play in the game sealed the win. The Raiders (8-1, 7-0) can win the Class AAAAAA-Region 5 crown outright with a win over Northgate (Coweta County), Friday at Lakewood Stadium.
Douglass will be headed back to the state playoffs for the first time since 2007. The Astros clinched a playoff spot by shutting out KIPP Atlanta Collegiate 41-0, last Saturday at Grady Stadium. Douglass will enter the playoffs on Nov. 4 as the No. 2 or No. 3 seed from Class AA-Region 6.
Carver clinched a home playoff game in the first round of the state playoffs with a 47-0 wipeout of Lithia Springs (Douglas County), last Saturday at Lakewood Stadium. The Panthers will enter the state playoffs as the No. 2 seed from Class AAAAA-Region 6, behind Grady.
South Atlanta closed its regular season with a bang by edging B.E.S.T. Academy 28-27, last Friday at Lakewood Stadium. The Hornets finished with a record of 3-7, 1-5 in Class AA-Region 6. The three wins is the most in a season for South Atlanta since 2012.
Therrell lost to Hapeville Charter (Fulton County) 30-0, and North Atlanta was defeated by Johns Creek (Fulton County) 59-7.
Maynard Jackson got the weekend started right for Atlanta Public Schools teams with a 35-0 win over Decatur, Thursday night at Grady Stadium.
SOFTBALL
APS players dominated the all-region softball team for Class AA-Region 6, as 23 were named to the team, announced last week after a vote by coaches in the region. Here is the list:
Coach of the Year – Jerry Mallett Jr., Coretta Scott King
Player of the Year – Mikayla Hailey, Coretta Scott King
Offensive Player of the Year – Portia Blanchard, South Atlanta
Defensive Player of the Year – Zykeria Davis, South Atlanta
Freshman of the Year – D’Mya Smith, Therrell
All-Region 1st Team
1. Mikayla Hailey – Coretta Scott King
- Kaylyn Suggs – Coretta Scott King
- Dorrie Moreland – Coretta Scott King
- Ashanti Cobb – South Atlanta
- Ronkierria Griffin – Therrell
- Portia Blanchard – South Atlanta
- Markala Hall – Therrell
- Sude Suggs – Coretta Scott King
- Keosha Hemmingway – South Atlanta
All-Region 2nd Team
- Zykeria Davis – South Atlanta
2. Zaria Simmons – South Atlanta
3. Erin Golden – Therrell
4. Cherita Williams – Therrell
5. Qianai Ison – South Atlanta - D’Mya Smith – Therrell
- Totiana Lay – South Atlanta
- Tykierria Payne – Therrell
- Danya Barnett – Therrell
Honorable Mention
- Chyna Barnes – Therrell
- Quayina Ferguson – Coretta Scott King
- Brianna Sanders – South Atlanta
4. Lawrencia Simon – South Atlanta - Zhaniya Moreland – Douglass
Mays Football in the Spotlight for Big Game to Help Decide Region Champion
FOOTBALL
All eyes will be on Mays tonight as the Raiders host Alexander (Douglas County) at 8 p.m. at Lakewood Stadium, in a game that will go a long way toward deciding the Class AAAAAA-Region 5 champion.
The Raiders (7-1, 6-0 in Class AAAAAA-Region 5) have moved up to No. 4 in the Atlanta Journal Constitution (AJC)/Georgia High School Football Daily (GHSFD) Class AAAAAA Top 10 poll, while Alexander (8-0, 6-0) is undefeated and has risen to No. 5. The game is so big that it was selected as the CBS46 High School Game of the Week, and all four local channels will show highlights of the game during their news broadcasts at 11 p.m. Additionally, the game was selected as the ScoreATL/Atlanta Falcons Game of the Week and will be televised online at ScoreATL.com.
In other games involving APS teams (all games are Friday, unless otherwise noted):
Maynard Jackson got the weekend started right for Atlanta Public Schools teams with a 35-0 win over Decatur, Thursday night at Grady Stadium.
Riverwood (Fulton County) at Grady, 5:30 p.m., at Grady Stadium
B.E.S.T. Academy at South Atlanta, 5:30 p.m., at Lakewood Stadium
Johns Creek (Fulton County) at North Atlanta, 8 p.m., at Grady Stadium
Therrell at Hapeville Charter (Fulton County), 7:30 p.m., at Hapeville Recreation Center in Hapeville
KIPP Atlanta Collegiate at Douglass, 4 p.m., Saturday at Grady Stadium
Lithia Springs (Douglas County) at Carver, 4 p.m., Saturday at Lakewood Stadium