February, 2020 stories

Lanier basketball state basketball doubleheader, 2/15

https://www.gwinnettprepsports.com/sports/state-playoff-split-for-lanier-boys-roll-defending-state-champion/article_e747e07e-ccca-5776-b58b-b578bed064db.html

North Gwinnett-Parkview girls soccer, 2/25

https://www.gwinnettprepsports.com/sports/no-north-gwinnett-girls-soccer-repeats-final-four-feat-downs/article_3d5eeff8-191c-598a-88d3-1382e36ecb00.html

Berkmar-Wheeler basketball, 2/26

https://www.gwinnettprepsports.com/sports/berkmar-boys-playoff-run-halted-by-wheeler-in-elite-eight/article_4a963021-e94a-52f1-a263-7e901a6ba3da.html

Meadowcreek rushing attack too much for Lakeside

NORCROSS – It’d be hard to choose which was more dominant Friday night for Meadowcreek's football team — its rushing attack or its defense.

The Mustangs rushed for nearly 378 yards and held visiting Lakeside-DeKalb to 82 total yards in a 42-0 victory in the Region 7-AAAAAAA opener for both schools.

Sixty of Lakeside’s total yards came on a desperation final possession that ended when quarterback Thomas Steele rushed for a six-yard gain to the Meadowcreek 14, but time expired.

Meadowcreek (2-3, 1-0) won its region opener over Lakeside (0-5, 0-1) for the third consecutive season.

“I’m happy that our defense continues to progress, so many young guys, (and) we won the turnover battle,” said Meadowcreek coach Jason Carrera, whose team lost a fumble on a punt return and threw an interception on a botched field goal attempt.

Much of the offensive dominance occurred in an opening half that saw the Mustangs collect nearly 300 yards on the ground.

Tank Thompson capped an eight-play drive with a nifty TD run midway through the second quarter. Thompson stayed on his feet early in the run, then broke two tackles on his way to a 24-yard score that put the Mustangs in front 21-0.

The Meadowcreek fumble on the punt return later in the quarter didn’t hurt after Lakeside kicker Matthew Franklin was short on a 47-yard field goal attempt. Quincy Bonner’s 35-yard completion to Jabari Ponders set up Meadowcreek at the Lakeside 5 and Omie Huntley scooted into the end zone on the next play and the Mustangs went into halftime up 28-0.

Bonner was just 4-for-12 passing for 100 yards, but that included several nice throws that were dropped by Meadowcreek receivers.

“The thing that I was most pleased with is Quincy threw the ball really well,” Carrera said. “We've got to catch more balls offensively. Still not hitting on all cylinders, but all in all it was good."

Rock Gaither’s second TD run of the night, from 33 yards out, made it 35-0 early in the third, and later in the quarter A’Ta Hassan capped the scoring by intercepting Steele for the second time and returning it 47 yards.

Lakeside, which scored its only points of the season in a 49-6 loss to Forsyth Central last week, has lost 14 consecutive games and hasn’t won since last season’s opening weekend win over Decatur.

It took just 13 seconds for Meadowcreek to take a lead it wouldn’t relinquish.

On the first play from scrimmage of the night, Bonner took a sneak and ran, untouched for an 80-yard touchdown and the Mustangs led 7-0.

Lakeside went backwards on a pair of plays on its opening offensive possession — an illegal motion penalty and a combined sack by Kristopher Cassel and Thompson backed up the Vikings to their own 27 early in the first quarter — then Steele tossed his first interception of the night to Joe Jenkins. Meadowcreek embarked on a seven-play drive spent mostly on the ground as the hosts averaged more than 13 yards on six carries, including Gaither’s seven-yard scoring run that made it 14-0 at the 7:21 mark of the opening quarter.

Gwinnett Daily Post 9/27/19

Jones, Falcons roll

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – Trenton Jones and the Dacula rushing attack had their way Friday night.

Jones rushed for 243 yards and three touchdowns, part of a 469-yard day on the ground for the visitors, who remained unbeaten with a 49-28 victory over host Central Gwinnett.

"Trenton Jones had a great night, did a great job of holding onto the football, ran really hard (but) we had some guys that kind of spread it around," Dacula head coach Clint Jenkins said. "Unbelievable job by our offensive coordinator, Ken Burnette, and our offensive staff to kind of understand how the game was going. Did an unbelievable job of running the football and eating the clock. It was a lot of fun to watch our offense."

Central, which is 0-4 for the first time since 2009, had pulled even at 28-28 with just over seven minutes to play in the third quarter on a 17-yard touchdown catch by Tyan Milton, who finished with 136 receiving yards and three of the Black Knights’ four TDs, but it was all Dacula for the remainder of the game.

Jones capped a 10-play drive with a one-yard scoring plunge to make it 35-28 late in the third quarter. Kaleb Edwards took a hand off on Dacula’s first play from scrimmage on its next drive and scampered 68 yards for another score and a 42-28 cushion. Edwards carried the ball just four times, but collected 126 rushing yards and also scored from 46 yards early in the third that gave the Falcons a 28-21 edge.

Dacula, which is 4-0 for the first time since the 2014 team won its first eight games, averaged nearly nine yards per carry and threw the ball just seven times.

Dacula tied things up just before halftime, thanks in large part to a big third-down conversion. Facing third-and-21 at its own 41, quarterback Jarrett Jenkins hooked up with Kyle Efford for a 28-yard completion. Four plays later, Jones picked up his second rushing TD of the opening half, this time from 11 yards and the teams went into the locker room tied at 21-21.

The teams had traded scores before that.

Led by quarterback Skylar Adams, Central had grabbed the lead briefly. Adams was 5-for-8 on a nine-play drive, including connecting with Milton on a 21-yard touchdown, then with Daejon Reynolds for the two-point conversion and the Black Knights led 21-14 with just under eight minutes left in the half.

Dacula took advantage of a pass interference penalty on third-and-long and got a 12-yard TD scamper from Jenkins to go up 14-13 a minute into the second quarter.

Three touchdowns were scored within the first five minutes of the game.

Central stunned the visiting Falcons on the first play from scrimmage of the night. Adams found Reynolds in one-on-one coverage near the far sideline and Reynolds did the rest, scoring from 80 yards for a quick 7-0 lead.

Dacula followed with a 10-play drive that culminated with Jones’ 13-yard scoring run at the 7:48 mark.

Central answered immediately with another long passing play. Adams was forced to scramble and while throwing on the run hit Milton across the middle and Milton broke a pair of tackles for a 77-yard TD and the hosts led 13-7.

Adams threw for 376 yards.

Gwinnett Daily Post, 9/20/19

Berkmar does what it wants against Cross Keys

ATLANTA, Ga. - The Berkmar football team opened its 2019 season by doing just about whatever it wanted.

JerMahri Hill threw three first-half touchdowns and Jacari Dozier added a pair of scoring runs as the Patriots defeated Cross Keys 53-6 at Adams Stadium.

It’s the second consecutive season the Lilburn school has opened with a blowout win over Cross Keys (0-2), following last year’s 44-0 home win.

The visitors picked up a majority of their points during a dominant opening half. Berkmar ran just seven offensive plays but scored seven touchdowns.

On the first offensive play of the night, Caylon Washington took a counter and broke an initial tackle and eventually tip-toed the sideline, then changed direction once more to reach the end zone for a 55-yard touchdown and a 6-0 lead.

Just over three minutes later, the Patriots added to their lead thanks to another electrifying run.

Like his teammate, Dozier broke tackles, this time late in a run, bouncing off a defender at the five-yard line to finish off a 42-yard scoring run and it was 13-0.

As the defense registered six of its seven sacks in the first 24 minutes (Michael Stanfield and Dara Olonade each had a pair), Hill found Olonade for a 41-yard TD, then AJ Feliciano for a 38-yard score. The final three TDs of the half came on punt returns, one by Nick Martin mid-way through the second quarter and last from Dozier to make it a 47-0 game at halftime.

In between, Hill hooked up with Julius Reynolds for a 37-yard strike.

“We’ll take the win and be happy about the win,” said second-year Berkmar coach Willie Gary. “You got to enjoy the win. “We have some skill guys, they still have to get polished, (but) we definitely have some. Some kids they use that athletic ability to get in the end zone.”

Cross Keys finally ended the shut out bid, and scored its first points of 2019 late in the fourth quarter. Narvy Bibiano capped a seven-play, 80-yard drive by finding Malique Towns for a 34-yard TD with just over a minute to play.

By that time, Gary had almost completely emptied his bench. At one point early in the fourth, the Patriots had 11 freshmen on the field.

“We got a chance to play a lot of guys,” said Gary. “All of that is going to help them in the future. There’s a lot of good things to take from it. That goes a long way when you’re trying to build a program.”

Berkmar will look to remain unbeaten, and win its first two games for the first time since the 2013 team began 3-0, when it hosts Lithia Springs September 6.

“I’m excited about this season and just to see what happens,” Gary said.

Gwinnett Daily Post

Providence Christian rolls in opener

By Kurt Aschermann
Staff Correspondent, Gwinnett Daily Post

ATLANTA — Five different players got into the end zone for Providence Christian Friday in its season opener. And that was just in the opening quarter.

The visitors built a 43-0 lead after one and cruised to a 64-0 victory at Adams Stadium.

For Providence Christian, a school-best 4-6 a year ago, it was the second consecutive season it has opened with a win over the DeKalb County school after last year’s 49-12 win in Lilburn.

With 10 seconds to play in the first quarter, backup quarterback and freshman Connor Jones scooted in from a yard out to make it 43-0.

The Storm also got a pair of scores from senior Pierce Phillips (runs of 3 and 31 yards), and one each from fellow seniors Griffin Presley (8-yard run), Zach Douglas (40-yard punt return) and Chason Dickens (14-yard run).

"I told the guys I want everyone to go out and make plays and be ready to make those plays," Providence Christian coach Parker Conley said. "I think our young players were able to see that we were able to find success in a lot of ways. I love it."

The evening began as well as it could’ve for Providence Christian.

Following a nearly one-hour delay at the start, Colin O’Leary recovered a short opening kick off at the Cross Keys’ 31. After a Ryan Rose-to-Joe Shealy connection for 24 yards, Phillips scored on a 3-yard run for a 7-0 lead just 23 seconds into the game.

Providence Christian (1-0) intercepted Narvy Bibiano on Cross Keys’ first play from scrimmage and Phillips made it 14-0 a play later, breaking a pair of tackles on his way to a 31-yard TD.

Colin O’Leary led the way with 97 rushing yards, while brother Evan O’Leary added 80, all of which came on an impressive TD run that included a broken tackle near midfield that capped the scoring midway through the fourth quarter.

"It was incredible," Conley said of O’Leary's touchdown. "He had been telling us that he had been itching for the ball and we told him to make the most of that opportunity, and boy did he."

The visitors also played excellent defense, holding Cross Keys (0-1) to six total yards in that huge first quarter and 51 for the game. It was a familiar outcome for Cross Keys, which was shut out seven times in going 0-10 a year ago.

"I want the guys to know that it’s going to be a long year and we have to stay focused on the bigger picture," said Conley. "Always have to come out with a hunger, continue to pursue our biggest goals. It was a great win, but we have a much bigger goal for our season and we have to go get that."

Providence Christian takes a week off before hosting King's Ridge Christian September 6.

Online story

A brief nonsense history of the Federal League

The Federal League is one of the few defunct leagues in baseball history and was hoping to provide a way past Major League Baseball's reserve clause. Because it didn't follow the National Agreement of player payment, the so-called "outlaw league", which lasted just two seasons (1914 and 1915) could pay huge salaries for players it tried to recruit from the two established major leagues.

I imagine the term "no goodniks", as in: "these guys are a bunch a no-goodniks" was thrown around a bunch during this time.

Inaugural champion

The Indianapolis Hoosiers won the league's first championship, winning their final seven games to finish a game and a half ahead of the second-place Chicago Chi-Feds. In the season's final game, Katsy Keifer, making his only career appearance, tossed a complete game in a 4-2 win over the St. Louis Terriers. 

Keifer (photo aged 11,000 years)

Indianapolis' manager was Bill Phillips, who a year later would manage the FL's Newark Pepper.

Not the Newark Peppers, but Pepper.

Almost 100 years later, I managed to find the South Carolina Beach Pepper

Bruno

That Chicago team, managed by former Cubs' Hall of Famer Joe Tinker (who also was a part-time infielder), had a backup catcher named Bruno Block. That's an absolutely perfect name for a catcher. 

It was that century's Sal Fasano.

Bruno, who put together a .198/.274/.255 batting line, and his Chicago teammates weren't known for their offense, but rather an excellent pitching staff that led the FL in several categories. The Chi-Feds had a league-leading ERA of 2.44, anchored by Claude Hendrix, who led all pitchers in ERA, wins and complete games.

Dan Sherman was also a part of that staff, though Sherman started, last 1/3 of an inning & took the loss in his only appearance - a 5-4 Kansas City Packers victory on June 4. The two runs Sherman allowed were unearned and Block made three errors that day. That began a feud between the two that lasted for decades, probably.

"HE'S A REAL BLOCKHEAD", SAYS SHERMAN
AS CHICAGO TEAMMATES FEUD CONTINUES

- Fake 1914 newspaper headline

Millville's Second Finest

How did I begin writing about the Federal League besides a possible acid flashback? Millville High School, of course.

The former home of Angels' great Mike Trout was also where Pittsburgh Rebels infielder Steve Yerkes played his prep ball. In limited playing time for the Rebels, Yerkes put together a .338/.386/.493 slash line in '14, then hit .288/.337/.371 in '15.

The third-best player in Millville High history was Andy Lapihuska, who had a 7 ERA for the Phillies from 1942-43, and who in 1951 knocked over this wheelbarrow.

The second and last champion

The Chicago Whales not only hold the distinction of playing in Wrigley Field before it was Wrigley Field (it was called Weegham Park), but won the league title in 1915.

Hall of Famer Mordecai "Three Finger" Brown was the anchor of an excellent Whales' staff (that also included Hendrix). Brown and the Whales actually finished in a virtual tie with the Terriers for the league title, but won the tie-breaker based on a doubleheader split with Pittsburgh on the final day of the season.

At the bottom of the league standings were the Baltimore Terrapins, who finished 47-107, thanks to a dreadful pitching staff that included Tommy Vereker.

Who is Tommy Vereker? Not sure.

The rest of the Federal League Question Marks

Chubby Snyder?

Baltimore actually went a respectable 9-13 against the Whales, which included a three-game home sweep in early-May. I think we'll all remember that series for Hack Simmons' tying, pinch-hit, three-run home run in the sixth in game three.

The Grovers

There were three Grovers in Federal League history, so let's just talk briefly about each of them.

Grover Land - catcher, Brooklyn Tip-Tops 1914-15. At first I thought this sounded like a failed amusement park devoted to the Sesame Street character, but it actually sounds more like a place where you can bring the family, and for an affordable price just look at guys named Grover.

Grover Gilmore - outfielder, Kansas City '14-15. "Look kids, it's Grover Gilmore!", for example.

Grover Hartley - catcher, St. Louis '14-15. Went 3-for-5 with 2 RBIs in a 15-8 loss to Indianapolis on October 5, 1914.

Berkmar closes frustrating season with win

October 27, 2018
Gwinnett Daily Post


https://www.gwinnettprepsports.com/sports/berkmar-football-closes-season-with-road-win-over-lakeside-dekalb/article_681f3357-b57f-5256-ae0c-794db81d902b.html

Unbeaten Parkview dominates Lakeside

October 5, 2018
Gwinnett Daily Post


https://www.gwinnettprepsports.com/sports/unbeaten-parkview-dominant-against-lakeside-dekalb/article_1cf63530-b4f4-5640-bec0-9da3e3e0bfc7.html