Thomaston
Thomaston, GA · Sports
Marietta Daily Journal
Walton rolls into state semifinals
LAWRENCEVILLE -- Walton upended Archer on the road 3-1 on Saturday in the quarterfinal of Class AAAAAAA state volleyball playoffs. The Raiders (27-12) advanced to the semifinal where they will face North Forsyth on Wednesday at LakePoint Sports Complex in Cartersville. Their chance to repeat as state champions is still alive. “I think that’s what the goal of every season is, is to make the state championship” Walton coach Ashley Jones said. “So that fact that we’re one step closer is very exciting.” Meanwhile, Archer (30-5) sees its season come to an end, as the champions of Region 4AAAAAAA. “I think we’re getting hot at the right time,” Jones said. “They have really fought for every single point. They’re really working hard in practice and making sure that the focus is there. So, I think we finally found our stride of just making sure we’re focused on one point at a time.” Walton to battle is out, but they pulled off a 27-25, 27-25, 18-25, 25-21 win. Walton took the first two sets by taking early leads and holding off Archer’s attempts at a comeback that went down to the wire, 27-25 each time. The Tigers avoided the shutout by
USA TODAY Sports Media Group
atlantanewsfirst.com
Frederick Douglass football player who survived crash, long recovery playing in senior night game
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — For Frederick Douglass High School senior Travis Isaacs, Friday night’s game is about more than football. The Frederick Douglass football team will host Pace Academy on senior night at Lakewood Stadium in southeast Atlanta, with kickoff scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Among the seniors taking the field will be Isaacs, a safety who returned to the sport after surviving a crash that killed both of his brothers and left him in a coma.
Gwinnett Daily Post
Grayson dominates in region win over South Gwinnett
LOGANVILLE — For many football coaches, it’s a luxury to be able to give underclassmen valuable experience at the end of lopsided games. For Grayson head coach Greg Carswell, those second- and third-stringers that enter when the game is already decided are future Division I players. Grayson (5-4, 2-1 Region 4-AAAAAAA) dominated visiting South Gwinnett (5-3, 1-1) in every facet on Friday to earn a 52-0 win, allowing Carswell to deploy reserves that would start on many teams in the state. After starter Deuce Smith threw for two touchdowns and rushed for another two, backup quarterback K.J. Simpson ran in a 10-yard score to stamp a perfect night for the Rams. “That kid’s expected to be the guy next year,” Carswell said of Simpson, a junior. “So him being able to get these reps with us having the schedule we’ve had all year and games going down to the wire into the fourth quarter, we haven’t been able to get him in that much. So when he’s able to get in there and do what we know he can do, it’s a great thing to see.” For the time being, though, Smith is more than capable of being the leader
bcinterruption.com
Three-Star DB Stays Committed To Boston College After Father’s Departure
Kenyatta Watson mutually parted ways with the Eagles but his son remains committed. Boston College has been busy on the recruiting front lately. After a flip and a loss over the last week or so, the Eagles received good news from three-star defensive back Jett Watson. Watson, the son of...
ramblinwreck.com
Men’s Basketball Closes Preseason at Providence College
GEORGIA TECH (0-0, 0-0 ACC) at PROVIDENCE COLLEGE (0-0, 0-0 BIG EAST) Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026 | 12 p.m. ET | Providence, R.I. | Amica Mutual Pavilion. Georgia Tech men’s basketball closes out preseason play with its final exhibition slated for Saturday at Providence College. The Yellow Jackets and Friars, who have never met in program history, tip in the final tune-up of preseason at noon in Amica Mutual Pavilion.
Gwinnett Daily Post
Providence Christian earns first football win in 19 tries against Athens Academy
LILBURN — Providence Christian broke through Friday night with a big win over a longtime football nemesis. The Storm defeated Athens Academy 35-28 on quarterback Riley Braiden’s touchdown run with 13 seconds left, earning their first victory over the longtime Athens power in the 8-AA matchup. Providence entered Friday’s game with an 0-18 all-time record against the Spartans, and almost all of those losses were in lopsided fashion, including a 69-13 setback last season. Until their breakthrough win, the Storm had never held Athens Academy under 40 points in a game. “What an unbelievable football game,” first-year Providence head coach Trae Owens said. “Our players showed tremendous character and resilience tonight. We got down 14-0 early, battled back to tie it, and then went into halftime down 21-14. Our guys never folded, never flinched and continued to believe in each other. “All three phases played a huge role in this win. Our defense made stops when we needed them most, our offense capitalized when we had opportunities and our special teams created two big turnovers that gave us momentum. This was a huge win for our program against a team we had never beaten before, just a complete team win.
Gwinnett Daily Post
Lanier responds to early deficit, rolls past Johns Creek
SUGAR HILL — Lanier took down Johns Creek 43-14 in a come-from-behind, Region 7-AAAAAA football game on Friday. After fallowing behind 14-0, the Longhorns rallied quickly to finish the first quarter with a lead, then pulled away. “Yeah, just being able to overcome adversity was big,” Lanier head coach Tyler Maloof said after the game. “I mean that same situation happened to us against Lambert, and we didn’t. That felt like a mountain we couldn’t climb. So, really just proud of our guys not for freaking out down 14-0.” Johns Creek set up a scoring opportunity when quarterback Jacob Blackwelder found wide receiver Ben Feigin for a 43-yard pass. Blackwelder carried in the ball the remaining two yards for the touchdown with 9:35 left in the first quarter. The Gladiators scored again on their following drive when Michael Hanley found the end zone for a touchdown with 5:12 left in the first quarter for a 14-0 edge. Lanier (4-4, 2-2 region) punted on its first drive, but it got on the board the second time around. Running back Michael Morring put together three consecutive big runs, and after an incomplete pass, the versatile Ben Vanden Bos took it in two
Gwinnett Daily Post
Makyree Cross totals 5 TDs in Collins Hill's 52-40 win over Dacula
SUWANEE — Collins Hill quarterback Makyree Cross tossed four touchdown passes and ran for another as the Eagles kept their state playoff hopes alive with a 52-40 win over visiting Dacula in Region 8-AAAAAAA football Friday night. Ranked No. 39 in the GHSA’s PSR Power Rankings coming into the contest, the Eagles (3-5, 3-1 region) would have been all but eliminated with a loss. “I told the kids that every week it’s win or go home,” Collins Hill head coach Drew Swick said. “We’re banged up and have many kids sick but I’m proud that we found a way to win tonight.” Dacula (4-4, 2-2) received the opening kickoff but was only able to move to its 45 before the Eagles forced a punt. On the kick, the ball deflected off a Collins Hill defender and was picked up by return man, Xavier Sheffield on the right hash at the 14. Reversing his field, Sheffield made the corner around the left side of the field and raced 86 yards for the touchdown. Kevin Lopez’s extra point gave Collins Hill a sudden 7-0 lead. “Xavier is a three-year starter and one of the hardest workers on this team,” Swick said of
fox5atlanta.com
Rough Draft Atlanta
New StationSoccer field opens at H.E. Holmes MARTA Station to serve metro youth
MARTA and Soccer in the Streets officially celebrated the grand opening of the newest StationSoccer field at H.E. Holmes Station on Oct. 21. The launch comes a decade after the partners unveiled the world’s first transit-station pitch at Five Points Station, according to a press release. The addition of the H.E. Holmes StationSoccer pitch converts […] The post New StationSoccer field opens at H.E. Holmes MARTA Station to serve metro youth appeared first on Rough Draft® .
Gwinnett Daily Post
Meadowcreek football wins thrilling Homecoming game
NORCROSS — Playing in all-black uniforms for the first time on Homecoming night, Meadowcreek’s football team notched a memorable victory. The Mustangs rallied in the fourth quarter and snapped a six-game losing streak with a 34-27 win over Midtown in Region 4-AAAAAA play on Friday night. They improve to 2-6 overall and 1-5 in the region. Patrique Prioleau scored four of Meadowcreek’s touchdowns, including the game-winner in the fourth quarter. “They’re finally really coming together, getting together aned playing more as a team now,” Meadowcreek head coach Johnny Burdette said. “We’ve got another chance (for a win) next week (against Lakeside-DeKalb) if we can come out and play good. We’re excited about the last two games. We’ve got nothing to lose the rest of the season.” The Mustangs missed some early field goals and trailed 20-13 at halftime, then the deficit continued into the fourth quarter. Midtown led 27-25 when Meadowcreek’s Kingsley Dudley made a big play for a safety that tied the score. The shift led to Prioleau’s go-ahead score on the next possession, and Brian Hicks sealed the victory with an interception that allowed his team to hit the victory formation. Hicks also scored a TD in the
fox5atlanta.com
WNBA Finals crowd, Hilary Swank, GMA exes engaged
The Atlanta Dream defeat Golden State in front of a star-studded WNBA Finals crowd at State Farm Arena. Plus, Hilary Swank pushes back against critics of older motherhood, and former GMA co-anchor exes Andrew Shue and Marilee Fiebig announce their engagement.
Gwinnett Daily Post
fox5atlanta.com
Cherokee Tribune
Chattahoochee Gold kicks off short course schedule
With last weekend’s 33rd annual Gold Invite at the Cumming Aquatic Center, the Chattahoochee Gold Swim Club kicked off this year’s short-course swimming season. The Gold, now a larger club after absorbing the former Aiken-Augusta Swim League team, saw plenty of top-10 finishes across the two-day competition. It was an encouraging start for Chattahoochee’s owner and lead coach, Mike Wardwell. “What stands out to me is seeing young swimmers develop the confidence to take on challenging races and see their work pay off,” Wardwell said. “Coach Mark Schilling and his staff are building that confidence every day at Cherokee, and this meet gave us some exciting examples of that progress.” Ella Malave, Gracelee Lowry and Adele Sankowski were among Gold’s first-place finishers from the girls competition. Malave won two of her six events, while taking third, fourth, fifth and ninth in the others, which were all in the 13-and-over age group. Malave was the top swimmer in the 100- and 200-yard breaststrokes with times of 1 minute, 11.24 seconds and 2:37.19, respectively. Lowry, competing in the same age group, picked up a victory in the 400 IM (4:58.37). Sankowski was the 100 butterfly champion (1:00.47), along with third-place finishes in