Christian Heritage crowned 2008 GFL Champions
You could tell early on that Saturday night was going to be a night that belonged to the Christian Heritage Lions’ football team. With the Lions trailing 7-6 with three minutes remaining in the first quarter and on their own 43, Lions quarterback John Pierce completed a 5-yard pass to standout running back Jarred Cronan. But before Cronan could go down, he was hit from behind and fumbled the ball forward to and Pierce’s brother Daniel scooped up the ball and ran another 52 yards for a touchdown. After the extra kick, the Lions (12-0) went up 13-7 and never looked back on the way to a 33-7 win over the Crown Knights at Kell High, completing their quest to go undefeated and take the Georgia Football League Championship trophy.
“That fumble shouldn’t have happened,” said Cronan of his first-quarter miscue that led to Daniel Pierce’s score. “That play was not designed the way it was run. We were just making it up as it went along. But we put that kind of stuff behind us and we just played our football game.”
Cronan – the offensive anchor all season for the Lions – finished his final prep career game with 240 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
Lions coach Mike Vaden lauded the team’s defense, which efforts included a goal line stand at the end of the first half to maintain the Lions’19-7 lead, and five interceptions between the Pierce brothers, with John getting three and Daniel two.
“The boys played a great game,” Vaden said. “There was tremendous effort given across the board. Defensively, I was so proud of the boys. We bent, but we didn’t break. We gave up some plays but we never quit trying.”
As was the case in most victories this season, Christian Heritage got off to a quick start. After forcing a Knights’ three-and-out, the Lions got the ball on their own 49 and Cronan ran 51-yards on the first play for a quick 6-0 lead. But the Knights responded with a 16-play, seven minute drive that ended in quarterback Rob Shuler’s 1-yard touchdown run to give his team a 7-6 lead after the extra point.
Helping to set up the scoring drive was Shuler’s 40-yard pass to Brandon Apon. Though Shuler finished the night with 274 passing yards on 22-of-35 passing, the passing game ultimately worked against the Knights, with the five interceptions preventing the team from getting back in the game. Just before the end of the first quarter, the Lions scored for the third time, this one off a brilliant 61-yard Cronan run in which he attacked the middle of the field – which was full of Knights – made a spin move to break two tackles and bolted to the left sideline. It appeared two Knights had an angle on Cronan as he approached the end zone, but he outran them both to give the Lions a 19-7 lead.
At the end of the first half, the Knights put together another 16-play, seven-minute drive, but they couldn’t get in the end zone despite having the ball on the Lions’ 5 with four downs. The Lions had the Knights at fourth-and-five, but were called for pass interference, giving the Knights a fresh set of downs and the ball on the 2. But with the clock winding down, Shuler’s lob to the end zone to Apon was knocked away by Cronan to preserve the halftime lead.
The Lions added to their lead in the second quarter on Parmalee Ward’s 10-yard touchdown run to put Christian Heritage ahead 26-7 after the extra kick.
The game’s final score came on Cronan’s 5-yard run to the left corner of the end zone. It appeared he would be stopped at the 1, but he lunged forward and knocked the pylon over with the ball for the score.
On the ensuing kickoff, Lions kicker Viktor Ferraz made one of the rarest plays in football, recovering his own kick, a 15-yard pooch punt that went untouched.
“I saw the ball go up, and I said ‘Go catch this ball!,’” said Ferraz, a first-year exchange student from Brazil. “I have a great coaching staff that has taught me a lot. These people are my family.”
Junior tight end and linebacker Terrell Wilson echoed the feelings of his teammates after the game.
“It feels so great right now,” said an ecstatic Wilson. “We worked so hard for this all the way from spring training till now. It’s feels so great to win a championship and go undefeated.”
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2008 GFL All-Star Team
Aaron Skipper –Paulding #77
Alex Woodward — Crown #8
Andrew Gifford — Bartow #47
Andrew Long — Georgia Force #71
Andrew Weaver–Christian Heritage #76
Andy Sheppard — East Atlanta #74
Austin Jones — Crown #54
Ben Allison — Georgia Force #25
Ben Keeling — North Georgia #33
Blake Coughlin — Georgia Force #24
Brandon Apon — Crown #1
Chris Hardin — Georgia Force #43
Chris Land — Christian Heritage #72
Clark Gunn — Paulding #3
Daniel Pierce–Christian Heritage #5
Daniel Tilden — Georgia Force #73
David Harley — Georgia Force #46
David Hill –Christian Heritage #70
David Ross — North Georgia #19
Earl Turner — Paulding #42
Enrico Welborn — Bartow #40
Ethan Knight –Christian Heritage #12
Evan White — Crown #6
Fritz Stepat — Crown #43
Gabe Jefferson– North Georgia #28
Hunter Carl — Crown #78
Hunter Kranzlein–Christian Heritage #56
Isaac Thomason — Christian Heritage #65
Jarred Cronan–Christian Heritage #22
Jarrod Lane — Bartow #50
John Pierce –Christian Heritage #1
John Williams — Bartow #71
Joseph Hawkins — East Atlanta #44
Joseph King — East Atlanta #5
Josh Pack — Bartow #69
Kris Setser — North Georgia #99
Luke Castle — Paulding #7
Matt Hardin — Georgia Force #10
Michael Tribble — NCA #22
Mike Lane–Christian Heritage #32
Reid Hawkins — East Atlanta #10
Robbie Schuler — Crown #5
Robert Davis — North Georgia #26
Seth Wynn — North Georgia #62
Terrell Wilson–Christian Heritage #40
Tim Brummel — Crown #28
Tim Howard — North Georgia #6
Viktor Ferraz — Christian Heritage #16
Zach Howard — North Georgia #52
Zavior Thompson — Georgia Force #56
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2008 Final Regular Season Standings
GFL………………….League Record..Overall Record
Teams………………..Won……Lost…..Won…Lost
Christian Heritage…..8……….0………10…….0
North Georgia………..6……….2……….6…….2
Crown Knights………..6……….2……….6…….2
NCC Crusaders……….5……….3……….5…….3
Georgia Force………..5……….3……….5…….3
East Atlanta…………..3……….5……….3…….5
Bartow Generals…….2……….6……….2…….6
Paulding Panthers…..1……….7……….1…….7
NCA Lions……………….0……….8……….0…….8
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Christian Heritage blasts NCC Crusaders 42-13
The unbeaten Lions started slowly, but finished strong against NCC. The Crusaders scored first on a Brad Williams 4 yard run to go up 7-0, but the Lions came back on a John Pierce 46 yard touchdown pass to brother, Daniel, to tie the score. Then Jarrod Cronan ran 4 yards for a touchdown, giving the Lions a 14-7 lead. This was also the halftime score. In the third quarter, Cronan scored twice on runs of 43 and 3 yards to extend the Lions lead to 28 to 7. Then in the 4th period, Terrell Wilson intercepted a pass and went 32 yards for the touchdown, making the score 35 to 7. John Pierce added a one yard touchdown later that gave the Lions a 42 to 7 lead. The final score came when a fumble by the Lions was picked up by Kyle Torrey of NCC and returned 74 yards for a touchdown to make the score 42-13.
Crown Knights beat North Georgia 27-12
The Knights and the Falcons played last weekend with the Falcons winning 24-21, but the Knights turned the tables this week and beat the Falcons. The Knights fell behind early when Tim Howard connected with Robert Davis on a 13 yard TD reception to give the Falcons a 6 to 0 lead. The Falcons recovered a fumble, then scored on a 11 yard run by Tim Howard that made the score 12-0. Before the end of the first quarter, Crown scored on a Rob Schuler to Brandon Apon 14 yard TD pass. Tony Wood added the extra point to make the score Falcons 12 Knights 7. In the second quarter, Schuler connected with Fritz Stepat on a flair pass and Stepat took it 33 yards for a touchdown. The extra point was good and Crown had the lead 14 to 12. With 3:14 before the half, Rob Schuler again connected with Fritz Stepat this time on a 11 yard TD pass. Wood added the extra point and Crown had a 20-12 lead. Both teams moved the ball, but were unable to score as the defense was able to thwart several drives from both teams. One drive had the Falcons on the 1 yard line, but they were unable to score. Finally late in the 4th quarter Crown was able to score as Fritz Stepat took it in from 2 yards out to make the final score 27 to 12.
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Crown RB Tim Brummel runs with the football as teammates block.
North Georgia Falcons nip Crown Knights 24-21
The Falcons got on the scoreboard first with a 30 yard field goal from Karter Brown to go up 3-0 with 5:50 to go in the first quarter. Crown’s Evan White intercepted a Falcon pass and returned it 45 yards for a touchdown. The 2 pt extra point attempt was good after QB Rob Schuler connected with Tim Brummel in the end zone, giving Crown the lead at 8-3. This was the score at the end of the quarter. Crown went up 14-3 with 8:40 to go in the second quarter when QB Rob Schuler scored on a one yard run. The kick was no good. Score: Crown 14 North Georgia 3. The Falcons came right back and scored on a Tim Howard run of 4 yards. The Falcons went for the 2 point conversion and were successful when Howard threw to Robert David in the end zone. Crown led 14-11. The Falcons moved down the field before halftime, but missed on a 38 yard field goal just before halftime.
Halftime score: Crown 14 North Georgia 11.
The Falcons took the second half kickoff and drove down the field. David Ross capped the drive with a 9 yards run for the score. Karter Brown added the extra point. Falcons took the lead at 18 to 14.
With 12 seconds left in the third quarter, Crown scored on a Schuler to Josh Cantrell 4 yard pass. The extra point was good and Crown had the lead again at 21 to 18. The 4th quarter saw both teams move the ball but turnovers stiffled each drive. However, the Falcons took over with about 4 mnutes left in the game. They drove down the field and on a third and 10 David Ross connected with Riley Davis on a 23 yard pass that put the ball on the 2 yard line. With 1:45 left on the clock, David Ross scored from 2 yards giving the Falcons the margin of victory. North Georgia 24 Crown 21. Crown moved the ball down the field, but fell short of the goal.
Christian Heritage defeats Faith Covenant 35-18
The Lions added another victory to their season as they defeated Faith Covenant from Huntsville, AL. 35 to 18 on Saturday. The non-conference game gave the Lions another opportunity to build on their highly successful season as they now have won 9 and are still undefeated.
Game results for Friday, Oct 24th
East Atlanta 29 Paulding 14
Georgia Force 52 NCA Lions 0
NCC 2 Bartow 0 (forteit)
Game schedule for Friday, Oct 24th
POSTPONED TIL FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31ST
North Georgia vs Crown Knights at Kell Stadium has been postponed from Friday night, Oct 24th to Friday night, Oct 31st
Game results for Friday, Oct 17th
Christian Heritage beats Bartow 42-14
The Lions erupted for 35 second quarter points and coasted to the victory. Jarrod Cronan scored twice and John Pierce threw for two touchdowns. The victory gives Christian Heritage the regular season top rank spot and #1 seed for the GFL playoffs. Congratulations to the Lions for an undefeated regular season.
Crown Knights defeat NCA Lions 62-0
Georgia Force wins over Paulding 2-0 (forfeit)
NCC 39 East Atlanta 8
Games results
Christian Heritage 49 Paulding 8
Crown Knights 19 NCC Crusaders 14
Georgia Force 29 East Atlanta 13
The Force and Mustangs battled to an 8-7 first half score, but the Force capitalized in the second half to secure the win. Scoring for the Force were RB Ben Alllison on a 8 yard run, QB Michael Francis on a 20 yard run and David Harley, who intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown and who ran 85 yards for a touchdown on a kickoff return. The Mustangs Andrew Jacobs scored twice.
North Georgia 42 NCA 0
The North Georgia Falcons scored on runs by David Ross, Michael Jefferson, James St.Denis and Joel Nels. Adam Stephens connected with Zach Walsh on a touchdown pass and Ryan Rivers intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown. Karter Brown kicked a 43 yard field goal.
Game results for Friday, Oct 3rd and Saturday, Oct 4th
Force #5 Michael Francis eludes Falcon tacklers on way to touchdown
Force nip Falcons 13-12
It was a whale of a ballgame in Suwanee as the Force and Falcons battled all night long. The Falcons took the opening kickoff and drove down the field only to be stopped inside the one yard line. A penalty moved the ball back to the 6 yard line where on 4th down the Falcons field goal attempt was wide left. The Force took over and moved down the field, however, the drive stopped when the Falcons recovered a fumble. The Falcons drove down the field, this time again getting to the one yard line, however, a fumbled snap on 4th down caused the QB to be tackled at the 3 and the Force took over. At the end of the first quarter, Falcons 0 Force 0. Second quarter was much the same with both teams moving the ball. This time it was the Force that had the ball at the one when the QB fumbled trying to score and the Falcons recovered. Despite being able to move the ball, neither team was able to get the ball into the end zone. Halftime score: Falcons 0 Force 0. The third quarter started with the Force receiving the ball. On a third down, QB Michael Francis eluded 5 Falcon tacklers on his way to a 54 yard touchdown run. The extra point kick was no good. Force 6 Falcons 0. The Falcons turned right around and drove down the field. QB Tim Howard scored on a 4 yard run. The big play was a Howard to WR Robert Davis pass that went for 35 yards. The extra point kick was wide right. Falcons 6 Force 6. The score stayed this way until early in the 4th quarter when the Falcons were able to connect on a 28 yard TD pass from Howard to WR Zach Walsh. The Falcons went for the two point attempt and were stopped short of the goalline. Falcons 12 Force 6. With just over 6 minutes to go in the game, QB Michael Francis connect with WR Andrew Johns for a 27 yards touchdown pass. BJ Ballard’s extra point kick barely made it over the crossbar to make the kick good and give the Force a 13 to 12 lead. The Falcons took over and drove down the field and were inside the 30 yard line, but two holding penalties pushed the ball back and the Falcons were unable to get any closer. Final: Force 13 Falcons 12.
Falcon QB Tim Howard prepares to pass against Force defense
Crown 46 Bartow 6
The Crown Knights defeated the Bartow Generals 46-6 and improved their record to 4 wins with only 1 loss.
The Paulding Panthers defeated the NCA Lions 48-6 for their first victory of the year
Christian Heritage Lions 20 NCC Crusaders 13
On Saturday night playing on their home field, the NCC Crusaders were in upset mode taking on the unbeaten Christian Heritage Lions. NCC dominated the first quarter scoring twice to take a 13-0 lead. Behind for the first time all year, the Lions were 3 plays and out on the only 2 drives they had in the first quarter. Neither team scored in the second quarter though the Lions had two opportunities, one on a touchdown pass that was called back because of a penalty and the other when they drove to the 4 but were stopped on 4th down. The Lions looked like their unbeaten record might fall and the way things were going it did not look good for them. Score at halftime: NCC 13 Christian Heritage Lions 0.
However, Christian Heritage took the second half kickoff and drove 60 yards, scoring on a John Pierce to Daniel Pierce touchdown pass. The extra point kick was good to make the score NCC 13 CH 7. Then with 4:59 left in the 3rd quarter, Terrell Wilson intercepted a NCC screen pass and ran it in for the score. The extra point kick was good and Christian Heritage took a 14 to 13 lead. That is how the 3rd quarter ended. With 9:38 to go in the 4th quarter, Jarred Cronnan scored on a 38 yard run, but the extra point was blocked. Lions 20 Crusaders 13. Both teams had opportunities, but couldn’t score again. The Lion’s John Pierce intercepted a NCC pass at the 5 yard line on the final drive by NCC.
Final score: Christian Heritage 20 NCC 13
Game results for Friday, Sept 26 & Saturday, Sept 27th
NCC Crusaders defeat Georgia Force 12-7
NCC’s Jeraime Thompson returned an interception and a punt for touchdowns to lead the Crusaders past the Force 12-7.
Christian Heritage tames East Atlanta Mustangs 39-6
The Lions improved their record to 5-0, scoring on each of its first 3 offensive possesions of the game. QB John Pierce connected
with his brother, Daniel Pierce, for a 10 yd TD pass. On their next possession, Jarred Cronan scored on a 10 yard run. Then John Pierce ran 1 yd for a touchdown to close out the scoring in the 1st quarter. In the second quarter, the Lions’ Emery Brown scored twice on runs of 20 and 5 yards to give the Lions a 33-0 half time lead. The final TD for the Lions came on a 65 yd run by Jarred Cronan. East Atlanta scored on a 14 yd pass from #7 Tyler Thomas to #44 Joseph Hwkins in the fourth quarter to make the score 39-6.
North Georgia blanks Bartow 34-0
After a scoreless first quarter that saw Bartow control the clock, the Falcons David Ross ran 38 yards for a touchdown with 8:56 left in the second quarter. Riley Davis added the extra point making the score 7-0. The Falcons scored again with 4:49 to go when QB Tim Howard connected with Riley Davis on a 21 yard touchdown pass. Davis added the extra point and the Falcons led 14-0. A 57 yard touchdown run by Tim Howard and a Davis extra point kick with 2:22 til halftime gave the Falcons a 21-0 lead. Then with 48 seconds to go before halftime, Tim Howard’s pass to Robert Davis for a 3 yard TD made the score 27-0 at the half. The Falcons took the second half kickoff and marched down the field, scoring from 19 yards on a run by David Ross. Riley Davis added the extra point to round out the scoring at 34-0.
Crown beat Paulding
Force fails in bid to upset Christian Heritage
On the final play of the game, John Pierce of Christian Heritage picked off a BJ Ballard pass and returned it for a touchdown to keep the Lions unbeaten and defeat the Force 33-27. The Force scored with just over a minute left in the game to tie the score at 27 and could have gone ahead on the extra point attempt, but were penalized after the touchdown. Instead of kicking the extra point from the 10, the penalty moved the ball back making it a 30 yard attempt and the kick was no good. With the score tied 27-27, Christian Heritage took the kickoff and drove down the field. The Force stopped the Lions and took over with 7 seconds left. It looked like the game would go into overtime, but the Force elected to go for the win on the last play and the rest is history.
Christian Heritage led 7-0 on a Jarred Cronan touchdown run only to have the Force tie it at 7. Then Christian Heritage went up 14 to 7 at the half. The Lions were able to score two more times in the 3rd quarter to go up 27 to 7. In the fourth quarter, the Force came roaring back to tie the game at 27 before missing the extra point kick.
The Lions stay unbeaten and alone atop the GFL.
Games results for Friday, Sept 19th
Bartow Generals crush NCA Lions 57-6
The Bartow County Generals ran their regular season record to 2-2 Friday night as they defeated the NCA Lions by a score of 57-6. The Generals struck first as Andrew Gifford raced 54 yards for a touchdown. The Generals scored again quickly on a one yard run by Nathan Rogers that followed an interception and 40 yard return by Josh Pack. The first quarter scoring was completed when Rico Welborn rushed in from 4 yards. The second quarter was almost a carbon copy of the first with the Generals’ defense holding the Lions to minimal yardage while the offense continued to rack up yards and points. Touchdowns were scored by Rico Welborn on a 40 yard run, Eric Borgese on a 35 yard run and Nathan Rogers on a 5 yard run. Rogers’ touchdown followed a safety by Josh Pack. The first half ended with Mason Rudder recovering a fumble on the kickoff. The second half saw touchdown runs by Rico Welborn and Eric Borgese as well as a consistently stingy defense as Frederick Kittle and Nathan Rogers each intercepted passes.s
Defensively, 11 different Generals made tackles, led by Rico Welborn with 5. The Generals recorded 3 interceptions, a safety and 1 fumble recovery on their way to holding the Lions to 51 total yards of offense. Offensively, the Generals totalled 345 yards, led by Andrew Gifford with 134 yards on 12 carries and Rico Welborn with 102 yards on 13 carries. In all, 9 Generals carried the ball for positive yardage in the game.
NCC Crusaders cruise 49-0 over Paulding Panthers
North Georgia 25 East Atlanta 6
The Falcons kicked off to the Mustangs, then recovered a fumble which led to a 25 yard touchdown drive capped off by a David Ross 3 yards run for the score. The extra point was no good so the Falcons led 6-0. On the first play after the kickoff, Mustang running back Benjamin Herring broke loose for a long run and was stopped at the one yard line. QB Tyler Thomas was able to punch it in for the touchdown making it 6-6. The extra point was no good. Late in the second quarter, Falcon QB Tim Howard scored from 3 yards out. Riley Davis was good on the extra point kick and North Georgia led 13-6.
The Falcons took the second half kickoff and 8 plays later scored on a 6 yard run by Tim Howard making the score 19-6. The final score came on a Howard to Zach Walsh 5 yard touchdown pass. Final score 25-6.
Game Result for Sat, Sept 13th
Christian Heritage defeats Crown 27-13
The Christian Heritage Lions take over sole possession of first place as they beat the Crown Knights and knock them from the unbeaten ranks. In the first quarter, Lions QB John Pierce connected with Terrell Wilson for an 18 yard touchdown. Lions kicker Viktor Ferraz was good on the extra point kick. In the second quarter, Christian Heritage recovered a fumble and on the next play QB John Pierce connected with his brother, Daniel, on a 44 yard touchdown pass that gave the Lions a 14-7 halftime lead. In the 3rd quarter, Lions kicker Viktor Ferraz booted a 27 yard field goal to go up 17-7, then early in the 4th quarter kicked a 31 yard field goal and the Lions led 20-7. Crown was able to cut it to 20-13 on a 3 yard run by Fritz Stepat, but Lions punter, Jarred Cronan, faked a punt and ran 39 yards for a touchdown. The extra point by Ferraz was good to make the final score 27-13.
Bartow 42 Paulding 6
The Generals beat the Paulding Panthers 44-6 Friday at Hamilton Crossing. The Generals gained 377 yards on offense while allowing only 115 yards on defense. Rico Welborn was the leading rusher with 179 yards on 15 carries. Andrew Gifford followed with 98 yards on 21 carries. Touchdowns were scored by Rico Welborn, Andrew Gifford, Nathan Rogers, David Morgan and Eric Borgese. Josh Pack led the defense with 3 tackles while Nathan Rogers recovered a fumble and Jeremy Borromeo intercepted a pass.
East Atlanta 28 NCA 0
North Georgia 15 NCC 8
In a defensive battle with 11 turnovers between the two teams, the Falcons were able to hold off the Crusaders for the victory. After a scoreless first quarter, the Falcons had several opportunities to score but missed on two field goals. However, with 2:08 to play in the half, QB Tim Howard connected with WR Zach Walsh for a 12 yard touchdown pass and the Falcons led 6-0. The extra point kick hit the crossbar and was no good. After the kickoff, the Falcons scored again as Tim Howard intercepted a Crusaders pass and ran 50 yards for the touchdown. Riley Davis was good on the extra point kick and the Falcons led 13-0 which was also the score at halftime.
The 3rd quarter was scoreless with both teams playing good defense. With 10:10 left in the 4th quarter, NCC wide receiver Jeraime Thompson caught a short pass and turned it into a 90 yard touchdown eluding several Falcon tacklers along the way. NCC Harry Hays scored on the extra point attempt making the score Falcons 13 NCC 8. The final score came with 3:06 left in the game as the Crusaders were backed up on their own goalline. A bad snap from center went out the back of the end zone giving the Falcons a safety which made the score 15-8.
Game Results for Friday, Sept 5th
Christian Heritage (gold helmets) vs North Georgia (red jerseys)
Christian Heritage 39 North Georgia 7
After a scoreless first quarter, the Falcons went up 7-0 when Tim Howard found Robert Davis for a 1 yard TD pass. Davis was good on the extra point. The Lions came right back with their own scoring drive when Jarred Cronan scored from 14 yards out. The extra point was no good. Falcons led 7-6. With 2:58 left in the half, John Pierce connected with Ethan Knight for a 26 yard touchdown pass. The Lions were good on the 2 point conversion and led 14-7. After kicking off, Ethan Knight intercepted a Falcon pass and returned it 47 yards for a score to make the score 20-7 at the half. The Falcons came out for the second half and on 4th down and 2 had Christian Heritage QB John Pierce almost sacked, however, Pierce was able to elude the tackler and darted 29 yards for a score that broke the game open at 26-7. Emory Brown added a 20 yard TD after Christian Heritage recovered a fumbled kickoff. The final score came when the Lion’s Terrell Wilson recovered a Falcon fumble and returned it 69 yard. CH 39 North Georgia 7
Crown 52 East Atlanta 12
Georgia Force 43 Bartow 7
Bartow took the opening kickoff and scored to go up 7-0, but the Force came back and scored, then their defense took over. During the game, the Force recovered 3 fumbles. Force QB Michael Francis had two TD runs along with Nathan Justus and Ben Allison. Andrew John caught a 40 yard TD pass from BJ Ballard.
NCC Crusaders 61 NCA Lions 0
Game Results for Friday, Aug 29th
Crown Knights defeat Georgia Force 30-16
Crown came out on fire as a Robbie Schuler to Brandon Apon pass on the first play caught the Force defenders by surprise. This 65 yard touchdown gave the Knight early momentum which they turned into a 24 point lead before the Force could catch their breathe. A 24-6 halftime lead slowly dwindled to 24-16 and the possibility of another Force comeback win. However, it’s a new season and Crown would not be denied scoring the final touchdown to win 30-16.
East Atlanta beats Bartow 36-20
The Mustangs from Conyers unleashed a potent offense putting 36 points on the board and getting the victory over the Generals in the opening game for both teams.
North Georgia Falcons shut down Paulding 35-0
The Falcons scored on their first possession when David Ross scored on a 27 yard run to go up 6-0. Robert Davis missed the point after attempt. Still in the first quarter, Ryan Rivers scored on a one yard run and Davis was good on the extra point making the score 13-0. In the second quarter, Robert Davis booted a 30 yard field goal that increase the Falcon lead to 16-0. Then Riley Davis picked off a Luke Castle pass and ran it in from 37 yards to score. Robert Davis was good on the extra point and the Falcons led 23-0. On the last play before halftime, Adam Stephens connected with Robert Davis on a 20 yard touchdown pass and the Falcons led 29-0 at the half. The final score came on a 18 yard run by David Ross midway thru the third quarter and finished the Falcon scoring with Riley Davis adding the extra point to make the score final score 35-0.
Christian Heritage Lions maul NCA 59-0
Christian Heritage needed little more than a couple of punt returns and a couple of interceptions run back for touchdowns to hand NCA a big loss in the season opener for each team.
Bartow Generals
Jersey# Player’s Name…..Age
3……….Zach Kimbrell……..16
4………Jeffery Williams…..16
7……….Mason Rudder……14
9……….David Morgan…….18
16……Jeremy Borromeo…15
18……….Grady Nall……….16
20……..Stephen Coriell…..13
23……..Nathan Rogers……17
34……….Eric Borgese…….14
40……..Enrico Welborn……17
47……..Andrew Gifford……16
50……….Jarrod Lane………17
53……..Sam Holloway…….13
57……..Jose Welborn……..13
60……..Frederick Kittle……17
62……..James Jenkins…….14
63…….Andrew Maddox……15
64………Bob Holloway…….15
65………Andrew Kittle…….16
69………Josh Pack………….16
71/1……John Williams…….18
77……..Josh Williams……..14
79………Philip Veitch………16
80………Adam Gifford…….13
82………..Alex Fortin………17
85…….Moritz Lehmann……15
87………Bobby Buckley…..16
Christian Heritage
#……..Player’s Name.. Age
1……….John Pierce…….. 17
3…..Marshall Williams….. 16
5………Daniel Pierce……. 16
10…….Evan Suddeth…… 14
12……..Ethan Knight……. 17
16……..Viktor Ferraz……. 17
18……..Michael Land……. 16
20……Ethan Turnmire…… 14
22……..Jarred Cronan…… 17
25……..Emery Brown…… 17
32………..Mike Lane…….. 17
36…….Parmalee Ward…. 16
40……..Terrell Wilson…… 16
41………Mason Sikes……. 15
45………Josh Barnes………14
50……Travor Maffetone… 16
55…….Morgan Souther…. 15
56…….Hunter Kranzlein… 17
60……….Chris Bailey……. 16
62……….Austin Blake…… 14
63….Xavier Von Ewegen.. 16
65……Isaac Thomason…. 17
66……Karson Campbell…14
70………..David Hill……… 17
71……Owen Hargraves…. 17
72……….Chris Land…….. 18
75…….Robert Hardaway…14
76…….Andrew Weaver…. 16
78…….Tony Wrubleski….. 15
80………Daniel Groce……. 16
84………Cole Deviese……. 16
Crown Knights
#……..Players Name………………Age
1……..Brandon Apon……………….17
4……….David Allen…………………18
5……….Rob Schuler…………………18
6……….Evan White………………….15
8……..Alex Woodward……………….17
9…….Coleman Rankin………………18
10……….Tony Wood………………….16
11…….Joseph Angel………………..16
14………..Wil Paulk…………………..18
21………..Ben Miller………………….17
22……..Josh Cantrell……………….16
27………Ian Walton………………….14
28….Timothy Brummel…………….17
31……..Jordan Crate………………..16
32…….Brock Gooden……………….17
33…….Daniel Gehring……………….15
35……Jonathan Dufner……………….18
41…….Blake Hembree………………15
43………Fritz Stepat…………………16
44………Chris Wright…………………16
48……..Ethan Kaufman………………16
51……Jonathan Haley……………….16
52…….Patrick Johnson………………17
54………Austin Jones………………..17
55……..Luke McElwain………………16
59……….Paul McInnis………………..17
60………David Eden…………………17
63……..James White…………………17
65…….Nick Bradford……………….17
66……..Cord Sloane…………………16
72……..Jacob Harvey……………….17
76……….Chris Carl………………….15
78…….. Hunter Carl…………………16
79…….Matthew Carter……………..18
81…..Andrew Chauncey……………..15
88……….Isaac Hirsh………………….17
92………Garrett Veal………………….15
98……David Beersdorf………………15
99……….Jay Tucker………………….16
East Atlanta Mustangs
Player’s Name…..Age
1…Andrew Jacobs…………….17
5…Joseph King…………………17
7…Tyler Thomas……………….17
8…Daniel Odom………………..15
10..Reid Hawkins………………16
12..Dion Smith………………….15
20..Anthony McKenzie…………17
22..Jeremy Black………………16
23..Kadesh Taylor………………13
26..Benjamin Herring…………15
28..Dustin Glymph…………….14
32..Elijah Babalola…………….17
33..Brandon Baumeister……..18
37..Maurice Brodnax…………..17
42..Colin Munoz…………………15
44..Joseph Hawkins……………18
45..Michael Diaz………………..15
50..Christopher Chafin……….13
52..Chris Burch………………..16
54..Lucky Huynh……………….13
55..John Pardue…………………14
63..Jared Long………………….17
67..Joshua Blocker…………….15
69..Matt Tryall…………………..16
72..Hayden Keating-Broyles…16
74..Andy Sheppard…………….15
75..Lee Cockfield………………13
76..Joshua Bragg………………17
89..Evan McAvoy……………….17
Georgia Force
#………Player’s Name………Age
1………Elisha Patterson……..16
3………..Brandon Pate………16
5……….Michael Francis……..18
6…………Dylan Evans ……….15
8…….Jonathan Kinnemore….15
9…………Andrew John……….18
10……..Matthew Hardin………16
11…………BJ Ballard…………18
14…………Kirk Mote………….16
18……..Michael Bardsley……14
21…….Nathanael Leggett……17
22……….Nathan Justus………16
24………Blake Coughlin………17
25…………Ben Allison………..15
30……..Richard Holcombe…..14
31………Matthew Thomas……13
33……….Andrew Justus………14
34………….Clay Mote…………14
35………..Ryan Dorsey……….14
40……….Johnny Payne……….15
43…… Christopher Hardin……18
44………..Alex Umstead………16
46………..David Harley……….16
47………Ethan Patterson……..15
48……..Zavior Thompson…….16
50……….Seth Sullivan………..16
54………Dustin Sanders………17
55………..Brant Phillips………..17
58………….JR Henson………….15
59………..Ethan Leggett……….14
60………….Alex Oliver…………13
62………….Jesse Harp…………17
65………….Ben Norton…………16
68………..Darrell Strong……….16
70………….Blade King………….14
71…………Andrew Long……….18
72…….Christopher Elmore……16
73………..Daniel Tilden………..17
75………..Jobe Fortner………..13
78………..David Norton………..15
79……….Joshua Ingram………13
80…………Joe Brooks………….16
81……….Korbin Wright………..17
83……….Lucas Shields………..16
88……..Joshua Johnson……….16
NCA Lions
#………Player’s Name……Age
1……….Ben Ansley………..17
2………Zac Morrison………18
3…….Austin Boehmer…….18
6…………John Eagle………14
7…………Keemo Fell………13
11……..Ryan Ansley………15
17…………Eric Fell…………16
21…….Brian Arveson……..16
22…….Michael Tribble…….17
33………Brett Wright………15
44………..JT O’Neil……………
51……..David Laufer………16
52………Ben Ladner……….16
53………Chase Hollis…………
55……..Josh Harmon………17
61………Josh Bekker………16
63……Dallas Paukner……..13
72………Jacob Trout……….14
NCC Crusaders
#……Player’s Name…..Age
4………Jake Sims……….17
5………Kacy Stuart……..14
8………Jordan Landrum..15
15..Jeraime Thompson…18
18….Stefan Johnson……17
21……LaKeano Babb…..16
22……Anthony Moore….17
27……Brad Williams……16
32…….Kyle Torrey……..16
33…..Jawan Powell……..17
35….Harry Hayes, Jr…..17
46………Alex Hurst………14
50……….Cody Sipe…….16
51….Lawrence Miller…..16
52…….Zach Redmond…17
53……Matt Puckett……..16
55……Josh Garrison……16
59…….Monroe Bell……..14
61…Keaton Wolf-Gillum.15
65……..Sam Hurst………14
70……..Clifton Herold….16
71……Derrick Lynch……12
72………John Quinton….16
73….Jordan Rasmussen.17
76……..Ryan Rucker…..16
77………David Owen……15
81……Austin Marshall….16
85…….Chris Simmons…18
95……..Jason Parrott…..16
North Georgia Falcons
#……Player’s Name….. Age
1……..Ryan Rivers…….15
2………Riley Davis……..14
6………Tim Howard…….16
9…….James St.Denis….17
14…..Adam Stephens….16
19……..David Ross…….18
21……..Zach Walsh…….17
26…….Robert Davis……17
27…….Karter Brown…..16
28……Gabe Jefferson….17
32…….Dillon Gentry……16
33………Ben Keeling……16
36….Michael Jefferson…15
38…..Christian Jones…..16
44…….Kip DeLoach…….16
51………Joel Nels……….18
52……Zach Howard…….17
55…….Nick Beaty……….16
59……Wyatt Bailey……..17
62……..Seth Wynn……..16
63…….Jake Audette……15
64………Mark Dunn…….15
66……Austin Shipman…18
68…….Adam Beiber……15
75……..Miles Page……..16
85……..Talor Odon……..15
88………Dan Lutz……….16
90…….Alec Beaty….,….14
93…….Tim Walker……..15
99……..Kris Setser…….16
Paulding Panthers
Player’s Name….. Age
7…..Luke Castle………………………18
8…..Jymelle Crisp…………………….14
9…..Calvin Davis……………………..13
17.. Neil Berrien………………………12
20…Micah McKenzie………………….16
21…Tramaine Simon…………………17
22…DeMarcus Simmons……………..13
24…Jeremy Martin……………………17
25…Brenton Lowe…………………….16
28…Randy Manley……………………..15
35…Jeffrey Moffatt……………………16
42…Earl Turner………………………..17
47…Greg Blankinship…………………15
55…Jordan McDonald…………………15
56…Blake Dozier………………………16
64…Zane George………………………16
65…DeMarre Turner………………….15
77…Aaron Skipper……………………17
81…Darien Dawson…………………..13
87…Dante Stento………………………13
How do you go about getting a scholarship to play college football?
Article by Michael Carvell (AJC)
OK, so you’re a high school senior and you want to play college football and you are looking for a football scholarship!
With national signing day just more than two months away, there is plenty of time to do something about it. And you can do it on your own, without paying thousands of dollars to recruiting services.
All it takes is a little bit of hard work, a lot of determination and about $50. There are numerous stories of seniors who landed last-minute scholarship offers after taking some initiative. Consider:
St. Louis Rams safety Corey Chavous had only one offer (Wofford) two months before signing day during his senior year at Silver Bluff (S.C.) High. Chavous mailed out 10 highlight tapes and got 10 offers. He signed with Vanderbilt and is finishing his 10th year in the NFL.
Auburn wide receiver Robert Dunn didn’t mail out highlight tapes until late December of his senior year at Laney High of Augusta. He held off signing with South Carolina State on signing day and ended up with offers from Auburn and Nebraska a week later.
North Gwinnett quarterback Mike Tamburo committed to Boise State after Tamburo’s coach mailed out highlight tapes of the team’s seniors to 450 colleges on Sept. 1.
With that in mind, here are four easy steps to put yourself in the best position to be considered for an athletic scholarship:
1. Produce a highlight film
It always has been about —- and always will be about —- the film. Nothing, including glorified letters, personalized Web sites or phone calls from family friends or boosters, means as much as film.
Film gives scouts the best opportunity to evaluate. The best type of film is a highlight tape, which will consist of the top 25-35 plays combined from junior and senior years. Why not more? Most scouts will decide whether you’re good enough for their program after watching only a few minutes, and if so, then they likely will request an entire game film [but not always].
Computer programs with basic editing software cost less than $25, and a lot of people are skilled at editing.
Quick tip: Make sure to put the best plays at the front of the tape. Scouts go through hundreds of tapes a day, and time is short.
2. Preparing the package
After preparing the tape, the next step is completing the rest of the package, which should include unofficial copies of high school transcripts and SAT/ACT scores, which you can send to college once you take the exam.
Also include a simple page of “quick facts, ” which shows contact information, such as your mailing address, cellphone, and e-mail address. It also can highlight football-related items, including height and weight, 40-yard dash times, positions played, individual statistics, and athletic and academic honors. Jersey number and position should be taped to the DVD in large block letters.
Quick tip: When mailing packages to colleges, save 50 percent in postage costs by requesting the “book rate.”
3. Picking the colleges
This is the part of the marketing process where most mistakes are made. Unknown prospects sometimes mail tapes directly to schools like USC, Georgia or Notre Dame. You should at least have a few offer from smaller colleges (Div. II, I-AA) before targeting the “big boys.”
While there is nothing wrong with big dreams, there is a method to the recruiting madness: Start off with the smaller schools and build leverage from there.
For each 10 tapes you send out, five should go to schools you think you are too good to play for; three should go to schools you think you could play for, and two should go to schools you dream of playing for.
If you get an offer from Shorter College, then West Georgia or Morehouse may be willing to look at your film, and then Georgia Southern and Georgia State, and so forth.
Quick tip: Target colleges from surrounding states (North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina and Kentucky) that traditionally recruit the state very hard. Florida colleges may be a waste of time because they tend to stay in-state with recruiting due to the tremendous amount of local prospects
4. Closing the deal
While the most important thing is the highlight tape, No. 2 is following up with colleges about 10-14 days after mailing the packages.
College coaches have hundreds of DVDs on their desks, with many more waiting to be opened.
So think of it like applying for a job: To get noticed, you need to be persistent but polite with phone calls or e-mails.
Quick tip: E-mail addresses and work phones for specific college coaches and football offices can be looked up by clicking here.
Note: When you get to particular school’s Web Site, search under “Athletics” and not “Football”, looking for a “Staff Directory” or “Administration.” Here is an example with the University of South Carolina
FIVE QUESTIONS
1. To which person on the football staff do I send my tape? Either the recruiting coordinator or the position coach of the position you feel you have the best chance of playing in college.
2. What if the college coach never answers when I call? Most don’t, therefore leave a voice mail. If they are interested in you, they will return your call or e-mail you, providing you sent your contact information with the package.
3. Which is the better way of contacting coaches, e-mails or phone calls? Depends on the coach, therefore try both until you figure it out.
4. What if there is no way I can make a highlight tape? Then send out a copy of your best game.
5. What if I’m a junior or sophomore? What should I be doing? If you’re a junior, sign up to take the ACT/SAT as many times as possible for the remainder of this school year. If you qualify early, you will dramatically increase your chances for a scholarship offer. You need to make sure you’re taking the proper classes to met NCAA college entrance requirements. If you’re a junior or sophomore, focus on academics before a highlight tape. And if you do decide to mail out a tape, have it ready to ship around Feb. 1, when colleges can concentrate 100-percent on next year’s recruiting class.
Scrimmage Time: North Georgia (red) scrimmaged Pinecrest Academy (green) as both teams prepare for the upcoming season opener on Friday, August 29th