Georgia sports roundup--Monday, Dec. 15th

NFL/Atlanta Falcons--

The Falcons scored a key victory and remain firmly in the thick of the chase for a NFL postseason spot. On Sunday inside the Georgia Dome, the Falcons beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 13-10 in overtime. With the win, Atlanta improved their record to 9-5 with 2 games remaining on the regular season schedule. Jason Elam's 34-yard field goal was the difference in OT. For the afternoon, running back Michael Turner had another strong effort with 152 rushing yards. Defensive end John Abraham stoked the Atlanta defense with 3 sacks. The Falcons next week travel to Minnesota.

High School football championships--

Georgia's high school football season ended over the weekend with the five class championship games played inside the Georgia Dome. The winners:

Class 5A: Camden County--defeated Peachtree Ridge 21-14
Class 4A: Tucker--scored the win over Marist 15-3
Class 3A: Cairo--the turnback of Flowery Branch 28-14
Class 2A: Buford--defeated Calhoun 45-21
Class A: Wesleyan--the victory over Emmanuel County Institute 33-21

High school football playoffs tonight

Tonight marks the 3rd of 5 weekends of high school football playoff action across the state, as play enters the ‘quarterfinal round.’ 40 teams now remain in the field with hopes of winning one of 5 Class Championships in Georgia. Tonight’s schedule includes action from Baldwin in extreme northeast Georgia, to Kingsland along the coast, to the extreme southwest corner of the state in Colquitt. GPB Sports has been there all season long for high school football fans broadcasting “webcast” Games-of-the-week. That continues tonight with the North Gwinnett at Newnan matchup in west Georgia. Log on to gpb.org/football at 7:30 for complete coverage.

Georgia sports for Monday, November 24th

Atlanta Falcons--

The NFL's Falcons jumped back into the win column Sunday after scoring the 45-28 decision over the rival Carolina Panthers. Running back Michael Turner highlighted the Atlanta offense with 4 touchdowns and 117 rushing yards. It was also a big day for rookie receiver Harry Douglas, who posted a 61-yard punt return score among his 2 touchdowns. With the win, the Falcons improved their record to 7-4, and drew to within 1 game of the lead in the NFC South.

High school football playoffs--

Georgia's high school football postseason is now through two rounds of action. Another weekend of play is ahead for this Friday night across the state.

Georgia/Georgia Tech gridiron rivalry--

The renewal of the Georgia and Georgia Tech football rivalry is ahead for this Saturday. The Bulldogs and Yellow Jackets will clash helmets in Athens Saturday at noon.

Georgia sports roundup--Monday Nov. 10th

Atlanta Falcons / NFL --

The Falcons continued a surprising season with a 34-20 win over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday in Atlanta. Rookie quarterback Matt Ryan proved steady again at the helm, tossing a pair of touchdown passes. The Falcons also benefitted from intercepting the Saints three times. The Falcons improved their record to 6-3. They're also undefeated in 4 games this season inside the Georgia Dome.

College football weekend --

The Georgia Bulldogs escaped Lexington Saturday with a 42-38 win over the Kentucky Wildcats. Georgia scored their 8th win in 10 games on the season. Georgia Tech's Yellow Jackets were not so fortunate--losing their road game at North Carolina 28-7. Tech fell to 7-3 on the season. Georgia Southern's Eagles were also losers on Saturday, beaten on their home field in Statesboro by Samford, 27-17.

High school football --

Georgia's high school football season has reached the playoff stage following the final weekend of regular season action. Please check out gpb.org/football for all the latest on coverage.

Atlanta Hawks / NBA --

The Hawks are 5-0 to start their season, following an 89-85 win at Oklahoma City last night.

Atlanta Thrashers / NHL --

The Thrashers skated to a 5-2 win over division rival Carolina in Raleigh. It was the 4th straight win for Atlanta.

Georgia sports roundup--Friday, Nov. 7th

College football--

The weekend ahead features Saturday games for Georgia, Georgia Tech and Georgia Southern. Georgia's 14th-ranked Bulldogs are on the road to face Kentucky in Lexington at 12:30. The Bulldogs are off a blowout loss to Florida last week--Georgia looks to improve a 7-2 record. Tech's Yellow Jackets are ranked 22nd in the nation, also on the road at #19 North Carolina for a noon kickoff Saturday. Tech brings their 7-2 record to the contest. In Statesboro, Georgia Southern with their 5-4 record will play host to Samford at noon.

High School football--

Getting close to the playoffs, GPB offers another featured webcast game of the week tonight at 7:30. Brookstone plays at Schley County. You can watch the game online at gpb.org/football.

Georgia sports for Friday, September 12th

Atlanta Braves--

The Braves completed a sweep of the Colorado Rockies in Atlanta with an 8-4 win Thursday night in Atlanta. The Braves erupted for 5 runs in the 6th inning to turn the game--the frame included a 3-run homer from shortstop Yunel Escobar. Kelly Johnson had a triple in the game to extend his hitting streak to 10 games. The Braves swept a series for the first time in weeks.

High school football--

Another weekend of high school football is here around Georgia. The action includes a matchup between Carver-Columbus High and Northside Warner Robins--in Columbus. That contest is the GPB featured game-of-the-week. You can watch a webcast of the game by going to gpb.org/football.

College football--

Tomorrow afternoon is the first true test of the season for the Georgia Bulldogs. The team takes its #2 ranking on the road for an in-conference tussle with South Carolina. The Bulldogs scored easy victories in their first 2 games, winning by a combined 63 points with decisions over Georgia Southern and Central Michigan. Georgia at South Carolina kicks-off at 3:30.

In other games of note: Georgia Tech is 2-0 under new head coach Paul Johnson. The Yellow Jackets play at Virginia Tech in a 3:30 start. Georgia Southern is 1-1 in the early going of their schedule--they'll be home in Statesboro tomorrow night for a 6pm kickoff against Northeastern.

Georgia sports for Monday, December 10th

The final chapter in the Michael Vick legal saga is set to be revealed this morning. The suspended Atlanta Falcons quarterback will be in a Richmond-Virginia federal courtroom to learn his sentence for his role in a dogfighting operation. Vick could get the maximum of five years--prosecutors have recommended a term of 12-18 months. U.S. district court judge Henry Hudson will hand-down the sentence. Vick reported to prison last month to get a jump on serving his time.

Vick's old Falcon teammates will be in action tonight in Atlanta to face the New Orleans Saints. The game is set for the 8:30 kickoff from the Georgia Dome.

The high school football championship game matchups are set following a weekend of semifinal action from the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. In Class 5A, North Gwinnett has earned a trip to its first-ever title game--they'll face Lowndes on Saturday. For Class 4A, Northside-Warner Robins and Ware County will tangle on Friday night. The Class 3A championship will match Carver-Columbus against Cairo on Saturday. The 2A final will pit Lovett against Buford Saturday, while 1A will feature the matchup of Emmanuel County Institute and Wilcox County Friday.

Women's college basketball out of yesterday included Georgia at home scoring the 79-65 victory over Davidson.

GHSA Football Semifinals Summary

Wilcox County heads to its first Class A Championship next week against the Emmanuel County Institute Bulldogs with their state touchdown record-breaker Washaun Ealey. Lovett and Buford dominated their semifinal games and will pair up to fight for Class AA championship.

Class AAA teams Carver-Columbus and Cairo will face off after both teams pulled out late wins in the semifinals. The Northside-Warner Robins Eagles also pulled out a late win and will play in the Class 4A finals against the Ware County in the Bulldogs first finals appearance in nearly half a century. First-time Dome visitors North Gwinnett will travel south to play Lowndes for the 5A championship.

All semifinal games and band performances will be available for free on-demand viewing at the Georgia Public Broadcasting web site within the next few days. Copies of the games can also be purchased on VHS or DVD from gametapes.com.

2007 Georgia High School Football Semifinals Summary
CLASS A
Wilcox County 32		Athens Academy 14
ECI at Wilcox County Friday, December 14 - 8:00 pm
Clinch County 14		ECI 35
. . .
CLASS AA
Buford 48		Dublin 0
Lovett at Buford Saturday, December 15 - 6:00 pm
Lovett 29		Cook 16
. . .
CLASS AAA
Carver-Columbus 26		Chamblee 24
Carver-Columbus at Cairo Saturday, December 15 - 3:00 pm
Cairo 42		North Hall 21
. . .
CLASS AAAA
Tucker 28		Northside-Warner Robins 31
Northside-Warner Robins at Ware County Friday, December 14 - 7:30 pm Live on Georgia Public Broadcasting and online at gpb.org
Thomas County Central 7		Ware County 10
. . .
CLASS AAAAA
Walton 28		North Gwinnett 31
North Gwinnett at Lowndes Saturday, December 15 - 7:30 pm Live on Georgia Public Broadcasting and online at gpb.org
Lowndes 10		Camden County 0

Lowndes Wins Hard Fight

It wasn't a game if you like to see touchdowns, but the Lowndes Vikings took the AAAAA semifinal match against the Camden County Wildcats with a first half touchdown and a second half field goal. Final score on the rough-and-tumble game, 10-0. Lowndes will have the home field advantage next Saturday when they face the North Gwinnett Bulldogs for the 5A championship.

North Gwinnett Wins In First Dome Visit

The North Gwinnett Bulldogs are headed to the AAAAA finals next week after defeating the Walton Raiders today in the GHSA Football Semifinals. Going into the second half, the Bulldogs led the Raiders 24-0. Both teams picked up a single touchdown in the last half, for a final score of 31-7. This was the first trip the Georgia Dome for North Gwinnett.

Next week, North Gwinnett will play the winner of the Lowndes - Camden County game.

Cairo Third Quarter Surge Earns Team AAA Finals Spot

After a slow first half, the Cairo Syrupmakers beat the North Hall Trojans 42-21. The first half belonged to the Trojans, with the Syrupmakers only picking up 7 points to the North Hall's 14. Twelve seconds into the third quarter, the Syrupmaker's Reginald Bryant ran 80 yards for the first touchdown, followed quickly by another 48 and 62 yard run touchdowns by Cairo's Ronnie Wooten. By the end of the third quarter, Cairo had added 35 points. It held the lead and only allowed North Hall another 7 for the last half.

The Syrupmakers next week will face the Carver-Columbus Tigers, who pulled out a late win yesterday against the Chamblee Bulldogs, in the AAA finals.

Lovett Lions To Face Buford Wolves

The Lovett Lions bested the Cook Hornets 29-16 in second AA semifinal game this afternoon at the Georgia Dome. The first half belonged entirely to the Lions, and included a 67 yard intercepted touchdown by linebacker Campbell Wilson. The Hornets rallied in the 4th and picked up 16, but couldn't overcome the Lions lead.

The Lovett Lions will face the Buford Wolves next week in AA finals.

Buford Wolves Headed to Finals

The Buford Wolves dominated the Dublin Fighting Irish today at the Georgia Dome, winning 48-0. The Wolves had already racked up 35 points by halftime, with player Tyler King taking three touchdowns. With the strong lead, the clock automatically ran down at the beginning of the 3rd and 4th quarters to bring the game to quick finish.

The Wolves will be watching the game at noon between the Lovett Lions and Cook Hornets to see who they will face next week in Class AA finals.

GHSA Football Semifinals Friday Wrap-up

Wilcox County heads to its first Class A Championship next week against the Emmanuel County Institute Bulldogs with their state touchdown record-breaker Washaun Ealey. Class AAA Carver-Columbus will be watching the match at 3 pm today to see who they will face next week after pulling out a win in the last six minutes of the game over Chamblee. The Northside-Warner Robins Eagles also pulled out a late win to play in the Class 4A finals against the Ware County in the Bulldogs first finals appearance in nearly half a century.

GHSA Football Semifinals Summary - Friday 7 December 2007
A	Wilcox County 32	Athens Academy 14
A	ECI 35	Clinch County 14
AAA	Carver-Columbus 26	Chamblee 24
AAAA	Northside-WR 31	Tucker 28
AAAA	Ware County 10	Thomas County Central 7

The GHSA football semifinals start up again today at 9 am to settle who will be headed to the Class AA finals next week. The games continue throughout the day to settle the who will face Carver-Columbus in the Class AAA finals. By midnight, we will know which of the Class 5A semifinalists have made all the way through to play in the much-watched finals next week.

GHSA Football Semifinals Schedule - Saturday 8 December 2007
9 am	AA	Buford Wolves vs. Dublin Fighting Irish
12 pm	AA	Lovett Lions vs. Cook Hornets
3 pm	AAA	Cairo Syrupmakers vs. North Hall Trojans
6 pm	AAAAA	Walton Raiders vs. North Gwinnett Bulldogs
9 pm	AAAAA	Lowndes Vikings vs. Camden County Wildcats

All games will broadcast live all day starting at 9 am on Georgia Public Broadcasting television and online at the GPB web site.

Georgia sports for Friday, November 30th

Georgia Tech’s search for a new head football coach includes at least one former assistant. Connecticut coach Randy Edsall was in Atlanta yesterday to chat with Tech officials. Edsall served as defensive backs coach with Tech in 1998. For this football season, he led the UConn Huskies to a 9-3 record and berth in the Meineke Car Car Bowl December 29th.

The Atlanta Falcons have lost yet another player for the season due to injury. Offensive tackle Todd Weiner will watch the rest of the team's games from the sidelines--he's on injured reserve with a knee injury. The 10-year veteran is now the third starting tackle to face a season-ending knee procedure. The Falcons now have 12 players on injured reserve, meaning they are done for the season.

Pro hockey last night--the Atlanta Thrashers lost their 3rd straight game, falling at home to Toronto 4-2.

High school football tonight around the state will stage its 3rd round of playoff action. Next week, its the semifinal weekend from the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

Georgia sports for Friday, November 23rd

NFL action on Thanksgiving Day included the Atlanta Falcons--they ended up losers to the Indianapolis Colts inside the Georgia Dome last night, 31-13. The Falcons led the game 10-0 in the 1st quarter, but were victimized by three 2nd quarter touchdown passes by the Colts’ Peyton Manning. The Falcons’ season record fell to 3-8.

During the Falcons' loss, Warrick Dunn became the 22nd player in NFL history to rush for 10-thousand yards in a career. He posted 70 yards last night in reaching the milestone.

Tonight across Georgia, it’s the 2nd round of high school playoff action in the state.

Tomorrow, it’s the annual grudge matchup between the Bulldogs and Yellow Jackets on the football field. Georgia at Georgia Tech Saturday, kickoff at 3:30.

Georgia sports for Friday, November 16th

Playoffs open tonight across Georgia in high school football. A full slate of action is scheduled across the 5 classifications. The 5-week playoff stretch leads to the big semifinal weekend in Atlanta's Georgia Dome December 7th and 8th, and the following weekend's championship games.

Setting the college football weekend ahead: Georgia's Bulldogs play their final home game of the season, a key SEC matchup in Athens against Kentucky. Georgia Tech's Yellow Jackets are home in Atlanta to host North Carolina in the final ACC game of the regular season. Tech and Georgia next weekend face-off in their annual grudge match. For Georgia Southern, the Eagles travel to Colorado State to conclude their regular season schedule.

Georgia sports for Friday, October 19th

After 6 losses to open the season--and then firing their head coach--the Atlanta Thrashers found victory for the first time last night by scoring the 5-3 win over the Rangers in Atlanta. The victory came with general manager Don Waddell coaching the team in the interim. The Thrashers scored the first 4 goals of the game to take control. There was bad news, as goaltender Kari Lehtonen had to leave in the 1st period with a strained groin. It’s an injury that’s plagued him for much of his young career. Today, the team placed Lehtonen on the injured reserve list. They've called-up goalie Ondrej Pavelec from their minor leauge affiliate in the AHL.

Setting the college football weekend ahead: Georgia Tech is home in Atlanta to face Army Saturday afternoon. Georgia Southern's Eagles are on the road tomorrow to face Appalachain State.

Around our state tonight, it's another full schedule of high school football.

Georgia sports for Friday, October 12th

There was a seismic change at the top of the Atlanta Braves management structure. The team announced John Schuerholz is stepping-aside from his long-time job as general manager. However, he gets a better office with the team, taking the reigns as team president. Assistant general manager Frank Wren now assumes full G-M duties. He’s worked with Schuerholz in Atlanta for eight years. The announcement marks the end of a record era of success in pro sports. Schuerholz was general manager 17 years—in that time the Braves won 14-straight division titles, five National League pennants, and one World Series championship.

From pro hockey, the Atlanta Thrashers have now lost 4-straight games to start the season. Last night, the team was blanked at Buffalo 6-nothing. The Thrashers are off to their worst start in 5 years. They've scored only 4 goals in 4 games.

Setting the schedule for college football Saturday ahead: Georgia's Bulldogs take their 4-2 record on the road to Vanderbilt. Ga Tech travels to Miami to face the Hurricanes--the Yellow Jackets a record of 3-3. The Eagles of Ga Southern are on the road with their 4-1 mark, facing Elon.

High school football has another full schedule of games tonight around the state.

Bad news for the Georgia men's basketball team--the school has suspended three players multiple games for violation of the athletic department's new class attendance and academic policies. Starting guard Mike Mercer will miss at least 15 games. Leading scorer Takais Brown will sit-out a minimum of 9 games, while backup center Albert Jackson will miss 6 games.