The Football Report

  John McClellan's Picks  | NAIA championship | Shorter Hawks

Shorter vs. U of the Cumberlands in playoffs Saturday

-Shorter plays the University of the Cumberlands, noon Saturday, Williamsburg, Ky.

-NAIA's top two rushing offenses clash in Saturday's game> Hawks

-Shorter v. Cumberlands game day notes now posted> Notes

-Listen for live coverage from 95.7 FM The Ridge with a Web cast as well.

-Pregame coverage includes "The Phil Jones Show" at 11 a.m.; the pregame show at 11:30 a.m.; and kickoff at noon.

-16 teams are in the NAIA playoffs with round two set for Nov.  29 and round three Dec. 6. Check the NAIA pairs> NAIA

-The championship will be at Barron Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 20, beginning at noon.  Click Championship

-First tickets sold for championship game. Click Tickets

-Shorter Hawks lead Conference All-Academic picks> Football

-More conference honors for football team> Honors

Dr Pepper joins NAIA football championship team: Dr Pepper has been named the exclusive lead sparkling beverage for the 2008 Russell Athletic-NAIA Football National Championship, thanks to an agreement between the company and the NAIA Championship Host Committee> NAIA

-Shorter College's Grant Kersey to serve as media coordinator for the Russell-Athletic NAIA Football National Championship Game> NAIA

WEEK 12 / JOHN McCLELLAN'S PICKSS

John McClellan's High School Football Picks of the Week

-Helmets courtesy of the Georgia High School Helmet Project

-Nov. 14 picks: John was 11-5 in the 16 "focus games," including the Northwest Georgia showdowns. Statewide, he went 58-22.

>For Friday, Nov. 21: Rome, Pepperell, Calhoun and Cartersville all were winners Friday night as nine of the 16 playoff teams representing the four Northwest Georgia regions moved into the second round.  Bremen, Carrollton, Ridgeland, Hillgrove and Sequoyah also still are in the running for state titles, while the season is over for Sprayberry, Central of Carroll, Coosa, Rockmart, Bowdon, Darlington and Gordon Lee.

Class AAAA

Rome (9-2) at Sandy Creek (11-0)

Last Week:  Rome defeated Apalachee 16-8; Sandy Creek defeated Chamblee 14-7

Records against Playoff Teams:  Rome 3-2 (defeated Hillgrove, Sequoyah, & Apalachee; lost to East Paulding & Sprayberry); Sandy Creek 6-0 (defeated Shaw, East Coweta, Whitewater, Northgate, Villa Rica & Chamblee)

Media: 95.7 FM The Ridge, Webcast

This game pits the state’s sixth best AAAA scoring offense from Rome against the second best AAAA scoring defense from Sandy Creek.  Sandy Creek is led by two Division I players, defensive end Brandon Putnam, who is headed to Duke, and quarterback Rio Johnson, who will be going to East Carolina.  The Patriots are one of two teams still unbeaten in AAAA but have had several close games in 2008 in winning the Region 5-AAAA championship.  The Wolves have never won a playoff game on the road.  However, this year’s Rome team has the talent on both sides of the ball to pull the upset. Rome wins by 1.

Hillgrove (8-3) at Tucker (10-1)

Last Week:  Hillgrove defeated Loganville 27-21; Tucker defeated Whitewater 33-7

Records against Playoff Teams:  Hillgrove 1-3 (defeated Loganville; lost to Rome, Sequoyah & Sprayberry); Tucker 4-1 (defeated Brunswick, Chamblee, Southwest DeKalb & Whitewater; lost to Marist)

The Hillgrove Hawks have pulled off back-to-back upsets of Dalton and Loganville to reach the second round.  The Tucker Tigers have lost only to Marist and have been unstoppable in recent weeks.  The season ends for Hillgrove.  Tucker wins by 25.

Sequoyah (10-1) at Marist (10-1)

Last Week:  Sequoyah defeated Clarke Central 34-13; Marist defeated Northgate 42-0

Records against Playoff Teams:  Sequoyah 3-1 (defeated Creekview, Hillgrove & Clarke Central); Marist 4-1 (defeated Chamblee, Tucker, Southwest DeKalb & Northgate; lost to St. Pius X)

The Sequoyah Chiefs lost only to Rome during the regular season.  The Marist War Eagles have rolled to 10 straight wins after losing their season opener to St. Pius X.  Marist rarely loses at home in the playoffs.  Marist wins by 7.

Class AAA

Cartersville (9-2) at Gainesville (11-0)

Series History:  Gainesville leads 2-0

Last Meeting:  Gainesville defeated Cartersville 31-6 in 1953

Last Week:  Cartersville defeated St. Pius X 34-31; Gainesville defeated Oconee County 49-21

Records against Playoff Teams:  Cartersville 4-2 (defeated Rockmart, Calhoun, Central (Carroll) & St. Pius X; lost to Westminster & Carrollton); Gainesville 3-0 (defeated North Hall, Flowery Branch & Oconee County)

Media: WBHF 1450 AM, Webcast: Bartow Headlines

Media: NewsTalk AM 1270 Webcast: www.NewsTalk1270.com

Cartersville hasn’t looked back since its unexpected loss to Cedartown.  The Purple Hurricanes pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the first round with a win over state ranked St. Pius X.   Blake Sims, who transferred to Gainesville from Cass, has led the Red Elephants to an unbeaten season, including a win over traditional rival Flowery Branch to clinch the top seed from Region 8-AAA.  Cartersville has played the tougher schedule but Gainesville gets better every week.  Gainesville wins by 15.

Carrollton (8-3) at Eastside (10-1)

Last Week:  Carrollton defeated Washington 23-7; Eastside defeated Creekview 20-6

Records against Playoff Teams:  Carrollton 4-2 (defeated Whitewater, Cartersville, Central (Carroll) & Washington; lost to Westminster & Ridgeland); Eastside 4-1 (defeated Harris County, Stephens County, Oconee County & Creekview; lost to Hart County)

The Carrollton Trojans, who had struggled with late season injuries, defeated Washington to advance to this week’s second round.  The Eastside Eagles are enjoying their best season ever after reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2001.  The winner of this game must face top-ranked Cairo next week.  Eastside wins by 1.

Flowery Branch (9-2) at Ridgeland (9-2)

Last Week:  Flowery Branch defeated Stephens County 42-21; Ridgeland defeated Carver (Atlanta) 33-0

Records against Playoff Teams:  Flowery Branch 3-2 (defeated Creekview, North Hall & Stephens County; lost to Stephens County & Gainesville); Ridgeland 3-2 (defeated Gordon Lee, Carrollton & Carver (Atlanta); lost to Calhoun & Darlington)

The Flowery Branch Falcons avenged a regular season loss in beating the Stephens County Indians on the road in the first round of the playoffs.  The Ridgeland Panthers won their eighth straight game in the first round meeting with the Carver Panthers.  Flowery Branch wins by 16.

Class AA

Pepperell (10-1) at Callaway (10-1)

Last Week:  Pepperell defeated Riverside Military Academy 38-10; Callaway defeated Greater Atlanta Christian 19-14

Records against Playoff Teams:  Pepperell 4-1 (defeated Villa Rica, Rockmart, Coosa & Riverside Military; lost to Calhoun); Callaway 5-1 (defeated Lovett, Heard County, Macon County, Pike County & Greater Atlanta Christian; lost to Troup County)

Media: 95.3 FM, Webcast

The Pepperell Dragons have the second highest scoring offense in the state in Class AA on the way to their best record in the last decade.  Quan Bray and Tharius Tigner have piled up the yards on the ground in leading the Callaway Cavaliers to the best record in their young history.  This will be a far more demanding test for the Pepperell than last week, and the Dragons will be on the road.  Pepperell’s season continues.  Pepperell wins by 11.

Westminster (9-2) at Calhoun (9-2)

Series History:  Westminster leads 1-0

Only Meeting:  Westminster defeated Calhoun 32-0 in 1957

Last Week:  Westminster defeated Pike County 33-7; Calhoun defeated Banks County 63-0

Records against Playoff Teams:  Westminster 5-2 (defeated Carrollton, Woodward Academy, Cartersville, Greater Atlanta Christian & Pike County; lost to Lovett & Buford); Calhoun 4-1 (defeated Ridgeland, Coosa, Pepperell & Banks County; lost to Cartersville)

Media: WEBS 1030 AM, Webcast

This should be the Game of the Week in the state in Class AA.  The Westminster Wildcats have played seven games against playoff teams in 2008, losing only to Lovett and top-ranked Buford.  The Calhoun Yellow Jackets have won eight straight games and scored points than anybody else in the state in any classification in last week’s first round.  Westminster already has decisive wins over Cartersville and Carrollton and would like another win over a northwest Georgia school.  Calhoun has the advantage at home.  Calhoun wins by 1.

Class A

Athens Academy (10-1) at Bremen (10-1)

Series History:  Athens Academy leads 1-0

Only Meeting:  Athens Academy defeated Bremen 25-8 in the first round of the Class A playoffs in 1998.

Last Week:  Athens Academy defeated Washington-Wilkes 24-14; Bremen defeated Landmark Christian 40-14

Records against Playoff Teams:  Athens Academy 4-1 (defeated Whitefield Academy, Commerce, Social Circle & Washington-Wilkes; lost to Wesleyan); Bremen 5-1 (defeated Central (Carroll), Darlington, Gordon Lee, Bowdon & Landmark Christian; lost to Rockmart)

The Athens Academy Spartans have lost only to Wesleyan in finishing second in Region 8-A.  The Bremen Blue Devils have exercised total dominance in taking first place in Region 6-A.  Bremen looks to be a serious contender for a state championship.  Bremen wins by 12.

The predictions on the 40 second round playoff games:

Class AAAAA

Lowndes over Bradwell Institute by 31

Grayson over East Paulding by 6

Coffee over Chapel Hill by 25

Peachtree Ridge over Harrison by 1

Woodstock over Norcross by 7

Camden County over Northside (Warner Robins) by 5

North Gwinnett over Lassiter by 9

Newnan over Tift County by 2

Class AAAA

Westside (Macon) over Jonesboro by 48

Tucker over Hillgrove by 25

Brunswick over Griffin by 4

Southwest DeKalb over Cedar Shoals by 10

Marist over Sequoyah by 7

Ware County over Mt. Zion (Jonesboro) over 14

Rome over Sandy Creek by 1

Statesboro over North Clayton by 7

Class AAA

Cairo over Burke County over 20

Eastside over Carrollton by 1

Carver {Columbus} over Woodward Academy by 10

Gainesville over Cartersville by 15

Flowery Branch over Ridgeland by 16

Baldwin over Shaw by 4

Dunwoody over North Hall by 11

LaGrange over Thomson by 7

Class AA

Brooks County over Jefferson County by 1

Lovett over Jefferson by 10

Toombs County over Cook by 3

Calhoun over Westminster by 1

Buford over North Oconee by 40

Dublin over Thomasville by 1

Pepperell over Callaway by 11

Fitzgerald over Henry County by 12

Class A

Savannah Christian over Miller County by 5

Wesleyan over Holy Innocents by 4

Wilcox County over Schley County by 28

Lincoln County over Eagles Landing Christian Academy by 22

Bremen over Athens Academy by 12

Emanuel County Institute over Clinch County by 6

Wilkinson County over Whitefield Academy by 6

Turner County over Brookstone by 6

High school 'Players of the Week Football Banquet' is Dec. 9

(Media release) Coosa Valley Technical College and Rome News Tribune are partnering together to host the “Players of the Week Football Banquet.”  The event will take place on December 9, 2008, at 6:45 p.m. in the Conference Center of Building H on the Floyd County Campus of Coosa Valley Technical College.

The guest speaker for the evening will be NFL Hall of Fame player and coach Dan Reeves.  Reeves presently announces satellite radio broadcasts for the NFL on Westwood One Radio and hosts his own radio show on AM 680, “The Fan.”

During the high school football season, the Rome News Tribune honored players of the week.  Of those who received that recognition, two will be selected to receive the award for “Most Outstanding Offensive and Defensive Single Game Performances of the Year.”

Jim Alred and Ross McDuffie, co-hosts of Gridiron Central, will present a special edition of Gridiron Central with video highlights of the honored players.

Ticket prices are $25.00 and that price includes dinner and banquet admission.  A limited number of $45.00 tickets are available for the banquet, dinner, and an exclusive, 50 minute private session with Dan Reeves for autographs, pictures, and mingling with the Hall of Fame coach and player.

Regular admissions tickets are on sale at the Rome News Tribune Classified Ad Department and at the front desk of Coosa Valley Technical College’s Floyd County Campus.  The tickets for meeting Dan Reeves are only available by contacting Mark Layne at 706-295-6955.  Acceptable forms of payment are cash and checks made payable to the Coosa Valley Technical College Foundation.  All proceeds from this event will benefit the Big Brothers Big Sisters of N.W.G.A. Mountains.

Sports/Media

Rome & Shorter College

>Here's the up-to-date broadcast schedule for Rome High and Shorter College, courtesy of WLAQ 1410 AM and WATG 95.7 FM The Ridge.

>Doing play-by-play will be Jim Bojo (Shorter) and Josh Caray (Rome).

>All games will be streamed at www.exterranet.com and will be linked to from www.hometownheadlines.com each Friday and Saturday. The opening schedule:

BARTOW COUNTY

Adairsville |  Cartersville | Cass | Woodland

On the air: WBHF AM 1450

On the Web: www.bartowheadlines.com (Webcast of radio broadcasts)

On cable: Comcast Channel 23

The broadcast team: Matt Santini, Kevin Karel, Jack Howelland Josh Brock as well as Charles Brachel with live updates on other games

Also this season from Community Radio WBHF AM 1450:

>Fridays: Chris Stephens and The Daily Tribune News Sports Report, 7:35 a.m.

>5:30 p.m. The SEC Football Report.

>6 p.m.: The Couch Potato Sports Report. Bryan Canty, Mike "T Bone" Taylor and Eric "Skeet" Williams

>6:30 p.m.: The Full County Pregame Show: Coverage of all four teams with intervies with the coaches, players and fans.

>7:30 p.m. Kickoff: Matt Santini, Kevin Karel, Jack Howell and Josh Brock; updates with Charles Bachel.

>10 p.m. Tom and Chad's Pigskin Postgame Party: Scores from around the state; a look at what happened during the night's game and why

On the air: News Talk 1270 AM

On the Web: www.newstalk1270.com

The broadcast team: Rick Flatford, Don Startup and Don Breedlove  

Also this season from News Talk 1270 AM

>Wednesday Night Huddle, Wednesdays 7 to 8 p.m.

>Coaches Show: Local coaches each Thursday 8 to 9 a.m.

>Game On! Thursdays 5 to 6 p.m.

>Top Teams This Week: Fridays, 7:55 a.m.

>Top Matchups This Week, Fridays 8:50 a.m.

>Countdown To Kickoff, Fridays 6 to 7 p.m. 

>Pre-Game Show: Fridays at 7 p.m.

>Kickoff: Fridays at 7:30 p.m.

>Statewide Scoreboard Show, Fridays, 10 p.m.-midnight

>Friday Night Recap: Get a recap of the previous night's action 10 minutes before each hour from midnight to 5 p.m. Saturdays

GORDON COUNTY

Calhoun  |  Gordon Central |  Sonoraville

On the air: WEBS 1030 AM

On the Web: www.webs1030am.com

On cable: Comcast Channel 3

Dr Pepper joins NAIA football championship team

(Media release) Dr Pepper has been named the exclusive lead sparkling beverage for the 2008 Russell Athletic-NAIA Football National Championship, thanks to an agreement between the company and the NAIA Championship Host Committee.

Through the agreement, Dr Pepper will receive extensive exposure at all official events that are part of the National Championship week. "Dr Pepper will have a very visible presence throughout the NAIA Football National Championship, most especially on game day," said Host Committee Co-Chair and Rome attorney Bob Berry. "Their logos will be prominently placed on the field and throughout the stadium; everyone will know of their support for the championship effort here in Rome and Floyd County. We greatly appreciate the support of Dr Pepper and Coca-Cola Enterprise distributed brands."

The championship game, hosted by Shorter College, the City of Rome, and Floyd County, will begin at noon on Saturday, Dec. 20, at historic Barron Stadium in downtown Rome. Tickets may be purchased at NAIANationalChampionship.com. Reserved seats are $25 each; general admission tickets are $20 each. A group rate of $15 per ticket is available for groups of 10 or more.

In addition, tickets also are available for the FCA Champions of Character Breakfast (Thursday, Dec. 18, 8 a.m., Forum) and for the NAIA Banquet of Champions (Friday, Dec. 19, 7 p.m., Forum). Tickets for these events are $25 for an individual or $200 for a table (seats eight). For questions, call the Shorter College Box Office at 706-233-7288.

Shorter's Kersey named NAIA game media coordinator

(Media release) Shorter College's Sports Information Director Grant Kersey has been selected to serve as media coordinator for the Russell-Athletic NAIA Football National Championship Game.

The game--hosted by Shorter College, the City of Rome and Floyd County--will be played on Dec. 20 at Barron Stadium.

Kersey, now in his third year at Shorter, will work with both local and national media during the championship event and set up pre-and post-game press conferences. He will also coordinate with game day officials on the stat-keeping process.

"We are very pleased that Grant has been named the media coordinator for the NAIA national football championship," said Shorter College Athletic Director Bill Peterson and co-chair of the NAIA Host Committee.  "Grant is one of the rising stars in sports information, and we are very pleased that he is also part of the Shorter athletic team. There is no doubt that he will do a first-rate job."

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics' 2008 and 2009 National Championship games were awarded to Shorter College and Rome-Floyd County earlier this year. The games are sponsored by Russell Athletic.

For more: www.NAIANationalChampionship.com.

Rome's Triplitt buys first tickets to the NAIA title game

Rome Attorney and NAIA Host Committee Co-Chair Bob Berry (right) presents Roman Tony Triplitt with the commemorative first ticket to the 2008 Russell Athletic-NAIA Football National Championship. The game begins at noon Dec. 20 at Barron Stadium in Rome.

(Media release) Rome resident Tony Triplitt earned a spot in history as the first person to purchase tickets to the 2008 Russell Athletic-NAIA Football National Championship. The game will be played Saturday, Dec. 20, at noon at Historic Barron Stadium.

"Tony called me, literally the day the Host Committee was established, to find out where he could buy tickets," said Rome attorney and Host Committee Co-Chair Bob Berry. "His excitement for the game is apparent."

Triplitt received a framed commemorative ticket along with the four reserved tickets he purchased for admission to the game. His purchase marks the official launch of ticket sales.

Reserved seating tickets are $25 each; general admission tickets are $20 each. A group rate of $15 per ticket is available for groups of 10 or more. In addition, tickets are also available for the FCA Champions of Character Breakfast (Thursday, Dec. 18, 8 a.m., Forum) and for the NAIA Banquet of Champions (Friday, Dec. 19, 7 p.m., Forum). Tickets for these events are $25 for an individual or $200 for a table (seats 8).

Tickets may be purchased online at NAIANationalChampionship.com. For questions, call the Shorter College Box Office at 706-233-7288.

The 53rd annual Russell Athletic-NAIA Football National Championship, hosted by Rome-Floyd County and Shorter College, will be televised live on CBS College Sports TV.

FOR EARLY REPORTS, PLEASE CLICK ARCHIVE