Chick-fil-A Sports Report: Rome Braves open seven-game road trip tonight in Greenville. New look for Georgia High School Association website. New cheer coach at Shorter; new soccer players for Berry.

Chick-fil-A Sports Report
Mount Berry Mall, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Riverside Parkway, 6 a.m.-10 p.m.

GHSA gets a fresh look, new features for new year: As the 2018-19 high school sports year gets under way, the Georgia High School Association introduces a new look for its website. Among the upgrades: Improvements for “easier navigation and better viewing on mobile.”

Rome Braves ewere off Tuesday and open a three-game series tonight in Greenville.

Next: In Greenville Wednesday-Friday (all 7:05 p.m. starts) and then four with Augusta, 6:05 p.m. Saturday, 5:05 p.m. Sunday, 7:05 p.m. Monday, 12:05 p.m. Tuesday.

Roster moves: The Rome Braves announce the following roster moves: Infielder Riley Delgado has been transferred to the Florida Fire Frogs (Florida State League). Rome receives infielder AJ Graffanino from Danville (Appalachian League). AJ was the Atlanta Braves 8th round selection in 2018 out of the University of Washington. He is the son of former Atlanta Braves and MLB player Tony Graffanino. The roster is at 25 players

Mills Fitzner’s photos from this season and nine earlier ones. Click photo gallery.

HIGH SCHOOLS

An updated, team-by-team look at the 2018 high school football season. For a look at all the schedules — for teams in Floyd, Bartow, Polk, Bartow and Chattooga counties — please click High School 2018.

COLLEGES

Niki Allen has been selected as head coach for Shorter University Cheerleading. Allen is a former cheerleader and graduate of Clemson University. She earned her Master of Education from Mercer University, where she worked in creative services and was the assistant cheer coach. She began cheerleading at the age of seven with Pro Cheer All Stars. During her time in college, she won two NCA National Championships and was an All-American. She also coached at All Stars gym in her home state and was an assistant choreographer for Frank Middleton Choreography. In addition to coaching, Allen runs a small business and is always looking for ways to give back to the community. Allen states, “I am so excited and blessed to have the opportunity to coach at the next level! God is so faithful, and I can’t wait to see what all He has in store.”

Berry College’s head men’s soccer coach Richard Vardy has announced seven newcomers to the men’s soccer team for the upcoming 2018 season. Vikings

Shorter Football: The Hawks open the season on Thursday, Aug. 30, at Samford in Birmingham. Schedule

Berry Football: The Vikings open at home on Saturday, Sept. 1, vs. Maryville, 6 p.m. Schedule

THE PROS

Atlanta Falcons Training Camp will take place at the club’s Flowery Branch training facility for the 14th consecutive year and they will have select practices open to the public from July 27-Aug. 4. Dates and times are subject to change. For additional information regarding changes in practice times or weather delays, please call: 770-965-2752. Expanded details

Thurs. 7/26	– –	Players Report
Fri. 7/27	Practice: 9:20AM	OPEN – Gates: 8:20AM
Sat. 7/28	Practice: 9:20AM	OPEN – Gates: 8:20AM
Mon. 7/30	Practice: 9:20AM	OPEN – Gates: 8:20AM
Tues. 7/31	– –	CLOSED
Wed. 8/1	Practice: 9:20AM	OPEN – Gates: 8:20AM
Thurs. 8/2	Practice: 9:20AM	OPEN – Gates: 8:20AM
Fri. 8/3	Practice: 9:20AM	OPEN – Gates: 8:20AM
Sat. 8/4	Practice: 9:20AM	OPEN – Gates: 8:20AM

COMMUNITY

Aug. 18: Gary Tillman Memorial Clocktower 5K & 2 mile Health Walk. Registration is now open. To register, please click Registration Page. This year’s race will be held on Saturday, Aug. 18, at 8 a.m. The start and finish are at Heritage Park at the confluence of the Etowah and Oostanaula rivers. For more

Heroes are getting ready to run, walk, fly and maybe even crawl into Rome for the 2018 edition of the Harbin Hero Hustle 5K and two-mile health walk on Sept. 29. But before the race can soar into action, the Harbin Heroes need your help in selecting five local charities to participate in the Harbin Hero Challenge. These charities are superheroes for the community and will receive a portion of $4,250 in donations from Harbin Clinic. The nomination period ends at 10 p.m. on Friday, July 27. To nominate a charity, individuals need to post the charity name and include the hash tag,#HarbinHeroChallenge to Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. A quick note: Shares and likes don’t count, as nominations and creating an image with the hashtag and charity name won’t work either. The hashtag “#HarbinHeroChallenge” must be in the text of the post or comment, or the vote doesn’t count. For expanded details, please click Harbin Hero Hustle.