In Class AAAAAA, No. 2 Archer tabbed a 51-42 region win over Parkview

Photo by Ty Freeman

and sent the Panthers out of the top three to No. 6. Undefeated North Forsyth moves into the top 4 and earned a hard-fought 54-53 win over Centennial on Tuesday. 

In Class AAAAA, Southwest DeKalb remains No. 1 and topped North Atlanta 74-34 on Tuesday. Gainesville dropped out of the top 10 after a 49-46 loss to East Hall and a 58-38 loss to Salem. Osborne replaces the Red Elephants in the poll and debuts at No. 10. 

In Class AAAA, Mary Persons suffered its second loss of the season (38-34 to Veterans) and slides to No. 10. Chestatee enters the top 5 after an impressive five-game winning streak that includes victories over Sprayberry, East Paulding, Lumpkin County, Monroe Area and Madison County. 

Franklin County debuts at No. 9 in Class AAA after topping previously No. 6 ranked North Oconee 57-41. The Titans dropped four spots to No. 10 after the loss. Armuchee and Rabun County debuted in the Class AA poll and sent Taylor County and Calhoun out of the top 10. Armuchee earned its No. 7 ranking with a 55-39 win over Calhoun and the Indians cruised to a 62-28 win over Bremen on Tuesday. Rabun County comes in at No. 10 with its 11-6 record.

In Class A, Calvary Day debuts at No. 9 and has a very strong resume with wins over Wesleyan, Pace Academy, Claxton and South Effingham. Previous No. 9 Eagle's Landing Christian drops out of the top 10 with a 50-47 loss to Pace Academy. 

Alpharetta swam to a combined team victory in last Saturday's Fulton

Photo by Sonny Kennedy

County Championships at Emory University. The Raider boys led the way by compiling 471 points, at least 161 more than any rival. Alpharetta's girls finished third behind Johns Creek and Northview to help the overall team effort. Individual victors for the Raiders included Max Lee in the 50-yard freestyle, Patrick Cusick in the 100 butterfly (by four one-hundredths of a second ahead of Chattahoochee's Mick Litherland) and Morgan Lyons in the girls 100 backstroke.

Johns Creek's girls dominated their way to 499 points, leading the Gladiators to a second-place overall performance that saw them finish just 18.5 points back of Alpharetta. The Gladiators got wins from Emily Ranzau in the 200 freestyle and 500 freestyle, Evie Bragg in the 200 individual medley and 100 breaststroke, Kaitlin Kitchens in the 50 freestyle and 100 freestyle and Caroline Price in one-meter diving.

Region rivals Lovett and Wesleyan both saw action. Lovett traveled to the University of Georgia's Ramsey Center for the Clarke-Oconee Invitational last Saturday. The Lions finished third overall in a field of 24 teams behind a third-place showing by their boys. Freshman Andrew Ferrell snagged fourth place in the 100 backstroke and sixth in the 500 freestyle for Lovett, while Jay Bland came in fifth in the 50 freestyle. Wesleyan had an entertaining affair at home against Collins Hill last Friday. The Lady Wolves won 232-216 and Collins Hill got the best of the boys meet 260-193.5.

Pace Academy hosted an extremely competitive tri-meet against Riverwood and Paideia last Wednesday. On the boys side, Riverwood prevailed with 178 points to Pace's 172 and Paideia's 134. The Raiders and Knights swapped spots at the top in the girls competition, with Pace's 196 points besting Riverwood's 146 and Paideia's 109. For the Riverwood boys, Mark Grenader triumphed in the 100 freestyle and Alex Kaye secured top individual honors in the 500 freestyle. Gwynnie LaMastra earned victories for the first-place girls in individual medley and breaststroke events plus on relay teams in the 200 medley and 200 freestyle.

Teams throughout the state are now making a push toward the state championships, rapidly approaching on the early February schedule. Pace is paying a visit to the Dalton Invitational this Saturday, while the Riverwood Invitational is taking place on Saturday at the Marist Aquatic Center. Dual meets next Tuesday will feature Woodward at Westminster and Lassiter at Marist.

NORTH TEAM

Daniel David (Mill Creek)

The athleticism of David was on display in the Elite Junior Classic. The 6-

Photo by Rob Saye

foot-1 quarterback rushed for 55 yards on 13 carries and set the tone in the first quarter when he broke a slew of tackles on a 24-yard run. David projects as a pro-style quarterback, but his ability to throw on the run and create plays makes him much more than a prototypical pocket passer. David showed his accuracy with a 37-yard completion to Sean Harper in stride that set up the North Team's go-ahead score in the second half. David is very fundamentally sound and executes his play fakes and mechanics very effectively. Mill Creek missed the playoffs last season with a 6-4 record, but could be a favorite to win the region this season. Against the four playoff teams, David and the Hawks' offense averaged 31 points per game and that same firepower will return in 2014. 

Hampton McConnell (West Forsyth)

McConnell ran for 794 yards and 11 touchdowns during his junior season and the 6-foot-3 dual threat is dangerous as a runner or passer. McConnell completed two passes for 101 yards and a touchdown in the Elite Junior Classic and showed his ability to throw the deep ball. McConnell is a north and south runner with the shiftiness to elude tacklers. The West Forsyth quarterback has incredible field vision and his quick decision-making complements his rapid release. McConnell was a Region 6-AAAAAA first team selection this past season at quarterback and looks to be the favorite for offensive player of the year in Region 6 his senior season. McConnell can feel the pass rush very well and does a great job moving around in the pocket. 

SOUTH TEAM

Tyree Paulk (Coffee) 

Paulk kept his eyes down field and delivered a 41-yard touchdown pass to Brad Stewart right before the first half. Paulk did an outstanding job in the two-minute drill. Coffee went 5-5 last season in Region 1-AAAAAA and will be moved into Class AAAAA this season where the Trojans will enter the season as a possible state title contender. Paulk finished the 2013 season with 24 touchdowns, 1,693 passing yards and 134 rushing yards and is the all-time leader for career touchdowns and career passing yards at Coffee. Expect the record-setting passer to have his biggest season yet in 2014. 

Cal King (Mary Persons)

King had the highest completion percentage in the Elite Junior Classic and finished the game five of 10 passing for 58 yards. King is a dual-threat passer with a solid 6-foot-2 frame that allows him to stand tall in the pocket and spread the ball out effectively. King led Mary Persons to the state semifinals this season and will return four of his five leading receivers from 2013 this upcoming next season. King has a great football mind and allows coordinators to go deep into the playbook. King played at Thomasville for two years and adjusted from the spread option offense at Thomasville to the new playbook at Mary Persons for his junior season. 

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