Mays and Carver-Atlanta completed their game Monday night with the host Raiders winning 35-14. The game had been

Photo by Jon Barash

postponed from Friday when shots interrupted the action at Grady Stadium. The surreal scene during Friday's game will not soon be forgotten.

According to a report in the AJC, Mays student Eugene Brantly was arrested for the shooting in the stadium parking lot after the game. He was shot in the arm by an off-duty police officer and suffered non-life threatening injuries. Three guns were found at the scene, but only Brantly was arrested.

The game was suspended until Monday at 6 p.m. due to the shooting. Mays led 27-14 at the time of the postponement.

Mays coach Corey Jarvis said the teams cooperated fully after the shooting. Despite the intense game action, the shots were heard loud and clear on the field.

"We heard the shots and saw kids running," said Jarvis. "Both teams came to our side of the stadium and went to the same locker room for a while."

Mays closed out the game Monday night on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Asahnia Aderhold to Deparis Carter.

Jarvis said he was pleasantly surprised at the amount of fans that came out to support the teams at Monday's resumption.

"About 500 people came out," he said. "You wouldn't think many people would come, but they were there."

Mays led 27-14 with about nine minutes left in the fourth quarter when the shots rang out Friday night. Charlie Patrick opened the scoring in the first quarter on a four-yard run before teammate Rowmartis Bell scored in the second quarter on an 11-yard run. Freelando Jordan intercepted a Carver pass and returned it 45 yards for a score and Mays led 21-0 the half.

The third quarter saw Mays linebacker Tobias Little return an interception 28 yards for another Raiders score. Mays now held a commanding 27-0 lead. Carver got on the board with two quick touchdowns prior to the game being called.

Both teams are now 6-2 overall and Mays is ranked No. 10 in Class AAAAA. The teams are also tied in the Region 6B standings. However, Carver faces No. 7 Creekside this week while Mays takes on Tri-Cities. Mays' lone loss was the Creekside on Oct. 3.

The Pope Greyhounds are riding Kelly Barnhill all the way to Columbus. After

Photo by Greg Spell-G-Rox photos

pitching both games of a first-round sweep at the expense of West Forsyth, Barnhill did the same last week against Collins Hill. With a spot in Class AAAAAA's double-elimination tournament in Columbus at stake, Barnhill befuddled the Eagles en route to 4-0 and 2-1 victories.

Barnhill improved to 25-5 on the season thanks to her two defeats of the defending state champions. She is sporting an incredible 0.50 ERA to go along with more than 450 strikeouts. The senior got just enough help in the second game against Collins Hill when Lindsey Monkiewicz hit a walk-off, series-ending single that scored Hannah Rogers from third base.

Joining Pope in the last eight is Brookwood, but not before perhaps the most entertaining series of the entire second round took place. The Broncos won their first game against South Forsyth 1-0 last Wednesday, lost the second 3-2, then survived another one-run game 2-1 in last Thursday's decider. Amanda Ablan tossed a complete game and got the final out with her ninth strikeout, as South Forsyth's potential tying runner was left on third base.

Pope will open with Harrison on Thursday, while Brookwood is set to go up against East Coweta. Whereas Collins Hill missed out on a spot in Columbus for the first time in five years, Class AAAA powerhouse Buford kept its streak alive. The Wolves punched their ticket to the double-elimination format for the ninth consecutive season. They destroyed St. Pius X by scores of 11-0 (five innings) and 12-0 (four innings) last Wednesday to easily sweep through the best-of-three series. Bria Bush picked up the win in Game 1 before Tessa Daniels got a rare start and dominated in similar fashion during the clincher. Daniels helped her own cause by ripping a three-RBI double. 

In Class AAA, Blessed Trinity had snagged the No. 1 seed out of Region 4 ahead of runner-up Westminster, but it is the Wildcats who are going to Columbus while the Titans are at home. Westminster benefited from a second straight home series in the playoffs, as a No. 4 seed-Appling County-had ousted Region 2 No. 1 seed Rutland in the opening round. The Wildcats won a decisive Game 3 by a 5-3 decision last Thursday after stranding Appling County with the bases loaded in the seventh inning. Blessed Trinity, meanwhile, went down to Pierce County by scores of 8-6 and 5-0.
 

Blessed Trinity volleyball senior Amber MacDonald is the Children's

Photo courtesy Jeff MacDonald

Healthcare of Atlanta Girls Athlete of the Week due to her determination and talent on the court.

At 12-years old, MacDonald's mother was approached by a Bob Westbrook, the founder of A5 Volleyball Club in Roswell and said to be the "father of volleyball in Georgia", at a local volleyball tournament and who said he wanted to train her daughter to be a libero.

"Our family was new to volleyball, so I was probably the only person in the gym who didn't know Bob Westbrook," said MacDonald's mother. "But when he told me he saw a fire in Amber that made her stand out on the court, I could tell he was serious."

Now, five years later MacDonald is one of the top ranked liberos in the nation and has verbally committed to the University of Wisconsin, one of the top volleyball programs in the nation. 

"It hasn't been an easy road, but I love to train and play," said MacDonald, who is always looking to improve. Her love for the game, hard work, talented teammates and dedicated coaches are the reason MacDonald says she has been so successful. "No matter how good you are as a libero, you don't get noticed unless you play on great teams," said the Lady Titan. "I've been very fortunate to play with talented teammates and for supportive coaches in both high school and club."

MacDonald's true passion for volleyball came her 14's season from A5 coach Suzanne Fitzgerald, who is a former marine. "Coach Suzanne taught me the incredible power of working hard with my team and for my team," said MacDonald. 

Blessed Trinity head coach Paul Stevens has led his team to two state championships in MacDonald's four years as a Titan. "She is best defensive player I've ever coached, who has the rare ability to control a match from the back row," said Stevens. "She has obliterated the school records for career digs and aces, and recently became only the second player ever in Georgia to surpass 2,000 career digs."

Over the last three years, MacDonald has earned 16 individual national rankings. She was ranked as one of the top two liberos in the nation in her age group seven times and ranked as the No. 1 libero in her age group in the nation three times. Most recently, MacDonald was named a USA Today Preseason All-American, and the only libero in the country on the MaxPreps National Volleyball Player of the Year Watch List.

"The training and support I have received from Blessed Trinity and A5 has given me so many wonderful opportunities," said the star libero. "I want to build on that foundation and continue to improve so that I can help both my A5 18's team this spring and the University of Wisconsin next fall win National Championships."

MacDonald and her Blessed Trinity teammates have now advanced into the semifinals of Class AAA for the fifth year in a row and will host Oconee County at 6 p.m. Wednesday.