With 14 teams and seven games spanning over two days of action at McEachern High School and the Georgia Dome, the 2015 Metro PCS  Corky Kell Classic presented by GreatClips stands as the biggest high school football kickoff event in the country. But before the football season begins with the 24th installment of the Classic on Aug. 21-22, the highly-competitive atmosphere of 7-on-7 tournaments tes t the physical and mental condition-ing of the coaches and players, while giving individuals a chance to rise in the recruiting ranks and teams to earn bragging rights and momentum head-ing into the season. This year will mark the second annual Corky Kell 7-ON-7 Tournament, which has grown into one of the largest single-day events of the offseason.

SETTING THE STAGE ...

The tournament will be held in the City of Roswell at the Roswell Area Parks Football Complex located at 10495 Woodstock Rd., Roswell,GA 30075. The complex has three new football fields with ample parking and pavilion areas. Games will also beplayed at Blessed Trinity and Roswell High School stadiums. The Corky Kell Classic is proud to sponsor this event as eight teams will arrive Thursday evening to participate in a passing league beginning at 6:15 p.m. at the Blessed Trinity and Roswell High School stadiums. 

The tournament excitement kickoffs on June 19 at 9:30 a.m. and will last until approximately 4:30 p.m. We will see reigning Corky 7-ON-7 championArcher square off with 24 other teams after taking first place in last year's 15-team pool. Archer defeated McEachern in the finals of last year's tournament and led the way for Gwinnett County teams that dominated the action. Norcross, Archer,Mill Creek, Brookwood, North Gwinnett and Collins Hill went a combined 21-4 against teams from outside of the county in last year's tournament and will each be returning to this year's field. Archer returns as one of this year's headliners and is one of 12 teams from the 2015 Corky Kell lineup that will play in the 7-ON-7 tournament.

The Tigers are joined by Norcross, MillCreek, Brookwood, North Paulding, Carrollton, Sandy Creek, Creekview, North Gwinnett, Tucker, Kell and defending Class AAAAAA state champion Colquitt County. The 13 other teams include out-of-state powerhouse Byrnes (SC) and Gwinnett County's Peachtree Ridge and Collins Hill. Roswell, Centennial, Blessed Trinity, Cartersville, Mays,Glynn Academy, Houston County,Cherokee, Walton and Gainesville make up the remaining field.

SUMMER'S SHOWTIME ...

The tournament will attract a lot of recruiting attention as some of thetop prospects in the state will sharethe field. Roswell's hard-hitting line-backer Tre Lamar stands 6-foot-4, 240 pounds and the 7-on-7 format will giverecruiting experts a chance focus on hispass coverage abilities. With the fastpace of these tournaments and quick turnaround of games, team depth and conditioning is also exposed and gives a good indication of which teams have been hitting the offseason condition-ing hard. Coaches are able to practice making adjustments quickly as different opponents are stacked one after another and they get valuable time watching their players compete against some of the top athletes in the country.

GAME ON ...

Archer's Kyle Davis is one of the Peach State's most prized Class of 2016 prospects and did it all in the Tigers' offense last season as a receiver and running threat. Davis will star in the offense once again with new starting quarter-back Will Bearden for the first time. North Gwinnett's towering wide-out Josh Imatorbhebhe committed to USC in May and is the No. 21 rated senior in the state. Other top receiving prospects like UGA-commit Darion Anderson of Houston County will challenge a deep lineup of highly-recruited defensive backs participating in this year's tournament. Peachtree Ridge brings four-star cornerback Chad Clay (UGA-commit) and the No. 1-ranked Class of 2017 prospect in the state in cornerback Deangelo Gibbs. 

Archer will also have safety Isaiah Pryor, the No. 6 ranked Class of 2017 prospect in the state. For the past 23 years, teams have used the unparalleled experience gained while competing on the massive stage of the Corky Kell to achieve greatness during the remaining season. The second Corky Kell 7-ON-7 tournament aims to give its 25 participating teams these same experiences and opportunities as the much-anticipated 2015 foot-ball season quickly approaches.

For more information and a live link to watch the tournament visit CorkyKell.com

Another year, another run of Georgia talent primed for success in the pros. The Peach State has given baseball the likes of Buster Posey, Jason Heyward, Adam Wainwright, Brian McCann, Josh Reddick and many, many more. Dating back to 2007, former Georgia high schoolers have peppered the draft in the first round. Heyward was selected 14th overall eight years ago.

In 2008, Tim Beckham out of Griffin High School was the No. 1 overall pick to the Tampa Bay Rays.

Photo by Jeff Hurdon

He was followed by Buster Posey at No. 5 (FSU via Lee County), Gordon Beckham at No. 8 (UGA via Westminster) and Ethan Martin at No. 15 from Stephens County High School.

2009 saw Donavan Tate go third overall to the Padres after a prestigious prep career at Cartersville while Zack Wheeler of East Paulding was nabbed at No. 6 by the Giants.

Delino DeShields (Woodward Academy) went No. 8 to Houston and was followed by Jake Skole (Blessed Trinity), Kaleb Cowart (Cook), Cam Bedrosian (East Coweta) and Chevy Clarke (Marietta) in the 2010 edition of the MLB First-Year Players Draft.

Byron Buxton, who just made his MLB debut on Sunday, was the second overall selection in the 2012 draft out of Appling County. Lucas Sims (Brookwood) and James Ramsey (FSU via Wesleyan) followed Buxton at picks 21 and 23.

Clint Frazier of Loganville led the way for a trio of Georgians in the 2013 draft. Frazier was selected fifth overall while Austin Meadows (Grayson) landed at No. 9 and was followed by Travis Demeritte (Winder-Barrow) at No. 30.

Last year Max Pentecost (Winder-Barrow) led Kennesaw State to the College World Series and was drafted 11th by the Toronto Blue Jays. Michael Chavis (Sprayberry) was scooped up at 26 by the Red Sox.

Dansby Swanson is next in the long list of Georgia prep stars to get drafted highly. Swanson was a standout at Marietta High School before being selected first overall this year by the Diamondbacks after a great two seasons at Vanderbilt after an injury plagued freshman campaign. The shortstop stole the show as he won Most Outstanding Player honors at the College World Series when he helped the Commodores to their first ever championship.

Swanson has hit .350 with 15 homeruns, 62 RBIs and 16 stolen bases this season. His makeup and work ethic has had scouts raving about him since his breakout season in 2014. After hitting three homers a year ago, Swanson's recent power surge all but solidified his position as the top prospect in the draft. Not only does he make contact at a high clip, his new found power allows him to spray balls into the gaps and even launch some into the seats.

Three other former Georgia high schoolers achieved their dreams of being drafted in the first round. Cornelius Randolph followed Tim Beckham as the next shortstop from Griffin High School to be drafted in the first round. Randolph went No. 10 to the Phillies and was slated to play at Clemson next year. He has an advanced bat and plate discipline beyond his years which encourages scouts that he can move up the ranks quickly.

Tyler Stephenson from Kennesaw Mountain went 11th overall to the Cincinnati Reds and was the first catcher selected in the draft. At 6-foot-4 225 pounds, Stephenson isn't the prototypical catcher. He is a very fluid athlete with raw power potential and the ability control the game from behind the plate. Stephenson was originally pegged as a pitcher before the leaps and bounds he has made as a backstop in the past year.

Tennessee junior Christin Stewart went 34th overall to Detroit. The former Providence Christian Academy outfielder hit 15 homeruns with 47 RBIs and a .311 batting average this year.

Possibly the biggest steal of the draft went 37th to Houston. Daz Cameron, the AJC's Baseball Athlete of the Year and son of former LaGrange star and MLB All-Star/Gold Glover Mike Cameron, was a consensus top 10 talent but dropped all the way to the compensation round due to signability. The Florida State signee is a great value pick for the Astros if he decides to sign.