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Midweek Edition-December 2-3, 2020
GEORGIA BULLDOGS
JOHN ROARK I Athens Banner Herald
University of Georgia athletics director Greg McGarity
speaks during the opening of its indoor facility in 2017 in
Athens.
McGarity says
he will retire as
athletics director
Associated Press
Greg McGarity is retiring
after 10 years as Georgia’s
athletic director.
The 66-year-old McGarity
said Monday his retirement
will begin Dec 31. He served
a variety of roles in two
stints at Georgia, his alma
mater, covering 25 years.
He also is a former admin
istrator at Florida from 1992
to 2010.
During his time as Geor
gia’s athletic director,
the budget of the athletic
association grew from $89
million in 2010 to $153 mil
lion. McGarity has over
seen $200 million in facility
improvements.
McGarity thanked Geor
gia’s coaches, staffers, ath
letes and fans.
“There is no better fan
base in college sports than
the Bulldog Nation,” he said.
McGarity said the ath
letic association is in “great
hands” under the “strong
leadership” of University
of Georgia President Jere
Morehead. Morehead said
he understood McGarity’s
wish to retire with his wife,
Sheryl.
“While I had hoped Greg
would continue to serve as
our athletic director for a
few more years, I under
stand and appreciate his and
Sheryl’s decision to begin a
new chapter in their lives,”
Morehead said. “Greg will
leave behind a strong legacy
of leadership and devotion
to his alma mater, having
further elevated our athletic
program on the national
stage.”
Josh Brooks, Georgia’s
senior deputy director
of athletics, will serve as
interim athletic director,
beginning Jan. 1. Morehead
also named Darrice Grif
fin, currently Georgia’s
deputy director of athletics,
to replace Brooks as interim
senior deputy director of
athletics.
SATURDAYS
SCOREBOARD
No. 13 Georgia
takes down South
Carolina 45-16
James Cook ran for 104
yards on just six carries and
three other Georgia backs
had at least 77 yards to help
the No. 13 Bulldogs over
power depleted South Caro
lina 45-16 on Saturday night.
After throwing for 401
yards in his first start last
week, Southern California
transfer JT Daniels was 10
for 16 for 139 yards with
two touchdowns and an
interception.
Daniels overthrew a few
open receivers and took two
sacks. But Georgia barley
needed Daniels to pass at
all. The Bulldogs ran for 332
yards.
Georgia led 21-0 after its
first three possessions and
before South Carolina got a
first down.
Zamir White ran 13
time for 84 yards, Kenny
McIntosh had 79 yards on
nine carries, and Daijun
Edwards ran 14 times for 77
yards. The Bulldogs didn’t
attempt a pass after Daniels’
31-yard touchdown strike to
Arian Smith on the first play
of the fourth quarter gave
them a 45-10 lead.
GEORGIA TECH 56,
DUKE 33: After having
to endure an unexpected
four-week layoff, Jeff Sims
played like he was deter
mined to make up for lost
time.
Sims threw three touch
down passes and ran for 108
yards, setting career highs,
and Georgia Tech beat
turnover-plagued Duke on
Saturday night as each team
returned from long layoffs.
Led by Sims, the fresh
man quarterback, Georgia
Tech (3-5, 3-4 Atlantic Coast
Conference) ended a three-
game losing streak.
Associated Press
SUNDAY’S LALCONS
Atlanta looks
solid in 43-6 win
Associated Press
Deion Jones returned an
interception 67 yards for
a touchdown, Matt Ryan
threw a pair of short scoring
passes, and the Atlanta Fal
cons thoroughly dominated
Derek Carr and the
bumbling Las Vegas
Raiders 43-6 on
Sunday.
The Raiders (6-5)
lost their second in
a row and looked
very much like a
pretender in the
AFC playoff race,
producing a listless,
mistake-filled per
formance against an Atlanta
team that’s playing out the
season under an interim
coach. Carr had a miserable
day, fumbling the ball away
three times in addition to
delivering the pick that the
Falcons linebacker returned
for his fifth career TD.
Nathan Peterman fin
ished out at quarterback for
the Raiders, who took their
worst loss of Jon Gruden’s
most recent three seasons
as coach. Las Vegas had a
season-worst five turnovers
in all and was flagged 11
times for 141 yards, with
one penalty wiping out an
interception and
another allowing
the Falcons (4-7) to
keep the ball after a
missed field goal.
Atlanta wound
up scoring a touch
down after Dallin
Leavitt rolled into
Younghoe Koo’s
legs, taking him out
for a roughing-the-
kicker personal foul.
Gambling on fourth-
and-3 at the Raiders 4, Ryan
double-pumped to buy just
enough time to find Calvin
Ridley alone in the back of
the end zone for the game’s
first touchdown with 2:17
left in a tedious first half
that took nearly two hours to
complete.
Ryan
HIGH SCHOOL LOOTBALL
Heavyweights collide
BILL MURPHY I The Times
Flowery Branch running back Jaizen Ellingham runs against Luella in the first half of the first-round playoff game in
the Class 4A state tournament Saturday in Flowery Branch.
No. 5 Flowery Branch set to face
top-ranked Marist in the second
round of Class 4A state playoffs
BY BILL MURPHY
bmurphy@gainesvilletimes.com
To be the best in 2020, Flowery
Branch is going to have to beat the
best — earlier rather than later.
On top of that, it’s one of the Fal
cons’ former region rivals.
On Friday, fifth-ranked Flowery
Branch (9-2) will visit No. 1 Marist
(9-0) in just the second round of the
Class 4A state playoffs.
These two have played previ
ously in 2018 and 2019 when they
were both two of the best programs
in Region 8-4A, but the War Eagles
won both of those games, handily.
“This is the third year in a row
that we’ve faced Flowery Branch, so
there won’t really be any surprises, ”
Marist coach Alan Chadwick said.
“Flowery Branch definitely has the
most complete offense that we’ve
seen all season. They have two great
running backs and a quarterback
who is playing exceptionally well,
they also like to slip the tight ends
down the field, so we have to have
great eye discipline.”
This time, however, Flowery
Branch is trending in a direction
that makes it look like this one
will be one of the more highly-
anticipated matchups, in any clas
sification, in the second round of the
playoffs.
“Everyone on our team is 100
percent focused this week and we
know what we’re capable of doing,”
Falcons senior tight end Sal Sengson
said. “In the playoffs, it’s survive or
die.”
Flowery Branch dominated
Luella, 40-6, in the first round of the
postseason Saturday. Marist beat
Central-Carroll 49-0 to open the
playoffs the same day.
Falcons coach Ben Hall likes the
progress his program has made,
saying they are up to the task
against Marist, which is one of the
most revered programs in the state.
“It’s going to take our very best
effort to beat Marist,” Hall said.
“Marist is a really good football
team.”
Last week, junior quarterback
David Renard was in peak form
for the Falcons, completing 14 of
21 throws with three touchdown
passes, as well as a 12-yard rushing
score in the first half.
The Falcons scored five touch
downs and had a 28-yard Maddux
Trujillo field goal in the first half
and didn’t have to punt against
Luella in the first two quarters.
Don’t expect that kind of lopsided
matchup against Marist, which shut
out 5 of 8 regular-season opponents
and in two other games allowed just
a single field goal. The only three
touchdowns allowed by the War
Eagles, which have been wire-to-
wire No. 1 in the state this season,
were against Mays once the Region
6-4A championship was firmly in
hand on the final night of the regu
lar season.
Marist is led by senior offensive
tackle Davis McKenna (who will
play at Harvard University), South
ern California committ Joshua
Moore at wide receiver and senior
tight end Derek McDonald (a Syra
cuse University commit).
Hall said he’s very familiar with
most of the players for Marist since
they were on the field when these
two programs played the past two
seasons. The War Eagles have eight
starters on both sides of the ball who
also started in 2019, Chadwick said.
“Marist is a senior-laden squad,”
Hall said. “They’re big and very
physical and run that veer offense
Friday’s second-round
playoff schedule
Class 4A
■ Flowery Branch at Marist,
7:30 p.m.
Class 3A
■ Cherokee Bluff vs. Carver-
Atlanta, 7:30 p.m.
■ North Hall at Greater Atlanta
Christian, 7:30 p.m.
very well.”
Chadwick (395-73 in his career)
has been Marist’s coach since 1985.
In that time, he’s guided the War
Eagles to a state championship
in 2003 (when Los Angeles Rams
coach Sean McVay was its team
captain) and three state runner-up
finishes.
Flowery Branch has played top-
ranked teams in the postseason four
times since 2011.
They’ve all been close, but the
Falcons are seeking their first play
off win against the top team in the
state.
In 2019, the lOth-ranked Falcons
battled No. 1 Cartersville in a 14-6
loss.
In 2011, No. 7 Flowery Branch
fell to No. 1 Tucker 42-34 in the state
quarterfinals.
In 2009, Flowery Branch played
No. 1 Gainesville down to the wire
in a 29-21 state semifinal loss at City
Park Stadium, while the season
before that the Falcons won four
road playoff games before losing to
No. 1 Cairo 28-14 in the state cham
pionship at the Georgia Dome.
This time, those who are on the
field think it will be differently.
“Marist is a nationally-known
team,” Sengson said. “We have to be
ready to play assignment football. ”
“It would mean the world to me to
be able to beat Marist,” senior wide
receiver Ryan Lusco said. “Marist is
an extremely tough opponent, but I
think we have the tools to get it done
this time.”
Flowery Branch has now played
in the postseason in 13 of the past 16
seasons.
LIRST-ROUND PA\YOLL SCOREBOARD
Cherokee Bluff tops LaFayette
Cherokee Bluff’s first postseason
football game in school history was a
resounding success.
Now, the Bears (10-1) are one of 16
teams left in the race for the state title
in Class 3A.
On Friday, Jayquan Smith had a
5-yard touchdown run in the fourth
quarter and Eli Little added a 36-yard
touchdown on a fumble return before
the end of the game, resulting in a 35-7
victory against LaFayette.
Smith finished the game with three
touchdown runs and 15 carries for 90
yards. His touchdown runs were for
12,34 and 5 yards.
Eric Gohman added a 76-yard
touchdown catch from quarterback
Sebastian Irons.
With the win, Cherokee Bluff will
host Carver-Atlanta in the second
round on Dec. 3.
NORTH HALL 36, NORTH MUR
RAY 28: The Trojans recovered an
onside kick to start the game, jumped
to a big early lead and never trailed
en route to a 36-28 victory over North
Murray to open the Class 3A state play
offs Friday at Lynn Cottrell Stadium in
Gainesville. With the win, the Trojans
will visit Greater Atlanta Christian in
the second round on Dec. 3 in Lilburn.
On Friday, the Trojans struck fast
after recovering the opening kick
with Clark Howell’s 25-yard scoring
run. Midway through the first quarter,
Howell scampered for a 51-yard scor
ing run. Kevin Rochester scored on a
16-yard run early in the second quar
ter, giving the Trojans a 21-0 lead.
Howell finished with 22 runs for 232
yards for the Trojans, while Rochester
ran for 94 yards.
FLOWERY BRANCH 40, LUELLA
7: When Flowery Branch came away
with two points on the first play of
game, coach Ben Hall felt it could be
a sign of good things to come against
Luella in the opening round of the
Class 4A state playoffs Saturday in
Flowery Branch. On the game’s first
snap, Luella’s center sent the ball over
the quarterback’s head and the Fal
cons recovered it for a safety in the
end zone.
After that it was smooth sailing for
the fifth ranked Falcons.
Maddux Trujillo nailed a 28-yard
field goal on Flowery Branch’s first
drive and it scored five touchdowns
before halftime, making it a running
clock in the second half and a domi
nating 40-7 win for the Falcons (9-2).
For Flowery Branch, the postseason
opener was a direct result of the mas
tery by quarterback David Renard,
who ran for a 12-yard score in the
second quarter. He also threw three
touchdown passes. Jaizen Ellingham
scored first for Flowery Branch on a
24-yard run in the first quarter, mak
ing it 12-0 early in the game.
ARCHER 21, GAINESVILLE 14:
Late in the fourth quarter, Red Ele
phants senior quarterback Gionni Wil
liams found the end zone on a 4-yard
run, then freshman Baxter Wright run
it in on the 2-point conversion to tie the
score at 14-14.
Archer came right down the
field, scoring on a 31-yard pass from
Vashaun Stockmann to DJ Moore with
less than a minute left in the game.
For Gainesville, sophomore Naim
Cheeks had a game-high 23 carries for
133 yards.
NORTH COBB CHRISTIAN 28,
LAKE VIEW ACADEMY 7: The Lions
lost to North Cobb Christian to open
the Class A private schools state play
offs Friday in Acworth. With the loss,
the Lions’ season is now complete.
Compiled by Bill Murphy
