Hart County's Stephon Eades doesn't shy away from challenges

Anderson Independent-Mail

HARTWELL, GA. — Stephon Eades is making it difficult on his coaches to leave him at one position.

The Hart County senior, a team captain, is making a habit of filling in for injured teammates on defense, all the while toting the football from the Bulldogs’ backfield.

“I always think of him as a tailback, because that’s where he was always going to be,” said Hart coach Joby Scroggs, who doubles as the running backs’ position coach.

When he first made a name for himself as a sophomore, Eades replaced the injured linebacker Ketitus Harper, who suffered a knee injury in the Abbeville game.

Georgia Notebook: No love lost in Hart-Stephens rivalry

Anderson Independent-Mail

At times in recent years, the Hart County-Stephens County rivalry was nearly on par with the hotly contested showdown between the Bulldogs and next-door neighbor Elbert County.

Hart and Stephens, in the old Region 8-AAA, were arguably the best teams, and the schedule often played out that they decided the region championship in the regular season finale. It may have reached a climax in 2008 when running back Ren Teasley transferred from Hart to Stephens.

Special win for Spartans

Athens Banner-Herald

If the Athens Academy special teams units keep playing like this, no one will worry about the Spartans' small senior class.

Behind 23 defensive or special teams points, the Spartans upended visiting Southwest Atlanta Christian 30-0 on Friday night in their season opener at Slaughter Field. Junior Jordan Lawson provided the punctuation on a quick scoring burst after a 74-yard kickoff return late in the first quarter.

Lawson had a punt return called back on a penalty early in the game.

"To get that back on the kick return really meant a lot," said Lawson, who also made a fourth-quarter interception. "All of my blockers were really working hard, everybody on kickoff team."

Rocktenn Makes 'Monumental' Move To Norcross

Gwinnett Daily Post

NORCROSS -- Nearly 40 years ago, this city was home to a family-owned business of paperboard and box manufacturing with sales of $23 million.Today, RockTenn Co. reports $10 billion in net sales, and is one of the crown jewels of the business community in Norcross and Gwinnett County.

#This month, RockTenn announced the acquisition of Smurfit-Stone, one of its competitors, and subsequently made a $5 million local investment that would create 500 jobs in the next two years.

#In an economic climate where business expansion is rare and job creation is not often delivered, RockTenn is proud to be an aberration to recent trends.

#"It's fun, because it makes you proud," said John Stakel, a RockTenn vice president and the company's treasurer. "It's energizing, rewarding from a professional standpoint."

Georgia Notes: Both Stephens Co. QBs Mayfield, Westmoreland to play

Anderson Independent-Mail

As Stephens County entered the preseason, Travis Noland was not sure which quarterback would distinguish himself for this week’s opener at Elbert County.

Juniors Dionte Mayfield and Foster Westmoreland started the summer competing for the starting job, and Noland, the Indians’ coach, said Monday that neither has set him apart.

“They’ll both play,” Noland said. “They can both run the offense.”

Titans Hold Off Warriors, 21-13, in Final Scrimmage

Oconee Patch

The annual scrimmage, unlike any other scrimmage, officially ended the preseason schedule on Friday night for the North Oconeeand Oconee County High School football teams.

Overflow parking was needed for the large crowd, and because the teams don’t meet in the regular season, it had the feel of a game that counted in the standings. But in reality, it was a way for players to learn how to fight off muscle cramps, and coaches to dissect one more video.

Thanks to a couple of sustained drives, and one big pass play, North Oconee held off host Oconee County 21-13. The Titans now turn their focus to their season opener next week against Arabia Mountain, while Oconee is off until Sept. 2 at East Jackson.

New Take On An Old Classic: Updated Fiat Turning Heads, Saving Cash

Gwinnett Daily Post

BUFORD -- Soon after John Montgomery purchased a Fiat 500, the time it took him to complete errands ballooned.

#"You can't get somewhere on time," said Montgomery, a former Suwanee resident who moved to Greenville, S.C., three years ago. "People will come up to you, 'Where did you get it? How much did it cost?'"

#Montgomery, the president of Fiat-Lancia Unlimited, a national car enthusiast club, bought his new wheels at Team Fiat at the Mall of Georgia. The dealership held its grand opening on Aug. 3, but has sold 45 Fiat 500s in nearly three months.

#It's one of three new stores in the Atlanta market owned by AutoNation, the largest dealership group in the country, which would create about 100 new jobs.

#

G-Day recap

Georgia held its annual G-Day spring football game on Saturday. In short, it was a showcase of players who may have been overlooked by the well-documented 'Dream Team' recruiting class.Here are my recaps of the game and other notes.

Memory Lane for Stephen Garcia

As Stephen Garcia was suspended for a fourth time this week, let's hearken back to the good ol' days when Garcia was 'tackled' by Louisville native Wilbur Hackett Jr. Here's a clip from 2008.

Solar-powered Car Races Spice Up Science Class

Combine seventh graders with warm weather and a cool science project, and it turns into a fun week.

That was the recipe in Tom Pee’s seventh grade classroom at Athens Academy this week. Thanks to a contribution from Walton EMC, who received a $500 grant from Green Power EMC, Pee’s classes enjoyed the second annual “Sprint to the Sun” races for solar-powered cars the students built Monday and raced on Friday.

“It’s a lot more fun being able to go against your friends, instead of just doing a regular classroom experience,” said Sarah Slocum, who partnered with Bailey Carter to win the Science 3 section with the “Beast Mobile.” “It was fun, decorating was probably the best part,” she said.

Read the rest of the story here.

Oconee Patch: Warriors Tennis Flourishing Behind Ondo Siblings

After they graduated a combined seven players from last year’s teams, the Oconee County High School tennis teams were considerably younger to start this season.

“We were all worried about this season,” junior Sam Ondo said. “We thought this was going to be a build-up season.”

That build-up season never came. And a youth movement hasn’t triggered a dropoff in wins and losses.

A year after the girls’ team advanced to the second round of the state tournament, it’s poised to begin the Region 8-AAA tournament with a 15-2 record, including an undefeated region mark.

The boys’ have stayed right with them, as they posted a 13-4 record and went 9-3 in region play. Following spring break, the teams will play the region tournament April 13 and 14 at West Hall High School.

Read the rest of the story here.

Athens Patch: Cedar Shoals soaks in sunny win over Clarke Central

For Cedar Shoals High School seniors like shortstop Jacob “Peanut” Woods, this will be one to remember.

On a sun-splashed Saturday, Cedar Shoals had plenty of reasons to forget about its recent history against its cross-town rival. Now there's new history to remember.

The Jaguars got timely hitting from designated hitter Davonne Brooks and solid pitching from Steven Escalante and Levonte Wynn to upend Clarke Central 5-2 at Cedar Shoals. The win snapped the Jaguars’ eight-game losing streak in the Classic City Championship, and was just their fourth win in the last 15 meetings.

“I’ve never beat them in varsity baseball,” said Woods, who went 2-for-3 with a walk and run scored. “It means a lot. I wanted to win that game, win the rest and win the region.”

Read the rest of the story here.