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by: Sam Crenshaw | 11Alive Sports
Wed, 10 Dec 2008 15:05:00 -0800
Welcome to State Championship Weekend in the Peach State.. This week high school football fans from across the state will head for downtown Atlanta and the Georgia Dome... If you don't thimk this week is a big deal, all you had to do was be at the Atlanta Falcons complex at Flowery Branch this afternoon.. The NFL club opened the doors to it's indoor practice facility to the teams from Buford and Flowery Branch High Schools. What an opportunity for high school players, who are already headed to play in an NFL stadium this weekend. In years past the semi-final round of the playoffs was played in the Dome. That meant 10 games in 2 days, with the State Championship contest back outside on the home field of one of the participating teams.. This year's arrangement, which will have all 5 classification finalist meet on a neutral field, will bring Georgia high school football in line with most of the other states. In Alabama, the finals are all played at Birmingham's Legion Field.. In North Carolina, the finals are played at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill. It has been a long, hard struggle to get the Georgia High School Association to take on the long stading tradition of championship games on home fields.. Over the years athletic officials from places like Valdosta, Thomasville, Cairo, Lincolnton, and other towns where high school football is the life blood of the community,protested every thought of losing the chance to host a state championship game. It was a chance for their towns to be in the state's spotlight, they would say, plus the added income from out-of-towners who would come to see the game. There were also the traditions, like sounding the sirens when the team wins, or ringing the schools victory bell.. today I spoke with Former Bufird Head Coach, now Athletic Director Dexter Wood, who was concerned about a tradition that might be lost if the Wolves are succesful Friday evening. " After last year's state championship win, all our fans went on to the field and and formed a circle around our team for a group prayer and pictures", says Wood. " I don't see how we can keep that tradition at the Georgia Dome with another game coming on after us". This may be true , but I am ready to see the change that allows the best of Georgia high school football displayed on the State's top stage.. If not the Georgia Dome, then maybe Grant Field(Georgia Tech), Sanford Stadium(Georgia), or even Paulson Stadium(Georgia Southern), but the State Championship games need to be on a neutral field !! It's time for a new tradition that brings Georgia on line with the rest of the nation.. C'mon we can do it. After all, it was just two years ago that we finally stopped playing the state final to a tie.. A tradition that made us the laughing stock of high school sports...
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by: Fred Kalil | 11Alive Sports
Mon, 01 Dec 2008 14:26:00 -0800
Just sitting on the bus here at the airport parking place waiting to head to our chartered plane to San Diego for Sunday's game. A lot of coaches leave Friday for west coast road trips. The extra day gives the players a chance to get used to the time change and extra rest before Sunday. The flight will be packed with sponsors and other folks who don't usually go. It's San Diego, one of the coolest places to visit so it's no surprise. We'll arrive early evening California time. The players will have meetings, maybe a walkthrough Saturday to keep them busy. The game kicks off at 4:05 Sunday. I lived in Phoenix most of the 80's and like people head to Florida here in the winter, Phoenix people come to San Diego to escape the desert heat. I remember my first trip here. It was December 1979 I came out west with the Indiana University football team. I discovered then that San Diego is a paradise. I plan on taking the crew out to dinner at my favorite place. The In and Out Burger. Can't wait to get the "Double-Double"! I'll report back with more from San Diego Saturday.
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by: Sam Crenshaw | 11Alive Sports
Fri, 28 Nov 2008 03:48:00 -0800
We certainly hope that you enjoyed a great Thanksgiving Day meal, walked it down in the Mall this morning and are now ready for the area's best coverage of the third round of the high school football playoffs. It will come your way tonight on Operation Football powered by Highschoolsports.net tonight at 11 O'clock. This is the quarterfinal round for Georgia High School teams ,as we are two weeks away from the state finals at the Georgia Dome. We will be covering our area teams as then play close to home and in other parts of the state.. Four teams from the metro area remain unbeaten with perfect record of 12 and 0.. Unbeaten Newnan, who has yet to surrender a point in the playoffs, will host North Gwinnett.. Defending State CLass AAAAA champion Lowndes visits Grayson for a battle of undefeated teams. Buford, defending State Class AA champions will put their unblemished mark on the line as they host Dublin. We will be live at 6 O'clock from North Dekalb Stadium, where Unbeaten Dunwoody will host LaGrange tonight. Those are just some of the games we plan to cover for you this week , along with the bands, cheerleaders, and an in studio visit from Robert Naddra, from Georgia Football Magazine, with recruiting news.. So, besure to join us for Operation Football tonight at 11 O'clock and go to Operation Football.TV all weekend for a complete listing of scores, and more highlights from area games...
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by: Sam Crenshaw | 11Alive Sports
Thu, 13 Nov 2008 21:21:00 -0800
Make way for the Red Elephants!! Last week Gainesville beat region rival Flowery Branch 27-13 in their regular season finale to finshed the 2008 regular season with a perfect record of 10-0.. Gainesville will host Oconee County in the first round of the state playoffs Friday night.. The Gainesville Red Elephants are the Operation Football Team of the Week, and Fred Kalil will introduce the team during his life report at 6pm Friday from Milton High School..Don't forget to tune in for Operation Football Friday night at 11pm on 11Alive..
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by: Sam Crenshaw | 11Alive Sports
Sun, 09 Nov 2008 20:43:00 -0800
As my bio states I am guilty of not making the time to read . I have wished that I could read best selling novels but somehow I don't do a good job of setting aside the time to do it.. Here in our Information Center, we received numerous offerings on a wide variety of subjects.. In our Sports Department we regularly received sports related books. Some are autobiographical, some are historic and others are fiction. So, I will make an effort to do more reading and share my thoughts in a series of blogs that I'd like to call "Sam's Reading Room". This year almost 100 High Schools in the state welcomed new head football coaches. Before the season started I made phone calls to see just who had stayed and who had moved on , either to another school or into retirement. I was pleased to find that one of this area's most successful coaches Southwest Dekalb High School's Buck Godfrey was still on the job. This is Coach Godfrey's 26th season as head coach, and he has a well earned reputation for leading one of the state's most successful programs. Godfrey has coached his team to a state championship, and seen his pupils reach the NFL, and earn Olympic Gold.But he is prehaps proudest of the scores of young people has he has sent on to college, and have gone on to professions other than pro sports. Several years ago, Godfrey told me of his intentions to write a book that told the story of a historic and painful chapter of his youth. The book , "The Team Nobody Would Play", tells the story of a Little League baseball team from Godfrey's native Charleston, South Carolina, that was denied the chance to play for the national championship because of ugly segregation policies of the time.It was 1955, and the neighborhood Godfrey describes reminds me of a place that I have been to many times as a kid. It really doesn't matter what city you are in, if you can find the African-American community you could always find small businesses, churches and schools. The adults were respected by the children, because they carried themselves in a manner that commanded respect, and smell of good home-cooked meals came through the windows or practically every house..This is the type of neighborhood that Godfrey and his teammates grew up in, and when Little League sactioned teams for their community it was a great source of pride. Remember, it was less than 10 years after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in professional sports, and baseball was the game in the African-American Community. Godfey tells the story of a team of 12 year olds so talented that they were certain that no other team from the Palmetto State could top them. They were right, nobody could beat the all-black Little League team from Charleston. That's because nobody was allowed to play them. How cruel it was for the prople in power in the state of South Carolina at that time, to dash the dreams of 12 year olds. The event left scars on the youngsters, some of them never got past the trauma. Godfrey admits that event now, as an adult, he still has a difficult time watching the Little League World Series on TV each year. If you read,"The Team Nobody Would Play'', you will find out how those Little League players, who were denied all those years ago, used that incident as motivation to become champions in life. As I think of this team of players who were denied in the 1950's I can't help thinking of them and what they might be thinking about what happened in our nation recently, in our Presidential Election. They are all grown men now approching retirement, with children and grandchildren. It must have brought tears to their eyes to think that someone could be elected to the highest office in the land today, would have been locked out of the park had he been a member of, "The Team Nobody Would Play" This book in an interesting and captivating account of a historic event as it is told by the author and his teammates, You can feel the emotions in the quotes from those who only wanted to play baseball like another other group youngsters. In this day and age young people compete with the assurance that if they have the ability they will get to play. Coach Godfrey's book serves as a reminder of just what a privilege it is to put on a uniform and be a member of a team that is allowed to compete at it's highest level,, "The Team Nobody Would Play", is avaliable at New Mercies Book Store in Lilburn, and on Amazon.com..
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