Titans win at Ekiden

Posted: 09.09.2010 North Oconee 's four-runner Red team of Dorie Faber, Sheila Donovan, Ian Wraga and Tripp Hurt took first place on Wednesday at the Spartan Ekiden Cross Country Relay Race at Athens Academy.The race is a 12k relay consisting of five four-person teams from each school, mixing two male and two female competitors. Each athlete runs 3k, or 1.86 miles. The victorious team from North Oconee completed the race...

Billups' return sets tone in Glads' win

Posted: 09.04.2010 By Ryne Dennissports@onlineathens.com Dawun Billups immediately set the tone in Clarke Central 's 34-14 win over Heritage-Conyers Friday as he took the opening kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown.While the scoreboard shows a hefty victory for the third-ranked Gladiators, head coach Leroy Ryals said the win wasn't as lopsided as it might have appeared. "Special teams have been keeping us in the game, but we've got to get some...

ABH Player of the Week Watson off to fast start

Posted: 08.30.2010 By Chris Starrssports@onlineathens.com Clarke Central running back Que Watson is much happier with this year's season opener than he was this time 12 months ago. "Oh yeah, this game most definitely was better than last year," the 5-foot-9, 175-pound junior said. In the Gladiators' first game of 2009 - a 20-15 victory over Loganville - Watson was in the starting lineup, but an ankle injury...

Notebook: Jags keeping heads up after loss in opener

Posted: 08.28.2010 By Jeff Cochran jeff.cochran@onlineathens.com Cedar Shoals ' approach to its 44th meeting with Clarke Central on Friday was one of careful excitement.There was no questioning their motivation to beat the Gladiators, but Jaguars coach Xarvia Smith made sure that both he and his team captains kept it from being a make-or-break game. That approach will pay off following their 41-12 loss in The Jungle, the Jaguars'...

Cochran: Glads still have work to do

Posted: 08.27.2010 By Jeff Cochranjeff.cochran@onlineathens.com Before the season began, Clarke Central coach Leroy Ryals was concerned about his team's tendency to start slowly. The Gladiators' coach was referring to the regular season, struggling through the first few games before heating up as the weather cools. Last year, Clarke Central didn't really catch fire until midway through the season after a couple of losses. In Friday's...

'Festival' lures some top schools to area

Posted: 08.27.2010 By Fletcher Pagesports@onlineathens.com A massive and talented pool of high school cross-country teams will gather at Athens Christian today for the Northeast Georgia Championships to kick off the 2010 season.At least 33 high schools and another 12 middle schools will be represented in what Athens Christian coach Tim Cummings calls a cross-country "festival." "It was kind of a vision we had a couple of years ago," Cummings said....

Gladiators take down Jags in sloppy contest

Posted: 08.27.2010 By Roger Clarksonroger.clarkson@onlineathens.com Clarke Central and Cedar Shoals might have met in the 44th Classic City Championship on Friday night, but the game was far from a classic. Defending Class AAAA finalist Clarke Central won 41-12 against Cedar Shoals in a sloppy, mistake-filled affair at The Jungle. The teams combined for 10 turnovers - five each. Clarke Central made the most of...

A classic history between Cedar, Clarke

Posted: 08.26.2010 By Jeff Cochranjeff.cochran@onlineathens.com Only a coach that survived for more than a decade under the pressure of the Classic City Championship can describe the year-round pressure. "It is one of the greatest rivalries in Georgia, if not this side of the Mississippi," said former Cedar Shoals coach Scott Wilkins, who had a 9-8 record against the Gladiators from 1994-2007. "It is literally...