Tuesday's News 'n Notes: Scoreboard; Braves-Astros; Area teams set for GHSA softball; Alumni: Dublin's Smith; UGA-UF, Falcons, Dream; colleges, NFL, soccer
Tuesday's Central Georgia - and of interest to Central Georgia - news and notes, compiled from staff reports, email reports, the web, and social media.
In Coverage: Scoreboard; GHSA softball playoff Elite Eight pairings
Coming: Hump (Monday Morning) Day Quarterback
Scoreboard
College
Golf
M-Southern Tide Intercollegiate, final round, Georgia College
📰C📰O📰V📰E📰R📰A📰G📰E📰
Five Central Georgia teams in Columbus, sights set on titles
Four ranked teams and an upset-minded upstart are the Central Georgia representatives in the GHSA state softball championship rounds in Columbus.
Action starts at 9 a.m. Thursday.
Undefeated ACE is the highest-ranked area team, as per ScoreAtlanta’s rankings, at No. 1 in Class A Public. Tattnall is No. 3 in Class A Private, defending champ Jones County No. 5 in 5A, and West Laurens is No. 7 in 4A.
Crawford County in Class A Public is a four seed that’s reached the Elite Eight round. The Eagles join Mill Creek (7A), Cambridge (6A), Flowery Branch and Cedartown (4A), Dawson County (3A), Screven County (A Public) as No. 4 seeds making Columbus, while ELCA is the only Class A Private school at No. 10 seeded lower than eight in that class’s 24-team field.
Jones County went through Starr’s Mill 2-0, Whitewater 3-2, and Starr’s Mill again 10-0 in the final last year, the 2020 tournament with smaller six-team, single-elimination fields because of COVID-19.
A year earlier, with the normal eight-team double-elimination format, the Greyhounds went 1-2.
West Laurens went 1-2 last year, being eliminated by champ Heritage-Chattooga.
Crawford County, ACE, and Tattnall didn’t make last year’s Columbus field.
Two years ago, Tattnall went 2-2, while ACE and Crawford County failed to make it.
Mount de Sales won the A Private title in 2019 and FPD in 2016. GMC won it in A Public in 2014-15.
Alumni Update
Dublin hoops boss Smith’s jersey retired by Atlantic Sun
Around/About Georgia/Southeast
Georgia-Florida to stay in Jacksonville through 2023
QB issues for the Cocktail Party may drive some to drink (more)
Stats don’t show Davis’ domination
Falcons starting to erase old narratives
Dream hire top WNBA executive as GM
College Football/South
Bama hope to avoid more ‘humiliation’
College Football
Column: Harbaugh faces must-win against Michigan State
Column: Franklin doesn’t have as much leverage as he thinks
College Basketball
Women’s AP All-American team
Baseball
NFL
Bucs still rolling with injuries
Tomlin: college candidacies a joke
Column: No, Tomlin’s not going anywhere
Texans chairman uses anti-Asian slur at charity event
Lions showing progress even with losses
Saints lose Georgia State grad Lutz
Brady’s ball returner just wants a round of golf
NBA/WNBA
Rivers not worried about Emiid’s ailment
Sports and social & racial awareness
Texans chairman uses anti-Asian slur at charity event
Sports and COVID-19
Around the nation/world
Lloyd completes career in rout of South Korea
Column: One chapter of Lloyd’s life is done
Big stadium planned for KC women’s pro soccer team