Thursday's News 'n Notes: Scoreboard; Mary Persons' Des Williams; GISA softball; Russell Henley; Braves, UGA, Falcons, Hawks; MLB, colleges, NFL, NBA, more
Thursday'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: This week’s high school football scouting reports; Maxwell Ratings predictions; The Sports Report picks
Scoreboard
High School
Softball
ACE 20, Georgia School for Innovation and the Classics 0
The Gryphons teamed 13 hits with 10 walks to cruise. Regan Foster, Lizzy Mitchell, Destiny Lucs, Brooklyn McGreggor, and Maddie Gatlin had two hits each, Foster with three RBI to lead the 23-0 Gryphons.Crawford County 15, GSIC 0
Dodge County 6, Lamar County 1
East Laurens 9, Dublin 1
Hawkinsville 16, Fitzgerald 2
Jasper County 18, Washington County 11
The Hurricanes led 9-2 after three, then the Golden Hawks cut it to 11-9 with seven in the fifth. The teams managed only 13 hits for 29 runs, thanks to 14 walks by Jasper County pitching and 13 by Washington County hurlers. Kate Robinson had three hits and Jasmine Stone three RBI for Jasper County.
Strong Rock 11, Stratford 1
Volleyball
ACE 2, Central Talbotton 0 (25-10, 25-14)
The Gryphons clinched second in the region, and will host a first-round GHSA playoff on Oct. 20. It’s ACE’s second playoff trip, and first home playoff match. The Gryphons are 15-9, and went 6-1 in region.
Tattnall 3, Piedmont 0
College
Volleyball
Emmanuel 3, Georgia College 2
📰N 📰E📰W📰S📰
Alumni Update
Mary Persons grad Williams has him a night
Des Williams was a major playmaker on defense for Mary Persons, and he’s kept that going.
The sophomore defensive back at East Central (Miss.) Community College intercepted four passes last week against Pearl River, setting a school record and earning National Junior College Athletic Association Division I defensive player of the week honors.
Williams had two more picks Thursday night in a 31-13 loss to Mississippi Gulf Coast, returning one 35 yards. He had one pass breakup to go with five tackles.
He’s eighth on the team with 22 tackles and has blocked three field goals.
Peach County’s Alex Henton is a teammate. The sophomore tight end has one catch for 13 yards.
Around/About Central Georgia
Westfield a top seed as GISA softball playoffs begin
Westfield goes for one for the thumb and a fifth straight GISA softball title when the playoffs begin this weekend.
The Hornets are the top seed in AAA and host Southland.
Third seed Trinity Christian welcomes Valwood and fifth seed John Milledge is at Bulloch.
Brentwood hosts Windsor in Class AA, with Game 1 at 11 a.m. Saturday. Gatewood is at Southwest Georgia and Piedmont hosts Crisp Academy. Fullington hosts LaGrange in the four-team Class A bracket.
GISA has one classification for softball, but breaks up the playoffs into three classifications. Of the 27 teams playing softball, 20 are in the postseason.
The finals are Oct. 23 at Southern Pines in Dublin.
Henley off to good start at Shriners
Maconite Russell Henley countered one bogey with five birdies and sits in a tie for 31st at the Shriners Children’s Open in Las Vegas.
Henley shot a 4 under 67, and sits six shots back of leader Sung Kang.
It’s the third tournament of the season, and Henley’s first. He shot a 14-under 270 last year and finished tied for 27th.
Around/About Georgia
Hall of Famers: Braves are, yes, built for October run
Brewers’ Yelich hopes for a much better postseason
Bullpen issues a test for Counsell
Midseason deals push Braves and Brewers to playoffs
A true hostile environment awaits
Salyer happy with O-Line day against Arkansas
‘The challenge is definitely there’
Ridley skipping trip to London for personal reasons
Hawks have elite young core, say GMs
Baseball
Rays roll Red Sox in ALDS opener
McCullers, Astros cruise in ALDS Game 1
With no MVP candidates in postseason, new stars may shine
LaRussa still gets nervous in the playoffs
College Football/South
Cade Mays has had him a college career
Coastal Carolina looks for 11th straight Sun Belt win
College Football
Column: Eight won’t be enough for the playoff
No. 15 Coastal Carolina rolls past Arkansas State
College Sports
Big Ten welcomes changes as new hoops era begins
Big 12 joins SEC in athletic compensation
NFL
Lawrence: I still respect Meyer
Mom of Meyer’s grinder worried about her emotional status
Rams take down Seahawks in Seattle
Ratings are rocking, up 17 percent
LB Smith goes from Cowboys to Packers
NBA/WNBA
Nearly 20 retired NBA players indicted for defrauding NBA health care plan
Golf/Tennis
Andy Murray – wedding ring = “I’m an idiot”
Sports and social & racial awareness
Column: Courage management hiding behind silence
Around the nation/world
At Earl Monroe high school, students major in hoops biz
Maine high school cancels season, fires coach after sex toy hazing