Friday's Report: Scoreboard (HS, colleges); Central Ga. alums in XFL draft, Mayhem, Mercer; Liberty breaks off Braves, UGA, Tech, Falcons; NFL, college 🏈&🏀, soccer, MLB/MVPs, NBA
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: Maxwell Ratings predictions, state rankings
Coming Friday: Scouting reports on all Central Georgia GHSA and GIAA games
High School
🏀🏀🏀Basketball🏀🏀🏀
Girls
Crisp 49, Twiggs 31
Mary Persons 49, West Laurens 25
Boys
Covenant 36, John Hancock 32
Twiggs 33, Crisp 31
West Laurens 81, Mary Persons 77
🏈 🏈 🏈 Flag Football 🏈 🏈 🏈
Locust Grove 14, Mary Persons 0
Mary Persons 16, Spalding 6
Southeast Bulloch 13, Dodge County 0
Veterans 2, Northside 0
Westside 7, Warner Robins 0
College
🏀🏀🏀Basketball🏀🏀🏀
M-Central Georgia Tech 88, FVSU JV 86
M-Georgia Tech 68, Northern Illinois 50
📰C📰O📰V📰E📰R📰A📰G📰E📰
Alumni Update
Marquette King (Rutland, FVSU) is back in the game, Covenant grad picked
After an absence of a few years, Marquette King will be wearing a football uniform again at some point soon.
Again with the XFL.
The former Rutland and Fort Valley State standout punter was picked in the third round, by the Arlington, Texas Renegades and head coach Bob Stoops.
Khristian Tate, a running back standout at and 2016 graduate of Covenant Academy who had a full career at Georgetown, was selected by Orlando as a defensive lineman.
Nearly 450 players were picked, 285 with NFL experience. The draft was broken up by position groups for each day.
The XFL’s first go was in 2020 with a planned 10-game season, but it folded that March upon the beginning of COVID-19.
This time, the season starts on Feb. 18, 2023.
Other draft picks of note: Georgia DB Maurice Smith, by Vegas; Georgia State OL Sharmarious Gilmore, by Houston; Georgia OL D’Marcus Hayes, by D.C.;
Former Atlanta Falcon Vic Beasley was picked by Vegas.
Around/About Central Georgia
Macon-Birmingham game Saturday postponed
Former Mercer standout Lewis traded to Arizona
WBKB: Wake Forest pulls away late vs. Mercer
Around/About Georgia/Southeast
Liberty to split Braves off into own public company
UK DC: Bennett’s the best QB we’ll see all year, like Brady
Physical Rodriguez to be dealt with by UGA D
Bennett, Bowers national POY semifinalists
Carter, Bowers, Lombardi finalists
Bulldogs’ D dominating red zone
Improving Fields brings struggling Bears back home
Fine line in execution for Falcons (all teams)
MBKB: Franklin’s double-double paces Tech
As expected, Swanson declines qualifying offer
College Football/Southeast
Sankey reiterates a no-division SEC
Leach: Send me 30K and I’ll talk about refs
The race for SEC coach of the year
Clemson’s Uiagalelei graduates in December, still eligible, then what?
LSU on guard against upset-minded UAB
Column: Stop field rushing? Threaten a booze ban
College Football
Column: Why CFP expansion can’t work around the Rose Bowl
Freeman leads ND back from rough start
St. Thomas enjoys big jump from D-III to FCS
College Basketball
W-No. 1 South Carolina routs rival Clemson again
M-Murray State takes down No. 24 A&M
M-Furman gives Penn State a battle
W-Vols fans criticize Key for lashes, nails on social media
M-Colorado State thumps South Carolina
College Sports
State board of regents delays decision on UCLA move to Big Ten
Baseball/MLB
St. Louis’ Goldschmidt takes NL MVP
Analyzing every MLB free-agent signing, and notes
Manfred expects no finding of Mets-Yankees-Judge collusion
NBA/WNBA/Basketball
Leonard returns for Clippers
Football/NFL/USFL
Packers win streak over at 1, Titans win
Ryan looks to make the most of second chance
Washington sued for cheating fans out of ticket money
Storm pushes Bills-Browns to Detroit
Movement starts to return to grass fields
Eagles try to rebound against familiar foe to Sirianni
What did Arians say to Lattimore before Bucs-Saints scrape?
Judge dismisses suit from Jacksonville’s Lambo
Steelers’ Fitzpatrick back at practice after appendectomy
Soccer
Culture clash: Conservative Qatar preps for World Cup party
Ronaldo details rupture of relationship with Ten Hag
Golf
Rahm breaks ranks with McIlroy, scoffs at ranking system
Longhorns off to good start at Sea Island
K0 takes step toward big prize at LPGA finale
Tennis
Men’s tour payouts up $37.5 mil to $215 mil in 2023
Scoreboards
Women’s college basketball scores/games
Men’s college basketball scores/games