Sunday's News 'n Notes: Scoreboard; Lockhart back to Upson-Lee, Macon TD Club honorees, FVSU, Georgia College; Falcons, UGA; NCAA Tournament HQ, NFL, MLB, NASCAR
Sunday's Central Georgia - and of interest to Central Georgia - news and notes, compiled from staff reports, email reports, the web, and social media. Updates will be noted, so check back.
📰S📰C📰O📰R📰E📰B📰O📰A📰R📰D
College
Baseball
Georgia College 13, USC Aiken 0
Georgia Tech 14, Wake Forest 5
Mississippi State 20, Georgia 3
Golf
M-Linger Longer, Mercer/Georgia/Augusta/Kennesaw State
Softball
Dartmouth 5, Mercer 0; Georgia 16, Mercer 6
FVSU 17, Allen 0; FVSU 19, Allen 4; FVSU 19, Allen 2
Middle Georgia State 5, Faulkner 1; Faulkner 5, MGSU 4
Georgia Southwestern 8, Georgia College 0
Volleyball
Pro
SPHL
Knoxville 6, Macon 2
NBA
New Orleans 117, Atlanta 112
📰C📰O📰V📰E📰R📰A📰G📰E📰
Around/About Central Georgia
Lockhart returns to coach Upson-Lee
His team had won consecutive GHSA state basketball titles, but Darrell Lockhart was ready for a change.
He surprised the state high school basketball community in April of 2019 by resigning at Upson-Lee after 14 seasons, and taking a job at Valdosta.
He’s ready for a change again.
Lockhart will be back in The Castle in Thomaston, the school announcing Wednesday on its Facebook page of his return.
Valdosta finished 18-9 overall and 4-2 in 1-6A play last season losing 72-54 to River Ridge in the second round of the state tournament.
He went 61-19 with the Wildcats, cruising past his 300th career win in his first season.
Lockhart has some work to do on a program very different than the one he left after the 2018-19 season.
He was succeeded by Christopher Owens, off a nice run at Montgomery County. Upson-Lee went 21-8 and 17-8 in his first two seasons, winning two Class 4A state games in 2019-20 and then losing in the first round of the playoffs last year to semifinalist Windsor Forest 58-52.
The 2021-22 Knights’ season was a rocky one, with suspensions and departures. Owens didn’t finish the season on the bench, because of a suspension.
Still, Upson-Lee managed to finish 14-11, 8-6 in Region 2-AAA, and lost 75-45 to eventual state champ Cross Creek in the first round of the AAA playoffs. Owens’ contract was not renewed.
The team’s roster listed on Maxpreps has three seniors.
The Knights won 75 straight games went undefeated in 2016-17 and 2018-19. They lost in the second round of the 2018-19 playoffs 59-53 to eventual runner-up Americus-Sumter, finishing 25-2.
Honorees
Elmo A Richardson Player of the Year
Vic Burley, DE, Warner Robins
State Honorees
Zavion Hardy, DE, Tattnall
T.J. Searcy, DL, Upson-Lee
Adam Hopkins, WR, Thomas County Central
Gabriel Harris, DL, Valdosta
Aaron Gates, ATH, Trinity Christian-Sharpsburg
Jonathan Hughley, OT, Langston Hughes
Bobby Gene Sanders Memorial Scholarships
Grayson Dugger, Jones County; Camden Smith, FPD; Charlie Morris, Tattnall; Sushrith Panda, Central
OrthoGeorgia Back of the Year
Travion Solomon, Northeast
OrthoGeorgia/Bill Turner Lineman of the Year
Coleman Cauley, FPD
OrthoGeorgia Special Teams Player of the Year
Evan West, Jones County
Marvin Davis Bibb County Co-Coaches of the Year
Jeremy Wiggins, Northeast; Greg Moore, FPD
Bobby Pope State Coach of the Year
Marquis Westbrook, Warner Robins
Recognition of Naval Academy appointments
Coleman Cauley, FPD; Myles Brown, Covenant
Warner Robins tops list of Macon Touchdown Club state award winners; Smart set to speak
A pair of state champions from Warner Robins headline the list of award winners to be feted Monday night at the Macon Touchdown Club’s annual year-end jamboree.
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart is the guest speaker. The event at the Methodist Home for Children and Youth on Pierce Avenue is is sold out.
Junior defensive end Vic Burley is the Elmo A. Richardson state player of the year, while Demons boss Marquis Westbrook is the Bobby Pope state coach of the year.
Northeast and FPD pulled off the double honors for Bibb County awards, with back of the year Travion Solomon and co-coach of the year Jeremy Wiggins of Northeast and lineman of the year Coleman Cauley and co-coach Greg Moore of FPD.
The club also hands out a group of academic scholarships to Bibb County players.
SB: FVSU explodes for 55 runs in three-game sweep
BSB: Big bats leads Georgia College to another rout
Around/About Georgia/Southeast
WBKB: Iowa State starts 11-0, cruises past Georgia
Youngster Byron survives the changes at AMS to win
Was it too much entertainment and not enough sport?
Breaking down the Falcons signings
New Orleans breaks Hawks’ home winning streak
NCAA Tournaments
Men’s scores and boxes and schedules
Women’s scores and boxes and schedules
(Note: annoying video at the start)
M-Arizona needs OT to stay alive
W-South Dakota State gets the women’s shocker over homestanding Baylor
W-Former Iowa guard Jensen helps Creighton stun Iowa at home
W-Second half lifts Maryland to romp over Florida Gulf Coast
M-Ohio State adds to Big Ten woes
M-Duke takes late lead to stop Michigan State
M-Iowa State, from 2-22 to Sweet 16
W-Defense keys South Carolina over Miami
M-Sunday’s winners and losers
W-Belmont knows everything it needs to about playing Tennessee, in Knoxville
W-Oregon coach calls out some players after loss
W-Double-digit seeds continue winning
W-LSU faces Ohio State, both after tough openers
More
W-Jackson State lost, but story is still being told
M-Little St. Peter’s on a big map now
College Basketball
M-Mississippi State snags New Mexico State’s Jans
NFL/Football
Browns defend pursuit, signing of Watson
Column: How the Watson trade and contract could change parts of the NFL
Baseball: MLB/College
Schwarber, Phils finalize big deal
Golf/Tennis
Fritz first American winner at Indian Wells since 2001, stuns Nadal
Auto Racing
Youngster Byron survives the changes at AMS to win
Was it too much entertainment and not enough sport?
Soccer
Italian federation opens probe into racist chants
Around the nation/world