Central Georgia Sports ReportJuly 31, 2022Comment

Sunday's Report: Quintez Cephus, Mark Farriba, Russell Henley, Bacon; Braves/Hall of Fame, Falcons, Dream, United; MLB, golf, NASCAR, NFL, colleges, UFC

Central Georgia Sports ReportJuly 31, 2022Comment

Saturday'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📰

Coastal Plain

Macon 6, Florence 3

Pro

MLB

Atlanta 6, Arizona 2

MLS

Atlanta 0, Chicago 0

WNBA

Dallas 81, Atlanta 68

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Alumni Update

Cephus (Stratford) has a battle in Detroit

Around/about Central Georgia

Farriba honored by GIAA

Former Stratford head football coach and athletics director Mark Farriba was recently given the Brent Cribb Distinguished Service Award by the Georgia Independent Athletic Association, the athletics arm of the GISA.

His wife Ellie read off a list of his accomplishments at the Jekyll Island event, attended by many of Farriba’s staff and coaches at Stratford.

Ironically, Farriba hasn’t been part of the GISA/GIAA in nearly a decade. He was head coach and athletics director at Stratford when the school left the GISA after the 2013-14 year.

Stratford, along with Tattnall, Mount de Sales, and FPD, announced last November they were leaving the GHSA for a still-forming GISA offshoot. Farriba was among those heading the movement, but he retired as football coach after the season and then resigned as athletics director in early April.

In May, he joined the football staff at ACE with new head coach and former Mount de Sales head coach Keith Hatcher.

The award is given to “someone who has shown years of dedicated service and commitment to the Georgia Independent School Association. The recipient is known for the integrity, moral character, work ethic, leadership qualities, and influence that has contributed significantly to many lives.”

Stratford and ACE both posted information about the award, which has not yet been released or publicized by the GIAA.

Farriba is a 1974 Stratford grad who coached at his alma mater for 18 years overall, serving that role twice, as well as coaching other sports.

Other Stratford coaches who have received this award include Richard Reid (2003), Bobby Brown (2003), Bobby Hendley (2004), Bubber Adams (2004), Grady Smith (2005), Marvin Davis (2008), Rodney Collins (2011), David Bailey (2012), and Ed Smith (2016).

Henley sheds aside a couple hiccups, eyes top-10 finish

The streak of bogey-free golf came to an end for Russell Henley, but the Maconite is still in contention after three rounds of the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit.

Henley dropped from a tie for fourth to a tie for ninth with a 2-under day, steadying the round after two straight bogeys on the back nine.

He’s nine back and 12 under for the weekend, and on target for his best tournament since February when he was tied for 14th at The America Express, shooting 14 under. A week later was the last time he had three sub-70 rounds.

The bogey-free streak of 46 straight holes in the tournament came to an end on 11 after his tee shot found the right-side bunker. He left a nine-footer for a chance at a nice par, and came up a few inches long, dropping to 12-under and six back.

Alas, that started a streak of bogeys. But that stopped at 13 when he parred, to stay at 1-under and tied for 11th, eight shots back.

Henley got back on the par track, and finally got another birdie on 17 for the second straight day. He missed a second straight birdie chance by a hair on 18.

He ended the round in a tie for ninth, eight back, with three players above him still going.

Henley is in the field for next week’s Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, N.C.

Bacon finish with a road win, clinch playoff spot

Jared Weber had a homer and was one of three players with two hits to lead Macon to a 6-3 win over Florence.

Marcus Cashman whiffed 13 in six innings, with only two walks and three hits to improve to 3-0. Baxter Halligan got the save with four strikeouts in two shutout innings.

The Bacon finished the regular season 24-24 overall, tied with High Point-Thomasville, but Macon is in the Petitt Cup Playoffs. Macon and High Point/Thomasville are both in the league’s West Division, but didn’t play this year. There was no posted explanation of the tiebreaker.

Macon plays at Savannah at 7 p.m. on Sunday to start the West Division series, with the game Monday in Macon and Tuesday in Savannah, if needed.

First pitches thrown out by the new @Braves Hall of Famers ... with Joe Torre throwing to his former @Yankees star Robinson Canó. pic.twitter.com/B320rxtg0L
— Bally Sports South (@BallySportsSO) July 30, 2022

Around/About Georgia/Southeast

Contreras, Anderson power Braves past Arizona

Torre, Adcock, Mazzone new Braves HOFers

Braves outfield in focus before deadline

London making a good early impression

Edge rusher development a work in progress

Dream’s Durr done for the year with hip issue

Thornton’s career high dooms Dream

Atlanta manages scoreless tie at Chicago

Baseball/MLB/Baseball

Mets win fifth straight behind Lindor, Carrasco

Bell HR rallies Nats past Cards