The Central Georgia Sports Report

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Friday's Report: Scoreboard; Ga. Sports Hall of Fame, Macon County's Roquan Smith, Washington County's Allisha Gray, Central hires FB coach, East Laurens wrestling, Mercer; Willock P.C., 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:  Full slate of Georgia Sports Hall of Fame inductees and legends set

High School

Basketball

Girls

Gatewood 93, Young Americans 11
Union Grove 50, Jones County 43

Boys

Gatewood 76, Young Americans 35
Union Grove 65, Jones County 57 

College

🏀🏀🏀Basketball🏀🏀🏀

W-Georgia Tech 69, Syracuse 57
W-Georgia Southern 69, James Madison 65
W-Kennesaw State 71, Jacksonville State 61
M-Kennesaw State 82, Stetson 81, OT
M-Louisiana-Monroe 72, Georgia Southern 59
M-Mercer 69, VMI 61
W-Mobile 67, Middle Georgia State 47
M-Middle Georgia State 77, Mobile 70
M-South Georgia State 83, Central Georgia Tech 80 

📰C📰O📰V📰E📰R📰A📰G📰E📰

Alumni Update

Macon County’s Smith earns another Butkus Award for top LB

Washington County’s Gray traded to Atlanta Dream

 

Around/About Central Georgia

Central announces Laws as new head football coach

          Central went outside of Bibb County and Central Georgia for its newest head football coach, Jarrett Laws being announced Thursday night at the Bibb County Board of Education meeting as the newest head Charger.

          He takes over for Joaquin Sample, who went 16-36 in five seasons before being released from his coaching contract in late November.

          A graduate of Daytona Beach Seabreeze High in Florida, Laws played college basketball and football at Wingate, a Division II program in North Carolina.

          He has coached at Mt. Zion-Jonesboro (11-12, two seasons), Drew (20-27, five seasons), Griffin (17-6, two seasons), and then Salem (27-41, seven seasons), compiling a 75-86 record in 16 seasons, with seven winning seasons and seven playoff trips, highlighted by 11-1 at Griffin in 2014 and a quarterfinal trip with Mt. Zion in 2008.

          Salem with 2-9 in 2022, being outscored 417-73, but still made the playoffs as the fourth-place team in Region 4-AAA, the wins coming in region play. The Seminoles lost 49-0 to Calvary Day in the first round of the playoffs.

          He was the first head coach at Drew, which started in 2009. And he started the program at Tampa (Fla.) Freedom, going 3-5 in an abbreviated non-varsity season and 1-9 in its first full varsity season in 2003. That was after serving as offensive coordinator for a Class 5A runner-up in Florida in 2002.

         

MBKB-Mercer storms back from big hole for second straight win

East Laurens lone Central Georgia team in wrestling duals

          The GHSA state dual wrestling championships get started Saturday in eight high school gyms throughout the state – including Jones County – with only one Central Georgia representative.

          East Laurens is among the eight teams competing in Class A, at Trion. The Falcons beat Mt.Zion-Carrollton 51-21 and Dade County 42-33 in the dual prelims last week to advance.

          In the prelims, around the state, Central Georgia teams Lamar County, Putnam County,

          Putnam County lost 37-36 to Brantley County in AA in a second-round match, just missing advancing. West Laurens lost by eight to North Oconee in a 4A second-round battle, Jones County by 17 to Jefferson in 5A.

          West Laurens won the Class 4A title last year.

          The state traditional tournament is Feb.16-18 at the Macon Coliseum.

 

Around/About Georgia/Southeast

‘Press conference’ a lawyer reading of statements, Willock family not present

Willock’s dad unaware of media meeting, no plans to sue Georgia

Will Bennett at Senior Bowl be a job interview with Chicago?

Ridder’s trajectory unclear after rookie season

About Andruw and the Hall of Fame

 

College Football/Southeast

What’s next for Florida after Rashada situation?

Beamer reshaping perception of South Carolina’s program

College Football

Issues growing with NCAA, Michigan, and Harbaugh

Harbaugh refuses to agree on charge

College football is cannibalizing itself

College Basketball

M-Notre Dame’s Brey done at season’s end after 23 years with Irish

M-Loyola Marymount ends Gonzaga’s 75-game home streak

M-From first day of betting in Ohio, Dayton and Grant got threats

W-No. 3 LSU fends off Arkansas

M-Davis on scoring binge at unheralded Detroit Mercy

Football/NFL/USFL

Out-Leftwich in Tampa Bay, and more assistants

Out-Vikings’ DC Donatell

Out-Miami DC Boyer, after three years, and more assistants

Out-Rams cut loose five assistants

Leaving-Baltimore OC Roman, for ‘other opportunities’

Dallas continues to back Maher

Mahomes, Chiefs eye fifth straight AFC title game

Lawrence is 37-0 on Saturdays

Giants’ Jones changing narrative, quieting critics

Cowboys and Niners for a record ninth playoff game

Does Brady’s career go down with end of an ugly TB season?

Column-Brady’s time is up, no perfect time to go

Giants’ Daboll undaunted by third meeting with Philly

Turnovers a concern for Buffalo
Gronk-Rodgers should talk more of Super Bowls than MVPs

NBA/WNBA/Basketball

Boston edges Golden State in OT, in Finals rematch

Baseball/MLB

What are the Mets up to?

Ranking the remaining free agents

Golf

Next, on the CW: LIV golf

Thompson leads American Express

Tennis

Murray edges Kokkinakis after 4 a.m.

Djokovic worried about leg, bugged by heckler

American men having a solid Australian Open start

Track & Field

Southern Cal names field after Olympic star Felix

Bolt missing $12.7 mil from account

Soccer

Charlotte’s Walkes dies in boat accident

Scoreboards

NFL games/scores

NBA scores/games

Women’s college basketball scores/games

Men’s college basketball scores/games

 

Friday's Report: Scoreboard; Ga. Sports Hall of Fame, Macon County's Roquan Smith, Washington County's Allisha Gray, Central hires FB coach, East Laurens wrestling, Mercer;  Willock P.C., more