Thursday's Report: Scoreboard/GHSA softball; Thursday HS 🏈; Tasha Butts' exceptional life, Kareem Jackson, Georgia College's upset; GSU-GSU, Hawks, UGA-UF, Falcons, Braves; NFL, MLB, college 🏈 🏀📰
Coming every day: The only place in Central Georgia with daily high school scores, and the only place with college – Mercer, FVSU, Georgia College, CGTC, MGSU, GMC, Wesleyan – coverage (when info is offered).
Coming Thursday: The Sports Report’s high school football predictions
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High School
🏈🏈🏈Flag football🏈🏈🏈
Baldwin 6, Rutland 6
Washington County 6, Wheeler County 0
Westside 32, Northeast 8
🥎 🥎 🥎Softball 🥎 🥎 🥎
GHSA Playoffs
4A-Heritage 2, West Laurens 0
Heritage (15-13) finally broke through with two in the bottom of the sixth on a single, sacrifice, double, and single for a 2-0 lead. West Laurens (27-8) got a leadoff single from in the seventh from Katelynn Wilson, but went down 1-2-3 after that. Wilson had two of the Raiders’ four hits. West Laurens stranded a two-out double in the first, a leadoff single in the second, then had nine straight batters retired. Heritage turned two double plays to end threats, and held the Raiders to four hits. The Raiders play Sonoraville, a 2-1 loser to Whitewater, on Thursday at 7 p.m. in an elimination game.
4A-North Oconee 11, Perry 1, 5 inn.
North Oconee (28-6) got off to a good start and a 6-1 lead after two and put it away with five in the fourth. The Titans outhit the 21-7 Panthers 12-2. Perry plays Seckinger, a 7-4 loser to Wayne County, Thursday at 7 p.m. in an elimination game.
A/I-GMC 5, ECI 4
Nikole Rudolph’s one-out fielder’s grounder erased a runner, but she reached and moved to third on Hannah Garner’s single, and then came in with the winning run on Haley Knight’s infield single to second. The 15-11 Bulldogs, who survived four errors, tied it twice with two-run innings an inning after ECI scored two. Garner, Knight, and Allie Deason each had two hits for GMC, Knight and Millie Novak driving in two runs apiece. The Bulldogs play Washington-Wilkes, who beat Telfair County 9-1, at 1 p.m. on Thursday
🏐 🏐 🏐 Volleyball 🏐 🏐 🏐
GHSA playoffs
Class A
Whitefield Academy 3, Lamar County 0; Lamar County eliminated
College
⚽ ⚽ ⚽Soccer ⚽ ⚽ ⚽
W-Georgia College 2, Catawba 1
Pro
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Alumni Update
Broncos defend suspended safety Jackson (Westside), arguing latest hit was clean
Around/About Central Georgia
WSOC-Georgia College takes down national No. 1
SSAC expects contention from Middle Georgia State softball
Middle Georgia State in middle of SSAC baseball preseason pack
Two Central Georgia HS football games on tap
Three Central Georgia teams are in action Thursday night in high school football.
Southwest welcomes ACE to the Ed DeFore Sports Complex while Central heads west to take on Spencer.
Both are Region 2-AA games.
ACE is in a tie with Northeast for second in the region, and has the best overall record at 7-1. The Gryphons have five shutouts, and have scored at least 34 points in seven of eight games.
Southwest is 4-4 and 3-2, in sole possession of fourth place, and will hold on to that final playoff spot even if it loses its final two games, ACE and Central, thanks to winning the tiebreaker over Rutland.
Aaron Davis leads ACE with 737 rushing yards and 10 TDs, while QB Kaleb Scarbary has completed 62.9 percent of his passes for 1,111 yards, 22 touchdowns and two interceptions. David Ruddell gets 8.5 tackles a game.
Southwest’s Chase Dupree has passed for 1,509 yards on a 63.2-percent completion rate, with 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. The Patriots have four receivers with at least 200 yards in receptions and three with four TD catches.
Fresh off a huge comeback win over Northeast take control of the region – with a game against ACE still to be played – Spencer hosts Central, fresh off its first win of the season, 34-14 over Jordan.
This is the fourth meeting, Spencer leading 2-1, surviving 20-14 last year.
This week’s state college football schedule (All Saturday, all on ESPN+ unless noted)
Thursday, 7:30 p.m.: Georgia State at Georgia Southern, ESPN2
1 p.m., Sussex County CC at GMC (JockJive)
2 p.m., Virginia-Lynchburg at Fort Valley State (No TV)
2:30 p.m., Mercer at Western Carolina
3 p.m., Lincoln, Cal., at Kennesaw State
3:30 p.m., Georgia vs. Florida, CBS
8 p.m., North Carolina vs. Georgia Tech, ACC
Around/About Georgia/Southeast
Georgia Southern scouts Georgia State
Georgia State notes
Georgia State game notes
Georgia Southern game notes
Washington scores 25, rookie Miller provides spark as Hornets top Hawks
Gators’ improved attack faces stern test in No. 1 Georgia
Napier gets another shot to knock off a rival, No. 1 Georgia
Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan, an FSU grad, adopts neutral stance during Florida-Georgia
Florida’s Mertz compares Georgia D to …
LB Smith not with Bulldogs
Smith dismissed NFL probe, concerns of Robinson situation
Robinson says he is ‘all good’ after being limited by headache
Younghoe Koo earns POTW honor
Zimbabwe Proud: Tracing back Landman's African roots
Titans prep QBs Levis, Willis even as coach hopes for Tannehill’s return
Braves re-sign RHP Pierce Johnson to $14.25 million, 2-year contract with option for ’26
NBA/WNBA/Basketball
Wembanyama scores 15 points in NBA debut as Spurs fall to Mavericks in opener
Heat waste almost all of 19-point lead, scramble to hold off Pistons
Porzingis makes tiebreaking 3-pointer in strong Celtics debut,
76ers tell James Harden to stay home ahead of season opener in Milwaukee
Donovan Mitchell scores 27 points as Cavaliers top Nets
MLB/Baseball
Dusty Baker tells newspaper he is retiring as manager of the Houston Astros
D-backs’ Lovullo and Hazen navigated difficult years — on field and off — en route to World Series
Rangers now focus on playing as well at home in World Series vs Arizona as they have on road
Harper, Phillies’ big bats go quiet in NLCS
Faced with injuries and an improving AL West, Astros were ‘playing from behind the whole season’
College Basketball
Capel begins his sixth season at Pittsburgh with something unfamiliar: expectations
Florida State should be deeper but might need more to return to the NCAA Tournament
Michigan is in rebuilding mode as Howard recovers from heart surgery
Going at it alone: One Cavinder twin 'un-retiring'
College Football/SEC, ACC
SEC games have featured sacks galore, except for defending champ and No. 1 Georgia
In a transfer-happy era, surest way to ACC title game is to stick with homegrown QBs
Stubbornness cost Enos his job, Arkansas’ Pittman hopes to avoid same fate
Syracuse and Virginia Tech look to enhance bowl aspirations when they meet on Thursday night
What is this CW? Dabo wants to know
College Football/South
Texas QB Ewers is week to week with a shoulder injury. Murphy is likely to start against BYU
College Football
Ppicks: Brutal stretch run in Pac-12 is obstacle to breaking CFP drought
American Athletic Conference adds Army in 2024 for football. Army-Navy to remain nonconference game
USC's Riley back, being treated for pneumonia
Can’t tell the new QBs without a program. List of first-year starters in the Big Ten still changing
Penix Jr. is in the Heisman race and his receivers are part of the reason why
Wisconsin’s Fickell says focus shouldn’t be on him as Badgers face his alma mater Ohio State
College Football/ Wednesday night
Flabiano makes field goal with 4 seconds remaining to help UTEP beat winless Sam Houston
Zion Webb and Ron Wiggins each rush for 2 touchdowns as Jacksonville State eases by FIU
NFL/XFL/USFL/Football
Bills host Tampa Ba in prime-time matchup of two sluggish offenses
Lions release veteran WR Jones, who says he’s stepping away to deal with family matters
Jags insist Ridley’s up-and-down start has more to do with defenses than the receiver
Watson ruled out with shoulder injury, Walker starting for Browns
Golf
European tour creates another option for PGA Tour players who lose their cards
Tennis
Brooksby, an American tennis player, is suspended for 18 months for missing drug tests
Scoreboard
MLB scores/games
NFL scores/games
College football scores, FBS
College football scores, FCS
NBA scores/games