Sports |
A budding rivalry begins It’s a new season and an even year, which means county teams face new regions and new challenges for 2008. The new year brings added emphasis on inter-county games, as a record five regular season games between county schools are on the docket. There were seven total, with Etowah beating Sequoyah 32-7 on Aug. 15, and Creekview knocking off Woodstock 19-7 on Aug. 22. It was the first time a varsity football team from Cherokee had paid a visit to the newest county school. Friday the county’s newest budding rivalry will take place, as the Chiefs open the season at home against backyard rival Creekview. It is the first time these two teams have met on the football field in a varsity game. The clash begins at Skip Pope Stadium at 7:30 p.m. “We [were] looking forward to the Woodstock scrimmage, but what we are really excited about is the game with Sequoyah,” said Creekview head coach Al Morrell, who was a former assistant to head coach Sid Maxwell at Sequoyah. “I think it’s going to be fun for the kids and both communities.” Ironically, it is the creation of Creekview that has caused the Chiefs’ varsity roster to have more sophomores than combined juniors and seniors. Creekview players such as senior quarterback Collins Wold and wingback Jose Reyes, would be wearing the black and gold of Sequoyah and playing in the Sequoyah wing-t offense had the county’s newest school, which opened in August 2005, had not been built. Instead, they are playing in the Grizzlies’ wing-t formation. The emergence of Creekview also has split households. Curtis Andrusko, who played for Sequoyah and graduated in 2005, has a younger brother, Jake Andrusko, who is a junior at Creekview and starts at offensive guard. The Andrusko family is one of many families that have switched allegiance from the Chiefs’ black and gold to the grizzly green and blue. The coaching staffs also are familiar with one another. Morrell was Maxwell’s offensive coordinator, and Creekview assistant Roger Nolan, who coaches the offensive line, held the same position at Sequoyah, and Creekview defensive coordinator Jeff Nelson coached the outside linebackers at Sequoyah. Creekview Principal Bob Eddy also was the athletics director at Sequoyah before the high school on Owens Store Road opened. “It should be a good rivalry game and good for the community,” Maxwell said. “They are seasoned, having been together and grown together for four years. Al Morrell and his staff do a good job, and I know them well because they arrived from here.” Unlike the next three games featuring county rivals, the Creekview and Sequoyah game is for bragging rights. For the three other schools – Etowah, Cherokee and Woodstock – in 5-AAAAA, inter-county games take on added meaning and playoff implications. The Warriors and Eagles, who are the oldest rivals in the county, have been the two most successful local programs the past two years, as both teams earning playoff appearances. The Eagles play host to Cherokee on Sept. 19. It marks the first time the two teams have met in the regular season since Sept. 19, 2003. The Warriors defeated Etowah 35-14 in their last trip to Eagle Stadium. Cherokee, faces a rebuilding year and moving up to AAAAA, leads the overall series with Etowah, 14-10. The Warriors travels to Woodstock on Oct. 24. It’s the first time in more than three years the Wolverines and Warriors have met in the regular season. The Warriors hold a 5-3 advantage in the series against Woodstock, but the Wolverines snapped a five-year losing streak by beating Cherokee 9-0 on Sept. 30, 2005. After Etowah plays Cherokee, the Eagles travel to neighborhood rival Woodstock on Sept. 26. The Eagles shut out Woodstock 16-0 last year and tied the series at 4-4. Being on the road is something the Eagles will have to get used to if they plan on making a run at a school-record third straight trip to the postseason. Because Etowah played in the Corky Kell Kickoff Classic, beating Starr’s Mill 47-24, it lost a home game. The Eagles have only four home games this year and have four straight road games. Etowah travels to East Paulding, which reached AAAA state quarterfinals last year, on Oct. 3 and has a bye week. On Oct. 17, Etowah travels to Marietta, which reached the playoffs last year, and concludes its road trip a week later in Austell against South Cobb. Etowah will go 42 days between home. The Eagles play North Cobb on Halloween to end the endless road trip. It also is a homecoming game. The Warriors defeated Etowah 28-21 last year when they were ranked No. 1 in the state. North Cobb went on to win the region regular season title but lost in the first round of state playoffs by Peachtree Ridge. Etowah also lost its opening round of the state playoffs. The Grizzlies, who are eligible for the playoffs for the first time in school history, has the luxury of being the last team in the county to open the year. After playing the Chiefs, the Grizzlies embark on nine straight games with Region 7-AAA teams. Six of those games will be against Subregion 7A-AAA teams, including last year’s state semifinalist North Hall on Sept. 26. Creekview is in arguably the toughest of the two subregions and is vying for one of two playoff spots from the subregion. The Chiefs, who stay in AAAA, also play a subregion schedule. Sequoyah opens 7A-AAAA play on Sept. 26 at Rome for the first of six straight subregion games. The subregion playoffs begin Nov. 7. The first place teams in each subregion automatically qualify for the state playoffs and will host at least a first round game. The No. 2 team from each subregion play host play host to the No. 3 seed from the opposite subregion to decide the final two playoff spots. “Its good to have six people playing for it at the end,” Maxwell said. “Bottom line, when you go through the season and have an opportunity to play for something at game 10, it makes a difference in your season.” However, the Chiefs are in a difficult region with No. 8 Rome and traditional playoff participants like Northwest Whitfield, Dalton and Cass, which is an up-and-coming program. “We are going to be facing a lot of seasoned teams,” Maxwell said. “The Northwests, Daltons and Romes are always in the top three. So for us to squeeze in there, we are going to have to knock some of those that are used to going, out.” |
Hold that line Friday was the third-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina slamming into the Gulf Coast and turning the lives of residents around forever.
(Right: Three years after fleeing Hurricane Katrina, Woodstock senior Duran Christophe has become one of the top recruited offensive linemen in the state.) Todd Callahan | Ledger-news Every day Christophe is getting mail or phone calls from college coaches just to check up on him. “I aggravated my mom the other day when it was raining because I wanted to stop and get the mail,” said Christophe, who is getting a kick out of the whole recruiting process. “I had never gotten mail before this year.” The mail began last January for the junior tackle, who was surprised to be getting letters from colleges. He also was surprised when the return address was from Notre Dame University. Thrilled with the possibility of playing for Notre Dame, Christophe is looking to play closer to home and wants to play for a school in either the Atlantic Coast Conference or Southeastern Conference. He has been in contact with SEC schools Alabama, South Carolina and Georgia, and Florida State also has displayed interest in the Woodstock standout. “It really surprised me because I never thought my first letter would be from Notre Dame,” Christophe said. “The letters have really grown from there. Since then, I kind of expect it now.” The house phone also has been ringing off the hook, but Christophe has taken a break from returning phone calls, as he tries to concentrate on his senior season, which will be a busy one. In addition to being the starting left tackle, Christophe is playing on the defensive side of the ball for the first time since his sophomore year when he was a spot starter, who blocked two field goals in a three-overtime victory over Etowah. During Woodstock’s preseason scrimmage at Creekview on Aug. 15, No. 79 spent the majority of the game on the field. He saw playing time with the first-team offense in the first and third quarters, and was on the field with both the first and second team defensive units for three of the four quarters. “I don’t complain though,” said Christophe, who alternates between offense and defense in practice. “That’s how it goes every day. The defensive line coaches fight for me to be on defense that day.” Although prized by all the coaches and expected to see time on defense, Christophe’s future is on the offensive side of the ball.
(Left: Woodstock senior offensive lineman Duran Christophe (79) is the No. 1 recruit in Cherokee County.) Todd Callahan | Ledger-news Expected to play at the same high school where his father, uncle and cousins had played, the Christophe family moved to Sandy Springs to live with friends after the hurricane. Christophe was immediately enrolled at North Springs High. However, he had to sit out because he was considered a transfer student. “I thought I was going to get a few months off,” Christophe said about the evacuation. “I think the next day my mom had me enrolled in school.” Christophe thought the move was only going to be temporary and expected to be back in New Orleans for his sophomore year. While the house in New Orleans wasn’t completely destroyed, it had severe mold damage. The Christophe decided they were not going to return to New Orleans and elected to take up permanent residence in Woodstock. “Once my mom got to Woodstock, we were happy,” Christophe said. “I think everything worked out for the best. There are better educational opportunities here than in New Orleans, and had we stayed, I don’t even know if I would be playing football right now. I would have probably just gotten lazy.” Christophe still stays in contact with friends who have moved back to New Orleans and still cheers on the Saints in the fall, however he is at home in Woodstock. He also will have added responsibilities as a senior. Last year, track coach Davis Harvey had Christophe come out and throw discus for the track team. Christophe qualified for the state meet and finished seventh . This year Christophe is expected to play basketball. “The coach keeps asking me, “Christophe said. “So this year I don’t think I have a choice. I have to play. |
Lady Griz defeat rival Sequoyah
(Left: Creekview’s Emilie Koetter hits a return of serve during Thursday’s match against Centennial. The senior defensive specialist had 10 digs in the victory over the Lady Knights. The Lady Grizzlies also defeated Sequoyah to sweep the tri-meet.) Todd Callahan | Ledger-news
“I think the first game [against Sequoyah] we were a little tight,” said Creekview head coach John Edwards, who was a former assistant coach under Audia. “We were nervous. They were looking forward to it because it was a county game, and they settled down a little bit in the second and third game.” Last year, the Lady Chiefs (9-3) barely defeated their backyard rival, winning 27-25, 25-23. It appeared they would continue their winning streak over Creekview with an easy victory in the opening game Thursday. However, the Lady Grizzlies, led by Cayla Degen’s seven kills and nine digs and Blake Fountain’s six kills, jumped out to a quick lead in the second game and never looked back, as they rebounded to force a deciding game. Setting the tone in the second game was the serving of former Sequoyah standout Hillary Turner, who transferred to Creekview for her senior season. Turner served five consecutive service points and earned three aces, as the Lady Grizzlies scored eight of the first 10 points. Samantha Hester served four points and had two aces to push the lead to 24-14. Sequoyah held off two game points before a long serve gave Creekview its first ever win in a game against the Lady Chiefs. In the deciding game, Creekview led 9-8 in the see-saw affair when sophomore Erika Fahrnbauer had a block on an attack by Sequoyah senior Tori O’Brien to force a sideout. Fahrnbauer would serve the next four points, including an ace to blow the game open. Creekview led 14-8 and withstood a Sequoyah rally to win the match. Trailing 17-11, Sequoyah would score nine of the next 10 points to take a 20-18 lead. Following a Creekview timeout, senior Katie Battani, who led the Lady Grizzlies with 15 assists and added six digs, had a block for a sideout. Junior Katelyn Thomas served the next four points. One was an ace, and Fahrnbauer added two kills for a 23-20 lead. After a Battani kill gave the Lady Grizzlies a match point, Samantha Hester served out the match and sparked a celebration that had been two years in the making. “After losing that first game so badly, they could have tucked it in and go oh well we will play another day, but they didn’t and they fought back,” Edwards said. “Same thing in the third game, we were up and they came back and took the lead, and then we got the lead again. That’s our girls. They just play hard.” The three-game loss left a lasting impression on the Lady Chiefs, who were nearly run off the court by Centennial in the opening game. The Lady Knights scored 10 of the first 12 points of the match and won the first game 25-16. Behind the play of O’Brien, who had seven kills in Game 2, Sequoyah forced a deciding game with a 25-12 thumping, but Centennial rebounded with a quick start in Game 3. The Lady Knights scored eight of the first 10 points to control of the game. Sequoyah senior Sydney Yeomans forced a sideout with a kill to make the score 19-10 and spark a four-point run by the Lady Chiefs, but Centennial righted the ship and won 25-18. Completing the sweep in the win against Centennial, Creekview was sparked by Battani’s 21 assists. Degan had 14 digs, seven kills and sparked the team with her serving. The junior outside hitter had seven aces from behind the service line. Turner had six kills, and senior Emilie Koetter had 10 digs in the 26-24, 20-25, 25-22 victory. In the opening game with the Lady Knights, Creekview erased three game points by Centennial. Degen served three consecutive aces to give Creekview a 25-24 lead. Battani ended the game with a kill. The Lady Knights jumped out to an 8-4 lead in the second game and held on to force a third game that also went down to the wire. The Lady Grizzlies led 22-14 but the Lady Knights won six of the next seven points to get back into the match. Centennial cut the lead to 23-20 but was unable to get the ball across the net in three hits. It gave Creekview a match point, but kills by Hilary Lew and Julie Gartner cut the lead to 24-22. The match ended when a block by Centennial’s Gretchen Kaufman went out of bounds. Having won six of their last seven matches, Creekview travels to Harrison on Thursday to play the Lady Hoyas and Southeast Whitfield. Sequoyah, which had a four-match win streak snapped, opened region play Tuesday and traveled to Murray County to play the Lady Indians and Dalton. The Lady Chiefs travel to Kennesaw Mountain on Thursday. |
Cherokee Invitational missing local flavor One of the longest running high school softball tournaments return for a 19th season, as the Cherokee Invitational begins at Hobgood Park and Twin Creeks Softball Complex with pool play Friday at 5 p.m. However, in this year’s tournament the field is smaller, down to 16 from last year’s 24. It also is missing some local flavor. Since the tournament began in 1990, Cherokee County teams have always participated, but this year only Sequoyah is in the field. The seventh-ranked Lady Chiefs have participated in the Cherokee Invitational a record 18 times. The only time they have missed was in 1996. Sequoyah also is the last county school to win the tournament title, going undefeated in 1999.
(Right: Sequoyah pitcher Lauren Bell helped lead the Lady Chiefs to the championship game of the 2007 Cherokee Invitational.) Todd Callahan | Ledger-news This year the tournament is broken up into four four-team pools. The top three teams from each pool advance to bracket play that begins at noon Saturday Sequoyah owns a 54-37 all-time record in the invitational and has more wins than any team in history of the tournament. The Lady Chiefs, who had lost three of four heading into Tuesday’s game at Milton, opens tournament play Friday against Gordon Lee at 5 p.m. at Twin Creeks. Dade County and Treutlen County also are Sequoyah’s pool. Arguably the toughest pool is Pool B. It features fourth-ranked Marist (AAAA) and ace pitcher Lori Spingola, who helped end the Lady Chiefs’ season last year in the AAAA North Sectionals that were also played at Twin Creeks. Ringgold also is in the same bracket with Marist, along with Hillgrove and Luella. Ringgold, ranked third in AAA, won the Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe tournament. The Lady Tigers had won their first seven games of the season, including a 7-2 victory over Sequoyah and a 2-0 blanking of Cherokee. Ringgold also defeated Hillgrove 5-2 in the championship of the LFO tournament. Hillgrove, ranked 10th in AAAA, also has beaten Sequoyah and Cherokee. The Lady Hawks and Marist open the tournament against Marist and plays Luella at 6:45 p.m. The Lady Lions, the lone team in Pool B not ranked, had lost just once in its first eight games. The lone loss was to Eagle’s Landing Christian. During a five-game stretch, the Lady Lions had outscored their opponents 36-2. In Pool C, Blessed Trinity is joined by Gilmer, Sprayberry and Ridgeland, which won a tournament in Villa Rica and was undefeated at LFO. The Lady Panthers had won 11 of their first 12 games. The other pool includes Eagle’s Landing Christian, Dalton and Valdosta and Allatoona. Valdosta and Allatoona are two of five teams making their tournament debut. Luella, Gilmer and Treutlen County are making their inaugural appearance at the invitational. There has been 69 teams participate in the 19-year history of the tournament. There also are three teams in this year’s field that been champions at the invitational. Ringgold won in ’92 when it was a slow-pitch tournament and won back-to-back titles in ’05-06. Ridgeland won back-to-back slow-pitch titles in ’94-95. |
| Everyone’s chasing Etowah
However, the Eagles continued their dynasty in cross country, as the girls won their fifth straight county championship, and the boys easily won their fourth straight championship. The county meet wasn’t the only trophy Etowah brought home. The girls successfully repeated as region champs, and the boys won a region title for the first time in the history of the program. (Left: For half a decade, the Etowah girls have ruled the county in cross country. The Lady Eagles have won five straight county titles and also have won back-to-back 5-AAAAA championships. Todd Callahan | Ledger-news Although the Eagles have dominated the county meet, sweeping both the JV and varsity races the past two years and even having the JV girls finish in the top five two years ago, other teams in the county are starting to catch up with Etowah. While Etowah is favored to continue their dominance in the county, teams like Woodstock and Creekview have had their roster boosted by an influx of younger runners. Sequoyah has developed some talented runners, and Cherokee, which graduated its top two male runners, ushers in a new era at the Canton school. Nick Zincone takes over for Scott Proctor as the new head coach at Cherokee, as the Warriors join county rivals Etowah and Woodstock in Region 5-AAAAA CHEROKEE The Cherokee High School Boys Cross Country Team will be led by a young group of runners including sophomores Jared Dearing and Travis Pope. Junior Sam Boice also will be one of the Warriors’ top runners. Sophomores Connor Holiday, Austin Liesener and freshman Trent Swords and Anthony Zincone are competing for top seven varsity spots. Senior John Payne and Juniors Andres Hernandez and Danny Dixon will also be leading contenders in making the varsity squad. Under first-year head coach Nick Zincone, the Warriors hope to lay the foundation for future success. The girls squad is led by freshman Hannah Hoeflinger, sophomore April Pope, and junior Blake Brian. Seniors Patty Cox and Meghan Valdez, along with juniors Amanda DeMarco and Ashlen Ririe should round out the top seven varsity runners. Freshman Audrey Driscoll has come on very strong the past few weeks, and I could break into the top seven during the season. Unfortunately, the Lady Warriors lost senior Anna McIntyre for the season due to an illness. “She would have given us more speed, and will be sorely missed,” Zincone said. “Like the boys, the girls are working very hard and have hopes of doing well in the meets this season. Again, we are trying to establish ourselves as one of the top teams in the county this season.” CREEKVIEW In the first three years of existence, Creekview athletics have enjoyed tremendous success in volleyball and softball, but the most successful has been the boys cross country team coached by Vijay Purugulla. For the last two years, the Grizzlies have qualified for the state meet, and last year they finished fifth in Class AA. Now Creekview moves to AAA, but Purugulla expects the tradition to continue for the Grizzlies, who continue to lay the foundation on a solid program. “We are shaping up to be a strong force this year, and I honestly believe that for the first time both our varsity boys and girls will be strong contenders in races this season,” Purugulla said. Although the boys lost Landry Bennett, who finished 14th overall at the state meet last year with a time of 17 minutes, 33 seconds, the Grizzlies still have a lot of talent. Junior Brandt Pope, who finished 25th last year at state, is back along with sophomores Justin Whitaker, Michael Thompson and seniors Kenneth Hoehn and Ben Hoffman. The Grizzlies have depth as well, as juniors Karl Schaffer, Alex Harrington, Tyler Maran are in competition to crack the top five on the team. Alex Ryan and Loren Teachey also are looking to better their times and crack the Grizzlies’ top five. For the girls, senior Katie Barnes, who won the first trophy in school history with a Region 6-A individual title as a freshman is back for her final year and is joined by a host of younger runners. The Lady Grizzlies have two sophomores in Cori Dulmage and Rachel Dorris, who have quickly made their mark on the program. Sophomore Lindsey Taylor and junior Erin Vaughn also are going to be looked upon to put together strong times for the team to have success. Sophomores Erin Akers, Jill Thompson and Olivia West also could put together top-five finishes for Creekview, as could senior Natalie Espinoza. ETOWAH Etowah is used to being chased over the past few seasons, and the Eagles have let their numbers lead in their success. While the Eagles may not have a runner cross the finish line first, it is a good bet a pack of blue-and-gold dressed runners will finish near the top. It adds to the success of the team, which explains why the Eagles have consistently been the best cross country team in the county since 2002. While the names of runners change, the results remain the same, as Etowah has become one of the top programs in the state. Over the last three years, different Etowah runners have finished first in the county championship. Daniel Sims, who is at Reinhardt, won the county title three years ago, and Nick McNutt, who graduated and is at Georgia Tech, won a county title two years ago. Senior Alex Merrall won the county as a sophomore and also went on to be the top finisher at the region meet in Marietta. Although the Eagles lost McNutt, J.D. Hendrix, who also is at Tech, and Drew Greeson, who is running at Kennesaw State, head coach John Murnan has plenty of depth to fill the holes created by graduation. Leading the returners is Merrall, who was runner-up at region and finished 12th at state. He also ran a 16:08 at the Foot Locker Regional last November. He is back, along with seniors Adam Chapman, Eric Turcot and Nick Wagner. All three posted times below 17:30 last season. Junior Bryce Overy, who ran 17:06 at the state meet as a junior, will be working to get his time under 17 minutes. The Eagles also have some youth on the roster with sophomores Josh Boudreau, Taylor Thompson and freshman Avery Pitts are top competitors to get into the top seven on the team. Junior Ryan Cross and senior Jason Hopkins also are looking to crack the top seven for Etowah, which is trying to win a second straight region title. On the girls team, nearly everyone is back from last year with the exception of Jennifer Cook, who won the county championship and earned a cross country scholarship to Berry University. Junior Leah Hixon and Alison Wald, both of whom finished first during a meet in their sophomore year, are back for the Lady Eagles. Hixon also was named the Cherokee Ledger-News Female Track Athlete of the Year last spring. McNutt will be pushed by Wald, Hixon and Brooke Smith, who will be the top four runners for the Lady Eagles. All four have posted times in the 20-minute range last year. The question mark is who will be the No. 5 runner for the Lady Eagles. Candidates for the position include juniors Kelsey Hayes and Elizabeth Guercio or sophomore Angelei Gabriel. Freshman Rachel Hire also is in competition for the coveted fifth spot. “To compete for a region championship and a state championship, we will need the top five runners finishing under 17 minutes,” Murnan said. SEQUOYAH A year ago, Sequoyah finished sixth at the Region 5-AAAA in both the boys and girls races and failed to qualify for the state meet. This year, head coach Curtis Partridge has a good mixture of young runners and experienced runners he hopes will allow the Chiefs to compete for a state berth in their new region. On the boys team, Eric Phillips, Alex Jahl, Jon Sylvester, Taylor Cornelius, Andy Bray and Marcos Fierro create a strong nucleus for the Chiefs. Jahl was the top runner last year for the Chiefs, Jahl, rounding out the top 20 at the region meet with a time of 17:19.20. Partridge also has a large group of underclassmen, who are talented in juniors Matt Weiden and Mason Strain and sophomores Cody Mallchok, Dan Harding, Logan Murray, Connor Boyle and freshman Alex Woodard. Partridge expects to have three or four runners to be running in the middle 16s by the middle of the season. Leading the Lady Chiefs is Lindsay Marriott, who finished 20th at the region meet last year. Ali Smith, Katie Simers, Amanda Farnsworth and Brandi Price also provide solid times. Sophomore Kristin Keefer has provided from fast times in workouts and is expected to be in the top five this year, and freshman Jessi Watkins also has produced solid times for the Lady Chiefs. Juniors Allison McDonald and Brittany Budd, sophomore Jaclyn Farnsworth and freshmen Paulina Kowalska and Katie Loud look to challenge teammates for the top five spots. “The key to success this year is for our runners to believe in their abilities and never give up,” said Partridge, whose team is part of a 15-school region. WOODSTOCK Looking to challenge Etowah for a county and region crown in ’07, Woodstock’s season was bitter sweet for the Wolverines. The boys won the Nike Kick-off Classic, which was the first meet the team ever won, but they failed to earn a state berth. Woodstock finished fifth at the 5-AAAAA meet, missing a state berth by four points. The Lady Wolverines also missed out on a state berth with a fifth-place finish at the state meet. Leading the boys this year are the twins Clayton and Nate Sexton, who return for their senior seasons. Nate, who recorded a time of 16:55 last year at the Last Chance Invitational, is expected to be the top runner this year. Clayton will push his brother for that top spot, as will sophomores Brett Carter and Alex Broome. Senior Brandon Hoffman, Caleb Hobson and Josh Raduka are battling for a spot in the top five, as are juniors Dylan McCrae and Seth Duncan. Sophomore Jonathon Hallman also could figure in the mix for head coach Jason Taylor. “Runners seven through 11 were all separated by no more than 12 seconds during our time trials,” Taylor said. For the Lady Wolverines, they will have to replace top runner Brittany Marshall, who ran a team-best 20:23 for a top-five finish at region. She graduated and earned a scholarship to Olivet (Mich.) College. A possible replacement for Marshall is Sprayberry High transfer Samatha Silvers, who has a top time of 20:20. Senior Lauren Towers, juniors Kim VanOflen and Alex Oravec are back along with sophomores Amanda Dodson and Brittney Booz. Challenging for the top five spots are sophomore Alexia Musselman and freshmen Stevie Rich, Julie Swantek and Iyabo Erinkitla. “We still have a lot of work to do with the girls, but they are working hard every day,” Taylor said.
|
 |
  |
|
103 East Main Street |
One of those affected by the devastating storm was Duran Christophe, a Woodstock High senior who has become one of the top offensive linemen being recruited this year. Christophe, a 6-foot-7, 270-pounder who plays on both offense and defense for the Wolverines, has already received offers from Vanderbilt, Central Florida, Alabama-Birmingham and Middle Tennessee State.
A week before the volleyball season began, Sequoyah head coach Kelly Audia mentioned Creekview being the favorite to win the county championship.
Etowah, which has been in the tournament every but ’95, is playing in the Shaw Invitational in Columbus. Woodstock and Cherokee also are in Columbus. Creekview, which went 2-2 and won a title in the silver division in its Cherokee Invitational debut a year ago, is playing in the Buford Invitational.
A few days before the Cherokee County Cross Country Championship, some Woodstock runners were offended when the race was jokingly called the Etowah Invitational.