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Cardinal win: Tucker senior Vaughters to enjoy best of both worlds at Stanford

Tucker's James Vaughters looks down at a Stanford University banner after revealing his college football choice, much to the delight of his parents, Vanessa and Jonathan Vaughters. Photo by Matt Amato
Sometimes it’s about more than championships. A world-class education matters, too. James Vaughters believes there’s nothing wrong with having both.   The Tucker High School football standout officially committed to Stanford University on June 1...

Godfrey breaks barriers on way to Hall of Fame

Southwest DeKalb High School Football coach Buck Godfrey was inducted into the Atlanta Sports Hall of Fame in a ceremony on June 10.
by Mark Brock William ‘Buck’ Godfrey’s journey to the Atlanta Sports Hall of Fame was not a smooth ride, despite a DeKalb County leading 250 football coaching victories.Godfrey, the coach at Southwest DeKalb High School for 27 seasons, won the ...

New football coaches ready for the challenge

off berth last year for the first time in 20 seasons, but Byron McCall feels like he’s starting from scratch. A litany of challenges has confronted the Blue Devils’ new coach since his arrival a month ago from Lithia Springs High School. For star...

Living the dream: Family, community pulling for Ward to make NFL roster

Former Southwest DeKalb quarterback Eric Ward is trying to make his mark with the Atlanta Falcons after signing with the team as an undrafted free agent in May. Photos by Robert Naddra
For Lynette Ward, it was the best Mother’s Day present she could imagine. For her son, it was the opportunity of a lifetime. Eric Ward, a former star quarterback at Southwest DeKalb, signed a free agent contract with the Atlanta Falcons and broke t...

Athletic scholarships top $10.5 million

by Mark Brock   Athletic scholarship offers continue to rise for DeKalb County Schools athletes as 220 seniors in the 2010 class received either full or partial scholarships to aid them in continuing their academic and athletic careers. The scholars...

Platinum Championship Wrestling brings live wrestling action to DeKalb

PCW World Champion “The Natural” Shane Marx hoists Scott Steele over his should during an impromptu match. Photos by Travis Hudgons
It’s a Friday night and I’m in the backstage dressing room of Platinum Championship Wrestling (PCW) 30 minutes before showtime. The excitement level is building. I observe some of the wrestlers’ pre-fight activities–everything from face paint...

Marist earns 11th state baseball championship

Above, Marist players and coaches celebrate the team’s Class AAAA state baseball championship after sweeping Lakeside Evans in a best-of-three series.
It was a typical Marist moment. So subtle that the casual onlooker probably missed it. But for Marist baseball coach Mike Strickland, it was the defining moment for the War Eagles on their way to a sweep of Lakeside Evans for the Class AAAA state cha...

Stint in bullpen makes Geist better teammate and pitcher

Evan Geist
Evan Geist leaves his ego behind these days when he puts on his Marist baseball uniform. A stint in the bullpen will do that to a starting pitcher. Geist has a wicked curve ball and a scholarship to Florida State University but discovered midseason h...

Falcons players, cheerleaders visit military veterans

Falcons defensive end Jamaal Anderson speaks with a bedridden war veteran at the Atlanta VA Medical Center in Decatur. Photo by Jonathan Cribbs
The 300-pound offensive tackle Will Svitek loomed over John Galass, who sat in his bed, a little flustered. “You gotta keep an eye on us this season,” Svitek said, smiling before he and two other football players and a pair of cheerleaders trotte...

Going national: Junior Olympics provides a boost for Lakeside distance runner

Lakeside sophomore Meghan Wetterhall, shown winning the 2009 DeKalb County cross country championship, already has four state titles in distance running. Photo by Mark Brock
Lakeside’s Meghan Wetterhall won the triple crown of high school distance running as a freshman – a state championship in cross county, and state track titles in both the 1600 and 3200 meters. Then came the inevitable comparisons to former Chambl...

St. Pius wins second straight girls state soccer title

St. Pius beat Creekview 5-0 to win the Class AAA girls state soccer title and outscored opponents 33-0 in the five-game tournament. Photo by Robert Naddra
Sara Geiger has earned a reputation as a demanding coach in her three seasons leading the St. Pius girls’ soccer program. But once the work is done on the field, Geiger is known for letting her players cut loose. Geiger and her players had the oppo...

Up to the challenge: Athletes earn top academic honors

by Mark Brock     Balancing academics and athletics always is a challenge for students on any level, and 23 DeKalb County School System athletes accomplished it while earning top graduating honors at their respective schools.  Including magnet sch...

Tough glove: Defensive lessons from father and brother give Redan senior an edge

Redan senior outfielder Patrick Smith. Photo by Robert Naddra
Reginald Smith taught his son baseball fundamentals soon after he was able to put on a glove and hold a bat. Not long after that, Patrick Smith began following his older brother, Reginald Smith Jr., to recreation league practices and games. All the w...

2010 DeKalb Senior Olympics: Charlie Slater’s arsenal loaded with talent, technique and experience

Charlie Slater. Photo by Gale Horton Gsy
Editor’s Note: If your idea of a senior citizen is someone who sits around idly and who has lost the zest for life, you haven’t meet the hundreds of local seniors who compete each year in the DeKalb Senior Olympics. They bring their competitive s...

Strong-armed: Dunwoody foursome keep opponents from lighting up scoreboard

Dunwoody pitchers (from left) James Farnell, Wes Bancroft, James Cunningham and Hunter Wheeler had a combined record of 18-4 through April 24, with Farnell and Bancroft each winning six games. Photo by Robert Naddra
Dominant pitching is nothing new for the Dunwoody Wildcats. Hudson Randall, now a freshman at the University of Florida, was the go-to pitcher for the Wildcats a year ago. Four pitchers have stepped out of Randall’s shadow this season and runs are ...

JV athletics faces 25 percent budget cut

DeKalb County athletics director Ron Sebree is bracing for proposed budget cuts that will affect junior varsity athletics, but he knows things could be worse. The county’s 2010-11 fiscal year budget calls for a 25 percent reduction in JV athletics,...

Top-ranked Golden Lions not sitting back after 2009 state title

Junior Andrew Wolverton (from left), and seniors Nolan McKeever, Connor Jones and Stephen McGill are part of a strong nucleus that returns from St. Pius’ 2009 state championship team. Photo by Robert Naddra
At 9-0-1 with five shutouts, St. Pius has not softened since last season when it won its first state boys soccer championship in eight years. Just ask. “There’s not really any pressure,” said senior center/midfielder Connor Jones. “It’s mor...

Showfety returns to county for Dunwoody football job; M.L. King, Lithonia hire familiar faces

Jim Showfety is back in the county where he enjoyed his first taste of success as a high school football head coach. Showfety recently was named the new head football coach at Dunwoody after two seasons at Northview in Fulton County. Prior to his Nor...

Baseball: Miller Grove serious about making run at first state playoff berth

A walk-off home run in the ninth inning to beat Lakeside 2-1. A squeeze bunt in the ninth inning to beat M.L. King 12-11. A two-out hit two innings earlier just to extend the game to extra innings. Those are three reasons why Miller Grove baseball co...

2010 All-county basketball team

The talent pool for high school basketball in DeKalb County has been deep for a long time. And with four state champions and a runner up this past season, many players were put in the state and national spotlight. Several players who performed well i...

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