Heritage School, East Coweta headline local football scene, plus Harris, College Playoffs and more
By JOEY HOWARD, Winters Media & Publishing
Through three weeks into the 2022 high school football season, there’s some early surprises that have taken place so far.
The Heritage School Hawks find themselves at 3-0 with lopsided wins over St. Mary’s (72-0), Creekside Christian (54-0) and Kendrick (44-6). Coach Jake Copeland’s squad has made a quick turnaround after finishing winless a year ago. The Hawks switched from GHSA to the GIAA – Georgia Independent Athletic Association (formerly GISA) last winter.
East Coweta dropped its opener but has bounced back to win two straight and is 2-1 on the season. Last week, quarterback Christian Langford tossed a school-record 6 TD passes in a 55-21 triumph at Hillgrove.
Defending state champion Trinity Christian got into the win column last week on the road at Mary Persons. The Lions, now 1-2, took a hard-fought 31-20 victory for their first as a new member of GHSA 4-A.
Newnan (1-2) got into the win column last night with a 49-7 victory over Hardaway at Drake Stadium. The Cougars enjoyed an open date on Sept. 2.
Northgate remains winless at 0-3 after falling on the road to Villa Rica, 29-17, on Sept. 2.
And Central Christian, back in GAPPS 8-man football, is at 1-1 on the year following a tough 22-19 loss to Victory Baptist last week.
Week No. 4 tonight has Central Christian at Fideles Christian, Sandy Creek at East Coweta, Griffin at Northgate and both Heritage School and Trinity Christian are open.
NBA Hawks open on Oct. 19
The Atlanta Hawks look to make another run in the NBA Playoffs in 2022-23 and open the regular season on Oct. 19 at home against the Houston Rockets.
The Hawks finished 8th in the NBA Eastern Conference with a 43-39 record a year ago and were ousted in the Play-In Round of the playoffs.
After the opener vs. the Rockets, the Hawks host the Orlando Magic (Oct. 21) and the Charlotte Hornets (Oct. 23) as part of the opening three-game home stand.
Four games will make up the preseason schedule – Oct. 6 at home against the Milwaukee Bucks, then three road games starting on Oct. 8 vs. the Bucks, Oct. 12 vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers and Oct. 14 vs. the New Orleans Pelicans.
Harris enjoying rookie year
Last month, this column mentioned the new contract for Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley. Not long after that announcement came one for rookie centerfielder Michael Harris.
Harris signed a $72 million, eight-year contract after exploding onto the Major League scene earlier this season following a promotion from AA Mississippi. He was named Rookie of the Month in August, his second time to win the award.
In August, Harris batted .337 in 27 games. He was 32 for 95 at the plate with 12 doubles, 4 home runs and 15 RBIs. He also had five stolen bases.
College Football Playoffs expanding
Last week, the University presidents who assist in overseeing the College Football Playoffs voted to expand the system from four teams to 12 teams no later than the 2026 season.
Those 12 teams would consist of the six highest-ranked Conference Champions and six At-Large teams.
The neat part of this playoff scenario is that the first-round games would be played on campus with the remainder of the playoffs integrated into the bowl system.
This proposal by the presidents is essentially the same one that the Conference Commissioners voted down earlier this year.
Braves 2023 schedule
It’s never too early to start looking at next season, at least when it comes to schedules.
The Braves will open their 2023 season on the road with a three-game set at the Washington Nationals (March 30, April 2-3) and with another three-game series at the St. Louis Cardinals on April 3-5.
Then, the Braves start their first homestand of the year with four games against the visiting San Diego Padres (April 6-9) and three vs. the Cardinals (April 10-12).
The 2023 season will consist of a balanced schedule with 13 games each vs. teams in their respective divisions (instead of 19 like this season) and 46 interleague games (20 this year).
Big wins for SEC teams
Columnist Mark Story of the Lexington Herald-Leader comprised a list from the 14 teams in the Southeastern Conference of the last win over an Associated Press Top 10-ranked opponent.
The usual suspects were obviously at the top of the list, but the surprise was at No. 14 – Tennessee. The Volunteers last win over a Top 10-ranked opponent was 2006.
Here’s the list with the season of each team’s last win over a Top 10 opponent prior to the 2022 season.
Alabama – 2021
Arkansas – 2021
Auburn – 2021
Georgia – 2021
Kentucky – 2021
Texas A&M – 2021
Florida – 2020
LSU – 2020
Ole Miss – 2020
Mississippi State – 2020
South Carolina – 2019
Missouri – 2013
Vanderbilt – 2007
Tennessee – 2006
Falcons open 2022 season Sunday
Head coach Arthur Smith enters his 2nd season at the helm of the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, Sept. 11, hosting the New Orleans Saints.
The Falcons, 7-10 last season, finished the preseason with two wins and one loss.
Looking at the early season schedule, it doesn’t look easy. Following the Saints game, the Falcons hit the road to play the defending champs Los Angeles Rams on Sept. 18 and stay on the west coach to take on the Seattle Seahawks on Sept. 25.
