Harrison vs. North Cobb Football Game Story

KENNESAW, Ga. – North Cobb’s Latrell Gibbs caught four interceptions and scored three touchdowns when the Warriors defeated the Harrison Hoyas 46-14 Friday night.

At 7:30 p.m. North Cobb kicked off to Harrison at Cobleigh Stadium. The Hoyas wore the number seven on their helmets to commemorate Paul Oliver, a former player who died in Marietta on Tuesday.

Gibbs caught his first interception in the first four minutes of the game, followed closely by a touchdown from Cameron Albright after he recovered a loose ball.

With four minutes left in the first quarter, J’vonte Herrod powered through defenders and sprinted 64 yards for the Warriors’ second score.

The second quarter began with an additional score for North Cobb. Just over two minutes in, wide receiver Torrance McGee secured six more points for the Warriors.

Gibbs nabbed two more interceptions in the first half, running the second to the end zone to give North Cobb a strong lead of 32-0.

Harrison quarterback Lorenzo Nunez searched for open receivers all night, but the defense proved too much. Gibbs caught yet another interception in the third quarter.

Jonathan Fisher finally put the Hoyas on the board with 46-7 in the fourth. Nunez was relieved by Ben Brock who pushed the team up the field for Winston Boykin to make the final touchdown of the game.

Harrison (3-2, 2-1) finished with a total of 177 rushing yards, less than North Cobb (3-1, 2-1) had at the half. Friday’s game is the Hoyas’ first Region 4AAAAAA loss.

“We talked about all week we couldn’t make mistakes, we couldn’t give up the big play,” Harrison coach Matt Dickmann said, “We did both of those and that’s what’s going to happen against a good team like that.”

Harrison’s next game will be against South Cobb on Oct. 18 after the team returns from a bye week.

Harrison vs. North Cobb Football Advance

KENNESAW, Ga. – Harrison Hoyas to face North Cobb Warriors at Harrison High School on Friday, Sept. 27^th at 7:30 p.m.

The Hoyas remain undefeated in Region 4AAAAAA after a 24-9 victory against Pebblebrook at Falcon Stadium last week when running back Michael Ryan recovered a loose ball and rushed 74 yards for a touchdown.

The Hoyas are now led by head coach Matt Dickmann after former coach Marty Galbraith resigned in 2012 following allegations of inappropriate conduct.

“It’s good to be 2-0 in the region but we’ve got a lot of work to do,” Dickmann said.

So far in the 2013 season, Harrison has won against Woodstock, Campbell, and Pebblebrook, but lost against Alpharetta. Their most challenging regular season opponents will be North Cobb, McEachern, and Marietta.

Dickmann said that the Hoyas’ strategy against North Cobb will be to keep possession of the ball. “We’re going to try and win offensively, to keep their offense off the field as much as possible,” Dickmann said.

In addition to Ryan, senior Joey Connors will be a key player to watch in Friday’s game. Last week, Connors made a 39-yard sprint for the end zone, scoring a touchdown for Harrison.

Harrison (3-1, 2-0) ranks 2817 in the nation and 108 in Georgia, while North Cobb (2-1, 1-0) ranks 769 in the nation and 35 in the state. Harrison lost to North Cobb in 2012 with a final score of 14-48. The Hoyas also lost to the Warriors in 2011, but won in 2010.

North Cobb beat Kennesaw Mountain 55-13 in last week’s Civil War Classic, the first football game to be played in Kennesaw State University’s Fifth Third Bank Stadium.

“They’re a good team,” Dickmann said, “they’re on top of the mountain right now.”

The Hoyas and Warriors will face off Friday night at Harrison with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

Paul Newberry: AP Sports Writer

Paul Newberry, sports writer for the Associated Press, spoke to our class last Friday, September 13. Newberry provided us with helpful insight into the field, as well as entertainment from his playful sense of humor.

Newberry is a Georgia native. He majored in journalism at Georgia State University where he worked for the school’s newspaper and radio station. Before graduating, Newberry became part of the Associated Press, working as an office assistant or “copy boy.” He worked his way up in the company, serving as a temp before finally being promoted to a sports writer.

Newberry has worked for AP ever since, and has had many great opportunities consequently. He has travelled the world covering the Winter and Summer Olympics, including Michael Phelps’ big victory in Beijing. Newberry has also covered the Super Bowl, World Series, Stanley Cup Finals, Final Four, and the Daytona 500 just to name a few. He is definitely a seasoned veteran of the sports writing community.

I am very grateful for the chance to hear about all of Newberry’s experiences. He gave us honest advice about the career of a sports reporter: the good, the bad, and the ugly. His perspective has contributed greatly to my understanding of the field.

Heyward is back

Atlanta Braves’ Jason Heyward will return to the field Friday after having his mouth bands and braces removed on Monday.

Photo courtesy Sports Illustrated

On Aug. 21, Heyward was hit in the face by a 90 mph fastball that fractured his jaw in two places. The outfielder underwent surgery soon after in which two metal plates were attached to his jaw. Braves general manager Frank Wren said the metal plates will remain permanently. Heyward was able to maintain his weight despite dietary restrictions and has been cleared to start eating more solid foods.

Less than three weeks after his injury, Heyward is scheduled to participate in batting practice in Atlanta on Friday. Since his restrictive mouth bands and braces have been removed, Heyward will wear a mouth guard during on-field activities.

Heyward stated publicly that he hopes to return in time for the postseason. Wren said he thinks everybody’s goal is for Heyward to return in October, and they will continue to watch his progress for now.

Heyward will be the latest of many key players to return to the field after being on the disabled list. Other players include Dodgers’ Zack Greinke, Yankees’ Curtis Granderson, and Oakland Athletics’ Coco Crisp. The Braves have suffered since Heyward’s absence and are expected to improve once he rejoins the team.

John Bednarowski: Sports Editor for the Marietta Daily Journal

This past Friday (August 30), another great speaker joined our sports reporting class. John Bednarowski, sports editor for the Marietta Daily Journal, provided us with priceless advice about sports reporting. He showed us a great way to keep detailed statistics while watching a game and gave each of us recommendations for story angles and interview questions to use in our player/coach profile assignments.

Bednarowski is originally from Ohio, but attended school at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He began as a history and political science major, but quickly knew it was not for him. He started writing a column about UAB baseball and eventually became the sports editor for the school’s paper, “The Kaleidoscope”.

Bednarowski taught us the two things that will inevitably make us better writers: to keep writing and to read everything we can. He listed numerous writers whose work he reads whenever he can and encouraged us to do the same. Those include Kent Babb of The Washington Post, Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman, Tommy Deas of The Tuscaloosa News, and many other talented journalists.

Bednarowski allowed us a glimpse into the MDJ newsroom when he answered questions about how he orchestrated things. Bednarwoski doesn’t spend much time on the field anymore, but he has three writers on his personal staff, around seven on staff for the MDJ and partner papers, and 14 correspondents. If a Friday night game is in Cobb or Cherokee county, or if a Cobb or Cherokee team is playing in the metro-Atlanta area, someone from Bednarowski’s team will be there. The deadline for writers is at 11:15pm, an easy feat by some of his writers who can turnaround a story in as little as 14 minutes.

In conclusion, Bednarowski’s visit was extremely helpful and entertaining as well. Using his advice will undoubtedly make me a more accurate and efficient reporter.