Jeff Hart

The Gainesville girls softball team picked up its first Region 8-AAAAA win Wednesday with a 7-4 victory ovber Johnson.

Class AAA No. 7 East Hall opened its Region 5-AAA schedule with a pair of wins Tuesday night at home.

The seventh-ranked Bulldogs (1-0) are the opponent for Missouri's first Southeastern Conference game, a difficult task given the significance of Saturday night's contest in the Show Me State. There will be a raucous, sellout crowd cheering on the Tigers (0-1), hoping they prove themselves a worthy addition to the country's best football league.

Georgia coach Mark Richt hasn't announced a starting tailback for Saturday's game at Missouri, even though freshman Todd Gurley rushed for 100 yards on just eight carries in his college debut.

There were times during Missouri's 62-10 win over Southeastern Louisiana when offensive lineman Max Copeland had to collect himself and keep a promise he made to his dad.

Junior Jessica Thomas pitched a complete game for Flowery Branch to lead the Lady Falcons to a 4-2 win over Winder-Barrow in Region 8-AAAAA girls softball action.

Taking advantage of a late yellow flag, Denny Hamlin got a boost from his pit crew and held off Jeff Gordon in a green-white-checkered finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday night.

Even after sending three starting defenders from last year's national championship team to the NFL as first-round draft picks, second-ranked Alabama Tide threw around eighth-ranked Michigan while pounding Denard Robinson in a season-opening 41-14 victory Saturday night.

Sammy who? DeAndre Hopkins set a school record with 13 receptions, filling the void left by star receiver Sammy Watkins, and Andre Ellington rushed for 231 yards to lead No. 14 Clemson to a 26-19 victory over Auburn in the season opener Saturday night.

The NFL and its on-field referees union failed to reach an agreement when they met Saturday, and the league said it's proceeding with replacement officials.