Jeff Hart

Defending Region 8-AAAAA champion Lanier opened defense of its title with a dominating 37-20 win over Clarke Central Friday night at Longhorns Stadium.

Caleb Brooks ran for two scores and threw for one and J’Varius Wood ran for one score and caught two touchdown passes to lead Commerce to a 35-0 shellacking of Hebron Christian Friday night.

Jackson County held White County to just 50 yards of total offense in taking a 17-0 win over the Warriors on the road Friday night.

Atlanta took a one-run lead in the eighth inning Friday night, then saw the Washington Nationals tie it in the ninth and win 5-2 on Michael Taylor's pinch-hit three-run homer in the tenth.

North Forsyth got its Region 6-AAAAAA schedule off to a good start with a 37-27 win over Chattahoochee Friday night on the road.

For several teams, the real season gets under way starting Friday.

The Atlanta Falcons have released quarterbacks Rex Grossman and T.J. Yates, leaving Sean Renfree as the backup to starter Matt Ryan.

The Gwinnett Braves fell behind 2-0 on a pair of solo home runs by Christian Walker, but regrouped with six unanswered runs to defeat the Norfolk Tides 6-2 on Thursday night at Harbor Park.

Come Friday, it will be North Hall’s chance to see if it can slow down what has so far been a dominant and punishing Jefferson ground game. But Trojans’ coach David Bishop said that’s not his team's biggest priority as it prepares to open the 2015 campaign on the road against the Dragons.

A pair of freshmen stole the show in the Piedmont College volleyball season opener as the Lady Lions won 3-0 against local rival Toccoa Falls College. Setter Emily Peters led the way with 28 assists while libero Haley Hixon recorded a team-high 14 digs and six service aces.