Jeff Hart

With the memories of its first-ever Region 7-AAA title last week not yet faded, the Flowery branch boys basketball team pulled off another first Friday night in the first round of the Class AAA tournament.

Ryan Newman snapped an 81-race winless streak Sunday, using a huge push from teammate Kurt Busch to give car owner Roger Penske his first Daytona 500 victory.

Gilmer won five individual titles and placed 13 of 14 wrestlers in the top four of the Area 7-AAA Traditional Meet Saturday at Gilmer High School. The Bobcats won the team title going away piling up 264 points to second place Lumpkin County's 145.5 points. Pickens was third with 138.5, Flowery branch fourth with 121, and White County fifth with 111 points.

Playing in his final game in Hall County, Chestatee senior Parker Smith gave the fans one last show. Smith poured in a game-high 35 points, including eight straight in a pivotal 13-0 fourth quarter run, to lead the War Eagles to a 66-52 win over Gainesville Saturday in the third-place game in the Region 7-AAA Tournament.

Chestatee coach Russ Triaga says it

On the heels of the first upset of the Region 7-AAA Tournament and trailing newcomer West Forsyth 16-4 early in the second quarter Monday night, North Hall girls basketball coach Debbie Blake asked her team if it was ready for the end of the season.

Chestatee overcame an 11-point halftime deficit to beat Johnson 51-50 Monday in the first round of the Region 7-AAA girls basketball tournament at the North Hall gym.

White County opened the game with a 5-2 run but that would be the only bright spot for the Warriors as they fell 56-39 to West Forsyth in the opening round of the Region 7-AAA Tournament Monday night at the North Hall gym.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. aced his first test with his new team. Earnhardt had a smashing debut in his Hendrick Motorsports ride, getting a boost from his new teammates to power past Tony Stewart to win the Budweiser Shootout on Saturday night.

After a suspenseful month of exhaustive interviews involving at least 10 candidates, the Washington Redskins decided their coach would be: none of the above. Instead, it'll be first-timer Jim Zorn taking the mantle from Hall of Famer Joe Gibbs.