Jeff Hart

The Falcons under new coach Ben Hall snapped a three-year playoff drought and advanced to the second round of the Class 5A playoffs in 2017. But with the creation of Cherokee Bluff, Flowery Branch has dropped down to Class 4A and into a rugged Region 7-4A that houses the defending state champion (Marist) and state runner-up (Blessed Trinity)...

Carmelo Anthony is done in Oklahoma City. A person with knowledge of the details tells The Associated Press the Thunder are sending the veteran NBA forward and a 2022 protected first-round pick to Atlanta in exchange for Hawks guard Dennis Schroder and Mike Muscala...

In 2017 Scott Wilkins became the third coach in three seasons for the Eagles. Their 1-win campaign also marked the fifth time in six years that they have won one or fewer games. But Wilkins is now in his second season and said time and consistency will start to show dividends...

A person familiar with the situation says the Atlanta Falcons won't renegotiate Julio Jones' contract this season, casting doubts on whether the star receiver will be in training camp next week...

East Hall had the most prolific passing attack in the state, all classifications, behind now-graduated quarterback Austin Parker in 2017. However, off-season changes galore have knocked the Vikings almost back to square one...

For all their talk about wanting what is best for players, SEC coaches draw the line at new rules pushing college football closer to free agency. For those coaches, free agency for players ended on high school signing day...

There's a common thread running through the Atlantic Coast Conference's Coastal Division, where defense could be ready to take a step forward by leaning on returning experience...

The Tigers, like several other programs around the area, will begin a new journey without a dynamic playmaker at the helm. QB Coey Watson graduated after one of the best four-year stretches in program history...

The Tigers were stunned in the second round of the playoffs in 2017 after three straight seasons of making the quarterfinals or better in Class A Public. Region 8-A figures to be just as tough in 2018 and will once again offer Commerce plenty of challenges and competition as the Tigers look to make a 22nd consecutive playoff appearance...

Georgia High School Association Executive Director Robin Hines at the July updated the GHSA Executive Committee at the July 10 Board of Trustees meeting that all the state championship football games scheduled at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in 2018 will be held at the stadium...