FreePress 8-14-15

8/20/2019 FreePress 8-14-15

1/24

F REE P RESS

championnewspaper championnewspaper champnewschampionnews

thechampionnewspaper.com

FRIDAY, August 14, 2015 • VOL. 18, NO. 20 • FREE

• A PUBLICATION OF ACE III COMMUNICATIONS • Serving East Atlanta, Avondale Estates, Brookhaven, Chamblee, Clarkston, Decatur, Doraville, Dunwoody, Lithonia, Pine Lake, Tucker and Stone Mountain.

See Roadblock on page 19A See Superintendent on page 19A

Deputies addresscrime in Lithonia

by Andrew [email protected]

DeKalb County sheriff ’sdeputies used roadblocks tosend to message to criminalsin the Lithonia area Aug. 5.

“Our deputies are alwaysactively involved in publicsafety activities, includingmaking arrests and serv-ing warrants,” said DeKalbCounty Sheriff Jeff Mann.“Sometimes, however, wehave to show up in a moreaggressive way to remindoffenders that they will beapprehended if they continueto knowingly break the law.”

To address Lithonia arearesidents’ complaints about asurge in crime, approximate-ly 26 deputies set up safetycheckpoints, or roadblocks,on Phillips and Fairingtonroads, checking licenses,tags, insurance and whetherthe driver had any outstand-ing warrants.

“Recently the citizens inthe area out here have calledand complained [about] theincrease in crime,” said Ma-

jor L. J. Roscoe, the DeKalb

SPORTS, 11A

A man was arrested for a suspended license and failure to appear in court during a roadblock set up in LithoniaAug. 5 by DeKalb County Sheriff’s deputies. Photos by Andrew Cauthen

Twenty-six deputies participated in the roadblock beside Lithonia High School.

The daughter of a man arrested by deputies is escorted to a vehicle to awaither mother.

DeKalbsuperintendentshares his vision for the

districtby Ashley Oglesby [email protected]

DeKalb County school SuperintendentStephen Green visited seven schoolson Aug. 10 to welcome students back

to school and held a press conference atPeachcrest Elementary to share his vision forthe school year.

Green said, “This is the first of sevenschools that will have this same kind ofequipment [with] technology and security asa way of moving forward in the 21st century.”

Peachcrest is one of the first schools

completed that will benefit from the capitalimprovements program under DeKalbCounty School’s SPLOST program.

Fernbank Elementary wil l open inNovember; Gresham/Clifton Elementarywill open in August 2016. Pleasantdale andRockbridge elementary schools are scheduledto open in August 2017. Smoke Rise andAustin elementary schools are scheduled toopen in August 2018.

Green said, “We’re concerned about ourenvironment and we are putting our moneywhere our mouth is when it comes to gettingour environment ready for our young people.”

Green also visited Hawthorne Elementary,Cedar Grove and Chapel Hill middle schools,and Cross Keys, Stone Mountain and Tucker

high schools.“Today represents a new school year for

the DeKalb County School District but it alsorepresents a new chapter,” Green said.

The district is ready to receive “more than102,000 students into our care and we takethat responsibility very seriously,” Green said.

The official student population projectionfor the 2015-16 school year is 103,550.

Green said he was proud to announce 137schools within the district are prepared forthe 21st century.

“When we talk about 21st century learningwe’re going to be talking about the five C’sthat are critical for students going forward,”said Green, nothing that collaboration,

critical thinking, creativity, caring and

8/20/2019 FreePress 8-14-15

2/24

Page 2A The Champion FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, AUGUST 14, 2015

LOCAL

DeKalb wants to bebusiness-friendly by Andrew [email protected]

DeKalb County is a busi-ness-riendly county.“hat’s the message that

we’re trying to deliver to thepublic, that we as a countyhave changed our businessprocess,” Andrew Baker, thecounty’s director o planningand sustainability, told re-porters Aug. 3.

he news conerence washeld to discuss the county’snew expedited commercialplan review program inwhich the county guaranteeshat all commercial plan

reviews will be completedn 10 business days whenhe applicant obtains preap-

proval rom a registered peerreviewer.

“It’s unprecedented in themetro Atlanta area and it wasa major commitment that wemade,” said interim DeKalbCounty CEO Lee May , add-ng that so ar, the county has

“experienced great success”with the program.

“Over 92 percent ohose who have entered intohat program did receiveheir business permits within

10 business days, the averagebeing eight days,” May said.Patti Wallis, a permit

consultant with Permit Solu-ions Inc., said the expedited

commercial plan reviewprogram has improved ac-cessibility in the county gov-ernment.

“here are people to talko,” Wallis said. “here are

processes put in place and Iknow exactly what you areooking or and what you ex-

pect o me.“I don’t always get a per-

mit in 10 days, but I get a re-view in 10 days and there arereviewers available to explainwhat needs to be changed,”she said. “As I become moreexperienced with the peerreview, I am getting my per-mits in 10 days and it doesn’tmatter what size the projects.

“It’s working,” Wallisadded. “here is a dierentphilosophy here. And the at-itude o the county has im-

proved and I think [DeKalbs] on the right track to

become a business-riendly

county.”Tina Rodriguez, a gen-

eral contractor with Peach-

state Dental and HealthConstruction, said that dur-ing the permitting processor a project that needed aquick turnaround, “everyoneat DeKalb County was morethan helpul in pointing mein the right direction.”

he new process hasbeen “extremely success-ul or my clients,” Rodri-guez said. “And that is whatDeKalb County is doing;they are helping their cli-ents.”

Oicials also announcedthe release o a developmentmanual that guides appli-cants through every phase odevelopment, rom land useapproval to business licenseissuance.

he development man-ual is about “being transpar-ent in showing how you cando business with the county,”May said. “We want to makesure people understand therules o engagement on theront end, so that …theyknow what they have to do.”

“As ar as we know we arethe only county providing

this kind o service and weare the only county [that] haspublished a comprehensivedevelopment manual,” saidLuz Borrero, the county’sdeputy chie operating oi-cer or development.

he manual has “lowcharts that talk about thestep-by-step [process] thatyou need to take to actuallycomply with [county] regula-tions,” Baker said.

“Otentimes the businesscommunity says that theydon’t understand the pro-cess,” Baker said. “What wehave done…is to outline thator all our stakeholders.”

May said, “What we’vebeen doing over the pastcouple o years is just be-ing very intentional aboutmaking sure that we are aprogressive county that isocusing on the day-to-dayoperations,” May said.

“Economic developmentis priority No. 1 or us inmaking sure that we are anattractive place or businessto come,” May said. “It’s awork in progress. We are not

here to say we have made itbut we are making tremen-

dous progress.“It has everything with

improving the business cli-mate here,” May said.

Photo

contest: Share your best shots of DeKalb

County Parks.For informaon and to register visitdekalbcountyga.gov/dekalbparkspics

Sponsored by:

Win roundtrip airfareon Southern Airways

Express

Win roundtrip airfareon Southern Airways

Express

#DeKalbParksPics

iFlySouthern.com visitat lantasdekalb.com dekalbcountyga.gov/parks TheChampionNewspaper.com

Interim DeKalb County CEO Lee May said, “Economic development is priority No. 1 for us.” Photo by AndrewCauthen

8/20/2019 FreePress 8-14-15

3/24

The Champion FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, AUGUST 14, 2015 Page 3A LOCAL

by Andrew [email protected]

he East Metro DeKalbCommunity Improvement

District (CID) has completedts irst project: the beautii-

cation o a median on WesleyChapel Road.

Representatives romthe CID and DeKalb Countyheld a ribbon-cutting cer-emony Aug. 5 on WesleyChapel Road near the inter-section o Snapinger WoodsDrive.

“I’m really excited,” saidKevin D. Chapman Jr., amember o the Wesley Cha-pel Curb Appeal ask Forceand South DeKalb Improve-

ment Association.“It’s been a long timecoming—a lot o obstacles,”said Chapman, who haspicked up litter in the areaand planted lowers. “hegood thing about it is otherpeople in the communityhave partnered and we’veovercome those obstacles.his is a building step orother things to come. I’mhappy that it’s a reality.”

he beautiication is theresult o “a partnership oseveral organizations wherewe all come together to help,”

said Frederick L. DanielsJr., East Metro DeKalb CIDchairman.

Daniels said the projects “important because it’s

reinvesting in south DeKalb.It’s showing that we all care

and that we want our com-munity to be just as beautiulas every other communityacross the metro area.

“Many businesses andother property owners wantto make sure that we arecontinuing to prosper in thesouth DeKalb region,” Dan-iels said. “his is just the irsto many projects that theCID will execute in the near

uture.”In addition to the CID,the project was sponsoredby South DeKalb Improve-ment Association and HomeDepot.

he next beautiication

project will ocus on the me-dian south o I-20, Danielsaid.

Formed in 2014, theCID includes more than 200property owners who pay

extra taxes to support its e-orts; projected revenue rom2015 taxes is approximately$213,000.

Examples o the beneitso a CID are the Perimeter

CID spruces up Wesley Chapel Road

CITY OF CHAMBLEE, GA PUBLIC NOTICE

Qualifying fees were set by the City of Chamblee Mayor and Council in accordance to O.C.G.A. 21‐2‐

131 (a)(1), during the regularly scheduled Council Meeting held on January 20, 2015 as follows: for the

office of

Councilmember

District

Two,

Councilmember

District

Three

and

Councilmember

At

‐Large

‐$360.00.

Pursuant of O.C.G.A 21‐2‐132 (d)(3) the qualifying dates for the upcoming General Municipal Election

to be held on November 3, 2015 will be Tuesday, September 1, 2015 until Thursday, September 3, 2015

from 8:30 AM until 4:30 PM (Out 1:30 PM to 2:30 PM Daily for lunch).

Emmie Niethammer, City Clerk/Election Superintendent

Chamblee City Hall, 5468 Peachtree Road, Chamblee, GA 30341

CIDs use o o-duty policeoicer to direct traic andthe construction o the di- verging diamond interchangein Dunwoody, said interim

DeKalb County CEO Lee May said.

“I’m excited because wenow have a tool in our tool-kit…in the southern parto the county that can dothese same things,” May said.“Yea, they are generating acouple o million dollars upat the Perimeter CID withall o those tall buildings[and] all those Fortune 500companies—they pay a lot inproperty taxes. But we willget there.”

Property owners who

support the CID “get thegreater vision that sometimesit takes money to make mon-ey,” May said.

Community improve-ment districts are importanteconomic development tools,May said.

Interim DeKalb County CEO Lee May (third from left) joins members of the East Metro DeKalb CommunityImprovement District for a beautication project’s ribbon-cutting. Photo by Andrew Cauthen

8/20/2019 FreePress 8-14-15

4/24

The Champion FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, AUGUST 14, 2015 Page 4A OPINION

by John [email protected]

Across this nation in smallowns and major cities, menre routinely discriminated

gainst and no one seems to beoncerned with our plight.Tere are no protests. Tere

re no social groups to help callttention to unair treatment

we are exposed to on a dailybasis.

From the office cubicle toboard rooms to churches andocial settings, it is completely

unacceptable or men to dresss comortably as women dur-ng the long sweltering days

o summer. Tis must change;men deserve equal rights justs any other group.

Women have almost un-imited options in clothing and

ootwear that are deemed ap-propriate or the average officeor social setting.

Men have extremely limitedoptions—none o which are

nearly as comortable as theoptions o women.

In all but the most casualsettings, men are expected at aminimum to wear ull coverageshoes, socks, long pants and acollared shirt. In many settings,

particularly when meeting withclients or attending unctions,men are expected to wear theabove plus a necktie and ofena jacket.

I don’t recall ever seeing asign in a ancy restaurant thatmentions anything about jack-ets being required or women.Why are men the only genderrequired to suffer rom exces-

sive layers o clothing to enjoya fine dining experience?Women can wear open toe

shoes that allow their eet tostay much cooler than theircounterparts. Tey can evenget away with shoes that lookas i there is nothing more thana sole and single strap betweentheir first and second toes.Men can’t get away with this;there are ew places where menin sandals are acceptable.

Over the last several years,I began to wear casual, buthopeully still proessional-appearing, shoes sans socks.And, both male and emale co-

workers have negatively com-mented on my lack o socks;but it is my right and nowherein our employee manual is thewearing o socks specifically

addressed. Not wearing socksis much more comortable andit’s my own rebellious orm osilent protest.

Women can wear sleevelessblouses or dresses to the office,

to church, to restaurants andthe like. Let a man show up ina sleeveless shirt and he wouldbe subjected to comments suchas “Ewww…we don’t want tosee your armpits, put a shirton.”

Women can wear skirts,dresses or those skorts thingsand it’s acceptable in most set-tings. Tis privilege allows ora flow o resh air on their legsand those unmentionable areaso the human body that simplyare more comortable withairflow. Let a man show up atwork in shorts, and we wouldbe laughed out o the office

likely by both women and men.Women ofen complainabout being cold in an officeenvironment while we sufferrom near heat exhaustion?

Men are orced to endure crueland unusual temperature tor-ture while women flit aboutwith exposed extremities andample airflow.

Ever wonder why most

men despise having to go toancy parties, restaurants orweddings? Women again getto wear things that are armore comortable than whatwe are expected to wear. Menare usually expected to pile aminimum o three layers onour torso and ofen a chokingdevice around our neck; longpants, dress shoes and socks.It’s just not air.

Men have been conditionedto accept our positions andrarely complain about it, butthe time has come or us tofight or our right to be com-ortable.

I think I’ll start shoppingor kilts and see how acceptablethese are in the office. Nowherein our employee manual does itsay that men can’t wear skirts.

Gender discrimination and the American male

John Hewitt

[email protected]

Chief Operating Officer

by Glenn Dowell

It seems as i the Conederate lagdebate continues to be a passionate is-ue. Maybe Georgia could learn rom

what happened in neighboring SouthCarolina.

In a state that recently becamehe center o attention in the media

because a deranged young man be-ieved that he could incite a race war

by killing nine innocent victims, theGovernor was successul in persuad-ng politicians on both sides o theence to give their support in remov-ng the lag, replete with conederateymbols, rom its capitol grounds. he

young man chose a Charleston, SouthCarolina Arican-American church as

his killing ield because o its histori-al signiicance and importance to theBlack community. Dylann Roof , theccused killer is correct, Charlestons rich in history and culture. In act,

historians believe that up to 60 percento the slaves brought to America en-ered through the ports in and around

Charleston, also called the “Low coun-ry”.

Some, I am sure with a degree oarcasm have even called the “Lowountry”, a kind o Ellis Island or A-ican Americans. It is sarcasm becausehe Ellis Island immigrants arrived

voluntarily as opposed to the Aricanswho were captured in the Atlantic slaverade.

Can a lag really symbolize hatredunder the guise o honoring a group’sheritage?

In the case o Dylann Roo, he did

in act, use lags that symbolized ha-

tred and racism. In many o his pho-tographs, he is seem proudly wavinga conederate lag in one hand and aweapon in another. It did not appear,however, as i he had any respect orthe American lag, which a recent NewYork Times article reported he is al-leged to have spat on an even burned.

Supporters o the Conederate lagcontend it is historically signiicant as amemorial to Conederate soldiers whodied while ighting or the South, whilecritics say it promotes racism.

Popular Charleston Mayor JosephRiley Jr., a Democrat, said hate groupshad appropriated the lag. “We can’tput it in a public place where it cangive any oxygen to hate-illed people,”

Riley said. Leland Summers, however,South Carolina division commandero the Sons o Conederate Veterans,issued a statement during the lagdebate, dismissing any connectionbetween the killing o nine people byDylann and the lag.

He went on to say, “do not associatethe cowardly actions o a racist to ourConederate banner,” Summers said.“here is absolutely no link betweenthe Charleston massacre and the Con-ederate memorial banner. Don’t try tocreate one.”

Concomitant with the current lagdebate, an Alabama governor has or-dered that our conederate lags beremoved rom its capitol grounds.

Some high ranking republicanseven believe that the lag issue shouldbe laid to rest. Senate Majority LeaderMitch McConnell, R-Ky., said the lag

“continues to be a painul reminder o

racial oppression to many” and that“the time or a state to ly it has longsince passed.”

It is truly difficult or some peopleto understand why a piece o cloth canstir the angry emotions o so many tothe extent that it can cause terror inthose who do not embrace or submit tothe ideology in which it was created.

A symbol of good luck takes on anevil meaning

Everyone is amiliar with the swas-tika. Most assume that it was AdolfHitler’s regime that created it. I youbelieve this, then you are wrong. Tebroken cross has been discovered incaves and in other such places to in-

clude China, long beore it became asymbol o ear, which embodied Hit-ler’s Nazi regime. It was actually notinitially associated with evil but withgood luck.

Wear the symbol on clothes today,and you are automatically perceived asadvocating racial and ethnic divisive-ness. Although Hitler was certainlya demonic individual who rose romhumble beginnings, he was a market-ing genius who wanted to rule the en-tire world.

He was able to persuade the Ger-mans that their country’s bad economyand moral malaise was the result o aJewish conspiracy. oo many Germansand other countries that aligned them-

selves with Germany believed in thisparanoid and schizophrenic character.Hitler caused the majority o the civi-lized world to believe that the German

people were either being held hostage

or were demonic co-conspirators in hisevil empire. He perverted legitimatebusinessmen who submitted bids tosecure contracts rom his governmentto build the best and most efficient gasovens which could exterminate themaximum number o Jews.

Tis was done under the banner oa flag that orced the majority o theGod-earing world, and those who justhated Germany, to come together andsay enough is enough and deeatedHitler ‘s 1000 year Reich. Te swastikainsignia on a flag, even today, causesmost Jews to rally their orces in orderto ensure that it will never again beaccorded the status it once had underHitler. In spite o this, it continues to

be an important part o the ritualsand uniorms worn by neo Nazis, skinheads, and other groups who espouse,racial and ethnic purity.

Popular Georgia governor loses re-election over flag

Most in this country take ourAmerican flag very seriously. It typi-cally evokes powerul emotions o loveand respects or the rights o otherswithout our own being abridged or violated. Individual states are given thelatitude to determine what kind o flagthey will fly over their state capitols.Five states currently incorporate con-ederate symbols into their flags. Teyare Alabama, Arkansas, Florida (whose

flag resembles that o Alabama), Geor-gia and Mississippi. Attempt to removethe Conederate symbols rom the flagsin these states as a governor, and the

The Confederate flag:

Born out of commitment to segregation

See Flag on Page 5A

8/20/2019 FreePress 8-14-15

5/24

The Champion FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, AUGUST 14, 2015 Page 5A

Let Us Know What You Think!

THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS encour-ages opinions from its readers. Pleasewrite to us and express your views. Lettersshould be brief, typewritten and containthe writer’s name, address and telephonenumber for verification. All letters will beconsidered for publication.

Send Letters To Editor, The Champion Free Press, P.

O. Box 1347, Decatur, GA 30031-1347; Send emailto [email protected] • FAX To: (404)370-3903 Phone: (404) 373-7779 . Deadline for newsreleases and advertising: Thursday, one week priorto publication date.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The opinions written by colum-nists and contributing editors do not necessarilyreect the opinions of the editor or publishers. ThePublisher reserves the right to reject or cancel anyadvertisement at any time. The Publisher is notresponsible for unsolicited manuscripts.

Publisher: John Hewitt Chief Financial Ocer:Dr. Earl D. GlennManaging Editor:Andrew CauthenProduction Manager:Kemesha Hunt Photographer:Travis HudgonsSta Reporters:Carla Parker, Ashley Oglesby

The Champion Free Press is publishedeach Friday by ACE III Communications,Inc., • 114 New Street, Suite E, Decatur,

GA. 30030 • Phone (404) 373-7779.

www.championnewspaper.com

DISPLAY ADVERTISING (404) 373-7779 x 110

F REE P RESS

STATEMENT FROM THE

PUBLISHERWe sincerely appreciate thediscussion surrounding this and anyissue of interest to DeKalb County.The Champion was founded in 1991expressly to provide a forum fordiscourse for all community residentson all sides of an issue. We have nodesire to make the news only toreport news and opinions to effect

a more educated citizenry that willultimately move our communityforward. We are happy to presentideas for discussion; however,we make every effort to avoidprinting information submitted tous that is known to be false and/orassumptions penned as fact.

Being stoned, Part 2ONE MAN’S OPINION

It was the valuable StoneMountain rock, in Georgia’s

pre-Gold Rush days, that at-racted the formation of theSouthern Granite Company,which included among itsmajor shareholders and orga-nizers in 1886, brothers Wil-iam and Samuel Venable.

By 1893, the Venable granitempire would own most of

Lithonia and eastern DeKalbCounty, and a 1901 brochurepublished by the Venablesbilled Stone Mountain as thelargest deposit of merchant-

able granite in the world.”Though the Venables by

day were pillars of society andhe business community, by

night they were apparentlygetting between the sheets, ora least younger brother SamVenable was, in the reforma-ion of the Klu Klux Klan atop

Stone Mountain in a rally onNov. 25, 1915.

Spurred in part by the re-ease of the film “The Birth of

a Nation” in Atlanta a weekater, the Klan billed itself asthe world’s greatest secret,ocial, patriotic, fraternal,

beneficiary order.”The Klan initially pre-

ented itself more as an uberpatriotic version of the Ma-ons or the Shriners, as there

were visible connections tohe Democratic Party of that

day, and also plenty of hateto go around, as the Klan hadharsh words for the Catholic

Church, Jewish and Irish im-migrants, Blacks and served asa major proponent of Prohibi-tion.

The younger Venablegranted the Klan a 40-yeareasement to hold rallies atopthe mountain in 1923, but itis urban legend that the Klanowned Stone Mountain andbegan the efforts to create thememorial carving.

William Terrell, an Atlantaattorney and son of a Confed-erate veteran, suggested thenotion as a guest editorial in

The Atlanta Constitution onMay 26, 1914 (a year priorto the Klan’s re-birth). HelenPlane, an 85-year-old Confed-erate widow, held the title of

honorary life president of theGeorgia Chapter of the United

Daughters of the Confederacy(UDC), and Plane contactedSam Venable on behalf of theUDC seeking his interest andpermission to create such amemorial and monument atStone Mountain.

Plane would ultimatelyserve as the first president ofthe Stone Mountain MemorialAssociation.

The Stone Mountain Me-morial Association selectedsculptor John Borglum todesign, engineer and completethe carving. Borglum’s originaldesign called for five groupsof figures, each representingan aspect of the Confederateforces, surrounding a centralgroup of Generals Lee, ‘Stone-wall’ Jackson and ConfederatePresident Jefferson Davis.

All figures in the originaldesign, estimated at 700-1000, would be facing east togreet the dawn of a new day.Borglum estimated the workat eight years and a budgetcomparable to the LincolnMemorial, then also underconstruction.

Under pressure from Ven-

able, Borglum would later jointhe Klan, although he was aYankee and was fired from theproject due to its long non-completion in 1925, and even-

tually became the sculptor andproject manager for Mount

Rushmore.Though Klan memberswere among the executivecommittee and board of direc-tors, financial contributionstoward financing the carvingalso came from the Rotarians,Freemasons and numerousJewish and Catholic groupsacross the South.

The project would sput-ter along with fits and startsthroughout the Great De-pression and World War IIeras. After being championedby Atlanta’s mayor WilliamB. Hartsfield in 1945, the

legislature authorized the issu-ance of $5-million in revenuebonds to reactivate the StoneMountain Memorial Associa-tion and move forward withthe project.

In 1949, Gov. Herman Tal-madge worked with DeKalbCounty Commissioner ScottCandler to renew an optionwith the Venable family forfive more years, to keep themountain from reverting tothe Venable family. In 1955,Gov. Marvin Griffin workedwith civic leader and banker

Mills B. Lane of C&S Bank tosecure acreage at the base ofthe mountain for a state park,as well as the eventual comple-tion of the carving.

Bill Crane

[email protected]

Columnist

To be continued -

Bill Crane also serves as a political analyst and commen-tator for Channel 2’s ActionNews, WSB-AM News/Talk750 and now 95.5 FM, as wellas a columnist for The Cham-pion, Champion Free Pressand Georgia Trend. Crane isa DeKalb native and businessowner, living in Scottdale. Youcan reach him or comment ona column at bill.csicrane@ gmail.com.

OPINION

voters can turn against you. Tis is exactlywhat happened to Georgia’s ormer, popu-ar governor Roy Barnes in 2002.

Voters who went to the polls in 2002,did not care about Barnes popularity, theywere outraged that he had changed thetate’s Conederate flag. Cecil Alexander,

prominent Atlanta architect at the time,was key to the design o a new flag orGeorgia under Barnes. Mr. Alexander,who is Jewish, and I served on Atlanta’sBlack/Jewish Coalition (a collection oommunity stakeholders who collabo-ated on issues o mutual importance thatmpacted Blacks and Jews). His design

minimized the Conederate battle insig-nia (Southern Cross) on the flag.

On July 30, 2001, with Governor RoyBarnes’ support, the Georgia senate in avote o 34-22 approved Alexander’s flag.

Changing the flag was done essentiallyo appease Blacks and to prevent themrom organizing an economic boycott ohe state which had occurred ironically, in

South Carolina. Legislators attempting to

ppease Blacks in South Carolina simplymoved the flag on July 1, 2000 rom thetate house to the capitol lawn.

Political pundits in response to Barnes’oss at the time stated, “Te Coneder-te flag is still a very powerul symbol. A

lot o white voters elt Barnes was not ontheir side when he pushed to change it.”Te governor who deeated him appeasedhis supporters on May 8, 2003 with a newflag during his term in office.

Ironies and contradictions related to the

Confederate flag I the Conederate flag does not sym-bolize intolerance or other races, whichincludes hatred and racism, why has itbeen appropriated by groups such as theKu Klux Klan and other hate groups? Tisis the question that is always asked by theSouthern Poverty Law Center in responseto those who embrace the Conederateflag. Te nonprofit center operates out oMontgomery, Ala., and combat groupslike the Klan utilizing education and liti-gation.

Tere are some obvious allacies re-lating to the conederate flag. It was notthe national flag o the Conederacy. TeConederacy changed its flag three timesduring the course o the Civil War. An-

other misconception is that the flag wasflown uninterrupted since the Civil War.Te act o the matter is that southernstates, or the most part, incorporated theflag into their state flags during the tu-multuous 1950s and 1960s in protest and

defiance against integration.Is the name Denmark Groover amil-

iar to you?I you like or dislike the flag, you

should be amiliar with Groover’s con-tribution to the flag issue in Georgia. Hewas the Georgia house floor leader under

Gov. Marvin Griffin who ran or officeas a staunch segregationist. Groover in1956, sponsored the legislation to incor-porate the southern cross into the state’sflag. He is alleged to have admitted at thetime that he and other Georgia legislatorssupported the addition o the symbol as aprotest against ederal integration orders.

You know what? In 2001, orty-fiveyears later, Groover again stepped intothe flag controversy. Tis time, however,his tune was different. He sang to all whowould listen that the onederate flag wasdivisive and should be taken down.

What do you really think? Is the Con-ederate flag really used by those whohave an intolerance or other ethnic orracial groups? Does it really divide us?

You be the judge.Glenn Dowell is a lecturer, researcherand author Back to Arica For Arican-American: Is it Possible? and No CrossNo Crown.

Flag Continued From Page 4A

8/20/2019 FreePress 8-14-15

6/24


LOCAL

If you would like to nominate someone to be considered as a future Champion of the Week, please contact Andrew Cauthenat [email protected] or at (404) 373-7779, ext. 117.

KEVIN D. CHAPMAN JR.

Local company awards community volunteersby Andrew [email protected]

A lietime o volunteerism led a DeKalb busi-ness owner to support the eorts o other volun-eers and nonproit organizations.

On Aug. 1, Forrest Tuff ’s Clarkston-basedmultimedia production company, One Vision

Productions, sponsored its inaugural President’sVolunteer Service Award, a program that recog-nizes volunteers who have achieved the requirednumber o hours o service over a 12-monthperiod or cumulative hours over the course o aietime.

“We normally do a lot o things—just a lot oommunity service helping out,” u said.

“We ound this program, and it created a wayo give people an incentive to do something,” uaid about President Barack Obama’s Volunteer

Service Award. “Sometimes it’s easier to get peopleo do stu with that kind o incentive. It’s a great

program so we became a part o it, and we usehat when we talk about doing community ser-

vice. It gets them motivated.”u’s company is a certiying organization or

he award, overseeing and coordinating local vol-unteers in the program.

“People sign up or the president’s volunteerprogram [and] they do anywhere rom 60 to 500hours within a iscal year,” u said.

he winners received a medal rom the presi-dent, a letter rom the National Society o Com-munity Service and a certiicate rom the WhiteHouse, u said.

As a part o One Vision Productions’ Pay ItForward initiative, the company inds “nonproitshat…are really doing things in the community

and really helping people and sometimes they justneed inances,” u said. “Every year we give [to]an organization…we know is really working in theommunity.

“his year a $500 git was awarded to I AmB.E.A.U..I.F.U.L., a nonproit organization thatngages girls in interactive learning experiences

designed to build sel-esteem and strong leader-hip skills.”

Kevin D. Chapman Jr.aid he used to be embar-assed about the trash near

his south DeKalb home.“When I irst bought my

property, the area looked re-

ally, really nice,” Chapmanaid. “As the years passed

and the market crashed, sodid the upkeep o the com-munity. One o the things Iwould do is try to igure outwhat I could improve thatwould make it more com-ortable when people come

and visit me. hat was justo pick up the trash [and] tryo get some plants put in thentersection.”

So Chapman took mat-

ters into his own hands, andbegan picking up litter in thearea. He also planted low-ers at an intersection and

brought water or the plants.Ater couple o months,

he attracted the attentiono other homeowners who joined him.

“Other people saw that

eort and shared their eortsclose to their homes andwe got on a united ront,”Chapman said. “We joinedtogether [and] had monthlycleanups.”

he group also renewedan old conversation abouta community improvementdistrict ocused on WesleyChapel.

Chapman is a membero South DeKalb Improve-ment Association, District 5

Community Council, WesleyChapel Curb Appeal askForce, Atlanta Metro Chaptero the Morehouse CollegeAlumni Association, BereanChristian Church and presi-

dent o Snapinger ManorCondominium Association.

“It’s not good enough justto complain,” he said aboutwhy he volunteers. “Every-body has a role in being parto the solution. I really careabout the county obviously.I invested in that area. Ourkids and our neighbors de-serve a good quality o lie.hat’s why I volunteer.”

Chapman said there is away or everyone to volun-

teer “no matter what yourschedule and your capabili-ties are.”

“It can be something assimple as sending an emailabout a pothole,” Chapman

said. “It can be talking to oneo the youth. [here are] somany dierent ways to getinvolved, especially with so-cial media these days.

“I would encourage ev-eryone to take a couple ominutes and think abouthow they can contribute tothe solutions that we need inour communities,” Chapmansaid.

Winners of the President’s Volunteer Service Awards were recognized Aug. 1. Photos provided

Left, The awards honor those who have completed the required number of volunteer hours in a year. Right, Apostle Ulysses

Tuff and Pastor Deborah Tuff received lifetime achievement awards.

Members of the nonprot I Am B.E.A.U.T.I.F.U.L. received the Pay It Forward Award.

8/20/2019 FreePress 8-14-15

7/24


Atlanta

PAWS Atlanta host fundraising party

On September 19 rom 6:30 – 10 p.m., PAWSAtlanta will entertain guest with blues and BBQ,a silent auction, crat beer tastings and a breweryour at Red Brick Brewing Company at 2323 De-

oor Hills Road, Atlanta.Since 1966 PAWS Atlanta has ound loving,

permanent homes or more than 45,000 homelessanumals in Metro Atlanta.

ickets or the event are $85 person. oRSVP or make a donation to the not-or-proithelter visit pawsatlanta.org.

Avondale EstatesGirl Scouts troop to hold registrationmeeting

Girl Scout roop 3647 will hold a registrationmeeting Aug. 15 at 10:30 a.m. at Avondale PattilloUnited Methodist Church located at 3260 Cov-ngton Highway. he troop is a multi-level troophat moved to Avondale Estates last year. heroop meets rom 2 to 4 p.m. on the second and

ourth Sundays o each month. For more inor-mation, call Bonny Wilder at (770) 469-9032.

City to host yard sale

Avondale Estates will host its second citywideyard sale Sept. 19 rom 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Volun-eers are needed to help plan and organize the

event. For more inormation, call Mary Bell at678) 596-4895.

Registration opened for Labor Day race

Runners and walkers can register or Avon-dale Estates’ 37th annual Labor Day Race. herace will be held Sept. 7. he event beneits theAmyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Association.he event includes a 1-mile and 5K race ollowedby an awards ceremony. he race will start and

end by Willis Park, at the corner o DartmouthAvenue and Clarendon Place. o register, visitwww.active.com.

Brookhaven

Adult beverages available at food truckevent

Beer and wine will be sold during Brookhav-en’s Food ruck Wednesdays at Blackburn Park.he adult beverages will be available in the “Slice”ent. he ood trucks roll into Blackburn Park ev-

ery Wednesday evening rom 5 to 9 through Sept.30. he park is located 3493 Ashord DunwoodyRoad.

Monastery presents weekly public talks

On August 18 Drepung Loseling Monasterywill hold its weekly public talk on “Using BuddhistPsychology to Overcome Suffering” by Geshe Nga-

wang Phende.he public talk class is a great opportunity to

get started and learn the undamentals o Bud-dhism. Each session begins with a talk on the in-ner science o the mind. he point o the practiceis to bring the mind under control through work-ing with the mind itsel. he class aims to dem-onstrate how Buddhist psychology oers practicalmethods or overcoming suering and achievingpeace and happiness.

he class will take place at the 1781 DresdenDrive NE, Brookhaven rom 7:30 – 9 p.m.

DunwoodyCity launches contest to name new park

Dunwoody has launched a contest to namethe city’s newest park at Pernoshal Court.

The “Name Your Park” contest runs throughSept. 30 and provides an opportunity for city res-idents to vote on potential park names or providea write-in name. The five potential park namesare Pernoshal Park, Hightower Trail Park, Musk-ogee Park, Old Buck Park and Magnolia Park.

Contest participants will be limited to onevote per person. The winning name will be iden-tified by city staff and announced by the mayor

and city council on Monday, Dec. 14, at the 6 p.m. city council meeting.The new park, located at Pernoshal Court,

will be approximately 5 acres and the largestnewly built park created since incorporation. Inaddition to the multiuse trail, the park will havea centralized pavilion/restroom facility, 162

parking spaces open areas/fields for sports and basketball courts with a pickle ball court over-lay. Park construction is expected to be complete

by the end of 2015.Interested residents may participate in the

contest by registering at the “Name Your Park”online contest portal at www.connectdunwoody.com. Contest rules and additional details on vot-ing procedures also are available on the website.

Pine Lake

Post Ofce may be renamed in honor offallen ofcer

Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04) an-nounced Aug. 4 that he has introduced a resolu-tion to rename the Pine Lake Post Oice at Rock-bridge Road and Spring Drive in honor o allenpolice oicer Francis Manuel Ortega.

he measure–H.R. 3274–is supported by theentire Georgia House o Representatives congres-sional delegation. Aug. 11 marks the 10-year an-niversary o Ortega’s death.

On Aug. 11, 2005, Ortega, 25, was shot andkilled in ront o the Pine Lake Post Oice whileconducting a routine traic stop. Ortega was apart-time oicer in the Pine Lake Police Depart-ment and a ull-time oicer at Georgia RegionalHospital. He was survived by his parents Fran-cisco and Luz, his sister Joann and his childrenFrankey and Kaylie.

“Oicer Ortega made the ultimate sacriiceand gave his lie or the protection o his com-munity,” said Johnson, who was a DeKalb Countycommissioner in 2005 when the incident oc-curred. “Oicer Ortega’s commitment to justiceand willingness to ace danger... should be ap-plauded, commended and recognized in perpetu-ity.”

he resolution now goes to the Committeeon Oversight and Government Reorm. Once it

is voted out o committee, it goes beore the ullHouse or a vote. Johnson said he hopes the mea-sure will be approved by the end o the legislativeyear, which is Dec. 18.

Countywide

New mobile farmers market locationsconsidered

DeKalb County Extension is planning toexpand the route o its mobile armers market,

which provides resh, aordable ruits and veg-etables.he mobile armers market initiative is

sponsored by DeKalb County Extension with as-sistance rom DeKalb County Government andDeKalb County Board o Health.

DeKalb County Extension seeks communitypartners, particularly those in south DeKalbCounty, who are interested in hosting new loca-tions. Religious institutions, nonproit organiza-tions, clinics, community centers, and neighbor-hood associations can contact DeKalb CountyExtension at (404) 298-4080 or [email protected] more inormation.

AROUNDDEKALB

8/20/2019 FreePress 8-14-15

8/24


LOCAL

by Ashley [email protected]

Dozens o support-rs gathered at the Manuel

Maloo Auditorium on Aug.4 to celebrate the Board oCommissioners approvedpartnership between DeKalbCounty and Atlanta UnitedFC, the newest addition toMajor League Soccer (MLS)

DeKalb County Board oCommission approved theagreement to allow AtlantaUnited FC to build a $30million soccer complex andraining acility by a 4-3 split

decision.Atlanta United president

Darren Eales said, “hiswill be one o the top train-ng grounds in MLS in theountry.”

he training stadium isxpected to be the site or

US Open Cup matches, a po-ential United Soccer Leagueeam and other soccer exhi-

bitions, as well as high schoolports and other events host-d by DeKalb County.

“he training ground ishe heartbeat o any ootballlub. We always said that we

had three main goals or At-anta United. Firstly, we wanto have a winning team onhe pitch. Secondly, we wanto have the best an experi-nce possible and thirdly we

want to engage in our com-munity. he training grounds crucial to all o these

goals,” said Eales.As in the case o other

MLS clubs, Atlanta Uniteds looking to land a namingights deal or the complex,

with 15 percent o the netevenue going to DeKalb

County, which will take overownership o all the assets onthe property at the end o the30-year lease.

At a press conerence onAug. 4 interim CEO Lee Maysaid, “Downtown DeKalb hasbeen a vision and priority omine since I assumed this o-ice. Our quality workorce,our public transportation,our diversity and our natu-ral resources are why com-panies, entrepreneurs andstudents come rom all overthe world to make DeKalbCounty a place where theycan live, work and play.”

May said the MemorialDrive area has not seen anydevelopment or two de-cades.

“We anticipate that thisdevelopment will have acatalytic eect. We predictthat this will be a magnet oruture economic investmentor this area,” May said.

He added, “We want to

just make sure that the worldknows that DeKalb Countyis serious about doing busi-ness.”

DeKalb County willspend roughly $12 millionand relinquish 41 acres ogovernment land or AtlantaUnited FC to build a $30million soccer complex at theintersection o KensingtonRoad and Memorial Drivenear Interstate 285 in Deca-tur.

Additionally, the countyalso will seek unding or pe-destrian improvements romthe soccer complex to theKensington MARA Stationand to demolish the currentanimal shelter.

Soccer ranchise owner

Arthur Blank plans to builda 3,500-seat stadium, threeoutdoor practice ields anda two-story corporate head-quarters on land behind theDeKalb County Jail. hememorandum o under-standing states our addi-tional ields and an indoortraining acility could bebuilt later.

Decide DeKalb is an eco-nomic development agency

responsible or working withDeKalb County oicials andthe greater business com-munity to attract and retainstrong partners such as At-lanta United.

President o DecideDeKalb Development Au-thority Ray Gilley said, “OurCEO knows that economicdevelopment works best withstrong public and privatepartnerships. It is a top pri-ority o this administrationto increase DeKalb County’s visibility as well as attract

thriving business.”Under the proposal, thetotal cost or land prepara-

tion and demolition o 40acres is an estimated $3million to $5 million. Ad-ditionally, $7 million wouldbe paid to Blank over threeyears beginning on the datethe county’s parks depart-ment occupies its new oicesas rent. he annual paymentwould be $2.33 million orthe irst three years and then$10 per year or the remain-der o the ground lease.

Blank said “We’re actu-ally projecting initially thatphase one will be closer to$35 million than $30 mil-lion and we think phase twocould be an additional $15-16 million just to put thatinto perspective with the$7 million. Beyond that interms o the activity that soc-cer will bring to this area; the vibrancy, the energy, the en-thusiasm – you will see andeel all o that and that willalso be converted into dollarsas well.”

“I you look back in aretrospective way, since 1991our oundation has commit-

ted over $40 million to thecounty with this now beingan anchor part o our busi-nesses and an anchor part owhat we’re going to do–wecan anticipate a closer con-nection to our amily oun-dation as well.”

Although many residentshave raised concerns aboutthe cost o the project, Maysaid, “he act that our $7million commitment to this

endeavor will yield a $30million, at minimal projectwill help to revitalize thiscorridor. his property iscounty-owned. We have notexperienced any propertytax revenue rom this sitein decades. his investmentwill help to improve this par-cel o land which will havea catalytic eect or thosesurrounding properties aswell and that’s what we’reinterested in; the central development that will occur asa result o this spark will help

to develop this whole area.”

Atlanta United FC wins approval in DeKalb

PUBLIC NOTICE

The City of Stone Mountain will hold a general municipalelection for three (3) Council Member seats on November 3, 2015for four-year terms. All persons desiring to run for any of theseoffices shall qualify at City Hall located at 875 Main Street, StoneMountain, GA, 30083. The qualifying period shall begin at 8:30a.m. on Tuesday, September 1, 2015 and end at 4:30 p.m. on

Thursday, September 3, 2015. The qualifying fee for the office ofCouncil Member will be $108.00. The qualifying fee must be paidduring the qualifying period.

DeKalb County commissioners present Arthur Blank with a plaque in recognition and appreciation for bringing professional soccer to DeKalb County.

8/20/2019 FreePress 8-14-15

9/24


Local restaurant helps tell the McDonald’s story

PUBLIC NOTICENOTICE OF ELECTION

DECATUR CITY COMMISSION ANDDECATUR BOARD OF EDUCATION

The Decatur City Commission officially announces the Call for the City's General Election to be held in theCity of Decatur, Georgia, on November 3, 2015 for two Decatur Board of Education members for four yearterms of office, and three City of Decatur Commissioners for four year terms, such terms to begin at theorganizational meeting in January 2016.

One City Commissioner from Election District 1, Post BOne City Commissioner from Election District 2, Post BOne City Commissioner District At-Large

One Decatur Board of Education member from Election District 1, Post BOne Decatur Board of Education member from Election District 2, Post B

DeKalb County will conduct this election at the following proposed precincts:

Election District District : Polling Place for ElectionClairemont East 1 : First Baptist Church of Decatur, 308 Clairemont AveClairemont West 1 : The Church at Decatur Heights, 735 Sycamore DriveGlenwood Precinct 1&2 : Holy Trinity Parish, 515 E. Ponce de Leon Ave.

Oakhurst 2 : Oakhurst Baptist Church, 222 E. Lake Dr.Ponce De Leon 1&2 : First Christain Church of Decatur, 601 W. Ponce de Leon AveRenfroe 2 : Renfroe Middle School, 220 W. College Ave.Winnona Park 2 : Winnona Park Elementary School, 510 Avery St.

Each candidate will file notice of his or her candidacy and the appropriate affidavit in the office of the ElectionSuperintendent at City Hall, 509 North McDonough Street, Decatur, Georgia. The opening dates for qualifyingwill start Monday, August 31, 2015 beginning at 8:30 A. M., and continuing until Wednesday September 2,2015 at 4:30 P.M. The qualifying fee for City Commission office is $144.00 and the qualifying fee for Board ofEducation members is $35.00

Registration for voting in the November 3, 2015 election will cut off on Monday, October 5, 2015.

For the November 3 General Municipal Election, the Absentee Poll will open 21 days prior to the Election (October 12).

All Advance Voting (Absentee in person) will be held at 4380 Memorial Drive, Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM

to 4:00 PM, October 12 through October 30.

Questions concerning absentee voting, early voting or voter registration should be directed to DeKalb County

Elections Division at 404-298-4020.

The Decatur City Commission gives notice this 20th of July, 2015

by Kathy Mitchell

The Founder , a moviecheduled or release in all

o 2016, tells the story ohow milkshake dispenseralesman Ray Kroc turned amall hamburger restaurantalled McDonald’s into a

worldwide ast ood icon.o tell the story o the

business legend, who died in984, FilmNational needed

another restaurant and theompany ound it in oco

Hills. Scenes or the moviewere shot this summer at Pe-ite Auberge Restaurant and

Catering.“A lot o movies are made

n Georgia now and people

ome in scouting the restau-ant rom time to time. heyame in when they wereooking or a place to shoot acene or The Founder and Iemember someone saying,Oh, yes, this should worknicely,’” said Michael Groop,general manager and co-owner o Petite Auberge.

“he scenes are actuallyupposed to be taking placen the 1950s and in anothertate,” Groop said. “We’re cel-brating our 41st anniversaryight now, but we have such

a classic look that with a ewhanges we could easily be a950s restaurant.”

Groop said the restau-ant’s continuity is part ots appeal, noting that Eater

Atlanta named it amongts “20 Classic Restaurants

Every Atlantan Must ry”’and Creative Loafing called itAtlanta’s king o upscale oldchool.”

“We have a joke aroundhere that we change themenu every 50 years whethert needs it or not,” Groopaid.

A ew details had to behanged in the restauranthat has operated continu-

ously since 1974, accord-ng to Groop. “hey had toemove a ew things, add aew things and cover up aew things, but I think ourustomers will recognize the

banquet room i they lookareully,” he said.

Petite Auberge had tolose or a ew days or ilm-ng. “hat was a tough deci-ion,” Groop said. “We’ve

been here or our customers

or 41 years, but they werevery understanding andmany o our regulars are ex-ited that we’re appearing in

a major motion picture.”

Groop said he was as-tonished to learn how muchgoes into getting a ew eet oootage. “here was a large

crew doing everything romset decoration to lightingto sound. hey shot in oneo our banquet rooms butanother room was used orequipment and another orthings like hair styling andmakeup.” He said less thansix minutes o ootage shot inthe restaurant is to appear inthe ilm.

he details in setting andsound also were impressive,according to Groop. “Wehad to turn o everything,including the air condition-

ing and the rerigerators sothere wasn’t even a hum inthe background. o cool theplace they brought a huge

air conditioner that madethe room really cold beorethey turned it o. he thinglooked like something out oa space movie. I guess peopledriving by wondered what inthe world was going on.”

Groop was given a smallpart as an extra. “I was a cus-tomer. hey told me to carryon a conversation with an-other diner. I was instructedto mouth actual words butnot to make a sound—andlook natural. hat’s harderthan you would think it

would be,” he said.“You hear people say

that movie people are rudeand arrogant, but that wasn’t

my experience at all. I wantto dispel that myth rightnow. hey were all very niceincluding the stars,” Groopsaid.

He said he did not spendmuch time with the star,Michael Keaton—who playsKroc in his 50s, when hebegan working as a ranchis-ing agent or the McDonaldbrothers in 1954—but oundhim pleasant and easy towork with. “All the actors,even the top stars couldn’thave been nicer. And beore

they let, the crew put every-thing back exactly as it was,”he noted.

Calling his restaurant a

longtime supporter o theGeorgia movie industry,Groop said Petite Aubergehas catered movies sets in thearea but his experience thissummer was his irst beingclosely involved with pro-duction.

8/20/2019 FreePress 8-14-15

10/24


LOCAL

NOTICE OF ELECTION, QUALIFYING REQUIREMENTS, ANDREGISTRATION

CITY OF AVONDALE ESTATES, GEORGIA

Notice is hereby given that a General Municipal Election for the City of AvondaleEstates will be held on Tuesday, November 3, 2015 to elect one (1) Mayor and two (2)

Commissioners to the Avondale Estates Board of Mayor and Commissioners. The termof office is four (4) years. Voting will take place at Avondale Estates City Hall, 21

North Avondale Plaza from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Any person who is a resident of theCity of Avondale Estates and who is registered with Dekalb County Board of

Registrations and Elections as an elector within the City of Avondale Estates at leastthirty (30) days prior to this election, shall be eligible to vote in this election. Deadlinefor voter registration is October 5, 2015.

Persons wishing to qualify for this election may file a notice of candidacy with the

Qualifying Officer at Avondale Estates City Hall, 21 North Avondale Plaza, from 8:30a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. beginning Monday, August 31through Friday, September 4, 2015. The qualifying fee is $3.00.

Application for absentee ballots may be made by mail, fax or in person to: DeKalbCounty Election Supervisor, Memorial Drive Complex , 4380 Memorial Drive, Suite

300, Decatur, GA 30032-1239, Telephone: (404) 298-4020, Fax: (404) 298-4038. This notice is given pursuant to Chapter 21 of the Official Code of Georgia, asamended, pertaining to municipal elections, this 6th day of August 2015.

City of Avondale Estates

Correction

“Lithonia asks to manage county-owned part of local park” article

In the Aug. 6, 2015 issue, the “Lithonia asks to manage county-owned part of local park” article had an error that The Champion Newspaper would like to correct.

Lithonia owns the entire Lithonia Park, and the county managesan area of the park that includes the pavilion and ball elds.

We apologize for the error.

by Ashley Oglesby [email protected]

K.D. Moore CommunityDevelopment hosted a bas-ketball jamboree and school

supply giveaway on Aug. 7at the Clarkston First BaptistChurch’s amily lie centergymnasium.

he Clarkston-basednon-proit aims provideopportunities that addressphysical, education, eco-nomic and inancial well-ness o children, seniors andamilies in Clarkston andthroughout metro Atlanta.

Program Director Chris-tin Taylor, who relocatedrom New Orleans, saidonce she began attendingthe Clarkston First BaptistChurch she was “inspired todo more or the surroundingcommunity.”

“I built a really strong re-ationship with the irst lady

and our pastor K.D. Moore.heir passion and desire togive back to the communitys one thing that I believe in

as well,” she said.

aylor solicited dona-tions and support or thegiveaway rom Global Inno- vator, DeKalb County Boardo Health and her churchamong others.

aylor said the organiza-tion stued more than 100bags with composition note-books, pencils, crayons, eras-ers, markers–“the basics thatstudents can start o with.”

She added, “It’s so need-ed because a lot o peopledon’t have the means andbeing that the economy levelis going downhill right nowwe’re just trying to have apositive impact within theClarkston area. It’s really keythat we give back to the com-munity as much as possible.”

Clarkston First Baptistoers ater school programsas well as a summer camp orClarkston residents. Many othe students enrolled in theprograms received schoolsupplies and were enteredinto a rale to win a bookbagwith more than $50 worth osupplies.

City Councilman Dean

Clarkston leaders organize school supply giveaway Moore attended the eventand said he thought the e-orts o the church were criti-cal.

“It’s been going on orsome time and it really helps

out the amilies and childrento get school supplies. Itbuilds enthusiasm or learn-ing and it’s good to buildenthusiasm or education,”

Moore said.Members rom the Blue

Wave Foundation, an orga-nization ormed to assist at-risk students, also assisted inhanding out school supplies.

K.D. Moore CommunityDevelopment ounder andPastor Karl Moore said the jamboree “gives an outlet orour kids to come and have

something to do to kickoback-to-school.”

He added, “For some oour kids they wouldn’t haveanything i they didn’t havethese supplies coming to

them. It’s essential or themto start o the school yearwith the entire essential theyneed to get started.”

raise 102.5 radio personality Veda Howard poses with program director Christin Taylor, Council-man Dean Moore and pre-K student Victoria Johnson.

ive-year-old King Hernandez poseswith program director Christin Taylorn the last day of summer camp.

Blue Wave Foundation Founder QC Blue Jr. poses withExecutive Director Dejuan Byrd.

Victoria Lee and David Michael carry their back-to-school supplies.

8/20/2019 FreePress 8-14-15

11/24

SPORTSThe Champion FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, AUGUST 14, 2015 Page 11A

See RECRUITS on page 15A

by Carla Parker [email protected]

DeKalb is a county withmany talented football players.

Over the past 10 years,DeKalb has had high

numbers on National Signing Day,including six consecutive years of100 football players signing lettersof intent. However, only a few teamshave had large recruiting classes thatfeature top recruits signing to topDivision I college football programsin the nation.

Stephenson is known nationwideas a melting pot of highly toutedfootball players who succeed incollege football and the NFL.

Tucker, Columbia and M.L. Kingalso have had large signing classeswith highly recruited athletes,although MLK has fallen off the topof the recruiting list due to coachingchanges in the last three years.

However, one school hasgarnered much of the attention ofcollege scouts in recent years. CedarGrove has moved its way to the topof the football-recruiting mountainin DeKalb in the last ve years.

Since 2011, the Saints havehad at least one player with a 3-starrating. This year is no different, with

two players with a 4-star rating,including defensive tackle AntwuanJackson, who is ranked in the top10 in the state on various recruiting

lists.Jackson is ranked second overall

in the state by ESPN and ranked23rd overall on ESPN 300. He isranked eighth in the state on Rivals.com and 59th nationally. Jacksonhas received more than 30 offersfrom Division 1 schools.

Ohio State, Auburn and Georgiaare his top three choices. Jacksonsaid several factors will play a role

in his nal decision.“I just have to love the school,

education [is important] and I haveto love the coaches,” he said.

Jackson led Cedar Grove lastseason on defense with 51 solotackles and tied for rst in totaltackles (73). He also led the defensein sacks with 9.5 and tackles for losswith 29.

Jackson said he worked hard thisoffseason to improve his skills tohelp lead his team to a region titleand possibly a state championship.

“[I’ve been working on] my

power and my take off,” he said.“I’ve been working to get my handsand feet [technique] better.”

Jackson’s teammate linebacker

Elysee Mbem-Bosse has racked upnearly 30 offers.

Mbem-Bosse is ranked 15th inthe state on Rivals.com and 38th onESPN. He said being one of the topranked players in the state is a resultof hard work.

“It just goes back to listeningto my coaches [who say] that hardwork pays,” he said.

Mbem-Bosse has narrowed his

choices to seven schools, most ofwhich are SEC schools.

“I’m looking for a great

Recruiting parity growing in DeKalb

From left, Cedar Grove defensive tackle Antwan Jackson and linebacker Elysee Mbem-Bosse, and Lithonia defensive end Jordan Smith arethree of the top recruits in Georgia. Photo by Travis Hudgons

8/20/2019 FreePress 8-14-15

12/24


Arabia Mountain RamsHead coach: Stanley Pritchett

third season) - Region: 6-AAAA

2014 record: 4-6

Outlook: Arabia Mountainook a step back in 2014 after

making history with its rstwinning record in 2013. TheRams will look to rebound

with returning starters insenior wide receivers MarcusGay and Malick Mbodj. Gay

nished third in the county lastseason with 660 yards on 43eceptions and nine touchdown

eceptions. Mbodj was sixth onhe top wide receivers list with

33 receptions, 521 yards and

eight touchdowns.

Cedar Grove SaintsHead coach: Jermaine Smith

third season)-Region: 4A-AAA

2014 record: 9-2 (Playoffs)

Outlook: Expectations are

higher at Cedar Grove thisseason. After another secondound playoff loss, the 2015

Saints expect nothing less of astate championship because ofa highly talented senior class.

The class features returningstarting running back LaBronMorris, last season’s county

eading rusher in yards, andour-star recruits defensiveackle Antwuan Jackson Jr.

2014 team defensive leader)and linebacker Elysee Mbem-Bosse. “We’re going to get it

done,” coach Jermaine Smith said.

Chamblee BulldogsHead coach: Allen Johnson

fourth season) -Region: 6-AAAA

2014 record: 1-9

Outlook: Chamblee will look

o get back to its winningways this season after the

Bulldogs experienced their rst

losing season under coachAllen Johnson. The Bulldogswill have to depend on new

offensive weapons after losingtheir quarterback (BrentBurgess), leading running

back (Xzavier Shugars)and leading receiver (ChrisBurgess). Chamblee hopes

to have good production from junior quarterback BruceLasher, senior running back

Willie Mosley and senior widereceiver Devin Wallace, wholed in touchdown receptions

(three).

Clarkston AngorasHead coach: Terrence Hughey

(second season) - Region:

6A-AAAAA

2014 record: 0-10

Outlook: Coach TerrenceHughey’s rst year at

Clarkston was disappointingwith a winless season.Clarkston has not had a

winning season since 1998.The Angoras will return most oftheir 2014 offensive production

in senior Jayson Harrell, whoplayed quarterback and led theteam in rushing with 748 yards

and scored six touchdowns.He had a 7.3 yards averageper attempt. Clarkston will also

have its two leading receiversfrom last season—DashamienPaden and Xavier Anderson.

Columbia EaglesHead coach: David Edwards

(fourth season) - Region: 6-AAAA


Outlook: The ColumbiaEagles are hoping to take

another step forward aftercoach David Edwards ledthe team to its rst playoff

appearance since 2011.However, they will have toreplace the majority of their

2014 offensive leaders.Columbia is expected to be

stout on defense with most

of the stat leaders fromDeKalb’s third-ranked defensereturning. Those players

include linebackers RasaanJohnson and Michael Hector,defensive lineman Bobby

Tillman and defensive backRickquez Cuffie.

Cross Keys IndiansHead coach: John Bowen

(rst season) - Region: 6-AAAA

2014 record: 1-4

Outlook: The Indians arestarting over again under new

head coach John Bowen.With a low participation duringsummer workouts, Bowen said

he will focus on establishinga roster when school begins.Cross Keys will need the

returning players to provideadditional leadership. Thoseplayers include Calvin Farley,

who was the leading receiverfor the Indians.

Decatur BulldogsHead coach: Scott Jackson

(third season) - Region: 4B-AAA

2014 record: 6-4

Outlook: The Bulldogs missedthe playoffs again because

of a losing region record at2-3. However, coach Scott

Jackson said he expectsthe leadership of the seniorclass, along with the talent, willget Decatur over the hump.

Decatur will have one of its toprunning backs, Tray Tice, andreceiver, Quintavius Eagle,

on the eld this year.

Druid Hills Red DevilsHead coach: Mark Adams

(third season) - Region: 6A-AAAAA

2014 record: 4-6

Outlook: Coach Mark Adams said he expects his Red Devilsto be more competitive in his

third seasons because of thelarge number of experiencedplayers this season,

specically on defense. TheRed Devils will have theirleading sacker from last

season in senior defensivelineman Javier Lee. Lee had13 sacks and led the team in

tackles for loss (12).

Dunwoody WildcatsHead coach: Michael Nash

(rst season) - Region: 6A-AAAAA

2014 record: 4-6

Outlook: New head coachMichael Nash will try to leadDunwoody to its rst winning

record since 2011. He will haveto do that with young talentafter graduating a large senior

class. Junior Nick Patrone willbe the starting quarterback,and the Wildcats will look to

get some production out of junior running back BrashaunAskew.

Lakeside VikingsHead coach: Heath Hinton

(third season) - Region: 2-AAAAAA

2014 record: 3-7

Outlook: Lakeside will need astrong replacement for formerrunning back Kellyen Walker,who had 1,528 total offensive

yards for the Vikings lastseason. The team’s secondleading receiver, tight end

Daniel Gordon, is returning aswell as the team’s sack leader,defensive end John Ashby.

Lithonia BulldogsHead coach: Marcus Jelks

(sixth season) - Region: 6-AAAA


Outlook: Last season,

the Bulldogs made theirrst playoff appearancesince 2002, and they now

have their sights on a statechampionship. Since “defensewins championships,” The

Bulldogs will rely heavily onits defense, which will be ledby Jordan Smith, one of the

top defensive players in thestate. Lithonia will also havereturning offensive starters,

including quarterback RobertHatchett.

Marist War EaglesHead coach: Alan Chadwick

(31st season) - Region: 6-AAAA


Outlook: After a disappointingend in the seminals of the

state playoffs, the War Eagleswill regroup and try to makeanother run for a state title

as coach Alan Chadwick enters his 31st season. Withan offense that focuses on

running the ball, the WarEagles could have a triplethreat with running backs

Chris Bradley, CameronPearson and Spencer Taylor.

M.L. King LionsHead coach: Nicolas Kashama

(second season) - Region:

6A-AAAAA

2014 record: 3-7

Outlook: Coach Nicolas

Kashama will try to get theLions back to the top inDeKalb after King suffered its

rst losing season since theprogram’s inaugural seasonin 2002. Quarterback Jordan

Douglas could be on tap tolead the offense this season,and linebackers Jonathan

Mathis and Khaliq Byard—two of the Lions’ top tacklers—are back on defense this

season.

2 0 1 5 t e a m pr e v i e w s

8/20/2019 FreePress 8-14-15

13/24


McNair MustangsHead coach: Shelton Carleton

third season) - Region: 4A-AAA

014 record: 3-7

Outlook: With two seasonsnder his belt, coach Shelton

Carleton will try to lead the

Mustangs to their rst winningeason since 2008. The

quarterback-wide receiver

andem of Joseph Mitchell and Missouri commit ChristianHolmes could give McNair

a spark on offense. Holmeswill also be in the secondaryon defense behind linebacker

Brandon Duckworth andJamie Jinks.

Miller Grove WolverinesHead coach: Damien Wimes

sixth season) - Region: 6A-AAAAA

014 record: 5-5

Outlook: Miller Grove gotback to .500 last season due to

great offense. The Wolverines

ed the county in total offense,averaging 396.2 yards per game,

behind returning quarterbackSedric Jefferson, who threw fornearly 1,600 yards last season.

efferson will be throwing it to6-foot-6 Raylon Richardson his season, a basketball player

making his high school footballdebut.

Redan RaidersHead coach: Roderick Moore

second season) - Region: 6-AAAA

014 record: 2-8

Outlook: During his rst year atRedan, coach Roderick Mooreaid his focus was on having

he team be competitive in eachgame. This year, it is all aboutwinning. “My job now is to turn

ompeting into winning. We’veaught them how to compete—ompete in practice, compete in

everything that you do and now

’s time to teach them how towin,” Moore said. The Raiders

will have most of their starterseturning to transform the teamnto winners.

St. Pius Golden LionsHead coach: Paul Standard (15th

season) - Region: 6-AAAA

2014 Record: 11-2 (Playoffs)

Outlook: The Golden Lionsmissed their goal of winning astate title last year. However,

coach Paul Standard iscondent this group can getback to the title game with

multiple playmakers returning,including quarterback ReedEgan, running back/defensive

back Ransom Klinger andfullback/linebacker LawsonCooper.

Southwest DeKalb Panthers

Head coach: Michael Tanks (third

season) - Region: 6A-AAAAA

2014 record: 6-4

Outlook: The Panthers got

back on the winning track lastseason after experiencingtheir rst losing season since

1979 in 2013. Quarterback

Justin Tomlin fared well as afreshman with a 48.4 percent

completion rate and couldhave a breakout season thisyear. However, he will throw

to new receivers after most ofthe starters graduated, as wellthose on defense.

Stephenson JaguarsHead coach: Ron Gartrell

(20th season) - Region: 6A-AAAAA


Outlook: The Jaguars had

to rebuild again this seasonafter graduating another largesenior class. On offense,

the Jaguars will have KhalilLadler, Eric Elder and DezricCook. The Jaguars will have

their leading tackler, linebackerMichael Makins, returning.Defensive end Michael

Pitts, who transferred from

Shiloh, will add more veteranleadership to the defense.

Stone Mountain PiratesHead coach: Utavius Ingram

(rst season) - Region: 6-AAAA

2014 record: 0-10

Outlook: The Pirates will tryto build stability this year andthe coming years under new

head coach Utavius Ingram,Stone Mountain’s secondconsecutive new coach. The

Pirates will have returningstarters, including quarterbackD’Vonne Gibbons.

Towers TitansHead coach: Brian Montgomery

(second season) - Region: 4A-AAA

2014 record: 2-8

Outlook: Last year’s coachingchange affected the Titansin 2014 after going from a

winless team (2012) to a .500team (2013) in one season.The Titans will have a large

senior class to lead the way

to a possible winning season,including playmaker Torrance

Marable, who rushed for 1,164yards and scored 14 totaltouchdowns.

Tucker TigersHead coach: Bryan Lamar

(fourth season) - Region:2-AAAAAA


Outlook: Although some ofthe top playmakers from lastyear’s team graduated, coach

Bryan Lamar is condent thatthis group has what it takesto reach the teams’ goal of

winning a state championship.“I think we have a great groupback,” Lamar said. “The kids

have been working extremelyhard.” The 2015 Tigersincluding returning quarterback

Garrett Rigby and widereceivers Akeem Peters andJoshua Vann. Peters also led

the defense in interceptionslast season.

Health scare refocuses

Miller Grove coach by Carla Parker [email protected]

On Sept. 27, 2013, the

Miller Grove Wolverines losta tough game to Dunwoody20-6.

And, they almost lost theircoach.

Shortly after the playersand coaches of both teamsshook hands at mideld at

North DeKalb Stadium, MillerGrove head coach DamienWimes was walking over tohis team’s huddle when hecollapsed. Wimes was rushedto the hospital by ambulanceand was there for three days.

“They did every type of

test—EKG, CAT scan–theydid everything,” Wimes said.“[The doctors] said my heartand my lungs stopped at thesame time.”

Wimes, who is diabetic,said he had never experiencedany serious health issues. Hesaid stress from dealing withissues in his personal life andon the football eld caused hishealth scare.

“I was going througha divorce,” he said. “Our

best player tore his ACL thefourth play of the season off a

noncontact [play]. It was a lotof stuff going on at the sametime and it was a wakeup call.I wasn’t eating right. I wasn’texercising like I usually did, soI was doing nothing to reducethe stress. It was just footballand more football.

“I had an overall lapse instrength and that was the week

before that,” he added. “I kindof had some signs the week

before that, like dizziness. Icouldn’t sleep, and I wasn’treally feeling like myself. I wasfeeling exhausted. I was tryingto do too much on my own.”

Wimes called the healthscare a breaking point, whichled him to make changes inevery aspect of his life.

“I knew I had to dosome stuff from a spiritualstandpoint,” he said. “Thatwas the biggest thing really.

That incident led me back tochurch, and really teaching thekids that it’s more than justfootball.”

Wimes started Fellowshipof Christian Athletes (FCA)in his football program. FCAis an international nonprotChristian sports ministry.

“We started FCA because Iknew I was going through stuffthat a lot of people didn’t knowabout, but the kids were [also]going through stuff that wedidn’t know about,” he said.“You never know what people

are going through. I think a lotof these kids—they go throughstuff so we try to be a lot morethan just football.”

The football program also provides pastoral services tothe players, bringing in local

pastors to talk to the players.“We want to make sure

these kids have spiritual rolemodels besides us,” he said.

Wimes also makes sure hiscoaching staff is doing whatthey need to do to stay healthy

physically and mentally.“I try to make sure they

make their regular doctor anddentist appointments,” hesaid. “We work out togethertoo, and we keep each otherlifted in that way. I try to offercounseling to all the coaches.

“I probably do better thanall of us,” he added. “The onlymeat I eat is sh. I’ve lost 25

pounds so far.”He also encourages the

coaches to spend more timewith their families.

“That’s really important,”he said. “I think a lot of times

people lose focus about that.Football is important but it’snot your life. Everything could

be taken in a moment. Youreally learn that more thingsare important.”

Miller Grove coach Damien Wimes shares words of encouragementwith DeKalb football players and coaches during media day. Photo byTravis Hudgons

8/20/2019 FreePress 8-14-15

14/24


by Mark Brock

Georgia and Florida high schoolfootball teams will go head-to-head for the third consecutive yearat James R. Hallford Stadium inClarkston in the Chick-l-A Battleof the Borders Aug. 29.

Four games are on tap beginningat 11:45 a.m. with the Marist WarEagles taking on the Coconut CreekFla.) Cougars.

Marist, the only Georgia teamo win in last year’s classic, returns

for the second year. Coach AlanChadwick ’s War Eagles defeatedGodby (Tallahassee, Fla.) 17-14 on aast minute eld goal and went on to

nish 11-2 on the season.The War Eagles fell in the Class

AAAA quarternals in 2014 toeventual state champion Buford.

Coconut Creek is comingoff a 4-6 season, which startedout promising at 4-2. Then fourconsecutive losses, three by a totalof 11 points, dropped the Cougars tobelow .500 on the season.

Coach Kareem Reid has his

eam preparing to return to the stateplayoffs for the rst time sincehe 2010 season. The Cougars had

winning seasons six out of sevenyears (2004-2010) and has climbed

from a 0-11 season in 2011. CoconutCreek is making its rst appearancein The Battle of the Borders.

Two rst-time participantscollide in the second game of theday at 2:30 p.m. as the Cedar GroveSaints take on the Hallandale (Fla.)Chargers.

Coach Jermaine Smith had a productive year in his second yearat the helm of the Saints as the teamnished 9-3 overall and reachedthe state playoffs for the fthconsecutive season. Cedar Grove

fell to Calhoun in the second roundof the Class AAA state playoffs in2014 to nish with the program’s best record since a 9-3 season in1992.

Coach Dameon Jones has theChargers on the rise after nishing8-2 in 2013 and going 10-2 in2014 with a second round ClassAAAAAA Florida state playoffappearance.

The Chargers lost to eventualstate champion Central (Miami),which escaped in a 21-20 winagainst Stephenson in the 2014

Battle of the Borders.The Tucker Tigers return fortheir second appearance in the Battleof the Borders as they take on fellowreturnees Godby Cougars in the 5:30

p.m. game.Coach Bryan Lamar’s team is

coming off a 10-3 season, its rstin Class AAAAAA, which had theTigers winning 10 games in a rowafter dropping their rst two gamesof the season.

The Tigers second loss of theseason was a 19-7 loss to three-timeClass AAAA Florida state championBooker T. Washington (Miami) inthe 2014 Battle of the Borders. The10 consecutive wins earned theTigers their eighth consecutive state

playoff berth. Lamar is 34-7 in histhree seasons at his alma mater.

Coach Todd Lantern’s Godbyteam had a similar run after losingto Marist in the 2014 Battle of theBorders. Godby nished 12-3,winning 12 of its next 13 gamesto reach the Class AAAAAA statenals.

The Cougars, four-time Floridastate champs (1976, 1986, 1987,2012), scored 159 points in theirrst four-state playoff games, butwere shutout 38-0 by 2015 Battleof the Borders participant American

Heritage (Plantation, Fla.) in the titlegame.The American Heritage Patriots

will take on the Stephenson Jaguarsin the nal game of the Battle of the

Borders, which is scheduled to startat 8:30 p.m. This is the Jaguars’ thirdconsecutive year in the classic.

Coach Ron Gartrell’s Jaguarsnished the 2014 season at 8-4, witha 27-7 loss to Stockbridge in thesecond round of the Class AAAAAstate playoffs. It was the Jaguars’15th consecutive playoff appearanceunder Gartrell.

The Jaguars lost 21-20 toCentral (Miami) in the 2014 Battleof the Borders and are 1-1 overall inthe Georgia-Florida series.

American Heritage is comingoff back-to-back Florida statechampionships under Coach MikeRumph. The Patriots went 13-3 lastseason, including the championshipvictory over Godby.

The six game series is currentlytied at 3-3 between the two statesafter Florida won three of four in2014. Stephenson defeated two-time participant Norland (Miami)29-12 in the inaugural Battle ofthe Borders in 2013, while MartinLuther King Jr. ran away fromBlanche Ely (Pompano Beach, Fla.)

41-15.A two-game format started theseries in 2013, was expanded to fourgames in 2014 and continues withfour this season.

Third annual Battle of the Borders set for Aug. 29

Tucker, Marist, Stephenson and Cedar Grove will represent Georgia in the third annual Chick-l-A Battle of the Borders. Photo by Travis Hudgons

8/20/2019 FreePress 8-14-15

15/24


relationship with the coaches, agreat environment and just a greatatmosphere and fans,” he said.

Mbem-Bosse said he workedon his leadership skills in theoffseason—“just being a teamleader all around, just not ondefense but also on offense aswell,” he said.

Although the Lithonia Bulldogshave not had large recruitingclasses as large as their neighboring programs, the Bulldogs have

churned out quality talent in the past ve years including 3-starrecruit Cedrick Cooper (2011) to4-star recruit Joe Harris (2012)and 3-star recruit David Johnson (2013).

This year 4-star recruit JordanSmith has brought the spotlight back to Lithonia. Smith, who

received more than 30 offers,committed to South Carolina wherehe will join Cooper and Johnson.

“South Carolina felt like

home,” Smith said. “I go downthere, and I feel like I’m still atLithonia. It’s kind of set aside fromother schools.”

Smith is ranked 21st in thestate by ESPN and 211th overallon ESPN 300. He is ranked 52ndin the state on Rivals.com. Smithsaid he has enjoyed the attention he

has received from scouts and themedia.

“It feels good,” he said. “Iearned it. I worked hard, I did a lot

in the offseason. I did a lot duringthe season. It feels like it was meantto be.”

The 6-foot-6, 225-pound passrusher led the team last season intotal tackles (55), tackles for a loss(18) and sacks (seven). Smith saidhe worked on building his strengthduring the offseason as well as his

speed and technique to help histeam reach its goal.

“I want to make the playoffsand win a ring,” he said.

by Carla Parker

[email protected]

T

here were a few underclassmen who put uphigh numbers on the stat sheets last season,

and those same players are looking to take astep forward this year.

Arabia Mountain had two wide receivers whoburst onto the scene last season. Marcus Gay andMalick Mbodj were among the six top receiversn the county. Gay nished third in the county with

660 yards on 43 receptions and nine touchdownreceptions, while Mbodj was sixth on with 33receptions, 521 yards and eight touchdowns.

Both receivers said they have been workinghard to have another breakout season their seniorseason.

“I’ve been working on getting faster, workingon my footwork and release moves,” Gay said

“During the offseason I’ve been working on

my speed, also dropping my hips as far as runningmy routes, and perfecting my craft,” Mbodj.The receivers had former quarterback Jakobi

Myers to thank for their play on the eld afterhrowing for 1,562 yards and 17 touchdowns on a

54.7 completion average. The duo will now dependon their new starting quarterback EmmanuelMoton to help them reach their goals of 1,000-plusyards and 50-plus catches.

Moton said he and his receivers put in extrawork during the summer to build on-the-eldchemistry.

“We’ve been going to the practice eld andhrowing around some stuff, working on our timingo get ready for the season,” Moton said. “They’rewo great receivers and my arm strength has to

be able to go with their speed because they’reDivision] 1 receivers. I have to be ready forhem.”

Speaking of quarterbacks: there are not manyfreshman quarterbacks who can say they areamong of the best in the county.

Southwest DeKalb quarterback Justin Tomlin can. As a freshman, Tomlin threw for 1,057 yardsand had a 48.4 completion percentage, which waseighth best in the county last season. Being thestarting quarterback as a freshman was no sweat,according to Tomlin.

“It was kind of easy because I knew most ofhe players around me,” he said. “It was an easyransition for me, but it was some tough challenges,

but I got through it.”Although Tomlin had a decent completion

percentage, he only had three touchdowns and

threw nine interceptions, which is something hewants to avoid this season.

“I’m looking to get that down this year,” hesaid.

Tomlin said he has been working on reading

defenses this offseason as well as being more of avocal leader.“I’ve been more [active], talking to players to

make sure they’re good, making sure they’re ontheir ‘A’ game and we’re all on the same page,” hesaid.

On the defensive side of the ball, a few non-seniors made the top 10 of various defensive statslist. One of those players is Druid Hills defensivelineman Javier Lee, who led the county in sacks(13) as a junior.

Lee said he wants to improve that number thisseason, and has put in the work to reach that goal.

“[I’ve been] going to camps, working onmy footwork, getting as much coaching, takingin as much as possible and learning new things,watching [tape] and learning from collegecoaches,” he said. “Just trying to get better as a player.”

Lee said his goal is to have 150 tackles and to be unstoppable. He said it will take hard work to bethe best.

“When you put in hard work you get greatresults,” he said. “Hard work beats talent at alltimes. I’m just putting in as much work as I canand perform at my highest potential.”

Miller Grove wide receiver RaylonRichardson’s, goal is to get his rst touchdownas a high school football player. Richardson, whohas played basketball throughout his high schoolcareer, has not played football

Date post:	07-Aug-2018
Category:	Documents
Upload:	champion-newspaper
View:	222 times
Download:	0 times

FreePress 8-14-15

Documents