Thursday, January 23, 2014

What MLK didnt want.

This past weekend my Twitter and Instagram feeds were filled with party promotions on MLK day. There is nothing wrong with throwing a party on MLK day , but, when you use his image and his words to display aspects that he didn't believe in that is a problem. I saw martin Luther King Jr's face  on pimp bodies, his speeches being turned into party slogans, and just overall terrible things being done to his image and legacy just to promote a few parties. Marin Luther king did so much for society as we know it, not just socially but within the sports world as well. MLK worked with Jackie Robinson and Muhammad Ali  to organize secret protests within their respective communities  he worked with track stars  Tommie Smith, Lee Evans, John Carlos and others who were organizing the
Olympic Project for Human Rights arguing that African-American athletes should boycott the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. Their demands were to have Muhammad Ali's title restored, to have apartheid South Africa and Rhodesia uninvited from the Olympics, to hire more African- American coaches and to see IOC president Avery Brundage removed . King was incredibly influential and his legacy should not be covered up by silly advertisements for parties.

Saturday, September 7, 2013

Chamblee vs. Dunwoody Football Game Recap(8/30/13) Chamblee win 28-0

Coming in to last week's season opener Chamblee was heavily favored to beat rival school Dunwoody.  Chamblee lived up to the hype and won 28-0,  but, the game's score didnt reflect the game itself. Chamblee did not perform like they blew out a bad team, in fact Chamblee struggled throughout the entire first half.  In the first quarter alone  there were 9 penalties on Chamblee's offense, almost all of them were illegal formations or false starts. Sophomore Kendrew Wynn got his first career start last week, shocking a lot of people who thought John- Henry Carey was the definite Starter. Kendrew was very ineffective in this game because he made bad reads on option plays and did not throw ball well. All this could be accredited to the fact that he may have been nervous. One glaring error throughout the night  for Kendrew  was that when he would roll out of the pocket  he didn't set his feet before making a throw which led to the ball being over thrown or under thrown almost every passing attempt. The entire offensive load was carried by new transfer, junior Running Back Xavier Shuggers. Shuggers scored three times in the game, and had four  20+ yard runs. The defense was great in the game for Chamblee. Matt Simon, Darrel Fambro , and Cornelius  Gyamfi. Gyamfi had  2 sacks in the game, Matt Simon had 3 pass Deflections and Fambro had 4 Tackles For losses in the game. Overall, Chamblee played alright,  the offense struggled with lining up in the correct formations, Kendrew struggled with throwing and the Defense looked pretty good in the game against Dunwoody. The Dunwoody game provided a good way to start the season off for the bulldogs.

Friday, July 12, 2013

Lacrosse Coming to Chamblee

In March news from the athletic staff at Chamblee spread like wild fire around the school. Dr. Lowery apparently approved  the notion for their to be a lacrosse team at Chamblee. Lacrosse has been big in the north for years, and has recently become popular in the south. Lacrosse is now a State varsity sport as well as an  official Dekalb County sport. Many Dekalb schools have recently made Lacrosse a sport such as Lakeside, Dunwoody and South- West Dekalb.  Even though Chamblee is new to the sport I don't think that the new team will be the Charlotte Bobcats of Georgia  High School Lacrosse. There are many experienced Lacrosse players at Chamblee including Junior Chad O'Melia, Junior TJ Maclin and Senior Ben Brockman. Also, there are many rising Freshmen who already play Lacrosse around  Atlanta. The team will be coached by one of the most loved coaches at Chamblee   Robert Eskew, he is rumored to be joined by former Lacrosse player Charles O'Melia Jr.  The Lacrosse team most likely will not practice at Chamblee for their first year because the new practice fields will not be done yet and all other space will be occupied by the Soccer team.

Monday, July 8, 2013

Is Academy Soccer ruining High School Soccer

Academy soccer has been around internationally for years and it has finally grown popular in the United States. What most people don't know about international soccer teams such as Chelsea, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and A.C. Milan is that these teams start finding young players as young as the age of ten and begin to train them to become the next Ronaldinho,Maradona or Messi . This system is referred to as the youth team or Academy system  and its becoming more and more popular in America. The Academy system in America isnt run by professional soccer teams (although many MLS teams do have youth teams) it is run by normal youth soccer clubs such as Norcross Soccer, and Concord F.C. and the ultimate goal the system is  to develop players for the National Soccer team. Another thing about Academy soccer is that only the best players are admitted into the Academy, because these are the best players in the area, colleges begin to look at Acdemy players for soccer scholarships.  Academy soccer sounds like a great program for a good young high school soccer player, but, that is the problem with Academy Soccer. You might be thinking " Why is that such a problem?" Academy soccer has a grueling year round schedule which does not allow the player to play soccer for his high school in the spring. So, even though Academy didn't mean to take away championship hopes from high school teams, it did. Two teams who are recently seeing the effects of Acdemy Soccer  are the Chamblee High School Boys Varsity and the Dunwoody High School Boys Varsity Soccer teams. Chamblee may be losing key starters Defender Chris Paul, Defender/ Midfielder Cameron Hadaad, Forwards Darius Rotnem and Jose "Chima" Perez. Dunwoody might be losing  the leading goal scorer in the state  Josh Bronstorf, who was the backbone of Dunwoody's offense.


If Chamblee loses all of these plaeyrs next season might not be as successful as the last season. Chris Paul was one of the first guys to admit he might be going to ply Academy Soccer next year.  Chris Paul was the back bone of Chamblee's defense. Chris is a strong fast center back who has great touch with both feet , he has a great soccer IQ and has a love for the game. Another player who is thinking about moving on to Academy soccer is  Cameron Hadaad. Cameron is a midfielder and Defender who was one of two freshmen to make varsity his first year. This rising junior is a natural born leader on and off the pitch, Cameron ran many of the player workouts leading up to tryouts and also tries to help all the new guys get a feel for the game. Cameron is also an extraordinary athlete like Chris. Cameron is also big and fast, he has a great touch and quick feet. Cameron also has a wonderful soccer IQ and is an unselfish player who always makes the best pass,. His leadership on the field, and in practice will surely be missed if he leaves the team. Jose Perez , nicknamed Chima is also another player who is  thinking about playing Academy Soccer. Chima  made the team with Cameron as a Freshman and by the second both were starting. This rising junior has a knack for scoring and is excellent on Penalty kicks and free kicks. Chima is an unselfish forward who knows where to place the ball and can put himself into space to allow for the opportunity to score a goal. Chima's goal scoring will be missed if he leaves our team for Academy  Finally, one player who isn't really sure if he is going to try and play Academy or not is Darius Rotnem. Darius is a forward and left mid fielder who as has acceleration that FIFA enthusiasts wish players on their  Myteam had. This kid is fast, shoots well, has quick feet,  and plays with a lot of energy in games. Josh Bronstorf  is definitely going to be playing Academy next year ( says his brother Zach) Josh is gifted with the ability to score, this guy has good speed,  makes great passes and his teammates love him. For all of these kids, honestly Academy is the better option for them. They may not be playing with their friends, or may not be team Captain on their school's team but, if they want to get noticed by Colleges and pro teams, Academy is their best bet. Chamblee and Dunwoody are no longer relevant Soccer programs in the state, neither team has made it far in the playoffs since their previous championship titles. Chamblee's team especially may be rebuilding next year due to the  recent retirement from coaching by long time coach Uwe Neuhaus. Uwe is one of the great coaches at  Chamblee and will surely be missed.  If these kids stay at their respective schools to play to soccer instead of going to play Academy  they may not get noticed by colleges or may have to  rely on Soccer camps to propel to the top of a college's recruiting board .  If they leave the school teams the teams will not have the best of seasons because these guys are that important to their respective teams.


This predicament isn't only occurring to Chamblee and Dunwoody, its happening all over the county, state, and nation. Academy Soccer is taking away title hopes while giving kids a future in soccer.

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Game 7: The Spurs

Continuing with the Game 7 series we move on to the most experienced team in the NBA, the San Antonio Spurs. If the Spurs win or loose Game 7 the future of their own "big 3 " will come into question. The Spurs' big 3 is a group of older gentlemen who have won 4 championships together don't have much longer in the NBA. Manu Ginobli's production has taken a major drop this season and Tony Parker has frequently tweeted about how "tired, or "sore" he is as well as both of their frequent injuries during the regular season. The only person who hasn't complained or showed much of a decline in production is Tim Duncan. If the Spurs lose this game, a lot of pressure will be on the big 3 , Ginobli especially, to retire. Many people will go back to Game 6 when Kawhi Leonard missed a Crucial free throw that probably would have sealed the Spurs' win and then proceed to blame the loss on the young Spurs' star.  However, if the Spurs' win nobody will care. Like I said earlier all the focus will go to the Heat. The game will most likely be blamed on the lack of Lebron's dominance, or how ineffective Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade were. Even if the Spurs win the media will ask: " Can they do it again?" The Spurs organization has relied on Greg Popovich and his big 3 to remain a threat for a championship for almost 15 years now, and you can tell that this could be their last shot at a title. The Spurs simply are running out of gas, the Spurs' big 3 had to sit out games during the season to rest, and  the entire big 3 has faced multiple injuries this season.  The Spurs do have some young talent behind  their big 3 in Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green, but, other than that this team is riddled with role- playing veterans( Boris Diaw, Patty Mills,  Tracy McGrady, and Gary Neal). If the Big 3's production continues to drop this will be their last chance to win a championship for a few years.

Game 7: The Heat

Today I wanted to take a break from the High School sports and take a quick moment to talk about the NBA's most anticipated game of the season.  This Game is so huge that it is going to have multiple Blog posts, it's going to be a mini-series all about Game 7 . This miniseries will have you look at tonight's basketball game in a whole new way. If you aren't a Heat or Spurs fan after reading this series you may not know who to root for. This series is your guide to Game 7.

Tonight's game seven against the Spurs will be the most important game for everyone in the Miami Heat organization. If the Heat lose Chris Bosh will be considered a "bust" for his lack of production this season, and will most likely be used as trade bait, Eric Spoelstra will be on the hot seat for only being able to win one championship in 3 years with the NBA's best team, Dwayne Wade's overall production has dipped this season and he has been in constant injury trouble and the media and D-Wade himself will question whether he will be able to continue to play  basketball at an NBA level. He won't be the only one questioning their future in the league, Mike Miller, Ray Allen, Rashard Lewis, Shane Battier, Joel Anthony and even Chris "Birdman" Anderson are all past the age of 33 and will question if they too can play in the NBA. Of course if the Heat win ESPN will spend weeks talking about  Dwayne Wade's 2 games in the NBA Finals where he scored 20 points or more,  or the epic Game 6 win for the Heat, or how "clutch" the whole team is,  or even why Chris Bosh is the reason the Heat were able to get to Game 7.  No matter who wins or looses game 7 there is one player who will receive the most praise or criticism, one player who will be talked about on every sports radio show in the united states  from Ferrall on the  Bench to Mike and Mike  in the morning,one player who will be on Sportscenter for 2 weeks, one player who will get hate tweets no matter what happens tonight, one player who Stephen A. Smith will defend, and that is Lebron James. If the Heat win, Lebron will be praised, considered "clutch", and compared to Michael Jordan. If the Heat lose, people will ask " Where was Lebron in the 4th quarter?" Even if Lebron has a triple double of 30 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists, every analyst, fan, rapper, YouTube sensation and Stephen A. Smith will  say " Lebron simply did not show up in this game". People will criticize him for not being able to win a championship with a team of superstars and every meme website will talk about Lebron's hairline. Right now it sucks to be Lebron, and right now it Sucks to be the Heat.

Thursday, May 30, 2013

The Future Of Chamblee Football

After one of the Chamblee Football's team best seasons in history, the question on every student's mind at Chamblee Charter High School is :"Will we be that good next season?" The 2012 Football team under new head coach Allen Johnson had one of the most impressive seasons in school history, finishing 8-2, with one loss to Marist at the end of the season and the other in the playoffs to Booker T. Washington High School.  Last years football team had large contributions from the class of 2013 including starting  Quarterback Jordan Branch, Starting Fullback Dezmin Reed, Defensive End and Georgia Commit Davin Bellamy,  Defensive and Offensive lineman James Hanley and Tight End Desmond Noird.  Many of the starters on last year's team were seniors, and their production was key to such a successful season. One of the few starters on last years offense that was not a senior, Chad O'Melia, thinks that the football team will have another successful season. He says  "Our football team still has  a lot of talent, and still one of the best coaches in the county". When discussing the 2013 football season with Davin Bellamy he told  me  " Watch out for [Darrel] Fambro and Matt Simon, they are good football players  and could go D1". Darrel Fambro and Matt Simon were considered the two best Juniors on the football team last year. Fambro, a middle linebacker was drawing a lot of interest from Georgia Tech due to his Hard Hits, Numerous Forced Fumbles, and great defensive instincts. Fambro will undoubtedly get a lot of college offers this season if he keeps up his play and will immediately contribute to any college that signs him. Matt Simon is a player who should be getting a lot of attention  this season due to a successful 2012 campaign. Simon led the team in interceptions last season and was one of the best ball- hawking safeties in the state. Matt Simon should be receiving offers  from colleges this season, if it is as successful as his last  season.  Another player expected to bring alot of production to the team is sophomore Cecil Stallings. Stalling already has 5 Division 1 ( D1) college offers from colleges such as Alabama and The University of Georgia, Stallings is a very large sophomore who is 6'3" and over 200 pounds and is apparently still growing. Cecil  can contribute at Tight End, Offensive Line, Defensive Line and Linebacker because of his size and athleticism.  Two players who are poised to provide leadership to this young offense are Junior  Center Chad O' Melia and Senior Quarterback John - Henry Carey. Chad  is a returning starter from last years offense, Chad made a lot of reads on defenses and called audibles before the snap. Chad's footwork and technique are better than most in the county and he should be a good teacher to this young offensive line. John -Henry Carey is the former kicker of the football team who has got one of the best arms in the state. He is a proven leader and well respected on the football team, Carey has been organizing individual workouts with wide receivers and Offensive linemen, and he has also organized some group workouts with many members of the Offense.  The only downsides to Carey are that he is afraid of being tackled, which is a big problem that should be easy to overcome during summer workouts, and he didn't have a strong performance at the spring football game. However, one surprise at the spring game was the outstanding performance from sophomore Quarterback Kendrew Wynn. Wynn  threw for over 80 yards that game and had an impressive punting performance.  Wynn is a dark-horse candidate to steal the starting spot from John - Henry Carey. Many football players on the team have told me that Wynn is  the better quarterback,and can absolutely bomb the football.  Also at the spring game  Junior outside linebacker Cornelius Washington had an impressive performance with 7 unassisted tackles. Washington is the projected starter, and this will be his first year starting.  Finally, in Spring practice some new players decided to take up football. One standout is Ryan Burgess, Burgess is well known for his basketball talents and is a natural hybrid Safety / linebacker on the defense this year. In practice he has picked up the defensive schemes well and  has wonderful instincts on the field. This season will be one to watch for Chamblee football, the triple option has been successful for them and they will continue to use it. Many new players and underclassmen will try to prove themselves this season as Chamblee undergoes a rebuilding year. One piece of good news for Chamblee is that  many of the teams they will face this year ( Columbia, Redan, Dunwoody, and Stone Mountain) are all also rebuilding. This for sure will be a season to watch for Chamblee High School.