Sportopia Monday Smyrna-Vinings Style

It’s time to look at what’s up on this Sportopia Monday Smyrna-Vinings Style. Congratulations to east Cobb’s Walton Raiders for advancing to this Saturday’s GHSA Class AAAAA state championship game. Walton defeated rival Lassiter 30-24 on Friday night in the semifinals and will face Grayson in the title game.

Walton is the first Cobb school to play for state title since Harrison appeared in the title game in 2000. It’s been 38 years since an east Cobb school (Wheeler) played for the state championship and the Raiders are seeking to become only the second county team to win a state championship (Marietta, 1967).

Here’s the schedule and additional info for this coming weekend’s state title games at the Georgia Dome.

Friday, December 9
4:30 p.m. Class AA - Calhoun vs. Buford
8 p.m. Class AAAA - Lovejoy vs. Tucker

Saturday, December 10
1 p.m. Class A - Savannah Christian. vs. Landmark Christian.
4:30 p.m. Class AAA - Burke Co. vs. Peach Co.
8 p.m. Class AAAAA - Grayson vs. Walton

Admission
Championship Games: $15 for Presale at Schools; $20 for Ticketmaster and at Georgia Dome.

TV/Web
All five championship games air live on Georgia Public Broadcasting TV, gpb.org/sports and GHSA.tv.

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Congratulations to former football standout Chris Lewis-Harris, who completed his collegiate playing career with a fine senior season at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Lewis-Harris, a defensive back and one of the Mocs’ team captains in 2011, earned second-team All-Southern Conference honors from the league coaches after finishing fourth on the team with 59 tackles while adding six pass break-ups.

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The Campbell basketball teams enter Region 4-AAAAA play this week beginning with a trip to South Cobb on Tuesday night. Coach James Gwyn’s Spartans are off to a 4-1 start led by freshman Dante Scott’s 24 points per game average.

Junior forward Rasheed Merritt is averaging 13 points a contest and coach Gwyn credited junior guard Chris Mitchell for stepping up big with his defensive play.

Two of the Spartans top players from a year ago who were expected to led the team in 2011-12 are absent as Justin Seymour transferred to Wheeler and Matt Cotton suffered a serious knee injury during spring football drills last year.

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Chakecia Miller, who helped lead the Lady Spartans to their first-ever spot in the Final Four last season, is off to a good start during her freshman season at George Washington University. Miller leads the 5-3 Colonials in steals despite averaging just under 20 minutes per game.

Miller, who is averaging 5.6 points per contest, scored a career-high 14 points to go along with two rebounds and two steals in last Wednesday’s overtime victory over Old Dominion.

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Sweet Samba Spa & Boutique tweeted Saturday that rumored (but not confirmed by Patch) local resident and Atlanta Hawk Al Horford stopped by the store over the weekend.

Does Al Horford live in our Patch? We think he does. Regardless, we wish everyone on the Hawks hustled and played as hard as he does.

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Finally, congratulations to the Whitefield Academy varsity wrestling team for opening the season 2-0 by defeating Pace Academy, 30-27, and Yeshiva Atlanta, 36-12. Outstanding performances were given by Chase Butler (11^th grade), who pinned both of his opponents; Ben Brannen (11th), who had a pin against Yeshiva Atlanta; J. B. Johnson (10th), with a pin against Yeshiva Atlanta; Nick Russell (10th), with a pin against Yeshiva Atlanta; Luke Putney (11th), with a pin against Pace Academy; Taylor Tutt (12th), with a pin against Pace Academy; and James Harper (12th), with a pin against Pace Academy.