Prep Notebook: AT&T Field will host third annual Children's Fund Classic on Saturday

AT&T Field, where the Chattanooga Lookouts will open another season next month, will host six high school baseball teams for three games Saturday in the Children's Fund Classic.
AT&T Field, where the Chattanooga Lookouts will open another season next month, will host six high school baseball teams for three games Saturday in the Children's Fund Classic.

AT&T Field, home of the Chattanooga Lookouts, will host its first games of the year Saturday when six northwest Georgia high school programs face off in the third annual Children's Fund Baseball Classic.

Gates will open at 10 a.m., with play beginning an hour later as Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe takes on Ridgeland. Northwest Whitfield will face Ringgold at 1:30 p.m., and Gordon Lee and Heritage will play the final game at 4.

The event raises money to provide Catoosa County school children and their families with short-term necessities in times of need, including food, clothing, shelter, educational supplies and medical care. Admission is $5 and includes all three games.

"It's a great way to combine the talents our kids have to help the community," said Lamar Brown, Catoosa County's director of student services. "It's three games with great teams, and the past two years they've been among the best-attended high school games at AT&T Field. Last year made $13,000, and we want to expand on that this year."

In addition to the games there will be a silent auction at the beginning of each game and a cornhole tournament featuring singles and doubles competitions. The entry fee for doubles (noon start) is $30, while singles (3 p.m. start) costs $20.

Tickets can be purchased at the Catoosa County Board of Education, the Catoosa County Sheriff's office or from the Heritage, LFO or Ringgold baseball teams.

Northwest Georgia adds to football signees list

National signing day - the first Wednesday in February each year - gets much of the attention regarding high school football players deciding where they will continue their on-field careers. But many recruits, and particularly those going to smaller programs, don't make their decisions until later.

Several northwest Georgia seniors recently signed scholarship offers, including a key member of Calhoun's 2017 Class AAA state championship team. Offensive lineman J.C. Fuller, a three-year starter for coach Hal Lamb, is headed to Shorter University in Rome, Ga., after helping lead the Yellow Jackets to a 14-1 season.

Trion two-way star Logan Blevins will attend Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tenn., after a senior season in which he rushed for 1,142 yards and 20 touchdowns and piled up 117 tackles as a linebacker.

Southeast Whitfield receiver Landon Eaton is headed to Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Ala., after a 40-catch, 791-yard season for the Raiders. Northwest Whitfield defensive end Jon Tant, a three-year starter for coach Josh Robinson, signed with the University of Saint Mary in Leavenworth, Kan. His Northwest teammate, offensive lineman Tanner Floyd, signed with Shorter in February.

Bradley Central star Howard near milestone

When Bradley Central's girls host Blackman at 7 p.m. Saturday in a TSSAA state sectional, the Bearettes' only senior, Rhyne Howard, has a good chance of becoming the school's all-time scoring leader in five-on-five basketball.

Howard, a Kentucky signee who has led Bradley to a 31-0 record and No. 2 ranking in Class AAA, recently passed former University of Tennessee player Brittany Jackson on Bradley's scoring list. At 2,447 points, Howard needs four points to pass Jody Adams, another Lady Volunteer, and become the program's five-on-five leader.

If Howard scores nine points against the Lady Blaze - she has averaged 22 per game this season - she'll surpass Zandra Ownby, who totaled 2,455 playing six-on-six basketball, for third on the school's overall list. Ahead of Ownby are Liz Hannah (2,693) and Data Caldwell (3,011).

"We've had some girls that could shoot better than her (Howard), but they weren't better because they never played a lick of defense," said Gary Ownbey, who has been a radio broadcaster of Bradley basketball for 26 years. "She's the best all-around player I've seen, when you consider rebounding, assisting, stealing the ball, the ability to shoot and leading a team. She's done a remarkable job."

Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6296. Follow him on Twitter @youngsports22.

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