Brad Langford has resigned from his head baseball coaching duties at Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High School. Langford, who led the program for three seasons and after serving as an assistant for three years, is stepping down to concentrate on obtaining his master’s degree in curriculum and technology. He will remain at the school as a teacher and hopes to return to the dugout someday. “I’m one of those people who believes you give 100 percent in everything you do, and I felt I couldn’t do that while taking my classes and teaching gifted and honors classes at LFO,” said Langford, who had a 51-30 record and took the Warriors to the playoffs the past two seasons. “It was an extremely tough decision, but one I had to make. I hope when I get these degrees that I can be involved with LFO baseball again.”
* The Southern League board of directors decided earlier this week that the Tennessee Smokies will host the league all-star game in 2012 and the Jacksonville Suns will host in 2013. The 2011 game matching North and South Division stars will be at Pringles Park in Jackson, Tenn.
* The 17-under Tennessee Twisters went 2-1-1 in the Bluegrass 18-under Showdown last weekend in Lexington and Richmond, Ky. Michael Hargrove was 3-for-3 with a grand slam, a triple, a walk and six RBIs in a 10-5 defeat of the Louisville Bluegrass Stars, and Houston Spencer got the pitching win. Jared Allen and Tyler Lee had two hits each in a 5-4 loss to the 18-under Cincinnati Storm, and Will Zierenberg had two hits and pitcher Chase Saunders allowed only three in a 2-2 tie with the Louisville Elite. Scottie Moses pitched a two-hitter with 11 strikeouts and Sam Campbell, Hargrove and Allen had two hits apiece, Campbell with four RBIs, in a 9-1 win over the Cincinnati West Stars.
Basketball
* The Chattanooga Steam 17-under basketball team went 7-0 in winning its division in the prestigious Eddie Ford Showcase that ended Monday in Louisville, Ky. Randy Boyd and Travis Core scored 15 points each and Kelvin Clay and Nick Ross added 14 apiece in the Steam’s 87-77 championship win against the Indianapolis Spice. Ross had 26, Core 21, Ross 14 and Clay 11 in the 74-67 semifinal defeat of the Knoxville Panthers. Boyd, Ross and Clay scored 20, 17 and 15 in the Steam’s first game, and Ross scored 41 in a 92-90 win over the Western Kentucky Elite. Boyd had 29 and Clay 17 against the Shining Stars, and Boyd, Chad Lee and Clay totaled 23, 22 and 19 against the Colorado Force. Boyd and Core scored 18 and 17 and Clay and Ross had 15 each against the Charlotte Nets.
Swimming/Diving
* Signal Mountain went undefeated in the regular season and Stuart Heights lost only to the Green Giants in the Chattanooga Area Swim League’s top division this year, and they are the favorites in the CASL City Meet today and Saturday at Fort Oglethorpe’s new pool. Stuart Heights leads Signal Mountain 392 points to 317 after the meet’s diving portion Wednesday in Dalton, with Dalton a distant third with 45. Stuart Heights’ Julianne Wilson, a high school state champion for GPS this past year, was the top overall diver with 294.9 points, and teammate Michael Howell led all boys with 253.05.