McEachern Edges Pebblebrook; Marietta Pommels Hillgrove

Following Friday's games, both Powder Springs high schools move to 1-2 on the season.

The McEachern Indians grabbed their first victory Friday with a one-touchdown defeat of a team they trounced last year, 52-14. McEachern (1-2) traveled to Mableton and picked up the 30-23 win over Region 4-6A rival Pebblebrook (0-3). Helping the Indians' cause was Mike Sherman, who rushed for 112 yards, and Ty Clemons, who threw two touchdown passes, according to the Marietta Daily Journal. “Both teams kept fighting tonight, and we’ll get better as the season goes along,” McEachern coach Kyle Hockman told the newspaper. “I’m happy with the poise that our offense, especially our quarterback, showed in the second half, and a win against an excellent team like Pebblebrook is a good way to start the regional part of our schedule.” Meanwhile, …

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Powder Springs Football Focusing on Early Season Recovery

Two games in, Hillgrove and McEachern have racked up as many losses as all last season. But tonight's opponents might open the doors for them to return to their winning ways.

Both having last Friday off, the two teams have had plenty of time to clear their heads.  McEachern (0-2) has been reflecting on a tough early season, which includes a 31-12 loss to defending state champ Grayson from Gwinnett County, and a last-minute, 37-35 defeat from Walton, a state runner-up last year and ranked No. 3 this year. An issue from the Walton bout will carry over into the Indians' 7:30 p.m. game tonight at Pebblebrook (0-2), the team tied with McEachern for last place in Region 4-6A. Linebacker Kell Parham, who has a team-leading 17 tackles, was ejected for a hit on Raiders star running back Tyren Jones, and he will also have to sit out tonight, the Marietta Daily Journal reports. “It’s not that I agree with the calls, but …

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Hillgrove, McEachern in East-West Battle Tonight

At the Indians' stadium, the West Cobb high schools will try to hold their ground against East Cobb's Walton and Lassiter.

After a rousing win over Brookwood at the Corky Kell Classic to start the season, Walton High School has another formidable opponent Friday in McEachern. The Raiders, ranked No. 3 in Class 6A, will stay on the road to play the Indians in an East Cobb-West Cobb doubleheader that also features Lassiter vs. Hillgrove.  The Hillgrove game begins at 7 p.m.; the Walton-McEachern kickoff is slated for 9:30 p.m. Both games will be play at McEachern and televised on Georgia Public Broadcasting. To watch the McEachern game live online, go here, and for Hillgrove, go here. McEachern lost 31-12 to defending state champion Grayson at the Corky Kell Classic but played well into the second half. Meanwhile in their first regular season game, the Hawks …

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Cobb Schools Exceed ACT National Average

Figures released by the district show improvements in all four testing areas for the seventh consecutive year.

Recent Cobb County School District graduates posted a composite score in the American College Test higher than the Georgia and national averages, according to information released by the school system Wednesday.  Cobb's Class of 2012 had an overall score of 22.2, while the Georgia average is 20.7. The national composite for recent graduates is 21.1. A total of 3,571 Cobb students, roughly 50 percent of last year's seniors took the ACT, according to CCSD data, compared to 37 percent in 2010. Cobb graduates also showed improvement in all four ACT subject areas—English, math, reading and science—for the seventh consecutive year.  Ten Cobb high schools had higher composite scores than the national average: Walton, 25.6; Lassiter, 24.6; Pope, …

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In Season Kickoff, McEachern Falls, Hillgrove Clobbers

The Indians were handed a 31-12 defeat by last year's 5A state champions, and the Hawks shut down Fulton County's Westlake, 31-15.

McEachern High headed into Saturday's Corkey Classic with high hopes, finishing last season at a remarkable 10-2 and hungry to avenge the second-round upset against Cobb rival Lassiter.  But at the season's premier kickoff event at the Georgia Dome, the Indians never had the lead against Gwinnett County's Grayson, who last season shut out Walton, 24-0, to claim the 5A state championship. Updates provided by McEachern's Twitter feed show Grayson taking a 7-0 lead in the first. The Indians struck back with a 79-yard run from quarterback Ty Clemons to make it 7-6 after a missed two-point conversion. Before the end of the quarter, the Rams would score once more, 14-6. Clemons again answered in the second with a touchdown pass to Chris Okeh, …

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Harrison Football Kicks Off Friday

The Hoyas are hoping to rebound from a 3-7 record last year, starting this week with their scrimmage against Hiram.

The Harrison football team hopes to rebound from a 3-7 record last season and set themselves above their Region 4-6A counterparts—which will be no easy task judging by the nine Cobb teams they're up against. The region includes West Cobb powerhouses Hillgrove and McEachern, which both lost in the second round of last year's playoffs, finishing their seasons at 11-1 and 10-2, respectfully. The other teams are Campbell, Kennesaw Mountain, Marietta, North Cobb, Pebblebrook and South Cobb—all divided into two subregions. Those teams were previously in the 5A classification, but last year, the Georgia High School Association created the 6A mark for the biggest high schools in the state. Leading the Hoyas' will be newly hired Head Coach Marty …

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Harrison, McEachern Students Get Boost for College

James Watson and Cameron Gamble are among 83 Georgians to receive a Comcast Foundation's Leaders and Achievers 2012 scholarship.

Harrison High senior James Watson and McEachern High senior Cameron Gamble are among 83 Georgia students to receive a Comcast Foundation Leaders and Achievers 2012 scholarship. "Comcast is delighted to again award scholarships to Georgia’s best and brightest high school seniors who exemplify what it means to be a leader," said Andy Macke, a regional vice president of government and community affairs for Comcast. "We fully believe these 83 individuals have the necessary skills, talents and work ethic to accomplish incredible feats and become the next generation of movers and shakers across the business, government and nonprofit fields." The 2012 Georgia Leaders and Achievers recipients represent 53 different cities across Georgia and were …

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See Where Top Graduates Are Headed

Here are the valedictorians and salutatorians of Harrison, Hillgrove and McEachern high schools, as well as what colleges they'll be attending in the fall.

Harrison High School   |   Hillgrove High School   |   McEachern High School

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Photos: Harrison High Graduation 2012

The senior Hoyas said goodbye to the West Cobb school Friday at Kennesaw State University and hello to the next stage of their lives.

Harrison High School

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Watch High School Graduations Live

You can see the senior Hawks and Hoyas strut across the stage from your home.

The graduations of Harrison, Hillgrove and several other Cobb high schools will be shown live on the school district's website. All graduations except for two will be held at Kennesaw State University, Turner Chapel AME, or Roswell Street Baptist Church. The two exceptions, McEachern and Allatoona, will be held at their stadiums and will be the only two not shown live. You can see all graduation times, locations and other information online. Don’t miss any of the local news you care about. Subscribe to West Cobb Patch’s free newsletter, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

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