Latest news with #DivisionII-A
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Top 2026 QB Jared Curtis commits to Georgia football, Kirby Smart, over Oregon
Jared Curtis has committed to Georgia football, picking the Bulldogs over Oregon. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound five-star quarterback from Nashville Christian's May 5 decision brought a long recruitment to a close. Curtis committed to Georgia in March 2024, then decommitted in October, bringing a long list of suitors back into the picture, including Oregon coach Dan Lanning, a former Kirby Smart assistant. Advertisement Curtis is ranked as the No. 1 quarterback in the 2026 class and No. 2 player nationally, according to the 247Sports Composite. He made an official visit to Oregon from March 8-12 and visited Georgia from March 13-16. More: Jared Curtis makes Nashville Christian the best show in TSSAA football finals | Estes More: Why Jared Curtis enjoyed winning TSSAA football state championship more than Alabama visit He had also been considering Auburn, South Carolina, Alabama and Ohio State before trimming his list in February. Who is Georgia football commit Jared Curtis? Curtis finished his junior season 179-of-255 passing for 2,830 yards passing, 40 touchdowns and three interceptions. He also led Nashville Christian (12-1) in rushing with 637 yards and 18 touchdowns on 88 carries. Advertisement Curtis led Nashville Christian to the TSSAA football Division II-A state title in December and raked in multiple accolades. He was voted as Tennessee Titans DII-A Mr. Football and also claimed the Gatorade Tennessee football player of the year award. Curtis committed to Georgia in March 2024 before reopening his recruitment months later in October. Georgia has remained in the picture right up until the end. But Oregon and Lanning have made a big push. Curtis is the first five-star QB signee for Georgia football since Brock Vandagriff in 2021. Before that was Justin Fields in 2018. Tyler Palmateer covers high school sports for The Tennessean. Have a story idea for him? Reach Tyler at tpalmateer@ and on the X platform, @tpalmateer83. He also writes The Tennessean's high school sports newsletter, The Bootleg. Subscribe to the newsletter here. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Georgia football lands Jared Curtis, 5-star QB over Oregon
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
How 5-star Chris Washington Jr. powered PCA into TSSAA basketball state championship in DII-A
COOKEVILLE — Providence Christian Academy junior Chris Washington Jr. stomped his foot so hard it was unclear if the hardwood floor at Hooper Eblen Center would be able to withstand the blow. Washington kept celebrating until he was out of breath Thursday. He finished with 20 points and nine rebounds in PCA's 76-70 victory over Goodpasture in the TSSAA basketball Division II-A state semifinals, pushing the Lions into the state final for the second consecutive year. 'Man, it just felt good,' Washington said. 'Now that we're here, we're here to win it all.' PCA (29-2) will play the winner of BGA and St. George's at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Tennessee Tech. Washington is ranked as the No. 22 player nationally overall in the Class of 2026 and the No. 1 player in Tennessee, according to the 247Sports Composite. He transferred to PCA in the offseason from The Villages Charter School (Florida) and has racked up offers from Auburn, Alabama, Michigan and others. More: TSSAA basketball state tournament roundup: King's Academy girls, PCA boys advance to DII-A championships Washington's presence was huge against Goodpasture (31-3), which trimmed PCA's lead from 17 to three with under three minutes in the fourth quarter. Washington slammed the final of his three dunks once PCA finally pulled away. Afterward, Washington's mind flashed back to earlier in the season. PCA coach Kerry Hammonds needed Washington and PCA's talented returning nucleus to mesh quickly. More: TSSAA basketball state tournament: Tennessee high school sectional bracket Hammonds coached Washington hard during practice, especially early in the season. 'Boy, it was hard. I can't even lie. It was tough,' Washington said. 'But I just thank him. There's a lot he has taught me through the season.' It was nothing personal. Hammonds mostly wanted Washington to pay better attention to details. 'Just having a professional mindset of, being on time, working on your craft, stretching before, being ready by the time you get to the floor and ready to practice,' Hammonds said. 'He's taken coaching. Some days it's tougher than others. But he's an honest young man and wants to be coached. He has fit right in with the others.' PCA is one win from claiming the state championship that eluded it last year. The Lions suffered a bitter 57-55 loss to First Assembly Christian on a last second-shot. Washington may not have been on that team, but he'll still bring plenty of emotions into Saturday. His mom, Tiffany Lashay Pritchett, died when he was 14. Tiffany's birthday was March 4. 'I know what it's like to lose. Last year we lost on my mom's birthday. That plays a big part into why I want to win,' Washington said. 'The things me and my mom went through growing up, I just want to do it for her.' Reach sports writer Tyler Palmateer at tpalmateer@ and on the X platform, formerly Twitter, @tpalmateer83. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: TSSAA basketball tournament: Chris Washington Jr. leads PCA past Goodpasture
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Why Skylar Walden knew a TSSAA basketball state championship game was inevitable for The King's Academy
COOKEVILLE — The King's Academy girls basketball coach Dante Turnipseed watched as a leaping, screaming mass of purple and white developed in front of him. He pumped both his fists, yelling "Let's go!" while shiny pom-poms flew through the air. It's been, in Turnipseed's words, a "roller coaster" ride for the Lions, a ride that none of them want to get off. And they won't have to just yet. TKA (27-7) beat Providence Christian 57-36 in Thursday's TSSAA basketball Division II-A state semifinal at the Hooper Eblen Center and will face either Webb School - Bell Buckle or University School of Jackson in Saturday's championship game that will start at 11 a.m. The Lions, whose first and only title game appearance came in 2020, reached the semifinals in 2023 and 2024 but lost both games. "It's like a turning point," said sophomore Skylar Walden. "Winning a game up here means so much. This is our third year and we're finally getting it done." Walden said she knew TKA was going to win at halftime. The Lions led 27-15, hardly out of range for a comeback, but their leading scorer sensed the momentum was on their side. To Walden, PCA (23-7) seemed devoid of energy, almost dead. Part of that came down to how the first half ended. With seconds remaining, Walden drew a foul on a 3-point attempt and went 3-for-3 at the line. Those free throws — her first points of the game — were the catalysts for 21 more points in the second half. They were hard-earned points, as Providence Christian tried to take away what Walden does best. PCA coach Tara James schemed to run Walden, who came into Thursday having hit 105 threes at nearly 40% for the season, off the 3-point line. PCA fought hard to get over screens and close the little pockets from which Walden could let it fly. With her favorite shots guarded up, Walden simply decided not to attempt them. She finished with 24 points — eight above her season average — on 7-of-11 shooting, driving the lane with great success while only attempting two threes and not hitting her first until deep into the fourth quarter. "I was trying not to force anything," Walden said. "If I can get a layup, they'll start crashing in and we can get other threes. I was just trying to take what they were giving me." Wofford signee Brady Branam and Adit Koul worked off Walden's gravity and combined for 19 points, mostly in the paint, while TKA separated itself at the free throw line too. The Lions only committed six fouls as a team and went 15-of-20 from the foul line, while PCA made just one trip there for the game. MORE: Colin Brown, Trey Thompson each score over 30 to lead Greeneville in Knoxville area top performers Defending without fouling was an emphasis for Turnipseed, who wanted to speed up the game and take advantage of PCA miscues rather than selling out for steals. That strategy resulted in 19 turnovers, even as TKA wasn't necessarily trying to force them. "I told them, 'Let's not try to foul them, let's try to run them to death,' " Turnipseed said. "... If they fumble it, then we can get it, but let's not foul and make them get easy points." One month ago, the Lions were reeling, having lost their last two games in the District 1 tournament. Now, they're a win away from bringing a gold ball back to Seymour. "The girls just bought in and said, 'Hey, this is not it,' Turnipseed said. "We put district behind us, and we don't look back in the rearview mirror." Jacob Shames can be reached by email at jshames@ and on Twitter @Jacob_Shames. This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: TSSAA basketball tournament: The King's Academy in Division II-A state final
Los Angeles Times
02-03-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Sage Hill denied the crown by Knight in CIF Division 3AA final
Throughout its playoff run, Sage Hill had figured out ways to stay within striking distance and make plays when it mattered most in the fourth quarter. In a three-point game at the half, it appeared the Lightning were headed down that road again, but the opposition had another idea. The three-point shot began to fall for Palmdale Knight after the break, foiling the best laid defensive plans, as Sage Hill lost 64-43 on Saturday night in the CIF Southern Section Division 3AA boys' basketball final at Edison High. In a battle between teams seeking the first section title for their respective programs, Knight (26-5) realized the dream. 'I told my guys when they were handing out the [runner-up] trophy to Sage Hill, I said, 'Hey, show them respect. I've been there twice,'' said Tom Hegre, who has coached the Hawks since the school opened in 2003. 'This is my third time in the finals. Our guys were not going to be denied tonight.' Knight previously appeared in the Division II-A final in 2008 with a roster led by Paul George. The nine-time NBA All-Star was then in his senior year with the Hawks. In 2018, Knight suffered a double-overtime defeat to Crean Lutheran in the Division 3AA final. Amare Larane had a game-high 26 points, adding five rebounds, three assists and three steals to lead Knight. The junior forward also accounted for half of the Hawks' eight three-pointers. Entering the halftime locker room with a slim 24-21 advantage, Larane said the mindset was if the Hawks threw the 'first punch' in the third quarter, they would win the championship. 'Tonight, we just trusted our shot,' Larane said. 'In the first quarter, we went two for 10. We went into the locker room at halftime and just said, 'Stay with it. Shoot the same way every time.' In the third quarter, we just came out and we hit all our shots.' Knight, the Golden League champion, nearly doubled its scoring output in the first half with a 23-point third quarter, extending its lead to 47-34 heading into the fourth quarter. It was significant separation from a Sage Hill team that did not take a lot of three-pointers and made just two — both by Carson Ellis. James Karahalios scored 16 points to pace Sage Hill (18-10), adding six rebounds and three assists. Jackson Cryst contributed nine points, nine rebounds, four blocked shots and three assists. Tre Cradle chipped in with six points and nine rebounds. Knight made its advantage in the ball-handling categories. The Hawks had 19 assists against just six turnovers. Sage Hill committed 17 turnovers (including 10 steals for the Hawks), which led to Knight scoring 27 points off turnovers and 18 points in transition. 'Earlier on, when we were kind of locked in and we were staying level with the ball, we were fine,' Sage Hill coach D'Cean Bryant said. 'I think when we started looking at the ball too much, they kind of drove the gaps.' Da'vian Brooks scored a dozen points to go with four assists for Knight. Jaylen Mims had 11 points, four assists and three steals, and Jay'len Brooks added six points, eight assists and three steals. Sage Hill was playing in its second CIF final in three years and third overall. The Lightning lost to Oxnard Santa Clara in the Division 5AA final in 2019, then to Long Beach Jordan in the Division 4A final in 2023. There was anticipation on campus this week as Sage Hill prepared to compete for CIF championships in two sports. The girls' soccer team prevailed in penalty kicks over La Mirada in the Division 4 final on Saturday afternoon. 'Everyone was talking about the big games,' Karahalios said. 'Everyone wanted to go. Everything in the last week has been built around this, so we were all super excited. Brackets for the CIF State boys' basketball playoffs were scheduled to be released on Sunday afternoon. CIF Southern Section Division 3AA final Knight 64, Sage Hill 43 SCORE BY QUARTERS Knight 15 - 9 - 23- 17 — 64 Sage Hill 15 - 6 - 13 - 9 — 43 K — Larane 26, D. Brooks 12, Mims 11, Hardwell 7, J. Brooks 6, Williams 2. 3-pt. goals — Larane 4, D. Brooks 2, Hardwell 1, Mims 1. Fouled out — None. Technicals — None. SH — Karahalios 16, Cryst 9, Cradle 6, Ellis 6, To. Akomolafe 2, Gomez 2, Yun 2. 3-pt. goals — Ellis 2. Fouled out — None. Technicals — None.
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
2026 5-star QB Jared Curtis trims finalist list to Georgia football, Oregon
Five-star junior quarterback Jared Curtis has trimmed his list of finalists to Georgia football and Oregon, The Tennessean confirmed through his agent, Peter Webb of QB Reps. Curtis, a 6-foot-4, 225-pound former Georgia commitment from Nashville Christian, is a five-star prospect ranked as the No. 1 quarterback in the 2026 class and No. 2 player nationally, according to the 247Sports Composite. He had also been considering, Auburn, South Carolina, Alabama and Ohio State. Curtis decommitted from Georgia in October but said the Bulldogs and coach Kirby Smart were still among his top schools. That gave Dan Lanning and Oregon, as well as others who pursued Curtis after he committed, their chance to make a strong impression. More: Top 2026 QB Jared Curtis, former Georgia football commit, named Gatorade Tennessee Player of Year More: Why Jared Curtis enjoyed winning TSSAA football state championship more than Alabama visit Curtis led Nashville Christian to the TSSAA football Division II-A state title in December and raked in multiple accolades. He was voted as Tennessee Titans DII-A Mr. Football and also claimed the Gatorade Tennessee football player of the year award. He finished his junior season 179-of-255 passing for 2,830 yards passing, 40 touchdowns and three interceptions. He also led Nashville Christian (12-1) in rushing with 637 yards and 18 touchdowns on 88 carries. No, Curtis hasn't set a commitment date. He told The Tennessean in December that he will likely commit this summer. Reach sports writer Tyler Palmateer at tpalmateer@ and on the X platform, formerly Twitter, @tpalmateer83. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Jared Curtis: 2026 5-star QB has Georgia football, Oregon as finalists
