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Athlete of the week: Trojan senior sparks first-round upset
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Honorable mentions

Basketball

Brandon McKinney, Riverside Military: 13 points, nine rebounds and three blocks against Pepperell last Saturday.

Haughton Carswell, Lakeview Academy: 23 points against Greenforest Christian last Saturday.

Tyler Ward, Lakeview Academy: 17 points against Greenforest Christian last Saturday.

Jarquise Young, West Hall: 11 points, including a game-winning 3-pointer against Hart County last Saturday.

Blanche Alverson, Buford: 29 points against Callaway last Friday.

Blake Sims, Gainesville: 16 points against Eastside last Friday.

George Manomano, Gainesville: 15 points against Eastside last Friday.

Juwon Jeffries, Gainesville: 15 points against Eastside last Friday.

Nick Johnson, Gainesville: 10 points and nine rebounds against Eastside last Friday.

Jaymee Carnes, Gainesville: 18 points and 10 rebounds against Hart County last Friday.

Jasmine Jenkins, East Hall: 14 points, three steals, five assists and four rebounds against Elbert County last Friday.

Symone Hampton, East Hall: 18 points, six rebounds and three blocks against Elbert County last Friday.

Shelby Bright, Chestatee: Scored a last-second 3-pointer to defeat Franklin County last Friday.

Chelsea Wilson, Chestatee: 12 points, all 3-pointers, against Franklin County last Friday.

Baseball

Bucky Free, Flowery Branch: 2-for-4 with three RBIs against Buford last Wednesday.

Kevin Frederick, White County: Five stolen bases against Franklin County last Wednesday.

Scott Eichler, West Hall: Three hits and three runs against Habersham Central last Tuesday.

Luis Delgado, West Hall: Scored four runs against Habersham Central last Tuesday.

Max Everitt, West Hall: Two hits and four RBIs against Habersham Central last Tuesday.

Josh Rudnik, Buford: 3-for-4 with two RBIs against North Hall last Monday.

K.J. McAllister, North Hall: 3-for-3 with two RBIs against Buford last Monday.

David Webber, Lumpkin County: 2-for-4 with four RBIs against Jackson County last Tuesday.

Jonathan Whitehead, Lumpkin County: 3-for-3 with two RBIs against Jackson County last Tuesday.

Devin Dunson, Lumpkin County: 3-for-3 with two doubles and an RBI against East Jackson last Monday.

Jason Demos, Jefferson: 2-for-3 with four runs and two RBIs against Riverside Military last Monday.

Jake Fields, Jefferson: 2-for-3 with three RBIs against Riverside Military last Monday.

Jeffrey Koren, Riverside Military: 3-for-3 with two RBIs against Jefferson last Monday.

Tyler McEntire, Banks County: Seven strikeouts and one earned run against Franklin County last Monday.

SOCCER

Anna Marchman, North Hall: Goal and an assist against Greater Atlanta Christian last Tuesday.

Liz Darden, Buford: Goal and an assist against Greater Atlanta Christian last Tuesday.

Bethany Johnson, Johnson: Two goals against White County last Monday.

Chris Henry, Johnson: Four goals against White County last Monday.

Ariel Mejia. Johnson: Goal and three assists against White County last Monday.

Vicente Trujillo, Johnson: Goal and four assists against White County last Monday.

North Hall’s Ethan Satterfield entered the Franklin County High gym last Saturday knowing the odds were stacked against him and his teammates.

With the underdog status serving as motivation, Satterfield scored a team-high 20 points in the Trojans’ 54-44 upset over fifth-ranked Franklin County in the opening round of the Class AAA state playoffs.

“Any time you win a state tournament game you’re going to feel awesome,” Satterfield said. “When it’s a team like that (Franklin County), it definitely adds to it, because nobody thinks you’re supposed to win.”

Had it not been for a dominant North Hall (21-8) fourth quarter, Satterfield’s days in a Trojan jersey may be finished. The Lions entered the quarter after an 11-0 run and held a nine-point lead over North Hall.

A change of defensive plans sparked the Trojans in the fourth quarter, as they guarded the 3-point line tightly and limited Franklin County to a mere two points in the final quarter.

“We let the shooters get open when we shouldn’t have in the beginning,” Satterfield said. “(In the fourth quarter) we buckled down and we played the defense we were supposed to play on them.”

Meanwhile, at the other end of the court, Satterfield and teammate Chase Syfan, who scored 10 points in the fourth, helped pull apart the Lions’ defense, which resulted in a 21-point fourth quarter for North Hall.

“Coach told us to keep our poise and calm down,” Satterfield said. “Once we calmed down and did what we were supposed to do, good things turned out.”

With the win, the Trojans hit the road again to face Cedartown, the second seed from Region 6-AAA, in the second round of the state playoffs. The Bulldogs are coming off a 56-44 win against St. Pius X last Saturday.

Another trip to the opponent’s house has Satterfield excited about another big crowd challenging his team.

“I like it when the other team has more fans than us,” he said. “I don’t really hear them, but it gets me more fired up just knowing they have more people there to watch.”

In Satterfield, Cedartown faces a versatile threat. The 5-foot-10 guard is among North Hall’s leading scorers and rebounders.

“There’s no doubt whose team this is. It’s Ethan’s team,” Trojans coach Benjie Wood said. “He handles the ball for us, he shoots the ball well and he’s one of our leaders in rebounds. He does a little bit of everything for us.”

Satterfield’s team-first mentality has him helping out everywhere on the court and has made him one of the most respected players on the team.

“When Ethan speaks, the team is going to listen,” Wood said. “He’s not the type of leader who’s screaming for his own personal benefit. He’s so well-respected that they’re going to listen to what he has to say.”

Ethan has expressed interest in playing basketball after high school, but has not decided on a college yet.

“I just have to keep working hard, and hopefully things will fall in the right place.”

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