The high school basketball schedule this week is a mix with some local programs jumping into region play.
The majority of Hall County programs, however, are tuning up for the annual Lanierland tournament that starts on Dec. 19. All first round games in the tournament will be played at East Hall.
The Vikings wrap up the week with a trip Saturday to Flowery Branch. On Friday, West Hall and Gainesville will have a couple of early-season Region 8-AAA matchups. The Spartans visit Oconee County, while the Red Elephants host Franklin County.
On Tuesday, Riverside Military starts up Region 8-A play with a game against Towns County in Gainesville.
HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING: This time of the year is designated largely for teams to wrestle in tournaments with a large number of participating schools to get in as many matches as possible. After midweek tri-matches, many local programs will hit the road for the weekend.
Local programs including East Hall, Gainesville, Johnson and Towns County will all travel to Dahlonega starting on Friday for the two-day John Smith Mountaineer Duals.
Meanwhile, Flowery Branch and Jackson County will both take part in the Eric Hill Memorial, while Buford will hit the mats in the Gwinnett County Tour at Shiloh High.
North Hall and West Hall will spend the weekend grappling in the Cherokee Invitational.
ATLANTA FALCONS: After a clutch win at Carolina on Sunday, Atlanta’s push to get into the playoffs is coming down to the wire. The Falcons have three games left in the regular season, two of which are against NFC South opponents.
On Thursday, the Falcons host the Jacksonville Jaguars at the Georgia Dome.
After that, the Falcons play a potentially crucial division game against the New Orleans Saints on Dec. 26 at the Louisiana Superdome.
They will finish the regular season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on New Year’s Day at home.