Atlanta, GA

High School Football: Great Atlanta Bash: Carver (Atlanta) vs Calhoun

Published

1 year ago

August 26, 2023

High School Football: Great Atlanta Bash: Carver (Atlanta) vs Calhoun

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – The fifth annual Great Atlanta Bash returns to Eddie. S Henderson Stadium at Midtown High School with a two-day (Aug. 25-26), four-game lineup that will feature five Atlanta Public School programs, in addition to Douglas County, Miller Grove and Calhoun High School.

How to watch Great Atlanta Bash live:

The action will be televised both days on PeachtreeTV and digitally on the Atlanta News First app. You can also watch it on the ANF+ app on Roku, FireTV, AppleTV or by clicking HERE.

Game Preview:

8:00 p.m. Carver (Atlanta) vs Calhoun

Carver (Atlanta) made it to the semifinals last year before losing to Sandy Creek and set the tone coming into 2023 with a 28-12 victory against LaGrange in Week 1. Calhoun has reached three-straight quarterfinals and has made 23-straight playoff appearances with eight finals appearances and three state titles in the same span. Calhoun suffered a tough 17-7 loss in their season opener against Blessed Trinity and look to get back on track this week.

Calhoun will make its debut in the Great Atlanta Bash as the first non-Atlanta team in the event.

“We are super excited to come down there and play. We’ve heard about the bash the last couple of years. I think we are the first non-metro Atlanta team to get to play in it,” said head coach Clay Stephenson. “We are looking forward to the opportunity to play in front of people we don’t normally get to. You look at Carver and they are a great playoff team. Year in and year out they are at the top. It doesn’t matter what classification they are in, they have athletes that can compete and the coach does a great job down there.”

Carver (Atlanta) will replace a lot of their playmakers from last year including Zyeek Mender and Deandre Buchanon. The Panthers also graduated star quarterback Bryce Bowens and will have a new voice under center this season.

“The young guys that were on the team that are now seniors we are hoping they can be very productive along with the guys that are sophomores this year that will play some key starting roles. Adam Sheely will be the starting quarterback this year,” said head coach Darius Myles. “We are looking for Taurin Kemp to step up and be one of those guys. He will be playing the slot for us this year. Our leading rusher will be replaced by Amari Russell and he will carry the load for us. He will also get some help from Lataious Stepp. Kind of like a 1-2 punch.”

The Yellow Jackets have a stud running back in Caden Williams (Liberty Commit) who is dynamic in the open field and a physical runner at the point of attack.

“He’s been a three year starter for us. He can do a little bit of everything. We can line him up anywhere. He’s worked really hard at his route running and hands this last year or so,” said Stephenson. “The on-field stuff takes care of itself. He’s a tremendous athlete and works super hard. He’s a 3.9 student in the classroom. It really transfers over to the football field and we are really looking forward to his senior year.”

Emaree Winston is another player to watch in this game and is a heavily recruited prospect that has a commitment decision looming. Winston is great tight end in the Calhoun offense and a matchup nightmare.

“It’s not what you necessarily see on Friday Nights. He earned his way to where he is. I was mentioning him to our Scout team the other day that he is not content where he was last year,” said Stephenson. “We had to fight to get him off of the scout team. He just wants to play football and he enjoys getting out there and competing. On the field, he is a matchup problem for a lot of people.”

On defense, the Panthers have a talented secondary that makes a lot of plays on the ball and will play multiple positions including corner and safety. Joshua Stone and Rodrick Hunter headline the backline of the defense.

“We have Rodrick Hunter who is a preseason All-American that is committed to Akron and Joshua Stone who is on everybody’s radar and has a lot of offers,” said Myles. “He is committed to Arkansas State right now and both of those guys are going to be starting at the safety position. They also will be playing a little bit of cornerback as well.”

Great Atlanta Bash Schedule:

Friday, Aug. 25

8:00 p.m. Carver (Atlanta) vs Calhoun

Saturday, Aug. 26

10 a.m. Maynard Jackson vs. Miller Grove

12:45 p.m. Mays vs Douglas County

3:30 p.m. Douglass vs. Booker T. Washington

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Atlanta, GA

17-year-old shot in foot on Christmas Eve, Atlanta police say

Published

6 hours ago

December 25, 2024

Press Room

17-year-old shot in foot on Christmas Eve, Atlanta police say

ATLANTA – A 17-year-old male is recovering after being shot in the foot on Christmas Eve, according to the Atlanta Police Department.

Officers responded to Grady Memorial Hospital around 10:39 p.m. on Dec. 24, after receiving a report of a gunshot victim. The teenager was being treated by medical staff for a gunshot wound to his left foot.

Preliminary information suggests the shooting may have occurred near 609 Thurmond Street NW. Investigators from the department’s Aggravated Assault Unit are working to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Authorities emphasized that details are subject to change as the investigation continues.

AtlantaCrime and Public SafetyNews

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Atlanta, GA

Atlanta police officer surprises 12-year-old with Christmas gift for good behavior

Published

14 hours ago

December 25, 2024

Press Room

Atlanta police officer surprises 12-year-old with Christmas gift for good behavior

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – An Atlanta police officer made a 12-year-old boy’s Christmas a little brighter this year.

On Monday, Officer Sebastian Kertchaval surprised 12-year-old Amir with a PlayStation 5, police said in a social media post.

Atlanta Police Officer Sebastian Kertchaval surprised 12-year-old Amir with a Christmas gift.(Atlanta Police Department)

Police said Kertchaval met Amir and his family over the summer while “responding to a 911 call for an unruly child.”

During that visit, Kertchaval saw that Amir was upset with his mother and grandmother.

“And though tensions were high in their home, Ofc. Kertchaval remained patient with Amir, and took the time to positively connect with Amir and was ultimately able to de-escalate the upset child,” police said.

Since that first meeting, Amir’s grandmother has kept Kertchaval updated on Amir’s “increasingly positive behavior throughout the year.”

After hearing of Amir’s progress, Kertchaval bought Amir a new PlayStation 5 for both Christmas and as a reward for his progress.

“Thank you, Officer Kertchaval, for your dedication to community policing and for being a positive example during this holiday season,” police said.

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Atlanta, GA

Some Metro Atlanta Starbucks employees go on strike amid the holidays

Published

23 hours ago

December 24, 2024

Press Room

Some Metro Atlanta Starbucks employees go on strike amid the holidays

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – You may experience order delays if you are headed to a Starbucks on Christmas Eve. Some workers in Metro Atlanta are on strike.

Representatives with Starbucks Workers United tell Atlanta News First they feel underpaid and understaffed and are protesting the lack of progress in contract negotiation with the company.

Starbucks union workers in Alpharetta are making their voices heard loud and clear. They allege unfair labor practices.

“When Starbucks workers first started to unionize, they gave non-union workers pay raises and the partners that were unionized didn’t get that until later and so they’re owed back pay,” said Danielle Stolton, Shift supervisor at the Alpharetta store.

Stolton said she has been a part of the bargaining process.

“Personally, last year was the worst year,” she said. “I had a mental breakdown, actually.”

Stolton and others planned this one-day strike to stand in solidarity with over 5,000 workers at more than 300 stores that are protesting.

Strikes have been going on in some places since last Friday. Some baristas said they want better pay and better benefits.

“I know baristas in my store personally who are having to choose between gas or groceries so when you see problems like that it’s really hard to not feel some type of way about the fact that Starbucks made 24 billion dollars in profit this year, two percent more than last year and we’re still seeing two percent pay raises,” said Vivek G, a Starbucks employee.

Starbucks Workers United said the company failed to honor a commitment made in February.

In a statement to Atlanta News First, Starbucks said:

“Workers United delegates prematurely ended our bargaining session this week. It is disappointing they didn’t return to the table given the progress we’ve made to date. Since April we’ve held more than nine bargaining sessions over 20 days. We’ve reached over thirty (30) meaningful agreements on hundreds of topics Workers United delegates told us were important to them, including many economic issues.
We are focused on enhancing the partner (employee) experience, with over $3 billion invested in the last three years. Starbucks offers a competitive average pay of over $18 per hour, and best-in-class benefits. Taken together they are worth an average of $30 per hour for baristas who work at least 20 hours per week. Benefits include health care, free college tuition, paid family leave and company stock grants. No other retailer offers this kind of comprehensive pay and benefits package.
Workers United proposals call for an immediate increase in the minimum wage of hourly partners by 64%, and by 77% over the life of a three-year year contract. This is not sustainable. We are ready to continue negotiations to reach agreements. We need the union to return to the table.”

“Only around 170 Starbucks stores did not open as planned. With over 10,000 company-operated stores, 98% of our stores and nearly 200,000 green apron partners continuing to operate and serve customers during the holidays,” the coffeechain added.

Some workers feel differently.

“It’s just basic living wages and also again to reiterate is just to have. We’re asking for minimum staffing and realistic expectations and just the ability to run our floors and run our stores in a way that makes the most sense. They say they want to hear us, they say they want to listen but every time we ask for help, we get told no,” Stolton said.

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