NOTEPAD: Gridiron Classic schedule set, Vine-Ingle reaches LLWS semifinal

The Bibb County School District announced the schedule for its second annual Gridiron Classic, a slate of four football games to kick off the 2025 season, last week.

The Central Chargers (Class A-Division I) will take on the Dougherty County Trojans (3A) out of Albany in the first game Thursday, Aug. 14 at 4 p.m. The Rutland Hurricanes (2A) take the field next, playing the Bleckley County Royals (A-Division I) in the 8 p.m. game that day.

The Southwest Patriots (A-Division I) begin the second day at 4 p.m. the following Friday with a game against the Macon County Bulldogs (A-Division II), while the only intra-Macon matchup of the classic caps things off when the Westside Seminoles (2A) and Howard Huskies (3A) face off at 8 p.m.

All four games will take place at Thompson Stadium in East Macon after the classic was held at Fort Valley State University’s stadium in Peach County last year.

The Northeast Raiders met the Peach County Trojans in that year’s edition of the classic, but the matchup will not be on the schedule this year. The two teams instead meet in a standard game at the Trojans’ home stadium at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 15.

ACE does not begin its football season until Thursday, Aug. 21 when it faces Central on the road.

Macon’s GIAA private schools also begin their seasons next week, as two Macon teams have home games against powerhouse programs to open things up Aug. 15. The FPD Vikings (4A) will host Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy (GHSA 4A) at 7:30 p.m., while Stratford ( 4A) will host St. Anne-Pacelli (4A).

Mount de Sales (4A) opens its season on the road that Friday against Loganville Christian Academy (4A) at 7:30 p.m. Tattnall does not begin its season until a game against Pacelli the following week Aug. 22.

Windsor Academy (2A) will hit the road Aug. 15 as well to play Pataula Charter (GHSA A-Division II) in Edison, while CFCA (2A) will travel to Chula to take on Tiftarea Academy (3A). Covenant (GIAA 8-Man) will host Georgia Christian.

Mercer pitcher signs deal with Mets

Former Mercer southpaw Colton Cosper signed a free-agent deal with the New York Mets last week.

The Mets inked Cosper to a deal Aug. 1 after the left-hander pitched 17 splendid innings with the MLB Draft summer league Williamsport Crosscutters last month to the tune of a 0.53 ERA. Cosper struck out 20 while walking just a single batter and only allowing one run.

The signing comes after the Carrollton High School alum had a career season in his final year at Mercer in 2025. He finished with a 3.57 ERA across more than 88 innings. 

The season included a pair of complete games, one of which came in heroic fashion in the Southern Conference tournament.

Macon RBI softball player earns scholarship

ACE graduate and athlete Franchesca Divert was awarded a $20,000 scholarship from Major League Baseball, Macon RBI announced this week.

Divert, a 2025 graduate, was named a recipient of the Major League Baseball RBI scholarship, which is given to 12 athletes selected from more than 330 RBI programs across the United States and the Caribbean. The scholarship recognizes exceptional student-athletes for their academic excellence, leadership and commitment to community service.

Divert played softball with Macon RBI and was a basketball player for the Gryphons. She is the second Macon RBI player to win the award after Sasha Norman in 2016, and the 25th Macon RBI student-athlete to receive a scholarship.

ACE hosted a ceremony Thursday morning with students, friends and family to celebrate Divert’s
achievement.

Vine-Ingle team continues World Series run

Vine-Ingle’s team of 14-year-olds advanced in the Little League Junior League World Series this week in Taylor, Michigan, defeating the state’s own qualifying team 7-4 in their first game.

Vine-Ingle’s effort was well-rounded, as five different players recorded hits while seven different players drew at least one walk. Kaiden Harvey had two hits and an RBI out of the leadoff spot, while pitcher Jayden Cannon pitched 5.1 innings in the seven-inning contest while
striking out 12 batters.

The Macon squad scored its runs early and fended off a late comeback attempt by the Michigan team, but ultimately held on to win and advance to the next round of the tournament, the bracket of which is split into an international side and a United States side.

The Vine-Ingle team defeated the team from the East region — Naamans Little League of Wilmington, Delaware — by a score of 12-2 in Game 16 of the tournament Wednesday night. The victory in that game secured an appearance in the U.S. Championship game, the semifinal of the World Series bracket.

Tattnall pitcher commits to Mercer

Tattnall’s Wyatt Still, one of the team’s strongest pitchers and key contributors, announced his commitment to Mercer this week.

The southpaw finished his junior year for the Trojans with 68 innings pitched for one of Macon’s strongest teams, notching a 2.78 Earned Run Average while leading the team with 96 strikeouts on the year. Still held opponents to a .198 average.

The left-hander also excelled at the plate, hitting .419 with a 1.067 OPS and 10 stolen bases.

Mercer’s Cox starts Speedway Classic

Mercer University and FPD alumnus Austin Cox got the chance to pitch in MLB’s first-ever game at a NASCAR racetrack last week, as the left-hander got the spot start after a rain delay at the inaugural Speedway Classic at Bristol in Tennessee on Saturday night.

Cox toed the rubber after Atlanta Braves starter Spencer Strider was scratched from the contest because of the weather delay. Cox did not fare so well against the Cincinnati Reds, pitching only ⅓ of an inning and allowing a run before rain officially postponed the rest of the game.

Stratford to host Eagle Night

Stratford Academy Athletics will host the latest edition of Eagle Night next week on Thursday, Aug. 14.

The event acts as the kickoff of the season for Stratford’s sports teams and organizations and features various sponsors and vendors in addition to games, raffles and more. The event is “retro 90s” themed this year.