NOTEPAD: Westside hires coach, Smart visits Howard

Westside hired its new football coach last week, choosing coach James Harris to succeed former coach Sheddrick “Spoon” Risper with Risper moving on from Westside at the end of the school year.

Harris is the athletic coordinator at Weaver Middle School, Westside’s feeder school, and was the defensive coordinator under Risper for Westside’s varsity team. The hire follows a similar trajectory to that of Risper, who was a coach at Weaver while he was an assistant  coach to former Westside coach Robert Davis before taking the HC job when Davis left.

Bibb County has now hired two new coaches since the end of football season, as Central hired head coach Jamoski Ward from
Wilkinson County to replace outgoing coach Jarrett Laws.

The county has one more opening to fill with Southwest head coach and Athletic Director Joe Dupree Jr. moving to McDonough High School after the school year.

Smart, Norvell visit Howard

Two big names in the college football coaching world stopped by Macon to see a top local prospect, Ta’Shawn Poole.

Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart and Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell each stopped at Howard High School this month, with Smart stopping in via helicopter on Jan. 15 before Norvell visited the school Monday.

Poole, a defensive back and wide receiver as well as an electric punt returner, is a four-star prospect, according to 247Sports. The junior is 6-foot-2, 185 pounds and is being scouted by UGA and FSU in addition to other top programs like Auburn, Florida and Georgia Tech.

Mercer players find new homes in transfer portal

Several notable Mercer football players found landing spots in the transfer portal recently, including the Bears’ star quarterback.

There was something of an exodus from Mercer’s roster following the departure of head coach Mike Jacobs in December, who took the coaching job at Toledo, but the players took some time to decide which schools they would transfer to after entering the portal.

Perhaps the most coveted prize on Mercer’s roster was quarterback Braden Atkinson, who took the starting job for the Bears this year and threw for 3,611 yards and 34 touchdowns while leading Mercer to its second consecutive Southern Conference championship.

Atkinson won the Jerry Rice Award as the best freshman in all of FCS and immediately received attention from Power 4 FBS programs after Mercer’s season ended. While following Jacobs to Toledo seemed like an obvious choice, other candidates including iconic programs like Notre Dame and Cal emerged as contenders on social media to land the young passer.

Atkinson eventually went with a bit of a wild card when he transferred to Oregon State. The Beavers, who were without a conference this year after being one of the two teams left in the PAC-12 after the conference restructured, went 2-10 this season. Atkinson should have a clear path to starting for Oregon State and will face quality competition as the PAC-12 reforms in 2026.

Mercer’s other key player in the portal was on the other side of the ball, as defensive end Andrew Zock considered his options this offseason. 

Zock won the Buck Buchanan award as the best defensive player in the FCS this season after racking up 46 tackles, 20 TFLs and 11.5 sacks for the Bears.

Coach Deion Sanders and Colorado were in the running for Zock after he entered the portal, but the sophomore edge rusher eventually chose to follow Jacobs to Toledo.

Another key player, star wide receiver Adjatay Dabbs, also chose to transfer to Toledo. Wide receiver Adonis McDaniel followed his quarterback instead of his former coach, transferring to Oregon State with Atkinson. Center Gavin Marks, who has been Atkinson’s center since they were in sixth grade, also chose Oregon State.

Mercer’s other notable defensive transfer was Carmelo O’Neal, who chose Alabama.

Southwest hoops still on top of region

The Southwest boys remain on top of the Region 2-A Division I standings with about a month remaining in the season before the region tournament.

The Patriots were 14-6 overall and 6-0 in region play as of Tuesday morning, riding a five-game winning streak that featured three wins over region opponents. The run of victories was much-needed for Southwest, which had a difficult stretch of three losses against top-level teams — including prep squads in Florida — just before the win streak began.

As for the standings, East Laurens is closest to Southwest with a 6-1 region mark. The next-best Macon squad in Region 2 is Northeast, which sports a 3-3 region mark and played Southwest Tuesday.

On the girls’ side of the region, the ACE Gryphons are Macon’s best team. While typical powerhouses Washington County and East Laurens sit in first and second place, the Gryphons are in third with a 5-2 record after losing to Central last week.

The top girls team in town is actually in Region 2-2A. The Westside Seminoles are 13-4 overall and 2-1 in region play as of Tuesday, earning them the No. 9 ranking in the state among 2A girls teams by basketball outlet Sandy’s Spiel. 

Stratford girls surge, other GIAA teams struggle

The Stratford girls look poised to dominate their region in GIAA Class 4A/3A after a blowout win over Mount de Sales last week.

The Eaglettes defeated the Lady Cavaliers 63-35 on Jan. 16, crushing Mount de Sales in shocking fashion to end its 11-game winning streak. Stratford had a 20-2 lead before the first quarter had ended, leaving the Lady Cavs in the dust en route to the win.

The Eaglettes are now 16-3 overall and 5-0 against District 6 competition. They have outscored region opponents by an impressive margin of 319-167 in those five contests. Mount de Sales are the closest team to the Eaglettes, as the Lady Cavs are 4-1 in the region, though they did lose in a blowout to Stratford last week.

On the boys’ side of Macon’s GIAA basketball scene, Tattnall is the biggest surprise as region play heats up. The Trojans are 5-0 in region play despite their 10-7 overall record, including a dominant 70-37 over FPD on Jan. 16.

The Trojans earn first place in District 6 for now, as Piedmont — a team Tattnall already defeated — is the only other squad with a winning record against region foes.

Macon’s other teams in the region — FPD, Stratford and Mount de Sales — have all struggled offensively thus far, with FPD and Stratford both at 1-4 after one trip through the district schedule.