Former Hillgrove High School and Clemson defensive end Myles Murphy has been drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals as the 28th pick of the first round in the NFL Draft. Murphy, a freshman All-American with the Tigers in 2020, earned All-ACC honors the last two seasons before becoming eligible for the 2023 draft. During his three-year college career, he had 139 tackles, 37 tackles for loss, 17.5 sacks, and six forced fumbles. Murphy, who said his game emulates Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns, becomes the fourth player from Cobb County to be drafted in the first round since 2017. He joins former Harrison standout, and current Chicago Bears quarterback, Justin Fields , and another pair of former Hillgrove standouts in Miami linebacker Bradley Chubb and Jacksonville tight end Evan Engram.Top of Form
The Cobb Board of Commissioners has approved the establishment of a quiet zone railroad crossing at Nickajack Road near Heritage and Thompson Parks after nearly a decade of work. The vote was 4-0 in favor of the quiet zone, which cost $435,000 for specialized equipment. Train conductors are obligated by federal law to blare their horns as they approach an intersection that is not designated a quiet zone, but trains cannot routinely sound their horns in an area considered a quiet zone. In other business, commissioners decided to withdraw an item from the agenda that would have allocated $285,000 to consultant Accenture for continuing work on Cobb’s strategic plan.
Wheeler alum Jaylen Brown and his teammate Jayson Tatum led the Boston Celtics to a 128-120 win over the Atlanta Hawks in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference first-round playoffs. Brown scored 32 points and Tatum added 30 to help the Celtics clinch the series 4-2. They will now face the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round. The Hawks were led by Trae Young with 30 points, but it wasn't enough to overcome the Celtics' strong shooting, including 18 3-pointers. The game featured nine lead changes and six ties before the Celtics pulled away in the final minutes. The Celtics will begin their next series against the Philadelphia Seventy Sixers on Monday.
A judge has allowed a defamation lawsuit filed by an immigration activist against the Southern Poverty Law Center to proceed. D.A. King, the leader of the Dustin Inman Society, is suing the SPLC over its designation of his group as an “anti-immigrant hate group.” King argues that the SPLC added the hate group label to destroy his group's reputation and foil their attempts to influence legislation. The SPLC had asked the judge to dismiss the suit, arguing that its hate group designation is an opinion protected by the First Amendment. However, the judge disagreed and allowed the case to move forward to the discovery phase.
Jamari Christmas, 21, has been sentenced to 18 years in prison after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony for the December 2021 shooting of his former friend, Majik Broussard, near Kennesaw State University. The two had a falling out, and Christmas shot Broussard twice after pulling a handgun during their encounter. Christmas was sentenced to 25 years in total, including a 20-year prison sentence and five years of probation. Broussard's family spoke at the hearing, and Christmas offered his condolences
Campbell lost to Denmark 1-0 in the semifinals of the Class AAAAAAA playoffs, ending their quest for their first girls soccer state championship. Elise Sturm’s goal with 34:55 remaining in the game proved to be the difference for Denmark, which will now play Walton for the championship. Campbell advanced to the final four for the first time in program history and won the Region 2AAAAAAA championship for the second year in a row. Although disappointed by the loss, Coach James Crawley expressed pride for his seniors and the team’s overall performance this season.
The Walton girls soccer team defeated Forsyth Central 2-1 in the Class AAAAAAA state semifinals with a goal from Reagan Mulberry in the second overtime. This sends the Raiders to the state championship game against Denmark, scheduled for next week. The Raiders, who are looking to win their first title since 1993, will have a rematch of last year's quarterfinal against Denmark, which they won 2-1 in double overtime. Forsyth Central struck first in the game, but Walton quickly responded with a goal from Emma Graham. Neither team scored in the first half, and Walton controlled the pace in the second half.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
