By Lee Wilson
MaxPreps.com
With Marietta head coach Charlie Hood planning on retiring at the end of the season, the Blue Devils’ surge to steal a regional title had a sentimental connection.
Hood, the Blue Devil coach of 37 years, made the decision due to an effort by the school to open more coaching positions for full-time teachers. Hood has taught part-time at Marietta.
While the circumstances of the exit may not be entirely clear, one thing is: Charlie Hood is one of the greatest basketball coaches in state history. He will finish with over 720 wins and no more than 281 losses depending on how the Blue Devils fair in the state tournament, which Hood has won twice (1983 and 1999 in Class AAAA).
Players and fans won't be the only ones sad to see Hood go as he earned sentiments from one of the other great coaches in the state in Wheeler's Doug Libscomb, who has over 400 wins and four state titles.
"You can't think about basketball in Marietta without thinking of Marietta High School and Charlie Hood," Wheeler’s Doug Lipscomb – a 400-game winner with multiple state championships – told the Marietta Daily Journal. "He's been like a mentor to me. I hate to see him leave the game."
Hood told his team about the retirement after a four-game winning streak brought their record to 9-16. Then the squad tried to win the region one last time for Hood and came up just short against the state's top-ranked AAAAA team and regional foe McEachern.
Yet because of the late string of victories from a team that lost eight of nine games from Jan. 13-31, Marietta has climbed back into the state tournament and Hood's boys will play host to Milton next Saturday.
More Boys Basketball: Mary Persons banned from state tourney
Mary Persons High School turned itself in for using an ineligible player in the Region 4-AAA tournament and as a result will not be allowed to compete in the state tournament.
The Georgia High School Association revoked the team's eligibility and met late Sunday night to decide what team will replace them.
One of the options being looked at by the school, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, is to let the teams that Mary Persons beat replace them (Rutland and Eagle's Landing).
The identity of the player was not released and as a result the team will have to forfeit seven victories. They have already been fined according to the same report.
More Boys Basketball: Regional basketball results of note
5-AAAAA: McEachern 70, Marietta 54
- McEachern's win ended Marietta's Cinderella run, but the Blue Devils earned a spot in the tournament starting next week.
6-AAAAA: Wheeler 76, Centennial 56
- Head coach Doug Lipscomb leads his Wildcats to back-to-back regional titles.
7-AAAAA: Collins Hill 67, Norcross 65
- Reed Buck's 29 points helped the Eagles keep Norcross from its fourth straight regional title.
Region 6-AAAA: Miller Grove 65, Marist 49
- Mfon Udofia, Miller Grove star and Georgia Tech recruit, had 17 points in the Hawks title game.
Region 4-AAA: South Atlanta 104, Spalding 45
- Derrick Favors of South Atlanta, another Georgia Tech recruit, helped his Hornets win their region with 32 points.
Wrestling: Westerman aiming for history
Wrestling gets to be especially exciting this time of year when the top performers in the state face off. This year is no exception.
In Class AA the big match is between a couple of 135-pounders. Cam Thurmond (44-1) of Jefferson is matching up in the title match against Bryan Benton (48-2) of Toombs County. Thurmond defeated Benton in the Class AA East Sectional last week although Benton will be going for his fourth consecutive championship.
In Class AAAA there is a big title match will be between 140-pound Joel Smith (49-1) of Collins Hill and Matt Schneider (49-0) of Milton High School.
In Class AAAAA, another three-time title winner in Brandon Westerman (59-4) will attempt to become the third wrestler to win four straight titles in Georgia history.
