As the top boys basketball teams in the state make their playoff pushes, teams from the metro area continue to dominate in the AJC’s weekly polls, especially in the larger classifications. Every No. 1 ranked team (with the exception of Class A) is inside or within shouting distance of I-285.

Milton remains in Class 5A’s top spot after beating No. 3 Wheeler 77-59 on Saturday night. With the emergence of Walton to the ninth spot, every Class 5A team is from metro Atlanta.

Seven ranked teams in Class 4A are locals. Miller Grove has only one loss this season, to Florida’s Dr. Krop, and remains No. 1.

Columbia lost, but was still able keep the top spot in Class 3A. Their loss came against highly regarded (but unranked) Tucker from Class 4A, 62-54. Read more >

When Jim Harbaugh decided to leave Stanford for NFL riches, several southeast schools attempted to move in on Tucker (GA) standout James Vaughters. As one of the top linebackers in the country, Vaughters raised plenty of eyebrows when he passed up Florida, Ohio State and Georgia Tech for the Stanford Cardinal. According to Vaughters himself Stanford’s football history, “has been shaky, but in the last five years it has been strong.” So when Harbaugh took off, Florida and Ohio State came calling once again.

Vaughters joined Score Atlanta’s The Official Visit to discuss his feelings on the new Stanford coach David Shaw and his decision to stick with Stanford. Of Shaw, Vaughters said, “he seems cool, a good guy. I’m excited to see who he’ll hire as defensive coordinator.” Read more >

Perhaps the 2011 season will be dominated by the defense in the Peach State. In a game featuring the some of the best rising seniors in the state of Georgia, the Randy McPherson-coached West roster defeated the Franklin Stephens-led East squad 20-18 in the inaugural AT&T Georgia Junior Bowl thanks to some great defense and strong special teams play.

The East got out to an early lead after a bad snap on the game’s first play from scrimmage caused a safety. With the 2-0 lead it appeared that North Gwinnett’s Scott Hosch connected with Lassiter’s Charlie Hegedus for a long touchdown, but the score was erased due to a penalty. Austin Hardin did add a field goal to give the East a 5-0 lead. Then the West’s defense made a huge play. Read more >

Over the last few years, recruiting has gone younger and younger with colleges starting their evaluations of potential prospects beginning with the targets’ sophomore and sometimes freshman year of high school. Read more >

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has released the first state basketball rankings of the 2010-2011 season this week, and there are some familiar faces at the top. In Class 5A, defending state champion Milton (11-2, 3-0) is No. 1 and is ranked No. 20 in the country by Max Preps. Read more >