Stay Inside and Think About Sports

1. The same alerts from the National Weather Service are in effect today as Thursday: a severe weather alert, for a slight chance of thunderstorms this afternoon with a lot lightning; and a Code Orange air-quality alert, indicating it will be smoggy enough to be unpleasant for people sensitive to such things. But not a lot of people will want to spend extended time outside today anyway because it remains HOT. It will be sunny with a high around 95 and little wind. Overnight, the low will drop to about 70.

2. Both and came close to winning the statewide Regions Bank Directors Cup from the Georgia High School Association for the overall excellence of their athletic programs this past school year. The Raiders finished second in AAAAA, and the Greyhounds were second in AAAA. Check back with East Cobb Patch for the details.

3. In other sports news, also of a Walton nature, the school has ensured continuity in its successful soccer programs by moving girls coach Bruce Wade over to the boys varsity, replacing Bucky Boozer, who retired after 27 years and six state titles with the Raiders, the Marietta Daily Journal reports. Sharon Loughran, who was coaching the JV girls, moves up to take over the varsity girls, who this year.

4. At the college level, 2010 Walton product Ryan Harrow, who played point guard for North Carolina State this past year, announced recently that he's transferring to the University of Kentucky to play basketball for John Calipari. He'll sit out the 2011-12 season, then have three seasons left. Raleigh's News & Observer has a full story. Meanwhile, 2010 grad Evan Mitchell is in Midtown today, likely pitching sometime this weekend for Mississippi State at Georgia Tech in the four-team NCAA baseball tournament regional, the MDJ reports. Mitchell's Bulldogs open against Southern Mississippi at 3 p.m. Buy tickets here. Georgia Tech, of course, features Walton grad Mark Pope, a junior, as its star pitcher; Collegiate Baseball named him a second-team All-American pitcher Thursday. If you can't make it to Tech, you can catch every game from the regional on Comcast Sports Southeast (Channel 45). Here's the schedule.

5. If you weren't glued to your computer Thursday, you might have missed the or the report on for the future in Cobb. Looking ahead, don't forget our and when plotting what to do this sunny weekend.