Bratton becomes a Falcon

Former Lakeside star Brian Bratton got great news late last week. He found out he was being offered a free-agent contract with the Atlanta Falcons.

The 5-foot-11, 185-pound wide receiver signed a deal with the Falcons on Saturday. As a senior, he caught 55 passes for 788 yards and nine touchdowns for the Furman Paladins. He helped guide Furman to a 10-3 record, a Southern Conference championship and a NCAA quarterfinal playoff spot.

He joins his college teammate Isaac West (Philadelphia) in signing free agent deals.

Bratton was not highly recruited after his career at Lakeside. However, he wasted little time in paying dividends for the Paladins. As a true freshman, he led the nation in kick returns, averaging 37.2 yards per return including taking three kicks back for touchdowns.

After his initial season at Furman, he was named Southern Conference Freshman of the Year and was a First Team All-American. As a junior he became a starter at wide receiver and finished his college career second on Furman's all-time receptions list with 133. He was second in touchdown catches with 18 and was fifth in career receiving yards with 1,826.

Drayton's new offer

The recruitment of Lakeside standout Chris Drayton could get pretty interesting during the next few months. Last week, Drayton was offered his second scholarship by a Division I program when Louisville made an official offer. Drayton previously received an offer from Kentucky.

The 6-foot-2, 205-pound senior is being recruited by most teams as a safety (his high school position), but Louisville shocked Drayton by telling him they want him as a running back.

Drayton told the Louisville coaching staff that he would play anywhere to help the team but that he prefers safety.

This season, Drayton will get his first chance to play running back after being used primarily on defense his first three seasons.

In addition to Kentucky and Louisville's offers, he is being recruited by Georgia, Auburn, Georgia Tech, South Carolina, Virginia Tech, Vanderbilt and Iowa.

ACS excels in track

Augusta Christian's girls track team nearly came away with a state title in track and field at this year's South Carolina Independent School Association state track meet. The Lady Lions were clipped by Heathwood Hall and had to settle for a runner-up finish.

Two Augusta Christian athletes came away with state crowns. Junior Jordan Little captured the shot put, and sophomore Casey Brush won the discus.