Chickamauga students assist Austin Whitten

CHICKAMAUGA — Friday night’s football scrimmage between LaFayette and Gordon Lee had a special visitor, one that fans of both teams were thrilled to see. Rising LaFayette sophomore Austin Whitten and his parents made the drive from the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, where Whitten has been in rehab. Whitten was paralyzed from the chest down following a swimming accident back in June. Dressed in his familiar No. 8 jersey, Whitten was wheeled around the track to the LaFayette sidelines midway through the first quarter by his parents, Brian and Angie, to a standing ovation by the Rambler fans in attendance and hugs and high-fives from his teammates. Whitten said he has made strides in his efforts to one day leave behind his for good. “I have made a ton of progress,” he said, sounding upbeat. “I came out of Shepherd a totally different guy than the guy that went in, Now I’m in their day program, so hopefully I’ll make a lot more progress.” And like any good wheelchair host, Gordon Lee had a gift ready for their visitor in the form of a check for just over $3,600. The donation to the Whitten family was a joint effort between the students at Gordon Lee High School, Gordon Lee Middle School, and Chickamauga Elementary School. Both teams flanked Whitten and his family at halftime as the check was presented to Whitten by the Gordon Lee cheerleaders, earning a standing ovation from the home fans. Several Gordon Lee players stopped to shake hands with Whitten, and

over 2,600 yards and 16 touchdowns last fall, but the back-ups are thin now that Phillip Sims has transferred to Virginia. Eddie Lacy will step into some big shoes in the backfield, but he has a veteran line in front of him, led by Barrett Jones, who is moving to center this season. Four returning starters average 6-4 and 315 pounds. The defense has just four starters backs and questions up front. Jesse Williams has moved from end to noseguard in the 3-4 scheme. Nico Johnson will be counted on even more at linebacker, and three starters in last year’s secondary are now in the NFL. Robert Lester and Dee Milliner will be the veterans as the Tide look to retool. Calhoun grad Adam Griffith may just be the answer to Bama’s kicking woes. (Tie) 2. USC — Offensively, the Trojans might be the best team in the country. Matt Barkley is a Heisman favorite after throwing for 3,528 yards and 39 TD’s last fall. Penn State transfer Silas Redd will team with 1,000-yard rusher Curtis McNeal to give the Men of Troy a devastating one-two punch in the backfield. All-American Robert Woods and the dependable Marquise Lee give the Trojans playmakers on the outside, and four starters are back on the line. Defensively, USC should be better than the sum of its parts, but the