Braves

It took Williamstown a little time to get started, but after going scoreless in the first quarter, the Braves reverted to the form that has made them the No. 1 team in The Inquirer's South Jersey rankings. With junior Marques Little making big plays on both sides of the ball in the second quarter, Williamstown earned 43-20 win over Southern Regional on Friday night in the South Jersey Group 5 championship game before an overflow crowd at Rowan University. Williamstown completed its season at 12-0 and won its first sectional title since the start of NJSIAA football playoffs in 1974.

There are people around the Williamstown football program who have waited years and years for Friday night. Julian Taylor has waited three months. But Taylor, a senior defensive end, said he feels the same urgency as his veteran teammates as well as those longtime coaches and supporters who have lived through season after season of playoff frustration. "We have all the same perspective because we're all a family," Taylor said. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound Taylor has helped Williamstown (11-0)

The Braves traded Tommy Hanson to the Los Angeles Angels for former closer Jordan Walden, clearing a spot in the Atlanta rotation for Julio Teheran, Randal Delgado or another young starter. Hanson has seen a decrease in his velocity as he battled rotator cuff tendinitis in 2011 and a lower back strain in 2012. Angels general manager Jerry Dipoto said the 26-year-old was a consistent winner in four seasons with the Braves and had no arm troubles this year. "It's a good risk on a pitcher we really believe in," Dipoto said.

He's a slick athlete known for his speed and skill. But Marques Little and the Williamstown football team needed more than speed and skill in the South Jersey Group 5 semifinals. With Little scoring three touchdowns and making the game's biggest defensive play, Williamstown beat a tough and talented Atlantic City team, 20-12, on Friday night. "We knew we had to grind it out," said Little, a junior running back and defensive back. "We knew AC was a good team. " Williamstown (11-0)

ATLANTA - Jason Heyward was in the audience as B.J. Upton was introduced Thursday as Atlanta's new centerfielder. That made manager Fredi Gonzalez smile as he realized he didn't have to worry so much about finding the third starter in his outfield. "Shoot, we may not even need a leftfielder," Gonzalez said. "With him playing center and Jason, who just won a Gold Glove, in right, it's going to be fun watching these guys cover some ground in the outfield. " Upton was given a No. 2 Braves jersey after finalizing a $75.25 million, five-year contract - the biggest ever given a free agent by the franchise.

YOU CAN LOOK at it as the Phillies losing out on B.J. Upton, or you can look at it as the Phillies saving $75.25 million over 5 years, which is the price the Braves ended up paying for a centerfielder whose production has seldom seemed to match his prodigious potential. Figure it out, and you will have figured out the riddle Ruben Amaro Jr. will continue to face as he attempts to deal his team back into contention for 2013. It was no secret that the Phillies had Upton near the top of their list of offseason targets.

As an offensive lineman, Jim Deschler knows about creating holes. As a fullback, John Chamberlin knows about running through them. In one sense, that's what happened on a warm and sunny Thanksgiving morning - Deschler and his mates cleared the way and Chamberlin ran for five touchdowns as Williamstown overwhelmed Washington Township, 42-0. But in a larger sense, it was the entire Williamstown team that burst through the opening and into the clear, just as the Braves crash through that big banner before every game.

Ted Silary has been covering high school sports for the Daily News since December 1977 and has always been intrigued by the Philadelphia Public League, which never ceases to produce sports moments ranging from crazy to funny to curious to ridiculous to disturbing to head-scratching . . . and back again. As the 2001-02 basketball season neared its conclusion, Bartram was still hoping to become just the seventh city-leagues team since 1950 to finish with a perfect record. Then, the Braves played Franklin at the First Union Center in a Sixers-TrailBlazers prelim and lost, 77-73.

Buddy Brown knows that the playoffs have been a problem for Williamstown football. "There's no denying it," said Brown, a senior linebacker and Temple recruit. Derek Lauria doesn't shy away from the skepticism of outsiders when it comes to the Braves and the postseason tournament. "I use it," said Lauria, a senior linebacker and the team's leading tackler. "I store it away and use it as motivation. " Williamstown is 50-4 in its last 54 regular-season games. The Braves are 23-3 in West Jersey Football League play since they helped create the superconference before the 2010 season.

Buddy Brown knows that the playoffs have been a problem for Williamstown football. "There's no denying it," said Brown, a senior linebacker and Temple recruit. Derek Lauria doesn't shy away from the skepticism of outsiders when it comes to the Braves and the postseason tournament. "I use it," said Lauria, a senior linebacker and the team's leading tackler. "I store it away and use it as motivation. " Williamstown is 50-4 in its last 54 regular-season games. The Braves are 23-3 in West Jersey Football League play since they helped create the superconference before the 2010 season.