|
 Lady Dragons' repeat bid falls short
Going in to last weekend's state Class A slow-pitch softball
finals, there was little doubt as to who the top contenders were.
Defending champ Jefferson returned virtually all of its team
from 2000, and runner-up Bryan County was likely the only team
that could stand in the Lady Dragons' way.
And stand in Jefferson's way they did.
Bryan County took advantage of numerous defensive mistakes and
quiet bats from Jefferson to claim the 2001 state title, with
the Lady Dragons a close second.
Jefferson struggled to score from the start, needing 10 innings
to down Claxton in the first round. But when they did get started,
the Lady Dragons poured it on, with nine runs in the 10th inning
to win, 13-4.
A 12-1 bruising of Miller County followed, setting up the semifinal-round
matchup with Bryan County.
Bryan broke a 2-2 tie in the third inning by scoring two unearned
runs. Jefferson left five runners on base in the final three
innings, and Bryan took the 4-2 win.
CONSOLATION GAME
Jefferson met familiar region foe Buford in the consolation round,
and the two teams battled early, the Lady Wolves leading 2-1
in the fourth inning.
Another offensive outburst propelled Jefferson to victory. The
Lady Dragons sent 13 batters to the plate in their half of the
fourth inning, and put nine runs on the board to take a convincing
10-2 lead. Lee DuBose and Brittany Caudell both doubled in the
inning, and DuBose added a single in her second at-bat of the
inning. Annie Goza singled in both of her plate appearances,
and Jefferson also had singles from Kenyotta Beasley and Sunny
Bush.
The Lady Dragons picked up two more runs in the fifth to close
the scoring at 12-2.
FINAL ROUND
Leopards heading
into the mountains
Banks to take on undefeated Union County.
The Banks County Leopards will have a long bus ride awaiting
Friday evening.
The Leopards are traveling to Union County to take on the undefeated
Panthers.
"They are real big and strong," Leopard coach Greg
Moore said. "They'll be the most physical team we've played."
Moore said the Panthers don't have the speed in the backfield
that some of their other opponents have had, but it is their
size and strength that worries him.
Union County is coming off a 13-7 victory over White County last
week. Three weeks ago, the Panthers edged out Lumpkin County
36-35 in overtime. Banks fell 20-0 to Lumpkin last week. Union
County has yet to face GAC, Dawson County or East Hall.
The Panthers run their offense out of the wing-T formation with
a 4-3 set on defense.
A key for the Leopards Friday night will be getting a breakthrough
on offense. Last week, Banks came within yards of scoring for
the first time since their second game of the season.
"We mixed it up a little more last week," Moore said
of the offense. "We'll probably do some of the same things
this week."
 Panthers pick up region win, 21-14
Homecoming this week
The Jackson County Panthers claimed their first varsity football
win in more than a year Friday, with a 21-14 victory at Franklin
County. The win was also Jackson County's first in region competition
since the 1997 season, when the Panthers finished 3-4 in Region
8-AA and 4-6 overall.
"Good things come to people who keep their shoulder to the
wheel," Panther head coach Greg Lowe said of the win. "It's
something we preach all the time; good people, high character,
hard work it has it's rewards, but the message gets lost
if there's no reward. Friday was sort of a reward for us, finally."
The Panthers racked up 283 yards rushing and another 53 through
the air, and turned the ball over only once, marking the second
consecutive week of improvement for Jackson County in holding
on to the pigskin.
Down 7-6 at the half, Jackson County might have been expected
to give up when the Lions came out roaring with a touchdown on
their first drive of the third quarter.
"It would have been real easy for our kids to just check
in at that time," Lowe commented.
But they didn't. The Panthers responded with a touchdown of their
own, Chris McGeary hauling in a Bradley Wilson pass from 18 yards
out to pull to within two.
As rarely as the Panthers have found the end zone in 2001, a
two-point conversion might have seemed to be a lot to ask for,
but the task was accomplished when Wilson connected with Chuck
Kubiak to tie the game at 14.
Jackson County mounted its final drive of the game with around
10 minutes left in the game, a monster 19-play, 88-yard drive
that gobbled up all but 19 seconds of the game clock.
Chris Kubiak moved the ball to just inches shy of a score before
Marquez Trammel went in for his second score of the night to
break the tie.
"I think that's a real testimony to our kids' perseverence,"
Lowe said of the game-winning drive. "We had all kinds of
opportunities to stub our toe, and that would be the expected
thing, with a squad that's struggled like we have."
Franklin County threatened to send the game to overtime in the
final 19 seconds, until Andy Crawford batted a Lion pass and
Brandon Shields came up with the interception to end the drive
and clinch the win for Jackson County.
"We came back in Moday [of last week] and did some real
soul-searching," Lowe said of his team's first practice
after a 47-7 loss to Loganville. "Last week was a real hard
week to be a football player here. The kids really stepped it
up. We didn't do anything bad to them; it was really just a change
of attitude. The main thing is the players' effort. That was
the big change from last Friday to this Friday."
HOMECOMING THIS WEEK
The Panthers will observe Homecoming this week, as the Bulldoggs
of Winder-Barrow come calling at Panther Field.
"Winder is very athletic," Lowe commented on this week's
opponent. "They'll attack us on defense and try to disrupt
us before we get going. If we go out and make a good effort,
it will be a good, competitive football game."
Winder-Barrow is 3-3 thus far in 2001, 1-4 in region play. The
Bulldoggs' three wins have come against teams with a comined
record of 3-18 20-6 over North Hall (0-7), 15-7 against
Meadowcreek (2-5) and 32-10 over Franklin County (1-6).
 A
Successful Run
Softball Team's Postseason Journey Ends With Fourth-Place Finish.
The clock struck 12 on Commerce's Cinderella post season run
Friday, but not before they made an impression in the big dance.
The Tigers (17-19) earned a fourth-place finish in the state
tournament by rebounding from a 13-1 opening-round loss to top-seeded
Miller County with two big wins Friday over Claxton and Treutlen
before being ousted by nemesis Buford later that afternoon.
Despite finishing two games under .500, Commerce's fourth-place
showing matched that of last year's 25-10 senior-laden squad.
Head coach Donnie Drew said the team's run at state was indicative
of the type of up-and-down season the squad had.
"Obviously, you're excited when you finish higher than you
thought you would and you're disappointed when you finish lower
than you thought you would-we've experienced both recently,"
said Drew, pointing to the team's disappointing showing during
the area tournament and then resurgence in the state sectionals
and state tournament.
The coach said that the squad's 17-7 pounding of Claxton in the
loser's bracket at the state tournament and subsequent 12-11
10-inning thriller over Treutlen brought out the best in his
young squad.
"We were obviously pleased with the results of the second
and third games," Drew said. "We played with intensity
and concentration. We would have won the fourth game if we played
with that kind of intensity....To win those two showed what we
were capable of and the tenth inning win was about as good as
we could play."
The coach however, said he was disappointed with the team's close,
season-ending loss to Buford, a contest where Drew said his team
lost the concentration and focus they showed in their two wins.
The team built up a 3-0 third inning lead over the Wolves but
surrendered eight runs over the next three innings to fall to
Buford by three runs-their fifth loss of the year to the Wolves.
"The concentration wasn't there that could have been,"
Drew said. "I've never been satisfied with a close loss
when we didn't play up to our capabilities.
For the year as a whole, Drew said the team had its bright spots
but would have liked to see it play with more consistency.
"If we could have played all year like we played those two
games (at state), we could have won several more ball games."
With the team's post season success this year, Drew said the
future looks bright for the Tiger softball team-if the team keeps
the same caliber of foes next year. With the constant shuffle
of teams going from slow pitch, Commerce's future slate of opponents
remains to be seen.
"In a similar competitive situation, it (the state tournament
success) should help us a lot."
 Raiders
roar to finish
30-7 Madison County takes Class AAA state runner-up honors. Sunflower
seeds.
Bottled water, maybe a soft drink. Essentials for watching a
game.
But Raider softball parents joked about another essential this
past week in Columbus - heart medication.
The Madison County softball squad peered at opponents last week
through never-say-die bifocals that all great teams share.
The team took parents, fans and reporters on a roller coaster
ride that left hearts pounding and palms sweating.
Three runs down and one strike away from losing the first game
of the tournament Thursday, the Raiders rallied - thanks to a
clutch two-run double by Brandi Robertson - to force the game
to a tenth inning before finally grabbing the win.
The Raiders downed LaGrange by one run in eight innings Friday
as Lyndsey Mason smashed a game-winning hit. Later that night,
Madison County edged Loganville 3-2 as Lyndsey Barnette continued
her pitching dominance, battling some of the state's top hitters
in any classification with smart location and wicked changeups.
Yes, the team dropped two straight to Loganville Saturday, 2-0
and 4-1, having to settle for runner-up in Class AAA. The losses
hurt. They should. Any team which cares about succeeding should
feel the pinch of not meeting a goal.
But gaining perspective is part of maturity.
And as the Raider bus followed a blue-light police escort back
to cheering fans at the high school, team members must have surely
recognized one thing.
They had a special year.
Consider that the team won the Area 8-AAA regular season and
tournament titles for the second straight year in perfect form,
going 12-0 in the area.
Consider that the team won a school-record 30 games, including
12 by shutout.
Remember that the state runner-up squad of 2001 is essentially
last year's junior varsity team. This year's Raiders had only
one senior - Amanda Lewis.
Think about that fact that the Raiders' two returning standouts,
Barnette and Lewis, both missed playing time early in the season
due to injury, but the two played with pain and showed real team
leadership down the stretch.
Remember that the team's number two pitcher, Sarah Tippins, is
just a freshman. She was remarkable filling in for Barnette early
in the year.
Consider that the Raiders outscored their foes 220 to 70, an
average 5.9 runs per game to opponents' 1.9.
Consider that the 2001 Raiders clinched the program's 100th win
in fast-pitch softball. Madison County is now 102-34 (.750) in
four years of fast-pitch softball under coach Doug Kesler, advancing
to the state final four in 2000 and final two this year.
And, of course, consider that the squad overcame a tumultuous
off-season in which the coach was fired without any real reasons
given, then rehired after numerous people let the school board
know of their disapproval of the dismissal. Coach Kesler certainly
answered his critics this year.
He led a group of youngsters to unexpected heights.
But we shouldn't be too surprised. The bar has risen in girls'
athletics at Madison County in recent years.
And by the looks of things, these Lady Raiders will continue
to soar.
|
LOCAL
FOOTBALL SCHEDULES/RESULTS
| Banks County |
| (1-6-0) |
| Date |
Opponent |
Score |
| 8/31 |
at
JCCHS |
12-7 |
| 9/7 |
Jefferson |
7-35 |
| 9/21 |
Dawson
Co. |
0-28 |
| 9/28 |
at
East Hall |
0-28 |
| 10/5 |
GAC |
0-48 |
| 10/12 |
at
Apalachee |
0-30 |
| 10/19 |
Lumpkin
Co. |
0-20 |
| 10/26 |
at
Union Co. |
- |
| 11/2 |
Rabun
Co. |
- |
| 11/9 |
at
White Co. |
- |
| Commerce |
| (3-3-0) |
| Date |
Opponent |
Score |
| 8/31 |
Franklin
Co |
29-13 |
| 9/7 |
at
Forsyth Ctrl |
14-35 |
| 9/14 |
Morgan
Co |
ppd. |
| 9/21 |
at
Walhalla, SC |
35-24 |
| 9/28 |
at
Lincoln Co |
13-12 |
| 10/5 |
at
Ath Acad |
7-34 |
| 10/12 |
Wash-Wilkes |
26-49 |
| 10/26 |
Wesleyan |
- |
| 10/2 |
at
Jefferson |
- |
| 10/9 |
Buford |
- |
| Jackson County |
| (1-5-0) |
| Date |
Opponent |
Score |
| 8/31 |
Banks
Co |
7-12 |
| 9/7 |
at
Madison Co |
7-35 |
| 9/14 |
at
Elbert Co |
ppd. |
| 9/28 |
Hart |
3-51 |
| 10/5 |
at
Eastside |
7-47 |
| 10/12 |
Loganville |
0-47 |
| 10/19 |
at
Franklin |
21-14 |
| 10/26 |
Winder-Barrow |
- |
| 11/2 |
Stephens
Co |
- |
| 11/9 |
at
Monroe Area |
- |
| Jefferson |
| (4-2-0) |
| Date |
Opponent |
Score |
| 8/31 |
Athens
Christian |
40-6 |
| 9/7 |
at
Banks Co |
35-7 |
| 9/14 |
at
Johns-G'ville |
ppd. |
| 9/21 |
Madison
Co |
11-14 |
| 9/28 |
at
Social Circle |
21-28 |
| 10/5 |
Oglethorpe
Co |
21-6 |
| 10/12 |
Lndmrk
Christ |
23-14 |
| 10/26 |
at
Buford |
- |
| 11/2 |
Commerce |
- |
| 11/9 |
at
Wesleyan |
- |
| Madison County |
| (6-1-0) |
| Date |
Opponent |
Score |
| 8/24 |
South
Forsyth |
0-17 |
| 9/1 |
Apalachee |
36-3 |
| 9/7 |
Jackson
Co |
35-7 |
| 9/14 |
at
North Hall |
ppd. |
| 9/21 |
at
Jefferson |
14-11 |
| 9/28 |
Warren
Co |
14-7 |
| 10/5 |
Union
Grove |
35-6 |
| 10/19 |
at
Wesleyan |
14-0 |
| 10/26 |
at
Union Grove |
- |
| 11/2 |
Athens
Christian |
- |
|