Newspaper Page Text
MCHS vs. Johnson Co.
Thur. 6:00 p.m. (A); Fri. 4:00 p.m. (H)
RTCA vs. FPCA
Thur. 4:00 p.m. (A)
TCHS vs. Jeff Davis
Thur. 6:00 p.m. (A); Fri. 5:45 p.m. (H)
VHS vs. Swainsboro
Thur. 5:30 p.m. (A); Fri. 5:45 p.m. (H)
Wheeler Co. vs. Telfair Co.
Fri. 4:00 p.m. (A, DH)
Treutlen vs. Hawkinsville
Fri. 4:00 p.m., (A, DH)
Heritage vs. Fullington
Thur. 4:30 p.m., (A)
BASEBALL
March 24,2021
®lft Aiuianre
Section B
TCHS Shows Potential
Photo by Mike Branch
Treyvon Harris fires over to first for an out as the Bulldogs host Coffee County.
the
SCOUTING
REPORT
I’m Pulling For
The 101-Year-
Old Nun
Well, it’s not the first time. But this
year, the players and coaches aren’t the
only ones not handling the Covid-19
virus.
Not only are
fans still getting
sick; but the in-
consistency
caused by play
ing the season
with this virus is
simply destroy
ing our brackets.
How can this
Georgia Bulldog
maniac explain
that his pick to win the NCAA Men’s
Basketball Championship, the archrival
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, lost in the
first round.
I must confess that I was really en
amored with this Yellow Jacket basket
ball team, which went into their first
round tournament game against Loyola
of Chicago without their best player.
Moses Wright, the 6’9” Yellow
Jacket center, who was named as the
ACC’s MVP, missed the game due to
testing positive for the virus. He was
extremely upset; but the protocals made
Tech’s MVP take an early flight back to
Atlanta.
Could Tech have beaten Loyola?
Undoubtedly, but the Catholic school
from Chicago is claiming a position it’s
had before, as the Cinderella team in the
tournament.
Loyola proved they belong in the
Sweet 16 again by whipping up on Illi
nois, the Big-10 Champions and the #1
seed in the Regional. I’ve always won
dered why Catholic schools are so tough
in basketball.
There were plenty of other upsets
too. Oral Roberts, the #15 seed in its
Regional and a bigger underdog than
Loyola whipped Ohio State, the second
seed, in the Regional in their first round
game. The Buckeyes missed a last sec
ond 3-pointer to lose 75-72.
And on Sunday night, Oral Roberts
upset Florida 81-78. So, the 15th seed
was in the Sweet 16.
North Texas State’s Big Green
knocked off another Big 10 team when
they beat Purdue 78-69.
Who am I pulling for now? Cer
tainly not Alabama. I’d rather Tech win
it than Alabama. Alabama has garnered
enough trophies in football; and I don’t
think all of them were above board.
If the Tide started garnering basket
ball trophies too, I think I’d just quit
collegiate sports altogether. Alabama in
football is worse than Kentucky in bas
ketball. And just like Kentucky, the Roll
Tiders need to sit on their behuncus for
more than a while in the SEC’s favorite
sport.
I could pull for LSU or Arkansas,
and I certainly wouldn’t mind if those
two teams reached the Final Four. I
hope that Georgia just gets there again
in basketball. The Bulldogs did make
one Final Four, in 1983, where they lost
to one of Jim Valvano’s North Carolina
State teams.
It’s hard not to be on the side of one
of the underdogs. So, I’m going to pull
for the team with the 101-year-old Nun
as a fan.
Sister Jean, the Nun from Chicago
who has been a big fan of Loyola basket
ball, was with the team when they made
a run in 2018. Now, she’s just turned
101 years old. That’d be a great story in
this year of the pandemic.
By Mike Branch
Sports Editor
sports 7 advance@gmail. com
The Toombs County High School
Bulldogs baseball team wrapped up their
nonregion schedule last week as they
took on Coffee County and the Cadets
of Benedictine. The top 10 ranked Bull
dogs picked up a win over the 5A Tro
jans of Coffee, but fell in extra inning to
Benedictine.
vs. Coffee
At home last Tuesday the Bulldogs
hosted Coffee County. Toombs lost 10-3
to the larger school in their first meeting
of the season, but on this day they had
their number. The game was scoreless
over the first two innings, but Coffee
plated one run in the top of the third in
ning to go on top, 1-0.
Toombs got things going in the bot
tom of the third inning when Alex Gordy
led things off with a double. A walk to
Chandler Lynn put runners on first and
second. Chase Musselman laid down a
bunt and beat it out to load up the bases
for Gray Stephens. Stephens sent a ball
to the fence in right field to bring in two
runs and put the Bulldogs on top. That
was followed by an RBI single by Tray
von Harris as Toombs took a 3-1 lead.
After holding in the top of the fourth
inning, the Bulldogs got back to work in
the bottom half of the frame. Gordy
again reached, this time on a single and
Lynn again followed with a walk. Mus
selman again laid down a bunt, but a
fielder's choice got Gordy at third. Ste
phens followed with an RBI single to
left, and Harris backed that with a 2 RBI
shot as Toombs took a 6-1 lead.
By Mike Branch
Sports Editor
sports 7 advance@gmail. com
Things are changing at Robert
Toombs Christian Academy. There
has been a lot of work going on at the
Crusaders baseball field, along with
several other projects on the horizon.
The beauty of this project for RTCA is
that all of the money has come from
the boosters for this. No money is
coming from the school funds that
would otherwise affect academics.
RTCA overhauled their softball
field several years ago, adding all new
covered seating along with doing work
on the field itself. They are going to
continue to update that field as they
improve the asthetics with new land
scaping and walkways.
They are also now working on do
ing similar things at the baseball field.
Coffee picked up one more run in
the sixth, but that was all as TCHS
picked up the 6-2 win. Gavin Hall got
the win on the mound with Logan
Knight pitching in relief.
vs. Benedictine
Benedictine came into the game as
the #1 ranked team in 4A, and with an
undefeated record, but it took them ex
tra innings and a walk-off home run to
win over the Bulldogs.
Benedictine got on the board first
with a run in the bottom of the second
inning on a sacrifice. In the top of the
third inning the Bulldogs tied the game
at 1-1. Kodie Cortez got on base with a
walk, he then stole second and third
They have already put up all new net
ting, made improvements to the field,
new concessions, and new landscaping
and bleachers. There is still work yet
to be done, but the project has been
moving along.
That work will continue over on
the football field and the field house as
well. RTCA will add new walkways
and landscaping. Also there will be
new ticket booths and entrances to the
football field. On the path toward that
entrance there is a plan to erect a walk
of fame.
RTCA Booster Chairman, Paul
Graham said, “Biggest thing is we want
to thank all the boosters for their com
mitment to our athletes. We are going
to have a great facility for them, some
thing they can be proud of, and some
thing that they will remember for years
to come.
Headmaster Travis Absher added,
base. Lynn smacked an RBI single to
score Cortez and tie the game at 1-1.
That score carried all the way to the
eighth inning. In the bottom of the
eighth the Cadets put two runners on
base, and then a three-run home run
over the left field fence gave them the
4-1 win over Toombs.
Toombs is now 8-4 on the year and
they start Region play this week. Their
first three-game Region series is against
the Yellow Jackets of Jeff Davis. The first
game was a home game on Tuesday after
presstime. They will play next in Hazle-
hurst on Thursday at 6:00 p.m., and will
wrap it up on Friday back in Lyons at
5:45 p.m.
“I think that this is overdue, and I
think that our school community has
really been wanting this. As hard as
these kids work they also deserve
these improvements.
“What makes this special is the
hard work from our parents, not just
from the monetary standpoint, but
they are out here actually doing the
work on these facilities themselves.
And 50 years ago that is just how this
school was started, and we are still
here because we have those type of
parents and that types of support.
“I've told anyone that will listen.
All of the stuff that you are going to
see going on over the next six months,
not a dime of it is tuition money.
Nothing is being taken from any class
room, or academic standpoint. Every
bit of it is hard work from our boost-
By John Conner
Photo by Mike Branch
(Lto R): Headmaster Travis Absher, Booster Chairman Paul Graham, and Athletic Director Jacob Lord show off some of the work
that has been completed at the RTCA baseball field.
RTCA Improving Facilities
