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Loran The BACK2BACK
Smith Eagles Are STATE CHAMPIONS
BigO
(The following is based on a profile in
the new book “How ‘Bout Them Dawgs”
published by the University of Georgia
Press, available
now where
books are sold
and the UGA
Press website.)
This the first in a
series of excerpts
from “How ‘Bout
Them Dawgs.”
Football got its
start in the 19th
century mostly
for energetic
boys to enjoy a release of pent-up energy.
There were no scholarships, no big coach
es’ salaries, no team doctors, no smartly
dressed cheerleaders, no season ticket
plan, and no reserved parking.
All that would change as football
gradually replaced baseball as the premier
sport on campus. As the game grew in
popularity, the greatest trade off in the his
tory of America took place: a kid could
gain a free college education by playing a
sport.
It rings true today, but for so many
college athletes, they see professional
riches as their ticket to a good life without
having to depend on a degree. While true,
many squander National Football League
riches and wind up disillusioned.
We don’t know where the game is
headed with today’s challenges, but the
old grant-in-aid system still works. Take
Georgia tight end Darnell Washington, for
example. His college scholarship was the
first step in bringing him opportunity in
life. His NFL contract with the Pittsburgh
Steelers will enable him to provide for
his family, especially his mother Katrina
Graves. If you have any doubts about the
value of the intercollegiate grant-in-aid
system and the NFL draff, you need only
to look at the life story of Big O.
Think about his development years
and his home place and the environment
from which he sprung. He grew up in Las
Vegas, one of nine kids, but knows little
about the attractions which draw more
than 32 million visitors a year to his home
town. To this day he has never pulled the
lever of a slot machine, and he has never
rolled the dice at a gaming table.
He has never seen any of the classic
shows which Vegas is famous for: Britney
Spears, Celine Dion, Prince, Elton John
or Wayne Newton. And he has never en
joyed a $250 steak dinner, for one simple
reason—he didn’t have the money. If he
had, he would have given it to his hard
working mother for groceries or some
critical family need.
There were periods in Big O’s life
when his family were homeless, including
many months when he slept in a U-Haul
trailer. There was no roof over his head.
There was no car, so the family walked
everywhere they went. To the doctor’s
office, to school, to the grocery store. His
mother walked to work, hoping that she
would not get laid off. Those who know
Darnell can easily forecast that one of the
first moves this gentle giant (6-7,265) will
make with his pro football income, will be
to buy his mother a home. With success in
the NFL, Big O will become the ultimate
story of emerging from austerity to sus
tainability.
There are many interesting features to
Big O’s personality and habits. He is a very
laid-backperson who is not flummoxed by
solitude. He can idle away with family and
friends without becoming overcome with
boredom. While at Georgia, he spent
considerable time playing video games
Please see Loran page 2B
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By Loran Smith
Photo by Mike Branch
State Champions - (L to R, Front): Pearson ONeal, Maddyx Herrin, Carson Sitzman, Jake Adams,
Gray McNeal; (Back): Trevor White, Luke Moxley, A.C, Chad Cofield, R.J. Wells, J.T. Cofield, Grey-
son Price, Hardy Franklin, Greer Posey, Dalton Price, Jackson Franklin, Ledger Curl, and Head
Coach Seth Sitzman.
By Mike Branch
Sports Editor
sports 7 advance@gmail.com
In just five years of varsity
baseball, the Eagles of Vidalia
Heritage Academy have been to
the State Championship three
times, and are now back-to-
back State Champions. The
Eagles swept Horizon Christian
Academy in a best-of-three se
ries at home on Friday of last
week to take home their second
GAPPS Class A State Title in a
row.
Head Coach Seth Stizman
said after the games, “It was fun
day. They kept us on our toes in
the first game as we were a bit
slow to start off. We battled
back in that first game to win in
the bottom of the seventh, and
then we carried that momen
tum into the second game and
came out on top. We have great
kids, our seniors have really
helped lead us, and I couldn’t be
happier for all of these guys
coming away with this win.”
Game 1
Neither team had scored
over the first two innings of the
game, but in the bottom of the
third inning VELA loaded the
bases. After two hit batters they
had taken a 2-0 lead over Hori
zon. Heritage took that 2-0 lead
into the top of the fourth in
ning.
Horizon answered with
their first run of the game. They
had a runner on second base,
and he stole third. The ball got
away allowing him to come in
to score to close the lead to 2-1.
Horizon then tied the game on
an RBI single. Horizon scored
two more runs in the top of the
fifth inning to take a 4-2 lead
over the Eagles.
In the bottom of the sixth
inning Trevor White came in to
score on a single by Hardy
Franklin, and then Jackson
Franklin came across to tie the
game at 4-4 on an error by Ho
rizon. That was all VELA could
get in the inning, but that sent
the game to the seventh tied at
4-4.
In the top of the seventh
inning the Eagles held, setting
them up with the chance to pull
out the win in the bottom of the
last inning. Ledger Curl led off
with a base hit, and that was fol
lowed by a walk-off hit by Dal
ton Price that went to the left-
center field fence. Curl came all
Please see VHA page 2B
MCHS Track & Field Takes Both
Girls And Boys State Championships
By Mike Branch
Sports Editor
sports 7 advance@gmail.com
It was a big week for the Eagles of
Montgomery County High School as
both the boys and girls track and field
teams came away with the GHSA 1A
Division 2 State Championship. The
boys are now back-to-back State
Champions. Marley Bell was also the
High Point Female Athlete for the
meet with four individual State Cham
pionships.
Girls
Marley Bell led the way for the
Lady Eagles with three titles. Her time
of 45.44 in the 300m hurdles finals
was also good enough for USA Second
Team standard according to MileSplit.
She also won the 100m hurdles, the
high jump, and the triple jump.
Jabrayla Coglin was 2nd in the
long jump, Jaliya Morre took 6th in
the shot put, and Laurie Conner was
8th in the 800m run. The 4x400m re
lay team took 2nd place with the
4x200m team in 4th, and the 4x100m
team in 5th place, and the 4x800m
team in 7th place.
Boys
The MCHS boys brought home
three State Titles on the way to the
Team Championship. Ahmad Carter
took 1st place in the long jump and
State Champions - The Eagles girls and boys track teams earned the GHSA A Division
2 State Titles.
Jamarion Henderson was 1st in the
800m run. The 4x400m relay team
also came in 1st place.
Jordyn Patterson finished in 2nd
place in the 400m dash, the 4x800m
relay team took 2nd place, Jamun Cog
lin was 4th in the long jump, and
Carter also was 5th in the triple jump,
and Jokobe Mobley finished in 6th
place in the high jump.
This is the first time that both the
boys and girls have won the State
Championship in the same year for the
Eagles. This is the second year in a row
that the MCHS boys have won the
State Championship.
Marley Bell won 4 Individual State Cham
pionships and the High Point Award,
Vidalia Indians Run At State
Courtesy of VHS
Vidalia High School Indian track
and field team came away with two
State Champions and a 7th place team
finish at the GHSA State Track and
Field Championships, held last week
end at McEachern High School.
Brandon Beasley took the AA State
Title in the Triple Jump, and Nahvie
Berry ran his way to Gold in the 110m
Hurdles. “I am proud of my team, espe
cially our State Champions and Medal
ists, but we are better than 7th,” said
Vidalia Track Coach Mandy Godbee.
“We will just have to learn from this,
and get better over the off-season,”
Godbee added.
The Indians, along with the Lady
Indians, set a couple of School Records
as well as a couple of Personal Bests,
including the boy’s 4x200 Relay team,
who set a school record of 1:28.76. The
combination of Antonio Barron, Bran
don Beasley, AJ McLendon, and Tyran
Jacobs not only set a new school re
cord, but they also eclipsed the previ
ous State Record time in taking 3rd
place.
The 4x800 team of Cash Driggers,
Hunter Loosberg, Seth McGregor, and
Andrew Hodges also set a school re
cord of 8:32.91, which gave them an
8th-place finish.
The Girls also added a school re-
Please see VHS page 4B