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The ADVANCE, September 27,2023/Page 13B
Loran
continued from page IB
After articulating his ob
jective to force the Iron
Bowl game to go home
and home, he said: “It was
one of my proudest mo
ments to move that game
because it meant so much
to the Auburn people.
“You won’t believe
the letters I got from re
tired schoolteachers and
working-class people,
who loved Auburn. They
thanked me over and over
for standing up to Ala
bama.”
Then he began to lec
ture me as he often did
with a good friend. He
pointed his finger at me
and spoke candidly, “You
know it means nothing to
me, but I want you to
know y’all (meaning the
University of Georgia),
are the biggest damn fools
there is to be playing that
Florida game in Jackson
ville.”
He had recently been
inducted into the Geor-
gia-Florida Hall of Fame
and spent a weekend in
Jacksonville, which gave
him a close look at how
the city hosted this big
game. He did not see it as
a neutral site. He saw it as
a big game in a Florida
city, which had inherent
plusses for the Gators.
“Why don’t you all
think about the mer
chants in Athens? Why
don’t you think about the
businesspeople in Athens
just as Florida ought to
think about the busi
nesses in Gainesville?
Why let the city of Jack
sonville get all that reve
nue? That’s why I wanted
to move the Auburn-Ala-
bama game to a home and
home format.”
With the game going
home and home, some
thing else developed.
While Jordan-Hare was
already established as a
difficult place to play,
things intensified. It was
tough on all opponents,
but it ramped up consid
erably when Alabama
came to town. And also
Georgia.
“You know,” Pat said
at the end of the day, “you
don’t let the critics get to
you, but when you can
help your own alumni and
fan base, you are crazy not
to do that. When I am
feeling low and get a little
depressed, I get out those
letters and reread some of
them. It makes my day.
“I felt so good making
the Auburn people smile.
Like they wrote, they ap
preciated me standing up
to Alabama. I never made
a more popular decision
as the Auburn athletic di
rector than that one.”
On that mud dodging
ride, he reminisced with
out pause. I didn’t make a
single note, but there
were some indelible
quotes and stories that
were colorful and insight
ful—which is what you
get from a seasoned and
resourceful raconteur.
Bear Bryant, whom
he worked for as an assis
tant and admired greatly,
was shocked that Dye
would take the Auburn
job and called him. The
Bear said, “I thought I
raised you better than
this.”
When they met as ri
val coaches for the first
time, Bryant gave Dye a
big, fatherly, “Bear” hug.
Pat told his former boss,
“Don’t come over here
hugging on me cause we
ain’t scared of you.” Bry
ant said, “I know it and
that is what worries me.”
Bryant won the first game
against his former assis
tant, but Dye got even
with the Bear in his last
year at Alabama, defeat
ing the Tide in 1982 in a
thriller, 23-22.
Bryant saw the hand
writing on the wall. He
knew he could not physi
cally keep up with his
younger friend, now ad
versary. He retired and
died less than a month
following the Liberty ’82
Bowl.
In the long history of
the Southeastern Confer
ence, no coach has had a
greater impact on a school
in the space of a decade
than Pat Dye did at Au
burn.
TCHS NetDawgs Go 3-0
Courtesy of TCHS
It was a good week for
the Toombs County High
School volleyball team as
they picked up three wins.
They improved their over
all record to 8-5, and they
are now 3-2 in Region play,
vs. Tattnall
The Lady NetDawgs
showcased their skills in a
Region match at home
against Tattnall on Mon
day of last week.
JV
The Junior Varsity
(JV) team started off
slowly but eventually
found their rhythm, win
ning in three sets (19-25,
25-14, and 15-9). The JV
team was spearheaded by
the efforts of Alivia Pat
rick, Elida Cruz, and
Emma Wright. Emma de
livered an impressive per
formance with 13 service
points, 11 aces, and 3 as
sists. Alivia Patrick also
had a notable game with 6
service points, all being
aces, and 6 kills. Elida Cruz
contributed with 6 service
points, 3 aces, and 2 assists.
Melinda Fagan and Grade
Peterson both added 2
aces each.
Varsity
The Varsity team had a
remarkable night, winning
in three straight sets (25-
16, 25-1, and 25-9). The
star of the night was Mar-
tasia Burton, who amassed
27 service points, 8 aces
with only 1 service error,
and an additional 18 as
sists. A particularly memo
rable moment was at the
beginning of the second
set when she served 18
consecutive points. Other
standout performances in
cluded Anna Patrick with
11 kills and Arianna Hill
with 9 kills.
On Tuesday evening,
the Lady NetDawgs show
cased a dominant perfor
mance, with both JV and
Varsity teams sealing victo
ries in all their matches,
vs. New Hampstead
JV
The JV squad defeated
New Hampstead in straight
sets, with scores of 25-19
and 25-17. Standouts in
cluded Elida Cruz, Alivia
Patrick, Emma Wright,
and Grade Davila. Their
prowess at the service line
was particularly notable:
Elida secured 8 service
points and 3 aces, Alivia
achieved 6 service points
and 3 aces, Grade garnered
7 service points and 2 aces,
while Emma chipped in
with 4 service points and 2
aces. Moreover, Emma
provided 8 assists, and
Alivia contributed with 8
critical kills. The team’s
collective effort was com
mendable.
Varsity
Turning to the Varsity
matches, Arianna Hill
shined against New Hamp
stead, accumulating team-
highs with 10 service
points, 5 aces, 5 digs, and 4
kills. Emma Wright also
made her mark with 6 ser
vice points and 3 aces.
Both Martasia Burton and
Anabel Cruz supported
the team’s efforts with 5 as
sists each, while Anna Pat
rick contributed 3 kills,
vs. Jenkins
In their subsequent
face-off against Jenkins
HS, the Lady Netdawgs
continued their momen
tum. The serving skills of
Makayla Brewton, Scarlett
Stanley, Martasia Burton,
and Emma Wright were on
full display. Anna Patrick
was a force to be reckoned
with at the net, registering
6 kills.
All in all, it was an im
peccable week for the Lady
NetDawgs. The Varsity
team went 3-0, boosting
their record to 8-5 overall
and 3-2 in the Region,
while the JV squad im
proved to 5-2. They were
back in action on Monday
of this week after presstime
at Brantley County. They
will be at Long County on
Thursday at 5:00 p.m.
BPC Volleyball Drops 3 Matches
Courtesy of BPC
The Brewton-Parker
volleyball team played three
matches last week. They
faced off with Wesleyan
(Ga.) on Tuesday, hosted
Claflin (S.C.) on Thursday
night, and then Southern
States Athletic Conference
(SSAC) action resumed on
Saturday afternoon as BPC
hosted Faulkner (Ala.),
vs. Wesleyan
Brewton-Parker Wom
en’s Volleyball hosted Wes
leyan (Ga.) on Tuesday
night for a nonconference
matchup. The Lady Barons
(3-5) fell to the Wolves (2-
6) in a four-set battle which
slipped out of reach.
“Frustrated with to
night’s result,” Head Coach
Obed Quiles mentioned.
“Our serve-receive was not
up to our standard and we
struggled because of it. We
will get back to work and
prepare for Thursday.”
After falling to an early
4-0 deficit, the Lady Barons
battled back into the open
ing set to level the score 9-9.
Wesleyan began to pull
away to a seven-point ad
vantage before BPC crept
back into the set. The
Wolves managed to edge
out the Lady Barons for the
25-23 win in set one.
Wesleyan moved to a
2-0 match lead in the sec
ond set with a convincing
25-13 set victory before
Brewton-Parker extended
the match with a great re
sponse in the third set, win
ning 25-19.
Unfortunately, BPC
slipped away in a tight
fourth set which began with
back-and-forth action. The
Wolves closed out the set
Photo by VHS
VHS Indian Medalists at Jones County - (L to R): Judith Hussey, Andrew Hodges, Gabe
Cleghorn, Jude Owen and Georgia Meredith.
Indians Run In Two Meets
Courtesy of VHS
It was a busy week for
the cross country team
from Vidalia High School.
They kicked it off with a
trip across the county to
the Bulldog Invitational
held at Toombs County
High School on Thursday.
They then traveled to
Jones County for the
Greyhound Invitational
on Saturday.
Toombs County
The Indians hit the
trail at the Toombs County
Bulldog Invitational and
came away big. The boys
had 6 medalists and came
away with the team victory
while the girls had 2 med
alists.
Andrew Hodges led
the pack with a 2nd place
finish while Jude Owen
was just behind him finish
ing 3rd. Other top placers
for the boys were Chamlee
Evans placing 7th, Cash
Driggers placing 11th and
Liam MacGregor placing
12th and Abrien Anthony
finished 16th. Freshman
Simon Collins ran a signif
icant personal best and
was the team’s 6th finisher.
The girls were led by
Judith Hussey, who fin
ished with an outstanding
personal best race as she
placed 9th and Sadie Sieg-
mund placed 15 th.
Coach Mandy God-
bee said, “The whole team
continues to grow and de
velop. Each and every day
they set the standard
higher and put forth effort
to achieve their goals.
They are a very talented
and focused group of ath
letes and it is such a joy
and honor to coach them.”
Jones County
The Vidalia High
School Indians cross coun
try team traveled to Jones
County to compete for the
second time in 48 hours.
They came up big bringing
home 5 medalists, 6 per
sonal best performances
and a third place finish for
the boys.
Leading the pack for
the ladies was Georgia
Meredith with a 6th place
finish. Georgia continues
to compete and race with
some of the best runners
in the state. Judith Hussey
put in another huge per
sonal best performance
knocking off 40 seconds
from her previous personal
best on Thursday, finish
ing 25th.
The boys team rallied
to finish 3rd to Jones
County and Veterans High
School with the combined
efforts of Andrew Hodges,
Jude Owen, Cash Drig
gers, Chamlee Evans and
Liam MacGregor. Hodges
placed 12th and Owen
placed 13 th in a large,
competitive group of run
ners. Owen busted
through a barrier he has
been chasing all season as
he ran under 18minutes
with a time of 17:37. Liam
MacGregor surpassed a
barrier as well, running un
der 19 minutes for the first
time with a time of 18:54.
Freshman Gabe Cleghorn
also had another personal
best in the JV race with a
time of 22:43, finishing
20th.
Coach Godbee stated,
“This meet was a gut check
for these athletes as they
knew it would be difficult
to run on tired and sore
legs, but they were cer
tainly up for the challenge.
Back to back meets show
you how badly they want
to run fast and how tough
they can be. They did not
disappoint.”
The Indians hit the
road again for the Night
Run at Bleckley County
this Thursday.
ahead of Brewton-Parker
despite the battling Lady
Barons climbing their way
back late. Wesleyan secured
the match in a 25-22 vic
tory.
Despite falling in the
match, Brewton-Parker led
45-34 in kills while also
leading 43-28 in assists. The
Lady Barons gave up 37 er
rors in the match while
Wesleyan gave up 18.
Amme Mobley led BPC
with 12 kills with a .474 at
tacking percentage followed
by Jalisia Famber with nine
kills and a .316 hitting per
centage. Two Lady Barons
recorded double-digit as
sists with Jelisa Alexander
with 21 and Katy Mathis
with 16.
vs. Claflin
Brewton-Parker Wom
en’s Volleyball hosted Claf
lin (S.C.) on Thursday night
to continue nonconference
action. The Lady Barons (3-
6) dropped the match to the
Panthers (4-2) in a four-set
defeat in Gillis Gymnasium.
“Disappointed in to
night’s result, but there were
positives to draw from,”
Head Coach Obed Quiles
said. “Our serves improved
tonight compared to the last
few matches. There are
other aspects of our game
we must improve on if we
want to compete.”
Claflin opened with
three straight points before
the Lady Barons took con
trol of the opening set, re
turning with a 7-1 swing to
lead 7-4. BPC held control
for most of the first set until
the Panthers clawed their
way back late, closing out
the set with a 9-2 run to win
25-20.
Brewton-Parker domi
nated the second set after a
sluggish start, securing a
convincing 25-11 win over
Claflin. BPC produced the
best set of the night with a
.474 hitting percentage and
11 kills. Both teams battled
in the third set with the Pan
thers leading the way for
most of the set, capturing a
25-19 win.
The visitors jumped
out to an early 10-1 lead in
the fourth set and kept their
foot on the gas to slam the
door shut on BPC, winning
the match with a 25-13 vic
tory.
Claflin edged out Brew
ton-Parker 33-32 in kills
while the Lady Barons led
12-7 in aces. Keelie Jordan
led with eight kills followed
by Amme Mobley and Jali
sia Famber with six each.
R’eyahn Shaffer recorded
five aces to lead the Lady
Barons. Jelisa Alexander
produced 21 assists. Two
Lady Barons notched dou
ble-digit digs with Kinsley
Jordan recording 16 fol
lowed by Shaffer with 14.
vs. Faulkner
SSAC action resumed
on Saturday afternoon as
Brewton-Parker Women’s
Volleyball hosted Faulkner
(Ala.) in Gillis Gymnasium.
The Lady Barons (3-7, 0-4
SSAC) were swept by the
Eagles (3-9, 2-2 SSAC) in a
tough afternoon battle.
“We played well, but it
was not enough for us to
win,” Head Coach Obed
Quiles said. “Our service
continues to be a strong
point for us. We need to
improve on getting the ball
down and increasing our of
fensive threat.”
After a close back-and-
forth battle to open the first
set, Faulkner began to edge
out Brewton-Parker with a
five-point advantage. The
Lady Barons fought their
way back into the set, secur
ing a 14-13 lead. Both sides
were drawn 16-16 before
the Eagles managed to pull
away to win the opening set
25-20.
Faulkner went on a 7-0
run after Brewton-Parker
opened the second set with
a 6-5 lead. The Eagles re
mained in control of the set,
winning 25-17 for the two-
set advantage. The visitors
continued control of the
score in the third set, secur
ing another 25-17 set vic
tory for the sweep.
Faulkner led the game
49-24 in kills with a .327 hit
ting percentage. BPC led
5-4 in aces. The Lady Bar
ons’ best hitting set came in
the second frame, recording
a .217 hitting percentage.
Kinsley Jordan and Naomi
Taake recorded six kills
each. Jelisa Alexander led
BPC with three aces while
also leading with 22 assists.
R’eyahn Shaffer recorded a
match-high 12 digs.
The Lady Barons re
turn to play this weekend
with a road trip to Loyola
(La.) and William Carey
(Miss.) which begins on
Friday at 7 p.m. in New Or
leans.