Newspaper Page Text
January 3, 2024
®l|e Aiuance
BASKETBALL
MCHS vs. CCA, Turner Co., Telfair Co.
Thur. 6:00 p.m. (H); Fri. 6:00 p.m. (H); Sat. 3:00 p.m. (A)
RTCA vs. Edmund Burke
Fri. 6:00 p.m. (A)
TCHS vs. Appling Co.
Fri. 6:00 p.m. (H)
VHS vs. Windsor Forest, Portal
Fri. 6:00 p.m. (H); Sat. 4:00 p.m. (H)
Wheeler vs. Bacon Co., Treutlen Co.
Fri. 6:00 p.m. (A); Sat. 6:00 p.m. (A)
Treutlen vs. Wilcox Co., Wheeler Co.
Fri. 6:00 p.m. (A); Sat. 6:00 p.m. (H)
Section B
Loran
Smith
Orange
Bowl
1984
MIAMI - By nightfall, Jan. 2,
1984, the football world had already
gone into a tailspin with Georgia hav
ing upset No. 2 Texas in the Cotton
Bowl in the af
ternoon, 10-9,
which opened
the door for
Miami to claim
the national
championship.
All the Hurri
canes had to do
was defeat No.
1 Nebraska, a
team consid
ered by many
to be the best
of all time. The
Cornhuskers had already been called
“the team of the century” by some
soothsayers.
Howard Schellenberger, the Mi
ami coach, seethed at such commen
tary. He had evaluated every Corn-
husker game film over and over, and
told a close friend, John Underwood
of Sports Illustrated, that while Ne
braska was good, they were certainly
beatable.
Underwood was head of the Or
ange Bowl public relations commit
tee which authorized the publishing
of a book on the bowl’s first 50 years.
I was fortunate to land the commit
ment to write the book which gave
me an inside relationship with Schel
lenberger and several members of the
Hurricane coaching staff.
However, there was unfinished
business in Dallas, with Georgia play
ing Texas in the Cotton Bowl. The
underdog Bulldogs, as all good Dawgs
know, defeated the Longhorns 10-9
which brought about pandemonium
at the Miami team headquarters as
the pre-game meal was being served
to the Hurricanes.
“I don’t think many of them ate
anything,” Schellenberger told me af
ter the game. “Steaks were flying off
the wall. There was complete bed
lam, and I worried that we would not
be able to settle them down.”
Meanwhile, back in Dallas, I
needed to get to the airport for a
flight to Miami for the Orange Bowl
Please see Loran page 2B
By Loran Smith
Myrtle Beach Bowl
vs. Ohio University
Lost 41-21
r
k- GEURG/JJ.
\SOI/TH£fTf/i
Gasparilla Bowl
vs. UCF
Won 30-17
Capital One
Orange Bowl
vs. Florida State
Dec. 30,4:00 p.m.
TCHS Takes Rivalry Dual From VHS
Courtesy of TCHS
Two of the top programs in Geor
gia 2A wrestling reside less than seven
miles apart, the Toombs County High
School Bulldogs and Vidalia High
School Indians. In the 2022-23 season
the MatDawgs and Indians placed 3rd
and 4th, respectively, in the team race
at the Traditional State Tournament.
Heading into the 2023-24 season
the Indians boast two individuals
ranked #1 in their respective weight
Please see TCHS page 2B
VHS Splits With Coffee
By Mike Branch
Sports Editor
sports 7 advance@gmail.com
The Vidalia High School basket
ball teams hosted the Paul Thigpen
Christmas Classic last week and took
on Coffee County on Wednesday
night to kick it off. The Lady Indians
fell to the Trojans, but the boys took
the win from the 5A school.
Girls vs. Coffee
The Lady Indians fell behind early
in the game as Coffee jumped out to a
21-5 leadin the first quarter. They ex
tended that lead in the second to 34-
12.
Coffee kept up the pressure in the
third quarter, taking a 50-21 lead into
the fourth. Coffee took the win, 62-33
over Vidalia.
Boys vs. Coffee
The boys also took on the Trojans
on Wednesday night, but they got the
win over the larger school. Vidalia
won their game 71-67 over Coffee.
The Lady Indians are now 4-6 on
the season and are 1-1 in Region play.
The boys are 7-3 on the year and are
also 1-1 in Region action.
After presstime for this issue the
Lady Indians faced Statesboro on
Thursday and Telfair County on Fri
day in the Christmas Classic. The boys
took on Dublin and Telfair County.
Both teams played against Brantley
County on Tuesday of this week, and
will be back in action on Friday as they
host Windsor Forest at 6:00 p.m. They
will then host Portal on Saturday at
4:00 p.m.
TCHS Falls To Florida's Faxon
By Mike Branch
Sports Editor
sports 7 advance@gmail.com
The Toombs
County High School
Bulldogs boys basket
ball team played in their
first game of the Paul
Thigpen Christmas
Classic at Vidalia High
School last Wednesday.
They took on the
Golden Eagles of Paxon
School for Advanced
Studies out of Jackson
ville, FL. Paxon came
into the game with a 9-2
record and are in Class
4A in Florida. Toombs gave them a
run for their money, but came up just
short.
In the first quarter of the game, the
Bulldogs and the Eagles were tied at
14-14, but a big second quarter from
TCHS gave them a nice halftime lead.
Toombs outscored Paxon 16-6 in the
second quarter of the game to take a
30-20 lead into the break.
But in the third quarter, the tables
turned as Paxon came back to tie the
game. The Eagles
tied the game at 41-
41 going to the final
period.
In the fourth,
Toombs gave it their
all but came up short
with Paxon taking
the win, 54-50.
The boys also
played on Friday in
the Christmas Clas
sic after presstime for
this issue. They will
be back in action on
Friday at home against Appling
County at 6:00 p.m.
RTCA In Stratford Tournament
By Mike Branch
Sports Editor
sports 7 advance@gmail.com
The Robert Toombs Christian
Academy Crusaders basketball teams
took part in the Stratford tournament
last week. They took on Tattnall
Square Academy and First Presbyte
rian Day. The Lady Crusaders dropped
both of their games, but the boys got a
close win over Presbyterian.
Girls vs. Tattnall
The Lady Cruaders struggled to
get the offense going as they took on
the Lady Trojans. Tattnall held a 9-2
lead early in the second quarter of the
game but began to pull away. They led
26-8 in the third quarter of the game
and were up34-16 late in the third.
They continued to extend their
lead on the way to a 52-26 win over
RTCA.
Boys vs. Tattnall
The boys also lost their game to
Tattnall. RTCA was up 7-2 early, but
that quilckly changed as Tattnall went
on a run to take a 10-8 lead. RTCA
went back on top, 18-16, in the second
quarter of the game, but Tattnall again
took the lead at 21-18.
In the third Tattnall was up 30-24,
and they extended that lead to 35-25
later in the third. In the fourth they
were up 63-43, and went on to win the
game 72-48.
Girls vs. Presbyterian
The Lady Vikings of First Presby
terian jumped out to a 20-6 lead in the
first quarter and pushed that lead to
35-13 by halftime.
In the second half RTCA kept pace
in the third quarter, but were still trail
ing 49-26 heading to the fourth. The
Vikings took the win over RTCA, 59-
30.
Boys vs. Presbyterian
The boys picked up the only win
of the tournament for the Crusaders
as they defeated the Vikings. It was a
close game, but RTCA pulled out the
win, 52-48.
RTCA played Piedmont and
Brentwood after presstime for this is
sue. They will be back in action on
January 5, on the road against Ed
mund Burke Academy at 6:00 p.m.