Newspaper Page Text
Barrow Journal
Chris Bridges, Sports Editor
770-867-6397, phone
678-425-1435, FAX
cbridges @barrowjoumal.com
State playoff
trips provide
memories
D uring the long trip
to Rome last Friday
for Apalachee High
School’s state playoff football
game, my mind began to drift back
to past years and all the previous
road trips I’ve been a part of dur
ing this time of the year.
Being a football fan for as long
as I’ve been old enough to know
the difference between a first down
and a field
goal. I’ve trav
eled across the
state for regular
season outings
and state play
off contests.
When postsea
son arrives, it’s
usually wise
to have a full
tank of gas and
a map handy
because you
could end up anywhere.
Back during my younger days,
my old high school traveled to
Thomasville one year for the play
offs and to Tifton another season.
After I graduated, I continued to
follow my alma mater as I free
lanced articles for my hometown
newspaper. One playoff trip took
me to Valdosta. Another year I
remember following 1-75 South to
Valdosta, exiting and continuing
on for another half hour to a small
town called Dixie. No kidding, the
name of the town was Dixie.
For me, the fun part of these
trips — other than the fact your
team is in the playoffs — is get
ting to see different parts of our
great state.
Many times the cities I go to
are new to me. I’ve often heard of
them, of course, but many times
have never been there. I supposed
it would be have wise to have writ
ten down all the places I’ve been
to for high school football games
for I know my memory has likely
forgotten a town or two.
As the trip to Rome continued
in a steady rain last Friday after
noon, I was sure this was going to
be my first time in Floyd County.
I knew some people from Rome
when I was in college but I could
not remember attending any event
in the city, even though I almost
attended a state basketball playoff
game there once several years ago.
It was still daylight as our cara
van pulled into Rome Friday and
fortunately the rain had stopped.
I’ve always enjoyed getting to the
stadium early. This is especially
true when you have to travel this
far. If you are going to log this
many miles for a trip, you might
as well get as much out of it as
you can.
The Apalachee football players
were already at the stadium, hav
ing made the trip earlier in the day.
It would be some time before the
fans began to fill the visitors’ side
of the stadium.
By the time the game finally
started at 8 (Rome still kicks its
games off at 8 rather than 7:30),
everyone in attendance was in full
playoff fever. It was what high
school football is all about.
As for the game, the Wildcats
fell behind 16-0 at halftime but
didn’t go down without a fight.
Apalachee scored its touchdown in
the second half to pull within 16-8
and had chances to tie the game.
However, fate didn’t seem to be
on the Wildcats’ side this night. It
was a tough way to end the season
for a team which had played well
throughout 2008.
The loss is still on the players’
mind today although years from
now they will look back on their
trip to Rome with better memo
ries. They will remember what it
meant to be a playoff team and
will always have those playoff
memories.
chris
bridges
First & Ten
Chris Bridges is sports editor of
the Barrow Journal. E-mail com
ments about this column to cbridg
es @ barrow journal, com.
HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL
WBHS opens season at Jefferson tourney
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
Now that Winder-Barrow High
School boys basketball coach Eli
Connell has had several days to
work with his full squad, he likes
what he has seen from his 2008-09
squad.
“Things are going well,” Connell
said Sunday. “We have all of our
athletes now from football and cross
country. Our whole group has been
working hard. We are ready to play
against someone else.”
The main focus in recent days
has been to get the team in shape,
Connell said.
“We are also getting everyone
used to the offense and trying to get
ready for the season.”
The Bulldoggs will open play
Saturday at Jefferson in a tourna
ment hosted by the Dragons. The
WBHS teams are set to begin play
at 9:30 a.m. against Eastside.
Now entering his sixth season
with the Bulldoggs, Connell has
three returning starters in Jeremy
Thurmond, Dometrius Butler and
Jodd Maxey.
Bo Aldridge, Trent Demeritte and
Terrell Evans also saw quality play
ing time last season and will be
counted on heavily this season by
Connell.
The Bulldoggs were 18-9 a year
ago and second in the subregion and
third in the region. The team also
advanced to the state tournament.
“We hope to build on what we did
last season,” Connell said.
2008 WILDCATS AT A GLANCE:
STATE PLAYOFFS THREE CONSECUTIVE YEARS. SCHOOL RECORD FOR WINS
RUNNING FOR NEXT SEASON
Apalachee’s John Ansley will be one of the key returning players for the Wildcats next season.
Coach Shane Davis (below) has built the Apalachee program into a perennial state playoff team.
Photo by Lyn Sengupta
Past four years set tone for future
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
It’s tough for any football sea
son to end, but this one was espe
cially tough for Apalachee High
School head coach Shane Davis.
Having just completed his fourth
season with the Wildcats, Davis
has seen his first complete class go
through his program. The players
who are seniors now were fresh
man when Davis first became head
coach prior to the 2005 season.
That’s why the head coach was so
emotional in telling his players —
and especially his seniors — thank
you last Friday night after the state
playoff contest against Rome.
“It was tough for it to end,"
Davis said. “There is nothing I can
do to ever repay them for what
they have done. ‘Thanks’ is all I
can say. I love each of them.”
Four years ago Apalachee
High School named Davis, a
career assistant as its new head
coach. Davis said for that rea
son alone the Winder school
will always be special to him.
“They gave me a chance," he
said this week. “They put their
faith and trust in a person who had
never been a head coach before.
In return, the players have worked
their tails off to be successful.”
Some might have seen the hiring
of Davis as somewhat a gamble.
see Apalachee football on page 4B
BASKETBALL
AHS set to
begin new
season
Saturday
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
The Apalachee High
School varsity boys basket
ball team will look to build
on its third place finish in the
region last season.
Coach Kevin Morris’ squad
finished the 2007-08 cam
paign with an 11-14 record
but was upset by Oconee
County in the region tourna
ment.
“We started the season
slow due to the football play
offs and early injuries, but
finished the season strong
before the tournament,” the
Wildcat coach said.
Helping lead the way this
season for AHS will be Chaun
Gresham and DeVaugh
Kilgore. Dennis Whitley,
Dillon Moon and Andrew
Sanderson also saw quality
playing time a year ago and
are expected to contribute
once again this season.
“Pre-season practice has
been tough since we have
not had our football players,”
Morris said. “We only have
had nine players in 10th-
12th grade to practice with.
However, everyone is work
ing hard. It is a time for us to
really break things down and
make sure they understand
the finer points of what we
are doing and why we do it
that way.”
AHS will open the new
season Saturday at home
against Commerce at 7:30
p.m. The team does not play
again until Dec. 2.
SOFTBALL
Gunby signs
with Stetson
Apalachee High School
senior Courtney Gunby has
signed a letter of intent with
the softball team at Stetson
University in Florida.
Gunby was all All-
Northeast Georgia player for
the Lady Wildcats during the
2006 and 2007 seasons.
She recorded 232 strike
outs during her senior season
helping lead Apalachee to 20
wins.
IN REVIEW: 2008 FOOTBALL
Winder-Barrow coach looks to offseason program, future
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
When Ben Corley breaks down the
2008 football season for his Winder-
Barrow High School Bulldoggs, the
coach sees one thing clear.
“Overall, we got better from the
start to the finish,” Corley said. “We
had a great deal of improvement. We
were better at the end of the season
than we were at the beginning and
that was a positive.”
Corley’s first season as head coach
of the Bulldoggs did not produce the
number of the wins he would have
liked. Corley will be first to admit
that.
However, with a change in schemes
on offense, an adjustment period was
to be expected.
“When we broke everything down
and graded it all out, we did make
some strikes,” the coach said.
With the offseason now at hand,
the number one priority will be work
in the weight room.
Corley wants his players to gain
strength, especially in the upper body
and legs.
“We need to have our kids stron
ger,” he said. “Some of that will come
with them being a year older. Our
confidence will also increase with our
being stronger.”
The transition from year one to year
two will be easier since the returning
players know what to expect.
“The kids are familiar with our
expectations and with our schemes
on both side of the football,” Corley
said. “That will help us to improve.
We won’t have to worry about that
introduction time. We will have a
good group who will commit to get
ting better.”