Newspaper Page Text
Barrow Journal
Chris Bridges, Sports Editor
770-867-6397, phone
678-425-1435, FAX
cbridges @barrowjoumal.com
Thankful for
fall, football
and family
T hanksgiving has
always been a favor
ite holiday of mine.
I suppose it’s because it centers
on family and because it occurs
during my favorite season of the
year. In addition, we are usually
with our family and we take a break
from our hectic work-driven lives
to give thanks for what we have.
Too often we concentrate on
what we don't have in life and for
get just how much we truly should
be thankful for.
Sports writing
legend and hero
of mine, Furman
Bisher, has a
Thanksgiving
tradition of writ
ing a “Thankful”
column each year
and I encourage
you to read his
musing Thursday
for a much bet
ter offering.
However, in the tradition of the
great Mr. Bisher I offer thanks for:
•living in the greatest country in
the world. There are many places
I would love to visit, but none I
would rather call home on a perma
nent basis. We aren’t perfect, but
we are still far and beyond the best.
•college football. Is there
anything better than an early
fall day with your favor
ite team set to kick off?
•whoever came up with the idea
of putting complete seasons of tele
vision shows on DVD. Brilliant.
•The NFL Network and its
live three-hour pregame shows
(just what a junkie needs).
•sports talk radio.
•a comfortable pair of
shoes which have been
broken in just right.
•a nap on Sunday afternoon,
•being at the local high school
stadium on Friday night.
•college football programs where
the athletes are still students like
Duke, Vanderbilt and Wake Forest,
•all veterans.
•those who fight to pre
vent animal cruelty.
•memories of Thanksgivings
spent at my paternal and
maternal grandparents.
•a good laugh while listen
ing to coaches call-in shows.
“Hey coach, you need to run this
defense. It will help you win!”
•my recliner after a
long day at the office.
•my chiropractor after
a long week at work.
•the football fan who is will
ing to give a coach five years
to establish his program.
•coaching characters like
Erk Russell, Jerry Glanville,
Mike Dikta, Buddy Ryan
and Hank Stram.
•the help co-worker Jana
Mitcham gives me when I can't fig
ure out something on my computer.
•a favorite movie that you
have seen 100 times and
know by heart but could still
watch it 100 more times.
•the chance, however small it
is, that one day the highest level
of college football might some
how have a playoff system,
•everytime the underdog wins,
•the politician who doesn’t forget
what he promised once elected.
•the fact there was once was
a time when Monday Night
Football was worth making
sure you were in front of your
television when it came on.
•the ESPN family.
•those who don’t take col
lege football recruiting as a
life or death undertaking.
•sports talk radio.
•football media guides.
•all the great feedback we
have received in the past
month about our new paper.
chris
bridges
First & Ten
Chris Bridges is sports editor
of the Barrow Journal E-mail
comments about this column to
cbridges @ barrowjournal, com.
WINDER-BARROW HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING
New coach brings winning tradition
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
Successful wrestling is nothing
new for Chad Home.
The first-year Winder-Barrow
High School coach guided the wres
tling team at Social Circle High
School to the state tournament sev
eral seasons when he was their men
tor. After serving as an assistant
coach at Duluth High School for one
season, Home is now at WBHS and
looking to build the Mat Doggs into
a perennial winner as well.
The new season began this past
weekend for Home's team as they
competed against Oconee County
and Monroe Area Friday night and
then wrestled five times in a tourna
ment at West Hall High School.
The Mat Doggs fell to Monroe
Area and Oconee County and fell
in their first three matches at West
Hall to Brookwood, Gilmer (the
defending Class AAA champion)
and Pickens County. WBHS then
put two wins in the record book by
defeating Apalachee and Johnson
High School of Gainesville.
“We will take some bumps and
bmises this season but we have
some talent,” Home said. “We have
to leam to use our technique and not
just our strength.”
The new WBHS coach has an
overall young squad to work with
this season.
The nucleus of his team is fresh
man and sophomores.
“We have some wrestlers with
potential but they are learning about
the difference in strength from mid
dle school wrestling to high school
wrestling,” Home said. “That's why
technique is so important.”
Devan Espinosa was 4-1 with
three pins this past weekend while
teammate Will Whisenant was 4-3
with four pins.
ON THE MAT
Daniel Gallow and Jordan Palm work
during a recent practice.
Photo by Jessica Brown
CHAMPION:
(noun) person, or team, who has defeated all
opponents in a competition or series of competitions,
so as to hold first place...
NACA 2008
NATIONAL
CHAMPIONS
DIVISION III
FOOTBALL
lTCGc J
FOOTBALL SUCCESS
Coach and players on the Barrow County Christian Academy Saints football team celebrate their national title won in Tennessee. The
Saints finished the 2008 season with an undefeated record and have only lost one game during the past two seasons.
BCCA unstoppable on gridiron
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
When all was said and done this season, the
Barrow County Christian Academy football team ran
out of opponents to defeat.
The Saints capped a perfect 11-0 season with a
36-0 win against Union Academy of Georgetown,
Miss, in the NACA Division III eight-man football
national championship game in Dayton, Tenn. For
coach Bob Salter, the BCCA players and coaches,
it was the culmination of a season of hard work and
dedication.
“It was simply an unbelievable, great season,”
Salter said.
The coach said one key to the team’s success was
unselfish play.
“No one had to have all the credit,” Salter said.
A solid core group of 11 seniors paved the way to
the championship. Seniors on the 2008 squad includ
ed Joel Blankenship, Dustin Clack, Jordan Collins,
Detrick Davis, Josh Forte, Dennis Holtz, Marcus
Jackson, Kyle Jones, John Penley, Nick Salter and
Zack Smith.
See Champs on page 3B
Barrow County
Christian Academy
2008 Schedule
Aug. 22
@ Newnan Christian
W56-0
Aug. 29
CSRA
W56-6
Sept. 4
@ Fountain Inn
W 28-14
Sept. 12
Philadelphia Christian
W 52-35
Sept. 19
@Mt. Vernon Christian
W41-8
Sept. 26
@CSRA
W56-0
Oct. 3
Faith Christian
W 68-14
Oct. 10
Philadelphia Christian
W 57-15
Oct. 24
@ Faith Christian
W56-0
Oct. 31
Hope Christian (Ala.)*
W 76-31
Nov. 7
Union Academy (Miss.)*
W36-0
•playoffs in Dayton, Tenn.
Saints future: One more year
of eight-man competition
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
After achieving the ultimate
goal at their level, fans of
the Barrow County Christian
Academy Saints football pro
gram might be wondering
what’s next.
Coach Bob Salter said last
week the program will continu
ing playing eight-man football
for one more season and then
will likely make the move to
11-man football. The change
in play will also see a move
to the Georgia Independent
Schools Association (GISA).
“We’ll honor our committ
ments next season and then
likely make the move,” Salter
said.
This past season, Salter said
the coaches had to limit the
number of players on the team
to 35 although more than 40
expressed an interest in play
ing. Once the change is made
to 11-man football, all pro
spective players will be able
to participate to add necessary
depth.
“We know we will likely
take our lumps early on,”
Salter said. “We did when we
started in eight-man play.”
Two of Barrow County
Christian Academy’s for
mer opponents — Harvester
Christian and Loganville
Christian Academy made the
move to the GISA this season.
Harvester, in fact, qualified for
the state playoffs.
Coach: Eight-man football 'exciting game to watch’
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
Bob Salter says it would take a
pretty knowledgeable football fan to
pick up on the differences between
eight-man football and the 11-man
variety.
“Someone who really knows
the sport would be able to tell,
but the average fan really would
not,” the Barrow County Christian
Academy football coach said.
“Eight-man football is an exciting
game to watch.”
Salter, who started the Saints pro
gram from scratch, is quick to point
out, however, the eight-man football
played by BCCA is not like the Arena
Football League.
For one, there is a much heavier
emphasis on the running game. In
fact, the Saints run the “Wildcat”
formation, simliar to the University
of Florida.
“We had so many backs this year
we simply spread the wealth,” Salter
said as BCCA celebrated a national
championship in eight-man competi
tion. “We had all the right pieces so it
was tough for people to stop us.”
In 11-man football, the field is
more congested, Salter noted.
“With eight-man play, the field is
more open so it’s a little easier for the
backs to run and make things hap
pen,” Salter said.
Many of the games this fall for
BCCA saw the Saints posting big
numbers. Finals scores of 56 (three
times), 52, 56, 76 and 68 can be seen
when one looks back at the 2008
campaign. At least in that respect, the
BCCA games were similar to Arena
League play.
The season was exciting for all
involved including coaches, players
and their families. It was the first title
for the school’s football program.
“We made it to the state title game
in 2004,” Salter said. “This season we
were able to carry it all the way to
nationals and bring it all home.”
Winning equals excitement in any
sport and that was certainly the case
for the BCCA football team this fall.
Few opponents were even able to stay
close with the Saints.
“We’ve come a long way from
when we first started,” Salter said.
“We had great fan support. They were
excited about it as well.”