Newspaper Page Text
Barrow Journal
Chris Bridges, Sports Editor
770-867-6397, phone
678-425-1435, FAX
cbridges @barrowjoumal.com
Success no
surprise to
this writer
s I watched Georgia Tech
put on a textbook dis
play of offense this past
Saturday, my mind thought back
several years ago when I encour
aged University of Georgia athletic
officials to hire the man who was
directing the Yellow Jacket offense.
Paul Johnson, then head coach
at Georgia Southern, was already
known to those in football circles
as a winner. He had posted two
national titles in Statesboro at the
Division I-AA level. He had previ
ously helped
Navy win as its
offensive coordi
nator. The same
was done in the
Land of Paradise
at Hawaii.
Johnson, as an
assistant coach,
also helped the
legendary Erk
Russell ini
tially build the
I-AA dynasty
at Georgia Southern in the 1980s.
A common thread is easily seen
when looking at Johnson and
his past coaching stops and it
doesn’t take one of the detectives
from CSI to figure this one out.
After UGA decided to part
ways with Jim Donnan (to be
completely accurate, it was school
president Michael Adams who
made this decision), the search was
on for a new head football coach.
As is always the case, numer
ous names were tossed around
by fans. For me, the best choice
was simple: Paul Johnson.
One Saturday afternoon dur
ing the time the search was going
on a sports talk show out of
Atlanta was debating the issue.
I phoned in during the show and
suggested Johnson’s name, who
wasn’t even being mentioned.
A co-host on the show, a UGA
graduate by chance, said the school
would, in all likelihood, consider
Johnson because he would be com
ing from a I-AA school and because
of the triple option offense he ran.
“All he has ever done is win
football games,’’ I replied.
At that moment, I was cut off and
the conversation went no further.
I thought about that phone call
Saturday afternoon after Johnson
and his coaching staff, many
of whom coached with him at
Georgia Southern and Navy and
now Tech, made great halftime
adjustments and proceeded to cut
through the UGA defense like the
proverbial hot knife through but
ter. Time after time the Yellow
Jackets made big play which would
be followed by another big play.
When all was said and done,
the Yellow Jackets had rushed
for more than 400 yards against
a SEC powerhouse (so much for
the triple option offense not work
ing in “big time’’ college football.)
Tech had also snapped a long los
ing streak to its hated in-state rival
and let it known things were going
to be different from now on.
Johnson becomes the initial
first-year head coach at Tech
to defeat UGA since Pepper
Rodgers in the 1970s. Ironically,
Rodgers ran a wishbone, option
attack as his offense of choice.
So as Bulldog Nation licks its
wounds these weeks and tries to
figure out what happened to its
preseason No. 1 ranking by all
those preseason magazines, the
Georgia Tech football program is
set to become a national player. I
wonder what that Atlanta-based
writer is thinking of Paul Johnson
and his triple option offense today?
For this writer, it feels good
to be proven right. It’s not that
I did anything, other than know
a good football coach when I
see one. In Paul Johnson, Tech
certainly has a good one.
chris
bridges
First & Ten
Chris Bridges is sports editor
of the Barrow Journal. E-mail
comments about this column to
cbridges @ barrowjournal. com.
MIDDLE SCHOOL BASKETBALL
Haymon-Morris still wears county crown
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
Winning the Barrow County
championship is getting to be
a hard habit to break for the
Haymon-Morris Middle School
girls basketball team.
Coach Beth Parks’ squad
captured the title for the second
consecutive season with wins
against county rivals Westside
(32-27) and Russell Middle
School (47-10.)
In the opener against
Westside, Haymon-Moris led
19-7 at half despite battle a
case of nerves, Parks said.
“Once the game got started
and we settled down, I was
very proud of how hard we
played,” Parks said.
Sherry Phommaly paced the
team with 10 points followed
by Tamaica Morrow and Molly
Gregory with seven each,
Morgan Thompson finished
with six.
Ashley Gunter led Westside
with 11 points.
The championship game was
played three days later against
Russell. Haymon-Morris took
early control of the contest
building a 32-4 halftime advan
tage.
Thompson was the game’s
leading scorer with 20 points
followed by Phommaly with
13.
The win was a team effort
as Morrow, J’nai Owens,
Bronwyn Wade, Gregory and
Lonia Muckle also contributed
to the team’s scoring.
See Repeat on page 3B
BARROW’S BEST
Haymon-Morris Middle School players and coaches celebrate another Barrow
County championship.
PREP BASKETBALL
Off and running
Connell’s WBHS
team takes title
at Tabo Tipoff
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
A dominating perfor
mance by the Winder-
Barrow High School
boys basketball team Saturday
helped cap a successful run through
the Tabo Tipoff Tournament.
The Bulldoggs defeated Collins
Hill 75-44 to capture first place in
the tournament hosted by Jefferson
High School and emerged with a
perfect 3-0 record in tournament play
which stretched over several days.
“Championship games are nor
mally closer,” WBHS coach Eli
Connell said.
“We had been
on the losing
end in the title
game for three
years in a row
so it was good
to get this win.”
The Bulldoggs
had to do some adjusting early in the
contest to try and negate the size of
Collins Hill. Once Winder-Barrow
moved to a zone in the first quarter,
the tide began to turn, Connell said.
By halftime, the Bulldoggs led
27-21. The second half was a domi
nant one for Winder-Barrow as it
put 48 points on the scoreboard.
“We really had a strong showing
in the second half,” Connell said. “If
we continue to work hard we will
be OK. That’s all we can ask for.”
Shun Thurmond was the tour
nament MVP and had seven
points, seven assists and three
steals in the title game.
see Bulldoggs on page SB
Coming up:
•Tue., @ Salem,
6 p.m.
•Dec. 12, ©Mon
roe Area, 7 p.m.
BATTLING FOR
POSSESSION
Winder-Barrow’s
Henry Maxey
(21) battles for
control of the
basketball dur
ing last week’s
game against
Rockdale County.
The Bulldogs
have started the
new season 3-1
overall. Coach
Eli Connell’s
team was sched
uled to play
Loganville High
School Tuesday
night and is now
off until next
Tuesday when
the Bulldoggs
travel to Salem
High School in
Conyers. WBHS
will return home
Dec. 12 to face
old rival Monroe
Area.
Photo by
Jessica Brown
CROSS COUNTRY
WBHS athletes earn All-Region
status for efforts during 2008
HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING
Mat Wildcats enjoy success
during holiday competitions
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
A season which ended at the Class
AAAA state meet has resulted in
individual recognition for members of
the Winder-Barrow High School cross
country program.
Amanda Cope was named first
team All-Region 8-AAAA along
with teammate Rebecca Gregory and
Kalya Estes. Marie Lyle was named
second team All-Region with Nicole
Webb earning third team honors.
For the WBHS boys. Josh Timms
and Luis Jimenez earned second team
All-Region honors while Cary Hughes
was named to the third team.
“We are very proud of our girls and
boys team peformances,” said WBHS
cross country coach Melissa Weinkle.
“Both teams worked extremely hard
throughout the season. To have five
girls and three boys placed on the
All-Region teams is quite an accom
plishment.”
Both WBHS teams advanced to the
state meet this fall in Carrollton. The
Lady Bulldoggs were second at the
Region 8-AAAA meet in Carrollton
while the Bulldoggs were third. They
qualified for state on the basis of those
performances.
For Apalachee High School,
Marquel Mosby was named second
team All-Region for his efforts during
the 2008 season. Mosby is coached by
Bill Harrell.
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
New Apalachee High School
wrestling coach Jim Stoudenmire
knew his team would need some
time to ease into the 2008-09 sea
son.
With several young wrestlers on
the roster, Stoudenmire realized it
might took a few matches to get up
to full speed. It appears, however,
the Mat Wildcats are perhaps ahead
of schedule at this point.
Apalachee competed in the
Hiram Duals and Grayson
Dual Tournaments during the
Thanksgiving break and several
wrestlers emerged with wins.
Blaze Shaw recorded wins in six
matches to help lead the AHS squad.
Reaggan Perkins won her first match
of the season as did A.J. Sims. Cody
Boyle and Aaron Roberts posted
three wins each.
Before the break, Stoudenmire’s
team competed at West Hall High
School where Tony Hoard, Michael
Newman and Cody Boyle all won
three matches and Ben Knight,
Christopher Newman and Roberts
all posted two wins.
The Mat Wildcats are preparing
for the Jackson County High School
Panther Invitational which will be
held this Friday and Saturday in
Jefferson. The event will be the
largest tournament Apalachee has
competed in to this point in the new
season.