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Barrow Journal Chris Bridges, Sports Editor 770-867-6397, phone 678-425-1435, FAX cbridges @ barrowj ournal.com Pressure to win continues to climb higher Heritage High School: Conyers, Georgia has an immediate open ing for a defensive line coach and special education teacher. Up and coming program, with play ers who work their tails off to get better. We have the pieces in place to be good, just need some more good coaches. Preferable experi ence of playing college football and or coaching in college. • •• With the state high school foot ball championships upon us this week in Georgia, I found the above classified ad to be rather telling. Football is big business in our state and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. It's also about win ning and school officials who try to pretend it’s not about win ning are trying to sell you a batch of apples that long ago spoiled. They would have an easier time selling me some ocean front property in Nebraska than to sell me on the fact high school football isn’t about winning today. The classified ad listed above is an actual item. I found it on a website dedicated to college football coaching news. It stood out to me immediately because it shows how much high school coaches need to win today. Here we have a high school head coach in Georgia placing an ad for an assistant coach (not even a coordinator mind you) and throwing in a detail about col lege coaching experience being a plus. This is also a school which competes in the same region as Winder-Barrow and Apalachee. “For me personally, when I inter view a coach I look for someone with good character,’’ said WBHS head football coach Ben Corley. “Experience and knowledge are important, but it is not the end all. It is certainly not my No. 1 priority.” The main emphasis for Corley is to find coaches who will treat kids right and be loyal to the program. “We do have two members of our coaching staff who have worked in college and two who have played college football,” Corley said. “That helps you in the area of recruiting and getting your players recognized. I can’t speak for someone else, but put ting it out there as part of a job description for a defensive line position does seem a little much.” While winning these days has perhaps become too much of a priority, the Winder-Barrow head coach likes to think some empha sis is still on the right things. “People are more interested in the bottom line,” Corley admitted. “In high school I still hold out hope the emphasis is on building a better man. Hopefully, we have not dete riorated beyond that in high school. Winning and losing has its place because it helps you evaluate your program, but it should not be the most important thing in the end.” Corley is a coach who has his priorties in order. He runs a family-type program at Winder- Barrow High School and will continue doing so in the future. Does he want to win? You bet. However, he always has football in the proper perspective and knows it can be a great learning tool for life when used properly. These are the type of coach es we need more of in our schools today. Coaches who realize what’s important. Now if we can just get all those know-it-all coaches in the stands to understand it as well then the battle will be won. Chris Bridges is sports editor of the Barrow Journal. E-mail comments about this column to cbridges @ barrowjoumal. com. chris bridges First & Ten HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL Rivalry continues: WBHS to host Monroe Area BY CHRIS BRIDGES In the world of sports, including high school athletics, rivalry games bring out the best in fans and athletes alike. That's what will make this Friday’s contest between the Winder-Barrow High School and Monroe Area High School basketball teams such an excit ing event to be a part of. First, the schools have a long stand ing rivalry dating back decades. Part of the rivalry has to do with the close ness in location of the two schools separated by only a few miles of highway. The WBHS boys were 4-1 going into this week's action. “Monroe has some size,” said Bulldogg coach Eli Connell. “They are a big team across the boards. They have four players over 6-0. They are athletic, run the press and trap. Offensively, they are going to work it inside.” Connell concurred that with it being a rival game, an added element is thrown into the boiling pot. “It will be a wild atmosphere,” the coach said. “Both teams will be ready. We have to keep our composure.” Visiting Monroe Area is coached by Ron Garren, who is attempting to rebuild the Hurricanes. Now in his third season, Garren is a former WBHS head coach and knows all about the long-time rivalry. “The Monroe-Winder game has always been a special evening for both communities,” Garren said this week. “Some of the greatest games that I have been associated with are from this rivalry. It is more important now to the coaches due to it being a region game. Winder has a very fine team this year. It will be a challenge for our guys on Friday. Hopefully, we will be ready for the Bulldoggs.” The WBHS Lady Doggs also enter the rival game at 4-1 overall following last week's win against Loganville, another Walton County school. The Monroe Area girls are coming off a 58-48 win against Social Circle, another rival. See Rivalry on page 2B At A Glance: Monroe Area @ WBHS, Friday, 7 p.m. ON THE MAT: APALACHEE, WBHS COMPETE AT PANTHER INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT ACTION Both the Apalachee High School and Winder-Barrow High School wrestling teams ventured to Jackson County High School in Jefferson this past week for the annual Panther Invitational. The Mat Wildcats and Mat Bulldoggs are both under the direction of first-year head coaches. Jim Stoudenmire is direct ing the AHS program while Chad Horne is leading the WBHS wrestling team. (Top) Apalachee’s Chris Newman, in yellow, competes during a match Friday while (right) Winder-Barrow’s Josh Carter competes in the 171-pound division. Approximately 25 schools competed in the event which was held over two days. Jefferson High School was the overall win ner posting a dominant 321.5 points. Photos by Lyn Sengupta WBHS FOOTBALL Players recognized for 2008 BY CHRIS BRIDGES Standout players from the Winder-Barrow High School football team were recognized for their contributions during the 2008 season last week dur ing the program’s annual awards banquet. Reggie Riley earned the award for top defensive back while Hogan Anderson and Jody Royal took honors for their play at linebacker. Jonah Huggins was named the team’s top defensive line. Offensively, Greg Dixon was the top back with Chris Wragg being named best receiver. Matt Marmon was recognized for his work in the trenches on the offensive line. In addition, captains, voted on by team members, were hon ored. Captains for 2008 includ ed Riley, Terrell Evans, Dixon and Chandlor Murphy. Bulldogg head coach Ben Corley said this week the off season program has begun and there has been “good participa tion” to this point. “We believe we are closing the gap between us and our opponents,” the coach said. “This is the time you have to work to get better.'’ MIDDLE SCHOOL HMMS posts 34-14 victory The Haymon-Morris Middle School girls basketball team recorded a 34-14 win against county rival Westside last Friday. Coach Beth Park's team led 17-7 at halftime as Morgan Thompson helped change the tempo with several key bas kets in the second quarter. Thompson finished the contest with 12 points. Bronwyn Wade added seven points and was a key factor in the post for Parks’ squad. Molly Gregory added six points for Haymon-Morris. HMMS is set to play at East Jackson Middle School Wednesday (today). WBMS runners compete at holiday event During the Thanksgiving weekend, runners from the Winder-Barrow Middle School cross country team competed in the Southern National Cross Country Championships in Charlotte, N.C. Runners taking part in the event includ ed Skyler Lowe, Alex Martinez, Kimble Crane, and Nelson Lofton. Thousands of runners from the 13 southeastern states came together at this meet where top athletes competed for a chance to make the All-South Foot Locker Cross Country Team. Coaches said it was the most difficult race in which the runners have competed. “The weather was very cold and rainy, and the course conditions were muddy and difficult,” said coach Michael Lofton. “All of the boys did a great job handling these conditions.” Even though this level of competition was new to them Lowe and Lofton crossed the finish line with times which earned them Bronze medals in their age groups and secured a spot on the All-South Foot Locker Cross Country Team. The event capped a standout season for WBMS. “We had a great season where our boys and girls team won the Best of Barrow race,” Coach Lofton said. “We were also second with the girls and third for the boys in our 10-team league during the 2008 season.” BRONZE MEDALS Skyler Lowe and Nelson Lofton earned bronze medals at the Southern National Cross Country Championship in North Carolina.