Newspaper Page Text
Barrow Journal
Chris Bridges, Sports Editor
770-867-6397, phone
678-425-1435, FAX
cbridges @barrowjoumal.com
Falcons defy
odds, crash
playoff party
W hat a difference
a year makes.
Going back just a
year we found the Atlanta Falcons
organization in a complete disarray.
The team's supposed star quar
terback had been exposed as any
thing but a star. The team’s head
coach had left town in a move
that would have made Art Modell
proud. The owner was looking as
if he didn't know the difference
between a ham
mer sold at his
big box store
and a football.
Now here
we are on the
morning of
Dec. 29, 2008
as I write this
and boy are
things dif
ferent. The
former “star”
quarterback
is no longer cared about or
talked about in these parts (as it
should be.) He's been replaced
by a first-round draft pick by
the name of Matt Ryan who is a
true leader on and off the field.
The new head coach, Mike
Smith, shows no signs of slipping
out the back door for a college job,
or any other job for that matter.
The owner, scrutinized by many,
myself included, for botched
coaching hires in the past, seems
to have got this one right. Perhaps
he does know what a football is
after all and a seminar explaining
it to him is no longer necessary.
Going back to the 2008 pre
season, few experts expected any
thing from the Falcons, even with
the new quarterback and new head
coach. Media experts had forecast
one win or maybe two while fans
simply didn’t know what to make
of a franchise which didn’t have
a great deal of winning tradition
anyway. Some even suggested
leaving town was a viable option.
But a strange thing happened.
The talk of experts apparently
never seemed to faze this group
of Falcons. They began win
ning a game here and there and
suddenly the talk of making
the playoffs began coming up
in conversation among fans.
“How could this be?” was
probably a more accurate ques
tion Falcon fans were asking.
Despite wondering how, fans
were enjoying it as the Georgia
Dome was sold out for each
home game. With a victory at
Minnesota in the 15th game of
the season, Atlanta had punched
its ticket to the playoffs.
What was, quite frankly, impos
sible back during the summer was
now true. The Falcons would be
in the playoffs. Yet, this strange
NFL season, one in which an 8-8
team (San Diego) in the AFC is in
the playoffs while an 11-5 team
(New England) is not, contin
ued to get a little stranger by the
minute, even this past Sunday.
The Falcons, who were pre
dicted to maybe win two games in
2008, had a chance to be the No.
2 seed in the NFC, until Carolina
kicked a last-second field goal to
defeat New Orleans. Incredible.
Regardless of what seeding
Atlanta enters the postseason
as, the mere fact the team is in
the playoffs is a miracle in itself
when you simply go back one
year. For it was just 12 months
ago, the organization was in com
plete chaos from top to bottom.
It goes to show you what a
difference a year can make. It
also shows you that miracles
can happen and it gives us all
hope as a new year arrives.
chris
bridges
First & Ten
Chris Bridges is sports editor
of the Barrow Journal. E-mail
comments about this column to
cbridges @ barrowjoumal, com.
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
Gresham earns All-State recognition for 2008
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
For Apalachee High School fans who
watched Chaun Gresham compete during
his high school career, there was little doubt
what type of impact player he was.
Now the rest of the state knows about
Greshman’s ability as well. Gresham played
a key role in the Apalachee High School
football team making the state playoffs dur
ing the past three seasons. His high school
career was capped this fall with another trip
to the postseason.
The South Carolina verbal commit has
now been named to two All-State football
teams for his on-the-field performance dur
ing the 2008 campaign.
Both the Georgia Sports Writers
Association and The Atlanta Journal-
Constitution recently selected Greshman to
their first team All-State squads for Class
AAAA. Greshman, a linebacker, was among
several local players who were recently hon
ored for their football performances this fall
but was the only first-team All-State player.
Wildcat head coach Shane Davis was
proud of the honors his players received.
See Honors on page 4B
Offseason work begins
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
The first game of the 2009 season is still nine months away
but preparations are in full swing at Apalachee High School.
Head coach Shane Davis said earlier this week his players
are actively involved in offseason weight training.
“It’s a year around process,” the coach said. “While we get
a break for Thanksgiving, Christmas, spring and July 4, the
rest of the time we are lifting. When we are in school, we lift
Monday, Wednesday and Friday.”
See Offseason on page 4B
BASKETBALL SPOTLIGHT:
APALACHEE HIGH SCHOOL WILDCATS
AT THE
LINE
Apalachee
High School
senior Dennis
Whitley
connects
on a free
throw dur
ing a recent
game for the
Wildcats.
Despite hav
ing to contend
with injuries
during the
first portion
of the 2008-09
season, coach
Kevin Morris’
Wildcats
moved above
the .500 mark
with an open
ing-round win
in a holiday
tournament
at Oconee
County
High School
Saturday.
Photo by
Jessica Brown
Apalachee battles back
Wildcats overcome injuries, move above. 500
BY CHRIS BRIDES
Injuries are a part of all sports,
but it seems Apalachee High School
varsity boys basketball coach
Kevin Morris has had to deal with
more than his share this season.
Now with his team getting healthy
again, Morris has seen his Wildcats
scratch and claw their way above the
.500 mark with a 42-36 win against
Towers in an opening-round game
of a holiday tournament at Oconee
County High School Saturday. (The
team was scheduled to play Monday
and Tuesday as well in Watkinsville.)
Ironically, it didn't appear AHS
would be able to take that step
above the .500 mark Saturday as the
Wildcats trailed 21-12 at halftime
before using a second-half rally.
“We trailed basically the
whole game,” Morris said.
Apalachee got within two
points with 45 seconds left and
got a defensive stop to have a
chance to tie or take the lead.
A three-pointer by John Ansley
gave the Wildcats a one-point lead.
See AHS boys on page 2B
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Winning
continues
for AHS
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
The Apalachee High School
Lady Wildcats have already
reached a milestone this season
with the 2008-09 campaign yet
to move into the second half.
Apalachee's win against
Towers in a holiday tournament
at Oconee County High School
Saturday gave the Lady Wildcats
four victories this season. That
number is already more than all
of last season, an accomplish
ment which is important for a
program which is building and
has several freshman contribut
ing numerous minutes of play
ing time.
“The thing about this team is
they aren’t satisfied with where
they are at right now,” AHS
coach Michael Parks said. “We
have so many freshmen and so
many first-year players on the
team that they can't relate to
what happened on the varsity
last season.”
See AHS girls on page 3B
SWIMMING
Teams set
for return
to action
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
The Winder-Barrow High
School and Apalachee High
School swim teams will jump
into the second half of their sea
sons beginning in January.
WBHS, coached by Jennifer
Blevins, will compete in the
Panther Pack Invitational at
the Augusta Aquatics Center
Jan. 10.
AHS, coached by John Slater,
is scheduled to compete in the
Clarke-Oconee Invitational set
for Jan. 17.
Swimmers from both teams
have already had standout sea
sons setting personal best times
at recent meets.
HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING
WBHS hosts
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
A tournament which featured “tough
competition” was a benefit for the
Winder-Barrow High School wrestling
team.
That was the assesment of Bulldogg
coach Chad Home after he looked back
on the George Thompson Memorial
event held at WBHS Satuday. Eight
teams competed in the event includ
ing defending Class AAA champion
Eastside which emerged as the tour
nament champion Saturday with 282
points.
“Most of the teams were simply bet
ter than us at this point,” Home said.
“We are young. We had some tough
matches in the first couple of rounds.”
Despite the tough learning experi
ence, Home said the competition will
George Thompson Memorial Tourney
benefit his team.
“It a great experience for us,” Home
said. “It showed our kids where we are
and where we need to be. We still have
some work to do. It’s the holidays, but
we are still working.”
Matt Bulldogg Will Wisnant was
third at 171 at Saturday’s event. The
WBHS wrestler just missed being in
the finals. His only loss came in the
semi-final round in a match that Home
said “could have gone either way.”
Following Eastside in the team stand
ings were Heritage, Oconee County,
Clarke Central, Apalachee, Buford,
Chestatee and Winder-Barrow.
The Bulldoggs will return to the mat
Friday and Saturday at the Amicalola
Classic at Dawson County High
School.
MAT
TIME
Eric
Sheppard
and the
WBHS wres
tling team
hosted the
George
Thompson
Memorial
Tourament
Saturday.
Eight
schools com
peted at the
event.
Photo by
Jessica Brown