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The Home Journal’s
SANDLOT
ON DECK
Today
Major League Baseball
■ New York Mets at Atlanta,
7:35 p.m., TBS
BRAVES CORNER
BRAVES 6, MARLINS 5
ATLANTA - The Atlanta Braves
are hitting plenty of homers, and
now they have someone who can
actually hold a ninth-inning lead.
Adam Laßoche hit the last
of Atlanta’s three homers, a tie
breaking, two-out shot in the
eighth, and Bob Wickman got the
final three outs to preserve a 6-5
victory over the Florida Marlins on
Wednesday night.
Andruw Jones tied the game
with a leadoff homer in the eighth.
Three batters later, Laßoche won
it with his 20th of the season,
equaling his career-best output
from a year ago with 62 games
remaining.
The Braves have 49 homers
in July, a franchise record for this
month, and are six away from the
major league mark for July set by
the 1947 Giants and 2003 Red
Sox. Fifty-five also is the team
record for any month.
Smoltz (8-5) cruised through
the first five innings, facing only
one batter above the minimum.
- The Associated Press
IN BRIEF
TOPSoccer, CGSA
holding registration
TOPSoccer, an outreach pro
gram for children 4-19 with mental
or physical disabilities, and Central
Georgia Soccer Association are
having registration now through
Monday. To register go to www.
gasoccer.org/cgsa and click on
the registration link.
If you would like to learn more
about this program go to www.
usyouthsoccer.org and click on
the TOPSoccer link and look for
the Parents Guide or contact one
of the CGSA’s coordinators.
Registration fee for TOPS is
$25. Uniform is a separate cost.
Also, if you would like to become
a volunteer or know someone
who would, contact Coordinator
Heike McDaniel at 478-953-
8528 or Heike2o@cox.net,
Assistant Coordinator Marigrace
Beverage 478-971-1365 or
hoodlumsrus@msn.com.
Landings sets dates for
Linkup2golf program
The Landings golf course will
be holding its Linkup2golf pro
gram for new and re-newing
golfers Aug. 8-31. The group will
meet Tuesdays and Thursdays
9:30-10:30 a.m. for early classes
and 5:30-6:30 p.m. for evening
classes.
The cost is $129 which
includes clubs. Call Bill Goggin
at 923-5222. Or e-mail him at
Bill@goggingolf.com. Check out
website at www.goggingolf.com.
Rec volleyball signups
set; cheerleaders needed
The Warner Robins Recreation
Department will begin registra
tion for volleyball Aug. 14. It will
run from 8 a.m.-5 p.m., and is
open to girls and boys 13-18.
The age control date is Aug. 31.
A birth certificate is required
upon registration unless it is cur
rently on file. Participants must
also have the required fee at the
time of registration. Registration
fees are as follows: $25 for city
of Warner Robins residents, SSO
for county residents and SBS for
out of county residents. Call 929-
1916 for more information.
Also, the department still has
openings for those interested in
cheerleading. Call the aforemen
tioned number for more.
Panther football season
tickets going on sale
Perry High School season foot
ball tickets are now on sale.
The cost of a season ticket is
$45 for six home games; tickets at
the gate will be SB. Season tickets
will be sold at the PHS office and
will also be available at the Night
of Champions event Friday (6 p.m.
at the Panther Pit). For additional
Panther Football information, visit
their website at www.perrypanther
football.com.
FRIDAY,
JULY 28, 2006
Smiling again
Former Panther, Stallion leading Warriors on the gridiron
By MATTHEW BROWN
Journal Sports Writer
The Southern Football League
and the International City
Warriors have their own
Reggie Bush ... or ‘Little Bush’ as it is.
But Donovan Kendrick is no holdout.
He’s producing serious yards out of the
Warriors backfield and helping create a
new contender in the semi-pro football
world.
Kendrick is a former Perry High
School Panther and Middle Georgia
Stallion, where he played on two unde
feated and EFA national championship
teams.
His father also starred at Perry High,
and he boasts as one of his best friends
Dontarrious Thomas, another former
Panther who played collegiately at
Auburn and is currently a linebacker
for the Minnesota Vikings.
“I’ve played football all my life,
starting with backyard football,” said
Kendrick. “My dad started me playing
football, and my cousin.
“I’m a country l~ —- —
boy. You know /
how that goes.”
His father is
Sam Kendrick
Jr., who is
retired from the I
Blue Bird com- t
pany. He fin- n
ished his high / i
school career
in 1978.
“Growing
up, a lot of
people used
to tell me
how my dad /
played foot- I
ball,” said M
Kendrick, m
“So I 9
wanted ■
to be like -
my dad,
or better. I feel like I did
pretty good. I tried to carry the name.
Everybody knows I’m his son because
we favor a lot. Football and track are
the only things I really love.”
Thomas actually graduated from
Perry High one year ahead of Kendrick.
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ENI/Gary Harmon
Westfield’s pitcher, Shae Horsting, delivers to the plate
against a Mount de Sales hitter.
-w& ™§y-•.
ENI/Gary Harmon
The Lady Hornets, led by long-time Head Coach Rodney
Culverhouse, huddle up.
Jr
* ' ' % 5 ‘
.- . ... . j-a
Sports
Of Thomas, Kendrick said he was a
good teammate who didn’t try to outdo
those on his same side.
“It wasn’t a
competi- .—-
tion, it was (
just a team \
thing,” said \
Kendrick. \
“He’ll tell me \ A
what I’m doing \ J|
wrong, and I \
might tell him \ M
what he’s doing \
wrong. We tried \
to help each other \
out so it would be \
an equal thing.” V
Another one of \
those former team- \
mates is defensive \
back Donte Holmes, y
who became a team- I
mate again with the '
Warriors.
Kendrick remem
bers playing in the
big Perry
rivalry
7 games like Peach
I County and
I Dodge County.
Is In fact, he was
r asked to address
I the 2005 Perry
I team as it played
Peach County in Ft.
Valley.
He said it w’as a
good time playing for
the Panthers with the
only disappointment
having a 7-3 mark in
1999 but missing out
on the playoffs.
Kendrick helped
the Warriors win
their first game under
the International City
name back on July 15
against the West Georgia
Renegades.
He had 126 yards on 12
carries.
The week before, in Gadsden, Ala.,
Kendrick scored the first Warriors
touchdown ever on an 84-yard sweep
play.
' 1 1
S' jfln9 • ■ \
M
Tuneup
Westfield is hosting six teams in a mini-tourney and using
this week as a tuneup for the regular season, which
begins for the Lady Hornets Aug. 6, with their annual run
at the Freedom Park Tourney in Macon.
ENI/Gary Harmon
ABOVE: Westfield’s Hannah Jones slides in safe at
home following a teammate’s infield hit, Wednesday at
Westfield.
BELOW: Lady Hornets runner Kaitlyn Chastain makes it
to first safely.
His total for the game was 167 yards
in 15 rushes.
For Kendrick, it’s
been carrying the
load all the way back
to recreation foot
ball. He described
his style as “a lit
tle bit of Reggie
Bush.” So in prac
tices he earned the
I nickname ‘Little
1 Bush.’
found an opportunity to
play for the Stallions in 2003.
“Everybody wanted to be a part of it,”
he said. “(The rest of the league) took
it as a joke at first, but we started com
ing together as one team. Everybody
started gelling.”
The biggest challenge for Kendrick
was getting his focus on football back.
“Just sitting around, not doing any
thing, that drags your body down,” he
said. “I had to set my mind to a tone
and set my own goals. I didn’t get a
chance to go to college, so I knew if
I had an opportunity I had to take a
chance. I had to start back running,
lifting weights.
“I’m blessed to be playing again.”
Kendrick had another playing gap
last year when the Stallions club folded
after the 2004 seasonr
He maintained his training schedule
to stay in shape.
When word came a new team -
the Warriors - was forming, he had
some doubts since most of the former
Stallions were scattered out. Things
looked better though through the
training camps and mini-camps.
His goal for this year: winning anoth
er championship.
See SMILING, page 2B
After high
school, Kendrick
was out of foot
ball while he
helped his aunt
in Louisiana.
When he
I came back to
I Georgia, he
I first went to
■ work at Stone
J! Mountain.
Later on, he
PAGE 1B
WRALL
rolls Mo
semifinals
By MATTHEW BROWN
Journal Sports Writer
How long did it take
for the Warner Robins
American Little League
11-12 baseball boys to
get their focus back after
having to wait a couple of
days to finally complete
pool play in the state
tournament?
About as long as it took
to get the game started.
Warner Robins
American pounded
Oconee American 13-3 in
five innings Wednesday
in a game delayed by
rainouts that pushed
back the schedule at the
Augusta Master’s City
Complex. In spite of that,
Warner Robins American
finished as the top seed
in its pool at 3-0.
Coach Barry Hattaway,
as he did in the first
game against Peachtree
City, spread out the pitch
ing duties. Avery Jones
worked the first inning,
then Ty Odom took over
for the next three. Jovian
Santiago finished out the
winning effort.
At the plate, Landon
Hattaway was a perfect 5-
for-5. Santiago and Dillon
Burgess each hit a home
run, and Taylor Ring and
Nathan Dempsey made
contributions with the
bats.
Hattaway also lauded
catcher Cody Price for
handling the pitching
staff and blocking several
balls behind the plate.
At 8 tonight, Warner
Robins American gets
either Master’s City or
Belvedere (the winner
between the two teams
Thursday) in the state
semifinal round. The
championship game takes
place Saturday.
“I was a little con
cerned. It seemed like we
had a lack of focus before
the game,” said Hattaway
about the team’s extend
ed wait between pool
games. “But when the
game started they were
focused. It was a good
team effort. We’re look
ing forward to Friday.”
Gordon's crew
chief to visit
RV center
Special to the Journal
Mid-State RV Center’s
annual summer Big Show
and Sale will be high
lighted by a visit from
Steve Letarte, crew chief
for NASCAR Nextel Cup
driver Jeff Gordon’s No.
24 DuPont Chevrolet.
Letarte is scheduled
to arrive at the Byron
RV dealership at noon
Saturday, and will sign
autographs and pose for
photos with fans.
Letarte plays a pivotal
part in the outcome of
every race.
He has been with
Hendrick Motorsports
since 1995 and moved
up to the crew chief
position in the fall of
2005. His exceptional
See VISIT, page 2B
LETARTE