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Mmtsimi /§at% jjounmi 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. ,<&' ’'* X . , ,_ _ j m —'-• ■--' '-• -'•*-■ ••• ■■•.-■• £si-'.-•■ -■ ■ <*■ ---—--“•* - ■■'*■■■-■■•■»■■ ■■■ • ■ 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