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The Home Journal’s
SANDLOT
ON DECK
Major League Baseball
Today
■ Pittsburgh at Atlanta, 7:35
p.m., Fox Sports Network
High school
Softball
Today
■ First Presbyteriand Day at
Westfield, 5:30 p.m.
Thursday
■ Perry at Southwest, 5 p.m.
■ Westside at Northside,
5:30 p.m.
Friday
■ Warner Robins at Gwinnett
Tourney, times and teams to
be determined
■ Houston County at
Valdosta, 6 p.m.
Saturday
■ Houston County at
Lowndes, 11 a.m.
■ Warner Robins at Gwinnett
Tourney, times and teams to
be determined
High school
Volleyball
Thursday
■ Houston County at East
Coweta, 5 p.m.
■ Mary Persons at Warner
Robins, 5 p.m.
■ Perry at Americus, 5:30
p.m.
Saturday
■ Houston County and
Warner Robins at Morrow,
times and teams to be deter
mined
High school
Cross country
Saturday
■ Westfield at Viking Invite at
Georgia Children’s Home in
Macon, times and teams to be
determined
■ Warner Robins and
Northside at Spalding
Invitational, times and teams
to be determned
BRAVES CORNER
BRAVES 3, PIRATES 0
ATLANTA - Completely in con
trol as zeroes continued to rapidly
appear on the Turner Field score
board, John Smoltz allowed him
self to do the unthinkable for a
big-league pitcher.
The 39-year-old, a right-hander
who’s been in the majors nearly
two decades, considered the
prospects of a no-hitter as he
cruised through the Pittsburgh
lineup Monday evening.
Chris Duffy’s chopper through
the right side of the infield ended
that relatively modest bid after 5
1/3 innings.
But Atlanta’s ace felt that good,
just to let it register in his mind, as
he allowed just three singles and
struck out 10 in eight scoreless
innings in the Braves’ virtually
effortless 3-0 victory that required
just an hour, 59 minutes to com
plete.
Bob Wickman finished up the
team’s shutout with a scoreless
ninth for his ninth save in nine
tries as a Brave.
Martin Prado, just called up
Monday from Triple-A Richmond,
set up Atlanta’s first run with an
infield single and he drove in the
big second and third runs with a
double in the fifth.
It was the 22-year-old’s first
major-league RBIs. With the win,
the Braves, who’ve won four of
five, didn't hurt their still-beating
chances for the National League
wild-card berth.
Cincinnati rallied against
Houston, though, to remain 5 1/2
games ahead of the wild-card
pack.
- By R. Travis Henry
Morris News Service
IN BRIEF
Warner Robins Dome
tickets going on sale
Tickets *for Warner Robins’
Georgia Dome game against
Parkview went on sale Monday.
They are being sold in the
school’s office from 8 a.m.- 3 p.m.
The game will be played on Sept.
2 at 2:45 p.m.
WEDNESDAY,
AUGUST 23, 2006
ICW exacts a bit ot revenge in win over Gadsden
Special to the Journal
The International City
Warriors took revenge on
the Gadsden (Ala.) Avengers
Saturday winning 14-12 in
International City
14, Gadsden 12
Warriors their first loss of
the season back in the sea
son opener in Gadsden. This
win moves the Warriors into
second place in the American
Division of the SFL and puts
them closer to a potential
playoff seat.
In the first series of offen-
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Journal/Don Moncrief
Warner Robins head cross-country coach David Erpelding counts off laps during the Demons and Demonettes’
Track-a-thon, their annual fund-raising effort, as they prepare for 2006.
Putting the pedal to the meddle
Warner Robins cross-country teams prepare for season start
By DON MONCRIEF
Journal Sports Editor
Shuffle. Shuffle. Shuffle.
Squeak. Squeak. Squeak.
Whap. Whap. Whap.
Squeak. Squeak. Squeak.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Squeak. Squeak. Squeak.
Until Thursday, those
have been the sounds echo
ing around the streets of
Warner Robins High School.
The shuffles and the
whaps and the taps, the feet
of Demon and Demonette
cross-country runners, some
big, some small, some grace
ful and some with shoes
maybe too big to be graceful
... yet, anyway, as they’re
also feet in training.
The squeaks, that would be
head coach David Erpelding’s
bicycle - the “team” bicycle
- they said, but it’s he who
rides it, keeping in time with
the runners.
There was a time he, too,
would have been out there
running with them but knee
and feet problems the past
few years have made that
not an option.
So, during the team’s
“unofficial” training, he
rode. Then on Thursday, the
girls and boys’ first day of
training on the course - not
that some of them didn’t or
haven’t been running it all
summer long as part of a
self-disciplined regimen - he
marked laps.
“How many’s that,
coach?”
“Twelve. You’ve still got a
sive for International City,
first-time starting quarter
back Brandon Williams of
Warner Robins fired deep
and hit Jarius Rumph of Ft.
Valley for a 69-yard touch
down.
With the first points on
the board, the Warriors were
fired up about getting back
to the win column.
The Warrior defense
then led the way to victory.
Defiance Leary of Ft. Valley
pulled down two intercep
tions. He also led the team
with six tackles, followed
closely by Seanon Dinkins
of Warner Robins with five
tackles.
JJ Thomas of Ft. Valley
applied extreme pressure on
the opposing quarterback and
racked up three sacks and
Southern
Football
League
action
Saturday in
Macon.
The
Avengers
gave the
couple more to go.”
The run, in its seventh or
eighth year, Erpelding said,
was called the Track-a-thon.
“It’s a way for us to raise
money for the team,” he
said, explaining that each of
the runners is sponsored for
so many laps - how many
determined by him and on
a case-by-case basis depend
ing on factors such as the
person’s experience level.
“It’s a double win,” he said.
“They get to raise money for
the team and get a workout
at the same time.
Nobody was complaining
because it was a sight bet
Journal/Don Moncrief
Stephanie Joiner, having completed her laps, helps out a teammate with a bottle of
water, as other team members look on.
Sports
Southern Football League Standings
American Division
W L T Pet. Home Road PF PFAvg. PA
South Georgia Stars 6 1 0 .857 2-1-0 4-0-0 152 21.71 56
International City Warriors 3 2 0 .600 1-1-0 2-1-0 63 12.60 59
Gadsden Avengers 4 3 0 .571 2-2-0 2-1-0 124 17.71 102
Phenix City Falcons 3 3 0 .500 1-2-0 2-1-0 86 14.33 85
West Georgia Renegades 0 5 0 .000 0-4-0 0-1-0 31 6.20 105
five tackles for the night.
The Avenger passing game
was intercepted six times.
In addition to Leary’s play,
Donte Holmes snagged three
interceptions and Andre
Carswell of Macon picked off
one. Holmes also contributed
three tackles.
International City was
excited to have the kicker,
Javon “Kick” Tyler, back
on the field. The South
ter than Monday. “It was
grueling,” he said. “I had
them doing sprints, jogging,
sprinting and then they had
to run for 30 minutes. That
was after they ran two miles
to warm up,” he added, smil
ing slyly.
Thursday was a reprieve
with each, he said, running
about “five miles.”
This year’s squads
are “good-sized” groups,
Erpelding said. The
Demonettes, who are defend
ing region champions and
were 13th at state out of 31
teams - 10th the year before
- are 16 strong.
Carolina native punched in
two extra points with little
effort. Kick-offs went deep
into Avenger territory and
Warrior defenders surround
ed punts before the ball could
hit the ground.
Other outstanding play
included Tamarco Head with
a 10-yard touchdown run and
Greg Williams, who came all
the way from Texas to be
a part of football in Middle
They include senior
Brittney Stewart and juniors
Danielle Atkins, Brandilyn
Cook and Brittney Hill.
“They’re just a few of the
core group,” Erpelding said.
“There are tons of others I
expect to step up.”
The boys number 26 or
27, Erpelding said. Seniors
Mark Kushinka and Jeff
Nakayama, junior Matthew
Drapeau and freshman Karl
Burkhardt lead their charge
but once again, Erpelding
said, there are “plenty of
others.”
“We’ve even got
See PREPARE, page
PAGE 7A
Georgia. He had two kick y
returns for over 60 yards.
The Warriors hit the road j;
for the next two weeks to F
close out the regular season. I
International City will take S
on the Phenix City (Ala.) "
Falcons on August 26 and
then finish the season, and'
hopefully clinch a playoff
berth, in Americus against
the South Georgia Stars on
Sept. 2. L;
Lady Bears
win Lead-off
tournament
NS girls struggle
at Up The Creek
By DON MON GRIEF
Journal Sports Editor
It was supposed to be
the Jordan Tournament ;
in Columbus. Instead,
due to “some conflicts,” '
said Houston County
girls head softball coach
Cristi Griffin, it turned
out to be the Lead-off
Classic Tournament in
Thomasville.
That was this weekend \
and “it,” turned out to',
be a good thing, as the:'
Lady Bears won the tour
nament.
Not only that but they
went 5-0 and shut out
eveiybody they played.
They beat Cairo 1-,
0, Truetlen 10-0, Lee,
County 8-0 and Thomas
County Central twice, 1-0
and 8-0.
“We played great ,
defense and hit the ball
well at times,” Griffin
said.
The following players,
she said, were also named
to the All-Tournament
Team: Chelseaßurroughs,
Kourtny Thomas and
Erica Vasquez. One of
Burroughs’ accomplish
ments, Griffin added,
was to hit a home run in
See WIN, page (fA
When do
we share
the wealth?
My wife says I
don’t’ like chil
dren, and it
shows in my columns.
I say, “Why should I?
L_
Joe Sersey
HDJ Correspondent
“From Left Field”
elßanorjoe@ltt.nel
Recently, I went to visit
my mother in Missouri.
By happenstance, my
wife’s fourth oldest child
lives with his family in
Springfield, Mo.
I bought tickets to
Springfield’s AA minor
league baseball team,
the Cardinals, whose
See SERSEY, page 9A
They
get all
the neat
stuff.”
I
defend
my posi
ti o n
through
explain
ing a
personal
experi
ence.