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SEPTEMBER 1,2006 Will 160 be magic number for Bears? m 5 ii H r *- * * * 1 * * | * W' C-.-'. 9B^sSM^9Hv^''' - ." x v Kt % flßr * wr—an w. -.•• **»»&«*' \*&3fe§r |Mj «|| h| JHhP 9 fiNk ■ ''. Y vfi " ’%*" ~ .*JmI ' • 1 -:' * V 1 ’ |m| 9 % ISM^aIH9II .' ::: . J Hft m flMPii : SHE 19 ■' ..... .:- ; w>| t i ■HH Hfak i ENI/Gary Harmon Houston County assistant coach Lee Pope gets animated during the Bears' scrimmage against Jones County Aug. 18. If f A FEDERAL iitIftA* CREDIT UNION This Credit Union Is Federally Insured By The National Credit Union Administration . -® H/ISHIN6 you A GREAT “SCHOOL YEAR! S&. - GREAT CERTIFICATE RATEG? SfoL> - Loi/tf LOAN RATE’S* - DEBIT CARD‘S 111 ‘ '*= Hours; WB, Office; M-F 9am-6pm, Sat 9am-12noon Perry Office: M-F 9am-spm « | ,* i iiwJjLim! In 6 weeks I lost 38 lbs. and it was so easy! After my doctor told me that I had to lose weight, a friend told me that “pH” balancing was the safest and easiest way to lose the extra weight and keep it off. I have lost a total of 38 pounds in just 6 weeks! Dean Durden The easy-to-follow program uses “maximum fat burning” foods to help you reach proper “pH” balance and reprogram your body to burn more fat... SPiM Superior Performance Nutrition 478.953.6102 - Galleria Mall - Centerville, GA www.firstfitness.com/myspn or call toll free: 866.922.7546 121 Osigian Blvd., Warner Robins, GA 31088 478-953-7477 or 800-671-8969 1601 Macon Road, Perry, GA 31069 www.heafcu.org Lose Weight! Feel Great! Have More Energy! . £ ij|^ m PQUISRI By MATTHEW BROWN Journal Sports Writer It's a region where the talk will center around A two-time defending state champion, a championship prograrri bringing in a championship coach to re kindle those glory days, and the arrival of a new championship contender. But is all of that only what Re gion 1-AAA A A football is all about? The group known as the Houston County High School Bears would like to thihk there's a whole lot more, and it's looking to prove it in 2006. Houston County High, which opens the season in high-rent ter ritory by playing Class AAAA power Northside on Sept. 1 at McConnell-Talbert Stadium, is coming off a 2005 seasbn where all the tiebreaker rules tor region seeding worked against it. The Bears were in a logjam for third place when the 10 regular games were over, but three losses in a row, including the finale at Tift County, meant they had to sit out the postseason. SBIS»M,mWNfOBTICIft!NS|^ PySinils Price -This liHgesfeta»| 136243 JfciSP jj I All Seasons; All Occasions] 1 402? Ulatson Blvd. • Galleria Suite 9300 » Warner Robins, Gfl • 478-953-9700 137151 Gone is Quinton Banks, a pros pect locked up by the University of Georgia, at the safety slot. But back is a roster stacked with expe rienced seniors hoping to stay on the field and register more than a few surprises. "We have a really good group of kids," said Houston head coach Doug Johnson, the only lead foot ball coach in the school's history. "We have the largest amount out that we've had probably ever, right at 160. We have a lot of young kids out, so we feel good about that. "But we're working hard and trying to get better every day." Even with Banks as the mar quee player, Houston County had quite a young team in 2005. It was also a team that had to battle injuries to starting run ning back Eric O'Neal, senior lineman Terry Hilton and even Banks for that final game at Tift. "Hopefully we won't have those injuries this year," said Johnson. "Maybe last year was our year for injuries. I really feel if we had gotten in (the playoffs) we See REASONS, page 8 Visit hocQfootball.com or orlaaaaa.com for the latest stats on the Bears PAGE 3