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Mausion paily
THURSDAY,
OCTOBER 12, 2006
The Home Journal’s
SANDLOT
—WTfSIW
SCOREBOARD
High school
Softball
Tuesday
■ Region 4-AAA tourney: Game
1 - Jackson 12. Perry 2: Game
2 (losers bracket) - Perry 22,
Southwest 4 (Note: Last score is
unconfirmed)
ON DECK
High school
Softball
Today
■ Perry at regionals in Jackson,
teams and times to be deter
mined
■ Houston County at Tift County.
5:30 p.m.
Saturday
■ GISA state Final Four at
Southern Pines Softball Complex:
Westfield versus Tattnall. 10 a.m.
(game 1)
High school
Cross country
Saturday
■ Coach's Cup, hosted by
Warner Robins, 10 a.m. at Pearl
Stephens Elementary School
High school
Volleyball
Friday
■ Houston County at Union
Grove for Area tournament,
teams and times to be deter
mined
Saturday
■ Houston County at Union
Grove for Area tournament,
teams and times to be deter
mined
High school
Football
Friday
■ Westfield at First Presbyterian
Day, 8 p.m.
■ Warner Robins at Valdosta,
8 p.m.
■ Perry at West Laurens, 7:30
p.m.
■ Northside at Baldwin, 7:30
p.m.
■ Colquitt at Houston County,
7:30 p.m.
IN BRIEF
Demons advance tickets
to go on sale
Tickets for Warner Robins'
football game at Valdosta will
be on sale today in the office of
the school from 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
Student tickets are $5 and all
adult tickets are reserved seats
and costs SB.
WR Rec to begin
basketball registration
The Warner Robins Recreation
Department will begin basketball
registration Oct. 21. It will be held
from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. at the depart
ment's office off Watson Blvd.
Participants must be at least 5 by
Dec. 31 in order to participate in
the basketball program.
Registration will continue until
filled, during regular business
hours, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-
Friday. In addition, coaches are
also needed. Call 929-1916 for
more information.
Goggin to play 100 holes
of golf for charity
Landings Golf Club PGA
Professional Bill Goggin will be
playing 100 holes of golf in one
day Oct. 23 to benefit the new
women and children's homeless
shelter in Warner Robins. Call
923-5222 Ext. 4 or e-mail him
at Bill@goggingolf.com to make
a pledge.
Correction
In Tuesday’s Houston Daily
Journal, the main picture on 1B
of Houston County’s volleyball
team is misidentified. The Lady
Bear in the picture is actually
Morgan Hollars. We apologize
to her, family and friends/fans
for the mistake. <
Clarification
In Tuesday's HDJ article
regarding Westfield’s girls soft
ball team winning the region, it
was reported that Lady Hornet
Kelsey Gilliam struck out eight.
That was true but it wasn’t clear
if that was in one game or over
the three played. Her actual
total Ks for the series was 18.
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ENI/Gary Harmon
Houston County first baseman Erica Vasquez stretches for the throw as Warner Robins’
Kristin Graham crosses the bag Tuesday at Houston County.
HoCo wins region
By MA TTHEWBROWN
Journal Staff Writer
Erica Vasquez must have
felt a softball hit on the
ground has less a chance of
being caught
on the fly
than a ball
belted in the
air.
Vii s n 11 p 7 J s
HOUSTON COUNTY
rolling sin
gle through
the . infield
allowed Sara
Ling to coast
home from
third base
and give
Houston
County High
a 3-2 win in
eight innings
Tuesday
BEARS
Houston
County 3,
Warner
Robins 2
p4*j
WARNER ROBINS
against Warner Robins High
at home.
With the win, the Bears
swept the two-game season
series with the Demonettes
and assured Houston County
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ENI/Gary Harmon
Lady Bears third baseman Kaitlyn Carriker applies the tag to sliding Demonette Jensen
Barrett.
Sports
of the Region 1 -AAAAA soft
ball championship for the
2006 campaign. Coach Cristi
Griffin will take the Bears
to one more region contest
today at Tift County, but
the sweep of Warner Robins
assures that, regardless
of the outcome in Tifton,
Houston cannot finish worse
that first.
Both teams came into
the game Tuesday with
just one loss in the region.
The Demonettes and coach
Brenda Arnett had not lost
a game at all since dropping
a 1-0 decision to the Bears at
home on Sept. 5.
Warner Robins appeared
well on its way to leveling
the season series with a sim
ilar 1-0 score when Houston
County batted in the bottom
of the seventh. But with one
out Taylor Fountain ripped a
double to the left field line.
Pitcher Chelsea Burroughs
was next at the plate and
sent a hard drive to straight
away left field. Cheri White,
manning that position for
the Demonettes, one inning
earlier robbed slugging
shortstop Kourtney Thomas
of extra bases with a run
ning catch.
On Burroughs’ ball, White
backed up all the way to
the fence, made the catch
on the fence and fell for
ward. Umpires ruled she did
not lose possession of the
ball, but Griffin still waved
Fountain home for what
turned into a two-base sac
rifice fly.
So with the eighth inning
came the international tie
breaker rule. Sam Snipes
was the Demonette run
ner on second when Jensen
Barrett singled with one out.
Amy Hutcheson bunted the
ball fair, and the Houston
defense unsuccessfully tried
for an out at third base.
With runners on all bases,
Laurel West hit a sharp
grounder to second that
brought in Snipes with the
go-ahead run, 2-1.
Ling was the leadoff
See REGION, page zB
Bears prepare
for Colquitt Co.
By MA TTHEW BROWN
Journal Sports Writer
In the wild and whacky
world of Region 1-AAAAA
high-school football,
Colquitt
County
High down
in Moultrie
knows just
how topsy
tur v y
things can
be from
one week
Jlßro
Colquitt at
Houston County,
Friday, 7:30 p.m.
to another.
A 17-15 victory over
Valdosta pushed Colquitt
County to a co-No. 1 rank
ing in the 5A classification
with fellow region member
Tift County.
The following week,
though, those Packers lost
39-37 to Coffee County
(the same team that was
blanked the week before
by Lowndes) in triple over
time.
That cost Colquitt a
share of the top spot in the
polls, leaving Tift County
all alone after its 10-7 dou
ble overtime win against
Valdosta.
Things may or may not
sort out this weekend when
the Packers visit McConnell-
Talbert Stadium to face
Houston County, hot off
a major upset of Lowndes
down in Valdosta.
“I talked to coach (Tim)
Coakly last weekend, and
they were really hurt,” said
Houston head coach Doug
Johnson, whose Bears have
won the last two meet
ings with Colquitt. “They
felt like they had several
chances to (beat Coffee).
But that’s the way it is with
these close ball games. Both
teams are pretty even, and
somebody’s going to get a
break, and that will mean
the difference one way or
the other.”
The Colquitt-Coffee game
was actually tied 17-17 after
regulation and each team
scored a touchdown in all
three overtime periods.
“The big thing they bring
to the plate is their over
whelming speed in certain
spots,” said Johnson about
the Packers. “I think they
have the state 100-meter
champion from a year ago
who plays DB and flanker.
The 400 relay team was
second last year, and I
think that’s two more DBs
and another flanker.
Here’s hoping Vols’
beauty never fades
Philosopher
Mortimer Adler, in
his book “Six Great
Ideas”
quoted
Aquinas
descrip
tion of
beauty
as, “that
which
pleases
us upon
being
seen.”
Joe Sersey
Journal
Correspondent
I
must confess I thought
Tennessee’s win over
Georgia as beautiful
because I saw it, and I was
pleased.
I picked Tennessee to win
only six games this season
and did not anticipate one
of those wins coming from
Georgia.
On the one hand, as a
graduate of that fine insti
tution of higher learner, I
rejoice at the victory. On
the other, I must question
my prognostication skills.
SECTION
B
"The big thing
they bring to
the plate is their
overwhelming
speed in certain
spots."
- Houston County head football
coach Doug Johnson
“They utilize (the speed)
on offense getting the ball
to those guys throwing and
letting them do the rest.
Defensively, they play a lot
of man coverage, which puts
you in a pressure situation.
Their guys are really fast
and do a great job of cover
ing, which allows them to
do different things up front
to help get pressure.”
Johnson has often said
that team speed, or lack
thereof, is a weakness
for the Bears and would
be even more of a weak
ness against a club loaded
with it. His studies of the
Colquitt offense have forced
his defensive staff into a
complete realignment that
will put some regular start
ers on the sidelines.
“Our team speed is
not great,” said Johnson.
“We’re OK. We really hurt
sometimes when we do
play people who have a lot
of guys who can run. We
have a few guys who can
run, but it makes a differ
ence when you have that
team speed.
“I think our guys have
done a good job preparing.
You can always do some
things to help even it up.
Defensively, because they
are in the shotgun a lot,
we won’t be playing some
of our regular front people.
We will take some of our
big guys out who are in
mainly to stop the run, like
against Lowndes, and we’ll
play some smaller kids.
“When they are in that
shotgun all the time, we
feel like we will need faster
guys in there to get a rush
on them. That will be differ
ent for us, but you have to
cover them. They come out
with no backs, so we had to
put in an extra defensive
back or two. It’s almost like
a two-minute offense right
out of the shoot.”
See BEARS, page zB
I did warn you that
Georgia was going to have
problems at quarterback,
but I really thought the
defense would carry the
BulldogsagainstaVolunteer
offense that hadn’t beaten
anybody of consequence
since California.
It wasn’t the defense that
let the Georgia faithful
down, but an offense that
committed five turnovers.
I count the blocked punt as
a turnover.
Tennessee scored on
three interceptions and the
blocked punt. In every case,
the Vols had excellent field
position, twice inside the
Bulldogs’ 20-yard line.
Defenses need room to
bend but not break, but
Georgia’s offense didn’t
give their D any breaks in
the second half.
I expect the Bulldogs
to get revenge by beat
ing up on Florida. I don’t
understand how Arkansas
can upset number two
See BEA UTY, page zB