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♦ WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2006
The Warner Robins Recreation Department held its annual Optimist Bowl Saturday at McConnell-Talbert Stadium in Warner Robins to determine Its Mighty Mite, Mite and Midget
champions and runner-up. Photos by Gary Harmon.
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Eagles cheerleaders perform during a game.
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Maalik Leggette of the Dolphins evades a pair of defenders.
TAYLOR
From page ill
be carrying the football on
Perry’s opposing team. He
wants to lead his 6-3 team
into the GHSA Class AAA
playoffs for a third year in a
row. He also wants to make
the best decision about his
future in the game and as a
college student.
“It’s important to me,”
said Taylor about wear
ing the Panther uniform.
“Everybody out here’s real
close. I think everybody likes
wearing it together because
it shows we’re a family.”
Ask Taylor about his own
definition of old school and
he’ll talk about how players
PREPS
From page iB
and fourth for the M.P
Bulldogs had the outcome
gone a different way.
But the Jaguars must travel
down from Griffin on the
heals of not only this tough
loss, but also a heartbreak
er, 14-7, the week before to
first-place Jackson High on
the weekend - Oct. 27 - of
the heavy rain in Georgia.
“The biggest thing for
(Spalding) is they had mis
cues in the kicking game,”
said Scott. “They missed
some PATs and a field
goal, things like that. So
that was a big struggle for
them. They really felt like
they should have won (the
Jackson game), and Mary
Persons kind of caught them
off guard, and it was just a
game where they didn’t play
as well as they have in the
past.”
TEAM
From page iB
game against Westside. I say
that because the Seminoles
were looking to play the role
of spoilers.
Optimist Bowl
in the old days did things
“the old way.”
“Rough around the edges.
Make sure everything gets
done,” he said. “I have heard
that (about me). People are
going to say what they want.
I just try to get it done. I’m
going to come out for my
team unless I can’t go at
all.”
The major colleges have
recognized Taylor’s rugged
style and football talents. He
received invitations to attend
summer football camps at
the University of Tennessee
and the University of South
Carolina.
“I liked the Tennessee one
a lot,” said Taylor. “It was
faster-paced. South Carolina
was more like showing
The Jaguars certainly
wouldn’t have had kicking
mistakes last season. When
Spalding played at Perry last
year in a region game, the
visiting kicker, Brett Upson,
made a 53-yard field goal on
the last play of a big Panther
win.
But not only is Upson gone,
so is last year’s Spalding
head coach.
“They are a lot better than
they were last year,” said
Scott. “They have a new
coach in Tommy Gilstrap.
He’s really made a lot of
improvements with them.
The kids play a lot harder.
You can see on the film how
much discipline they have
and how structured they
are.
“As far as defense, they
run a 4-4, eight-man type
front, cover 3. Offensively,
they run a number of differ
ent things. They’re real mul
tiple. They love to line up in
unbalanced formations and
Earlier in the season, I
heard people say that
Westside and Baldwin
were laying in the weeds
for Northside. A coach
from another region said
he thought Baldwin and
everyone how to throw and
catch. I got to meet a lot of
the players. They talked a
lot about weight-lifting and
conditioning, and a little bit
about grades.”
Taylor does understand
the importance of academ
ics, and he has the type
of transcript that would
impress any recruiter. As
far as football goes, he is a
big fan of the Southeastern
Conference, but admits he
may not have the size to play
in this power league.
“I get (letters) from every
Ivy League school, Georgia
Southern, all the smaller
schools,” said Taylor. “I
might try to go to Georgia
Southern or maybe Valdosta
State. I’ve talked to both of
two-tight formations, then
line up in shotgun with four
wides. We will have to adjust
to everything they do.”
Gilstrap is a former defen
sive coordinator at Griffin
High School, and this is his
first season as a head coach.
One thing the Perry defense
can look for from the Jaguar
attack is the running game
as Kerbias Bonner averag
es more than 100 rushing
yards per game and leads the
region in rushing attempts.
Spalding’s defensive lead
er comes from the secondary.
A sophomore, Willie Hamm,
leads the league in total
interception return yards.
“We just have to contin
ue to do what we’ve done,
which is control the ball,
play good field position foot
ball and play sound enough
defensively to get the foot
ball back to our offense,”
said Scott.
“Coach Gilstrap has been
a defensive coordinator for
Westside were much better
than most people thought.
If so, neither team proved
the theory against the
Eagles. I say that’s because
the Eagles are that good.
I say it’s because Rodriguez
SPORTS
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Packers and Raiders players go after a loose ball.
them. A lot of schools tell me
they’re going to evaluate my
senior year and decide from
there.”
Georgia Southern and
Valdosta State are known
for winning championships
at the national level. Taylor
knows what an honor it
would be to get a chance to
contribute to one of these
programs, not only for their
traditions but also for their
close proximity to home.
“I liked (GSU coach Brian
VanGorder) when he was at
Georgia,” said Taylor about
the former defensive coordi
nator in Athens. “Just watch
ing him on T.V Him being
down there (in Statesboro)
is even more of a reason I
would want to go there.”
over 20 years. It’s not his
first rodeo. He knows what
he’s doing.”
Scott said he’s not a big
fan of the play-in situation
is team is in, but recognizes
that it affects everyone in
the region.
He said this is the week,
more than any other during
the season, to play sound,
old fashioned football. Perry
still holds the title of the top
rushing team in the region
and also leads in time of pos
session while staying close
in rushing defense.
“We’ve been a good football
team to play good defense, to
lead in time of possession
and rushing offense,” said
Scott.
“When you look at an
overall season and lead the
region in all of this, you
have a chance to have a good
year.”
The Panthers improved to
6-3 overall and won the right
to host a play-in game with
put the team first and put
Ivory in a position to succeed
and he grabbed the chance.
Ivory completed every pass
he threw in the second half.
He passed for almost 200
yards and would have bro
ken that number except his
It’s been a good senior sea
son for Taylor, who has bat
tled junior lineman Kanorris
Davis for the team lead in
tackles. Both are among
the top five in that category
in Region 4-AAA. He said
the numbers are a bit down
from last season because
he’s been able to sit out the
latter stages of some of the
Panther games.
But what it really comes
down to is this Friday’s home
game against Spalding, a
member of the 4-AAA north
sub-region. Perry needs a
win to qualify for the state
tournament. Last year the
Panthers won a playoff game
for the first time in more
than a decade, and Taylor
wants to help keep the pro
last week’s 38-20 home win
against Northeast-Macon.
The game followed some of
the scripts of other Perry
wins this year with a domi
nating first half but with a
second half - particularly a
third quarter - that wasn’t
as such.
Scott put the blame for the
sluggish third quarter on his
own shoulders.
“We were driving the ball,
had fourth and short on the
50-yard-line, and I went for
it,” he said.
“That wasn’t a very smart
decision. We should have
punted, backed them up. We
could have forced them in
a three-and-out and gotten
our offense a little better
field position.
“That gave them some
momentum when they
scored. I look at that as my
fault as a coach. If we had
punted, none of that would
have happened.”
The Panthers led 31-6 at
lateral to Rodriguez resulted
in Jacobi’s 38-yard bomb to
Green. It’s easy to focus on
the players I’ve mentioned,
but Northside’s offense is
the complete package and
that’s because of the Eagles’
selfless play. I credit head
HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL
gram moving forward as a
perennial contender.
“We’ve been getting there, ”
said Taylor. “We want to get
back there again and hope
fully get past the second
round for the first time in I
don’t know how long.”
Taylor is also a starting
infielder for Perry High’s
baseball squad that won
in the first round of the
state playoffs back in the
spring. He said baseball was
actually his first love and
first ambition as far as hav
ing a future in sports, but
time eventually swayed him
towards football.
“I feel like the program’s
turned around in the right
direction for us,” said
Taylor.
halftime. Northeast never
got closer than the 18-point
final despite blocking two
punts and forcing two turn
overs in the second half.
The positives to come out
of the win were the precision
early in the passing game
with quarterback Casey
Hayward throwing two
touchdowns to Akeen Felder
in the first quarter and the
continued emergence of
another impact player on
defense, junior end Tony
Davis.
“Coach (Chad) Alligood
does a great job with this,
and that’s taking what the
defense gives us,” said Scott
about the passing attack, not
a common sight in the wish
bone game. “Everybody’s
packing the box against us.
We’re having to throw it to
be able to rush it. I think we
rushed for over 260 yards
last week and had about 150
yards passing. You have to
go back and forth.”
coach Conrad Nix and his
coaching staff for that.
It’s fun to watch good
human beings be successful.
It beats the alternative that
usually dominates sports
news.