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♦ SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2006
2B
RUNNERS
From page iB
and finished in the top 10
in all 12 races. Her best
time of the year was 18:36,
which came at Westover. She
won the county and region
championship. “That was
her third straight county
championship and her sec
ond straight region cham
pionship,” said head coach
David Erpelding.
She also finished seventh
in the state - her second
straight top 10 finish.
Other: She was team
captain for the squad and
named to the All-County,
All-Region and All-State
teams. She was also named
to the Warner Robins Wall
of Fame for the third time.
Coach’s corner: “In a
year, in which the girls were
down,” Erpelding said, “she
kept them motivated to do
their best and to keep the
girls focused on doing their
best.
“She is a natural leader
and has a natural gift for
running. She will be sorely
missed but she has put her
self in the history books
as one of the best runners
to come out of Houston
County.
Danielle Atkins
School: Warner Robins
Year: Junior
Position: Team’s No. 2
runner
Impact: Finished in the
top 10 nine times during
the season. Her best time
of the year was at Westover
and with a finish of 20:18.
Other: Was co-captain
for the girls’ squad and was
named to the All-Region
team. She was also named
to the Warner Robins Wall
of Fame for the second
time.
Coach’s corner:
“Danielle will give you her
all at practice and in the
meets,” Erpelding said.
“She is determined to be
the best at whatever she
does and excels in cross
country. I look forward to
her having a great senior
year.”
Brittney Hill
School: Warner Robins
Year: Junior
Position: Team’s No. 3
runner
Impact: Finished in the
top 10 two times and in
the top 15 five times. Her
best time of the year was at
Westover and with a finish
of 21:53.
Coach’s corner:
“Brittney ran great all sea
son,” said Erpelding, “and
missed the region meet
because of an illness, and
I feel she would have made
an impact on the region
results.
“She helped the girls to
a top 20 finish at state and
that makes it three years
BROWN
From page iB
Mike Silve (Or is it Sliver?
Or Lucky Number Sleven?
Or Hi-Ho Silver? Hey, I’m
the sports nut who doesn’t
pay attention to the latest
goings on.), this proposal is
for you free of charge.
Every year the SEC sched
ule is loaded with big, impor
tant games. I’ve always con
tended that no game in the
league is a bigger deal than
any other. But, in reality, that
doesn’t seem to be the case.
So I say, let’s let the seri
ousness of certain games
reflect in the conference
standings. Starting with the
2007 season, every year let
all 12 SEC schools pick one
league game to designate as
“The Most Important Game
of the Year.”
If you are victorious in
your “Most Important Game
of the Year,” you get two wins
on your conference record.
But if you should fall in this
“Most Important Game,” it
counts as two SEC losses.
One of the provisions in
this rule would be that teams
could change that designa
tion year by year, so schools
could make their selection
at one of those off-season
meetings. Now there could
be some games where, for
both teams, it’s the “Most
in a row that the girls have
been in the top 20. Brittney
has come along ways in
cross country over the last
two years and should have
a great senior year.”
Megan Breitbach
School: Houston County
Year: Freshman
Position: Team’s No. 1
runner
Impact: Was a top run
ner at all meets. Helped
the Lady Bears finish
Region 1-AAAAA runner
up. Finished 57th overall at
the state tournament.
“The team looked up to
her to set the team pace,”
said head coach Pat Rouse.
“She had a positive attitude
that spread throughout the
girls team. She trained
extremely hard to lower her
individual time to help the
team scoring.”
Other: Voted the team’s
Most Valuable Runner.
Coach’s corner: “As
a freshman,” Rouse said,
“she has the leadership
ability to lead a program
to great heights. Her work
ethics are those of a win
ner/warrior. Her determi
nation to be the best of the
best will pave her path for a
productive future not only
in sports, but in life.”
Kiersten Wharton
School: Houston County
Year: Sophomore
Position: Key runner
Impact: Was a key run
ner at all races. Helped the
Lady Bears finish Region
1-AAAAA runner-up.
Finished 59th overall at the
state tournament.
“The team looked up
to her to be at a certain
place of the team pace,”
Rouse said. “Her attitude
improved as a positive/pro
ductive runner that spread
through out the girls team.
“She trained extremely
hard to increase her stam
ina and technique to help
the team scoring.”
She was rewarded with
the Coach’s Award.
Other: Was awarded the
Coach’s Award.
Coach’s corner: “As a
sophomore she has the abil
ity to improve the attitude
stamina of a program to
great heights,” said Rouse.
“Her competitive work eth
ics are those of a winner/
warrior. Her determination
to be the best of the best
will pave her path for a
productive future not only
in sports, but in life.”
Janay Wilson
School: Northside
Year: Senior
Position: Team’s No. 1/2
runner
Impact: Recorded most
No. 1 finishes for the Lady
Eagles. Her long list of
accomplishments includes
being Region 4-AAAA
champion, a member of the
Houston County champion-
Important Game of the Year,”
while in others only one par
ticipant claims it is the “Most
Important” contest.
But to be totally fair and
even, every school will have
one. I am not an SEC athletic
director or head coach, so I
don’t have to make such deci
sions. However, I and several
other columnists would only
be too happy to share our
opinions and recommenda
tions.
Take the now coach-less
University of Alabama. This
choice would be a no-brain
er: Auburn. Auburn in turn
could also designate Alabama,
but could also say that game
is against Georgia. Florida
would be torn between
Georgia and Tennessee, and
Georgia has three ways it
could go, all of which are in
this paragraph.
WHOA! WHOA! WHOA!
Wait a minute! Wait a min
ute! Are we Georgia people
nuts? Are we going to risk
two losses against teams we
have a hard time beating
year after year? You have to
think with your head when
dealing with a rule like this.
I know the Bulldogs lost
to both Vanderbilt and
Kentucky this year, but you
have to believe that’s not
going to happen again too
many times. It makes more
sense to play the odds and try
to get two wins in one blow
ship team and All-Houston
County championship team.
She also set a new school
record at the region meet
with a time of 20:69.
In addition, she made
the elite runner list at
the Westover meet with a
time of 20:16 and helped
Northside to a region run
ner-up finish. She was the
second lowest scorer for the
year with 68 points.
“We had a great year
because of her dedication to
the team,” said head coach
Glenda Byrd.
Other: Was named to the
All-Region team and was
ranked 116th in the 2006
Georgia High School Girls
Cross Country 5000 m run
ranking.
Coach’s corner: “Janay
is an awesome athlete,”
Byrd said. “She is a joy
to coach. She never com
plains about any thing or
any workout.”
Elizabeth Lambert
School: Northside
Year: Freshman
Position: Team’s No. 1-2
runner
Impact: Set a new school
record at the Houston
County Championship meet
with a time of 20:34. Was a
member of the All-Houston
County Championship team
and made the elite runner
list at the Westover meet
with a time of 20:05.
She was the team’s low
est scorer during the regu
lar season with 62 points.
“She is very dedicated to
the program,” Byrd said,
“as she put in numerous
extra miles to prepare for
the race.”
Other: Was named to the
All-Region team and was
ranked 89th in the 2006
Georgia High School Girls
Cross Country 5000 m run
ranking.
Coach’s corner:
“Elizabeth came to the pro
gram as a freshman and
has done an outstanding
job,” Byrd said. “She is a
joy to coach. We had a great
year because of her dedica
tion to the team.”
Mallory Eubanks
School: Westfield
Year: Freshman
Position: Team’s No. 1
runner
Impact: Finished fifth at
the Georgia Independent
School Association Region
3-AAA tournament.
“In very difficult circum
stances and conditions,
she still managed a top 10
placement,” said head coach
Wendy Bryan. “She best
ed many of her 2005/2006
times over the course of the
season and helped lead the
girls to a runner-up show
ing at the region champion
ships.”
“Mallory is a quiet leader
who sets an example for all
of her teammates through
hard work and dedication,”
against the Commodores or
the Wildcats. I can see all the
SEC powers marking the peo
ple from Nashville, Lexington
and even Starkville, Miss., in
this deal.
But there is one catch, call
it the fine print of this pro
posal. Remember, I’m talking
about designating the “Most
Important Game of the Year”
in your whole football sea
son. That should be a small
price to pay to better your
chances of getting a division
championship and shot at a
BCS bowl. After all, there’s
nothing in that label that
could potentially damage the
image of an institution, its
home city or its fan base.
If I didn’t know any better,
I would say that was written
by Aesop or somebody try
ing to teach a valuable life
lesson. I guess that means I
need to come up with some
kind of morale or conclusion
to the experiment.
I’ve already said that the
SEC standings don’t care
who your heated rivals are. If
you weren’t paying attention
and just now saw Georgia’s
8-4 mark, you might think,
“Gee, did we lose to South
Carolina? Ole Miss?”
Maybe the next great idea
to emerge from the sports
lab will be how the BCS
can finally value one con
ference over another. I’ll let
Tuberville figure that out.
SPORTS
Bryan added.
Coach’s corner: “Her
willingness to work hard
and provide support for her
teammates are only two
of the many qualities that
make her an exceptional
athlete and, more impor
tantly, an exceptional per
son,” said Bryan.
Leigh James-Artigas
School: Freshman
Position: Team’s No. 2
runner
In her first year of cross
country competition, she
finished second in Region
3-AAA competition.
“Her unconventional
style of running has proven
quite effective through
out the 2006 season,” said
Bryan “Leigh is all that
a coach could hope for ...
spunky, talented and a hard
worker.
“She was an integral
part of our GISA Region
3-AAA runner up finish
at this year’s competition.
Leigh will only get better
as she moves through high
school!”
Boys
Marc Kushinka
School: Warner Robins
Year: Senior
Position: Team’s No. 1-
seeded runner
Impact: Marc won
4 races and set 3 school
records. He had 9 top ten
finishes and his best time
of the year was at Westover
with a time of 17:05.
Other: Marc was the
team captain. He won the
county championship and
the region championship.
He made all-County, All-
Region. He was named to
the Warner Robins Wall of
Fame.
Coach’s corner: Marc
has come along way since
starting cross country in
10th grade. He is a natu
ral leader and helped to
keep the boys focused on
winning the region cham
pionship. He will be sorely
missed on the cross coun
try team but has left his
mark as one of the best
runners to have run cross
country at Warner Robins
High School.
Karl Burkhardt
School: Warner Robins
Year: Freshman
Position: Team’s No. 2
runner
Impact: Finished eight
times in the top 10 as a
freshman. His best time of
the year was 17:43. That
came at the region tourna
ment.
Other: Selected to the
All-Houston County and
All-Region teams and
was named to the Warner
Robins Wall of Fame.
Coach’s corner: “Karl
has a natural gift for run
ning and the sky is the
limit on his future,” said
Erpelding. “He gives his all
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in every race and runs to
win. He has a great work
ethic and leads by example.
He was a big part of the
boys winning the region
championship this year.”
Jeffrey Nakayama
School: Warner Robins
Year: Senior
Position: Team’s No. 3
runner
Impact: Had three top
10 finishes and five top 20
finishes. His best time of
the year came at Westover
and with a time of 17:52.
Coach’s corner: “Jeffrey
is a very dedicated run
ner and gave you his all in
practice and in the meets,”
Erpelding said. “He had a
great race at region and
helped to seal the deal by
passing four runners at
the end. He will be sorely
missed and has contributed
to the success of the pro
gram over the past four
years.”
Matthew Drapeau
School: Warner Robins
Year: Junior
Position: Team’s No. 4
runner
Impact: Finished four
times in the top 20. He ran
his best time of the year at
Westover and with a time
of 18:27.
Coach’s corner:
“Matthew has been on the
cross country team for the
past two years,” Erpelding
said. “He has come along
way in the sport and should
have a great senior year.
He helped the boys to their
first region championship
since 2002.”
Trevor Whelan
School: Warner Robins
Year: Sophomore
Position: Team’s No. 5
runner
Impact: Had four top 20
finishes. His best time of
the year came at region and
with a time of 19:01.
Coach’s corner: “Trevor
has made a big impact on
the team this year with
some important finishes,”
said Erpelding. “This is his
first year on the Warner
Robins cross country team
and he has the ability to
have a great junior year. He
helped the Warner Robins
cross country team win
their first region champi
onship since 2002.”
Madison Holland
School: Warner Robins
Year: Senior
Position: Team’s No. 6
runner
Impact: Had two top 20
finishes. His best time of
the year came at Westover
and with a time of 18:35.
Coach’s corner:
“Madison came out for
cross country his senior
year and found out that
he was pretty good at run
ning,” Erpelding said. “The
first race of the year he
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THE HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL
showed so much determi
nation in finishing a race
in which in he was dehy
drated. He gave his all in
practice and in the meets.
I wish that he would have
come out sooner because he
has a lot of natural talent.
He will be sorely missed on
the cross country team. He
helped the boys win their
first region championship
since 2002.”
Nicholas Felder
School: Perry
Impact: Finished with a
time of 18:14 and was third
at the Houston County
championship. That finish,
in turn, helped the Panthers
finish first as a team.
Devin Simpson
School: Perry
Impact: Finished with
a time of 18:14 and was
fourth at the Houston
County championship.
That finish, in turn, helped
the Panthers finish first as
a team.
Jacob Parnell
School: Westfield
Year: Junior
Position: Team’s No. 1
runner
Impact: In addition
to winning several races
(GISA and others), he was
the 2006 GISA Region 3-
AAA champion.
He achieved personal best
times on more than one
course during the season.
“Jacob is a coach’s dream,”
Bryan said. “He leads our
team emotionally and spiri
tually. His dedication to
hard work and persever
ance set a fine example for
both our varsity and junior
varsity teams.”
Other: Name the Most
Valuable Runner for the
second-straight year.
Coach’s corner: “Many
of Westfield’s runners strive
to emulate Jake,” Bryan
said, “and push themselves
to the very limits of their
physical capabilities, mak
ing my job as coach an easy
one.
“Jake adds so much
to our team through his
example. He is an invalu
able resource for coaches
and runners alike.”
Hunter Wojohn
School: Westfield
Year: Junior
Position: Team’s No. 2
runner
Impact: Finished as
the number five runner in
GISA Region 3-AAA.
“He finished strong in
each race and never failed
to expend every ounce of
energy in his body,” Bryan
said. “Hunter is the spirit
of our team. He gives us our
energy and enthusiasm. His
work ethic is unmatched
and he never fails to go
above and beyond all expec
tations.”
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