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HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
Ragin gets the call as
Perry hosts Raiders
By MATTHEW BROWN
Journal Sports Writer
Unlike last Thursday in
Macon, Perry High School
quarterback
Dar d r a
Ragin knows
for certain
when he
will take the
field to run
the Panther
offense
on Friday
against West
sophomore
West Laurens
at Perry, Friday,
7:30 p.m.
Laurens High.
Perry head coach Andy
Scott said Monday that senior
Casey Hayward will not play
Friday against the Raiders
from Dublin in the Region 4-
AAA south sub-region game
taking place at Herb St. John
Stadium. The good news for
the Panther 2007 season is
that Hayward is not finished
by any means.
“Right now, it’s not quite as
serious as we had thought,”
said Scott Monday about a
shoulder injury Hayward suf
fered one play into Thursday’s
26-8 loss to Central-Macon.
“He’s got a third-degree
sprain or separation of his
shoulder, but it’s a situation
where he can play probably
within 10 days, so hopefully
mj? Ha ..
■ ' '
ENI/Gary Harmon
Perry Head Coach Andy Scott instructs from the sidelines
in the Panthers’ loss to Central Thursday. Perry will gun for
its first region win when it hosts West Laurens Friday.
CALENDAR
High school volleyball
Thursday
■ Newton and Coffee at Houston County (Senior Night for
the Lady Bears), 5 p.m.
High school football
Friday
■ First Presbyterian Day at Westfield, 8 p.m.
■ Baldwin at Northside, 7:30 p.m.
■ West Laurens at Perry, 7:30 p.m.
■ Houston County at Colquitt, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday
■ Valdosta at Warner Robins, 7:30 p.m.
High school softball
Friday-Saturday
■ GISA AAA tournament in Dublin, to be determined
■ GHSA AAA, AAAA, AAAAA tournaments, to be deter-
we will have him if not next
week the week after.”
Hayward was participat
ing in Monday’s practice in
full uniform, but he wasn’t
involved in contact drills.
Instead, Ragin led the first
team offense as he did the
previous Thursday once
Hayward became unavail
able. Perry lost that game
after giving up four sec
ond-half touchdowns to the
Chargers, but Ragin did get
his first varsity touchdown
pass of the season by hitting
Trey Smith from four yards
out in the fourth quarter.
“I thought Dardra did a
great job,” said Scott. “Other
than the turnovers (two lost
fumbles and one intercep
tion), I thought he played
well. We had 334 yards of
offense but only eight points.
Turnovers were a big key
there.
“He’s going to be a great
one.”
It’s not the first time Scott
has started a sophomore
at quarterback. In his first
season as Perry head coach
he placed Hayward, a 10th
grader at that time, as the
starter.
“I don’t know if anybody
is ready to handle high
school football as a sopho-
mined
IN BRIEF
Bear boosters to hold golf tourney
The HCHS Bear Boosters will be holding its annual
Fall Scramble Oct. 20 at Waterford Golf Club. The format
is a four-player scramble, and the cost is S2OO per team.
Sponsorships are available. Call 957-1867 or e-mail
HoCoßoosters@cox.net for more info, or visit the website
www.golfdigestplanner.com/1614-HoCoßoosters/.
Basketball signups for WR Rec set
The Warner Robins Recreation Department will begin
registration for its 2008 Youth Basketball Program Oct. 27.
The program is for boys ages 5-17 and girls ages 5-12.
The registration fee is $25 for city, SSO for county and SBS
for out of county residents. A birth certificate is required.
more, but we sure have a
boatload of sophomores play
ing,” said Scott, referring to
the remainder of his regular
starting lineup.
What Ragin, Scott and the
rest of the Panthers need on
Friday is a win to not only
halt a two-game losing skid
but to also pull even in the
sub-region. Perry, 2-3 overall,
is in a six-team sub-region
and has four games left that
count in the standings that
determine who will be in the
state-tournament play-in
round on Nov. 9.
In West Laurens, the
Panthers take on a club they
beat 42-6 last year in Dublin
and one that last week was
routed by Peach County.
“We’re trying to handle a
lot of issues we’re having,”
said Scott. “Defensively, espe
cially, of making sure we do
what we’re supposed to do.
“West Laurens (3-2) is an
excellent football team. They
were convinced they were
going to beat Peach County.
I know they will come in here
ready to play.
“We got caught in a situ
ation this year where we’re
getting everybody’s ‘A’ game.
We’re not catching any
breaks. We have to make our
own breaks. We haven’t done
that thus far.”
In the Central game, the
Chargers had success with an
option style offense. Three of
their four touchdowns came
on dive plays of more than
30 yards. Scott said West
Laurens will run a similar
type of offense, one once
used by Georgia Southern
University.
“We have to make sure we
take the dive, quarterback
and the pitch,” said Scott.
“That’s something we didn’t
do well against Central.
“Defensively, they’re a 4-3
team, big, strong. We have to
be ready.”
It’s the Panther defense
that may have more to prove
on Friday. After shutting out
Jackson High in the second
half, Perry gave up a near
record number of passing
yards in a 38-29 loss at home
to Henry County. Then it was
Central using that ground
game to dominate the second
half last Thursday.
Perry is thin when it comes
to seniors on defense, a unit
led by two Davises named
Kanorris and Tony. Kanorris
Davis blocked a punt that led
to a safety and Tony Davis
sacked the quarterback in
the Central game.
“That’s no excuse, though,”
said Scott. “Our job as coach
es is to win football games.
That’s our responsibility
regardless of who is out there.
We have to get them ready
to play and we as defensive
coaches strive to get better.”
On the web: Don’t forget to check out
HHINEWS.COM FOR LOCAL FOOTBALL STORIES SHORTLY AFTER GAME COMPLETION
Northside, Baldwin
a battle of unbeatens
By MATTHEW BROWN
Journal Sports Writer
If anyone thought, going
into the 2007 season, that
this would be a major
Baldwin at
Northside, 7:30
p.m., Friday
most likely did not live in
Milledgeville.
Yes, Baldwin lost a quar
terback, Patrick Spears,
who guided the team
all the way to the 2005
semifinals in the Georgia
Dome as a junior. Yes, gone
are Darius Marshall (to
Marshall University) and
his back-to-back seasons
of rushing for more than
2,000 yards. Yes, there
is no 6-4 receiver named
Wayne Bonner out there to
catch passes.
But don’t tell Northside
High head coach Conrad
Nix about losing great
seniors. It happens at his
school each and every year,
and the Eagles continue
to contend for state cham
pionships. He also knows
Baldwin has a coach in
place in Jess Hicks who
keeps the Braves compet
ing at a high level.
Lady Bears, Demonettes sweep - finish
league 1-2 and prep for region tourney
By MATTHEW BROWN
Journal Sports Writer
The Houston County High Bears
jumped up to the No. 2 seed for the
upcoming Region 1-AAAAA softball tour
nament by winning two road contests
in Lowndes County on Saturday. Coach
Angela Crawford and her club received a
bonus gift for the weekend’s success: an
automatic bid to the Class AAAAA state
south sectionals.
When softball teams from Houston
County got set to face their Lowndes
County counterparts this season, one
thing was sure to be a constant: rain. This
past weekend was no exception.
With the two counties more than two
hours apart in travel distance, the four
Little League teams to be recognized
Special to the Journal
The Georgia Sports Hall
of Fame, according to a
release, will welcome three
Little League world cham-.
pionship teams to Macon
Saturday.
The Little League World
Series is held annually
in Williamsport, Pa., the
For more info call 929-1916.
YMCA to tee off inaugural event
The Houston County YMCA will hold an inaugural golf
tournament Nov. 9 at International City Golf Course. The
venue is a scramble format featuring four-person teams.
Lunch is slated for noon with a shotgun start beginning
at 1 p.m.
The entry fee is SSO per person, which includes greens
fee, cart, range balls, lunch and refreshments. There will
also be door, team, close up and long drive prizes, along
with a complimentary gift bag.
Hole, drink cart and range sponsorship is available. Call
922-2566 or e-mail fitness@hocoymca.org to sign up.
AFA to host Thank-a-Vet Run
The Air Force Association Carl Vinson Memorial
Chapter and POW/MIA Memorial Committee will host the
"I don't remember playing them
before when they were undefeated.
They are well-schooled. We are going
to have to be focused and have a
sense of purpose and urgency."
- Northside I lead Football Coach Conrad Nix
rebuilding
year for
Baldwin
High foot
ball, he or
she proba
bly wasn’t
alone.
But those
folks also
Nix and his staff saw that
in person last Thursday
as they scouted Baldwin’s
game against Westside in
Macon in what was a bat
tle of top 10 clubs in Class
AAAA. Baldwin came out
on top in triple overtime to
set up a battle of unbeat
ens on Friday between
6-0 Northside and those
Braves who are looking
to take first place in the
Region 4-AAAA south sub
region.
“It was a back-and-forth
defensive game through
regulation,” said Nix about
tfie Baldwin-Westside bat
tle. “Both of them did pret
ty well. (Baldwin) is a good
football team, no question
about it.”
Yes, Baldwin is good
even without the recogniz
able names.
“We lost a lot of guys,
too,” said Nix. “People lose
a lot of guys every year. A
school our size and their
release reads. The teams,
whose victories span 25
years, are the only teams
from Georgia ever to have
appeared in Williamsport,
and each appearance
has resulted in a World
Championship.
The Warner Robins
American Little League
team defeated Japan
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2007 ♦
schools in the region scheduled one road
trip to play the two region games. In this
case, both Houston County and Warner
Robins High used Oct. 5-6 to play at
Valdosta and Lowndes with two games
scheduled for Friday, Oct. 5, and two
more on Oct. 6.
But as was the case, on separate week
ends, when both Valdosta and Lowndes
visited Houston to play two games, rain
fell on Friday, forcing everyone to play
two games on Saturday.
The Houston Bears first played Lowndes,
a team that won at the Bear Den on Sept.
15. But with Brianna Hancock pitching a
one-hit shutout, Houston County avenged
that loss with a 2-0 victory.
See S WEEP, page 4B
“The down and dirry ”
seventh annual Thank-a-Vet Run Nov. 10 at the Museum
of Aviation at Robins Air Force Base. The run will begin
at 8:30 a.m.
Check-in time for the SK/one-mile run/walk begins at
7:15 a.m. The pre-registration fee of sls covers an event
T-shirt and refreshments. On-site registration is S2O. A
picture identification card is required. Interested persons
may register on-line at the AFA Web site, http://cv-afa.
org/.
Proceeds will be dedicated to POW/MIA Memorial
Monument, which will be erected at the Museum of
Aviation. To date, SIIO,OOOO has been raised toward the
construction cost of approximately $130,000.
Sponsors of the event will be recognized and have an
area to display materials. Companies or individuals inter
ested in sponsoring the race may contact David Cowles at
478-955-0568 or 327-3476.
size are going to have a
relative good number of
seniors. It’s just guys who
work hard and want to do
good, have a goal and work
to attain that goal. They
are showing they want to
compete for it all.
“It’s going to be a good
high school football game,
one that you would antici
pate this time of the year.”
Northside has for sure
been a thorn in Baldwin’s
side the last two years. It
was the Eagles that beat
the Braves in the Dome
in 2005, and last year
Baldwin’s only regular
season loss was at home to
Northside.
Baldwin’s new quarter
back is a transfer, Wayne
Williams. The Braves’
defense does return its
top tackier in lineback
er Coricq Hawkins and
a cornerbdck, Jadarius
Brown, who had three
See BA TTLE, page 8B
in the 2007 champion
ship game to capture this
year’s title. In 2006 the
Columbus Northern Little
League team beat Japan
for the championship, and
in 1983 the East Marietta
National team defeated
the Dominican Republic
to win Georgia’s first
See TEAMS, page 4B
3B