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♦ WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2007
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Perry’s Casey Hayward runs an interception back 85 yards for a score in the Panthers’ win
over LaGrange Friday in Perry.
Perry dominates LaGrange
By MATTHEW BROWN
Journal Sports Writer
All football season it seems
like the Perry High School
defense has taken its share
of lumps, what with all of the
high-scoring games and need
for last-second come-from
behind victories.
But now that it’s the play
offs, those Panther defenders
are starting to stand tall and
grab some notice for them
selves.
Until the last five minutes
of Friday’s first-round home
Class AAA contest against
LaGrange High, the Panthers
were riding towards a shut
out. The Grangers did man
age one score at 4:22 of the
fourth quarter, but it was
too little, too late as Perry
advanced to the second round
on the 27-7 final.
“We had to finish the race,”
said senior end Tony Davis,
who broke up two toss sweep
plays in the opening quarter.
PANTHERS
From page iA
certainly wary of the kind
of points Worth is putting
up lately, not only the 43
against Burke but 57 in the
regular-season finale against
Westover High, which also
made the playoffs from the
1-AAA regibn.
“They have really played
well as of late,” said Scott.
Perry has played a 1-AAA
foe already in 2007, and it
was a heartbreaking 34-33
loss in week No. 2. Worth
beat Daugherty 22-7, but also
had some close non-region
losses like a 10-8 decision to
Spalding and a 14-6 score to
Vidalia. The Rams also lost to
the top two clubs in 1-AAA,
23-0 versus Cairo and 29-15
versus Monroe-Albany.
Where is all of that Ram
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Perry Head
Coach
Andy Scott
debates a
call with
the offi
cials.
ENI/Gary
Harmon
“That’s been our motto the
whole week: finish the race.
We had it in our mind that
we had to come out here and
make a big stand on defense
so the offense doesn’t just
have to put up points.
“I’ve been working on my
technique a lot, trying to get
better each and every week.
We’re getting ready for a
state championship. That’s
what we’re focused on right
now.”
LaGrange had just 166
rushing yards for the game,
and that’s with seven stops by
the Perry defense behind the
line of scrimmage. Linebacker
Kanorris Davis was also all
over the place with a forced
fumble and a big tackle com
ing after a bad Granger punt
snap in the third quarter.
In fact, LaGrange came
into the game with a plus-16
turnover ratio for the season.
But it was Perry winning that
battle with three takeaways,
"LaGrange was a north-south wing-T, but
Worth is more o( east-west. They will try
to get outside and run a lot more fullback
trap."
• -Perry Head Football Coach Andy Scott
offense lately coming from?
Scott said Worth uses a lot of
formations out of the wing-T
set and focus more times than
not on running the football.
Perry beat another wing-T
offense from LaGrange High
in the first round (27-7) last
weekend at home, but Scott
said it won’t be the same
when his defense lines up
against the Rams.
“LaGrange was a north
south wing-T, but Worth is
more of east-west,” he said.
“They will try to get outside
and run a lot more fullback
no giveaways.
Casey Hayward would
shine both as the quarter
back and a free safety. He was
responsible for touchdowns
on both sides of the football,
and both were plays of the
eye-popping variety.
On offense, it was in the
second quarter when Perry,
leading 3-0, was faced with
3rd-and-12 on the LaGrange
30-yard-line. Two Grangers
had the scrambling Hayward
in position for a sack but
could not get a firm grip on
the senior. Hayward got away
from the trouble and made an
on-target throw to an open
Akeen Felder.
The pass alone would have
meant a first down, but
Felder also broke free from a
potential tackle and sped all
the way for six points.
Felder said one receiver
had gone the wrong route
on the play, but he kept his
See PERRY, page ioB
trap.”
And no, Scott said Worth is
not apt to throw the football.
Since it is run-oriented, much
of Worth’s success would be
predicated on play from the
offensive line.
“They are big and a lot
more physical than what
we’ve seen the last couple
of weeks,” said Scott about
the Worth front. “We are just
going to have to play our
responsibilities. ”
The coach gave the
usual compliments on the
See PANTHERS, page ioB
HoCo volleyball standout Hollars
signs with Belmont Abby College
By MATTHEW BROWN
Journal Sports Writer
One day, Morgan Hollars wants her life
to revolve around pit stops and checkered
flags. For now, though, she will stick to
sets, digs and spikes.
Hollars, the recently named Houston
Home Journal Player of the Year for
2007 high school volleyball, plans on fol
lowing her dream to attend Division II
Belmont Abbey College in North Carolina
on a volleyball scholarship. She signed
her national letter-of-intent Friday at
Houston County High School.
“I’ve wanted to go to (Belmont Abbey)
for a really long time,” said Hollars, who
made her fame as a setter for Houston
County’s state-tournament qualifying
team the last two seasons. “It’s small,
but feels so much like home. The campus
is beautiful. Everybody makes you feel
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ENI/Gary Harmon
Houston County senior Morgan Hollars signs a volleyball Scholarship Friday with
Belmont Abbey. Looking on pre Coach Maria Huelsman, Coach Tony Jones, Peggy
and Charles Hollars.
Bears' Morgan headed to Delta State
By MATTHEW BROWN
Journal Sports Writer
Joey Morgan of Houston
County High School feels
the Atlanta Braves got a
good deal in getting back
veteran pitcher Tom
Glavine for the 2008 sea
son.
Morgan also feels he got
a good deal on a swim
ming scholarship to attend
Delta State for the next
four years, beginning with
the fall of 2008. When his
schooling and collegiate
swimming are all done, he
hopes to someday be mak
ing the big deals for the
Braves or another profes
sional sports franchise.
Morgan signed his letter
of-intent with Delta State,
located in Cleveland, Miss.,
Monday at Houston County
High.
“They have a really nice
campus,” said Morgan. “
Everything is located in a
centralized area. Their pool
was built in 2000, a multi
million dollar facility. That
attracted me a lot.
“As for the team, they
are highly competitive.
They finished fourth at
their conference meet last
year. In the latest Division
II coach’s poll, they were
No. 8 in the nation. Also,
I went on a visit last
Wiggins, Baggett 15th at 4-Ball tourney
Special to the Journal
The duo of Eddie Wiggins and Ron
Baggett battled their way to a 15th-place
finish at the 16th annual Georgia Senior
Four-Ball Championship held this past
Wednesday-Friday.
Another local combo, David Smith of
Warner Robins and Hal Baker of Bonaire
like family.”
Her major of choice is not one often
heard with collegiate student-athletes:
motorsports management. She said the
focus isn’t on learning how to race a car
competitively, but on the marketing and
public relations side.
“Someday I want to own my own team,”
said Hollars. “My grandpa got me started
(as a racing fan). I’ve liked it ever since,
everything about it. The intensity, adren
aline rush.”
So why doesn’t Hollars try to follow in
the footsteps of a Danica Patrick and try
to get in the cars herself?
“I’m in love with volleyball,” she said.
“I wouldn’t change a thing.”
And her high school coach, Tony
Jones, at Houston County certainly was
glad for that. Hollars, in her career,
See HOLLARS, page $B
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Journal/Matthew Brown
Joey Morgan sits while signing his swimming schol
arship with Delta State. Behind him are father John
Morgan Sr., brother Joshua Morgan and mother
Cynthia Morgan.
weekend, stayed for two me real well. The team
nights and they treated See MORGAN, page ;B
were 20th.
They - the latter - actually started out
in grand fashion. They shot a 68, four
under par, the first day and were in sixth.
Wiggins and Baggett, on the other hand,
shot even at 72 and were way down in
27th.
Day 2 was a different story,
See TOURNEY, page $B
HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL