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2B SATURDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2007 HoCo boys swim past Lee, Perry; earn more state qualifiers From staff reports Houston County hosted a meet Tuesday at the Fort Valley State University pool between it, Lee County and Perry. For the Bears, that translated into a dominating performance. They finished with 223.50 points. Lee County had 74.50 and Perry 62. And, as in the meet prior, Houston County also had some swimmers post state qualifying times. Among them was Justin Burkholder, who swam to a time of 2:07.60 and qual ified in the 200 IM. Josh Morgan qualified in the 100 Free with a time of 51:44 and Aaron Meece qualified in the 500 Free with a time of 5:16.48. Brett Niemantsverdriet qualified in the 100 Back with a time of 59.65 and Nathan Meece qualified in the 100 Breast with a time of 1:08.18. The Bears have now qualified for the state tour nament in 14 events: 200 Medley Relay, 200 and 400 Free Relay, 200 TEAM From page iB a true competitor in every sense of the word. He is a baseball play er at heart. He runs cross country because he likes to compete. There was never a workout that was too hard or a challenge he didn’t want to face. I think his experience as a baseball player has allowed him to develop a true sense of team. He knows his role and is constantly driven to succeed. "Matt kept our team motivated and challenged younger guys to go harder. He is truly happy for others successes and motivates them to run faster." Hunter Wo]ohn School: Westfield Year: Senior Position: Team's number two/ three runner Impact: Was the Region 3-AAA number seven runner. “Hunter has helped lead Westfield's cross country team both physically and spiritually," Bryan said. “His contributions to the 2007 region championship began long before his number seven finish. He researched proper ways to stretch and helped map out our training regimen. Other. Was a team co-captain and, Bryan said, was instrumental in pushing the junior varsity boys to be the powerhouse that they have become. Coach’s Corner: “Hunter is truly a student of running. He was the braun and heart behind the entire team's day-to-day activity." Jacob Parnell School: Westfield Year: Senior Position: Team’s number one runner Impact: A two-time Region 3- AAA champion, he has achieved a top 20 GISA State finish and sev eral overall victories over the course of his career at Westfield. He won the individual region championship outright in both 2006 and 2007 and was a member of the Boys’ Varsity Region Champions for Region 3AAA for both 2003 and 2007. Other: “Jake,” said Bryan, served as a senior captain for the team. Was named to the All-Region and All- Houston County team for most - if not all - of his career, Bryan added. Coach’s Corner: “He set the example for underclassmen and JV runners alike. Jake never failed to push himself to his absolute limits to achieve victory for himself and, more importantly, for his team. “Jacob has always led by example and shares his extensive knowledge with varsity, junior varsity, opposing teams, and coaches. He is the most selfless and driven athlete that I have coached in my 16 years in the profession!” Second team - boys Stephen Bassett School: Warner Robins Year: Sophomore Position: Team’s fifth runner at region and state Impact: Helped lead to the team to back-to-back Region 1-AAAAA championships and qualify for the GHSA AAAAA state tournament. Also had two top 20 finishes. His best time came at the region meet with a time of 18:43. Coach’s Corner: “Stephen played a big part in the boys win ning the county championship as the sixth runner on our team as his finish broke the tie with Perry to win the championship. Jesse Yeomans School: Perry Year: Sophomore Impact: Helped the team qualify for the AAA state tournament, and was their fastest runner all year, Hardy said, “When practice began, I had no idea that he would become our fastest. Jesse’s only prior experi ence with running was during track season in his freshmen year. “He really developed a love for running and realized that he had potential to be good.” Posted a fast time of 17:32. “He gave us a guy that was going to challenge top runners from other schools,” said Hardy. “He gives us a strong presence we can rely on for two more years.” Coach’s Corner: “Jesse is truly just realizing his potential. He sets goals that push him to succeed. He always wants to do more. Jesse and 100 Free (Josh Morgan), 200 IM and 100 Breast (Burkholder), 50 and 100 Free (Mark Weber), 500 Free and 100 Back (Joey Morgan), 500 Free (Aaron Meece), 100 Breast (Nathan Meece) and 100 Back (Niemantsverdriet). “The boys are coming along and swimming wqll,” said Head Coach Jamey Richardson. “We have a ton of confidence right now from the season’s first two meets. We have freshmen who are doing an out standing job, seniors who demand excellence from themselves and others, and juniors and sophomores whose contributions are invalu able.” He added that Drew Bratcher, a senior, sophomores Michael Morgan and Karsten Tufts and junior Brandon Munda provide the team with the flexibility to put their other swimmers in events where they can excel. “All do well at their own events,” he said, “but having these three be is very coach able and has a very bright future ahead." Evan Grantham School: Westfield Year: Freshman Position: Team’s number two/ three runner Impact: Achieved a ranking of third in GISA Region 3-AAA with a third-place finish, said cross country Head Coach Wendy Bryan. “Evan is a runner who has yet to reach his full potential,” Bryan said. ‘There are no limits to his talents and his future is very bright in the cross country world. Evan will be a strong anchor for WHS as we continue to grow and improve our cross country program. Look for much more on this runner in the years to come!” Will Walton School: Westfield Year: Sophomore Position: Team's number four runner * Impact: Finished 10th at the region meet. Further, he steadily improved throughout the year and came through to help place the Hornets ahead of Deerfield Windsor for the first time since 2003, said Bryan. “Will continues to improve on a daily basis and will help to keep Westfield’s varsity boys’ team a region championship contender for the next two years. Look to hear more from Will Walton in the years to come!” Runner of the Year - girls Danielle Atkins School: Warner Robins Year: Senior Position: Team’s number two runner Impact: Helped the team win its second Region 1 -AAAAA champion ship, qualify for the GHSA AAAAA state tournament and finish 16th at that venue. She also finished in the top 10 six times during the season. Her best time of the year was at Mercer with a time of 21:27. Other: She was team captain, made the All-County and All-Region teams and made the Warner Robins Wall of Fame for the third time. Coach’s Corner: “Danielle will give you her all at practice and in the meets. She is determined to be the best at whatever she does and excels in cross country. She became the first girl to run in four state cham pionships and she will be sorely missed.” First team - girls Caroline Mauldin School: Warner Robins Year: Freshman Position: Team’s number one runner Impact: Helped the team win its second Region 1 -AAAAA champion ship, qualify for the GHSA AAAAA state tournament and finish 16th at that venue. She also finished the team’s number one runner in 11 of 12 meets and won two races. Her best time of the year was 19:59. “She had an awesome first year,” Erpelding said. Other: Set three school records, won the region championship and was the Region Runner of the Year. She also made the All-County team, All-Region team and the Warner Robins Wall of Fame. Coach’s Corner: “She made an impact from the start of a great sea son. She works hard and is a team player and lets her feet do the talk ing. She has a great future at Warner Robins High School.” Emily Bailey School: Warner Robins Year: Freshman Position: Team's number three runner Impact: Helped the team win its second Region 1 -AAAAA champion ship, qualify for the GHSA AAAAA state tournament and finish 16th at that venue. She finished in the top 10 three times and top 15 six times. She ran her best time of the year at state with a time of 21:55. Other: Set one school record, made the All-Region team and was named to the Warner Robins Wall of Fame. Coach’s Corner: “Emily had a great freshman year. She works hard at practice and works hard to improve her time in every meet.” Brittney Hill School: Warner Robins Yean Senior Position: Team’s number four able to swim any event gives me the freedom to let the others qualify for state in different events and later, we can start narrowing and refin ing where we want to enter the state meet where we can get the most points.” He further added that Jimmy Shaw and Chris Davis were mak ing strides, and if they developed the work ethic the others have, their individual success would be parallel to that of the team. Joel Robertson, Nick Wilhelm, and Sean Preston, Richardson said, are fresh men who are making immediate improvement, and Aaron Meece and Niemantsverdriet are fresh men who have come in as success ful club level swimmers who have made an immediate impact by each already qualifying in one event and will eventually qualify for state in another this season. Dae-won Lee is a Korean exchange student who has already contributed with a relay team that accumulated points runner Impact: Helped the team win its second Region 1 -AAAAA champion ship, qualify for the GHSA AAAAA state tournament and finish 16th at that venue. She also finished in the top 15 five times. Her best time of the year was at region with a time of 22:29. Other: Made the All-Region team and was named to the Warner Robins Wall of fame. Coach’s Corner: “Brittney has been a part of the girl’s team for three years and has been a consis tent runner during her time. She will be sorely missed." Megan Breitbach School: Houston County Year: Sophomore Impact: Had a “great” impact on the team's score, said Coach Natalie Grace, as she was “first or second in every race." Coach's Corner: ‘Megan has shown extreme commitment to run ning.” Klersten Wharton School: Houston County Year: Junior Impact: Always finished in the top five or top 10 in the overall race, Grace said. “Kiersten has had a great impact on our team by bringing us together as a family," she said. “She is a natural leader and not afraid to take charge at the right time. “She has been an encouragement to both teams for commitment and hard work.” Other: Was named team captain and received the Team Leadership award. Coach’s Corner: “Kiersten has shown hard work through tough times. She has pushed through injuries, extreme pain, and has never stopped giving her 100 percent effort - even when I thought she might need to slow down. She is a fireball! And even when the doctors com manded her to not run because of a concussion, she came out and sup ported her team 100 percent. She is a fine young lady! Elizabeth Lambert School: Northside Year: Sophomore Impact: Qualified for the GHSA AAAA state tournament and finished 69th at that venue. She also fin ished the year with a combined score of 150 points. Her best time was 21:22. “Her love for running had a tre mendous effect on the team suc cess,” Byrd said. “Her leadershfp inspired other teammates to vyork hard." Other: She made the All-Region team, All-County team, placed fourth at region and third in the Houston Count meet. Coach’s Corner: “This is my second year coaching Elizabeth. I really enjoy coaching her because of her dedication to the sport. She never complains no matter what the workout is for that day and she doesn't mind putting the extra miles in during the season and especially during the off season.” Sami Jacobs School: Northside Year: Senior Position: Team's number two runner Impact: She was the most improved runner from last season, Byrd said, adding she was a key run ner in the region championship. “She trained had all summer and it paid off," Byrd said. “She inspired the underclassmen runners to work hard.” Other: Received three medals at invitational meets this season. Coach’s Corner: “I have enjoyed coaching Sami for three years. I have seen her mature into a great runner with determination and love for the sport." Bethany Loggins School: Perry Year: Senior Impact: She went from three years of cheering to her first - and only - year of cross country and become the team's “rock,” said Hardy. “She never missed a practice and always completed the workouts. "Bethany ran some good times for someone that has never competed in cross country.” And, he added, she continued to train with the boys when the girl’s season was over. “Her strength and dedication impacted all of the other runners," Hardy said. “I knew I could count on her const- SPORTS tency. Coach’s Corner: “Bethany is a true team player. She was at the state meet cheering on our boy's team. It’s nice to have someone that works hard and pushes others to do the same. She had a true desire to see us all succeed and helped moti vate others to work hard each and every day.” Kim Campbell School: Westfield Year: Senior Position: Team's number three/ four/five runner Impact: Was the only senior on the girls’ varsity Region 3-AAA run ner-up (the Lady Hornets) team for the 2007 season, Bryan said. “She helped push each runner, varsity and junior varsity, to the limits of his/her physical performance. “Kim’s work ethic and dedication to the team helped each runner become better throughout the season.” Coach’s Corner: “She might not have been the fastest runner on the team, but she worked as hard, if not harder, that any of the WHS run B©»i»sa|§) VfeW teF I® CsßQfell When you donate your car to Goodwill, you’ll " "I get a tax deduction, and your car will become y tv-v | part of Goodwill’s Automotive Training Program. iißg Goodwill's trainees will learn valuable job skills * P ‘ in automotive technology so they can get good Blp >,, jobs in our community. IKSLfewlHv* -P Call 1-866-Let-lt-Go or visit www.goodwillworks.org Vi Building lives, families, and communities ONE JOB AT A TIME, goodwill il. MACON REGIONAL MIMiHHIO Help so(ve A Crime 742-2330 * l-877-68€MfliI Rewards of up to *I,OOO - Remain Anonymous! Si •*“*> jh. * Harrison Joshua Adams - Theft by Taking (Motor Vehicle), Violation of Parole. LKL: Warner Robins Jelie Ryan Blalock - Violation of Probation State Court. LKL: 102 Annes Brook, Warner Robins ft Theo Crapps - Bail Jumping. LKL: 92 West Cliff Circle, Warner Robins IF YOU DON'T LIKE SEEING YOUR PICTURE ON THIS PAGE, - r-.m, -r- .nr--i n-m against Walton. “Such dedication and desire to accomplish is rare but necessary if they intend to meet their goals,” he said. “This is the core of the , HoCo Locos group you see running around before and during football games... and they will also be at the spring sports events, too.” As for the Lady Bears, they fell to Lee County at the meet. The Lady Trojans had 181, Houston County 157 and Perry 30. Currently in regard to state qual ifying, Annie Bratcher leads the way. She has qualified in three events: 100 Fly - it coming Tuesday - 100 Free and 100 Breast. However, “Seniors Kaitlyn Carriker and Ansley Campbell are team leaders,” Richardson said, “who set 4he standards for a team which looks to win its sixth consecu tive county championship. Kaitlyn, Annie and Ansley are all skilled swimmers in each event, and com bined with Kaitlyn Merrifield, form ners. Rising varsity runners will have some big shoes to fill in the coming years!" Leigh James School: Westfield Year: Sophomore Position: Team’s number one/ two runner Impact: Helped the team achieve GISA Region 3-AAA runner-up status for the 2007 season with a number four finish in Elko, Bryan said. “Leigh kept the team entertained and fought through some breathing problems in several races to keep her team in contention for a win in almost every race,” said Bryan. “Leigh’s unorthodox style of run ning frequently fooled other run ners into thinking that she might be easily beaten. Not so! Leigh runs strong and fast from start to finish and leaves nothing on the course.” Coach’s Corner: “Leigh will help Mallory Eubanks keep Westfield’s varsity girls in the race for the region championship for the next two years.” ! ■MB Brendon Montrel Allen - Simple Battery. LKL 311 Orchard Lane, Warner Robins Charles Hunlm Bowman - Violation of Probation Superior Court. LKL: 171 Carter Circle, Warner Robins .■ >- Chad Dawson - Violation of Probation Superior Court. LKL: 104 Brandywine Court, Warner Robins a strong relay team for the Lady Bears.” “Caitlin Wilhelm and Nellie Daley are juniors are counted on for top finishes in every meet. Daley’s focus has been on the 200 and 500 but she can handle sprints as well. Wilhelm is a versatile swimmer who swims multiple events. Kimber Bergo and Timmie Warren bring club experience to the team, and Jill Smith, Kristen Robinson, Molly Welchel, Brandi de Neuf and Lexus Brantley are veterans to the team who know what is required to be successful.” Newcomers, he added, are Megan Breitbach, April Collins, Christa Cranford, Ashley Getrum, Jordan Hicks, Ansley Lamb, Lucy Ma, Heather Miller, Emily Richardson, Jasmine Wilford, Jasmine Williams and Elizabeth Weber. “We’re fortunate to have them and their efforts will help secure the fortune of the program,” he said. James Askew - Violation of Probation Superior Court. LKL: 201 Madrid St., Warner Robins Marco Antonio Ardon - Aggravated assault. LKL: 120 Ignico Dr., Warner Robins Lamar Andy Chatfield - Violation of Probation Superior Court. LKL: 180 Vicki Dr., Warner Robins Sammie Lee Dinkins - Violation* of Probation State Court. LKL: 1127 Calhoun Dr., Warner Robins Scot) Bridges - Violation of Probation. LKL: 305 S. Cambridge, Warner Robins Jimmy Lance Deason - Theft by Taking, Theft by Deception. LKL: 813 Arrowhead Trail, Warner Robins HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL Mallory Eubanks School: Westfield Year: Sophomore Position: Team’s number one/ two runner Impact: Finished the season with a region runner-up individual finish in Elko. She was instrumental in leading the girls to their team runner-up sta tus for Region 3-AAA, said Bryan. “Mallory is a quiet leader.who goes about her training and competi tion without fanfare and never fails to succeed. She fluctuated between number one and number two for the varsity girls for most of the season, but put forth her best performance during the region meet. She and Leigh James will anchor the girls’ varsity team for the next two years and provide an excellent example for the upcoming junior varsity runners.” Coach’s Corner: “Mallory is very easy to coach with a work ethic that rivals that of any athlete in any sport. She will be a force to be reck oned with in Region 3-AAA for the remainder of her time at Westfield.” Bari Allan Augustus - Theft by Shoplifting X 3. LKL: Warner Robins Vernon Collins - Violation of Probation Superior Court. LKL: 318 Brantley Dr., Lot 17, Centerville Jay David Emerson - Bench Warrant Superior Court, Bail Jumping, other. LKL: 100 Port Terr., Warner Robins mill