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HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
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Northside Head Coach Conrad Nix and Assistant Coacti Mark Stewart give each other a pat on the back following
the Eagles’ Class AAAA state title win over Ware County Friday in Waycross.
Eagles defend AAAA title
By MATTHEW BROWN
Journal Sports Writer
(Note: For the purpose
of this report, the fourth
quarter of Northside's state
AAAA championship victory
over Ware County High on
Friday will be referred to as*
the 96th quarter. Please see
related story.)
On the strength of a
touchdown pass from none
other than Tijuan Green,
Northside High’s Eagles cap
tured the first back-to-back
state football championships
in Houston County histo
ry Friday at Ware County
High’s Memorial Stadium.
That’s not a misprint.
Tijuan Green, the master of
running and even catching
a football, threw the foot
ball into the hands of fel
low senior Nick Bass with
5:23 remaining in regula
tion.. The 40-yard strike
put the Eagles ahead 17-14,
and with a second field goal
from sophomore Devon Pike
Northside had the 20-14 vic
tory, the program’s 30th in
a row.
“It was just good coaching
by-coach (Conrad) Nix,” said
Green, who has taken a few
direct snaps this season but
has no plans on becoming a
full-time quarterback. “He
called a great play. We exe
cuted, and it put us back on
top. We just kept executing.
See DEFEND, page 2B
SCHEDULE
High school basketball
Thursday
■ Westfield at Stratford, 4 p.m.
■ Northside girls at Savannah tournament (through
Saturday), teams and tigies to be determined
■ Chick-fil-A Bear Brawl at Houston County High School
- Boys: Hiram versus Warner Robins, 5:30 p.m.; Houston
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The Eagles, with Chris Johnson’s picture in the background to provide inspiration, fire
up prior to kickoff.
The 96th quarter...
By MATTHEW BROWN
Journal Sports Writer
Northside High didn’t win its second
straight Class AAAA football champion
ship in the fourth quarter, but in the 96th
quarter.
Everyone on the Eagle sideline at Ware
County High’s Memorial Stadium knew
County versus Westside, 8:30 p.m. Girls: Hawkinsville
versus Warner Robins, 4 p.m.; Hiram versus Houston
County, 7 p.m.
Friday
■ Chick-fil-A Bear Brawl - Boys: Winner Hiram-Warner
Robins versus Hawkinsville, 5:30 p.m.; Winner Westside-
Houston County versus Northside, 8:30 p.m. Girls: Hiram
versus Warner Robins, 4 p.m.; Hawkinsville versus
Houston County, 7 p.m.
.
JObjOl sjjyf ET |
what was coming when the third quarter
ended, not four fingers high in the air, but
a slew of one two-digit number: 96. From
the makeshift bleachers near the Northside
locker to the end zone seating in the old
baseball stadium, it was a sea of support for
the late Chris Johnson.
See 96th, page jB
Saturday
■ Chick-fil-A Bear Brawl - Boys: Championship game,
8:30 p.m.; Girls: Hiram versus Hawkinsville, 4 p.m.;
Warner Robins versus Houston County, 7 p.m.
High school wrestling
Thursday
■ Westside and Americus at Northside (Tabor gym), 4
p.m.
Friday
Hornets draw the
line, beat Lancers
Westfield girls fare not as well
By MATTHEW BROWN
Journal Sports Writer
Central Fellowship
Christian was leading
H Westfield
27-24 at
the half
Saturday
in Perry.
So Hornets
boys coach
Westfield boys Jake Walls
67, Central told his
Fellowship 43; group dur-
Lady Lancers 69, j n g the
Lady Hornets 47 break that
it was dan
gerously close to the per
sonal limit he’s set for his
team in points allowed.
The Hornets, heeded
those words, held the visit
ing Lancers to five points
in the third quarter and
went on to take a 67-43
non-region victory. It was
Westfield’s fourth win in
a row and fifth overall for
2007-2008.
“They scored too many
points,” said Walls about
his halftime speech,
which referred to Central
Fellowship’s output. “We
try to keep people in the
30s or 40s. We want to be a
great defensive team.”
The leading role in the
defensive charge again went
to forward John Peake.
“He is relentless,” said
Walls. The coach said any
thing Peake does on the
offensive end is due in part
to his relentless play on the
defensive end. Peake scored
19 points and was equally
relentless grabbing offen
sive rebounds and finding
open teammates.
The leading Westfield
scorer Saturday was center
Perry boys beat HoCo; Lady
Bears stop Lady Panthers
By JOE SERSEY
Journals Correspondent
Perry hosted Houston
County for a boys and
girls non-
Houston County Houston
girls 60, Perry County’s
46; Panthers 66, rlg took
SearsSS the first
varsity
game 60-46, but Perry’s
boy’s team out battled
Houston County 66-53.
The Lady Bears’ Tonia
Williams scored 16 of her
game-high 22 points to lead
Houston County to a 33-19
lead at the halt.
“We did a good job mov
ing the ball around,” said
Houston County head
coach Sid Baxley of his
team’s performance.
Houston County’s
defense forced Perry out
side the three-point arc,
and the Lady Panthers
couldn’t find their long
range rhythm, missing
seven of 12 of 15 three
ENI/Gary Harmon
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2007 ♦
■ Warner Robins at Santa Slam at Forsyth High School
IN BRIEF
Soccer referee course offered
A soccer entry level referee course will be held Jan.
18-19, 2008 at Tabor Academy in Warner Robins. The
cost is $55. You can register at www.gareferees.com or
contact Russ Grant at russ.grant@cox.net or 478-396-
0727 for more information.
Matt Amrit with 23 points.
“He’s been working hard,
and I’m glad to see him
have a breakout game,”
said Walls.
Down by that three-point
margin going into the third
quarter, Westfield reeled
off nine points in a row to
take the lead for good. John.
Thomas Rust and Peake
worked the ball together
on the move with Amrit
taking the last pass into
the high post. Rust also
scored off a steal, Westfield
leading 33-27.
Amrit moved toward the
basket to take an inbound
pass and score in the third
quarter. He and his team
mates were making their
foul shots, but when two
did not go in Peake grabbed
the rebounds and scored.
Peake would end the quar
ter scoring off a steal, and
the Hornets were in charge
49-32.
Riley Sims and Amrit
padded their teams advan
tage with 3-pointers.
Peake, after some rest on
the bench, pushed the ball
up and found Amrit from
one wing to another and
made the lead 20, 59-39.
Joel Revis, who had eight
points, added insurance as
he was on the receiving
end of high-low action from
reserve forward Steven
Peake.
Central Fellowship start
ed the game going after
the Hornets in the man
ner Westfield has attacked
opponents this season.
Rust scored running the
floor once in the first quar
ter, but the Lancers fin
ished the period with two
See LINE, page §B
point attempts.
“We can’t get inside. If
the inside game isn’t work
ing, we have to be on,” said
Perry head coach Katherine
Bradley of her team’s three
point shooting.
Perry hit three treys in
the second quarter but
was outscored 18-13 in the
framed.
In the second half,
Williams added six points
to her total as Houston
County continued to domi
nate, leading 45-29 going
into the fourth quarter.
Houston County
stretched its lead to 53-34
in the first three minutes
of the final quarter, hitting
five of six shots. Against
the Lady Bears’ stifling
defense, the Lady Panthers
did not make a field goal
in the first four minutes of
the fourth quarter.
Half way through the
final quarter, the Lady
Panthers began to take
advantage of the Lady
Bears’ substitutes.
“We did a better job
of making their defense
spread wide,” Bradley said.
See BEAT, page jB
1B