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-9-1 OB
November 23, 2016
Phone: 770-867-6397
Fax:706-621-4115
sthompson@barrowjournal.com
Section B
★★★★
High School Wrestling Previews: Apalachee and Winder-Barrow
Sports Roundup
Hitting the mats
GAINING THE UPPER HAND
Apalachee sophomore Corbin Lang wrestles against a Winder-Barrow opponent during the George Thompson Memorial
Duals on Saturday at Winder-Barrow High School. Photo by Jessica Brown
Wildcats seek help from younger wrestlers
By Scott Thompson
Sports Editor
Second-year Apalachee High
School wrestling coach Randy Hill
is still in building mode as he tries
to help the Wildcats get back to the
point of sending several wrestlers to
the state competition.
“It's always a struggle trying to
build a program up when you’re
going against tough opponents like
we have in this area.” Hill said last
week.
“The young kids we’ve had in
there keep getting more experience
and better and if they hang in there,
they’ve got a chance to see much
better results.”
The Wildcats lost only two
seniors last year and return three this
season, including Chance Wheeler,
who was an alternate in the 182-
pound weight class at the GHSA
Class AAAAA state competition.
Wheeler will wrestle at 190
pounds, while fellow seniors Jack-
son Wadsworth at 170 pounds and
Preston Marlowe at 160 are also
back.
Other returners include sopho
mores Corbin Lang at 220 pounds
and Mathew Davis at 145.
“A lot of our wrestlers are ninth
and 10th graders, and they have to
be able to step it up and get better in
a hurry,” Hill said.
The coach expects a tough
Inside:
See more photos
from Saturday’s
duals at WBHS.
-Page 2B
Region 8-AAAAAA slate this sea
son with Dacula, Gainesville, Lani
er, Winder-Barrow and Habersham
Central all in the mix.
“Each of those teams has very
good wrestlers, and Dacula, espe
cially. always has a real strong pro
gram,” Hill said. “For us, a success
ful season would be getting some
kids to the state tournament, hope
fully with our three seniors going as
far as they can go.
“You also hope that these young
er guys who don’t have the experi
ence on this level will get a good
taste of the program that will help
them going forward.
The hardest thing with a group
like this is in practice when you’re
trying to keep the pace manage
able for the younger kids and fast
enough for the older, more experi
enced ones to get better and on the
level they need to be to compete and
finish strong in tournaments.”
With several starters back, Bulldoggs setting sights higher
By Scott Thompson
Sports Editor
The Winder-Barrow
High School wrestling
team took its fair share
of lumps that were to be
expected last season with
only one senior and a boat
load of young wrestlers.
But Bulldogg coach Jim
Stoudenmire believes the
experience has paid divi
dends for the younger guys
as the Bulldoggs enter their
2016-17 campaign.
“We’re returning most of
our lineup from last year
and we’ve got several new
young kids who should
help us,” Stoudenmire said
last week. “We have several
football players who hav
en’t come out yet because I
gave them a week off (after
the football team’s playoff
loss to Dalton). But once
they are back with us, it
will help fill some of the
lineup holes we currently
have right now.”
Among the key return
ers for Winder-Barrow will
be senior Cameron Best, a
football player who was a
state qualifier in the 285-
pound weight class last
season. Other senior foot
ball players set to return
are seniors Kesean Dot-
tin, Christian Cardinal and
Zach Brooks.
Senior Bailey Leazer
at 170 pounds is another
returner while Jett Clack
and Norman Dismuke are
among those expected to
contribute.
“We've added some folks
to the lineup, and we're
going to have some scrap
py competition,” Stouden
mire said. “We’ve got a
bunch of smaller, younger
guys hammering on each
other to win a spot or chas
ing someone up or down a
weight class.”
Winder-Barrow’s shift to
Class AAAAAA with the
new GHSA realignment
cycle may also provide
an advantage with power
houses like Clarke Central
no longer in its region.
Still, Stoudenmire
expects the Region
8-AAAAAA field to be
competitive with Dacula,
Gainesville and Lanier all
fielding strong teams.
See WBHS on Page 2B
AIMING FOR BIGGER THINGS
Winder-Barrow senior Bailey Leazer, seen here wrestling against an
Apalachee opponent during Saturday’s George Thompson Memorial
Duals, is a key returner for the Bulldoggs this season in the 170-pound
weight class. The Bulldoggs will likely struggle to fill all their weight
classes early on as they await the return of several football players, but
coach Jim Stoudenmire believes they could be a candidate to make
a run at an area title and fare well in the state competitions. Photo by
Jessica Brown
All-region
football
teams
announced
The Winder-Barrow and
Apalachee high school foot
ball teams were well-rep-
resented on the GHSA
Region 8-AAAAAA all-re
gion team that was released
last week.
Winder-Barrow junior
quarterback Brock Landis,
senior offensive lineman
and senior athlete Deon
Williams were all first-
team offense selections, as
was Apalachee senior wide
receiver Ethan Morris.
Landis finished the sea
son 144-of-279 passing for
1.771 yards and 15 touch
downs along with 16 inter
ceptions. Williams had 401
receiving yards, 129 rush
ing and was a force for the
Bulldoggs as a kick and
punt returner while also
playing on defense.
Morris finished the year
with 50 catches, 876 yards
and 5 touchdowns.
First-team defense
selections included soph
omore defensive lineman
Logan Cash and senior
punter Drake Power for
Winder-Barrow and senior
defensive back Gunner
Wright for Apalachee.
Second-team offensive
selections included sopho
more running back Jamar
Mack, senior wide receiver
Casey Thurmond, senior
offensive lineman Dylan
Brown and junior kick
returner Gavin Phillips for
Winder-Barrow along with
freshman and junior offen
sive linemen Nathan Hod-
nett and Parker Miller for
Apalachee.
Second-team defensive
selections included junior
defensive lineman Kevon
Mooney, senior lineback
er Mason White and junior
defensive back Josh Sims
for Winder-Barrow and
seniors Jason Craig (defen
sive lineman) and Will
Smith (defensive back) for
Apalachee.
Winder-Barrow senior
linebacker Nate Mill-
wood as well as Apalachee
seniors Ryan Miller (quar
terback), Isaac Benitez
(offensive lineman) and
Chase Williamson (line
backer) earned honorable
mention nods.
Winder-Barrow senior
running back Javonne
Hughes, who missed half
the season with an inju
ry, was one of two “Team
First” selections in the
region. The designation
goes to players who have
a positive impact on their
team despite being unable
to play.
Lanier linebacker Tyler
Taylor was the region's
Player of the Year and was
joined by Dacula running
back Tre McMillan (Offen
sive Player of the Year),
Gainesville defensive back
Tyree Robinson (Defen
sive Player of the Year) and
Dacula running back/line
backer Ty Harris (Two-way
Player of the Year).
Dacula's Tommy Jones
won Coach of the Year
honors after leading the
Falcons to a region cham
pionship and second-round
playoff berth.
Janco takes top
region honors
Apalachee softball
senior shortstop Holly
Janco was named Region
8-AAAAAA Player of the
o
See Roundup on Page 12B