Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, MAY 2, 2018
BARROW NEWS-JOURNAL
PAGE 7B
Football
Wildcats enter spring practice with
‘clean slate’
BACK AT IT
Apalachee quarterback AJ Forbing is pictured throwing a pass during a game against Habersham
Central last season. The Wildcats began spring practice Friday under first-year head coach Tony Lotti.
They’ll host East Jackson in a spring scrimmage game May 9 at 6 p.m. at R. Harold Harrison Stadium.
File photo
By Scott Thompson
Sports Editor
Things are pretty wide
open for Tony Lotti as
he begins his first sea
son as Apalachee’s head
football coach.
That includes players
and playing time as the
Wildcats work their way
through spring practice,
which began Friday and
culminates with a home
scrimmage against East
Jackson next Wednes
day, May 9, at 6 p.m.
“Everybody has kind
of a clean slate right
now and Em drawing
my opinions based on
what I see from guys and
my conversations with
them,” said Lotti who
has 85 players dressed
out currently — a sharp
increase over the 50 or
so last season’s team fin
ished with. “There are
a few key guys return
ing but also a lot who
didn’t play before that I
think can help us. We’re
still getting to know
each other. But I’m very
encouraged by the num
bers and the work ethic
and attitude the kids are
showing.
“I’m really enjoying
being around them and
they’ve been very atten
tive and coachable.”
Lotti, who spent the
past six seasons at West
Hall, went 35-31 and
turned the Spartans
into a playoff team that
reached the postseason
five straight years, is
seeking to turn around
an Apalachee program
that has only four wins
and a tie over the last
five years and hasn’t
reached the playoffs
since a 12-1 campaign
in 2009.
Thin in numbers and
inexperienced in many
places, the Wildcats’
struggles continued last
fall as they finished just
1-9.
The Wildcats will
have to replace the pro
duction of all-region
running back Lorenzo
Stephenson, who rushed
for 900 yards and 10
touchdowns and signed
with Jacksonville State,
among other key piec
es. But they also are
slated to return a hand
ful of key contributors,
including all-region per
formers Josh Agbenou
(defensive lineman),
Nate Hodnett (offensive
lineman) and AJ Mill-
brooks (defensive back
who also saw time at
quarterback and receiv
er). Rising junior AJ
Lorbing, who took over
as starting quarterback
in the middle of last
season, presumably will
also return and was tout
ed as showing improve
ment throughout 2017.
The Wildcats are
also having to be more
flexible this spring to
accommodate a handful
of new assistant coaches
who are still obligated
to their current schools
before joining the Bar-
row County School Sys
tem.
Among the new guys
will be defensive coordi
nator Mike Hancock and
offensive line coach Jor
dan Rushing from Wal
nut Grove, quarterbacks
coach Jordan Adams
from West Hall, Drew
Morris from East Jack-
son and Nolan Roberts.
David Seawright, Jason
Muehling, Randy Hill
and Tauheed Lerguson
are returning assistants
from last season, while
Julius Hooper, who is
already at Apalachee,
will be joining the var
sity staff to coach the
defensive line.
Lotti is looking for
ward to next week’s
scrimmage with the
Eagles and seeing his
new team line up and
compete against an actu
al opponent for the first
time.
“Those intrasquad
scrimmages can be
helpful, but there’s just
something about the
adrenaline of a game
night and going up
against someone else,
even in the spring,” Lotti
said.
“I’m glad the GHSA
changed that rule to
allow us to do this.”
While the Wildcats
will be looking to win
the scrimmage, Lotti
said the main goal is to
compete hard, get bet
ter this spring and head
into the summer with
momentum as the Wild
cats seek to turn their
fortunes around.
“It’s like I told the
guys,” Lotti said, “Rome
wasn’t built in a day, but
it was built.”
AHS, WBHS announce upcoming summer youth sports camps
Here is a roundup of
local sports camps sched
uled this summer.
Future Wildcat
Cheerleading Camp
The Apalachee High
School cheerleading
team will host a sum
mer camp for all children
ages 4-12 Wednesday,
May 30 through Friday,
June 1, from 9 a.m. to
noon, in the AHS aux
iliary gym. The cost is
$60 and checks should
be made payable to AHS
CheerCats.
Participants will learn
cheers, chants, pyramids,
stunts and tumbling and
play games. Participants
are asked to wear athletic
shorts, a T-shirt and ath
letic shoes, and no jew
elry for safety reasons.
A snack and drink will
be provided each day at
10:30 a.m.
There will be a "final
showdown” on the last
day of the camp. Future
cheerleaders will be per
forming what they have
learned on Friday, June
1, at 11:30 a.m. Parents,
family and friends are
welcome to attend.
There will be spirit days
each day. Day one will
be Blue and Gold Day,
day two will be Crazy
Day (craziest attire), and
day three will be Wildcat
Pride Day (camp T-shirt).
For more information
or questions, contact
AHS cheerleading coach
Katie Hicks-Chambers at
katie.hicks@barrow.kl2.
ga.us.
AHS Youth
Football Camp
Apalachee High School
football coach Tony Lotti
will host his Champi
ons Building Champi
ons youth football camp
6-8 p.m. June 12-14
for rising first- through
eighth-graders at the
AHS football field. The
AHS football coaching
staff and special instruc
tors will be instructing
the camp.
The camp is $50 per
player and $35 for each
additional sibling. Foot
ball cleats (and tennis
shoes in case of inclement
weather) will be needed.
Each camper will
receive a T-shirt. In order
to ensure proper size,
register early. The camp
will instruct participants
in fundamentals on all
three sides of the foot
ball (offense, defense and
special teams). Each day
will begin with stretch
ing and speed/quickness
drills. Each camper will
then be divided according
to age/ability to work in
groups with each position
coach to promote sports
manship and fair compe
tition. Each day will end
with a competition.
For additional informa
tion, contact Lotti at tony,
lotti @barrow.kl2.ga.us.
AHS
Baseball/Softball and
Basketball Camp
The Apalachee High
School baseball, softball
and basketball programs
will hold a joint sum
mer camp June 18-21.
The cost is $55 for one
camp or $100 for both.
The basketball camps
will be 9 a.m. to noon
for boys and 1-4 p.m. for
girls, the baseball camp
will be 1-4 p.m. and the
softball camp will be 9
a.m. to noon each day. A
free lunch will be provid
ed in the AHS cafeteria
between camps.
The camps will feature
instruction from AHS
coaches and players on
things such as hitting,
throwing, base-running,
fielding, dribbling, shoot
ing, defense and basic
fundamentals. All partic
ipants will receive a base
ball/softball or basketball
camp T-shirt.
For more information,
email boys basketball
coach Spencer Bernstein
at spencer.bernstein@
barrow.kl2.ga.us, girls
basketball coach Gary
Compton at gary.comp-
ton@barrow.k 12.ga.us,
softball coach Jessica
Sinclair at jessica.Sin
clair @barrow.k 12. ga.us
and/or baseball coach
Allan Bailey at william,
bailey @ barrow.k 12.
ga.us.
WBHS Softball Camp
The Winder-Barrow
High School softball pro
gram will be hosting a
summer youth softball
camp Monday-Thursday,
June 18-21, from 9 a.m.
to noon for rising first-
through seventh-graders.
The cost is $75 per
player. Payment is due
June 18. Make checks
payable to Lady Doggs
Softball. Campers can
register on the first day
of the camp. All camp
ers will receive a camp
T-shirt. For more infor
mation, email WBHS
assistant coach Rachael
Lehner at rachael.leh-
ner@barrow.kl2.ga.us.
WBHS Soccer Camp
The Winder-Barrow
High School soccer pro
gram will host a Future
Dogg Soccer Camp Tues
day through Thursday,
June 26-28, from 5:30-
7:30 p.m. at the WBHS
practice field. The camp
is open to rising kinder
garten through eighth-
grade boys and girls and
the cost is $50 per camp
er.
Checks can be made
payable to Lady Doggs
Soccer. Each camper will
receive a camp T-shirt.
For more information,
go to wbsoccerdoggs.
weebly.com. Or, you can
email Angela Powell at
angela.powell@barrow.
kl2.ga.us, Rachael Leh
ner at rachael.lehner@
barrow.kl2.ga.us or Levi
Karas at david.karas@
barrow.kl2.ga.us.
WBHS Youth
Basketball Camp
The Winder-Barrow
High School girls and
boys basketball programs
will host a youth summer
camp June 27-29 from 9
a.m. to noon each day for
rising second- through
seventh-graders. The cost
is $60 per camper, $30
for an additional sibling
and $45 for a teacher’s
child.
Campers can sign up
at www.ladydoggs.com/
summer-basketball.
For more information,
contact Lady Bulldoggs
coach Kimberly Garren
at kimberly.garren@bar-
row.kl2.ga.us or 770-
307-7947.
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