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Page 10 - Friday, March 3, 2023
The Jenkins County Times
thej enkinsc ountytimes. com
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JCTimes 3-3-23.indd 10
3/2/2023 9:56:59 AM
Proud SupjX)i1er of the
Jenkins County Times!
• r *JBethany
'f Pruitt 9cit
/\ FAMILY MAKES US STRONGER
466 S. Gray Street - IVlilien, GA 30442
{478)982-2531 (478)982-3131
Tyler Williams shoots a free-throw Wednesday night during the
state playoff game vs Telfair County. The War Eagles lost 64-57
ending their season, (photo dubmitted)
Neveah Campbell drives in for a layup
scoring 2 of her 3 points for the night,
(photo submitted)
Lady War Eagles and War Eagles
Seasons’ End
BRAD ASBURY pastorbradasbury@gmail.com
Under the Bleachers
Pollen is everywhere, mosquitoes are biting, and we get to enjoy the early spring! The
best way to enjoy the spring is to step outside, take a big deep breath in (bring a Kleenex),
and watch some of the spring sports all around you! All over Jenkins and the surrounding
counties spring sports have bloomed and parents and kids alike are in high gear!
The Jenkins County Recreation Department is up and mnning strong as they are every
year. Spring t-ball, baseball, and softball have started. Teams have been selected and prac
tices have begun. Very soon, game times will be announced, including the much antici
pated, Opening Day. Young talent will be on display, parent coaches will be coaching, and
umpires will be listening to coaches and parents alike!
There is good news in the “game of failures.” In baseball, there is always the opportu
nity for redemption. One moment you are striking out and the next inning you are hitting
the game-winning home run. One moment you walk a batter, and the next you throw the
game-winning strikeout. This is life. We all experience many failures and many hardships,
yet the next moment we are walking the “mountain top” experience and fighting forward.
The key to the “failures” and the “mountaintops” are learning to trust. In baseball, you
must trust your own abilities, coaches, and teammates. If you are “knocked” down, you get
back up. Yet, in life it is not about trust and faith in our own abilities; rather it is a rock-sol-
id faith in Christ. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart and lean not
on your OWN understandings. In ALL your ways acknowledge Him and He WILL direct
your path” (English Standard Version, emphasis added). We trust in a God who knows the
hairs on our heads! Trust Him and Him alone. When you strikeout in life, trust Him. When
you hit a homerun, give Him glory. When life throws a curveball, lean on Him. He will
keep you ‘till the end.
Jenkins County baseball is in full force in both middle and high school. Look weekly in
the Jenkins County Times for all the updates. Travel ball season for baseball and softball
has also started.
Track and Field meets will start very soon. The middle school meet this week that was
scheduled had to be canceled. The High School Track Team will have to wait until March
9 th for their first meet.
Basketball season has ended for our War Eagles and Lady War Eagles. Portal is the only
local boys’ team that remains. They will face Wilkinson County on Tuesday night for
the chance to head to the state semifinals held at Valdosta State University. After the first
round of the state playoffs, only Montgomery County remained from Region 3. However,
they were defeated in the second round by Clinch County.
Last season, while coaching baseball at the Jenkins County Recreation Department, after
a particularly bad game, I sat down with the players and reminded them of a harsh baseball
lesson. That lesson is very simple, and so hard as a player. The lesson is as follows: base
ball is a game of failure. While there are many successes, big hits, and wins; overall base
ball has a high failure rate. The best batter in Major League Baseball last season was Jeff
McNeil. His batting average was an impressive .326. While this is an impressive average,
he was out 67.4% of the time.
Until next week, this has been your weekly Under the Bleachers. Remember, you never
know who is listening from under the bleachers so be careful what you say at those sport
ing events! Remember to send me pictures, stats, etc. of what your family members are
doing in sports around Jenkins County and surrounding counties!
Middle School Baseball Starts Season
with a Win
This past Wednesday night the War Eagles and Lady War Eagles hosted the first round
of the GHSA Class A Division 2 State Playoffs. They were able to host because of a
second-place finish in the Region 3 tournament. Entering the game, the War Eagles had
won 20 games in the regular season the Lady War Eagles had won 18 games in the regular
season. Both teams had finished the regular season with a historical number of wins. Both
teams would play host to Telfair County from Region 4.
In the first game of the night, the Lady War Eagles would host the 14-12 Lady Trojans.
The Lady War Eagles led early 13-9, but they did not hold onto the lead. The Lady Trojans
would go on a run that tied the game at halftime, 13-13; however, the run continued, and
the Lady Trojans would pull ahead to a 22-13 lead. The Lady Trojans only scored 13 in
the first half but would score 19 in the third quarter alone. The Lady War Eagles could not
overcome the deficit and would lose 48-33.
The second game of the night would also end in a Jenkins County loss. This time the War
Eagles would take on number twelve ranked entering the state playoffs was able to defeat
the War Eagles, 64-52. The War Eagles would take a 37-33 lead into the locker room at
halftime, but the Trojans of Telfair County would come out of the locker room and took
the lead. Early in the third quarter, the Trojans took the lead, and they would never look
back.
Even though both teams lost in the first round of the playoffs, it does not take away their
accomplishments in the season. Both teams had great regular seasons, finished in the top
20 of the state rankings, and finished runner-up in the regional tournament. Both teams
also had players finishing on the all-region teams. Coach Sweet and Coach Boynton have
much to hold their heads up for this past season as do the players.
Be on the lookout for a sea- -» son recap in the weeks ahead as well as
interviews with the coaches
about their seasons.
"5 'o
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By Brad Asbury, Sports Editor
for
' r 111 : Times
The Jenkins Coun
ty Middle School
baseball team
(c-team) traveled
to Swainsboro on
Saturday for two
games in an early
season tournament
facing Swainsboro
and Brantley Coun
ty. This War Eagles
team is very young,
featuring mostly 6
th and 7 th graders
in the starting line
up.
As the game began
on Saturday, the
War Eagles jumped
to an early lead
scoring the first runs
in the game in the
first inning. Chan
dler Cates opened
the game with a line drive single, followed by
a Riley Janies double that would score Cates.
Swainsboro would answer with a score at the
bottom of the first, but it would be pitching
and defense that would be the strength of the
War Eagles for the remainder of the game.
While the offense would score 4 in the third,
1 in both the 4 th and 5 th and 5 in the 6 th
inning; the defense would not allow another
ran! 7 th grader Joshua Gray pitched an ex
ceptional game pitching all six innings. It only
took 86 pitches, 61 of them were strikes. Gray
also had 9 strikeouts in the game. One oth
er noted stat for Gray is that 83% of his first
pitches to a batter was for a strike!
The War Eagles players Chandler Cates,
Gatlin Oglesby, Ryley Janies, Harper Wilcox,
Harley Burke, and Hasan Grimes all had one
hit for the War Ea
gles. Ryley Janies,
Bryer Clayton, Josh
ua Gray, and Harley
Burke each had an
RBI. The final score
in 6 innings was
Jenkins County 12
and Swainsboro 1.
The second game
of the day was a
game against Brant
ley County. Brantley
County would win
the game in shutout
fashion by a score
of 13-0. The War
Eagles were able
to get two hits for
the game. An early
4 runs in the first
inning was enough
to propel Brantley
County to the vic
tory.
They would add 1 in the 2 nd , 4 in the 3 rd ,
and a big 6-run inning in the 4 th . Chandler Cates
started the game as pitcher and lasted 3 innings.
Cates threw 3 strikeouts and 63% of his pitches
were for strikes. Bryer Clayton came in during the
4 th inning and completed 2 innings of relief work.
He tallied 4 strikeouts out of the 6 outs he was in
for. Harper Wilcox and Bryer Clayton had the only
two hits in the second game.
The War Eagles will have their first home game
on March 7 th as
they face Portal.
All home games are
played at the Jen
kins County Recre
ation Department.
Above:
Chandler Cates (left) and Gatlin Oglesby (right) prepare for
a new inning as they get ready to bat. These two combined for
5 runs against Swainsboro. (photo by Heather James)
In the first game of the season
for the young War Eagle base
ball team, 7th grader Joshua
Gray stepped on the bound. He
got the win for the War Eagles
pitching an impressive 6-inning
game that included only giving
up 1 run and 1 hit. (photo by
Heather James)
Left:
Hasan Adams, 8th grader,
dives back to first base during
Saturday’s game for the War
Eagle Middle School, (photo by
Heather James)
Left:
Marcus Golphin seeks to
score on
Wednesday night which
would turn out to be his
last game in a War Eagle
basketball uniform,
(photo submitted)
Right:
Junior Talya Milton dribbles
the ball setting up the play,
(photo submitted)
Above:
Junior Shanya Lake runs the ball down
the floor during the Lady war Eagles
GHSA State Playoff game on Wednesday
night. The Lady War Eagles lost to Telfair
County 48-33. Shanya finished with 15
points on the night, (photo submitted)
