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The Jenkins County Times
Friday, June 2, 2023 - Page 9
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By Brad Asbury, Sports Editor
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IT 11 : Times
pastorbradasbury@gmail.com
Under the
Bleachers
Spring sports are quickly
turning into summer
seasons. Baseball will
take center stage as one
of the only professional
sports to be played in the
weeks ahead. Preseason
projections for the NFL and
College Football upcoming
seasons will soon be talked
about. Summer will not last
long for many athletes as
local high school football
and softball teams will start
practicing next week.
The NBA is reaching its
final games as the East vs
West is about to square off
in the NBA Finals’ best of
7 series. This year it will
be the Miami Heat from
the East facing the Denver
Nuggets from the West.
The interesting thing about
this series is that Miami
will enter as an 8 seed. This
is only the second time an 8
seed has gone to the NBA
Finals, the first was the New
York Knicks in a shortened
season. The lowest seed to
win a championship was
the Houston Rockets as
a sixth seed. The Denver
Nuggets are the favorites
but have never won an
NBA Championship.
The Indianapolis
500 took place over the
weekend. It was won by
Josef Newgarden. The
Indianapolis 500 is part of
IndyCar racing. The Indy
500 is annually held on
Memorial Day Weekend.
The fastest speed recorded
in an Indy 500 was 243.75
MPH.
I cannot imagine seeing
a vehicle travel over 240
MPH, I cannot imagine
driving that fast. However,
as we are in the final days
of May and beginning the
month of June, I realize life
is currently running at 240
MPH. It seems as if we were
talking about the first day
of school, but now we are
almost halfway through the
year 2023. Unfortunately,
time does not slow down
for any man. I always
heard that as you get older,
time seems to move faster.
I did not believe that in
my younger days. Now, I
wholeheartedly hold to that
reality.
One thing I have learned
in this “fast-paced” life is
that we are called to enjoy
every second God has
given to us. Ecclesiastes
3: 12-13 says, “I perceived
that there is nothing better
for them than to be joyful
and to do good as long
as they live; also, that
everyone should eat and
drink and take
pleasure in all his toil—
this is God's gift to man.”
This does not mean that we
live in wild, crazy life; but
it means to take in every
breath and enjoy every
single moment. Embrace
when it is time to embrace,
laugh when it is time to
laugh, mourn when you
must mourn, celebrate
when it is time to celebrate,
and be still when it is time
to just be still.
God has given to all of
us a very short time to exist
on earth. We are called to
enjoy Him, glorify Him,
worship Him, and live for
Him in this life. We do not
have one second to waste.
So as you travel through
life at 240 MPH, or as you
sit “Under the Bleachers”
take in every moment. Give
God the glory for them
and enjoy Him. Watch the
sunrise and praise God for
it. Watch the sunset and
praise God for it. Take in
the laughter of children.
Share Christ with someone
in need. Raise your hands
in worship at church.
Whatever you do, enjoy the
moments!
During the 2022 middle school softball season,
then 8th grader Lynnsey Lane recorded 100
strikeouts in one season. She will be one of a few
other rising freshman softball players that will
look to strengthen the lineup. Photo Submitted.
A Year of Sports’
Success: Softball
The 2022/2023 school year has concluded, which
likewise means that all sports have been completed and it is
time to look back. At the end of the 2022 school year, a new
regional alignment was announced for all GHSA schools,
and there was a new class that was added to the mix. The
War Eagles would be competing in the newly designed
Class A Division 2 in all athletics. The only thing that did
not change was their region, which was Region 3. With the
new classification, the War Eagles would have familiar foes
Portal, ECI, and McIntosh County Academy; new to the War
Eagles would be Montgomery County, Savannah Classical
(basketball), and Savannah Early College (Tennis).
The first sport to test the waters of the new alignment
would be the Lady War Eagles softball team. The team was
a young squad with no seniors on the team. In addition to
this, the region was filled with excellent softball teams, two
of which were ranked in the top 10. ECI would
finish the season as the #1 team and would go on to win
the state championship. Portal was ranked #10 and would
be eliminated in the Sweet 16.
The Lady War Eagles finished their season with a 6-12
overall record, and 2-6 in the region. The 2-6 record
was enough for a 4 th -place finish in the region which
guaranteed a bid into the playoffs. The playoffs saw the War
Eagles play Wilcox County and Pataula Carter Academy.
The War Eagles lost both games but had a very good,
hard-fought season. The Lady War Eagles had wins over
Lincoln County, New Hampstead, two over Jefferson
County, and two over McIntosh County Academy.
The 2023 Jenkins County softball team will be looking
to improve upon the successes of the 2022 season. The
team will return players from last season’s team and will be
adding a very
talented incoming freshman class. That group of rising
freshmen was part of a wonderful middle
school season that saw the team lose in the semifinals of
the region.
In the coming weeks, we will highlight the
upcoming softball season. The Jenkins County
Times
will also release the upcoming softball season
schedule as we look ahead to the new year.
The pitcher/catcher combination of
Laura Gayle Dailey (catching) and
Katie Lynn Bell (pitching) will be
returning again for another season in
2023. This past season they fought
hard through a tough region, making
the playoffs as a number four seed in
a difficult region. Photo Submitted.
Rising junior Ava Brantley
was at bat during her
sophomore season. The team
did not have any
seniors last year and will
be adding a rising freshman
class to a team that made the
playoffs this
past season. Photo
Submitted.
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Head Coach Renee
Hearn instructs
one of her players
during the 2022
softball season.
Hearn led her team
to the first playoff
performance
since 2018. Photo
Submitted.
