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jenkinscountytimes.com
The Jenkins County Times
Wednesday, April 10, 2024- Page 9
WAi-t K ACiLK
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By Brad Asbury, Sports Editor
pastorbradasbury@gmail.com
Under the
Bleachers
Sunday afternoon, sports enthusiasts
watched the end of an era. Caitlin Clark,
the superstar guard who plays for the
Iowa Hawkeyes ended her college
career with a loss in the Women’s
NCAA National Championship. Clark
finished the night with 30 points, but
it just was not enough as the Hawkeyes
lost to South Carolina 87-75. The South
Carolina Lady Gamecocks finished the
season undefeated.
Speaking of Caitlin Clark, she broke
records that have not been touched for
many years. Clark broke the all-time
single-game scoring record for the
University of Iowa, became Division 1
women’s career scoring leader, broke
the Big Ten all-time scoring leader,
became the all-time NCAA Division I
men’s and women’s scoring leader, and
finished with the most career NCAA
tournament points. Amazingly these
were only a few of her achievements.
Women’s basketball is often eclipsed
by men’s basketball. However, women’s
basketball players like Clark and many
other stars of today’s game have helped
revive the sport. On Friday night when
Connecticut and Iowa played in the
final four, the broadcast on ESPN
peaked at 17 million viewers. This was
the most-watched basketball game ever
aired on ESPN. The previous record
was 13.51 million viewers during Game
7 of the 2018 NBA Eastern Conference
finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers
and Boston Celtics.
Clark, when asked about her greatest
accomplishments in her record-
breaking season, has commented that
the rise of women’s basketball and
women’s sports in general has been
the greatest accomplishment. Without
a doubt, this has happened, but kids,
boys, and girls just want to shoot like
Clark. “I genuinely believe every time
that Caitlin breaks a record or comes
off a game, there are thousands of boys
and girls out shooting and wanting to
be like number 22,” Iowa coach Lisa
Bluder said.
On Monday night, the men will
battle it out for the NCAA National
Championship. This year it will be the
battle of number one seeds. Purdue
and UConn will play to be crowned the
top basketball team in the 2023/2024
season. UConn will seek to win back-
to-back championships. While there
will not be a Cinderella team in the
championship, North Carolina State
gave it a good run being eliminated in
the Final Four.
Baseball has completed one full week.
There have been amazing games in the
first eight to nine games. The top teams
have started as top teams are supposed
to start, by winning. The Atlanta Braves
have finished eight games, and they are
6-2. They had two come-from-benind
wins in their first two home games,
one of which was a walk-off hit in the
bottom of the tenth. The only setback
for the Braves currently is the unknown
status of superstar pitcher Spencer
Strider. Currently, all that is known
is that he has damage to his UCL. If it
is required that he have Tommy John
surgery, he will miss the remainder of
the season and even part of next season.
This week the team will know more.
It is interesting to see the number
of athletes requiring major surgeries,
especially the tear to the UCL that
requires what is often heard, “Tommy
John surgery.” Is this an overuse in the
younger years? It is very possible. There
is no definitive answer to this; however,
kids no longer rest their arms. Children
are playing year-round, and they are
throwing harder than ever before. I am
not certain our bodies are made for this
type of wear and tear. Do you have any
opinions?
Speaking of rest, God designed us
for rest. Not simply sleep, but true rest.
Our bodies need a rhythm of rest. God
created a specific day of rest, and we
are to use that day to restore our bodies
and most importantly our souls. We are
created to worship on this day! Take
time in your life and create a strong
rhythm of worship and rest, every week.
Make the first day of the week, the best
day of the week. Gather and worship on
a Sunday! Then rest!
Baseball Regional
Standings Update
Somehow, the final games of the 2024 baseball season are upon us. Portal has
completed their regional play and has been eliminated from playoff contention as
only the top four teams will go to playoffs. In the next week, ECI, who holds the
best record in the region will play Montgomery County, while McIntosh County
Academy and Jenkins County will face off in a three-game series.
If the season continues the way it has already, ECI will win the three games over
Montgomery County and will finish as the regional champions. The interesting
battle will then be between Jenkins County and McIntosh County Academy. With
one win over McIntosh County Academy, Jenkins County will finish as regional
runner-up and host the first round of the playoffs. McIntosh County would need
to sweep Jenkins County for them to finish second.
Earlier this season, McIntosh County Academy dropped a game to both Portal
and Montgomery County, whom the War Eagles swept.
Team
ECI
Jenkins County
McIntosh County
Montgomery County
Porta
Regional Record
9-0
6-3
4-5
4-5
1-11
Overall Record
17-5
6-11
6- 17
7- 13
1-15
War Eagles
Turn the
Season
Around
On February 8th, the War Eagles
began their season. Everyone knew this
was going to be a year of rebuilding after
losing a loaded senior class. The War
Eagles’ first game was against Georgia
School for Innovation and Classics in
an exhibition game. The War Eagles
won big, and then the road through a
tough season began. The War Eagles
would lose 11 games straight to start
the season, this included being swept
by ECI a regional opponent.
This all began to change on March
26th, when the War Eagles hosted
regional rival Portal. The War Eagles
would need some wins if they had any
hopes of the playoffs at the end of the
season. Their final three opponents
would be Portal, Montgomery County,
and McIntosh County Academy. The
result against Portal was a three-game
sweep and the War Eagles putting up
big offensive numbers with a combined
35 runs in three days.
The next opponent up would be
Montgomery County. The War Eagles
traveled to play Montgomery County
on Monday of Spring Break. The War
Eagles did not slow down at all from the
previous week. The team would put up
10 runs on 14 hits in a 10-4 victory. JC
Dailey was on the mound and pitched a
full game striking out six while pitching
106 pitches. His strike rate was nearly
60% for the game. James Allen was the
big offensive performer for the game
with 2 hits and three RBIs while being
walked two times. One of those hits was
a triple.
The second game against Montgomery
County was part of a doubleheader
that was played at Jenkins County
on Wednesday afternoon. The game
started later than expected because of
rain in the area, but the delayed game
did not delay the offense. Montgomery
County was the first to get on the board,
with one run scored in the 1st. Tyler
Williams was able to get on base by
an error, and as a result of the error
Williams advanced to third base. Reid
Weathersby was the next to step in the
batter’s box and laid down a sacrifice
bunt scoring Tyler Williams. On the
next at bat, Weathersby was able to
use his speed to get two stolen bases
and put himself into scoring position.
On a grounder to third base by Gray
Amerson was thrown out but it was
enough to put the War Eagles up 2-1.
This lead would seal it for the War
Eagles. Montgomery County would
only score one more run, and would
only get one more hit as the War Eagles
ran over Montgomery in 5 innings
winning 12-2. James Allen was on the
mound, pitching 4.2 innings with 8
strikeouts, and only giving up two hits.
Offensively, three War Eagles had three
RBIs. Gray Amerson, James Allen, and
Reid Weathersby all helped bat in three
runs each.
The last game of the day would be
a little tougher. The old saying is, it is
hard to beat the same team three times.
However, the War Eagles did just that.
It looked to be a similar game with
Montgomery County scoring first in the
first inning. However, the War Eagles
would put four runs across the plate in
the first taking an early 4-1 lead. They
would add another three in the second,
one in the third, and one in the 5th.
Montgomery County would put across
3 in the sixth, but it was a little too late
and the War Eagles would win 9-5.
The War Eagles will take their
winning streak in a three-game series
against McIntosh County Academy.
Tuesday, the War Eagles will host the
Buccaneers, and then on Friday will
travel to Darien for a doubleheader.
The implications for these games are
huge as one win will give the War
Eagles the regional runner-up and the
opportunity to host the GHSA State
Playoffs first round.
JCMS Finishes Successful
Track Season for JCMS
The Jenkins County Middle School boys’ and girls’ track and field teams completed
their season the week before spring break. Head Coach Andrea Womack is in her 11th
season with the JCMS Track and Field team, this season she was joined by Katelynn Kent
as her assistant. This season was a great success, with the girls’ team finishing as regional
runner-up out of nine teams competing, and the boys’ team finished in fourth place with
nine teams competing.
The regional runner-up finish for the girls’ team was not a runaway finish, rather it was
down to the finish line. The team fluctuated between second, third, and fourth all day. At
the end of the last race, the 4X400 relay teams finished in 1st place to earn the points
needed to finish second only one point ahead of the 3rd place team Screven County.
The middle school track and field season is a short, demanding season according to
Coach Womack. She stated, “Trying to balance practice and rest can be challenging. As
a coach, it is like a game of chess-taking my talent and seeing where each athlete fits all
the while considering the talent other teams bring for each event.” With the season over,
Coach Womack will look forward to the 12th season and the talent she will return next
year.
Here are the accomplishments during the regional track meet this season:
Girls’ Track and Field
Event
Finish
4x100 Relay
1st Place
& Kember Mays
100M Dash
1st Place
1 Mile
1st Place
4X200 Relay
2nd Place
and Kember Mays
4X800 Relay
2nd Place
Braelyn Davis R’Monie Kent
200 M Dash
2nd Place
4X400 Relay
1st Place
Lanon, Braelyn Davis
2nd Place Regional Finish
Participants
Briasia Gray, Jameal Adams, Lyric Jones
Kember Mays (Less than 14 seconds)
R’Monie Kent (6 Minutes 21 Seconds)
Briasia Gray, Jameal Adams, Lyric Jones
Ah’Miracle Mozee, Aminayu Oglesby,
Kember Mays (28.46 seconds)
Chinara Tobie, Hannah Barnes, Alisa
Boys’ Track and Field 4th Place Regional Finish
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Last season, Jackson Lanier was on the pitching mound for his
War Eagles. A year after graduation, Lanier is giving back and
is on the mound again; however, this time Lanier is operating
a pitching machine for the Jenkins County Recreation
Department with a young future War Eagle by his side. Photo
by Danielle M. Davis.
Event Finish
Long Jump 2nd Place
4X200 Relay 4th Place
Frawley, Jayden White
4X100 Relay 3rd Place
Frawley, Jayden White
Triple Jump 4th Place
4 X 400 Relay 5th Place
Griffin, Lorandus Byrd
Participants
AJ Williams
AJ Williams, Leroy Mozee, Weston
AJ Williams, Leroy Mozee, Weston
Leroy Mozee
Elijah Coney, Dawson Sharpe, Michael
Coach Lee Ogden stands at 1st base giving some instruction
to a Shockley Plumbing player as a Jenkins County Times
player looks on and waits! Photo by Danielle M. Davis.
Joshua Johnson instructs a young Jenkins County Times
player during a recent game. It appears Johnson is drawing
a line in the sand, teaching a batter where to stand and get
a hit. This is what recreation ball is all about, getting a start
and preparing young boys and girls for the future! Photo by
Danielle M. Davis.