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The Sylvania Times
Wednesday, March 9, 2022 - Page 9
SPORTS
Burton Kemp
Let’s have another true
Around the Horn column,
touching base on a plethora
of topics.
Tennis is through with its
“preseason”, what I will call
the tough part of the schedule.
Everyone on the schedule
to this point has been AA or
better to compare to our Class
A. Now we get to a less than
stellar region schedule-
hopefully I won’t eat those
words. Last year a boys’
team that started 1-6 lost two
individual matches in seven
team matches against Jenkins
County, Claxton, ECI,
Metter, and Bryan County.
The girls also lost two
individual matches in seven
team matches. Some of them
could not fill out a lineup
card, and it was not because
of wrestling or basketball or
injury. Remember that both
of our teams are obviously
defending region champions.
In my soccer story (another
defending region champion)
I mention the misery of the
sand gnats on the trip to
Darien last week. There are
probably readers who have
no clue as to how gnats can
make a bunch of youngsters
and coaches yearn for the
safety of the bus. There are
few things to compare. Call
them no-see-ums, sand flies,
sand gnats, or whatever, they
are so small that you can
barely see them, but the bites
hurt, a couple of days later
they itch, and then they seem
to last forever.
These gnats were in Darien
for the football game. As we
broadcast from the stands,
between them and the
mosquitoes, that night was
one of my most miserable in
that role ever. In the right
time of year, which is now-
most anywhere in Savannah
(especially the SCD tennis
courts and football field along
Around
the horn
1 j
ON TENNIS, SAND
GNATS AND OTHER
SUBJECTS
with the Calvary football
field), Richmond Hill, Jekyll
Island and other places where
we may play tennis or soccer,
things can be miserable.
They are especially bad after
a good mowing. Some of
those schools mow the grass
just before a big game just
to hurt the visitors though
I am not sure how you ever
get used to them as a home
team. I cannot imagine
mowing a yard with them.
They can also make you pay
for disturbing 250 year old
cemetery almost lost to time
in Newberry SC.
As my title says, I can
relate these horrid insects
and tennis. Maybe you can
tell from a couple of things I
say previously. Back in the
day, at Christie Kemp tennis
matches, the Jekyll Jam, a
trip to Savannah Country
Day, and a Saturday in a
tournament at Richmond Hill
were terrible days.
For tennis, a sport in which
we used to yearn for the
absence of The Westminster
School, The Lovett School,
Darlington, The Walker
School, and the like, this is
the last season without private
schools. During their absence
the girls played for a state
title in 2017 and the boys last
year. Bleckley County and
Seminole County ended those
dreams respectively. Over
the past five years (really four
because there was no 2020)
the girls have been ousted
three times by Bleckley
(including the state title) and
once by Irwin County while
the boys have been ousted
by four different one-school
counties: Bleckley, Elbert,
Early, and Seminole. The first
four with no privates (except
BC) were in AA. They are no
different from us.
If you did not pay attention
to the state basketball
playoffs after our girls were
eliminated, you should know
that Taylor County went
on to defeat Dublin 54-42
in the quarterfinals. They
were beaten pretty soundly
in the semifinals by Lake
Oconee Academy. Also if
you missed it, in AA boys
the state championship is
between a pair of our old
4AA brothers- Westside and
Butler. Josey from the same
region, made the semifinals
in girls. Another scary fact,
Woodville-Tompkins from
our next year’s region, made
the boys’ semifinals.
Up in Virginia Kara Canetto
has gotten hot, after a very,
very slow start. On Saturday
she was 2-4 in an impressive
win over Notre Dame and
followed with a 3-3 game
against Lehigh. They played
World Series participant
James Madison on Sunday.
All were on ESPN+. Also
after a tough start Liberty
was 13-6 through Sunday.
Like our tennis, before
their Atlantic Sun begins
conference play the Flames
play a very tough schedule -
so far five Big 10s, two SECs,
and an ACC. They are 4-2
in Big Ten play. I failed to
mention that Karleigh Crews
is playing at Brewton Parker.
I always love to mention the
dates where the All Sports
Pass comes in handy at
SCHS- really that is virtually
every day. On March 15
there will be home tennis
against Claxton, home soccer
against Portal, and home
baseball against Portal. The
next day there is home tennis
and baseball. Monday of
that week there is home
tennis and on Friday there is
home soccer. Looking for
something to do now that the
weather is warm? Well there
you go.
LADY GAMECOCKS TAKE
COMMAND OF REGION
SOCCER STANDINGS
Battling the reining Region
3A Offensive Player of the
Year and a horrendous sand
gnat invasion the SCHS Lady
Gamecock soccer team of
Terry Markovcic finished the
first round robin of region
play undefeated with a 4-2
win over McIntosh County
Academy in Darien on March
1. Combined with a 2-0 win
over stubborn Metter at Kelly
Memorial Stadium on Friday,
the Red and White are now
6-0 in region play as they
seek to defend their title from
2021.
Region 3A standings
through games last Friday
showed the Lady Gamecocks
at 6-0, MCA at 3-1, Claxton
and Metter at 2-2, Portal at
1-5, and Bryan County at 0-4.
While SCHS has the week off
from region play this week
with no 3 A games until Portal
is here on March 15, the rest
of the region is full time this
week. Second place MCA
has both Bryan County and
Metter.
SCHS went to AAA Harlem
on March 8. The Lady
Bulldogs are actually the
last region loss for the Lady
Gamecocks when both were
in the old Region 4AA. In fact
since March 6, 2018 Harlem
constitutes the only region
losses for the Red and White
as in both 2018 and 2019 the
locals were region runners-up
to the Lady Dawgs.
In Darien, amongst the
swarms and swarms of
sand gnats, the host Lady
Buccaneers stunned their
guest Lady Gamecocks with
a goal just 1:02 into the game
when Madi McMahan took
the opening kick and put it in.
SCHS knotted the game
when Adairis Gomez put
one in the net barely two
minutes later with 36:16
left. Mazlin Blessing got an
assist. Blessing herself put
a pair inside the net in rapid
succession, scoring at 17:46
and 14:54. Off an assist
from Grace Cataffo with 6:05
mightily on Friday at Kelly
Memorial Stadium with
Metter’s Lady Tigers. On
February 8 SCHS raced
to a 5-0 halftime lead and
coasted to a 7-0 win on
the turf of Tiger Stadium
in Metter. This time things
were a lot tougher. A 0-0
halftime battle was broken
up when Blessing drilled
a PK (after a hands in the
box) at the 31:23 mark
of the second half. Fans
breathed a little easier.
Junior defender Madison Powell launches a free kick from deep
in the SCHS side of the field. Mazlin Blessing (R), Adairis Go
mez (M), and Marly Moore (L) start in the process of pushing up
the field, (photo by Jamie Warren)
before half Charley Brannen
finished the scoring for the
now sand gnat miserable
Lady Gamecocks. There
would be no SCHS scoring
in the second half and MCA
got a late goal from Rylee
Maxwell. SCHS outshot their
hosts 16-5 and Julia Dews
had three saves.
With a pair of key players
out with injury the Lady
Gamecocks stmggled
Still the breaths did not
come normally until the
21:24 mark when Kaylin
Long, who was fouled in
the box, drilled another
PK. The 2-0 was the final
count. SCHS was outshot
12-4 with the two PKs
accounting for half of the
team’s shots. Dews had
four saves.
Freshman
Kaylin Long
(17) dribbles
past two
defenders with
Shay Sasser
looking for a
pass, (photo by
Jamie Warren)
LADY GAMECOCKS EVEN RECORD AT 4-4, ANXIOUS FOR REGION TENNIS
613 ViKt Ogeechee Sited Sy rar a Georgia M7
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EMBROIDERY - CUSTOM ARTWORK
-Burton Kemp
Pulling out a pair of wins
at the Houston County Ten
nis Complex on Saturday, the
SCHS Lady Gamecock ten
nis team of Kyle Reynolds
evened its record at 4-4 as the
team begins its Region 3A
schedule this week. After a
disappointing loss on Friday
to open play in the Veterans/
Bleckley County Middle
Georgia Tournament the team
came back to defeat Perry
5-0 and Taylor County 3-2 on
Saturday to get their overall
record back to .500.
The toughest part of their
schedule now behind them,
the Lady Gamecocks have
their region schedule, four
contests with Savannah and
Augusta Class A private
schools, and the region tour
nament ahead of them be
fore they journey out of class
again- Statesboro on April 12.
On Tuesday SCHS went to
Millen to open region play
with Jenkins County before
hosting Metter this March 9
afternoon. The Gamecocks
will host Calvary (who will
also play Aquinas) on March
11, Aquinas (who will also
play St. Vincent’s) on March
14, region foe Claxton on
March 15, and region foe
Bryan County on March 16.
Five games in six school
days including the last four at
home.
Saturday in Warner Robins
m have mm to serve you better!/
The number one doubles team for the Lady
Gamecocks is senior Madison Scott (L) and
sophomore Garyn Howard(R). The duo was
3-5 through action Saturday.
the team redeemed itself after
a Friday night loss to SEB. In
the morning a sweep of Perry
had Emma Webb (6-0, 6-0),
Lyla Johnson (6-7 (4), 6-4,
10-3), Kerrigan Bogart (6-1,
6-2), Madison Scott/Garyn
Howard (6-0, 6-0), and Kath
ryn Davis/Samantha Fore
hand (6-0, 6-0) claim wins.
In the nightcap battle for fifth
place the team had a tight
match with Taylor County (a
name now familiar to SCHS
basketball fans) and took a
3- 2 victory. It was Webb (6-2,
6-0), Johnson (6-0, 6-0), and
Davis/Forehand (2-6, 6-2, 10-
4) winning while Bogart (0-6,
4- 6) and Scott/Howard (2-6,
2-6) lost. It would have been
dramatic for the match to
have come down to the three
setter at number two doubles
(Davis/Forehand) but Webb,
who easily disposed of her
opponent at one singles, was
the final and clinching match.
In what was actually the
opening round of the Veter
ans/ Bleckley County Middle
Georgia Tournament the Lady
Gamecocks took to their own
court in the early matches Fri
day afternoon and fell to AAA
SEB 4-1. The loss reversed a
3-2 SCHS decision in the
season lidlifter on February 8.
The Red and White got a win
at one singles from Webb by
a 6-1, 6-2 but no more. Num
ber two singles (Johnson) and
number one doubles (Scott/
HowardO each lost in a third
set tiebreaker after winning in
the same situation in the sea
son opener. Johnson fell 0-6,
6-1, 8-10 while Scott/Howard
lost 6-4, 3-6, 6-10. Bogart
lost at number three 0-6, 0-6
and Davis/Forehand lost 2-6,
2-6.
What a difference a day and
an opponent makes was the
Lady Gamecock story on
February 28 and March 1.
On the 28th SCHS
whipped AAA
Burke County on
their own courts by
a 5-0 count before
losing 5-0 on their
own court the next
day to AAAAAA
Effingham County.
Against Burke
County it was Webb (9-7),
Johnson (8-4), Emma Rose
Griner (8-0), Scott/Howard
(8-0), and Davis/ Forehand
(8-0) all winning. The next
day it was Webb (1-6, 1-6),
Johnson (2-6, 3-6), Bogart
(0-6, 0-6), Scott/ Howard
(6-2, 1-6, 3-6), and Davis/
Forehand (3-6, 2-6) losing.
