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thesy lvaniatimes .com
The Sylvania Times
Wednesday, May 18, 2022 - Page 11
Burton Kemp
For the last three decades-
plus the athletic department at
Screven County High School
has been full of successes in
pretty well eveiy sport in what
ever region we have called
home. I do not see that changing
in our new Region 3A D-l this
coming school year. Despite our
successes that include numerous
deep luns into the playoffs in
virtually eveiy sport, our colle
giate post season performances
have yet to match that success.
After Kara Canetto was named
the MVP of the Atlantic Sun
softball tournament this past
weekend, I started wondering
what had been done by other for
mer SCHS athletes that belong
on that same plane of existence.
To exist on this plane of ex
cellence requires post season
collegiate success. The ASUN
softball tournament counts.
So who else? I would have to
say the biggest name on this
list is Frank Johnson and “The
Catch” of December 21, 1985.
Remember that catch with just
10 seconds remaining? It gave
GSU its first football national
championship. Tiffany Burns
also quickly comes to my mind.
Her North Georgia Nighthawks
went 54-8 in 2015 and won the
D-II Softball National Cham
pionship. In game one of the
Super Regional that May she
hit a 12th inning walk off grand
slam. In the World Series in
Oklahoma City she went 7-17 in
six games with two home runs
and made the All World Series
Tournament Team.
A couple more names on this list
include Robert “Bob” Waters.
Of course Waters is our only
NFL player which puts him on
an entirely different level, but
Around
the horn
Thoughts on former
SCHS ATHLETES IN THE
COLLEGIATE POSTSEASON
he had a post season collegiate
moment too. On January 1,1960
Waters was named the Most
Valuable Player of the Tangerine
Bowl (now the Citrus Bowl).
For the record by the time he
played in the Tangerine Bowl
he had already been drafted
by the 49ers (November 30,
1959) and the Los Angeles
Chargers (December 23, 1959).
Remember the NFL and the
AFLwere separate entities back
then. Over the last two complete
collegiate baseball seasons I
think Tyler Owens’ post season
pitching performances for the
GSU Eagles can make the list. In
the 2019 Sun Belt Tournament
semifinals he pitched six shutout
innings in a 1-0 win to put GSU
in the conference championship.
Last year he pitched the team’s
opener in the Sun Belt Tourna
ment and picked up a win. He
started the conference champi
onship but received no decision.
That quartet- Frank Johnson,
Tiffany Burns, Robert Waters,
and Tyler Owens- makes up the
list of those, including Canetto,
who came immediately to my
mind. Possibly that is not all.
My mind is not what it used
to be. Now, if you can think
of another who makes this list,
please let me know at burton-
sylvaniatimes@gmail.com and
I will gladly make public note in
this column. And give you credit
for the suggestion. Remember
I am looking for post season
collegiate success, not regular
season. Obviously the post
season starts with a conference
tournament or bowl game.
Getting late to mention SCHS
soccer but I feel that I must.
The final rankings came out a
couple of weeks ago. Maxpreps
ranked the Lady Gamecocks
fifth making them the highest
ranked team that did not go to
the semifinals. Of course they
did beat two of the other teams
in the quarterfinals (Claxton
and Metter). On the other hand
Eurosports ranked us eighth at
the end. Other than the final
four ACE, Armuchee, and Lake
Oconee Academy were ahead
of SCHS.
If you want to learn a little about
scoring points and winning track
meets at the various levels, all
you have to do is compare our
boys’ region meet performance
with their state meet perfor
mance. At the Region 3A meet
they finished a distant fifth
place with the score more than
doubled by champion Metter.
At a region meet it takes a large
roster and a few top finishes but
lots of thirds, fourths, fifths etc.
At the state meet, with so many
schools participating, just a few
top finishers will get you a lofty
standing, it won’t win the state
but it will surely give a team a
high standing. Our boys finished
well ahead of Metter (30-9) at
the state meet.
By the time you read this the
Class A baseball playoffs will be
down to just two teams with the
state championship on May 23-
25. Defending state champion
Metter is on a roll. They hosted
Commerce in the semifinals. To
get to the semis Commerce had
to go to three games to beat ECI.
Metter swept ECI 6-0 and 10-1
in Region 3A play. Commerce
beat ECI 17-10 and 8-5 after
losing the first game 4-2. Those
game were in Commerce
Kara Canetto connects on her way to her current .357 batting average. She hit over .400 in regular season
ASUN play and .550 in the conference tournament, (photo by Liberty University)
CANETTO VOTED ASUN
ALL CONFERENCE AND
TOURNAMENT MVP
-Burton Kemp
There they are paired with
the UGA Lady Bulldogs (40-
16) in the first round. In
January Canetto was voted
a Preseason All-Conference
choice, also for the second
consecutive season, and this
year she was voted the ASUN
Preseason Player of the Year
by both coaches and fans.
The other team in the Duke
regional is American East
Conference Champion the
University of Maryland Bal
timore County (31-10).
After being named All-
Conference in 2021, Canetto
tmly made a national name for
herself in the Tennessee Re
gional when the Lady Flames
advanced to the regional title
matchup before falling to
eventual World Series semi
finalist James Madison and
their now storied pitcher Od- (ph oto byUhertyUn.vers.lv)
icci Alexander. In the title tilt
Canetto was 3-4 off Alexander
including a first inning homer that gave LU an early lead in their 5-2 loss. In the three day
regional (May 21-23, 2021) the Flames defeated Eastern Kentucky (now an ASUN foe) and
the host and number nine overall seed Lady Volunteers to advance to face JMU.
Says legendary Liberty Head Coach Dot Richardson of Canetto, “Kara really embodies what
Liberty softball is all about. She has definitely made a stamp on this program and on our quest
for national recognition. She is a great leader. As a coach, I couldn’t ask for anything more of
a student-athlete. I am just so proud of her and the impact that she has made and will continue
to make through the years for this program.”
Canetto joined the starting lineup from day one her freshman season. Unfortunately, after
33 games she tore an ACL and missed the remainder of the 2019 season. After those first 33
games she was hitting .296 against a schedule that included season opening tournaments in
Puerto Vallarta MX (Puerto Vallarta Challenge), College Station TX (Texas A & M Invita
tional), and Los Angeles CA (Louisville Slugger Invitational). In those early games, when
the previous season she had been playing against Harlem in the 4AA championship and East
Laurens and Bacon County in the state playoffs (also Laney, Josey, Glenn Hills, and Butler
in regular season region games) she was playing against BYU, Notre Dame, Duke, Baylor,
Washington, Texas A & M, Texas, and UCLA. In her first collegiate contest she was 2-4
with two rbi against BYU. Later in the early going, at UCLA against the eventual National
Champion Lady Bruins, she recorded a hit against Rachel Garcia who would go on to become
the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year. Before the Covid shutdown of 2020, Canetto was
hitting .394 in the team’s 23 games.
Did SCHS prepare her for the competition she has faced while at Liberty? “I believe taking
the success I had in high school and taking it to Liberty just helped me to continue to work
hard and wanting to get better” she replied. “The coaches I had at SCHS were awesome to
play for. They knew I wanted to be the best and play to the best of my abilities. The coaches
here expect the same thing, to play to the best of my abilities and play with freedom. I am
so grateful for my parents, coaches and fans who have supported me these last four years. ”
“Kara had an outstanding four year career at Screven County High School,” said Lady Game
cock Head Coach Jim Randall Doyle. “She never lacked in effort, attitude, and athleticism.
She was extremely versatile and did whatever she could to help the team. Known for being
a tremendous outfielder, she also pitched and played shortstop because that's where the team
needed her most. Unselfishly, she played through a couple of injuries because she didn't want
to let her teammates or coaches down.”
As a Lady Gamecock Canetto graduated in 2018 leaving a distinctive mark in almost every
major offensive softball category. She left holding career records in, among others, batting
average (.480), hits (169), runs (144), rbi (103), and stolen bases (113). At that point she
also held the top two highest seasonal batting averages (.557 in 2016 and .577 in 2017) even
though Emma Jones topped those with a .603 last season.
Go to the Liberty University, founded as Lynchburg Baptist College in 1971 and later known
as Liberty Baptist College, webpage and one of the school’s goals is “Training Champions
for Christ.” That goal was an important part of Canetto choosing it and it has been important
during her college career. “Liberty has been a great place these past four years I’ve been
here,” she said. “I was able to become a better softball player as well as a Christian. This
school has helped me grow closer to God and make sure that when playing we glorify him.
Without God giving me these talents I would not be where I am today.”
Richardson restated how Canetto exemplified the type student-athlete that Liberty recruits,
“One, she loves the Lord, and two, she’s gotten amazing gifts from Him. She uses those gifts
to make an impact, not only for the team, but also for this program. She is someone who is
respected by all of her teammates and she rises to the occasion to compete.”
Kara concluded by saying, “With the help of my parents and amazing Coaches that put so
much time and effort towards all of us we would not be the team we are this year. I am so
thankful that I was able to make All-Conference team this year. I think it just shows how hard
I have worked and will continue to as long as I play.”
Though she has played for four years, as with all NCAA athletes who were playing at the
time of the 2020 shutdown, she does have an extra year of eligibility and the chance to be
what has become known as a “super senior.”
Left:
Kara Canetto looks up at the umpire for a call after sliding in to third with a triple in the first inning
of the first game of the ASUN Tournament against North Alabama
(photo by Liberty University)
CONGRATULATIONS
CLASS OF 2022
613 Nest Qgeechee Street, Sy! vania, Georgia 30467
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