Newspaper Page Text
Page 10 - Wednesday, June 1, 2022
The Sylvania Times
thesy lvaniatimes .com
Around
the horn
Farewell to the Classroom
but not the
Athletic Department
Burton Kemp
I will start Around the Horn
with something that has nothing
to do with sports and is totally
personal; this week was my last
as a teacher at Screven County
High School. My last day with
any students was May 25 and
my last day as a faculty member
was yesterday. Sometime in
late August or early September
back in 1979 this saga began
in a classroom in a wing of a
building that no longer exists.
It was the last room on the
wing closest to the auditorium.
Ironically it was the room where,
four years before, we had laid
out the SCHS newspaper The
Gamecock. It was a really good
high school newspaper but it did
not exist by 1979.
Bittersweet is the word I use for
the last few weeks as this sinks
in. After 43 years at SCHS I ab
solutely and definitively do not
want to grade another DBQ or
LEQ or SAQ or FRQ (a pair of
former stellar students in Adam
Bazemore and Cody Waters
get to do that now). That alone
makes the decision totally right.
But as Joyce Jamerson, who is
leaving SCHS after 47 years,
said to me “this has been a life
time.” It has been. I don’t know
why, but that statement had a
very sombering effect on me.
Anyway I will still be doing all
of the athletic related things that
I have also been doing for a very
long time and that is enough
about that.
Some really big news for GSU
baseball came out Sunday night;
out of the ashes of a blown Sun
Belt Conference Championship
game no less. The NCAA an
nounced the 16 sites to host the
baseball regionals and States
boro GA was among the 16.
The 40-18 Eagles will be the
number 16 seed and will no
doubt face the toughest lineup
of any regional host, but they are
a host. GSU is one of just three
non Power-5 Conference hosts,
the others being East Carolina
and Southern Mississippi. The
other hosts are Auburn, Texas,
Virginia Tech, North Carolina,
Maryland, Texas A&M, Miami
(FL), Oregon State, Florida,
Tennessee, Louisville, Stanford,
and Oklahoma State. The three
teams to be hosted by GSU were
announced on ESPN Monday.
There will be two games on
Friday with times for all games
announced afterwards. The
winners of each regional will
advance to the Super Regional
next weekend. The Eagles have
not been to a regional since 2014
and have not been to the College
World Series since 1990 (also
the last time they went to a Super
Regional).
So how did GSU get tabbed
to host a baseball regional?
Principally on the strength of
their RPI, which is a measure
of strength of schedule is the an
swer. The Ratings Power Index
is much like the old power rank
ings the GHSA used in Class
A when publics and privates
played together. GSU finished
11th nationally, right between
number 10 Oklahoma State and
number 12 Florida. The rankings
go all the way through 301 and
Alcorn State.
Okay here is something that I
promised none other than Jimmy
“Popeye” Ondriezek I would
get in here this week- our 2022
football schedule. Okay, here
we go. Everything begins with
a “kickoff” in our home scrim
mage against Effingham County
on August 12. Then comes the
nonregion schedule of GSIC
(Georgia School for Innovation
and the Classics ) at home on Au
gust 19, Bacon County in Alma
on August 26, Westside comes
here on September 2, there is an
Open date on September 9, Jen
kins County is here for the Hall
ofFame Game on September 16,
Warren County will host us on
September 23, and South Effing
ham will be here on September
30. After another Open date on
October 7 the Region 3A-D1
schedule will begin with Bryan
County here for Homecoming
on October 14, a trip to Savan
nah High and their brand new
stadium on October 21, Claxton
here on October 28 for Senior
Night, and a trip to Metter on
November 4. Think of this, with
but five region football teams
and four region games, a single
region win could easily put the
Roosters in the state playoffs.
Yes, there are six home games
for the regular season plus the
scrimmage so there are seven
Friday nights you may visit
Kelly Memorial Stadium for
varsity football. With the un
certain status of Gamecocktv,
this could be significant. An
interesting note is that two of
our last three games will be on
artificial turf. Of course Kelly
Memorial Stadium does boast
the best natural turf around.
If you missed it our own
Region 3A baseball champion
Metter repeated as the Class A
state baseball champions last
week. Playing over at GSU
they swept Charlton County by
8-7 and 3-0 scores. With only
a single game on Tuesday and
a possible double header on
Wednesday Metter Head Coach
Zach Rackett elected to save
his ace for day two and made
himself look the genius. Also at
GSU last Wednesday afternoon
Vidalia won the class AA state
championship over Thomas-
ville. The two schools are 34
miles apart and split games back
in February.
Recr©atk>m ID)@pair(tm@iiil N©ws
District Tournaments at SCRD
The Screven County Recreation Department will be hosting the Georgia Recreation and
Park Association District 1 Tournaments for 10U Girls Softball, 8U Boys Baseball and
14U Boys Baseball June 6-8 at the SCRD Complex. Brackets for these tournaments will
be available at screvenrec.com and quickscores.com/grpa.
TTMIEYOILUJTIICQM ©IF
EVTERSCHOLASTTC
ATHLETICS AT
SYLVANIA HIGH SCHOOL
By Burton Kemp
PART II
The positive movement in athletics begun at Sylvania High by the ten graduates of the class
of 1918 was continued in the fall of 1918 when the Sylvania Hi Report (an inclusion among
the pages of the Sylvania Telephone from time to time) announced, “In spite of the hot weather
the pupils are going on with athletics. We intend on putting on our Friday afternoon meets-
soon. The boys began lying off a tennis court this week.” All of this work was done under the
direction of the newly elected SHS Athletic Association. Its members were: President Louise
Wells, Vice President Clifford Hart, Secretary Vemey Waters, and Treasurer Lila Bazemore.
A new attitude began to emerge among athletes when the tennis courts were completed in
October. While the Athletic Club encouraged others, “the SHS Club will be glad for others
than the school boys and girls to join and use the playground,” they insisted on a ten cents per
month charge or “do not use any part of our playground at any time.” Seemingly the group
was beginning to view itself as a little better than the average playground group, much the
way a varsity team would view itself above a physical education team.
In the spring of 1919 the county faculties jumped on the bandwagon, organizing the Screven
County Athletic Association, whose purpose was to “foster all lines of athletics in the schools
of Screven County.” It was a countywide movement and included all of the white schools of
the county. The Association hoped to “encourage more attention to the playground movement
among schools” by having the first contest between all county schools.
This first county athletic meet was held on Friday, May 9, 1919 at the Sylvania High play
ground. Events for boys included the 100-yard dash, pole vault, 220 yard dash, mnning broad
jump, sack race, three-legged race, and Vi mile mnning relay race. Events specifically listed
for girls were the walking relay race and the potato race. The results of the event made front
page news in the May 16 Sylvania Telephone, which stated “a large crowd was present at the
Athletic Meet in Sylvania last Friday, a number of the schools in the county being represented.”
It is unfortunate that only the school of all winners was mentioned instead of individual names.
It is quite certain that Sylvania dominated all events, recording first place in six of the seven
boys’ field events for those above 12 years of age. Sylvania also won the only basketball game
of the day, defeating Oliver 14-2, making its extramural cage debut a success. Incidentally,
Harmony picked up the other first place, in the 220 yard dash, while Beulah and Cooperville
had the most second-place finishes with two each. Beulah led the under 12 events with three
firsts to Sylvania’s two and one each by Jackson and Douglas Branch. Sylvania’s over-12 girls
picked up a first and a second while their under- 12s did not place. Other schools participating,
based on first and second place finishes, were Rocky Ford, Jackson, Newington, Green Hill,
Elmwood, Goloid, and Cooperville.
For this athletic movement to continue its growth during the 1919-1920 school term, there
was but one way to go, begin interscholastic athletic competition. Sylvania High did not take
that step during 1919-1920, though one county high school, Hilltonia, did. Hilltonia was rec
ognized as playing interscholastic baseball in the May 12, 1920 Telephone. A significant and
not necessarily unrelated change took place at SHS in the fall of 1920. It was announced that,
beginning in the fall of 1920, an eleventh grade would be added to the school, thus increasing
the number of students in high school and helping enable SHS to take that final athletic step.
With three successful years of athletic contests with other county schools and plenty of
intramurals now under their belt, the students and faculty of Sylvania High School made the
final step in the fall of 1920, entering the realm of interscholastic athletics for the first time.
Of course the addition of an eleventh grade, which now allowed Sylvania to be an accredited
school (a fact that was published on October 8, 1920), did not hurt the cause either. The
September 24, 1920 edition of the Telephone announced that both the boys and girls were
forming basketball teams, “Much interest is manifested in athletics this year, basketball teams
are being formed by both the boys and the girls.” Robert Gunnels was elected captain of the
boys and Katie Mobley was elected girls’ captain. “Supervisors” of the teams were to be Mr.
M.C. McCall and Mrs. Bailey.
The significance of academics were not lost on the faculty as it was stipulated that members
of the basketball teams were to be put on a “scholarship basis,” no one could play on the
teams who did not have an average of at least 75 in his or her studies. Team members were
responsible for buying their own uniforms and, as far as anyone can remember, there was no
team mascot. In fact, team colors seemed to change every time uniforms changed. Colors
went from navy and white to black and white, to orange and black to no particular colors at
all in a year when the players had no uniforms at all.
Next week: How did these first varsity teams perform?
TENNIS CLINIC
Dates: June 6-9 (Mon-Thurs
Time: 8:30am-10:00am
Cost: $25
Ages: 5-8 yr old beginners (rising K - 3rd graders)
Location: SCRD Tennis Courts
Instructor: Diane Freeman
BASKETBALL CAMP
Dates: June 13-16 (Mon-Thurs)
Time: 10:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m.
Cost $30
Ages 7-14 boys & girls
Location: SCRD gym
Instructors: Madelyn Brown, Bubba Brown
Instructor for Softball Camp: Kamryn Ellis ~>
MARTIAL ARTS CAMP
Dates: June6-8 (Mon-Wed)
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Cost: $75 (discount for sibling)
Ages: 5 & UP
Location: SCRD Gym
Instructor: Andi Johnson
Bring your own water & snacks
SWIMMING LESSONS
Session Dates: June 6-17
10:00 a.m. Pre-K/Beginner & Intermediate
11:00 a.m. Beginner & Advanced Beginner
Cost: $30/person / 2 week session
Youth 6&UP can take Beginner (level 1&2),
Advanced Beginner (level 3&4),
or Intermediate (level 5) Classes.
A Pre-K Class (ages 4-5) will be offered at
10:00AM. *An adult must be with the
child for the Pre-K Class.
SOFTBALL CAMP
Dates: July 18-21 (Mon-Thurs)
Time: 5:30-7:30
Cost: $30 (camp/t-shirt included)
Ages: 10 & up
Location: SCRD Youth Complex
GYMNASTICS CAMP
Dates: June 20-23 (Mon-Thurs)
Time: 9:00am-12:00pm
Cost: $50 (includes snack each day & a camp t-shirt)
Ages: 5&UP
Location: SCRD Gym
Instructors: Ashley Edenfield & Katelyn Bazemore
Signup by June 10!
LIFE U
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