About The Sylvania times. (Sylvania, Ga.) 2022-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 31, 2024)
thesylvaniatimes.com The Sylvania Times Wednesday, January 31, 2024 - Page 11 GAMECOCKS SET TO HOST AREA 3-A TRADITIONAL TOURNEY Their regular season now done with their tenth place finish from among 24 teams in this past weekend’s Paul Thigpen Sweet Onion Invitational at Toombs County High School, the SCHS grappling Gamecocks of Griffen Greene are set to host the Area 3-A Traditional Tournament this Saturday. This will mark the sixth consecutive year that the Harold Lee Scott Gymnasium has been home to such. The Red and White have won the past five. Leading the way Friday and Saturday for yet another tournament were freshman Jason Newman (126) and senior David McFarland (157) with each advancing to the consolation finals and winning their battle for third place. Both lost in the championship round to wrestlers who advanced to the championship match of their weight class. SCHS finished with 78.5, ahead of Burke County’s 75 and behind Brantley County’s 83. The Roosters had six vacant weight classes. Union County won the event. On the way to his third place medal Newman opened with a forfeit before being pinned by eventual champion Jonathon Westberry of Brantley County. In the wrestlebacks he pinned William Joyner of Burke County, scored a 9-3 win over Nathan Perry of Lee County, and defeated Landen Bell of Union County 13-9 to meet Dublin’s Terrell Williams in his consolation final match. He recorded 7785 Senior Bo Doss (132) went 2-2 in the Sweet Onion Invitational last weekend. Here he is in the midst of a 2-0 win over Berrien Countys ’Brayton Folsom (photo by Nikki McFarland) a pin in the waning seconds of the second period to finish 5-1 in the tournament. McFarland quickly reached the championship semifinals with a pin over Tavarius Brewton of Vidalia and a 17-2 win over Michale Jones of Toombs County. After falling 9-2 to eventual runner-up Payton Legatt of Union County, he came back with a 13-7 win over Appling County’s Daniel Perry to set up his consolation final match with Benedictine’s Xander Argentinis which saw McFarland record a pin. Over the two days he went 4-1. Now with 152 career wins, a single win in the area on Saturday will make him Freshman Wyatt Sowell (144) went 3-3 in the Sweet Onion the Career wins leader for Invitational last weekend. Here he is about to pin Appling County’s SCHS. Ben Franco (photo by Nikki McFarland). Freshman Wyatt Sowell (144) had a busy two days as well, going 3-3. Recording a pair of victories was Bo Doss (132). Picking up one pin each were Ryder Rankin (138), Jason Zheng (165), Jemiah Stewart (190), and Kody Cochran (215). Also in the tournament were Brody Taylor (165) and Lance Daniell (150). Stewart’s win was his career 98th. Five current team members, each a senior, has been at least a runner-up in their weight class in a past area tournament. McFarland was champion a year ago and runner-up in both 2021 and 2022. Rankin was a champion last year while Zheng and Doss were runners-up in 2023. Stewart, out with an ACL tear a year ago, was a runner-up in both 2021 and 2022. LADY GAMECOCKS CRUSH SAVANNAH HIGH 66-40 Avenging a bad 54-53 loss from December 5, the SCHS basketball Lady Gamecocks of Stephanie Davis used a 26-0 first half run to crush region foe Savannah High’s Lady Blue Jackets 66-40 Saturday night in the Harold Lee Scott Gymnasium. Standing at 15-5 after play last week, SCHS also defeated nonregion ECI in Twin City by a 65-30 margin on January 23 before a come-from-ahead 51-47 loss to visiting and region-leading Bryan County Friday. Still in the race for a second place finish, SCHS went to Woodville- Tompkins last night and will go to Metter this Friday in the final region game. Jefferson County will host the Lady Gamecocks this Saturday. Almost done, the region standings after Saturday night showed that Bryan County had the regular season region title in hand at 9-0 (with a postponed game with Savannah High still to go) while Claxton at 0-10 had sixth place sewn up. Between those teams was a long jam of Savannah High at 5-3, Woodville- Tompkins at 4-5, Metter at 4-4, and SCHS at 4-4. Second and third place each carry huge advantages. Second place assures a team of a bye into the second round and a guaranteed spot in the state playoffs. Third place will host the first round of the region tournament on February 13. The overall record for SCHS is 15-5. Seven weeks ago the Lady Gamecocks led Savannah in Savannah for virtually the entire game before 16 missed free throws caught up with them and they lost a game and a region win. Free throws never came into play Saturday night. After scoring the first four points of the game, the Lady Gamecocks saw SHS move to within two at 4-2. The next time the Lady Jackets scored the count was 30-2 the way of the Red and White. The SCHS lead reached 30 at 38-6 with 1:05 remaining in the first half. Visiting Savannah never threatened to make it a game. Alailah Scott had 26 points and Jaliah Roberts had 14. Scott finished the double-double with 10 rebounds with Roberts having nine. Roberts also contributed five assists. SCHS was still but 14-25 from the charity stripe. Points left off the scoreboard via missed foul shots again doomed the Lady Gamecocks in a region game Friday as they fell to regular season region champion Bryan County 51-47 Friday while going 9-22 from the line. Included in those numbers are a 5-6 night by leading scorer (18) Scott. Leading early in the final stanza at 39-33, SCHS had its last lead at 40-39. While on a 13 -1 run the Lady Redskins took the lead at 41 -40 and never trailed again. The home team came within two at 47-45 but very poor shot choices in the last minute doomed them. Kyla Oglesby pulled down 14 rebounds and Scott 10. Setting the stage for four straight region games, three against teams that have already defeated them, the Lady Gamecocks had an easy time with next year’s region foe ECI. Leading 16-4 after the first quarter over winless ECI the Red and White coasted. Roberts had 25 while Jackson had a career high 22. Rayven Tyler, a junior guard, lays it up (photo by Francina Sanders ttperfectshot photography) Junior forward Olivia Jackson brings ball up court, (photo by Francina Sanders ttperfectshot photography) Junior forward Avan Mingle is at the free throw line (photo by Francina Sanders kperfectshotphotography) AROUND THE HORN The indoor sports are truly winding down and the outdoor sports begin anew this week. I always say, hope you have those All Sports passes ready to go. While there are only two days this spring with two sports playing at home at the same time and one day (March 3) with three going simultaneously, there are at least three weeks with three days in a week with home contests and one week (of March 26) with four days featuring an SCHS sports team at home. Things kind of slow down in April. Go Team! This Saturday will definitively be the last chance to see this year’s wrestling team anywhere near Sylvania. The state “sectionals”, and we will have numerous individuals going there, is at Social Circle High School next Saturday. That SCHS is 161 miles away. There is also a “sectional” at Dublin High School which is. 104 miles away. There are six seniors making their final appearance in three days. Five of them have advanced through the area tournament to the state sectionals at least once over the past three seasons. Last weekend I forgot to check on the state duals wrestling championships. We weren’t there so it just wasn’t high on my list. Anyway, our area representatives, Bryan WRESTLING AND BASKETBALL AT SEASON’S END, LET’S HEAD OUTDOORS County and McIntosh County, did not fare so well. Bryan County lost to Heard County and then St. Francis. MCA fell to Oglethorpe County, defeated Charlton County, and fell to Dade County. None of the losses were particularly close. Social Circle and Mt. Pisgah went one and two respectively. The mountain at the top of Pisgah (not the one of Moses’ fame) won last year. Not bad for a school with barely 300 students. Basketball’s post season will be set aftergames this Friday. The boys standings, save for fourth and fifth, are set. Since fourth and fifth play each other and then have their winner play the regular season region champion (either Savannah High or Woodville-Tompkins) next, the positioning of those teams does not matter. Yes it does for uniform color. At the home of the third place girls team (possibly SCHS), on February 13 Bryan County (6-4) and Claxton (0-10) will play and SCHS (2-6 at week’s beginning) and Metter (3-5 at week’s beginning) will play. In Metter the next night the BCHS-CHS winner will get number two while the SCHS- MHS winner will get number one. The girls' finishes, except for the top and the bottom, are as clear as mud. Bryan County has won and Claxton is last. Positions two through Burton Kemp Unless otherwise noted all articles in Sports are written by Burton Kemp, Sports Editor five are wide open. At last week’s end Savannah was 5-3, SCHS and Metter were 4-4. and Woodville-Tompkins was 4-5. With wins over W-T last night and Metter Friday, the Lady Gamecocks could possibly finish second and get a bye into the state. Go Team! Basketball seniors will be honored on February 9 when we host nonregion Jefferson County. That February 9 date could possibly be the last home game for six SCHS basketball seniors. Maybe not! Well the Super Bowl teams are set. I do get an old AFL taking on an old NFL. It is not the NFL/NFC team I was hoping for. You had to be pulling for the Lions didn’t you. This is Super Bowl LVIII (58 for novices). Detroit is the only team in the league when the first Super Bowl was played in 1966 that has never been to the title matchup. There are teams that were in the league in 1966 that changed cities before getting there (Houston’s Oilers never went but the Tennessee Titans have and the 1966 incarnation of Cleveland Browns never went but the Baltimore Ravens have). The year 1966 was the first season for both the Atlanta Falcons and the Miami Dolphins. Of course one of those two has never won a Super Bowl. Anyway, one more football game to watch and then
