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The Upson Beacon
Wednesday,
May 29, 2024
Page 3B
Changes
As I was sitting at the Upson-Lee
Class of 2024 graduation last Friday
night, I looked down at the Matthews
Field that I have known for decades. I
realized that this would be the last time
that I would see this great venue as I
had known it for so long. On Saturday
morning the changes would begin to
take place.
The changes at Matthews Field are
more of a much-needed renovation
than a devastating change. All facilities
age and need to be renewed or remod
eled. When completed, this great foot
ball stadium will look like new and
make us all proud of this wonderful
local venue.
I am not big on changes. I realize
that change needs to take place at
times, but I don’t like the idea of change
just for change. Fve always heard that
the most permanent thing in the world
is change. I guess it’s true.
I see so much change, and it would
be impossible to mention all that I see.
I am constantly reading about the im
pending changes in college athletics.
Certainly, the makeup of the confer
ences has changed drastically. I even
remember when Georgia Tech was a
member of the SEC. Surely you re
member when South Carolina, Arkan
sas, Texas A&M, and Missouri were not
members. The SEC has changed and
will continue to change.
Rules in all sports change. How
about the three-point shot in basket
ball, challenges of plays in all sports,
new and different equipment, ex
panded playoffs and longer seasons,
college seniors refusing to play in bowl
games, and many more.
The new college football playoff sys
tem is changing drastically. A 12-team
playoff is just a way to make more
money, and there is no guarantee that
it will stop here.
And so much can be said about the
transfer portal and NIL in all college
sports. It is impossible to keep up with.
Even if you are an avid fan of a college
team, you have to check in every day to
see what happened overnight. Most
fans hate these changes. The players
love it, but these changes are, in my
opinion, destroying college athletics.
And salaries? It is almost nauseat
ing to see what some of these pros are
making, not to mention the millions
some college players are making be
cause of an NIL deal. The numerous
multi-million-dollar contracts that we
see today just make us shake our heads.
No player is worth the money that is
being paid out today. No player!
We all have changes. I lived at one
residence for 43 years and changed ad
dresses. I went to high school football
games every Friday night during foot
ball season for 48 years and suddenly
changed my Friday night activities.
Changes happen. I hope yours are
for the good.
Bodrey Reels
Impressive
Catch at
lakeside Park
Sean Bodrey caught a 10-
pound catfish on May 22 at
Lakeside Park Lake. Congratu
lations Mr. Bodrey on your
catch.
Andrew Carroll/Upson Beacon
travon
WALKER
TRAVON
WALKER
TRAVON
WALKER
TRAVON
WALKER
The Upson-Lee Alumni Team along with Travon Walker celebrate winning the first annual Travon Walker Foundation Basketball Tournament.
Travon walker Foundation Hosts Basketball Tournament
Andrew Carroll
Sports Editor
acarroll@upsonbeacon.com
The Travon Walker Founda
tion brought action to The Castle
at Upson-Lee High School once
more with a basketball tourna
ment on May 26.
Four teams battled on the
court to see which could come
out on top in a double elimi
nation tournament.
Perhaps fittingly, a team of
former U-L alumni came out on
top at the end as they defeated
Team Guap 71-52 in the cham
pionship game.
The tournament served as a
fundraiser for the foundation.
“We’re happy to be able to do
this,” commented Stead Walker.
“It’s just something to give the
kids something to do on the holi
day weekend, as well as put back
some funds that we’ve already
put out in the community.”
“I want to just thank the
whole community for embracing
the Travon Walker Foundation
and supporting us and what we
do,” Walker continued.
Travon Walker was at the
tournament, which marked the
second week in a row that Walker
returned to The Castle, following
last week’s Alumni Game hosted
by teammate and former Knight
Tye Fagan.
“I love it,” commented
Walker. “Now that I have the free
time in the offseason right now to
come back and give back to my
community, that’s what I make it
about. Obviously on the week
ends I’m free now, so I always try
to make an impact somehow,
somewhere, if it’s in Jacksonville
or if it’s in my community here in
Thomaston.”
Coached by Tray Hughley
and Zyrice Scott, the Knights fea
tured Oqualon Harris, Laquentin
Lamar, Milique Smith, Jarrett
Adderton, William Jarrell, An-
tavious Scott, Demarius Colbert,
Tymir Robinson, and Jy’Kevious
Searcy.
Team Guap was composed of
Nick Jones, Rontez Shinhdster,
JaDean Mims, Devin Jones, Jay
Hart, Clarence Jackson, and
Montel Smith.
The Travon Walker Founda
tion will have a youth football
camp on June 15, which will be
held at the Upson-Lee Middle
School practice field.
White Knights Win T-ball Tourney
Andrew Carroll
Sports Editor
acarroll@upsonbeacon.com
The local recreational T-ball tournament,
first mentioned in last week’s edition of the
Upson Beacon, ended on Thursday, May 23
with the White Knights topping the Red Knights
8-7.
The road to the championship game for the
White Knights was not easy. In one of the long
est T-ball games in the history of the Thomas-
ton-Upson Recreation, the White Knights
downed the Black Knights on Monday after an
eight-inning game that ended with the White
Knights winning 40-36.
The White Knights then defeated the Purple
Knights on Tuesday.
The Red Knights on the other hand had a
first-round bye and faced the Orange Knights to
advance to the championship game.
The Thomaston-Upson Recreation Department T-ball Champion White Knights.
Dirty South Aces Roll Through May
Andrew Carroll
Sports Editor
acarroll@upsonbeacon.com
Travel baseball is a major thing
during the late spring and summer
months, and one nearby team has
gone on an explosive run through the
month of May.
Meet the Dirty South Aces, based
out of Woodbury.
The Aces have played in three sep
arate tournaments over the past three
weekends and have come out on top
in all three.
The first tournament took place on
May 12 in Griffin, and the Aces took
home the top spot in the gold bracket
for Perfect Game Baseball.
The second tournament came on
May 19 with 17 Tournaments State
Championships hosting a double
points event in McDonough. The Aces
went four-for-four on the day and
bested teams from Hiram and Brooks.
Last weekend, the team traveled to
North Ola Park in Henry County in a
tournament of five teams. Once more,
the Aces rolled through the tourna
ment, besting “Dem Boyz” from
Stockbridge, the Georgia Titans, and
Newton Rookies to take the cham
pionship.
Thomaston players include Jaxon
Clarke and Weston Taylor. Clarke
plays third base for the Aces while
Taylor pitches. The team is coached by
Ken Sirmon and Matt Gordy.
Daniel Signs with University of West Georgia
Ty'Kendra Daniel, center, signs her letter of intent to the University of West Georgia with Coach Andre Johnson
(left), Father Ken Daniel (center-left), Kynley Williams (right-center) and Mother Tammy Dawson (right) looking on.
Andrew Carroll
Sports Editor
acarroll@upsonbeacon.com
Tykendra Daniel officially
signed her letter of intent to join
the track and field team at the
University of West Georgia on
Tuesday, May 21.
Daniel holds multiple records
at Upson-Lee including fastest
girls’ 400-meter run and is part
of the team that holds the record
for the fastest 4x100-meter and
4x400-meter relays. Daniel re
cently finished seventh at state in
the 400-meter run after battling
with an injury.
With members of both the U-
L track and field and Lady
Knights basketball teams in at
tendance, as well as friends and
family, Daniel put pen to paper
to head to Carrollton and become
a Wolf.
Coach Andre Johnson com
mented, “She has been raised the
way that she should. It takes a
village to get these kids where
they need to be. I saw her out on
the backside hill with Coach
Omar Johnson, she was putting
in the work going up and down.
You could tell from her work
ethic and sweat that was pouring
and time that she was putting in
that something special was going
to happen.”
Daniel graduated from U-L
with a 3.8 GPA, and Johnson
commented that it was never a
worry about running, but rather
about technique.
